With the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan coming to a close, many returning veterans will be looking to take advantage of their G.I. Bill to advance their education and retool themselves for the civilian work force. Yet, the transition from military to college life isn’t always easy. Student veterans face many struggles in returning to school. The number of service members with PTSD is higher than at any time in history since the Vietnam War and traumatic brain injury is the signature wound of these wars leading to social and anxiety disorders. Many of these returning veterans are used to being with fellow soldiers, and then in a college environment, they find college to be confusing, where they feel out of place among traditional college-aged students. Also with a lack of funds or their benefits not arriving in a timely manner, being in college can overwhelm them.
Fort Hays State University is joining in with the Green Zone Initiative to help out these returning veterans. The Green Zone Initiative was founded to create a safe space for student veterans. The Kelly Center, the Department of Leadership Studies, the office of Military Student Success and the Virtual College will be conducting an one hour student veterans ‘Kognito’ training and brown bag lunch seminar to explain the range and goals of the program. The training will inform faculty and staff of the needs of our student veterans and what FHSU assets are available to creating a safe space.
The first of these brown bag luncheons will be held in the Cody Commons on Tuesday from 12 to 1 p.m. and then will be conducted quarterly after that.
For more information please contact Kenton Olliff, kolliff@fhsu.edu, Seth Kastle, sdkastle@fhsu.edu, or Jeremy Carlton, jlcarlton2@fhsu.edu.
You don’t have to be a veteran to help support FHSU’s student veterans, all faculty and staff are encouraged to participate.