Michael Barraza, Psy.D.
Patrick O’Rourke
Marshall Thomas, Ed.D.
California State University, Long Beach
 Pat O’Rourke
 Acting Director, Veterans Affairs Services
 Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army (1982-2004)
 Michael Barraza, Psy.D.
 Staff Counselor, Counseling and Psychological Services
 Specialist, U.S. Army (1995-1999)
 Marshall Thomas, Ed.D.
 Associate Director, Learning Assistance Center
 Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps (1986-1992)
 Overview
 Who Are Our Veterans
 Why I Joined
 Basic Training – Military 101
 Break
 Challenges for Veterans
 Status Exercise
 Campus Initiatives
 Situational Awareness
 Becoming an Ally
 Discussion
Overview
 The VET NET Ally program
is a faculty and staff training
program designed to
 educate members of the
university community
 foster a supportive campus
atmosphere, and
 establish a network of
visible Allies for veterans.
 One of the most important aspects of being a VET
NET Ally is that you are entrusted with providing an
atmosphere of safety to those that come to you. In the
simplest terms, VET NET Ally confidentiality means
that what a student says to you is confidential and
stays with you.
 By posting your VET NET Ally sticker, you are sending
a message that information shared with you will not be
shared with others, unless the student has given you
permission to do so. This is particularly important for
students who have not openly declared that they are
service members or veterans, since a common concern
is whether they should identify themselves as such.
Students will only share their opinions, reactions, and
feelings with you if they trust that those disclosures
will be kept confidential.
 It is, however, also important to recognize that there
are limits to confidentiality. It would not be
appropriate to maintain confidentiality if a person
shares that they intend to physically harm themselves
or another person. Protecting the immediate safety of
the individual is more important than protecting their
confidentiality.
 If you have any concerns about what constitutes
confidentiality or the limits to confidentiality, please
contact your institution’s counseling center.
 Veteran
 Combat
 Non-combat
 Service Member
 Active vs. Reserve Duty
 Department of Defense (DoD)
 OEF/OIF
 Vocational Rehabilitation Program
 Montgomery G.I. Bill
 Post 9/11 G.I. Bill
By the Numbers
*Estimated numbers for spring 2011
35%
30%
25% 24%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
30%
34%
30%
26%
24%
11%
14%
4% 2%
0% 0%
2008
2009
100%
90%
91%
88%
80%
80%
70%
60%
50%
Male
40%
Female
30%
20%
20%
9%
12%
10%
0%
2008
2009
2010
29
30
20
30
23
20
10
0
2008
2009
118
20%
171
29%
7
1%
62
10%
Admit
CSU Deny
CSULB Deny
On Waitlist
236
40%
Withdrawn
Military Service
3%
10%
24%
27%
Marines
36%
Army
Navy
Air Force
Coast Guard
Undergrad
68
50%
Graduate
68
50%
82
81%
Undergrad
Graduate
19
19%
Combat Tours
10%
29%
1 Tour
2 Tours
39%
None
22%
 More than 50% have seen combat
Other
Combat Tours
16%
35%
1 Tour
22%
2 Tours
None
Other
27%
 Since fall, an 11% increase in combat veterans
Spring 2011 Living Status
5%
Living Status
18%
Spouse/Partner
44%
Live w/Parents
Live w/Friends
9%
Alone
Other
24%
 44% live with a partner or spouse
Spring 2011 Employment Status
Employment
19%
68%
Fulltime
13%
Partime
No Job
 More than 1/3 work at least part time
Spring 2011 Colleges
2%
6%
Colleges Attended
LBCC
19%
Coast
LA County
31%
17%
OC
Other CCC's
14%
11%
Out-of-State
For-profit
 30% came from outside CCC campuses; 36% from local CCC’s
Spring 2011 Colleges
14%
5%
Number of Colleges Attended
22%
One
Two
24%
Three
35%
Four
More than Four
 More than 75% have attended two or more colleges prior to CSULB
100%
90%
89%
92%
88%
90%
88% 89%
86%
80%
67%
70%
60%
50%
2008
40%
2009
30%
20%
10%
0%
Male Veterans
Male
Nonveterans
Female Veterans
Female
Nonveterans
*One-year retention for new transfers; Institutional Research and Assessment, 2010
Category
Non-vet
Veteran
Cont. Rate Fresh. 2009-10*
87.89%
100%
Cont. Rate Transfers
90.32%
91.38%
Ave. Unit Load 2010
11.96
10.78
Ave. Cum. GPA 2010
3.20
3.32
* Fall 2009 freshman cohort as of fall 2010; Institutional Research and Assessment, 2010
160
140
150
149
120
144
MGIB
115
100
80
9/11 GIB
60
40
40
15
20
0
0
0
Fall 2008
Fall 2009
Fall 2010
38
9/11 DEP






