Over 1,500 military veterans find a home at WMU

Chyn Wey Lee/Western HeraldFrom left: Shannon McConnell, Julie Schuitema, Steven Todd and Adam Clay discuss the annual Veteran's Day run and upcoming events during their Sunday evening meeting in the basement of the Wesley Foundation on Western Michigan University’s campus.

Paula Fader

Western Herald

 A little known fact among most Western Michigan University students is that there are over 1,500 student veterans on campus, 450 of whom are currently enlisted in the military. Student veterans are represented in every college, from Arts and Sciences to Aviation, and range in age from 18 to 70 years old.

 Though veterans are just like any other students trying to get by in school, their circumstances are unique. For instance, a military member on active duty may be deployed at any time during a semester, a fact of life for them that most civilians probably don’t realize.

 This is one of the biggest issues students on active duty face while attending school. However, unlike many other universities in the country, WMU is very accommodating to the needs of such students.

 “Western has done so many things so right,” said Carissa Marks, an ex-U.S. Army nurse and creative writing major at WMU.

 Upon deployment, the university grants active-duty students a full refund of tuition and fees, along with complete refunds on books and parking stickers. There is no penalty for terminating a housing contract with the university, and they can choose to either take an incomplete in their courses or have nothing appear on their transcript. Students who choose an incomplete have two years to make up work.

 WMU also offers financial benefits to incoming veterans returning from active duty. Because it sometimes takes months for benefits to arrive from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, many veterans have trouble paying for their first semester after returning.

 The Returning Veterans Tuition Assistance program was implemented in 2007 at WMU and covers all tuition charges not covered by other tuition assistance programs such as the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).

 Any student who has been discharged within six months of the first day of classes is eligible for the program. In addition, all such students are classified as Michigan residents by the university, which reduces the cost of tuition.

 Because of exceptional circumstances, veterans also require different services when entering or re-entering the university. That is where the Advocacy Office for Transfer Students and Military Affairs comes in. The office was set up in 2007 by interim President Deiter Haenicke and was endorsed by President John Dunn.

 Located in Elsworth Hall, the office is to help students during deployment and when they return from military service; it is also to help confront and solve any problems that arise for them in the university, in addition to providing a network of people in similar circumstances.

 The Advocacy Office acts as a total support network for veterans, according to Steven Todd, a junior, who served 20 years in the Army and is now majoring in secondary education.

 “Western is a role model for the rest of the country in dealing with military issues,” Todd said.

 Many veterans face issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and flashbacks, which can be triggered by content covered in class, especially by films that depict war scenes, according to Todd. In these cases, many veterans may feel the need to leave the classroom, which could possibly lead to issues with professors. When such problems arise, the Advocacy Office provides a place for students to go and take the necessary steps to solve the issue.

There are some common misconceptions about veterans, Marks said.

 “Everyone thinks [veterans] are such a different demographic, but we’re not. We juggle a little more because we’ve seen more, but everyone [on campus] has their own unique situation. We’re all just students trying to excel at what we do,” he said.

 Todd, who attained some college credits at an education center on a military base, agrees, adding that serving time in the military can even give students a “step up” in the classroom.

 Military members learn discipline and regimentation, as well as having gained a great deal of life experience.

 “[Veterans] have a different perspective on most everything,” he said. “When I go to class, it’s not just going to school, it’s my mission.”

 Reintegration into civilian life, however, may not be so easy.

 “It’s not just a matter of hanging up the uniform and putting on civilian clothes and a backpack. There’s a lot more stuff in there,” Todd said.

 Todd said that along with the prospect of flashbacks and PTSD, veterans may carry with them a lot of baggage, such as a hyper-awareness of their surroundings, which is necessary in the military.

 In addition to the Advocacy Office as a support network for veterans on campus, there is the Military and Veteran Student Association. Members of the association are there for each other in times of need.

 “[They are] like a family,” Marks said.

 Marks said that if she ever has a problem or just needs someone to talk to who was under similar circumstances, anyone of the members would be there for her.

 “We know what a unit is because we’ve belonged to one,” she said of the association.

 MVSA meets Sundays at 8 p.m. in the basement of the Wesley Foundation and is always looking for new members.

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Posted by heraldstaff on Sep 30 2009. Filed under Breaking, Campus, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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