易胜博官网

Karen Gilbert was in the Air Force. Penny Watson served in the Marine Corps and Jessica Willis was deployed to Iraq twice during her time in the Army. She鈥檚 working on her Ph.D. in sociology; Watson, on her master鈥檚 in public administration. Gilbert got her undergraduate degree here.

The trio's听history as members of the military and as 易胜博官网 students make them the perfect unit to head the university鈥檚 Military & Veteran Services (MVS) Center where they work to create community and smooth passage for former and current service members who are pursuing their degrees. Seventy percent of the approximately 400 students MVS works with are veterans, members of the National Guard or reserves. The rest are military dependents using their parents鈥� military educational benefits.听

The center moved to Hood House in April 2018, into a space with almost twice the square footage of its first home in Thompson Hall, which opened in 2015. Before then听there wasn't an office on campus;听 questions were answered as they arose and benefits were processed by one person in the Registrar鈥檚 Office.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not advisors, we鈥檙e not financial aid experts. But we can make the contacts for our students.'

The new space has a study hall (the computers were bought through a grant from the 易胜博官网 Parents Association), two private study rooms, a lounge for socializing (outfitted with sofas and recliners donated by Bob鈥檚 Discount Furniture and a TV given by a previous staff member) and a game room. There is also a spacious conference room for such things as student presentations, seminars and the occasional potluck. (The Student Armed Forces Association bought the table; the chairs came from the center鈥檚 budget.)

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long four years from when we got our first space to here, but we are so happy with how far we鈥檝e come, and we are appreciative of how 易胜博官网 supports our folks,鈥� says Gilbert, director of Military and Veteran Services. 鈥淲e just want people to know we鈥檙e here and ready to help.鈥�

That help includes assisting new students in obtaining their educational benefits and听making sure they have the best service-connected disability rating possible. The center also connects students with tutors,听career planning services,听professional networking opportunities and the听. Orientation programs specific to service听members听are held fall and spring.听 And听Green Zone training is offered to faculty and staff to help increase their awareness regarding the issues and concerns student-veterans may face, and the ways the 易胜博官网 community can support them

鈥淲e鈥檝e provided Green Zone training to about 200 faculty so far,鈥� Gilbert says. 鈥淚t gives them an awareness of what it is like coming from active duty and what veterans might need. We also advocate for students with their professors when it comes to being out of class for National Guard drills, for example, or other situations.

鈥淲e want people to know we鈥檙e here,鈥� Willis adds. 鈥淚n my classes, I鈥檝e talked with professors who didn鈥檛 know we existed. We鈥檇 love to get more requests for help.鈥�

And then there is 易胜博官网 Salutes the Troops, a weeklong event that kicks off this year on Nov. 10 with a 易胜博官网 hockey game, where the servicemen and women will be honored, followed by a series of daily events including free chair massages, a pancake breakfast, 100 free lunches at Holloway Common and a day of free parking in the visitors lot.

Gilbert says she is impressed with how well she and Willis and Watson have meshed, given they have only been working together for a year. But their common goal has made it easy.

鈥淲e鈥檙e pretty well connected,鈥� Gilbert says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not advisors, we鈥檙e not financial aid experts. But we can make the contacts for our students. We can guide them on things like changing their major, on getting their benefits processed. Whatever we can do to make things go more smoothly 鈥� we all do as much as we can.鈥�

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