TMCC ANTH 279 Class Project Report
Spring Semester, 2010
Assessing the Needs
of Military and Veteran Students
at TMCC
TMCC Anthropology Program Occasional Series Paper No. 4
TMCC ANTH 279 Class Project Report
Spring Semester, 2010
Assessing the Needs of Military
and Veteran Students at TMCC
by
Danielle Bailey, Erin Coleman, Samantha Evanson, Kristin Grimes,
Chandra Kurkowski, Samantha Mackowiak, Erika McNeil, Kirk
Schmitz, Amy Starble, Zebuel Stecker, and Alma Vargas-Lopez,
with contributions by Julia E. Hammett, Ph.D.
May, 2010
TMCC Anthropology Program Occasional Series Paper No. 4
Truckee Meadow Community College, Reno, NV
Table of Contents
Preface ................................................................................... iv
Introduction ............................................................................. 1
Background ....................................................................... 2
At TMCC ........................................................................... 4
Methods ................................................................................... 6
Sampling Rational ............................................................... 6
Sampling Methods............................................................... 7
Data and Analysis .................................................................... 9
Question Set One ............................................................... 9
Analysis of Table One ............................................... 11
Question Set Two ............................................................. 15
Analysis of Table Two ................................................ 17
Summary of Written Comments ......................................... 23
Recommendations and Conclusions ........................................ 26
Academic Advising ............................................................ 26
Counseling Services .......................................................... 27
Financial Aid Advisement ................................................... 28
Education Benefit Assistance .............................................. 28
Veterans Upward Bound..................................................... 28
ii Additional or Reassigned Staffing / Dedicated Liaison ............. 29
Additional Services and Resources ....................................... 29
Final Thoughts .................................................................. 30
References Cited ................................................................... 32
Appendix
Appendix 1: Survey Questionnaire Form ............................. 33-34
Figures and Tables
Figure 1: ANTH 279 student Zebuel Stecker at the booth ................ 8
Table 1: Please rate your experience with (or opinion about) these services
provided at TMCC:....................................................................... 10
Table 2: In your opinion, which of the following services do you think would be
beneficial to current and former members of the Military within the student body at
TMCC? ............................................................................................. 16-17
iii Preface:
ANTH 279: Paraprofessional Skills in the Social Sciences is a capstone course
designed to give anthropology majors the opportunity to participate in every
aspect of a research project from design, to data collection to final report.
While discussing campus issues, the Anthropology 279 class became
increasingly aware of a multitude of struggles endured by past and present
Military and Veteran students, within our student body. With a concern
raised, we began researching the Military and Veteran services that TMCC
provides.
Class discussions led to the realization that little was known about the
services and resources available to Military and Veteran students at TMCC.
An initial search of the TMCC website revealed information related to
obtaining financial aid, access to a “list serve” to get information updates,
and also information about local Military and Veterans offices. Military and
M/VA Veteran students within the 279 class were well aware that TMCC has
a Financial Aid representative dedicated to Military student-related issues,
however, the exact title and duties of this person were less well understood.
Also, class members with on-campus jobs recalled that the college did have
a dedicated Veteran or Military liaison, but that person recently retired and
the position has not been filled due to budgetary constraints.
Next class students conducted background research to identify other
services and resources our Military and Veteran students might need. A wide
variety of issues concerning active and returning Military personnel were
researched including, exposure to conflict, military culture, personal
experiences in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, returning casualties and
their caregivers, and the difficulties in re-adjusting to civilian life. With this
information, we started exploring research project possibilities and came into
iv contact with students who had a lot to say. A fellow student gave the
following account:
From my unique albeit, narrow perspective, I have seen
the desire expressed for the collection and publication
of this type of information. The opportunity to sit at
length, with other identified Veterans is something that
would be hard to artificially produce. While waiting for
two hours in line at the Veterans’ financial aid office,
several Veterans/students sat and shared background
information as well as various hang-ups they had
encountered while making their way through the
program. The overall feeling was that of frustration
which, one student in particular, directed at the local
TMCC Veterans’ Office. To me this seemed misdirected
however. It was just a convenient face to put on the
problem. (TMCC Veteran student, February, 2010)
Collectively, class discussions became focused on the availability and
knowledge of benefits that are currently in place for active Military and
Veterans who are students, the types of services that are offered to them,
who is eligible for them, and how well these students are being served at
TMCC. There was recognition that a campus study could help elucidate these
issues and may identify other services and resources that could benefit our
students. This study was approached with the philosophy that every student
needs access to the correct information and deserves to feel a sense of
inclusiveness here at Truckee Meadows Community College.
Acknowledgments
The Anthropology 279 class feels the personal obligation to acknowledge the
people and groups who made our study possible. First and foremost, we
would like to express our deepest respect and gratitude for the men and
women of the United States Armed Forces to whom this project is dedicated.
Secondly, the students of Anthropology class 279 would like to thank Dr.
v Julia Hammett and Dr. Thomas Kies for helping us to create this essential
class project along with their part in our support network for aspiring
anthropologists; this is a first step of many in our own academic paths.
The helpful and supportive staff of Truckee Meadows Community College has
not only supplied us with time, materials, and resources during an already
busy and stressful period, but also with guidance and encouragement that
was much needed by our fledgling group of students. Specific staff and
faculty who we feel especially grateful to include: Roberta Bickford, VA
Certifying Official; Robert Hernandez and the staff of the Veterans Upward
Bound Program; Jason Oetjen of Institutional Research; and Dr. Armida
Fruzzetti, Dean of School of Liberal Arts and Dr. Thomas Kies of the
Anthropology Program. Last but not least we would like to thank the students of TMCC who took the
time to tell us their stories and inspired us to take on this project. This is
ultimately for the students, with the hope that our small contribution will be
a sincere demonstration of our gratitude.
