激情快播

Summer 2014

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Maybe it鈥檚 the way he speaks or the way he carries himself. It鈥檚 not hard to tell that 激情快播 criminal justice major Emerson Bielen served in the military, and he鈥檚 never surprised when classmates ask.

鈥淭he Marine Corps,鈥� he responds. And if they ask if he鈥檚 been 鈥測ou know, over there,鈥� he tells them he spent nine months in Fallujah, Iraq. 鈥淪ometimes somebody will ask, 鈥楧id you ever kill anybody?鈥� 鈥� And I answer, 鈥業鈥檓 sure most of the people in the military never killed anybody,鈥� 鈥� he says.

It鈥檚 the kind of awkward experience shared by student veterans that can separate them from other students on campus.

Bielen is philosophical about the misconceptions classmates can have about veterans 鈥� ones that he says are shared by society at large. 鈥淚 think some people do believe we all just killed a lot of people and are messed up in the head,鈥� he says.

But while Bielen knows there are student veterans who face physical and emotional difficulties, he says that for most of his peers the daily challenges are 鈥減robably no different from any other student 鈥� just trying to stay on top of everything you鈥檝e got to do.鈥�

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A Growing Population

激情快播 has nearly 1,600 student veterans, a population that has grown from about 200 in 2006. It is a wave that may not crest for years as more than 2 million Americans have served in Iraq or Afghanistan.

While it鈥檚 true that veterans share the challenges faced by traditional students, their circumstances often present additional obstacles, says Paul Viau, director of 激情快播鈥檚 (VARC). The center opened three years ago as a one-stop shop for veterans鈥� resources and has become an academic and social hub for vets, who use its public space and study rooms.

According to Viau, 激情快播鈥檚 veterans are a diverse group. While a few are in their 50s, most are in their late 20s or early 30s. The majority enlisted after high school, served four to 10 years, and came to 激情快播 after two years at a state college. About 25 percent of 激情快播鈥檚 student veterans are women.

鈥淭hey often have other things going on outside the classroom 鈥� families, jobs or other obligations,鈥� Viau says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e also at a different level of maturity from the more traditional students, so it can be tough for them to fit in on campus.鈥�

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A Cultural Transition

Bryan Batien, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs psychologist who counsels student veterans at VARC, has witnessed the challenges of readjusting to civilian life.

鈥淓ven if you leave out the issues of combat, the military is a very structured environment,鈥� says Batien, himself an Army veteran of the Iraq War. 鈥淲hen you return to civilian life, when you come to a college campus, those are big adjustments. And a lot of veterans aren鈥檛 going to feel like they have much in common with the other students here.鈥�

Stacy Schumpert admits she wasn鈥檛 going out of her way to get involved in campus life when she came to 激情快播 to pursue her master鈥檚 degree in social work.

At age 24, she joined the Air Force after four years of college and served five years of active duty, including a year as a combat operator in Iraq. Coming to 激情快播 as a single mom and an Air Force Reserve member, she says, 鈥淚 was really in my shell, just focused on what I was doing.鈥�

But an adviser who was a veteran and a member of the campus veterans鈥� organization, now the Student Veterans of America 激情快播 Chapter, encouraged Schumpert to get involved. 鈥淚 showed up at a meeting, and the next thing I know I鈥檓 the president,鈥� Schumpert says. 鈥淚t was that peer-to-peer connection that brought me out of my shell. I think that鈥檚 really important for veterans, and that鈥檚 what we want to build on.鈥�

The and VARC both help to build community with veterans on campus 鈥� a place where vets find support, guidance and an understanding ear, Schumpert says. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 hard for people to understand if you haven鈥檛 served in the military, but this is a group of people you would give your life for,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 know they鈥檙e people I can rely on, because we have shared experiences and values.鈥�

Conversely, Schumpert admits, it can be tough to find common ground with classmates who haven鈥檛 shared those kinds of life experiences.

鈥淵ou鈥檒l see students, especially younger ones, who are wearing sweatpants to presentations or talking on their phones in class,鈥� Schumpert says. 鈥淚 know I was guilty of the same kinds of things when I was an undergraduate, so I get it. But it still bothers me.鈥�

If the student veterans sometimes don鈥檛 know what to make of their civilian classmates, the opposite seems just as true.

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A Challenge to Fit In

Former Army medic and nurse Melissa Smith started college at 激情快播 at the age of 25 to study biomedical science in hopes of becoming a pediatrician.

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鈥淚 never announce that I鈥檓 a veteran; I don鈥檛 wear a camo backpack or anything,鈥� says Melissa Smith. 鈥淏ut sometimes it comes up.鈥�

Smith joined the Army at age 17, four days after graduating from high school. She trained as a medic and a nurse, spent three years on active duty, including two years in Iraq, and completed five years in the Army Reserve.

Smith, who is completing her bachelor鈥檚 degree in biomedical sciences, wants to be a pediatrician and is applying to medical school. She was 25 when she started at 激情快播, and says she had little in common with other students.

When other students learn she not only enlisted at 17 but also served in Iraq, it鈥檚 often a conversation stopper. 鈥淚 get blank stares a lot,鈥� she says. 鈥淧eople will say, 鈥榃hat鈥檚 Iraq like? Is it really hot?鈥� I think they just don鈥檛 know how to process it.鈥�

Sometimes people will thank her for her service; Smith would rather they didn鈥檛. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always awkward,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 not sure what it is they鈥檙e thanking me for, and I鈥檓 never sure how to respond to it. Should I thank them for thanking me?鈥�

Marine Corps veteran Lucdwin Luck employs the lessons he learned during guard duty at U.S. embassies in Japan, Brazil and Syria to his studies of political science at 激情快播.

