"Nationally, today's veterans face numerous obstacles in their path of attaining a college degree. These challenges range from a missing sense of camaraderie, to feeling like an outsider amongst 18 year old traditional students, to a perceived lack of understanding by university faculty. When coupled with the visible and invisible wounds of war, a college degree can be an elusive goal for men and women returning from military service." (studentveterans.org)
To that end, Great Basin College's Student Government Association has recently sanctioned the formation of the Battle Born Veterans Club, a local chapter of the Student Veterans of America.
"SVA is a 501(c)(3) coalition of student veterans groups on college campuses across the globe. These member chapters are the 'boots on the ground' that help veterans reintegrate into campus life and succeed academically. Each chapter must be an officially recognized student group by their university or college, and provide a peer-to-peer network for veterans who are attending the school. Additionally, chapters coordinate campus activities, offer pre-professional networking, and generally provide a touchstone for student veterans in higher education. Student Veterans of America has over 800 chapters nationwide and a few abroad. The size of these student groups vary by school, from as small as three, to as many as 100. SVA chapters are open to all those committed to creating supportive veteran campuses. Groups are comprised of pre- and post-9/11 veterans, civilians, and military dependents. The presence of student veteran organizations on campus has been cited as a best practice for military-friendly schools by the American Council on Education and RAND Corporation. The peer-to-peer support, which SVA chapters offer, has been linked to academic success for student veterans." studentveterans.org)
The Battle Born Veterans Club, GBC Student Services, and the VA announce the first club event on March 18 at 12:15 p.m. in McMullen Hall room 114. The event is for OIF/OEF/OND student veterans to help gain a better understanding of PTSD and several other tools that GBC and the VA offer on and off campus.
For information and to discuss how to support the Battle Born Veterans Club, contact GBC Student Joe Micke at (775) 340-2873 or Battle Born Veterans local advisor Jacob Park at (210) 204-9308. Nationally, Student Veterans of America can be reached at www.studentveterans.org.
Great Basin College is a member of the Nevada System of Higher Education and governed by the Board of Regents. The college is regionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.[[In-content Ad]]