ANTH 279 N01 class, spring semester 2010
vi Assessing the Needs of Military
and Veteran Students at TMCC
by Danielle Bailey, Erin Coleman, Samantha Evanson, Kristin Grimes,
Chandra Kurkowski, Samantha Mackowiak, Erika McNeil, Kirk Schmitz, Amy
Starble, Zebuel Stecker, and Alma Vargas-Lopez,
with contributions by Julia E. Hammett, Ph.D.
Introduction
The intent of this report is to assess the needs of current Military and
Veteran students at Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC). For
purposes of this study we are using the term “Military” to refer to people
who are currently on active duty, in the National Guard, or Reservists. The
term “Veterans” refers to former members of the Military. Our primary study
group is composed of Military and Veterans within the current student body
at TMCC. For purposes of clarity we will at times refer to Military and
Veteran students in aggregate, respectfully as “M/VA” students.
The mission of TMCC is to:”promote student success, academic excellence
and access to lifelong learning by delivering high quality education and
services to our diverse communities” (http://www.tmcc.edu/about/mission/).
TMCC has a diverse student population and strives to ensure that all
students have access to services in order to foster student success and
academic excellence. However, as in any institution, students who have
spent years out of school or who are attending college for the first time may
1 find it frustrating, confusing, and even stressful to participate in even the
entry-level processes of attending college.
Many new students experience confusion about where and how to obtain the
resources they may need. For some students counseling may be an essential
step for a successful adjustment to campus life. However, some students,
because of their cultural background, may be hesitant to seek assistance. In
a larger public college such as TMCC, it is also possible that at times groups
of students needing support services go unnoticed or ignored. It is the goal
of this project to identify the potential needs of one particular group, Military
and Veteran students, to assess services provided and to make
recommendations to the TMCC administration about how to improve access
for those students.
Background
Students who are active in the Military, in the Reserves, or returning from
active duty may need certain types of support in order to adjust to college
life. All college students need a little extra help from time to time, but this
may be especially true for Military students, who are not only pursuing a
degree but also dealing with many other pressures related with returning to
civilian society (i.e. reintroductions into their families, the workplace, the
classroom and other social settings). In addition some may also suffer from
psychological conditions such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder-like symptoms as well as mild traumatic brain
injury (TBI) (Kennedy et al. 2007).
According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (2010), experts think
PTSD occurs in: 1) about 11 to 20% of Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan
wars (Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom); 2) as many as 10% of Gulf
War (Desert Storm) Veterans; and 3) about 30% of Vietnam Veterans. This
2 compares with about 7 to 8% of the civilian population of the U.S. who “will
have PTSD” at some point in their lives.
The VA further notes that other factors in combat situations can add to an
already stressful situation and may contribute to PTSD and other mental
health problems. These factors include what you do while deployed, the
politics around the deployment, where it's fought, and the type of enemy
you face. Still another related problem which may cause PTSD is the
likelihood of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) which is defined as “any sexual
harassment or sexual assault that occurs while you are in the Military.” The
VA notes that MST “can happen to both men and women and can occur
during peacetime, training, or war.” According to their research, 23% of
women reported sexual assault when in the Military” and in addition “55% of
women and 38% of men have experienced sexual harassment when in the
Military” (U.S. Department of Veterans Administration 2010).
Another consideration for Veterans and Military is that because of training
and acculturation:
“…Military personnel have been trained to be warriors, ready
at all times for duty. The term disabled is imbued with a
connotation of not fit, weak, unable to participate or perform.
Not surprisingly, returning Veterans with physical and/or
psychological injuries do not typically identify themselves as
someone who would qualify to receive support and reasonable
accommodations through a DSS (disability services) program”
(Burnett and Segoria 2009:54).
In other words, even though students who are Veterans or active
Military are at a substantially higher risk of having stress issues to
contend with, due to their Military backgrounds, they are less likely
than civilians to acknowledge to themselves or others that they are
having problems adjusting. This makes the case for assessing their
access to services even greater.
3 Another vulnerable population is the family members of veterans and
active military. Clinicians are just starting to study the impact on
mental health military spouses when their husband (or wife) is
deployed (Mansfield et. al 2010).
There have been several important national studies on the role of
Military becoming acclimated to school life including the recent survey
by the Lumina Foundation (Cook et al. 2009). Of the 2,647 universities
and colleges surveyed in that study 723 (or 28%) responded. Of
these, 57% stated they currently provide programs and services
specifically designed for service members and Veterans. Furthermore,
about 60 percent indicated that they include “providing programs and
services for Military service members and Veterans as a part of their
long term strategic plan” (Cook et al. 2009: vii). The study also found
that “65% percent of colleges and universities that offer services to
Veterans and Military personnel have increased their emphasis on
these efforts since September 11, 2001,” including 65% of public
community colleges responding to the survey (Cook et al. 2009:viii).
According to Segal and Segal (2004), one major motivation for enlisting into
the Military is to earn educational benefits to use during service or after
leaving the service. Although this has not been studied, it is suspected that
TMCC’s current Military and Veteran programs may also share that
motivation.
At TMCC
The point of entry for most Active Duty Military and Veteran students is the
VA Certifying Official within the Financial Aid Office. According to Roberta
Bickford (VA Certifying Official for TMCC), a total of 419 Veterans were
certified for education benefits for the spring semester. This number does
4 not account for active members of the Military, Reservists who are not
Veterans or for Veterans who are not receiving VA benefits. It is fair to
assume that there will be a greater need for support services among Military
and Veteran (M/VA) students as an increasing number of Military and
Veterans seek an education.
The admission procedure for veterans is outlined in an easy-to-follow 8-step
process and is available at the Veterans’ Educational Benefits website
(http://www.tmcc.edu/veterans/benefits/). Veterans are encouraged to
schedule the testing and advising components of the admission process
through the Veterans Upward Bound offices in the Meadowood Center.
