Understanding Student Veteran Issues

Memorial Day, officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. You may or may not support our country’s military endeavors. Either way, it only makes sense to acknowledge the Americans who are so driven to protect our country and uphold its values that they were willing to sacrifice their lives.

In honor of the deceased, let’s recognize the living with a post on issues facing student veterans. Often invisible on campus, student veterans and their needs are slowly gaining more recognition from administration, faculty, staff, and their fellow students. Curious about what those needs and challenges are? Read on to learn about a few.

1. Getting Involved. The average college student ranges in age from 18-22 (although this is changing). The average matriculating student veteran may be a few years older than that. They may have taken some courses online, which means skipping right to sophomore or junior year and missing out on the class bonding rituals of freshman year. They’re also accustomed to a life of intense pressure, routine, and a combat mindset. Living in wild underclassmen dorms with drunken keggers is not what they’re used to, to say the least. At the worst, it can be triggering. These cultural disconnects often keep student veterans from getting involved with their peers.
2. Stereotypes and Insensitivity. About 20% of student veterans have PTSD. That’s not an insignificant number. However, it also doesn’t mean that the student veteran who sits behind you in PoliSci is going to have a flashback and go nuts if you accidentally drop your textbook. Take time to get to know someone before making assumptions. Similarly, our military involvement in other countries is a pretty heated national topic at the moment. Be sure discussions (both in and out of the classroom) stay sensitive to the students who just spent up to several years risking their lives.
3. The GI Bill. The GI Bill, which enables many student veterans to afford college, is quite complex and a lot to wade through alone. Administrators who want to be advocates should have a basic understanding of its contents. Sometimes the GI Bill does not cover private or distance education, which is an added difficulty for students interested in those options. And, as with any situation where you’re waiting for that check, sometimes the check is late in arriving. Encourage staff to cut a veteran student some slack if his or her tuition is slow in arriving.