Starting Sept. 10, the NSU Veteran Resource Center, VRC, will host a Zoom speaker series throughout the semester to help guide military-affiliated and veteran students with the transition to civilian society as well as teach all NSU students about how the VRC can support the NSU community.
According to statistics compiled by the VRC, there are over 700 military-affiliated students that have some type of military connection such as scholarship recipients, dependents, active duty, reserve or national guard members — and veteran students at NSU. With those numbers in mind, Kelly Callahan, graduate assistant for NSU’s military affairs and VRC coordinator, explained that the VRC hopes that they can use this series as an opportunity to facilitate and share resources that students might need.
“Our main goal is to be a centralized location to provide services to our veteran and military-affiliated students and also provide these resources within the NSU community. [We also aim to] provide [students] with additional resources for professional development and create an environment for them to be academically successful as they transition from military experience to their civilian [student-centered] portion of their lives,” said Callahan.
This series will cover a wide range of topics such as personal finance, VA health benefits, home loans and legal aid services. While these topics are geared toward military-affiliated and veteran students, the sessions can be beneficial for all students. According to Callahan, a lot of military-affiliated students come out of the military environment with financial concerns and a reliance on the military “way of life” and take time to adjust to civilian life. Because of that, the bulk of the series is focused on financial stability and navigating civilian life.
“Our students are considered non-traditional, transfer and commuter students who clearly had a career previous to their NSU enrollment. There are several barriers that exist that we are trying to flatten so that they are able to come on campus and get the best experience possible through the resources and services we have and connect them to solve any issues that they have in their life,” said Matthew Chenworth, director of veteran affairs.
Another aspect that the VRC hopes this speaker series could help with is bridging the gap between “civilians” and military-affiliated students. Callahan explained that there is a misconception involved where individuals who are not affiliated with the military might not understand the culture, climate and obstacles that military-affiliated and veteran students experience. This series serves as a building block to create a more military-friendly environment at NSU which involves engagement with all members of the NSU community.
“In essence, we are all the same. Even though [military-affiliated students] are coming from a different background, we are all going to school together and integrating in the real world. By bringing in students without an understanding of the military environment… we are opening up that dialogue and highlighting how all students are coming from [different backgrounds] and helping out military-affiliated students as they try to assimilate back into civilian life,” said Callahan.
Students interested in attending the Zoom speaker sessions can click here to view the schedule for this semester or view the recorded sessions online afterwards. Those interested in learning more about NSU Military Affairs and the Veteran Resource Center can visit www.nova.edu/veterans.
