Inside this Month's Issue:

• Section 1 - Announcements:Spring 2023 Commencement Ceremony Information, Military-affiliated gradaution celebration and more!
• Section 2-Knowledge Article of the Month: Let's Talk About VA Enrollment Manager
• Section 3 – Calendar Check out these upcoming events!
• Section 4 - AU Veterans Spotlight: Meet our monthly spotlight, Louden Mazen!

Announcements

 

1. Commencement Ceremonies for Class of Spring 2023: 

   AU's Spring 2023 Commencement ceremonies will be held on Friday, May 12, and Saturday, May 13, in Bender Arena. Each ceremony will last approximately two to two and a half hours.  You can find more information about the AU Commencement activities here   Friday, May 12, 2023

10:30 a.m.: School of Communication and School of Education

3:00 p.m.: School of International Service

Saturday, May 13, 2023

9:00 a.m.: Kogod School of Business and Professional Studies

1:30 p.m.: School of Public Affairs

6:00 p.m.: College of Arts and Sciences

2. Veteran & Military-Affiliated Affinity Commencement Celebration! Come and celebrate your graduation while meeting other military-connected staff, faculty, student, and alumni at this affinity celebration. RSVP here! The red, white, and blue Veterans Cords will also be distributed at this time. When: Friday, April 28 | 6:00-8:30 p.m.Where: Washington College of Law Faculty & Staff Lounge

3. Are you interested in learning more about AU's Military-Connected Club and plans for Fall 2023? Email Steven at sbetsch@american.edu for more information and to be added to the listserv!

4. Cherry Blossoms Bloom at AU! The cherry blossoms have peaked! The best spot on campus to peruse the parade of pink petals is behind the East Quad building on Nebraska Avenue. They won’t last long so see them while you can!

 

Do you need access to the Veterans Lounge? The Veterans’ Lounge is located next to AU Central – Veteran Services office in 201 Asbury building. The Veterans’ Lounge is designated for all military-affiliated students. For access, please email veterans@american.edu from your AU email. Access to the Veterans’ lounge is typically granted in 2-3 business days.

The monthly enrollment verification requirement is here!The Department of Veterans Affairs is implementing a monthly enrollment verification requirement for Post 9/11 GI Bill® recipients. Effective December 17, 2021, students receiving these benefits must verify their enrollment at the end of each month. Those who fail to verify their enrollment for two consecutive months will have their Monthly Housing Allowance and kicker payments put on hold. If you want to learn more, you can read the Veterans Affairs’ blog post about these changes. Review the FAQs about this requirement here! 

 

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1. What is VA Enrollment Manager? Enrollment Manager is a modernized platform for School Certifying Officials (SCOs) that replaced VA Online Certification of Enrollment (VA-ONCE) on March 6, 2023. Core functions of Enrollment Manager will remain the same as VA-ONCE, but with an enhanced user experience.
2.  What is the difference between VA-ONCE and Enrollment Manager?Enrollment Manager uses different terms than the prior VA-ONCE system to describe certain features or actions. There are new features that make the system easier to navigate and more sustainable, which will improve processes for completing certain actions regarding student enrollments.

3. How will this change impact Chapter 33 beneficiaries? The VA requires that School Certifying Officials (aka your Veterans Services team) complete two certifications for each period of enrollment that a Chapter 33 beneficiary is enrolled. This is known as our dual certification process and would typically occur over the course of several days since there was a 24-hour waiting period after the first certification was submitted to submit the final certification. But now, enrollment Manager can process more than one amendment on a single certification in a 24-hour period for Chapter 33 students. This means less time to process certifications!

4. How will this change impact non-Chapter 33 students? Since School Certifying Officials do not need to complete a dual certification process for non-Chapter 33 students, this change will not impact/delay certifying non-Chapter 33 students.

5. What is a reasonable expectation in terms of how quickly VA can process the enrollment and send out the housing payment? Enrollment Manager will speed up processing time for Chapter 33 enrollments and amendments that can be automated. If the enrollment is submitted and the student's enrollment is automated, the student should receive their payments based on their training and benefit type.

6. Is there anything else I should know? Yes! The new Enrollment Manager system features individual remaining months of eligibility in real time. You can learn more about the new Enrollment Manager system by watching this video!

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April 3, 2023: Last day to withdraw from a Spring B course or change a grade option

April 3-5, 2023: 2023 Sea-Air-Space Expostition at Gaylord National Convention Center. Register here!

April 23, 2023: Spring B classes end

April 28, 2023, 6-8:30 p.m.: Veteran and Military-Affiliated Affinity Graduation Celebration | WCL Faculty & Staff Lounge. RSVP here!

May 1, 2023: Payment due for summer classes / Theses and dissertations due in Registrar's Office for spring degree candidates

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AU Veteran Spotlight

Meet Louden Mazen!

Louden Mazen is from Queens, New York and is currently studying Terrorism and Homeland Security Policy at the School of Public of Affairs (SPA). He will graduate with his masters from SPA in 2024. Louden recently joined the VA Work Study team in the Veterans Services office as part of the Administration and Enrollment Team. Prior to starting his educational career at American University, Louden served 6 years in the United States Coast Guard. He enlisted in the Coast Guard in 2016 as a Machinery Technician. He was stationed at USCG STA Oak Island, NC from 2016-2018 and USCG STA Eatons Neck from 2018-2022. During his time in service, Louden was the lead boarding officer on law enforcement teams for over 700 boardings in federal waters. He also was a small boat engineer and a boat crew member for more than 300 CG missions and over 100 search and rescue cases to assist mariners in distress. Louden was honorably discharged at the rank of Petty Officer Second Class in 2022. He is looking forward to taking advantage of the many opportunities at American University and the D.C. area.

“We, the staff of American University Veterans Services, are very grateful to have Louden as part of our VA Work-study team! He comes to work each day with a positive attitude and a self-driven work ethic that greatly benefits our office’s administration and enrollment initiatives. I look forward to seeing all that he will achieve while he is at AU and beyond. Thank you for all your hard work, Louden!”

 -Dymeah Casey, Assistant Direct Veterans Services

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