Advising Veteran Students
Steve Johnson
Academic Advisor/Instructor/Veteran
Utah State University (USU)
Logan, UT
Steve.Johnson@usu.edu
2011 NACADA Region 10
Objectives
Opportunities Advising Student Veterans
 Advising related to veteran benefits
 Veteran advantages and challenges
in higher education
 Education-related PTSD and TBI
issues
 Helpful tips in advising veterans
Why Work with Veterans
• Personal Reasons
• Family
• Friends
• Work
• Professional Observations
• Experiences
• Advising vs. Counselling
Who Are We Talking About?
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20%
80%
50-60%
50%
45%
95%
Are female
Are male
Are married
Have children
Under 30 - people of color
Have high school diploma
What is it like to be deployed?
Challenges of Deployments
• Harsh living conditions
– 130 °F ~
– Unrelenting noise
– Lack of privacy
Challenges of Deployments
• Separation from family
– Problems related to communication
• Long and multiple deployments
• Prolonged exposure to stress hormones
• Sexual harassment/military sexual trauma
War-Zone Stress
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Urban combat with no clear front line
Constant threat of being attacked
Ambiguous, unknown civilian threats
Challenge of fighting “fair” (ROE)
• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/
shows/company/view/3_hi.html
Combat experiences
(Mental Health Advisory Team V , 2008)
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Being attacked/ambushed
Receiving small arms fire
IED/Booby trap exploded near you
Seeing dead bodies/human remains
Shooting/directing fire at the enemy
Receiving artillery, rocket, mortar fire
Knowing one seriously injured/killed
Directly responsible for an enemy
combatant death
52%
58%
49%
60%
36%
78%
72%
13%
Potential Psychological
Challenges on Campus
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PTSD - combat stress
Substance abuse/dependence
Depression/suicide
Anxiety
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Reintegration issues
Veteran Advantages
• Learned self-discipline and to follow
instructions
• Maturity, act older than most same-age
students
• Value education, they have worked and paid
for it - not valued as financial aid
• Often have some other kind of financial
support
• Eagerness to get a good education. Feel to
have lost time already
• Doing something positive for their lives
Veteran Statistics
1.86 Million deployed since 9/11
- 288,952 veterans on US campuses
Where current veterans attend:
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38% Community colleges
36% 4-year public institutions
19% For-profit inst. (online/distance)
6%
Private institutions
1%
Undetermined
(Top institution: U of Phoenix – online)
Schools Veterans Choose (needs
based)
• Veterans are older, average age is 25 - 34
Attracted to schools with all age students
• Prefer programs that allow them to balance
work, studies, and family
• Like programs that offer academic credit for
military experience
• Community colleges – help on benefits,
provide academic support, help for physical
and emotional disabilities
• Major colleges providing veteran oriented
services gain credibility among veterans
Utah State University
• About 450 veteran students
• Veterans Resource and Affairs Office
• Veteran/Non-traditional student orientation
• Professional training for staff on PTSD?
• Veterans Club and Mentorship program
• Veteran work-study students
• Counselling and advising veterans
• Veteran Advisory Board
• Veteran Celebration Days
Helping Veterans
• Growing drop-out rate. Veterans graduate at
1/10 rate of other students
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• Advising depends on benefit plan options
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• Majority of new people join Armed Services
to get an education
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• Less than 10% of eligible veterans use all
their educational assistance
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• About 6% of the new GI Bill use all entitled
benefit hours
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• Student veteran concerns - save time and
money
GI Bill Monthly Payout Rates
Montgomery GI Bill Ch. 30 1606 Payout – Army/N Guard
Payout Rate with 3 year min (not active service)
Full Time
3/4 Time
1/2 Time
Less than 1/2
1/4 Time
$1,368
$1,026
$684
$684*
$342
Full Time
3/4 Time
1/2 Time
Less than 1/2
$333
$249
$165
$83
Dependents Education
Assistance(DEA) Ch. 35
REAP (1607) For Trainees on
Active Duty
Full Time
3/4 Time
1/2 Time
Less than 1/2
1/4 Time
Full Time
With 90 days
1 yr
2 yrs
$925
$694
$461
$461*
$231*
*Cannot exceed Tuition & Fees
Full Kicker - $950 (sliding scale)
1606/REAP - $350
$547
$820
$1,094
Post 9/11 GI Bill Percentage
Payout Information
Post 9/11 GI Bill Ch.33
Tuition & Fees are paid based on service time. An individual also receives BAH based
on school zip code.
Active Duty Service
Percentage Breakdown
36 Months
100%*
30 Months
90%
24 Months
80%
18 Months
70%
12 Months
60%
6 Months
50%
90 Days
40%
*Minimum of 30 days continuous service and discharged w/service related disability
may also receive maximum benefit.
Comparison
Public University / In-State Tuition and Fees
Program
Post 9/11 GIB
MGIB
Highest in-state tuition
$5,800
N/A
Tuition & Fees Charged by University
$4,000
$4,000
VA pays on Veteran’s Behalf
$4,000
$0
$4,000
N/A
N/A
$5,284
$500
N/A
N/A
$600
$4,500
$5,884
$0
$4,000
$4,500
$1,884
Housing allowance ($1000/month for 4
months)
MGIB monthly rate ($1321/month for 4
months)
Books & supplies
MGIB $600 buy-in ($150/month for 4
months)
Benefit paid Directly to Veteran
Tuition & Fees paid by Veteran
Net Paid to Veteran
UG Equivalent Credit Hours
• 12 Credit Hrs
= full time
• 9 Credit Hrs
= 3/4 time
• 6 Credit Hrs
= 1/2 time
Exercise
Brief Video Clip
What is PTSD?