The Veterans Upward Bound program at TMCC is now 20 years old and is
nationally recognized within similar programs as one of the very best in the
nation (http://www.tmcc.edu/veterans/upwardbound/news/). This is the
only program in the State of Nevada that serves the comprehensive
educational needs of veterans who are low-income and potential first
generation college students. Veterans Upward Bound offers a wide array of
services and activities to meet the individual educational needs and
aspiration of veterans, including intensive instruction in basic academic skills
development, academic counseling and advisement, support services such
as tutoring, financial aid/admissions assistance, educational/cultural
enrichment activities and referral and coordination of services with local
veterans’ agencies and social services. The project serves as a vital
intervention for disadvantaged veterans providing the skills and assistance
necessary for access to and success in post-secondary education. The
program is funded through the federal TRIO programs of the U.S.
Department of Education, and all services are free to eligible program
veterans.
According to the current college catalog, TMCC offers a “Military Occupations
Degree” emphasis for the “Associate of Applied Science” degree:
“This degree program is designed for Military students who have
Military training and is recognized by the American Council of
Education. This program is designed to facilitate service
5 members and veterans in earning an associate degree with an
emphasis on management principles and leadership skills. The
second goal is to assist TMCC students beginning military service
and those students currently enrolled in the University of
Nevada, Reno, military science program”
(http://www.tmcc.edu/catalog/1011/pdf/worksheets/military_oc
c_aas.pdf).
According to the 2009 TMCC FactBook
(http://www.tmcc.edu/ir/downloads/documents/publications/factbooks/INST
FactBook2009.pdf) this program has averaged an FTE of one per semester
since 2003 and has a total of four graduates since that time. Although little
is known about this academic program, it was not included in the current
study because of the small number of students impacted by the program
and the recognition that its study should go through the standard academic
Program and Discipline Review (PDR) process at TMCC. It was decided that
the class study and our student time would be better directed at student
services that were available to a larger population of students.
Methods
Sampling Rationale
The ANTH 279 class developed a questionnaire in order to gather preliminary
information about the current services which are in place for both Military
and Veteran (M/VA) students. It was thought that a needs assessment could
help Truckee Meadows Community College to gain a better understanding of
how current services could be used more efficiently and effectively. For
example, the survey may be able to identify sources of perceived needs and
offer constructive suggestions to TMCC’s administration. Conversely, positive
6 responses to the survey could serve to illuminate well spent efforts by the
TMCC faculty and administration.
The Anthropology 279 Military and Veteran student research project is both
a program evaluation of existing services and a needs assessment of
potential resources and services. It strives to ascertain the current state of
the services offered, and to assess the needs of students, as well as the
potential for improvement. It is intended as a helpful, constructive step
towards ensuring that all students at Truckee Meadows Community College
are offered equal opportunities by bringing a voice to Military and Veteran
students. Additionally, it helps all involved to understand their issues and
needs in order to better facilitate their journey through school.
This project is important due to the fact that TMCC, along with all other
Nevada universities and colleges, is currently facing budget cuts. The cuts
are affecting the salary of government workers, which means that TMCC
might not be able to afford to keep ongoing staff levels or might have to
restrict the number of hours dedicated to supporting the current M/VA
students and programs. The budget cuts are also affecting the Millennium
Scholarship Program, which many students use. Furthermore, budget cuts
are affecting the amount of money that TMCC receives for programs offered
to students. Given the timeliness of this assessment, it is hoped that the
special situation of our M/VA students will be considered as TMCC strives to
meet the needs of all of our students and to use resources more effectively.
Sampling Methods
A survey questionnaire was designed to ask students about their
experiences, levels of satisfaction with current services provided at TMCC
and possible services that could be provided. It also enabled students to
volunteer “open ended” suggestions on any subject they thought was
7 relevant (Appendix A). Although the questionnaire was intended for present
and past members of the Military within the student body, any student who
wished to complete the survey was able to do so. Once the survey questions
were finalized, they were sent to Institutional Research (IR) for compilation.
Specific locations were selected to distribute the survey. Locations with
heavy traffic, such as the student cafeteria, outside the library, and the area
outside the computer labs, were used. Students of the Anthropology 279
class volunteered for shifts working at these specific locations where the
questionnaire “booth” was prepared to attract passing students.
Participation was completely voluntary, anonymous, and non-restrictive. In
addition, two unattended (self-service) drop boxes with survey forms were
placed in separate locations. The Financial Aid desk (in Red Mountain
building room 315) on the Dandini campus, and the lounge area for Veterans
Upward Bound (VUB) located at the Meadowood Center campus were the
locations selected.
Figure 1: ANTH 279 student Zebuel Stecker at the booth
8 Once the number of questionnaires completed by M/VA students equaled
approximately 10% of the 419 known Veteran population at TMCC, the data
collection phase was closed and the forms were sent to the Institutional
Research office to be scanned and quantified. After gathering and
quantifying the data, tables were generated for analysis. Anthropology class
students then analyzed the results and generated recommendations based
on these findings.
Data and Analysis
A total of sixty-nine questionnaire forms were completed. Of these, twentyfive indicated they were not Military, four identified themselves as Active
(Active Duty, National Guard, Reservist), thirty-one identified themselves at
Veterans, three identified themselves as both Active and Veteran, twentyeight identified themselves as “none of the above” and three declined to
categorize themselves. For purposes of analysis, Active Military, Veterans
and Active/Veterans were aggregated into a “M/VA” category. The three
respondents declining to identify their category were grouped with the “none
of the above” respondents into a “non-Military” category. Therefore, thirtyeight (55%) responded as military or veteran students. This number is
approximately 9% of the total number of current students who are officially
certified to receive VA educational benefits at TMCC.
Question Set One
The first set of questions on the survey asked students to rate their
experience with the following services: 1) Academic Advisement; 2)
Counseling Services; 3) Educational Benefits Assistance; 4) Financial Aid
Benefits Assistance; and 5) Veterans’ Upward Bound Program (Table 1).
