Talking Stick - November/December 2008 - (Page 19)

withdrawal and re-entry for student veterans: “A deployment is already a stressful enough process for a student-soldier to think about – the personal contact would greatly help in easing their [student veterans’] stress … and assist them both in their pre-deployment stage and in their return to school.” Personal contact, the very thing we pride ourselves on as professionals in student affairs and housing, goes a long way in supporting our student soldiers as they make the transition between two of the nation’s oldest institutions: the military and higher education. Thousands of armed service personnel enroll and then, after deployment, re-enroll at institutions across the nation. Student veterans attend college using G.I. Bill benefits, but these no longer cover the full cost of attending a college or university. In her article “New G.I. Bill Could Bring More College Benefits,” Kim Clark of U.S. News & World Report noted that increasing tuition costs have now outpaced the benefit value of the G.I. Bill. In recent months, efforts have been made to increase the educational benefit. On February 28, 2008, Senator Hillary Clinton introduced legislation calling for an amendment of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which would allow institutions to use grants authorized by the Secretary of Education to provide programs and services for student veterans. More recently, President Bush signed into law the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act which, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Web site, allows service personnel who served on active duty on or after September 11, 2001, to receive full tuition – up to the amount of the most expensive in-state public institution – a housing allowance, and a stipend of $1,000 per year for books and supplies. It is the responsibility of student affairs administrators to acknowledge student veterans as a unique student population on campus and to support them accordingly. The nature of this support will differ from one institution to another, depending on student veteran enrollment. Dr. David DiRamio, assistant professor in the adult and higher education program at Auburn University in Alabama, notes that the “Veterans Administration suggests that 90 percent of returning veterans will attend only 200 institutions in the U.S.” This means that some institutions may be inundated with student veterans, while others may have very few. Institutions with large student veteran populations may be more easily able to enact policies and procedures for accommodating these students, but those with minimal veteran populations may have more difficulty. On the other hand, institutions with lower numbers of veterans may be able to provide better support for student soldiers simply because they are not overwhelmed with such large numbers. In any case, student affairs administrators must be attuned to the administrative culture governing student veteran support: Is there an established point-person or office that handles student veteran withdrawal and reenrollment, and are there policies and procedures related specifically to them? Are there avenues of institutional support dedicated specifically to this group? Is there a student veteran organization or support group on campus? Are specialized resources available through campus health and counseling centers? Student affairs support for this group of students is sometimes complicated by the fact that student veterans may choose to remain invisible, not because they hide in the crowd or are leery of being identified as veterans but simply because they may not wish to disclose their military background. This invisibility can affect institutional tracking of this group; while some administrative officials may know how many veterans there are and who they are, this information is not – or cannot be – shared with other departments. Student veterans themselves have difficulty pinning down their numbers on campus and thus have difficulty connecting with each other. Sam Cook, a Clemson graduate and former president of the Clemson University Student Veterans Association, states, “We had roughly 30 members, and about half of those were active members, but we think there are many more vets on campus.” Administrators can counter this problem by establishing a culture of appreciation to make the group more visible: promoting a military-friendly attitude, inviting veterans to take an active and valued role in campus life, creating a military appreciation day, or organizing a student veterans advisory council. For housing professionals in particular, supporting student veterans can be challenging because many of these students choose not to reside November + December 2008 1

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - November/December 2008

Talking Stick - November/December 2008 Contents Online Now Vision Just In Your ACUHO-I Transitions Res Life Facilities Business Special Focus Calendar Finding Inspiration in Unexpected Places The Evolving Role of the Resident Advisor Conversations First Takes Reporting Out New Members Snapshot

Talking Stick - November/December 2008

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