Volume 1, Issue 1 September 2016

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

PAVE 1

FOUR BLOCK 2

FOUR BLOCK/SVA 2

RP6 3

StoryCorps 3

SVO 3

Information 4

Peer Advisors for Veteran Education P.A.V.E (Peer Advisors for Veteran Education) is a peer support program just for student veterans. Student veterans are trained to share their firsthand experience with incoming veterans and help connect them with the campus and community resources they need to succeed.

Veterans Welcome Event! In order to show our support and commitment to the student veteran population of UWT, and welcome new and returning students, the Veteran and Military Services office will be holding a welcome night on September 26th. The event will be from 4-6 PM and will be held in the Veterans Incubator for Better Entrepreneurship, VIBE (Tioga Library 307 A).

Who can attend?

- Spouses - Dependents - Active duty military members - All incoming and returning student veterans - Student veterans who are not receiving VA education benefits are also

encouraged to attend!

*Please email Flanaa2@uw.edu or Vetnav@uw.edu to RSVP

The University of Washington Tacoma is proud to introduce our UW Challenge Coins!

The challenge coin symbolizes a military tradition and forges a bond between the veteran and military population here at UWT.

Each student veteran will be given a coin to commemorate their service.

The UW coins will be distributed at the Veterans Welcome Event on September 26th, located at the VIBE.

Peer Advisors for Veteran Education (PAVE)

Student Veterans of America Scholarships

Veteran and active duty military students at UW Tacoma: Applications for various SVA scholarships are now open (deadline: Nov 4, 2016). Eligibility requirements vary by scholarship. More information is on the SVA website.

SVA supports a network of over 1,300 schools and over 500,000 student veterans. At the individual level, SVA empowers veterans to be informed consumers of higher education and make the most of the transition to civilian life.

SVA has awarded over $1 million to 111 SVA Scholars since 2011.

Please contact Cindy Schaarschmidt, Student Fellowships & Awards at cs65@uw.edu with questions and to receive application support.

Veteran Informer Page 2

Veterans Welcome Night!!

All incoming and returning student veterans are encouraged to attend!

September 26th at the VIBE

Spouses and families are welcome!

Every veteran knows about being ready for the mission. You equip yourself with the best tools and surround yourself with the best team to get the job done. Are you doing the same for your career? – FOUR BLOCK Pg.4

The volunteer role of the Peer Advisors is to support the student veteran as they transition to campus life. Peer Advisors will be existing students who have experience and knowledge of the campus. The Peer Advisor will act within an agreed range of confidentiality and will ensure they have the best interest of the student veteran in mind at all times.

PAVE aims to create a safe haven and source of support to ease the transition from the military to the university by improving student veterans' sense of connectedness to the university, identifying mental health issues and other concerns in a timely fashion, and connecting student veterans with appropriate resources.

PAVE is part of the University of Michigan Depression Center's Military Support Programs and Networks (M-SPAN); M-SPAN is a suite of programs serving service members and veterans. The program is a collaboration between the University of Michigan Depression Center & Department of Psychiatry and Student Veterans of America

OPEN NOW! Free non-perishable food and hygiene items for UWT students

UWT ID is required

WED 10:30-1:30PM

THURS 1:00-5:30PM

Dougan 104

Veteran Informer Page 3

Do you need help with custody, child support, divorce, debt, bankruptcy, a landlord-tenant issue or other civil legal problems, but can’t afford a lawyer?

Free Legal Clinic

Are you looking for assistance with a discharge upgrade or VA disability benefits appeal? Sign up for a free legal clinic at RallyPoint/6! Who do they help?

- Veterans - Active Service Members - Spouses and Family Members

The University of Washington Tacoma is working with StoryCorps, an oral history and public media non-profit organization, to record and preserve the stories of military personnel and family members. We are looking for UW Tacoma affiliates (students, alumni, staff, and faculty) with military connections to tell their stories this October.

