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

• 20% Are female• 80% Are male• 50-60% Are married• 50% Have children• 45% Under 30 - people of color• 95% Have high school diploma

Who Are We Talking About?

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• 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)

• Being attacked/ambushed 52%

• Receiving small arms fire 58%

• IED/Booby trap exploded near you 49%

• Seeing dead bodies/human remains 60%

• Shooting/directing fire at the enemy 36%

• Receiving artillery, rocket, mortar fire 78%

• Knowing one seriously injured/killed 72%

• Directly responsible for an enemy combatant death 13%

Potential Psychological Challenges on Campus

• 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:• 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 •

• Advising depends on benefit plan options•

• Majority of new people join Armed Services to get an education

•

• Less than 10% of eligible veterans use all their educational assistance

•

• About 6% of the new GI Bill use all entitled benefit hours

•

• Student veteran concerns - save time and money

GI Bill Monthly Payout Rates

Montgomery GI Bill Ch. 30 Payout Rate with 3 year min

1606 Payout – Army/N Guard (not active service)

Full Time $1,368 Full Time $333 3/4 Time $1,026 3/4 Time $249 1/2 Time $684 1/2 Time $165 Less than 1/2 $684* Less than 1/2 $83 1/4 Time $342

Dependents Education Assistance(DEA) Ch. 35

REAP (1607) For Trainees on Active Duty

Full Time $925 Full Time 3/4 Time $694 With 90 days $547 1/2 Time $461 1 yr $820 Less than 1/2 $461* 2 yrs $1,094 1/4 Time $231*

*Cannot exceed Tuition & Fees  

Full Kicker - $950 (sliding scale) 1606/REAP - $350

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.

ComparisonPublic 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

Housing allowance ($1000/month for 4 months) $4,000 N/A

MGIB monthly rate ($1321/month for 4 months) N/A $5,284

Books & supplies $500 N/A

MGIB $600 buy-in ($150/month for 4 months) N/A $600

Benefit paid Directly to Veteran $4,500 $5,884

Tuition & Fees paid by Veteran $0 $4,000

Net Paid to Veteran $4,500 $1,884

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

• 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

Have a response for dealing effectively with the Veteran student

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

• 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

Course Accommodations

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

•

• 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/index.html

Other Useful Websites• GI-Bill Information:

http://gibill.va.gov/post-911/

• Military Education and Careerswww.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

Is loving one.

The only thing harder than being a Soldier..

Thank You

• Questions

• Discussion Items