On Campus
Diversity and Inclusion for Student Veterans
A morning roundtable discussion cohosted by 小蓝视频 and Student Veterans of America brought faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and students from several DC-area universities together with members of the veteran community in Butler Board Room on October 23. The landmark gathering鈥攐rganized by Tony Hollinger, director of military-affiliated student support and special initiatives with the Office of Campus Life, and Will Hubbard, chief of staff at Student Veterans of America (SVA)鈥攇ave 小蓝视频 an opportunity to consider important questions about how diversity and inclusion apply to student veterans.
"The hope is [that] universities will walk away with the idea of making a commitment to veteran inclusion," said Hubbard, SIS/BA 鈥11, who also serves on the President鈥檚 Council on Diversity and Inclusion at 小蓝视频.
In his opening remarks, Jared Lyon, SVA鈥檚 chief executive officer, credited the original GI Bill with 鈥渄emocratiz[ing] higher education.鈥 Prior to the Servicemen鈥檚 Readjustment Act of 1944, Lyon said, fewer than 7 percent of American adults held a bachelor鈥檚 degree or higher, so 鈥渦nless you were a white male born to parents who went to college, there was almost no chance that you would go to college.鈥
Founded in 2008 to provide military veterans with the resources and support necessary to succeed in higher education, SVA is one of the largest student organizations in the US and currently boasts 1,528 chapters with 754,000 active student members and 2.1 million alumni. Lyon stressed the importance of going beyond identifying as 鈥渧eteran friendly鈥 to become 鈥渧eteran inclusive.鈥 Friendliness is difficult to measure, he pointed out, while 鈥渋nclusion is [about] trying to ensure that all of us can bring our whole selves to whatever endeavor we face.鈥
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Identity and Inclusion
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小蓝视频 provost Daniel Myers recalled with enthusiasm his encounters with student veterans during his time as a professor. 鈥淚 always loved having veterans in my class,鈥 Myers said. 鈥淚 knew they were going to bring something special to the table in terms of maturity, focus, and life experience.鈥 He also acknowledged the obstacles student veterans face in higher education: 鈥淚t was challenging sometimes to fit in and try to be a part of what was going on.鈥
One of the first hurdles student veterans confront is self-identifying as veterans. 鈥淚t鈥檚 less a fear of being targeted and more of being labeled as damaged, broken, or not able to do something,鈥 Lyon said. 鈥淥r they may have had a negative experience in their own time in the military and are not willing to associate with that time. It鈥檚 complex.鈥
The complexity of intersecting identities emerged as a theme of the roundtable.. In addition to identifying as people of color or members of the LGBTQ community, student veterans often fall into the broader category of post-traditional learners. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the vast majority of enrolled undergraduates are older than 25, hold full- or part-time jobs, may have spouses and children, and often commute to school. While this population deals with additional life challenges, it can be difficult to maintain connections to their community. Lyon believes veterans represent the 鈥渢ip of the spear鈥 for the surge of post-traditional learners projected to pursue higher education by 2025.
鈥淲hen we get it right for veterans,鈥 Lyon said, 鈥渨e get it right for all post-traditional students.鈥
Underscoring the fact that student veterans are diverse in age as well as other demographic details, Lyon regaled attendees with the story of Alfonso Gonzales, the World War II veteran who graduated from the University of Southern California at age 96. When his granddaughter discovered that he was one course shy of earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in zoology, Gonzales refused to accept that he had committed 鈥渁cademic stolen valor.鈥 He returned to USC, completing the requirements for his degree with a class in autobiographical writing.
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Building Inclusivity
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Representatives from area institutions reported on their efforts to establish inclusive settings for student veterans. Andy Sonn, director of military and veteran student services at George Washington University, introduced the topic of campus climate surveys and their value in measuring student veterans鈥 experiences, emphasizing that 鈥渕ere numbers on campus do not equate to success, to a student feeling comfortable.鈥
Amanda Taylor, assistant vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion with the Office of Campus Life at 小蓝视频, mentioned the university鈥檚 recent campus climate survey for students, and how the question about military affiliation covered both veterans and their families.
OCL鈥檚 Hollinger added that 小蓝视频 is in the process of forming an affinity group for faculty and staff who identify as veterans. 鈥淚t would be an opportunity for [us] to come together, just as our students come together around the SVA chapter. We are literally at the starting mark, but it is something we are leaning forward into.鈥