11,000 self-identified
4,680 combat veterans (44% of the survey)
Seniors = 75% of the data; 1st year = 25%
1 in 5 combat veterans reported a disability
1 in 10 noncombat veterans reported the same
Veterans were more likely to attend public
institutions
 Peer Comparisons (veterans/nonveterans):
 Fulltime, 1st year veterans spent 2X as much time
working and 6X more on dependent care
 Senior veterans had lower integrative and
reflective learning and lower faculty interaction
 1st year veterans showed the same satisfaction
level as peers
 All combat veterans showed slightly higher
amounts of study time
Reduced military forces by 32%*?
Between 2010 and 2018:
520,272* forced to leave the service
Difference from the 1990’s RIF?
 Number of combat tours/veterans
*Department of Defense military personnel statistics. Retrieved from
http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/MMIDHOME.HTM
 The purpose of this is to
highlight the many
reasons why people
choose to join the
military.
 Every year approximately 280,000 people JOIN the US
military.
Service
Active Duty
Reserves
National
Guard
Total by
Service
Army
67,200
36,000
66,000
169,200
Air Force
28,800
7,200
7,200
43,200
Navy
34,800
9,600
0
44,400
Marine Corps
18,000
4,800
0
22,800
Total by Component
148,800
57,600
73,200
279,600

http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11914
 There are many reasons why people join the military,
why do you think people join?
 Most people join for a combination of factors
 Economic Incentives
 Adventure
 Patriotism
- Career Preparation
- Familial Tradition
- Rite of Passage
 Change of Environment
 Eighemy (2006), Griffith (2005), & Renehan(2006).
 I needed to belong
 Prop 187
 I needed to help
 Limited economic resources
 I needed a change
 Yes to college but not now
 Wanted experience something different
 Eighemy, John. 2006. Why Do Youth Enlist? Armed Forces
& Society. 32 (2): 307-328.
 Griffith, James . 2005. Will Citizens Be Soldiers? Examining
Retention of reserve Components Soldiers. Armed
Forces & Society. 31 (3): 353-383.
 Renehan, John. 2006. Why I Serve. Chronicle of Higher
Education. 52 (47): B5-B5.
Culture and Lifestyle
 bulkhead
 porthole
 deck
 chow
 leave
 cover
 head/latrine
 colors
Retrieved from Chavez High School Houston, TX Army JROTC webpage
http://www.freewebs.com/airbornerangercommandos/joker.bmp
 Initial training required by all services
 Physical
 Mental
 Emotional
 Tailored to the unique needs and characters of each
service
 The “self” is replaced by the “team”
 In a society that has few rites of passage Boot Camp
provides one
Video Title 3 Chapter 4
 Coast Guard (Guardians)
 8 Weeks Basic Training
 “A” School (varies by job assignment)
 Navy (Sailors)
 8 Weeks Recruit Training
 “A” School (varies by job assignment)
 Air Force (Airmen)
 8 Weeks Basic Military Training
 Technical Training (varies by job assignment)
 Army (Soldiers)
 9 Weeks Basic Combat Training
 Advanced Individual Training (varies by job
assignment)
 Marine Corps (Marines)
 12 Weeks Recruit Training
 4 weeks of Marine Combat Training (For
non-combat arms Marines)
 Military Occupational Specialty school
(varies by job assignment)
 Life after initial training differs greatly
 By Service
 By Occupational Specialty
 By Geographic Location
 By whether or not one is in a
combat zone
 Large bases are like cities
 Each service member performs a role in his/her city
 Service members have families
 “Three hots and a cot”
 Pay twice a month
 Medical/dental benefits
 Weekends and holidays
 30 days paid vacation
 Service members can be deployed
 Anywhere
 Anytime
 Uniforms
 Physical Fitness
 Continuous training
 Policing one another
 It is all about the “team,”
the “unit,” the Corps.
 Leadership
 Customs and courtesies
 Saluting officers
 Colors
 Ceremonies
 Promotion
 Change of command
 Birthday cake
 Chain of command
 Becoming a civilian





Losing camaraderie
Getting a job
Choosing what to wear
Finding housing
Eating
 Being a veteran




