Dream comes true for student veterans

Student veterans finally have a place to call their own.

With the recent commisioning of the Veterans Resouce Center in Room 345, Southwestern College has a home for its heroes.

A grand opening ceremony was held to celebrate the centers’ opening, but the facility will not be open to students until November 5.

“Before I was even hired here, I was aware that the student veterans wanted a resource center,” said SWC President Dr. Melinda Nish. “My concern was that I wanted a dedicated space that kept them in the middle of activity because I did not want to silo our veterans away.”

Nish said she believes veterans are a very important part of the student student body.

An opportunity that greatly contributed to the opening of the center emerged from what was once a major obstacle.

“When two deans retired we chose not to replace them and we reorganized the schools, actually creating fewer schools now, which freed up two school offices,” said Nish. “We looked at what was formerly the math and science, engineering school office and said, ‘This is the perfect place.’ It was a happy consequence of downsizing.”

Jim Jones, SWC Veterans Service Specialist, said he was very excited about the center.

“It’s something that I have dreamt about for quite a long time,” he said. “When I was a student here in 1995 there were talks about wanting to have a dedicated space for our veterans and back then we thought it was just a pipe dream.”

Jones said he felt grateful for the massive support on campus and the well-timed opening. SWC has had a sharp increase in veteran students and expects more as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to wind down.

“I think it will ease the anxiety of the transition because when a veteran checks in at our campus they have more needs than just getting enrolled in class,” he said. “It’s critical to have that balance and that support that they need to meet their non-traditional student status. It’s very important that we meet those needs so that they can succesfully transition into collegiate life and hopefully become a more productive citizen.”

Nish said that this will help accomodate a larger number of incoming veterans.

“Our goal is that they succeed with their studies and that they succeed in getting the job that they want based on those studies,” she said. “I think that this will be critical for their success.”

Some of the services include resume writing, interviewing skills, tutoring and Veteran’s Affairs benefit information, said Jones.

“We’re going to try and bring a VA representative here on campus and have a scheduled appointed time so that students can come and meet with a counselor so that they can teach the veterans all the benefits that they have earned,” he said.

Tim Walsh, president of the Student Veteran Organization, agreed.

“The dedication of the Veterans Resource Center represents an important milestone for the student veterans of SWC and SWC leadership,” said Walsh. “This facility is the brick and mortar embodiment of how commited SWC leadership is to the student veteran.”

Walsh said both personal and professional conections are vital to the success of student veterans.

“SWC has taken a giant step forward in directly addressing the major challenges affecting transitioning military veterans,” he said. “Those challenges are mitigated through deliberate orientation to campus life, academic support, proactive networking activities, and formal counseling opportunities.”

Jenny Juntilla, secretary and treasurer of the SVO, said she believes the resource center will be a great asset for SWC.

“It’s going to be very helpful for all of the veterans coming in that are just now stepping back into the civilian world,” she said. “I definitely feel that I will be coming here with my daughter. With this place being open, it’s going to make it easier for me to bring my child with me if I have to do homework or study. I feel that it is going to be very helpful.”