Transcript for the Piece Audio version of Veterans on Campus - A Challenge to Adjust
THANKS TO THE FEDERAL GI BILL, THE NUMBER OF VETERANS ON AMERICAN COLLEGE CAMPUSES IS EXPECTED TO JUMP BY 30 PERCENT THIS YEAR -- SOME ESTIMATES PUT IT AT 100,000 PEOPLE NATIONWIDE, WITH ABOUT 400 AT UMASS-AMHERST ALONE. BUT EVEN WITH FINANCIAL HELP, THE TRANSITION FROM COMBAT TO CAMPUS CAN BE TOUGH. WFCR’S KAREN BROWN REPORTS.
WHEN JON SCHNAUBER FINISHED HIS COMBAT DUTY IN AFGANISTAN, HE WAS EAGER TO GET A COLLEGE DEGREE -- AND ENROLLED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS. HE GOT MOSTLY A'S, BUT JUST COULDN'T RELATE TO HIS FELLOW STUDENTS. HE'D SURVIVED SHELLING, SHOOTING, AND WORSE, WHILE MOST OF HIS CLASSMATES WERE FRESH HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES WHO'D GONE STRAIGHT FROM THEIR PARENTS' HOMES TO THE COLLEGE DORM.
[CutID:
Time: 19s
Title: VET AX - pp running
Out-cue: ]
[pp running up and down the halls at night. screaming and yelling at night. just general freshman college behavior can be bothersome sometimes to someone who's a veteran. 0:53:57.8 it brings up issues.]
SCHNAUBER IS NOW A VETERANS ADVOCATE AT UMASS AMHERST – AND THOSE ISSUES HE MENTIONS START WITH MEMORIES OF COMBAT. FOR INSTANCE, UMASS SOCIOLOGY MAJOR JOHN GOLDMAN STILL COWERS WHENEVER HE HEARS A HIGH-PITCHED WHISTLE -- HE IMAGINES IT'S A ROCKET PROPELLED GRENADE. HE SAYS HIS FELLOW IRAQ WAR VETERANS HAVE IT WORSE.
[CutID:
Time: 19s
Title: VET AX - sit in corner
Out-cue: ]
[there are some guys who need to sit in the back corner of the room during class so they can know the entire area. so no one's gonna surprise them, come up behind them. ... they're just sizing things up every situation, where's my exit. who looks shady. they're still in the combat mindset.]
THEN THERE ARE THE HABITS VETERANS LEARNED IN MILITARY TRAINING THAT THEY CAN’T SHAKE, AND MAY NOT WANT TO. TWENTY-YEAR-OLD ERIC FEOLE IS A HISTORY MAJOR. HE SAYS MILITARY DISCIPLINE HELPS HIM DO WELL ACADEMICALLY….BUT GETS IN THE WAY SOCIALLY.
[CutID:
Time: 22s
Title: VET AX - 200 miles an hour
Out-cue: ]
[we move at 200 miles per hour to accomplish our mission, our goal. and it's difficult bc -- we have to learn how to tone it down. bc pp around us don't move at that level.]
GRANTED, VETERANS ALMOST ALWAYS HAVE A TOUGH RE-ENTRY INTO CIVILIAN LIFE. BUT THE SURGE IN VETERANS ENTERING COLLEGE HAS RENEWED DEBATE ON HOW MUCH A UNIVERSITY SHOULD -- OR CAN -- DO TO HELP. JACK MORDENTE RUNS THE VETERANS OFFICE AT SOUTHEASTERN CONNECTICUT UNIVERSITY. HE SAYS THE TYPICAL 18-YEAR-OLD FRESHMAN GETS MUCH MORE HAND-HOLDING.
[the university reaches out to the true freshmen, brings them in for orientation. the veterans don't get that. as an older adult student, they're coming here pretty much on their own.]
[CutID:
Time: 16s
Title: VET AX - true freshman
Out-cue: ]
MORDENTE -- HIMSELF A VIETNAM VET -- IS WITH THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF VETERAN PROGRAM ADMINISTRATORS, WHICH ADVOCATES FOR CAMPUS SERVICES. HE SAYS ALMOST EVERY MAJOR CAMPUS IS SEEING AN INFLUX OF VETERANS, AND MOST ADMINISTRATORS ARE ANXIOUS ABOUT IT.