Pride in service
Silence about service
A Band of Brothers
An acquired sense of superiority over those from other
services
 Becoming a student
 Choosing a major
 Selecting classes
 Studying
 Questioning authority
 Being a fellow student
Issues and Concerns
Education
Employment
DOD
Education
Employment
DOD
V
A
C
S
U
 Admissions counseling & outreach
 Priority registration (to facilitate
benefit certification)
 Healthcare support and referral
 Peer networking
 Employment assistance
Who would you tell?
 The purpose of this exercise is for you to get a better
understanding of what it is like to be a student
veteran.
 As has been stated before military indoctrination or
boot camp is a process of socializing someone to the
military culture, but not enough is done to facilitate
servicemembers reintegrating back into society.
 The military has designed processes to assist service
members transitioning to life outside of the armed
forces. These programs assist service members with:
 Career transitioning
 Noting physical disabilities and emotional trauma in
formal record.
 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
 Is a psychological diagnosis given to someone who has
experienced severe trauma.
 It’s hallmarks are re-experiencing the trauma and attempts to
avoid the event.
 Vignette 2. You are a 28 year old European-American woman
after having served you feel very different from other
students. You are older than most, and recently divorced.
Your experiences in different countries have provided you
with a very different perspective. You recognize that few
people on campus have similar experiences as you. This has
made your transition very difficult. You have felt rejected and
believe some people have even distanced themselves from you
when you have disclosed your status. Recently you have been
able to form some friendships but worry about how you may
be perceived if you talk about your experiences as part of the
military.
 Would you disclose your status?
 In class?
 Office hours?
 During a group project with peers?
 Why or why not?
 Vignette 5. You are a 23 year old African-American man who had
tremendous amounts of responsibility placed on you when you
were in the military. As part of the USMC White House Security
Detachment you carried a loaded weapon in the presence of the
President of the U.S. At times you have been trained to
accomplish things many people never even consider themselves
capable of doing. You are often irritated at hearing people
complain in class about things you consider to be trivial.
 Would you disclose your status?
 In class or in office hours?
 In a romantic relationship?
 During a group project with peers?
 Why or why not?
 What was it like?
 Do you feel you better understand the
position of veterans and service members at
CSULB?
 Do you think you would respond differently
to veterans and service members at CSULB?
What is CSULB doing to help student Veterans?
• Certify Benefits:
• State and Federal regulations (Certify Benefits)
• Servicemember’s Opportunity College principles
• The directives of “Troops to College”
• Advocate:
• Clarify and simplify processes
• Provide a network of support
• Facilitate academic success that leads to
employment
Director
- IT/Web Upgrades
- Research/SLO
Graduate
Assistants (X2)
School
Certifying
Official
- Certification
- Administration
- Advocacy
- Admissions
- Certification
- Office management
Assistant
Certifying
Official
VA Work Study
(X5)
-Certification/Admin
- VetNet Student Group
Admin
Finance
 Core Four:
 Pat O’Rourke
 Dr. Mary Ann Takemoto
 Dr. Troy Johnson
Core
Academic
Affairs
Four
 Dr. Karen Nakai
Veterans
Affairs
Services
Student
University
Services
Relations
Academic
Senate
DSS


Offices

CAPS

DSS

Outreach

CDC

Financial Aid

Clinic

Bursar

Academic Advising

Enrollment Services

LAC
CAPS
LAC
Enrollment
Services
Clinic
Veterans
Affairs
Services
UCUA
Outreach
Advisors

Dr. Mary Ann Takemoto

Dr. Troy Johnson

Dr. Karen Nakai
Bursar
CDC
2 – Staff; 4 – Work study
•
•
•
•
•
• Advice
• Panel facilitator
• Host
Veterans
Affairs
Employment
• Career Development
Center
• Employment
Development Division
OEF/OIF Transition Center
VA Disability Claims
Vocational Rehab
DSS
CAPS
Healthcare
Education
• Credit Transfer
• Academic Advising
• Benefit Certification
 Dropped Class
 Controversial Class Topic
 Unit Deployment
 Anti-war Demonstration on Campus
• Reduced military forces by 32%*?
• Between 2010 and 2018:
• 520,272* forced to leave the service
• Difference from the 1990’s RIF?
• Number of combat tours/veterans
*Department of Defense military personnel statistics. Retrieved from
http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/MMIDHOME.HTM
 Support the academic freedom and professional, personal
and social success of service members and veterans,
 Provide support, information, and assistance for service
members and veterans,
 Respect the right to privacy and confidentiality of veterans
and service members in accordance with the Confidentiality
Statement in the VET NET ALLY Handbook, and
 Create a welcoming environment for service members and
veterans at CSULB by displaying the VET NET Ally symbol in
a visible location.
 Over 225 VET NET Allies at CSULB
 Partnerships with local community colleges
 Long Beach City College
 Cypress College
 Stand Alone VET NET Ally program at University of
California, Irvine
Your participation in
today’s seminar and your
support of veterans on
our campus is greatly
appreciated.
Sincerely,
The VET NET Ally
Program