2/10/2014. Keeping in Stride with Issues Facing Student Veterans. Best Years of Our Lives. The Run-Around

Transcription

1 Keeping in Stride with Issues Facing Student Veterans Rachel Cavenaugh Assistant Director of Financial Aid & Veterans Services Cape Fear Community College Wilmington, NC Michael O Grady Client Services Financial Aid Services Atlanta, GA Best Years of Our Lives A 1946 movie depicting the lives of three veterans returning home after WWII. Challenges to: Employment Marriage Friendships Readjustment 2 The Run-Around You go from a (military) bureaucracy that tells you everything to do to a (higher education) bureaucracy that doesn t tell you anything to do it s a night-and-day shift in structure. Matt Randle, Army Reserve Veteran and University of Arizona graduate Source: Lumina Report 3 1

2 2014 Race Participants! 1.4 million Americans active duty military - Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard. 800,000 are in the active reserves. About 14% of all active duty military members are women. There are over 27 million veterans in the United States today. At Cape Fear Community College we have 570 student veterans receiving benefits (Fall 2012) and several hundred more not receiving benefits. 4 Veterans Are Coming to College The new post 9/11 GI Bill provides an allowance for housing and for books. Many more veterans are in our community college classes. The returning veteran wants to further his or her education and to learn skills to gain employment. 5 Running with Obstacles Student veterans may have had multiple deployments. Student veterans may have grave physical injuries and emotional scares. Student veterans might be reticent to talk about the experience. Know your campuses resources for vets. 6 2

3 Some Ideas: Veterans Center Reserved for student veterans Computers and printer Fax service VA Certifying official Assistance with registration and advising Coffee Networking opportunities Veteran to Veteran Mentor and Tutor Veterans volunteer to tutor and mentor each other in areas such as math, for example. Veteran Friendly Veteran Friendly sticker on Faculty and Staff doors Student veterans select those offices that are veteran friendly Veteran Coordinator provides information to interested faculty/staff Veterans Day Celebration 7 8 Victoria Breaud (former SGT US Army and CFCC Student veteran) presents CFCC President Dr. Frank Sells with a Plaque designating CFCC as a Military Friendly School for the second year in a row. 9 3

4 Participants in the Wounded Warrior Ride Gather in CFCC s Courtyard to be honored and thanked for their service 10 CFCC Student Veterans were treated to a kayak adventure 11 Welcoming Returning Veterans Community support is invaluable when it comes to assisting veterans with the successful transition from military to student life. Create a welcoming environment : Welcoming military personnel home Expressing your appreciation of their service Offering to help with college application paperwork Being supportive by being patient and listening Understanding that returning to normal can take time 12 4

5 Student Veterans at Cape Fear Community College 13 Data Driven Decision-Making 325,000 active duty service members enrolled in million eligible 1 in 3 schools track veteran retention outside their usual retention tracking Possibly 20-30% more veterans enrolled on your campus that you don t know about Veteran s Education: Coming Home to the Community College Classroom Streamline credit Streamline programs and services Training for faculty and advisors Difficulties veterans face Veteran friendly campus (SASFAA survey cites that in many cases veterans didn t feel they fit in. Source: Karen Rae Persky 5

6 College Culture Shock & Veterans PTSD/I Awareness Introduced by 1954 by Kalvervo Oberg Humans experience culture shock when immersed in a different or new culture Normally a student blames his or her financial aid as the reason for leaving school. Difficulty in assimilating to new culture and environment Anxiety, disorientation, uncertainty, confusion Phases: Honeymoon Phase- Negotiation Phase--Adjustment Phase (things become normal )-Reverse Culture Shock NCASFAA Conference - Fall Veterans and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder/Injury (PTSD/I) One in five veterans will experience re-entry issues or possibly PTSD/I Approximately 200,000 women served in Afghanistan and Iraq 23% to 33% of women veterans report experiencing MST of which 42% will acquire PTSD NCASFAA Conference - Fall PTSD Signs 1) Loss of interest in activities or life in general 2) Emotional numbness/detached 3) Irritability/outbursts of anger 4) Feelings of mistrust 5) Feelings of alienation 6) Easily startled 7) Spacey stare 8) Hyper-vigilance/Headache/Dizziness 6

7 Financial Aid Association Initiatives NCASFAA initiated a financial aid veteran s taskforce. Recognized by the national association for the PTSD awareness campaign among administrators. VASFAA piloting THE VOWS Initiative (Veteran s On Work-Study) to increase the number of veterans in the financial aid profession, and have a veteran experienced worker in more offices. Gives returning vets experience in a complicated yet rewarding skill set. 7