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The University of Colorado is expanding resources for student veterans in preparation for an expected increase in veteran enrollment next fall, following a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq last year.
Until August, CU’s Office of Veterans Services was a one-man operation, according to Mike Roberts, program manager for the department. Roberts is now one of three full-time staff members responsible for the department, not including five work-study student veterans contributing to the new offerings.
Veterans Services is collaborating with other campus departments to make the transition from military service to student life easier. A psychologist from CU’s Counseling and Psychological Services visits the office in the Center for Community once a week. An academic adviser from the College of Arts and Sciences is also in the office weekly, giving student veterans easy access to campus-wide services.
“We want to make this a one-stop-shop for vets on campus,” Roberts said. “That’s what the students are telling us they want and we want to give them any support we can to make this a positive experience for them.”
In October, the department partnered with the Registrars office to hire a G.I. Bill certifying official to help coordinate funding for student veterans.
The university did not keep records of the number of veterans on campus until 2010, Roberts said but he estimates CU’s student veteran population has doubled over the past three years following improved education benefits.
In the fall of 2010, there were just under 600 veterans on the Boulder campus. This spring the number jumped to more than 750, Roberts said, and last year’s withdrawal from Iraq will give some soldiers an opportunity to take advantage of their education credits, leading to another jump in veteran enrollment expected this fall.
Roberts said the rapid growth justifies expanding resources for student veterans.
A group of students also started the CU chapter of the Student Veterans of America to increase camaraderie and support for the vets.
CU junior Joe Cafferty has been a part of the student group since its launch early last year and said it made his transition to college much smoother.
Cafferty was stationed overseas shortly after enlisting as a Marine in 2005, moving annually for the next four years from Japan to Russia to Switzerland and finally Rawanda before coming home to the U.S.
Cafferty decided to take advantage of his educational benefits in the fall of 2011 but returning to college at 26 was not an easy task.
“I’m a 27 year-old undergrad so I’m not exactly going to hand out with the 18 year-old who sits next to me in class,” Cafferty said. “The group gives vets a place to build relationships with fellow vets who can relate to one another a little better.”
Cafferty said the group hosts service projects for veterans giving them an opportunity to continue serving in their communities and working in leadership roles.
“For most of us there was an immense amount of responsibility in the service,” Cafferty said. “If they did their time they were probably in leadership positions and then they come to school and they’re missing that feeling of responsibility. The community service helps them get some of that back.”
Recent budget cuts have forced many departments to find more efficient ways to offer resources to students on a lower budget but Veterans Services said they’re relying largely on private donors and interdepartmental cooperation to support their efforts.
George Ballinger, director of the Office of Veteran Services, said $75,000 in donations by private donors last fall has made many of the recent efforts possible.
“There have not been any general fund increases to support our expanding program or efforts for the current fiscal year,” Ballinger said. “Honestly, I can’t say what will happen in the next fiscal year but I don’t anticipate a significant general fund budget increase.”
Ballinger said a U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs program pays for the work-study employees, making the office a sustainable resource for student vets.
As Veterans Services continues to expand, they are connecting with the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and other resources for diverse students, looking for opportunities to grow support for veterans across campus, Ballinger said.
“These men and women have unique needs like any other group of students and it’s important that we do as much as we can to support them while they’re here on the Boudler campus,” Ballinger said.
