Among the hurdles is the transition from the combat zone to the classroom, an experience Social Work major Matt Aldrete understands.
“Seven months before coming to HSU, I was carrying a machine gun in the mountains of Afghanistan,” says Aldrete, who served one combat tour in Afghanistan. “So it can be very difficult to make that adjustment from solider to college student.”
Now, as president of the Student Veterans Association, he and others are helping veteran students adjust to civilian life. They’re also hoping to bring attention to issues unique to military-affiliated students through various activities:
• Tuesday, Nov. 10
5 to 7 p.m.
Kate Buchanan Room
Reception and talk by William Herbrechtsmeier, who is the professor of Religious Studies.
Parking permits at the Jolly Giant Commons parking lot starting at 4:15 p.m. Shuttle service available. Open to the public.
• Thursday, Nov. 12
5 to 7 p.m.
Great Hall
Barbecue for HSU student veterans and their families
• Thursday, Nov. 12
7 p.m.
Jolly Giant Commons, first floor
“Veterans in the Classroom” presentation by VETS. Open to the public.
• Ongoing
—Poster presentations around campus designed by student veterans
—Display cases of military culture in the Library and Siemens Hall
• On the radio
Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov 10-11
1 and 7 p.m.
“Echoes of War” a special two-part series on Humboldt veterans and their families
KHSU Public Radio
HSU’s VETS Office helps military affiliated students (veterans, active duty, and dependents), navigate financial and academic resources, and transition from military to civilian life.
There are currently 497 veterans and dependents at HSU. Most are dependents; the remainder are veterans, active duty service members and Reservists.
Throughout the 23-campus California State University system there are nearly 16,000 military-affiliated students, according to Patrick O’Rourke, CSU’s Director of Active Duty and Veterans Affairs.
About 8,000 have applied for College Tuition Fee Waiver for Dependents of Veterans or CalVet’s College Tuition Fee Waiver, which waives tuition and certain fees at any CSU, UC and California community college campus for children of disabled veterans. Approximately 2,400 dependents of disabled or deceased military personnel are eligible for the Dependents Education Assistance (DEA) program through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
A retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, O’Rourke says that from 2009 to 2014, the number of veterans at CSU increased 94 percent. He attributes this increase to several factors such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the ongoing reduction in U.S. military forces, and to efforts by CSU campuses.
“CSU campuses are doing a better job at certifying veterans benefits and advising these students about those benefits. We’re also getting better at reaching out to veterans at local community colleges,” he says.
>>Related Links: HSU VETS | History of Veterans Day (Veterans Affairs) | Veterans Day Coverage (Military.com)<<
At HSU, part of that outreach includes educating the campus about veterans through activities such as a lecture on veterans in the classroom. In previous years, the talk had been presented to individual HSU classes, says Kim Hall, who runs VETS and has worked with veterans at HSU for the last 30 years. But for the first time, it’s being opened up to the campus and local community.
“It’s important to know who’s sitting next to you in the classroom. You can’t look over and know that person is a veteran, that twenty-something student sitting next to you served their country,” she says.
But the numbers and education efforts are just part of the bigger story of Veterans Day and what the day symbolizes.
“To me, every day is Veterans day,” says Hall.
And for those like O’Rourke, Veterans Day is a day to remember lost teammates and his younger self.
“I spend time reflecting on some of the experiences I’ve had—I’ve had to bury my own soldiers,” says O’Rourke, who served in the U.S. Army for 22 years. “And sometimes I read the journals I kept whether it was in Iraq, Korea, or China – the good and the bad – I think about who I was at that time and what my service experience means to me today. I do know I’m infinitely grateful for the life I’ve lived.”
The events throughout the week are presented with the help of Housing & Residential Life, Enrollment Management & Student Affairs, Associated Students, the Office of Clubs & Activities, and the Students Veterans Association.