9 Table 1: Please rate your experience with (or opinion about) these services
provided at TMCC:
1. Academic Advisement
M/VA
Non-Military
Excellent
34.2%
20.7%
Good
26.3%
17.2%
Fair
15.8%
20.7%
Needs Improvement
13.2%
20.7%
Don’t Know
10.5%
20.7%
2. Counseling Services
Excellent
M/VA
24.3%
Non-Military
20.7%
Good
21.6%
20.7%
Fair
8.1%
17.2%
Needs Improvement
16.2%
6.9%
Don’t Know
29.7%
34.5%
3. Educational Benefits Assistance
Excellent
M/VA
23.7%
Non-Military
20.0%
Good
28.9%
30.0%
Fair
23.7%
10.0%
Needs Improvement
18.4%
6.7%
Don’t Know
5.3%
33.3%
4. Financial Aid Benefits Assistance
Excellent
M/VA
23.7%
Non-Military
29.0%
Good
31.6%
29.0%
Fair
21.1%
16.1%
Needs Improvement
7.9%
9.7%
Don’t Know
15.8%
16.1%
5. Veteran’s Upward Bound
M/VA
Excellent
39.5%
6.7%
Good
15.8%
13.3%
Fair
Needs Improvement
Don’t Know
10.5%
2.6%
31.6%
10.0%
0.0%
70.0%
10 Non-Military
Analysis of Table 1: Each question was analyzed from the standpoint of
Military and non-Military responses. For most questions the majority of
responses tended to fall into the “excellent” and “good” categories, although
which of these was most common varied according to the question. Also
between 10 and 31% of Military and up to 70% of non-Military students
indicated they “don’t know” about specific services. The results by individual
item number are summarized below:
1. Academic Advising: 60.5% of Military students said that their
experience with Academic Advisement was “excellent” or “good” as
compared to 37.9% of non-Military students. As far as helping Military
students with academic advising, TMCC appears to be doing a well but
there is room for improvement. Approximately one in ten (10.7%)
Military students and two in ten (20.5%) Non-Military students
responded that they “don’t know” about Academic Advisement services
available.
It is the goal of TMCC administration for every student to receive
academic advisement, but the specific entrée for M/VA students may
increase their likelihood for their receiving these services and being
more satisfied customers. The current entry process for M/VA
students, which was recently implemented, begins with the VA
Certifying Official who certifies their eligibility for aid and then directs
them to testing and other services. Through this pathway M/VA
students generally interact with Financial Aid; VA Certifying Official;
and VUB advisors and counselors who assess their skills and are
generally more geared toward the needs of M/VA students. This single
point of entry for M/VA students may lead to their greater satisfaction
with this service.
11 •
Recommendation: Although there is clearly room for improvement,
overall it appears that the majority of M/VA students were satisfied
with the Academic Advisement they received. However, only a little
over a third of non-Military students were satisfied. Together these
data indicate the need for improved marketing and outreach of
advisement services. A more detailed customer assessment of
Academic Advisement services targeting non-military students may
also be in order. These actions are particularly relevant given the
central role that advisement is considered to have in college
success.
2. Counseling Services: Favorable numbers drop notably for Military
students and slightly for non-Military students as compared to
Academic Advising. 45.9% of Military students stated that they had
“excellent” or “good” experiences as compared to 41.4% of nonMilitary students. Also with counseling services it appears that almost
29.7% of Military and 34.5% of non-Military students stated that they
“don’t know” how well Counseling Services are doing. This is the
second highest values for “don’t know” (after only the Veterans
Upward Bound program).
An additional 16.2% of M/VA students indicate that they think our
Counseling Services “need improvement” which is over twice the value
of non-military students. This may be very significant given that the
research suggests M/VA students may experience higher levels of
stress than their counterparts and are much less likely to acknowledge
it because of the conditioning through military training (Burnett and
Segoria 2009). In other words, 16.2% of M/VA students stating that
Counseling Services “need improvement” may indicate that a much
higher number are in need of these services.
12 It may be helpful to note that while our study was underway, another
study of NSHE system-wide M/VA students was initiated through a
faculty member at UNR (Roberta Bickford, personal communication).
Access to their findings may help identify counseling needs among our
study body.
•
Recommendation: The data indicate the need to do a better job of
advertising the Counseling Services and to provide more outreach
about these services to all of our students. A more detailed needs
assessment M/VA students is recommended to help indentify needs
for counseling within that population. Seek access to the data for
TMCC students from the recent NSHE system-wide study to further
identify the counseling needs of TMCC M/VA students.
3. Educational Benefits Assistance: This category of services received
relatively even ratings. For Veteran and Military students, both
“excellent” and “fair” ratings each scored 23.7% and “good” rating
receiving 28.9%. This suggests TMCC is doing a satisfactory job when
it comes to educational benefits assistance among Military students.
However 18.4% of Veteran and Military students think that our
Educational Benefits Assistance “needs improvement.” This may be
significant given they are primary recipients of this type of assistance
and many of them enlisted with the Military in order to earn these
benefits. It is understandable that 33.3% of non-Military students
(compared to 5.3% of Veterans and Military students) “don’t know”
how well we are doing in this category.
•
Recommendation: Conduct a follow up study of M/VA students to
identify and help address their concerns related to Education
Benefits.
13 4. Financial Aid Benefit Assistance: Financial Aid received a 55.3%
rating for being “excellent” or “good” among M/VA students compared
to 58% of non-Military students. These percentages are quite similar;
however, perhaps it is notable that this is the only existing service for
which M/VA students provided a lower rate than did non-Military
students. This may in part be due to the changes in financial aid for
Veteran students that occurred in the fall 2009 semester. These
changes and the delay in payments they caused are still fresh in the
minds of many frustrated Veterans. Nevertheless, overall the Financial
Aid rankings were relatively similar between the two groups of
respondents.
•
Recommendation: Initiate a follow up study to identify what
concerns M/VA students have with Financial Aid, what, if any issues
are related directly to TMCC versus the government VA program.
