Faculty Resources
Military Student Services
What you need to know to help your students succeed.
Military and veteran students enter higher education with experiences and college-transition challenges that are distinct from those of traditional students. As faculty or staff, you play a vital role in supporting our military-affiliated students. Explore the following topics for important information regarding military service, transition challenges, campus programming, and strategies for supporting our student veterans.
Not all veterans have their tuition paid for in full or part. Some did not serve in the GI Bill®–covered era, may have run out of benefits, or have not deployed. It’s important to not assume that your veteran students are getting a free education. Disability may also play a role in their educational benefits, requiring special services with the Disability Access Center.
Veterans have a wealth of experience and cultural exposure that helps them contribute to classroom discussions in valuable ways. They may, however, be less patient with younger students who have little concept of military experience, global viewpoints, or global cultural norms. In fact, many faculty report deep levels of appreciation for having veterans in their classroom because of the professionalism, discipline, and
real-world experience they bring. In turn, we can support veterans’ college transition by separately asking them how we might ease any challenges they may be facing.
Appointments with the Veterans Health Administration are notoriously difficult to get, and the process for rescheduling one can be a nightmare. If your
military-affiliated student says they have an appointment on a particular date and time, trust that it is necessary for them to keep that appointment. Try to work around their schedule to accommodate the appointment.
The US military has a strong, mission-first culture. That mission often coincides with very clear directions, requirements, and goals. At the same time, service members are expected to demonstrate high levels of attention to detail. Student veterans often struggle when enrolled in courses where instructors choose to not use rubrics or provide clear directions on assignments. We strongly encourage all faculty and staff to provide explicit directions and answer student veteran questions with detailed guidance to reduce the likelihood of them becoming confused or frustrated.
Similarly, military training teaches service members about situational awareness. You may notice student veterans choosing seats in your classroom that face the door or any exits. They may choose to sit in the front of class so they are in the best position to both see and hear everything you say. Regardless of their seat location, please know they may have a predetermined reason for their choice.
Post-traumatic stress (PTS) is most closely associated to military service members; however, anyone who has survived a traumatic event may subsequently be diagnosed with PTS. PTS is caused by a wide variety of environmental factors, such as severe weather events; physical or sexual violence; terminal illness; domestic violence; severe accidents with cars or machinery; assaults; and being present during a violent act that causes death, amputation, or other severe injury to fellow service members or local civilians. For those diagnosed with PTS, their responses may be visible or invisible to observers. PTS impacts each individual differently, and so do the triggers that can elicit a visible response. Potential triggers include, but are not limited to, slamming doors or other loud noises, viewing images or affiliated objects to the traumatic situation, or sensitive topics that can be tied back to a particular experience.
Student veterans are usually distinct from traditional students in their age, professional background, and life experiences. They are generally older, live off campus, and may have established families. At the same time, it may have been years since they were in a formal classroom, and this can necessitate refresher training on college-readiness skills. Still, their professional background and the military-inspired attributes they have developed are added values to our classrooms.
We discourage asking our student veterans about combat experiences, as many former service members have never deployed and/or been in a combat situation. At the same time, even those who have seen combat rarely seek out opportunities to share those experiences. Instead of asking about deployment locations or any form of combat, we encourage you to invite veterans to share information about their service that they are comfortable discussing. Most important, our student veterans should never be put on the spot to speak about war, trauma, or their service experience unless they so choose.
Just as one faculty or staff member does not speak on behalf of the rest of the university when it comes to our perceptions of campus, state, or national higher education policies, our student veterans should never be expected to speak on behalf of all who have served regarding wartime situations, US defense policies, other military-affiliated issues, or any other current event. With that said, if a student veteran chooses to speak on an issue, they may bring unique insight because of their proximity to the policy, program, or event.
Roughly one in three women and one in fifty men have experienced military sexual trauma (MST). The Department of Veterans Affairs, along with other community resources, offers tailored counseling and treatment centers to help veterans who are interested in support. If a veteran shares that they have experienced MST, do not pry or ask for details. Instead, demonstrate compassion and offer to help connect them with community resources or the Office of Military Student Services staff.
Moral injury is a real thing. Orders to act in a way that departs from a person’s inner moral compass may cause long-term dissonance in their mental processing of the military or deployment experience. Sometimes, this means that the “normal” reaction is no reaction at all. Other times, it may present itself as great anger over small issues. Sometimes, it is with deep sadness and regret. Sensitivity to this range of possible reactions may require decades of personal struggle, therapy, support groups, or family time to reach comfort in these areas.
The success of students, whether former military or currently serving, is closely correlated to their sense of “belonging” to the university. Encourage your student veterans to get involved on campus through one of our many student organizations, clubs, or student government. We are also always looking for student workers in the Office of Military Student Services.
An additional strategy for helping veterans feel a sense of belonging is to invite them to share how the military has helped prepare them to lead teams, serve as mentors, and be successful in the college classroom.
We encourage consideration and tact when inviting veterans to be recognized in your classroom. Some veterans prefer to move on from their time in the armed forces and would rather not self-identify. In more extreme cases, veterans may try to forget their service experience in its entirety. If you know of a veteran in your classroom, and they choose not to identify or discuss their service experience, please be respectful of their wishes.