A StoryCorps interview is a 40-minute recorded conversation between you and a loved one or friend. It’s an opportunity to share the stories and ask the questions that matter most to you:

-What are you proud of?

-Do you have any regrets?

-What are some life lessons you’ve learned?

At the end of the session, you’ll receive a CD of your conversation, and with your permission, we’ll also archive the recording at the Library of Congress.

StoryCorps interviews will take place on October 20th & 21st, in Cherry Parkes (ground level).

The Student Veteran Organization (SVO) is a registered student organization geared towards veterans and active-duty military, their families and other supportive members of the community. The group is also welcoming of military spouses and

Student Veteran Organization dependents, who themselves have had distinct experiences, ones that aren’t necessarily common to the rest of the UW Tacoma student population.

Contact Zachary Foster, SVO President for more info fosterzachary@hotmail.com

To reserve your appointment with StoryCorps, please contact: Abby Murray, Lecturer in Writing Studies amurray1@uw.edu

253.692.5756

1st & 3rd Thursdays of each month, 6-8 pm at RallyPoint/6 in Lakewood

Connect@rp6.org

253-777-0556

Operation Forge Ahead: Career Branding for the Veteran Husky

Date: Wed Nov 9, 2016

Time: 12:25-1:25pm Venue: Milgard Assembly Room WPH

Contact: VMS MAT 206

Calling All Veterans Informal veterans social gathering to meet and share stories! Date: Thurs, Nov 10, 2016 Time: 5 – 7pm Venue: 7 Seas Brewery, 2101 S. Jefferson St Contact: Milt Tremblay milt@u.washington.edu

Contact

University of Washington Tacoma 1900 Commerce Street Box 358400 MAT 207 Tacoma, WA 98402

a Navigator, I will provide our student veterans with referrals to on and off campus services, explain campus culture to transitioning veteran students, offer social support, bolster engagement opportunities and serve as the PAVE Team Leader.

My role as the university Vet Corps Navigator is to ensure the success of each student veteran, or dependent, who attends the college. I can say first hand that the life of a student veteran is challenging. Assignments, finals, finding affordable healthcare, work, and

Hello,

My name is Andrew Flanagan and I am the University of Washington Tacoma’s new Vet Corps Navigator. I would like to take this opportunity to formally introduce myself to you, the student veteran population.

First, some of you may be unfamiliar with what Vet Corps is. The Veterans Navigator is a position supported by a partnership between UW Tacoma and the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that transitioning veterans have all the tools and support they need to be successful. As

family issues are just some of the challenges we, as student veterans face. These challenges are the reason my commitment to you is to come to school every day with a positive attitude and provide veterans, active military members and their families with the support they need to be successful students. My pledge to you is that I will be here to support you in any way that I can.

Thank you!

Andrew Flanagan

Andrew Flanagan – Vet Corps Navigator

Phone 253-692-5723 Fax 253-692-4788 Flanaa2@UW.Edu VetNav@UW.Edu

“Serving Those Who Served.”

We’re on the Web!

http://www.tacoma.uw.edu/veterans-military-

services

Veteran Informer Page 4

Four Block Veteran Career Readiness cohorts in Tacoma and Seattle-Fall 2016

FOUR BLOCK aims to teach, manage and mentor transitioning student-veterans throughout the cohort, it is a university-accredited program designed to equip high potential veterans to achieve great careers at our nation’s top companies.

RallyPoint/6 – Lakewood Mondays, 5:30 – 7:00 PM Oct 10th - Nov 28th Classes will have guest speakers and students will be invited to the Seattle events

UW-Tacoma - Tacoma Mondays, 11:30 – 1:00 PM Oct 10th – Nov 28th

UW-Tacoma VIBE Center in the Tioga Library Building

FOUR BLOCK will be having a kick-off networking event for all students in all locations in Seattle on October 5th, 6:30 – 8:00 PM – details for all classes will be provided after application and registration is completed.

For more information please contact Monica McNeal at 206-852-4559 mmcneal@fourblock.org