Mike Burtis, a PhD candidate in Sociology, recently gave an important and informative workshop on veterans in the college classroom. He opened the conversation by sharing local statistics regarding veteran enrollment. There are roughly thirty-thousand veterans enrolled in Colorado colleges, though of this number only four-thousand are enrolled in four-year institutions. At CU there are about seven-hundred enrolled veterans. Veterans are a highly diverse group. As a result, you may not be aware that you have veteran(s) in your classroom. A few things to note: 85 percent of veterans are older than the average college student (24+). 47 percent have families and 27 percent are female. In terms of common characteristics, Burtis shared a few that might be helpful in engaging with, and understanding, veteran students. Veterans tend to be:
- Reliable
- Dedicated
- Respectful - they often think of the teacher as a superior
- Punctual - they may consider punctuality a sign of respect, so you should be mindful to be on time for office hours, meetings, etc.
- Mature for his or her age
- Experienced
- Aware of a global perspective
- Aware of the surroundings
- Goal-driven
- They are a highly diverse group.
- They do not see themselves as victims. If they are struggling in class, try to say something like, “Do you need an adaptation for this class?” instead of, “Do you need a disability status?”
- They often feel alone on campus.
- Most likely they are unaware of their own mild traumatic brain injuries/traumatic experiences.
- Avoid saying things that can act as triggers. For example: Wars are atrocities and a waste of human life; why are you struggling, if you volunteered?; did you ever kill anyone?
- Female veterans suffer deeply, often in silence.
- Veterans often want to go back to the war zone. A professed “love of war” could actually be referring to the professional/trained atmosphere.
- Combat trauma is an injury, not a mental illness.
- It is important for you, as a graduate student teacher, to be understanding, compassionate, and respectful. Do not be afraid to reach out and say that you are available as a resource
- Veterans are a great, often untapped resource!
Burtis also shared a few specific classroom considerations that may help veterans succeed in your class. For example, veterans appreciate faculty who can control classroom distractions like phones and laptops. They also tend to appreciate structure. Pop-quizzes, for example, can be extremely anxiety producing. Similarly, stressful situations (tests, loud noises) can cause veterans to panic or shut down. Mitigate this risk by permitting short breaks during a stressful situation.
In order to best support veterans, you need to encourage them to meet with faculty (which they may be hesitant to do) in order to address any special considerations. For example, if a student is active or on reserve, he or she might be deployed mid-semester. This is an extremely stressful time, so it is important for you to know how to help. The registrar’s website has instructions for how to facilitate. Note that a student might have on-going appointments with the VA or other on-campus service providers. These meetings need to be scheduled months in advance, so be understanding when these meetings conflict with your class.
It is also extremely helpful to be aware of on-campus resources for veterans. The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers free tutoring for veterans, as do the dormitories. Counseling is available through CU’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Students are allotted six free individual counseling sessions (even without Gold Insurance). With the Gold Insurance, they are given fifteen free sessions. Student Veteran Services offers academic counseling and career services. Finally, the Student Veteran Association is a great resource for veterans to connect with one another.
For a full list of on-campus resources, please see here.
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