Submitted for Asia View

It comes as a surprise to most of my classmates and professors that I'm a local and a civilian student attending UMUC. My ethnicity and culture is rooted in Guam, but my reason for wanting to attend UMUC over the local university is quite simple. UMUC offers a wider range of educational opportunities. It provides a curriculum that is classic in nature and applies educational standards of the highest level. It’s where students and teachers share the enthusiasm of scholarly inquiry and amazing discovery. The professors and support staff at UMUC are committed to fostering individual growth and the nourishing of personal dreams. I doubt that I could experience this quality at any other institution.

-As a senior at UMUC Guam, I want to share my experience as a civilian student. Through my four years of study, I have enjoyed meeting a variety of interesting people from a broad range of backgrounds. They share the most interesting stories about their experiences and perceptions. Most of the instructors at UMUC Guam have been teaching on the island for several years. Because of this, I have been able to establish a professional and lasting relationship with most of them.

Being a civilian enrollee at UMUC does entail drawbacks. For example, military tuition financial assistance is not available to civilian students nor do we have open access to the base libraries. Depending on the security situation on military bases, acquiring a base pass can be impossible. Immediately after the September 11th tragedy, military authorities barred civilian access with the exception of contractors. This was a vexing situation, as I sometimes had to rely upon my instructors for physical access to the UMUC instruction facilities on base. As a civilian, I am not entitled to a military identification card. Security concerns are justified in light of contemporary terrorism threats, but the sporadic barring of my access results in my falling behind in lectures and coursework. Just in the past year have military bases been more relaxed in allowing civilians through.

Another distinction associated with my civilian status is my lack of knowledge about the military, its mission, and operations. Conversing with classmates can be confusing in that I don’t understand “military talk” and I am not cleared to share certain information regarding deployment and missions. When my classmates are talking about activities, rank, and their base housing issues, I sit outside the circle because I feel I have nothing to contribute. Developing friendships is difficult because many of my classmates are stationed on the island for only two years and this prevents me from building deep relationships.

Civilian students enhance the UMUC experience in many ways. Local students add an island insight to the mix. They share information about the island with military classmates. This is especially useful to those who are new to the island. Civilian students help fill classes when the number of military students and dependents enrolled in a particular class falls short of the minimum number of students required to offer a class.

Despite all the challenges that come with having a civilian status, UMUC remains the school of my choice. I believe that UMUC has increased my knowledge and spurred my interest in all academic environs. It is my sincere desire that other civilian students share in the wealth of my UMUC experience.