5. Veteran’s Upward Bound: VUB had generally positive feedback with
39.5% of Military and Veteran students rating this program as
“excellent” and only 2.6% of Military students think it “needs
improvement.” The success of this program appears to be a well kept
secret at TMCC because 70% of our non-Military students responding
that they “don’t know” about the program. Surprisingly 30% of M/VA
students also stated that they did not know about this program. This is
probably due in part to the location of VUB in a satellite campus
instead of on main campus. The recently implemented policy to assess
all entering VA students through VUB should improve those numbers
in the future. However, it is also possible, that although the M/VA
students may be directly to the VUB office, they do not know much
else about the VUB program.
14 •
Recommendation: Because of the excellent job this program is
doing, it would benefit TMCC at large to promote its success
through the Public Information Office. The significant number of
students of both groups who indicated they did not know about this
program suggests that we are missing an opportunity to benefit
from this good news story on campus as well as in the local
community.
Question Set One Summary: For all five student service areas, it was
evident that many students are unaware of available services. In
certain areas, students stated the need for improvement.
•
Recommendation: Improve marketing and outreach for all essential
student services. Undertake additional studies to better understand
issues in areas identified by students as needing improvement, in
particular Academic Advisement and Financial Aid for all students
and Counseling and Educational Benefits for M/VA students.
Question Set Two
The second set of survey questions asked subjects to assess how beneficial a
set of potential services or resources would be to Veterans or Military
students including: 1) Advising and coping strategies; 2) Dedicated Military
liaison; 3) Drop-in-center for Military students; 4) Financial aid advisement,
5) Lounge/forum for ideas and questions; 6) Monthly newsletter; 7) Onestop info web page; 8) support services for Military family members; and 9)
an open ended question for additional ideas not listed (Table 2):
15 Table 2: In your opinion, which of the following services do you think would be beneficial to current
and former members of the Military within the student body at TMCC?
1. Advisement and coping strategies related to adjustment to college environment
M/VA
Non-Military
Very Important
60.5%
55.2%
Important
31.6%
37.9%
Not Important
0.0%
0.0%
Don’t Know
7.9%
6.9%
2. Dedicated Military liaison
M/VA
Non-Military
Very Important
47.4%
40.7%
Important
34.2%
37.0%
Not Important
Don’t Know
7.9%
0.0%
10.5%
22.2%
3. Drop-in center for Military students
M/VA
Non-Military
Very Important
52.8%
29.6%
Important
30.6%
44.4%
Not Important
Don’t Know
2.8%
3.7%
13.9%
22.2%
4. Financial aid advisement
M/VA
Non-Military
Very Important
62.2%
62.1%
Important
35.1%
31.0%
Not Important
0.0%
0.0%
Don’t Know
2.7%
6.9%
5. Lounge/forum for exchange of ideas and questions
M/VA
Non-Military
Very Important
31.6%
28.6%
Important
31.6%
42.9%
Not Important
21.1%
10.7%
Don’t Know
15.8%
17.9%
6. Monthly newsletter with latest updates concerning Military students
M/VA
Non-Military
Very Important
31.6%
10.3%
Important
42.1%
55.2%
Not Important
18.4%
17.2%
7.9%
17.2%
Don’t Know
16 7. One-Stop Info web page for Military students
M/VA
Non-Military
Very Important
52.6%
44.8%
Important
31.6%
37.9%
Not Important
Don’t Know
5.3%
3.4%
10.5%
13.8%
8. Support services for Military family members
M/VA
Non-Military
Very Important
40.5%
60.7%
Important
32.4%
25.0%
Not Important
8.1%
0.0%
Don’t Know
18.9%
14.3%
Analysis of Table 2: Each question was analyzed from the standpoint of
M/VA and non-Military responses. These findings are summarized below:
Although all were considered important or very important, the items which
received the highest rankings were Financial Aid advisement and Advisement
and Coping Strategies related to adjusting to the college environment.
1. Advisement and coping strategies for college adjustment:
92.1% of M/VA students ranked this service as “very important” or
“important.” 93.1% of non-Military students considered these services
“very important” or “important.” Nobody in either group indicated that
these two services were “not important” to M/VA students. As
discussed previously, it is highly significant when so many M/VA
students acknowledge the importance of having access to advisement
and coping strategies related to adjustment to the college
environment. Also, anecdotally this is something that M/VA students
often express as a frustration to their fellow students and to their
instructors. M/VA students are often frustrated at the lack of work
effort and maturity of some of their fellow students. At times M/VA
17 students have been known to voice their frustrations during class
periods. This then becomes a source of concern for their instructors
and their fellow students. Given the literature on this subject (i.e.
Burnett and Segoria 2009; Cook et al. 2009), it is quite likely that
virtually all M/VA students have difficulty adjusting to aspects of
civilian life, and certainly to a new college setting. For M/VA
respondents, this was the second highest ranking of importance
(second only to Financial Aid). For non-Military students it tied with
Financial Aid in importance.
•
Recommendation: Assess the availability of counselors with the
skills to effectively advise and provide M/VA students with coping
skills for adjusting to college life. Counselors with appropriate skills
should be available on the main Dandini Campus as well as at the
Meadowood campus. If appropriate provide more counselors with
opportunities for professional development and training to obtain
these essential skills. Finally, develop marketing and outreach
strategies to ensure students get access to these services. VUB
counselors may be able to assist their Dandini Campus colleagues in
refining their skills to meet the needs of M/VA students.
2. Dedicated Military liaison: 81.6% of M/VA students and 77.7% of
non-military students ranked the need for a dedicated Military liaison
as “important or “very important”. However, 7.9% of M/VA students
said this staffing was not important and 10.5% said they did not know.
Written comments indicated some confusion about the role of the VA
Certifying Official; a more detailed follow up study may reveal that
many students think this position already exists. Regardless of the
degree of confusion that may or may not be reflected in the survey
findings, the strong majority think this staffing is “very important” or
18 “important.” Given the stated need for a advisement and coping
strategies, this position
•
Recommendation: Pursue avenues for finding funding for a
dedicated Military/Veteran liaison, either through reassignment of
existing staff or seek additional funding, possibly through federal
grants or other external funding.
