Student Veterans Organizations & Support on the Rise at College Campuses

Following a growing trend on campuses today, West Chester University in Pennsylvania revealed the school's new Veterans' Center on Tuesday. In the past month, schools like SF State, Brandman University, and the Maricopa Community Colleges in Arizona have all announced partnerships or on-campus programs to help student veterans adjust to student life. These announcements all point to schools addressing a growing demand for services and support for student veterans--an issue that is not necessarily new, but one that many are glad is being addressed.

"We value the fact that the federal government is paying for us to go to school because of our service to our country, and every college campus should value those individuals," says Dustin McMillan, president of the Student Veterans of America chapter at California State University Sacramento. "It is important to have a strong student veteran organizations because the administration listens to you--they know how important that revenue from the federal government is."

Student Veterans of America was founded in 2008 to develop a network of veteran students on college campuses that could help servicemembers make the transition from combat to classroom, as well as help student veterans get the most from their GI Bill entitlements.

The organization has flourished since its inception of a few chapters at several colleges. Michael Dakduk, the deputy executive director of Student Veterans of America reports that in the U.S. today, the organization boasts chapters in 47 states, including Washington, D.C., and has more than 35,000 members.

Helping Veterans Understand Their Military Education Benefits

Dakduk, 24, joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 2004 after traveling to New York City and seeing the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He served as a sergeant in Iraq and Afghanistan before separating from military service in January of 2008.

Using a scholarship, Dakduk enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) where he decided to found the Student Veterans Association (SVA). Dakduk wanted to bring this organization to UNLV after hearing about the movement and being inspired by veterans organizing across the country. What started as a group of 10 to 12 student veterans is now more than 100 members strong--a quarter of the student veteran population at UNLV.

"I made it my personal goal to make sure we grew this organization as much as possible," Daksuk says.

At the 2009 SVA national convention Dakduk was elected vice president, and a year later was nominated to his current post as senior executive staff member. He says one of the most important aspects of student veteran associations is to make sure every former servicemember is aware of the full scope of his or her military education benefits under the new Post-9/11 GI Bill and to disseminate other crucial GI Bill information.

"Every veteran is given these benefits, and we need to use them so we can succeed as future generations of leaders," Dakduk says. "The backbone of the military is enlisted men, and the backbone of college is the student veteran and the Student Veteran Association chapter."

Dakduk explains that these organizations are absolutely vital to the success of military servicemembers who are transferring from combat and the military to college campuses. The peer-to-peer support that is available to servicemembers via on-campus organizations helps them make the transition and understand the benefits process.

According to McMillan, one of the main benefits the SVA members enjoy--and there are more than 1,000 members in the Sacramento State chapter--is the camaraderie and fellowship of people who have shared similar and sometimes traumatic experiences.

Moving On: Veterans Use New GI Bill Benefits to Graduate from College

Dakduk is due to graduate at the completion of the fall 2010 semester with a degree in public policy and administration. McMillan is set to wrap up his Sac State education the following spring. The national body of Student Veterans of America helps ensure there is no dip in leadership due to turnover from veteran students graduating from college.

Student veterans typically meet at student union halls on campus or at gatherings at local bars and pubs to swap stories. Other times, groups gather for tailgating before big football or basketball games.

As more servicemembers capitalize on their military education benefits to attend college, the strength of the organization and its voice, both on local campuses and as a lobbying force in Washington, D.C., is going to increase, Dakduk says.

"It is really a concept of supporting each other. As many more individuals utilize the new GI Bill, they will be there to support the SVA as a national organization and ensure that when student veterans go on to graduate, a new body of student veterans will pick up their roles and become the next leaders on college campuses."

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