Going to PA School while serving as Army Reserve - how to deal with Dean

[yongheelee1212]

Dear current and future PAs,

I'm stuck in a dilemma and I was hoping to get some advice on my situation. Sorry for long post.

I am a current Army Reserve pursuing my dream to become a PA and I was accepted into South College - Nashville program for the class of 2022.

As an Army Reserve, there is always a chance to be activated and deployed even when I am in the middle of the program. So I explained my situation to the Dean and asked how my case is going to be handled if I were to be deployed during the program.

And these are the responses I received from him:

1. Any mobilization or recall would most likely require you to have to withdraw from the program, as we do not offer deceleration.
2. Mobilization or recall for any extended period of time would require you to restart the program from the beginning.
3. Policies regarding refunds of tuition or fees after withdrawal are specified in the South College Student Handbook; I referred you to the Student handbook for that information.
4. If withdrawal is needed, you would need to reapply to Program for reentry, meeting all requirements for admission that are in place at that time; reentry in a future class is not guaranteed.
5. You should discuss this with your Company Commander to see if there is a possible exemption from being mobilized or recalled while you are in the PA Program.

Frankly, I was little surprised because, in my knowledge, federal and state law protects school from kicking out students. Is there any reason the law does not apply to PA school?

Moreover, I was little insulted that he asking me to request my Company to be exempted from being mobilized and not to serve my country.

I thought Dean may be unfamiliar with the military law so I even responded back with my understanding of the law, but ever since then, he has been staying silent and ignoring me.

what should I do? has anybody been in same situation?

[Parashooter79]

Two things 

In 2010, the Department of Education published regulations implementing the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008.  The regulations, 34 Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R) section 668.18, went into effect July 1, 2010.  The law is codified under 20 United States Code (U.S.C.) Section 1091c.  

The law and regulations accord the post-secondary education student whose education was interrupted by voluntary or involuntary military service the right to readmission to the educational program. These requirements apply to any educational institution that participates in title IV federal student financial aid programs, including Pell Grants, Stafford Loans, and the Federal Work-Study Program. In Tennessee you are also protected by state law and allows you to litigate against a school breaking federal/state law. 

That being said maybe the best course of action would have been to be up front in the application process about your reserve status. It is you responsibility to inform your institution and understand their policies before matriculating.