3. Drop-in center for Military students: 83.4% of M/VA students
believe this service would be “important” or “very important” to them.
74% of non-Military students agreed. Very few (less than 4%) of
students considered this resource “Not Important”. At Meadowood
Campus the VUB program has established a welcoming environment
for students in their program. However, at present there is no place on
main campus where M/VA students can congregate or socialize as a
group. In a sense this marginalizes this population. Given the survey
results expressing a need for resources to help them cope and
transition to college, a dedicated M/VA space where they could
“debrief” and network with other students who share their military
background might go a long way toward helping them to transition to
college. It is recommended that this space should be on the main
Dandini Campus, somewhere in or near the Student Center portion of
the Red Mountain Building so these students are no longer
marginalized; space isolation could defeat the goal of helping them to
transition and to be integrated into the college mainstream.
•
Recommendation: Explore avenues to find a space on Main Campus
that can be dedicated to M/VA students as a drop in center.
Preferably this space should be in or near the Student Center
portion of the Red Mountain Building.
19 4. Financial Aid Advisement: 97.3% of M/VA students ranked as “very
important” or “important” (the highest ranking for the second question
set) and 93.1% of non-Military students considered this services them
“very important” or “important.” Nobody in either group indicated that
these two services were “not important” to M/VA students. As
previously stated, many people join the military specifically to receive
the benefit of Financial Aid, so it should come as no surprise that it is
the considered the most important service or resource.
•
Recommendation: Develop an assessment of feedback strategy to
ensure TMCC is doing the best possible job of providing Financial
Aid for all of our students. This may included marketing and
outreach, but should also solicit detailed input from existing
students.
5. Lounge/forum as a means for exchange of ideas: The idea of a
lounge/forum was posited on the survey with the idea that this could
be either a scheduled on campus forum event or could also take the
role of a virtual lounge or forum online. We hoped that some written
comments would help clarify the preferences of students and that
ideally both kinds of exchanges could happen in the future. The
majority of M/VA students (63.2%) thought that a lounge/forum would
be beneficial to allow for an exchange of questions and ideas.
Interestingly, 71.5% of non-Military also students replied that a
lounge/forum would be beneficial. Only 10.7% of non-Military felt that
it would be “not important”. This is a slight but noticeable contrast
with M/VA student respondents; 21.1% of M/VA students thought that
a forum/lounge was “Not Important.” This may suggest that the nonMilitary students are curious about the Military culture and may desire
a forum to satisfy their interest. One written comment from an M/VA
20 student suggested the idea of a forum for exchange of information and
ideas between military and non military students.
•
Recommendation: Explore opportunities for M/VA and non-military
students to interact and exchange ideas and experiences to
improve understanding and promoted self education at TMCC
6. Monthly newsletter with latest updates concerning Military
students: 73.7% of M/VA students and 65.5% of non-Military
students think that a monthly newsletter would be “important” or
“very important” for M/VA students. VA Certifying Official Roberta
Bickford currently manages a “list serve” which notifies certified
Veterans about events and issues that may be of interest to them.
Also there is an online “newsletter” with current contact info in it each
semester. Her efforts are commendable; however, a more inclusive
mailing list (also including active service, reservists and interested
others) may be helpful to have a more inclusive mailing list. Also a
more interactive newsletter published at shorter intervals, versus an
“emailing” the existing once per semester newsletter would give
students more current information and allow them the opportunity to
participate through letters to the editor and perhaps contribute articles
or provide other submissions. The M/VA newsletter may also be
incorporated into the existing student newspaper, “the Echo.”
•
Recommendation: Explore avenues for M/VA students to
participate more fully in newsletter, either through existing
channels (student newspaper “The Echo” or the VA student list
serve and online newsletter).
7. One-stop info web page: To make Military and VA inquiries easier, a
one-stop web page was considered ; 84.2% of M/VA students and
21 82.7% of non-Military students think such a web page would be
helpful. There is a Veterans web page, but like the newsletter it is not
inclusive for all military (active and reservists and military family
members). Also, follow-up discussions with students, indicated an
interest in a more comprehensive and frequently updated “one-stop”
type of dedicated web page for M/VA students. This could also have a
discussion/blog space for feedback and discussion of issues for
students.
•
Recommendation: Explore the possibility of hosting a dedicated web
page for all M/VA students and interested visitors with an
interactive function. This would include links to VA information on
and off campus, but also information for active military, reservists,
their families and any interested other parties.
8. Support services for Military family members: 85.7% of nonMilitary students believe that support services for Military family
members are “important” or “very important” and 72.9% of M/VA
students agree. This item received the second highest number of “very
important” rankings by non-Military respondents. It is possible that
some members of military families were captured within the “nonMilitary” student respondents. Two of the five written comments from
non-Military students indicated they had some relationship to Military
members.
•
Recommendation: TMCC could do a great deal to ease the stress
experienced by military family members by developing packages of
financial aid options for children or spouses of members of the
military and by offering counseling services and selected resources
directed toward them through an outreach campaign. This is
22 something that could also be a positive component of our public
relations within the community.
Summary of Written Comments
Twenty respondents (about one-third of those surveyed) submitted
additional written comments. Fifteen (75%) of those responding with written
comments were M/VA students. The majority of comments for M/VA
students were suggestions. For the purposes of conciseness we have divided
the comments from M/VA students into two categories: 1) comments
concerning current TMCC programs and resources, 2) and suggestions for
new programs or resources at TMCC.
Three of the fifteen M/VA responses had a distinctly negative tone and three
had a distinctly positive tone. All of the positive comments there were
accolades for the staff of the Veterans Upward Bound Program and the VA
Certifying Official. The strongest response showered praise on VUB stating “if
it were not for Robert Hernandez and Judy Turner and staff I would not have
been enrolled here today. Keep up the good job. Semper Fi.” A second
respondent acknowledged their receipt of newsletters and emails sent by
Roberta Bickford. The third stated that “Overall, everything is pretty good. It
runs pretty smooth.”
