Advising Veteran Students

1. Advising Veteran Students Steve Johnson Academic Advisor/Instructor/Veteran Linda Skabelund Math/Statistics Academic Advisor Utah State University (USU) Logan, UT Steve.Johnson@usu.edu Linda.Skabelund@usu.edu 2011 NACADA National Conference

2. Objectives Opportunities Advising Student Veterans • Advising related to veteran benefits ‏ • Veteran advantages and challenges in higher education • Education-related PTSD and TBI issues • Helpful tips in advising veterans

3. Why Work with Veterans • Personal Reasons • Family • Friends • Work • Professional Observations • Experiences • Advising vs. Counselling

4. Who Are We Talking About? • 20% Are female veterans • 80% Are male veterans • 50-60% Are married veterans • 50% Have children • 45% Under 30 - people of color • 95% Have high school diploma

5. What is it like to be deployed?

6. Challenges of Deployments • Harsh living conditions • 130 °F ~ • Unrelenting noise • Lack of privacy

7. Challenges of Deployments • Separation from family • Problems related to communication • Long and multiple deployments • Prolonged exposure to stress hormones • Sexual harassment/military sexual trauma

8. War-Zone Stress • Urban combat with no clear front line • Constant threat of being attacked • Ambiguous, unknown civilian threats • Challenge of fighting “fair” (ROE)

9. Combat Experiences (Mental Health Advisory Team) • Being attacked/ambushed 52% • Receiving small arms fire 58% • IED/Booby trap exploded near you 49% • Seeing dead bodies/human remains 60% • Shooting/directing fire at the enemy 36% • Receiving artillery, rocket, mortar fire 78% • Knowing one seriously injured/killed 72% • Directly responsible for an enemy combatant death 13%

10. Potential Psychological Vet Challenges on Campus • Substance abuse/dependence • Depression/suicide • Anxiety • Reintegration issues • PTSD - combat stress* • Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)* * TBI and PTSD are not veteran-specific injuries. Conflicts overseas have pushed these invisible injuries into the spotlight

11. Veteran Statistics 1.86+ Million deployed since 9/11 - 288,952+ veterans on US campuses Where current veterans attend: • 38% Community colleges • 36% 4-year public institutions • 19% For-profit inst. (online/distance)‏ • 6% Private institutions • 1% Undetermined (Top institution: U of Phoenix – online)

12. GI Bill Monthly Comparisons

13. Post 9/11 GI Bill Percentage Payout Information

14. Comparisons

15. UG Equivalent Credit Hours • 12 Credit Hrs = full time • 9 Credit Hrs = 3/4 time • 6 Credit Hrs = 1/2 time

16. Helping Veterans • Growing drop-out rate. Veterans graduate at 1/10 rate of other students • Advising depends on benefit plan options • Majority of new people join Armed Services to get an education • Less than 10% of eligible veterans use all their educational assistance ‏ • About 6% of the new GI Bill use all entitled benefit hours • Student veteran concerns - save time and money

17. Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) Brief Video Clip

18. What is PTSD? **(Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) • Normal reactions to abnormally stressful events ---> usually goes away (+50% of us go thru some type of trauma) • ** Prolonged reactions after a severe traumatic event ---> doesn’t go away

19. PTSD Facts(Based on the U.S. Population) • 7-8% of us will have PTSD in our lives • 5.2 million adults have PTSD per year (more experience trauma) • About 10% of women develop PTSD • About 5% of men develop PTSD

20. Experts Estimate PTSD Occurs in: • 11-20% of Vets in Iraq/Afghanistan Wars • 10% of Gulf War (Desert Storm) Vets • 30% of Vietnam Veterans

21. Symptoms of PTSD • Persistent re-experiencing of the event: • Intrusive recollections (flashbacks) • Nightmares • Avoidance of trauma-associated stimuli • Feeling of detachment • Avoid things that remind them • Persistent symptoms of increased arousal • Hyper-vigilance • Exaggerated startle response • Difficulty concentrating, sleeping • Irritability

22. Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (M-TBI) • Defined as a blow or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the functioning of the brain • Signature wound for current wars • Main cause for Veterans - Blasts, explosions - Damage occurs without impact to the head

23. Consequences of M-TBI • Physical • Headache, dizziness, fatigue, noise/light intolerance, insomnia, sleep disturbance, balance/visual problems • Emotional • Depression, anxiety, irritability, moodability

