Early on in my academic career, I did poorly in a job interview and learned an important lesson. The representatives of this particular university asked me how I would handle students who said they “did not have time to complete a paper assignment or prepare for an exam.” In my response, I tried to demonstrate my academic “gravitas,” assuring them that I would be no pushover for 18-22 year olds who must learn how to manage their time properly. Only later, when it was clear that I would not get the coveted campus interview, did I realize my mistake. The university in question had a large population of non-traditional students who had families and full-time jobs, quite different from the traditional college aged students I had referred to during the interview. I then realized that if I wanted to succeed as a faculty member, not to mention as a job applicant, I must be more aware of the different backgrounds, experiences, and circumstances of the students. Lesson learned.
Last spring, a student opened my eyes to the fact that faculty members need to be mindful of a new group students who have been arriving on U.S. college and university campuses in large numbers: veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Joey Phan, an Army Airborne infantryman who served one year in Afghanistan, came to my office at the beginning of the semester to introduce himself and talk about the class. We talked several times over the course of the semester and he told me a bit about his military service and his experiences in adjusting to life as a college student. During the course of our conversations, it occurred to me that recently I have had several student veterans in my classes and many might face some of the same issues and concerns that Joey and I talked about.
Over the last several years, several hundred thousand veterans have taken advantage of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill® to enroll in colleges and universities across the country. At TCU we have approximately 335 students taking advantage of the G.I. Bill®, many of whom saw combat service in Afghanistan and/or Iraq. These students bring a set of experiences and perspectives to their classes that few traditional aged college students can match. Yet they also face certain realities that can make their transition from military service to college campus difficult. For example:
- Many are married and have children
- Many live off campus, sometimes facing a considerable commute
- Some may still serve in the Reserve which can pose scheduling conflicts
- Most are older than 25 and sometimes find it difficult to relate to their younger classmates
- Some may be dealing with ongoing medical or psychological issues, such as PTSD
- Issues such as the recent government shutdown can complicate their access to benefits
- Military schedules tend to be highly structured, while academic life can be rather flexible
- Military service means following directions, while academic work requires self-direction
As is the case with any student, it is important that faculty members be mindful of the challenges student veterans might face and be prepared to offer support. While there is no centralized office for dealing with student veteran affairs, there are resources on campus to assist veterans and faculty members. TCU’s Veterans Affairs Officer Ricardo Avitia works in the Registrar’s Office and assists student veterans with a variety of issues. April Brown, Assistant Director of Intercultural Services, serves as chair of the TCU Veterans Task Force (VTF), which works to create a “veteran-friendly” campus. The VTF holds orientation sessions, facilitates peer support, and organizes events to help student veterans engage with the larger TCU community and feel more at home on campus. Beyond the confines of the TCU campus, the website of the Student Veterans of America has links to a variety of support programs, including Veterans on Campus, a web-based training module for students, faculty, and staff that offers information on a variety of issues relevant to student veterans.
This article was written by Peter Worthing, Department of History, for the Spring 2014 Issue of Insights Magazine.