The negative responses tended to be directed at staff indicating they were
not given sufficient time or information from either Financial Aid Advisement
staff or from the VA Representative. The latter illustrates a general lack of
understanding that TMCC does not currently staff this position. Some of
these comments appeared to be directed at the VA Certifying Official in the
Financial Aid Office, with the assumption that she has the same duties and
responsibilities as those previously held by the VA Representative. This
23 suggests a need to better communicate with students the duties of the VA
Certifying Official.
Most comments were couched by the recognition that additional staffing is
needed. Specifically four respondents (27%) suggested the need for an
additional staff person dedicated to Military and Veteran issues; of these
three indicated that person should be a dedicated liaison. One respondent
suggested that this person should be charged with helping soldiers transition
from soldier to student. In general terms, many comments indicated a desire
to have a more welcoming environment for M/VA students through staff
additions and through specific resources.
Approximately one third of the written submissions were related to
suggestions for new programs, resources or types of support. Aside from the
suggestions for an M/VA liaison, the suggestions were varied. Other
suggestions included 1) resources for childcare, 2) resources for academics,
3) additional scholarships for Veterans, 4) assistance with social networking
such as through Facebook, 5) the addition of more knowledgeable financial
aid advisers to support M/VA students, and 6) continue doing surveys every
year.
A final suggestion was to host a forum between M/VA and non-Military
students to help educate non-Military students about their return from
combat areas. The respondent suggested: “a one day forum in the main hall
where an open panel discussion with military veteran students take question
from other students for a better understanding with what it’s like to be us
and what we did.” This final suggestion could go a long way toward
educating the TMCC community about the issues our M/VA students are
dealing with, what they experience, and could be a very educational and
therapeutic experience for all involved.
24 Of the five written comments not from M/VA students, one student wanted
information about spouse financial aid, one indicated they were engaged to
an active member of the Military, two supported counseling for Veterans
(one suggested that veterans should have “extra help coping with a return
from war” and the other student stated that advisement was “very
important” to help with “readjustment from fresh off active duty to prevent
culture shock. The final non-Military response was not directly related to our
survey (complained about the food in the cafeteria).
With the exception of the food complaint, none of the non-Military written
comments were either positive or negative; they were either suggestions or
informational.
•
Recommendation: The written comments validate existing staff and
programs but also underscore the need to replace the M/VA Liaison
position as soon as funding allows, possibly with someone with a
professional counseling background. The role and duties of the VA
Certifying Official should be better explained to M/VA students.
•
Recommendation: Explore additional financial opportunities for M/VA
students, including scholarships and other financial aid, tutoring and
discount/waivers for childcare and access to computers and printing
dedicated to M/VA student, possibly in a drop in center for M/VA
students in Red Mountain building on main campus. Consider
facilitating a forum between M/VA and non-military students and
supporting a Facebook page for TMCC M/VA students to help these
students to feel inclusive and better integrated into campus life.
25 Recommendations and Conclusions
Specific findings and recommendations for existing services and possible
new services and resources are summarized below. One of the key findings
is the need for most existing programs to conduct more detailed self studies
which incorporate a customer satisfaction component to improve their
effectiveness and outreach to students.
One unexpected finding was that many students, both M/VA and nonMilitary, don’t know much about specific existing services at TMCC. In
particular, the Veterans Bound Program appears to be an unintended well
kept secret for both groups of students.
The study generated findings and recommendations related to both M/VA
and non-military students for both existing and possible services and
resources. The survey data indicate that overall M/VA students tend to be
more satisfied with the five existing student services studied than are nonMilitary students. The one exception is Financial Aid advisement for which
the responses from M/VA students and non-Military responses were very
similar.
Academic Advisement
•
The data indicate the need for improved marketing and outreach of
Academic Advisement services, especially to non-Military students.
•
The data indicate the need for an overall assessment of the
effectiveness of Academic Advisement services including a more
detailed customer satisfaction survey, especially pertaining to nonMilitary students.
26 •
An assessment of Academic Advisement practices should evaluate the
effectiveness of integrating resources through the single-point entry
strategy now implemented for M/VA students.
•
Review the “starting point” process as a single point of entry, confirm
that all needed services are effectively integrated through this strategy
and ensure that all TMCC staff direct students to the designated entry
points
These actions are particularly relevant given the central role that
advisement is considered to have in college success.
Counseling Services
•
A more detailed needs assessment M/VA students is recommended to
help identify specific needs for counseling within that population.
•
The survey data and written comments document the need to help
M/VA students develop coping strategies and to adjust to college and
civilian life.
•
Seek access to the data from the recent system-wide M/VA study to
identify any additional counseling needs of TMCC students.
•
Assess the availability of staff counselors with the specialized skills to
effectively help M/VA students with PTSD and related disorders and to
help students to develop coping skills for adjusting to college and other
aspects of civilian life. If appropriate provide staff counselors with
training opportunities to obtain these skills.
•
Counselors with appropriate skills should be made available on the
main Dandini Campus as well as at the Meadowood campus. VUB
27 counselors may be able to assist their Dandini Campus colleagues in
refining their skills to meet the needs of M/VA students.
•
Specific outreach strategies should be developed for M/VA students
and members of Military families.
• The data indicate the need to do a better job of advertising the
Counseling Services and to provide more outreach about these
services to all of our students.
Financial Aid Advisement
•
Develop an assessment or feedback strategy to ensure TMCC is doing
the best possible job of providing Financial Aid for all of our students.
This may included marketing and outreach, but should also solicit
detailed input from existing students.
•
Initiate a follow up study to identify what concerns M/VA students
have with Financial Aid, what, if any issues are related directly to
TMCC versus the government VA program.
Education Benefit Assistance
•
Conduct a follow up study of M/VA students to identify and help
address their concerns related to Education Benefits.
