FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT PRESS
The Voice
issuu.com/fsuvoice
FOR Students, by Students
March 14, 2012 • Vol. 3, Issue no. 12
Serving those who serve
Recognizing Student Veterans as Non-Traditional Students
By DanisI L. Prater
Fayetteville State University
is working with military of
ficials and community lead
ers to better serve the needs
of veterans. The university will
unveil a new student veteran center
March 22. The center, which will
be located in Bronco Square, will
include additional staff members
who are trained to deal with the
needs of veterans attending FSU.
The university is within a short
distance firom Fort Bragg, home to
the United States Army's 82nd Air
borne Division.
In addition, the university held
Faculty and Staff Student-Veteran
Awareness Training (SVAT) ses
sions throughout the month of Feb
ruary to address issues commonly
associated with student-veterans
and raise faculty and staff aware
ness of their concerns.
Leading the SVAT sessions were
Special Advisor to the Provost for
Military Affairs, Dr. David Allen
and Reema Bhattacharya, instruc
tional technologist for the Office of
Faculty Development.
Their presentations included an
overview of issues facing student-
veterans and included suggestions
for faculty and staff to better assist
veterans seeking higher education.
SVAT’s objective is to assess the
challenges student-veterans face
when moving from “life-and-death
scenarios in war” to “hearing class
mates complain about a test.” “The
process of Higher Education is a
marathon, not a sprint. Often the
military has a sprint mindset,” Dr.
Allen said.
Dr. Allen is a retired Colonel
of Civil Affairs in the U.S. Army,
which affords him an extensive
amount of understanding of the sol
dier mentality. During the training
he oflen referred to the differences
between college and military atmo
spheres. In addition to transitioning
from a military environment to a
higher education setting. Dr. Allen
also spoke about the psycho-social
challenges facing service members.
Throughout the presentation Dr.
Allen discussed “Do’s and Don’ts”
for faculty and staff dealing with
complex issues of student-veterans.
Most student-veterans seek to ob
tain a degree as quickly as possible,
rather than searching for a “full
collegiate experience,” he said. Ac
cording to the 2010 National Sur
vey of Student Engagement (NSSE)
veterans reported “interacting less
with instructors and were less likely
to participate in jnternships and
study abroad opportunities.”
To assist student-veterans in
meeting their learning objectives.
Dr. Allen trained faculty and staff to
utilize a straightforward approach
and avoid sensitive topics describ
ing past military experience.
E)r. Allen also ad^essed academ
ic issues facing student-veterans.
Discovering that the military edu
cation they’ve completed will not
transfer towards a college degree
can be a discouraging issue for ser
vice members. Ultimately, when
veterans realize that the decision
lies in the hands of the university
and that their personal opinions are
irrelevant, they become frusltated.
The best way to deal with most
issues is to direct student-veterans
to the Department of Veteran Af
fairs in Lilly Gym, room 307. Ms.
Veronica Alexander, Assistant Di
rector of the department, said some
of the challenges that student-vets
face are a result of the ever-chang
ing policies of each chapter in the
G.I. Bill. She suggested that stu
dents affiliated with the military
should use her office as the first
source for information. Associate
Director of Admissions, Mr. Mi
chael Head, added that active duty
personnel should contact the admis
sions office in the Collins building
for information regarding in-state
tuition forms.
With the G.I. Bill no longer cov
ering out-of-state tuition fees, ser
vice members could be responsible
for additional costs. However, if
the necessary forms are completed
prior to the 10th day of classes
for the allocated semester, service
members can obtain an in-state sta
tus, and avoid extra fees. Additional
helpful information can be located
on the FSU website under the mili-i
tary students tab.
Additionally, peer support was
addressed at the training. Dr. Al
len mentioned that student-veterans
can obtain peer support through the
FSU-Student Veterans of America
organization, which can be found
on Bronco Advantage. Kelly
Schoolcraft is the current president.
Dr. Jon Young, Provost and Vico
Chancellor of Academic Affairs ai
FSU said given the strong military
presence at FSU, it is essential that
faculty and staff receive training
to address the special needs of stu
dents affiliated with the military.
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