Job Hunt: Infinity

Part II - Experiences on Campus While there is current research being done on support services for student veterans, “there is little or no information to assess whether the efforts by institutions to provide targeted programs and services are helpful to the veterans and service members enrolled in colleges and universities.” (Kim, Young, & Coles, 2013, p. 1). Also, there may be a problem with student veterans accessing those services, because some student veterans may not self-identify (Vacchi, 2012). Student veterans, even if they do identify, may not ask for help or want to feel like a burden (Vacchi, 2012). College campuses come with their own red tape, much of which can be difficult to navigate for student veterans (Vacchi, 2012). Some of this red tape can come from VA benefits, such as tuition payment that may come after the end of a billing cycle which can have consequences on campus (Vacchi, 2012). Another is health insurance, since most campuses require students to hav...

Part I: What can we do? We should be offering services that are veteran-friendly, such as orientations just for veterans (Ackerman et al., 2009). And we should be offering accurate information in those services, especially when it comes to recruiting (Schnoebelen, 2013). David Vacchi also suggests that we provide transfer credits and offer thorough evaluations of non-traditional education that student veterans possess (2012). More specifically we can create (and attend) training programs focused on student veterans (Schnoebelen, 2013). Advisors of student veterans should be made aware of the challenges veterans may face, including potential transfer credit issues (Vacchi, 2012). Some of these issues could also be from experiences while in the military, such as sexual assault (Ackerman et al, 2009). We should also be working with faculty so that they are aware of the culture of classrooms and how that may affect student veterans (Vacchi, 2012). Some institutions have done a...

David Vacchi (2012) says it best: Colleges should expect student veterans to succeed. The White House estimates that more than 1 million military personnel will separate from the military by 2016 (Azziz, R., 2013). Some student veterans may have started their higher education either before or during active duty (Kim, Young M., & Coles, James S., 2013). “Veterans” may include those who served during wartime or not, active duty or reserves, National Guard members (Vacchi, 2012). However, student veterans and their transition “are not a new development in U.S. higher education” (Rumann & Hamrick, 2009). Student veterans may be part-time students who transfer in some credits (Schnoebelen, 2013). They may have responsibilities outside of college (Kim, Young M., & Coles, James S., 2013) including being married (Schnoebelen, 2013). According to the U.S. Department of Education, while 84 percent of veterans initially enroll in two-year institutions, 16 percent of veterans start...

There are several training programs in the country that help faculty and staff understand student veterans. One is Green Zone Training offered by The University of North Carolina and another is the Veterans Educator Training and Support (V.E.T.S.) Program at the University of Colorado. The one I’m going to review is the VET NET Ally program (Thomas, 2010). The VET NET Ally Program was created for California State University, Long Beavh in order to fulfill the need for a safe space for veterans and is modeled after the Safe Zone Ally training program (Thomas, 2010). It offers four hours of training for faculty and staff and includes a panel of student veterans (Thomas, 2010). There are four theme areas: program purpose, policies and procedures, military and post-military culture and transition, and personal identity issues (Thomas, 2010). Similar to Safe Zone training, participants are given a decal for displaying in offices or workspaces (Thomas, 2010). “[T]he primary goals of t...

There are many different programs, groups, and organizations that support student veterans. The ones here are nationally recognized, but they definitely aren’t the only ones out there. Do you know of one or work with one? Add it to the comments! The first student veteran organizations were formed after World War II when veterans began attending college, but many of these groups shrunk as that generation moved on (Summerlot et al., 2009). the first known organization was the American Veterans Committee (Summerlot et al., 2009). Organizations help veterans connect with others with military backgrounds, provide a safe space, and can assist with creating change on campus (Summerlot et al., 2009). Student Veterans of America (SVA) was formed in the Spring of 2007 (Summerlot et al., 2009). This was after veterans from Operation Eduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom returned home (Our Story). It began as student veterans on a campus to provide support for one another, and in 2008 differ...

Here are descriptions of some of the financial aid available to military personnel and veterans. All of these are subject to change, because, well, the government runs them so there are no guarantees. Also, there may be programs at the state or local level, such as institutional scholarships, that aren’t mentioned formally here, but they do exist. For those still in the military : Tuition Assistance, provides $4,500 annually to active-duty personnel to attend college during off-duty time (McGrevey & Kehrer, 2009) Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students; established in 2003, offers financial protections to active-duty military personnel “during a war, military operation, or national emergency” (McGrevey & Kehrer, 2009), also includes relief to activated personnel repaying student loans (McGrevey & Kehrer, 2009). Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, also known as the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act of 1940; offers financial, civil, and legal prote...

So, first, let’s start by saying not all military veterans have PTSD or TBI, my husband doesn’t have either. Not all military veterans attending college have mental health issues (Baechtold & De Sawal, 2009). Not all military veterans are going to be disabled, and if they are considered disabled by the VA, you might not know it. If there is a student on your campus with PTSD, they are not likely to have it so bad that it’s out of control, if it was that bad, they wouldn’t be on campus. Not without a lot of support. Also: military veterans are not the only people who can be diagnosed with PTSD. Anyone who has ever had a traumatic experience can be diagnosed with PTSD. Anyone. Now, onto the research: Women military veterans are less likely to be diagnosed with PTSD than men (Baechtold & De Sawal, 2009). Situations that are stressful to 18-24 year old men may not be as stressful to women (Baechtold & De Sawal, 2009). Sexual harassment or assault while in the military is consid...

I’m not a veteran, but I am married to one. I know a good number of them. When I was studying for my Bachelor’s degree, my husband was (honorably) discharged from the Navy. He was offered a job before his separation date, he moved home, and started working immediately. Between work and the Montgomery GI Bill he attended school for free, taking a class a term. My husband does not have PTSD, injuries from his service, or use VA Health Care or services. Sometime after I decided I wanted to become a student affairs professional my husband encountered a nightmare at school. It made me so angry. We wrote a letter to the appropriate people, and from some insider information, that letter made it to the Provost. More on this in another post. In grad school I became interested in a lot of different areas, including adult education and underrepresented populations. When it came time to decide on research for my Master’s Thesis in the Spring of 2010, I had a few options, but I realized how...

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