Three of the eleven authors of Helping Veterans Succeed held a session Monday at the AACRAO Annual Meeting in Denver in support of its release two weeks ago. By providing insight into the genesis of this new release, sharing a few chapters, and providing practical solutions to the problems facing the session attendees, the authors made it clear that this book is a must have resource for any institution aiming to be Service-Member friendly.
Session attendees wanted to know:
- How do online institutions with a high percentage of service member students connect with students they never physically see?
- Is there a checklist or guide to follow? So many processes are different in each military system which, in turn, is also different than our system.
- How should an institution treat service members equally or unequally and when is the right time to do that?
According to the authors, these topics and more are covered in the book.
The spotlight on chapters revealed real issues institutions and service members face.
In chapter two, when discussing issues of normalizing, a key component of this chapter, the session focused on the fact that some service members do not want to be identified as associated with the military. How do you reach and provide services for these particular students? The handbook offers ways to reach out to these students who may need more services than those who do self-identify. An easy way is to publicize faculty who are also vets (with their permission, of course) and use them to help build relationships with students.
In chapter five, the focus is disabilities. Just this Friday, March 29, 2014, 1,892 flags were placed on the National Mall in memorial of the nearly 1,900 veterans who have taken their lives in 2014 (More information available here). Serving our service member students who struggle with all types of disabilities should be top of mind when determining how to help these students succeed. The handbook provides the means to do this.
In chapter four, the authors turn to female service members. Is there really a need for women to have separate services? Separate? No. Different? Yes! These women face the same issues as men but do have some challenges unique to them. One in particular is childcare. This is seen as a major barrier for women. The handbook offers suggestions such as applying for Childcare Access Means Parents In School (CCAMPIS). This grant allows institutions to open childcare services for students who need it.
One more suggestion
If you are struggling to gain service members more resources on your campus, reach out to your Institutional Research office, highlight compliance/regulations you are subject to as a recipient of TA money, and reach out to alumni office.
Preview the book and order it online.