24. TBI & PTSD Cognitive Difficulties • Attention and concentration difficulties • Information processing challenges • Learning and memory deficits • Sluggish abstract reasoning • Slowed execution functions - Problem solving, sequencing - Insight/awareness - Planning

25. Depression and Suicide More than twice as likely to commit suicide than non-vets 18.7 to 20.8 per 100,000 compared to 8.9 for non-vets. Risk factors: Depression Substance abuse issues Prior psychiatric hospitalization Firearms may be more readily available

26. Utah State University • About 450 veteran students • Veterans Resource and Affairs Office • Veteran/Non-traditional student orientation • Professional training for staff on PTSD? • Veterans Club and Mentorship program • Veteran work-study students • Counselling and advising veterans • Veteran Advisory Board • Veteran Celebration Days

27. Veteran Advantages • Learned self-discipline and to follow instructions • Maturity, act older than most same-age students. Average age is 25 - 34 • Value education, they have worked and paid for it - not valued as financial aid • Often have some other kind of financial support • Eagerness to get a good education. Feel to have lost time already • Doing something positive for their lives ‏

28. Job Market Advantages • Military improves/reinforces excellent work qualities (dedicated & determined) • Experiences prepared them for civilian work force (accountability & responsibility) • Military experiences applicable to jobs being sought • Experience(s) can credit/serve for salary purposes (teaching subjects, supervising others, etc.)

29. At Large Accommodations • One-stop center – pros and cons • Thorough veterans orientation program • Accessible vet resources on college website • Vet services referral list for advisors/students • Opportunities to meet vets - Vet Club, Mtg Room, Support Groups, etc. • Programs offering academic credit for military experience • Flexible enrollment and exit procedures • Campus-wide committee on veteran services

30. Accommodation Strategies • Implement veterans services at a campus level using student veteran employees • Coordination with all campus groups: health center, disabilities, counseling, etc. • Increase faculty and staff awareness of veteran issues and resources available • Use disability universal design principles to accommodate needs of veterans • Coordinate campus and community resources with veterans in mind

31. Advisor Considerations‏ • Explore your feelings about war and soldiers. Respect and treat them as any other student • Make veterans feel welcomed, provide warm, friendly, connected service‏ • Be informed about special needs referrals • Know about benefits and what they must do if orders come before a term ends • Be understanding and available in their transition to school

32. What Can Advisors Do to Help? • Listen and validate • Be real and genuine • Consult and learn from other professionals on campus • Refer veterans to other campus resources: counseling center, disability resources, etc.

33. Advisor Crisis Intervention Tips Have a response for dealing effectively with the Veteran student • Be brief, immediate and focused • Often requires advisor input • Allow them to voice their story and focus on their strengths • Focus on the concrete, and provide ongoing support and follow-up

34. Advisor Considerations • Don’t seat them with their back to the door or with a closed door • Don’t discuss vet issues besides benefits unless they mention it • Ask if deployment is soon – explain what they have to do if deployed • If problems arise, calm student and avoid confrontational situation

35. Other Considerations Veterans may take a full load for financial reasons and to make up time • Discuss time management issues • Discuss college/job/family/friends/self • Good grades require time and hard work • Bad grades hurt by losing time/money

36. Courses To Recommend • Depends on the benefit plan • Smaller classes are preferable • Advising for online classes requires familiarity with benefit plan • New GI-Bill limits percentage of online classes • Classes with practical applications are preferable initially

37. Course Accommodations • Recommend multiple delivery in methods, assignments and materials • Provide syllabus, powerpoint and materials in advance • Provide opportunities to submit assign-ments for feedback prior to final grade • Communicate with students, instructors, counselling of disability issues/resources • Permit flexibility in class attendance • Use extra time assessments

38. Some Best Practices • University of South Florida http://www.veterans.usf.edu/ • Texas A&M Website for Veterans http://counseling.tamucc.edu/?n=Information.Veterans • University of Colorado at Boulder http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/VA/ • University of Minnesota http://onestop.umn.edu/veterans/benefits/index.html

39. Other Useful Websites • GI-Bill Information: http://gibill.va.gov/post-911/ • Military Education and Careers www.education.military.com/education-home • Forming a Campus Student Veterans Group www.studentveterans.org • Resource Directory – National, State, Local for Service Members and Families www.nationalresourcedirectory.gov

40. The only thing harder than being a Soldier.. Is loving one.  

41. Thank You • Questions • Discussion Items