[CutID:
Time: 16s
Title: VET AX - burden
Out-cue: ]
[you got 2-300 vets going to school, that's a significant amount, and you are taking on the responsibility or burden of a population, some of whom have that has real issues.]
INCLUDING CASES OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, ALCOHOL ABUSE, AND OTHER ADJUSTMENT PROBLEMS. WHILE STUDENT VETERANS CAN GET THERAPY AT A VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER, MORDENTE SAYS FEW MAKE USE OF THAT RESOURCE. AND THAT LEAVES UNIVERSITY STAFF TO FILL IN THE GAPS. THERE USED TO BE FEDERAL FUNDING FOR COLLEGES TO STAFF VETERANS SERVICES, BUT MORDENTE SAYS THAT MONEY DRIED UP IN THE 1980S. HIS GROUP IS LOBBYING TO BRING IT BACK, BUT UNTIL THEN, IT’S UP TO EACH SCHOOL TO DECIDE WHAT THEY NEED -- AND CAN AFFORD.
[CutID:
Time: 9s
Title: VET ax - overwhelming
Out-cue: ]
[0:05:26.8…*it does feel overwhelming. …we have been preparing for an onslaught.]
JUDY GAGNON RUNS A MILITARY DROP-IN CENTER AT UMASS. SHE ESTIMATES THERE ARE 400 VETS ON CAMPUS THIS YEAR, ABOUT TWICE AS MANY AS LAST YEAR. HER JOB IS TO GUIDE THEM THROUGH UNIVERSITY BUREAUCRACY – AND HELP THEM FEEL WELCOME ON A TRADITIONALLY LIBERAL CAMPUS THAT TENDS NOT TO EMBRACE MILITARY CULTURE.
[CutID:
Time: 26s
Title: VET AMB - Umass office
Out-cue: ]
“nice to see you!”
THE VETERANS OFFICE IS IN A CENTRAL LOCATION ON CAMPUS. IT'S CONSIDERED A MODEL FOR OTHER SCHOOLS, BUT WITH ONLY ONE FULLTIME AND ONE PART-TIME POSITION, GAGNON SAYS SHE WORRIES ABOUT VETERANS FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS -- ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO MENTAL HEALTHCARE. SHE SAYS, AS A GROUP, VETERANS TEND TO BE RESISTANT TO CLINICAL HELP. SO THOSE WHO'VE BEEN ON CAMPUS LONGER -- LIKE UMASS SENIOR JOHN GOLDMAN -- TRY TO LOOK OUT FOR THE NEWER ONES. HE SAYS JUST HAVING A DESIGNATED VETERANS HANG-OUT GOES A LONG WAY.
[CutID:
Time: 23s
Title: VET AX - talking to vets
Out-cue: ]
[they love sitting down and saying, this guy knows my story, i can go to him for help.]
LIKE MOST COLLEGES, UMASS HASN'T HIRED HIRED ADDITIONAL COUNSELORS TO HANDLE VETERAN ISSUES, BUT IT HAS HELD STAFF TRAININGS ON MILITARY CULTURE AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. THE MILITARY RESOURCE CENTER PUTS OUT A FLYER LISTING QUESTIONS PEOPLE SHOULD ASK VETERANS -- – LIKE WHERE DID YOU SERVE – AND THOSE YOU *SHOULDN’T* ASK, LIKE, DID YOU KILL ANYONE? JON SCHNAUBER OF UMASS SAYS IT SHOULD BE UP TO SOCIETY AT LARGE TO HELP VETERANS ADJUST.
[there are 2 million veterans who can contribute to rebuilding this country. they're leaders, they're experienced....but they need support.]
THE MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR OFFICE HAS PUT OUT A CALL TO ALL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES TO MAKE THEIR CAMPUSES VETERAN-FRIENDLY. I’M KAREN BROWN.
Back
