Supporting Student Veterans Christine Lucht and Sadie Randall Texas State University

Overview of Presentation ● Who Are Student Veterans? ● Campus Climate ● Best Practices ● Student Union Commitment ● Programming Considerations ● Questions

Learning Outcomes Participants Will: ●Understand importance of veteran’s impact on the campus climate ●Gain an understanding of the needs of veterans within a student center ●Identify ways to support veterans on campus

Student Veteran Defined “A student veteran is any student who is a current or former member of the active duty military, the National Guard, or Reserves regardless of development status, combat experience, legal veteran status, or GI Bill use.” (Vacchi, 2012, p.17)

Who Are Student Veterans? ●22,000,000 total veterans in 2014 ○1,038,000 (age: 20-29) ○2,153,000 (age: 30-39) ○18,809,000 (age: 40+) (United States Department of Veteran Affairs, 2015)

Who Are Student Veterans? Overall Veteran Population (United States Department of Veteran Affairs, 2015)

Who Are Student Veterans? ●Veterans are Asked to Self-Identify ○ 4% of undergraduate students ○ 4% of graduate students ○ Majority males ○ Dependents are not included ●Educational Benefits, 2013: Active and Reserves ○ 1,091,044 (United States Department of Veteran Affairs, 2015)

Impact of Campus Climate ●Understanding of Veteran Experiences ●Accessibility of Campuses ●Historical Institutional Support of War ●Employment and Visibility of Veterans ●Connections for Veterans ●Admissions Processes

Best Practices What To Do: ●Treat Them as Adults ●Personally Ask Them Their Needs ●Give Opportunities for Success ●Create an Inclusive Environment ●Respect Their Opinions

Best Practices What Not To Do: ●Out a Veteran in Class or in Public ●Ask About Their Experiences ●Loud Noises Without Warning

Student Union Commitment What are current practices in your student unions that support student veterans?

Student Union Commitment ●Employment and Student Ally Program ●Space for Veterans ●Organizations ●Accessibility ●Emotional Support Animals ●Gender Neutral Bathrooms ●Programs for Developmental Level

Utilizing Theory for Programming ●Schlossberg's Transition Theory ○ Self, Situation, Support, Strategies ○ Moving In, Moving Through, and Moving Out ●Perry’s Theory of Intellectual and Ethical Development

Questions? Christine Lucht Graduate Assistant, Student Involvement Sadie Randall Graduate Assistant, Career Services

References Kim, Y. M., & Cole, J. S. (2013). Student veteran/service members’ engagement in college and university life and education. American Council on Education. Retrieved from room/Documents/Student-Veterans-Service-Members-Engagement.pdf Lokken, J. M., Pfeffer, D. S., McAuley, J., & Strong, C. (2009). A statewide approach to creating veteran-friendly campuses. New Directions For Student Services, (126), Moon, T. L., & Schma, G. A. (2011). A proactive approach to serving military and veteran students. New Directions For Higher Education, (153), O'Herrin, E. (2011). Enhancing veteran success in higher education. Peer Review, 13(1), Vacchi, D. T. (2012). Considering student veterans on the twenty-first- century college campus. About Campus, 17(2), Wilson, K. (2014). Thank you for your service: Military initiatives on college campuses. New Horizons In Adult Education & Human Resource Development, 26(3),