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For student veteran Lucdwin Luck, the pride and sense of discipline and leadership instilled by his service as a U.S. Marine remain the characteristics by which he defines himself.

Selected for embassy security duty, his assignments included Japan, Brazil and Syria. In Damascus, Luck was one of five Marines assigned to the security detail. What he took away from those experiences weren鈥檛 long stretches far from home or the potential danger, but the unique opportunities it afforded him.

鈥淭he Marine Corps was a terrific experience for me,鈥� Luck says. 鈥淗ere I was, this young guy in these places all around the world, working with diplomats and civilians. I really learned how to interact with people on a level unlike anything I鈥檇 ever been exposed to before.鈥�

Those experiences fueled Luck鈥檚 thirst to know more about everything. A political science major with minors in business, economics and sociology, Luck is considering a range of careers. 鈥淚 want to be involved in the community, maybe even run for political office,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 want to do something where I鈥檓 making a difference.鈥�

A Story of Success

While the struggles of veterans are more likely to get public attention, Batien says that the success of student vets at 激情快播 is what should be focused on. And while some student veterans experience issues related to post-traumatic stress disorder, such as sleep problems or anger issues, Batien says, 鈥淸They] are working through it and overcoming it. They鈥檙e succeeding.鈥�

Batien鈥檚 presence on campus is provided through the VA鈥檚 Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership (VITAL) program 鈥� one of fewer than two dozen VITAL programs around the country. For the student veterans he鈥檚 assisted at 激情快播, Batien says it鈥檚 beneficial that VARC brings together all the resources available on campus: Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Disability Services, Transfer and Transition Services, and Career Services.

VARC resources provided much-needed support when Darrell Holmes needed help. After a career in the Air Force, Holmes tired of temporary work and decided to pursue a degree. But he found he didn鈥檛 learn as easily as he had in his youth, and that a hyperawareness of his surroundings made it difficult to tune out distractions.

鈥淚 was having trouble retaining information,鈥� says Holmes. 鈥淚鈥檇 listen to a lecture and understand what the professor was saying, but in a few minutes it was gone.鈥� Holmes says he was diagnosed with a learning disability, possibly related to the 12 years he spent as a boxer.

When he turned to VARC, he says, 鈥淚 was stunned by how quickly they were able to help me. Tutors, extra time for some of my work, a note-taker, even a recorder so that I could repeatedly listen to lectures 鈥� it all made a huge difference.鈥�

While his studies have gotten more challenging, his grades have improved, he says. Holmes is confident he鈥檒l attain his goal of earning a law degree and providing other veterans with legal assistance.

鈥淚 practically live at VARC,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t provides that calm and quiet I need to focus on my work, and also a chance to spend time with other vets, people who I feel that common bond with.鈥�

But there are still veterans on campus who haven鈥檛 connected to the services that are available to them.

After a career in the Air Force, Darrell Holmes enrolled at 激情快播 to prepare for law school and found the support he needed to succeed in an academic environment at the Veterans Academic Resource Center.

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A Hub of Support

To help veterans prepare for job interviews, VARC holds an Academic Boot Camp, where volunteer peer mentors have been enlisted from among the student veterans. These mentors are reaching out not only to new students, but also to those who have been on campus for a while, says Schumpert. 鈥淛udging from the reaction we get, a lot of [student veterans] don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 available, which is what we鈥檙e working to change,鈥� she says.

That鈥檚 why I volunteered to be a peer mentor. I had a hard time connecting with other students when I got here. I鈥檇 like to do what I can to make new student vets have an easier time than I did.

Jeff MacGibbon, 鈥�13

After a career in the Air Force, Jeff MacGibbon earned a degree in business management at 激情快播.

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鈥淚t鈥檚 easier for veterans to open up if they鈥檙e talking to other veterans,鈥� says Jeff MacGibbon, 鈥�13, an Air Force veteran and business management graduate. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I volunteered to be a peer mentor. I had a hard time connecting with other students when I got here. I鈥檇 like to do what I can to make new student vets have an easier time than I did.鈥�

Bielen, also a peer mentor, says even when the veterans he reaches out to seem reluctant to seek help, at least they know there鈥檚 a place to turn. 鈥淲e鈥檒l talk about what it鈥檚 like being on campus, being older than everybody else and how weird it is or whatever 鈥� really just trying to make that connection,鈥� he says.

VARC also hosts a dedicated orientation for incoming student veterans, whether they鈥檙e using veterans benefits or not. 鈥溂で榭觳� is a big place,鈥� Lorine Cisch Taylor of Transfer and Transition Services told a group of 16 new students at a recent VARC orientation. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 not my department, you need to go across campus.鈥� There鈥檚 a lot of red tape. My job is to help you cut through that red tape.鈥�

Batien introduced himself at the orientation, tossing two foam rubber hand grenades into the crowd 鈥� 鈥渟tress relievers,鈥� he said to laughter 鈥� and told students not to hesitate in turning to him or using available services on campus.

Before marching the new students to registration, Viau encouraged them to use VARC鈥檚 lounge and study rooms 鈥� 鈥渢he best-kept secret on campus鈥� 鈥� and shared the mantra of VARC staff and volunteers: Use the help that鈥檚 here for you.

His closing words were of the sort familiar to anyone who has worn a military uniform: 鈥淵our mission now is to finish your degree.鈥�

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs psychologist Bryan Batien hands out stress relief squeeze toys shaped like hand grenades at the Veterans Academic Resource Center.