(Posttraumatic Stress Disorder)
Normal reactions to abnormally
stressful events
Symptoms of PTSD
• Persistent re-experiencing of the event:
– Intrusive recollections (flashbacks)
– Nightmares
• Avoidance of trauma-associated stimuli
– Feeling of detachment
– Avoid things that remind them
• Persistent symptoms of increased arousal
– Hyper-vigilance
– Exaggerated startle response
– Difficulty concentrating
– Difficulty falling or staying sleep
– Irritability
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
(M-TBI)
• The signature wound for the current wars
• A main cause
– Blasts
– Damage occurs without impact to the
head
Consequences of M-TBI
• Physical
– Headache, dizziness, fatigue, noise/light
intolerance, insomnia, sleep disturbance,
balance/visual problems
• Cognitive
– Memory complaints, poor concentration
• Emotional
– Depression, anxiety, irritability,
moodability
Depression and Suicide
• More than twice as likely to commit suicide
than non-vets (epidemiological data of 45
states in 2005)
– 18.7 to 20.8 per 100,000 compared to 8.9
for non-vets.
• Risk factors:
– Depression
– Substance abuse issues
– Prior psychiatric hospitalization
• Firearms may be more readily available
Substance Abuse/Dependence
• Self-medication
– Anxiety/stress
– Insomnia
– Physical pain - narcotics
• Most present problems at VA
– Orthopedic injuries
– Chronic back problems – body armor, gear
(equipment)
• 30% experience pain severe enough to limit
daily activities
What Can Advisors Do to Help?
• Listen and validate
• Be real and genuine
• Refer to other campus resources, i.e.
counseling centers, disability services, etc.
• Consult with other professionals on campus
Crisis Intervention Tips
Have a response for dealing effectively
with the Veteran student
• Be brief, immediate and focused
• Often requires advisor input
• Allow them to voice their story and focus on
their strengths
• Focus on the concrete, and provide ongoing
support and follow-up
At Large Accommodations
• One-stop center – advantages and
disadvantages
• Thorough veterans orientation program
• Easily accessible resources for vets on main
college website
• Referral list for veteran services accessible to
advisors and students
• Opportunities to meet vets - Vet Club,
Support Groups, Mtg Room, etc
• Encourage students to create a facebook or
my space page for vets
Course Accommodations
• Recommend multiple delivery in methods,
assignments and materials
• Provide Syllabus and PowerPoint presentations
in advance
• Provide opportunities to submit assign-ments
for feedback prior to final grade
• Communicate with students, instructors and
counselling staff of disability issues and
resources
Accommodation Strategies
• Implement veterans services at a campus
level using student veteran employees
• Coordination with all campus groups (health
center, disabilities, counseling, etc)
• Increase faculty and staff awareness of
veteran issues and resources available
• Use disability universal design principles to
accommodate needs of veterans
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• Coordinate campus and community
resources with veterans in mind
What Courses Should
Advisors Recommend
• Depends on the benefit plan
• Advising for online classes requires
familiarity with benefit plan
• New GI-Bill limits percentage of online
classes
• Smaller classes are preferable
• Classes with practical applications are
preferable initially
What Can Advisors Do?
• Explore feelings toward war and soldiers.
Treat veterans with the respect we have for
other students
• Make veterans feel welcomed, provide warm,
friendly, connected service.
• Be well informed about referrals for special
needs
• Be understanding, available and assist in their
transition. Education is a process and a
positive challenge
• Know about benefits and what they must do
if orders come before the end of term
Considerations
• Don’t seat them with their back to the door
or with a closed door
• Don’t discuss vet issues besides benefits
unless they mention it
• Ask if deployment is soon – explain what they
have to do if deployed
• If problems arise, calm student and avoid
confrontational situation
• Students may take a full load for financial
reasons with a family and job. Discuss time
management issues:
- About college/job/family/friends/self
- Bad grades hurt by losing time/money
- Good grades require time and hard work
Job Market Advantages
• How military improved/reinforced excellent
work qualities (i.e. dedicated & determined)
• How experiences prepared them for the
civilian work force (i.e. accountability &
responsibility)
• How to sell themselves to prospective
employers (i.e. experiences applicable to job
being sought)
• How their experience(s) can credit/serve for
salary purposes (i.e. teaching subjects,
supervising others, etc.)
Some Best Practices
• University of South Florida
http://www.veterans.usf.edu/
• Texas A&M Website for Veterans
http://counseling.tamucc.edu/?n=Information.
Veterans
• University of Colorado at Boulder
http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/VA/
• University of Minnesota
http://onestop.umn.edu/veterans/benefits/in
dex.html
Other Useful Websites
• GI-Bill Information:
http://gibill.va.gov/post-911/
• Military Education and Careers
www.education.military.com/education-home
• Forming a Campus Student Veterans Group
www.studentveterans.org
• Resource Directory – National, State, Local for
Service Members and Families
www.nationalresourcedirectory.gov
The only thing harder than being a Soldier..
Is loving one.
Thank You
• Questions
• Discussion Items