DATE: Wednesday, October 22, 1997           TAG: 9710220468

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PHILIP WALZER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: ISLE OF WIGHT                     LENGTH:   95 lines

AT ISSUE: NAVY WIFE THINKS CURRENT TUITION LAW IS UNFAIR

Now that both her children are in school, Sandra Nelson is finally ready to pursue her dream: going to college to become an accountant.

``I've always been good with figures,'' Nelson, 33, said. ``I've never been bored with it. I took accounting courses in school'' - Booker T. Washington High School in Norfolk, from which she graduated in 1982.

In August, she got the bombshell: She'd have to pay out-of-state rates. That's because even though she used to live in Norfolk and now lives in Isle of Wight, she and her husband maintain their legal residency in Florida.

They lived there from 1990 to 1994, when her husband was stationed there with the Navy. And they intend to return in five years when he retires.

The tuition news stunned her. ``I couldn't believe it,'' Nelson said. ``It (out-of-state tuition) was three times as much.'' For now, her plans have been sidelined.

For Nelson and other military wives, it hasn't always been that way.

In 1988, legislators passed a law giving out-of-state military dependents and spouses one year of in-state college rates. The state paid the difference.

Then came the '90s budget crisis.

To save money, the tuition discount got whittled down, starting in 1992. In 1994, it was eliminated altogether.

Local legislators - led by two Newport News delegates, Republican Phillip Hamilton and Democrat Alan A. Diamonstein - have pushed legislation to restore the tuition discount for out-of-state military spouses and dependents. Richmond education officials have estimated the cost at $5 million a year.

But the bills have been opposed by legislators from other parts of Virginia, who don't see the benefit for their constituents.

Supporters of the measures have said the state ought to give a break to military personnel and their families in gratitude for their service to the country.

Nelson, the wife of an aviation boatswain's mate, believes that. But she thinks out-of-state rates should also be lowered for nonmilitary people. They, too, could be forced to move somewhere else for a brief time. Their educational opportunities shouldn't suffer, Nelson said.

``It should be easier for everybody,'' she said. ``You never know what's going to happen in life. If you're a Virginia resident, say you were already in college and you had to go to another state for some emergency and had to take care of a family member. It's a financial burden.''

Nelson said they're not considering switching to Virginia residency. Already financially pinched, they don't want to pay the state's higher personal property taxes. But spouses do pay state income tax.

She's heard of Navy wives taking classes in other states. That's not an option either. ``I don't want to be divided from my family. It's bad enough as it is, with him being away nine months out of the year.''

For Nelson, this is yet another delay in starting college.

She didn't go after high school. Her parents couldn't afford it.

She didn't go in the last few years because ``having a family always came first.''

Now her children - Sean, 10, and Danielle, 6 - are both in school. It seemed like the right time, finally.

She's going to apply for financial aid to see how much of the out-of-state rate will be covered. Maybe she can start in January. But she's not optimistic.

``It's a little discouraging,'' she said. ``I want to better our lives, to have something to fall back on.'' CANDIDATE'S RESPOND

Sandra Nelson's question: Should the state give military personnel in-state tuition rates? Why or why not?

Donald S. Beyer Jr.: The centerpiece of my higher education vision for Virginia will be to open access to colleges and universities for all Virginians. I strongly support our military personnel, but I believe the first call on our higher education dollars has to be for Virginians.

Of course, all Virginia military personnel would be eligible for my scholarship program which provides assistance for merit and need, opening the door of higher education to more than 100,000 students in the next four years. We do need to ensure that Virginia National Guard personnel receive assistance for college.

James S. Gilmore III: I believe the state should give the families of military personnel stationed in Virginia who choose Virginia as their official state of residence in-state college tuition rates. As a veteran, I know first-hand the value of service to our country.

The honorable men and women who carry out their service in Virginia deserve the lower tuition rates that state colleges and universities offer Virginia residents. This includes active military personnel who wish to take courses while serving and those who retire from active duty to attend college. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Sandra Nelson...

Beyer...

Gilmore... KEYWORDS: ELECTION CANDIDATE GUBERNATORIAL RACE VIRGINIA

TUITION COLLEGE AND UNIVERISTY

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