•
The role and duties of the VA Certifying Official should be better
explained to M/VA students.
Veterans Upward Bound
•
Because of the excellent job this program is doing, it would benefit
TMCC to promote its success through the Public Information Office.
28 The significant number of students of both groups who indicated they
did not know about this program suggests that we are missing an
opportunity to benefit from this good news story on campus as well as
in the local community.
Additional or Reassigned Staffing / Dedicated Liaison
•
Together the written comments and survey responses indicate that the
replacement of the liaison position should be considered a high
priority for TMCC.
•
Liaison should have a professional counseling background and should
be help student navigate the process at TMCC as well as helping them
to adjust to college and cope with stress.
•
Pursue avenues for finding funding for a dedicated Military/Veteran
liaison, either through reassignment of existing staff or seek additional
funding, possibly through federal grants or other external funding.
•
If the position must stay unfilled because of the present budget crisis
other strategies for filling this needed position should be considered
(i.e. additional or reassignment of existing staff counselors with
additional training related to M/VA issues, or seek assistance from the
local VA counseling community to help fill the need.
Additional Services and Resources:
•
Explore additional financial opportunities for M/VA students, including
scholarships and other financial aid.
•
Explore external funding or means to subsidize or provide
discount/waivers for childcare for military families.
29 •
Consider a room on Main Campus, preferably in or near Student
Center; this would serve as a drop-in center/lounge/study room for
M/VA students, while also helping them integrate into college life.
•
Explore avenues to provide specialized tutoring for M/VA students.
•
Consider provided special access to computers and printing dedicated
to M/VA students, possibly housed in a M/VA drop in study room.
•
Consider facilitating a forum between M/VA and non-military students
•
Consider hosting a Facebook page for TMCC M/VA students to help
these students to feel inclusive and better integrated into campus life.
•
Finally, develop marketing and outreach strategies to ensure students
get access to all available services.
Final Thoughts
This study was designed to assess which services are viewed by students as
working well, which are not, and what additional services may be needed.
The implementation of the survey questionnaire on campus, in public
spaces, also served to inform M/VA and non-Military students about
programs, services and resources that are currently in place, and to provide
M/VA students with a sense of inclusion at TMCC.
Within the very restricted time frame of a single semester, TMCC
anthropology students have completed an entire research project: we
created a research design, developed a questionnaire, collected and
examined data, and made recommendations that we thought could be
realistically accomplished given TMCC’s current budgetary constraints.
30 By no stretch of the imagination should this study be considered exhaustive
or comprehensive. Furthermore, some of these findings are likely to be time
sensitive to the semester these data were collected. Nevertheless, this
project has served as a means for students to come forward and to express
their views about what they may need in order to make their personal and
academic journeys more successful. It is hoped that their feedback will help
guide future decision making at TMCC.
31 Reference Cited
Burnett, Sandra E. and John Segoria
2009 Collaboration for Military Transition Students from Combat to College: It
Takes a Community. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability
22(1): 53-58. http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ844251.pdf .
Cook, Bryan J. and Young Kim, with contributions by Jacqueline E. King, Kathy M.
Snead, Lesley McBain, Zaneeta E. Daver, Daryl Levine, and Faith
DesLauriers
2009 From Soldier to Student: Easing the Transition of Service Members on
Campus. Lumina Foundation for Education, Indianapolis.
http://www.aascu.org/media/pdf/09_StudenttoSoldierFinalReport.pdf.
Kennedy, Jan E. with Michael S. Jaffee and Gregory A. Leskin
2007
Post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder-like
symptoms and mild traumatic brain injury. Journal of Rehabilitation
Research and Development 44(7):895-920.
http://www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/07/44/7/kennedy.html. Mansfield, Alyssa J., Jay S. Kaufman, Stephen W. Marshall, Bradley N. Gaynes,
Joseph P. Morrissey and Charles C. Engel
2010
Deployment and the Use of Mental Health Services Among U.S. Army
Wives. The New England Journal of Medicine 362(2):101-109. January.
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/362/2/101.pdf.
Segal, David R. and Mandy Wechsler Segal
2004
America’s Military Population. Population Bulletin 59(4):1-44,
December. http://www.prb.org/Source/ACF1396.pdf. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
2010 How Common is PTSD? National Center for PTSD.
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/how-common-is-ptsd.asp 32 Appendix 1: Survey Questionnaire Form
Assessing the Needs of
Military/Veteran Students at TMCC Objective: The TMCC Anthropology class 279 is conducting an assessment to identify potential and existing needs among the current and former members of the military within the student body at TMCC. Statement of Disclosure and Voluntary Participation: Your participation in this survey is entirely voluntary and your privacy will be respected. You may skip any question you chose not to answer or quit at any time you wish during the survey. Data will be kept anonymous and will remain confidential. Thank you for your participation. 1. Status (choose one): { Active (Active Duty, National Guard, Reservist) { Veteran { None of the Above 2. Listed below are services currently provided to current and former military members attending TMCC. Please rate your experience with (or opinion about) these services: Excellent
Good
Fair
Needs
Improvement
Academic Advisement { { { { { Counseling Services { { { { { Educational Benefits Assistance { { { { { Financial Aid Benefits Assistance { { { { { Veterans Upward Bound Program { { { { { Service
33 Don’t
Know
3. In your opinion, which of the following services do you think would be beneficial to current and former members of the military within the student body at TMCC? Please mark according to importance. Service
Not
Don’t
Important
Very
Important
Important
Know
Advisement and coping strategies related to adjustment to college environment { { { { Dedicated military liaison { { { { Drop‐in center for military students { { { { Financial Aid Advisement { { { { Lounge/Forum for exchange of ideas and questions { { { { Monthly newsletter with latest updates concerning military students { { { { One‐Stop Info web page for military students { { { { Support services for military family members { { { { Other (please specify): { { { { __________________________ 4. Do you have any additional comments, concerns or suggestions related to this survey? 34