At a meeting Friday in Glenville, the commission proposed adding military duty, programs related to the student’s study, service, study abroad, volunteerism, extreme financial hardships and extraordinary circumstances beyond the student’s control as reasons for a student may take a leave of absence from the scholarship.
The revisions will be submitted to the Legislature for approval after a 30-day public comment period.
The current policy allows leaves of absence only for medical reasons or family bereavement.
Higher Education Chancellor Brian Noland said David Haws’ lawsuit exposed problems with the policy.
Haws, a Mormon student at WVU, lost his state-funded merit-based scholarship because he left the university to serve a two-year church mission.
Haws sued the state PROMISE Board in July in federal court, alleging it violated his First Amendment right to freely exercise his religion. His attorney argues that by denying Haws’ request for a leave of absence, the board forced him to choose between his religion and his PROMISE scholarship.
Haws returned to West Virginia earlier this year after spending two years helping improve living conditions for Hispanic workers in Western states. He has reenrolled at WVU and the university has agreed to defer his tuition while the lawsuit is pending.
Haws’ lawsuit seeks the reinstatement of the 4.0 student’s scholarship and a change in the policy.
— Associated Press
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