1. Veteran Student Support Services Presented to: College of Education Dr. Nicholas J. Osborne Office of the Dean of Students

2. What We Will Cover Today  Veterans in Higher Education  General terminology & definitions  Contextual Understanding / Why are veterans in the education spotlight?  Student-Veteran characteristics & needs  Veteran-friendly campus  Veteran Student Support Services  Mission & Purpose  Community Model  Support and Tips for working with Veterans  Events  UIUC Demographics

3. Exercise  What images come to mind when you hear the word veteran?  Is there a specific gender you think of?  Race? Ethnicity? Political affiliation?  Age?  Are there any emotions associated with these images?  Where do you get your information concerning veterans?  Personal experience? (family member, partner, friend of a friend…)  Media?  Other?

4. Veterans in Higher Education BASIC TRAINING What is the relationship between Veterans and higher education?

5. Definitions GWOT = Global War on Terrorism  Approx. 2 million personnel have fought in Iraq / Afghan  57% are under age 30 OEF = Operation Enduring Freedom  began 7 OCT 2001 / Response to 9/11  large theatre of operations / Afghanistan OIF = Operation Iraqi Freedom  began 20 MAR 2003 / entirely in Iraq  multinational operation fought entirely in Iraq

7. Contextual Understanding ► Post 9/11 GI Bill (Ch. 33) for GWOT Veterans  Congress approved in summer of 2008 / Began Aug. 2009  Covers Tuition/Fees & Monthly Housing Allowance ($1212 / month)  Partially transferrable to dependents  Yellow-Ribbon Program / IVG ► Anticipated growth of GWOT students, 3-5 yrs.  WWII GI Bill = By 1949, 7.8 million (of 16 million) Vets pursued higher education ► Higher Education Veterans Service Act (IL)  Public colleges/universities with at least 1000 students must have a designated Veteran Student Services Coordinator Are we prepared for this group of non-traditional students? What are their needs?

8. Transitional Issues ► Military Culture (one-half of 1-percent)  “Suck it up & drive on” – “No whining”  Heavily structured  Team oriented  Exposure to life & death situations ► University Culture  Feeling “old” / loss of camaraderie & purpose  Being singularly defined as a “Veteran”  Possibly being judged or misunderstood

9. Non-traditional Features ► Veteran students are typically:  Older learners  More likely to have dependents  More likely to work while going to school  Employment / Career focused  Often lack academic confidence / break in education ► Needs  1 in 5 have a documented disability (compared to 1 in 10 non-veteran)  Gender-specific: over 150,000 women have served in Iraq / Afghanistan / 25% MST Self-reliant culture / Difficulty asking for help (hegemonic masculinities)  Loss of community / camaraderie – “I don’t relate to these 18 year-old kids!”  PTSD, TBI, Wounds resulting in loss of limb(s) = accommodations  Combat stressors

13. Veteran Student Support Services (VSSS) What does it mean to be veteran- friendly?

14. Veteran-Friendly Campus ► Programming Initiatives  How do we apply what the literature is telling us?  What does it mean to be Veteran-friendly?  Starting a new program in Student Affairs (where do I start??!!!) ► Key features from the literature:  Identify veterans accurately & communicate regularly  Transitional support / peer-to-peer mentoring (Vet Connect)  Formulate an Advisory Committee  Collaborate – link to internal & external units  Be visible (events, professional dev.)  Create a context – not isolated “events”  Do not view veterans as “damaged”  Be authentic and listen (SVA relationship)  Assessment – is this working? How do we know?

15. Mission / Purpose of VSSS ► Identify Veterans, active military, & dependents (Admissions & OSFA) ► Provide transitional support / “Boots to Books”  Have a plan in place prior to arrival on campus (Resource Guide) / Vet Connect  Link students to appropriate units (DRES, Women’s Resources, LGBT) & external  Assist with activation / mobilization & National Guard and Reserve trainings ► Serve as the central unit for Veteran matters  Serve as a liaison to staff & faculty / professional development  Coordinate Veteran-specific events (discussion panels, media columns)

16. Community Model Veterans Support Services Veteran Student Faculty / Staff Support Units Visibility Outreach External Student Org.

17. How can I assist? ► Make a referral to VSSS / ask questions / research ► Collaborate with partner units – DRES, Counseling Center, Women’s Resources Center ► Remember that military / veteran status is only part of a student’s identity ► Don’t view veterans as “damaged” – veterans bring a wealth of life & work experience to the classroom and contribute to the diverse richness of the University ► Be mindful of our words / assumptions / environment

18. Questions / Comments to AVOID ► All for nothing, what a waste, etc. ► Did you kill anyone? ► Why did you go, if you knew people would die? ► Are we winning? ► Should we be over there? ► Are you OK (mentally)? ► Do you think you have PTSD? ► Do you have to go back? ► What was it like? / How (bad) was it? ► What do you think about the war / the President? ► Did you see anyone die? ► Talking about why we shouldn’t be “there” ► Vietnam all over again ► As a woman, you were probably shielded from the violence

19. Events / Get Involved ► Events  New VSSS webpage (August)  OEF/OIF Welcome Home Event (August)  September 11 th 10-year Ceremony(September)  Daily Illini Veterans Series(September)  Diversity Conference / Veterans Discussion Panel (September 19-20)  Orientation / Meet & Greet w/Parkland Veterans (October)  Women’s Resources Center / Veterans Lunch Series(October)  Veterans Day (November)  SVA Research Project(November)  Student Veteran Lounge (November ‘12)  Veterans Display at the UG Library (November ‘12)  November 10 th Recognition Ceremony(November ‘12)

20. Veterans Recognition

21. Descriptive Features Unique Identifiers for Assessing Needs ► 387 student-Veterans identified in Spring 2012, 53 dependents

23. When we help a Veteran to heal, we help his or her family to heal, and from there, the community, and from there, our Country.

24. Readings ► Personal Reflection – what emotions came up? ► Are these two pieces related? In what ways? ► Question, Quote, or Comment ► In what way(s) can these articles inform our practice as scholar-practitioners?  Ex: Linking Veterans to counseling  Talking about issues that bring-up shame & guilt

25. Readings ► Humanizing the data (my work with Veterans)  San Francisco Zen Center  Book that triggered a Veteran ► Military Culture vs. University Culture  Emphasis on being self-reliant  Transitions ► Construction of Masculinities (hegemonic) Fear of the Feminine Emotional illiteracy “I’m fine” Linking to services

26. Contact Nicholas J. Osbornenosborne@illinois.edu nosborne@illinois.edu Assistant Dean of Students Dir., Veterans Support Services Office of the Dean of Students 217.333.0050 http://veterans.illinois.edu