CGCC Veterans Services

Registration for summer and fall opens Mar. 7th.

Registration for the summer and fall semesters at Chandler-Gilbert will open to continuing students and all veterans (new and continuing) on Monday, Mar. 7. You can search for classes through the searchable class schedule and enroll in them through your my.maricopa.edu Student Center page.
Full-time for fall is 12 credit hours. See the following article for the necessary number of credits to be full-time in the summer semester.

Register early to guarantee you get the classes and schedule you want. Once you are finished registering, don’t forget to turn in your Request for Benefits (RFB) form to CGCC Veterans Services. You can do this in person, by fax at 602-396-5057, or by email at veteransservices@cgc.edu. You will need separate forms for summer and fall.

Upon receipt of the RFB, Veterans Services will apply a tuition deferment to your account for the appropriate semester, preventing you from being dropped from classes for non-payment. Since the system begins dropping unpaid, undeferred enrollments 35 days before the start of the term, it is important to get your paperwork turned in to Veterans Services before then. Turning in paperwork early also insures VA will pay you on time.

Remember, your classes must all apply to your degree plan for VA to pay, and stipend or BAH depends on your full-time status at any given moment in time. Full-time for classes that last the entire semester is 12 credit hours. Under Chapter 33, Post-9/11 GI Bill, you must be enrolled OVER half-time to earn any BAH.

For full benefits, you must be enrolled full-time for summer classes

Most students are aware that the VA prorates payment for enrollments that are less than full-time. But what constitutes full-time can be tricky with summer terms.

Although CGCC considers summer as all one term, the VA calculates full-time status (and therefore pay) according to the exact start and end dates of classes within that term.  It is therefore important to know what constitutes full-time enrollment in the summer sessions, whose shorter length gives each credit hour more “weight” in the VA’s calculations.

There are three standard sessions within the summer term. The chart below shows how many credit hours you need to be enrolled in to be considered full-time for that time period. The chart only applies to the exact start and end dates listed. For different start/end dates, or for sessions that overlap, feel free to email Veterans Services (veteransservices@cgc.edu) and we will calculate your full-time status.

Many students choose to take one 3-credit-hour class during the first five week session, and another 3-credit-hour class during the second five-week session. That way, they are full-time from May 31 to Aug. 4, other than the four days in between the two sessions. The majority of three-credit hour classes are offered during the five-week sessions.

Most lab sciences, and many math classes, are taught only during the longer 8-week session. A student could elect to take a combination of credits adding up to 5 or more credits during that session, and thereby be full-time from May 31 through July 21. Adding a 3-credit class in the second 5-week session class could extend the full-time status to Aug. 5, but beware the time period where the classes all overlap, as this might be an overwhelming amount of work.

If a student took only one 4-credit lab science during the 8-week session, his/her enrollment level would be 4/5 of full-time. That would earn him 80% of his normal BAH under Post-9/11 GI Bill, or 3/4-time pay under any other chapter, from May 31 to July 21.

Remember, as with any other term, your summer classes must be required for your Chandler-Gilbert degree to be certified to VA for payment. Be aware as you build your summer schedule that summer courses are more intense, because the same amount of material is packed into a much shorter period of time. Most students prefer no more than one or two classes to be in session at any given time.

Mar. 16 is priority deadline to apply for graduation

It may seem early to think about graduation, but Wednesday, Mar. 16 is the deadline to receive priority status when applying for graduation. Priority status guarantees your graduation petition will be processed during the current semester—something students looking to transfer to a university need.

The awarding of degrees is not automatic: students must complete a graduation petition to be granted a degree or certification, whether or not they plan to attend the graduation ceremony. Details on graduation, the petition process and commencement ceremonies can be accessed at cgc.edu/graduation.

There is no charge to apply to graduate. There is a $25 fee for participating in the commencement ceremony, which covers the cost of cap and gown.

Commencement ceremonies will be held at Sloan Park, the Chicago Cubs spring training facility in Mesa, on Friday, May 13 at 6 p.m.

Need accommodations in classes? See Brenna!

When you use the term “Disability Resources & Services,” some people think only about physical disabilities like blindness or paralysis. Or they think about the Special Ed department back in high school. But veterans might be surprised to know that CGCC’s Disability Resources specialist, Brenna Peck, can help out with accommodations for a number of common issues facing student veterans.
Do you have medical appointments at the VA that may interfere with classes? We can help with flexible attendance.

Do you get anxious taking a test in the classroom?  We can give you extra time in a private room of the Testing Center.

Do you need to sit in the back of the class to feel comfortable? We can give you preferential seating.
Does an assignment or class discussion trigger a traumatic event? We can help advocate.
Do you have short term memory impairment? We can get you books on CD or Assistive Technology (text-to-speech software). Many times, that is very helpful in retaining text that you read.

Brenna points out that once you’ve been granted an accommodation, there is nothing forcing you to use it—but it’s there if you find you need it.

About a third of students answering the student veteran survey last fall indicated they thought they would or might qualify for disability services, but had chosen not to register with CGCC’s DRS office. Brenna hopes that this list will encourage students to seek the accommodations that can help them be successful.

Learn more at cgc.edu/disability. To make an appointment with Brenna Peck, call 857-5188.

CGCC offers learning community focused on military/veterans

A new learning community will be offered fall 2016 semester with special appeal to veterans and military-connected students. The combination of ENH 110 Intro to Literature and ENG 217 Exploratory Writing will feature readings and writings related to veteran and military experiences. The theme is “Leadership and Everyday Heroism.”

ENH 110 (section 32637) meets general education requirements of Humanities and Cultural Awareness. ENG 217 (section 40186) satisfies the Literacy general education requirement. The combination of classes will meet in person one day a week (Tuesday), with the rest of the coursework online.

In a learning community, a student must register for both classes.
The courses are being taught by Chris Reider and Miguel Fernandez.

City of Chandler offering Operation Welcome Home

The City of Chandler is accepting nominations for its fourth Operation Welcome Home Chandler ceremony. Operation Welcome Home Chandler is an opportunity for Chandler residents to honor and show appreciation for military men and women who are returning from active duty or leaving for service.

Nominations are now being accepted for veterans to be recognized. Veterans should be Chandler residents and have been on active duty within the last three years or leaving soon.
During the ceremony, veterans are part of a procession escorted by the Arizona Patriot Guard to the Chandler City Council Chambers where the Chandler City Council will recognize and thank each individual. During the ceremony, the honorees will be presented with a gift basket with donations from the community. After the public event, the veterans and their family will be treated to dinner at a local restaurant.

Operation Welcome Home Chandler ceremonies are scheduled several times a year, based on the number of nominees.

To nominate a veteran or sponsor the program, visit chandleraz.gov/patriotism.

Mark your calendar:

Career Services will hold a job fair Thursday, Mar. 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Ironwood Bridge.

The University Transfer Fair will be held Thursday, Mar. 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m at Ironwood Bridge. Numerous colleges and universities will have representatives there to answer your questions about transferring.

Sign up to take a student success workshop either in person or online, offered by CGCC Counseling Faculty. The Classroom Academic Skills Integration (CLASI) workshops are free, and many CGCC instructors offer extra credit for participation. March workshops include Motivation/Procrastination, Notetaking, Overcoming Test Anxiety, and Time Management. You can register for either an online or in-person session here.