Not all veterans have their tuition paid for in full or part. Some did not serve in the GI Bill®–covered era, may have run out of benefits, or have not deployed. It’s important to not assume that your veteran students are getting a free education. Disability may also play a role in their educational benefits, requiring special services with the Disability Access Center.
We discourage asking our student veterans about combat experiences, as many former service members have never deployed and/or been in a combat situation. At the same time, even those who have seen combat rarely seek out opportunities to share those experiences. Instead of asking about deployment locations or any form of combat, we encourage you to invite veterans to share information about their service that they are comfortable discussing. Most important, our student veterans should never be put on the spot to speak about war, trauma, or their service experience unless they so choose.
Veterans have a wealth of experience and cultural exposure that helps them contribute to classroom discussions in valuable ways. They may, however, be less patient with younger students who have little concept of military experience, global viewpoints, or global cultural norms. In fact, many faculty report deep levels of appreciation for having veterans in their classroom because of the professionalism, discipline, and
real-world experience they bring. In turn, we can support veterans’ college transition by separately asking them how we might ease any challenges they may be facing.
Just as one faculty or staff member does not speak on behalf of the rest of the university when it comes to our perceptions of campus, state, or national higher education policies, our student veterans should never be expected to speak on behalf of all who have served regarding wartime situations, US defense policies, other military-affiliated issues, or any other current event. With that said, if a student veteran chooses to speak on an issue, they may bring unique insight because of their proximity to the policy, program, or event.
Appointments with the Veterans Health Administration are notoriously difficult to get, and the process for rescheduling one can be a nightmare. If your
military-affiliated student says they have an appointment on a particular date and time, trust that it is necessary for them to keep that appointment. Try to work around their schedule to accommodate the appointment.
Roughly one in three women and one in fifty men have experienced military sexual trauma (MST). The Department of Veterans Affairs, along with other community resources, offers tailored counseling and treatment centers to help veterans who are interested in support. If a veteran shares that they have experienced MST, do not pry or ask for details. Instead, demonstrate compassion and offer to help connect them with community resources or the Office of Military Student Services staff.
The US military has a strong, mission-first culture. That mission often coincides with very clear directions, requirements, and goals. At the same time, service members are expected to demonstrate high levels of attention to detail. Student veterans often struggle when enrolled in courses where instructors choose to not use rubrics or provide clear directions on assignments. We strongly encourage all faculty and staff to provide explicit directions and answer student veteran questions with detailed guidance to reduce the likelihood of them becoming confused or frustrated.
Similarly, military training teaches service members about situational awareness. You may notice student veterans choosing seats in your classroom that face the door or any exits. They may choose to sit in the front of class so they are in the best position to both see and hear everything you say. Regardless of their seat location, please know they may have a predetermined reason for their choice.
Moral injury is a real thing. Orders to act in a way that departs from a person’s inner moral compass may cause long-term dissonance in their mental processing of the military or deployment experience. Sometimes, this means that the “normal” reaction is no reaction at all. Other times, it may present itself as great anger over small issues. Sometimes, it is with deep sadness and regret. Sensitivity to this range of possible reactions may require decades of personal struggle, therapy, support groups, or family time to reach comfort in these areas.
Post-traumatic stress (PTS) is most closely associated to military service members; however, anyone who has survived a traumatic event may subsequently be diagnosed with PTS. PTS is caused by a wide variety of environmental factors, such as severe weather events; physical or sexual violence; terminal illness; domestic violence; severe accidents with cars or machinery; assaults; and being present during a violent act that causes death, amputation, or other severe injury to fellow service members or local civilians. For those diagnosed with PTS, their responses may be visible or invisible to observers. PTS impacts each individual differently, and so do the triggers that can elicit a visible response. Potential triggers include, but are not limited to, slamming doors or other loud noises, viewing images or affiliated objects to the traumatic situation, or sensitive topics that can be tied back to a particular experience.
The success of students, whether former military or currently serving, is closely correlated to their sense of “belonging” to the university. Encourage your student veterans to get involved on campus through one of our many student organizations, clubs, or student government. We are also always looking for student workers in the Office of Military Student Services.
An additional strategy for helping veterans feel a sense of belonging is to invite them to share how the military has helped prepare them to lead teams, serve as mentors, and be successful in the college classroom.
Student veterans are usually distinct from traditional students in their age, professional background, and life experiences. They are generally older, live off campus, and may have established families. At the same time, it may have been years since they were in a formal classroom, and this can necessitate refresher training on college-readiness skills. Still, their professional background and the military-inspired attributes they have developed are added values to our classrooms.
We encourage consideration and tact when inviting veterans to be recognized in your classroom. Some veterans prefer to move on from their time in the armed forces and would rather not self-identify. In more extreme cases, veterans may try to forget their service experience in its entirety. If you know of a veteran in your classroom, and they choose not to identify or discuss their service experience, please be respectful of their wishes.
Contact Us
Have questions?
Contact the Office of Military Student Services at [email protected] or 260-481-0517.