The effort comes at an opportune time. Since the start of the offensive in Afghanistan and the Iraq War, Sac State has seen a sharp increase in the number of military members enrolling in school. Last year enrollment was up 20 percent.
“It is very hard on these students to return to academia after such life-changing deployments overseas,” says Jeffrey Weston, Sac State Veterans’ Affairs coordinator. “It is this very reason that it is important for universities to start increasing their services to veterans.”
The University Foundation at Sacramento State, in partnership with the University, has embarked on a fundraising initiative to support Troops to College. The effort includes establishing funds for book scholarships, fees scholarships, and a summer bridge program to ease the transition from military to university life.
“There were no dollars attached to the initiative so it is up to each individual college to support it,” Weston says. “Sac State has been a frontrunner on this by providing funds.”
With Sac State’s backing, the Veterans’ Affairs office has been able to beef up its counseling and outreach services.
Most significantly, Troops to College has allowed more veterans to have priority when registering for classes. Beginning this summer those using federal educational benefits such as the GI Bill, the Reserve Educational Assistance Program or the Vocational Rehabilitation Program, will be given priority when registering at Sac State.
This is important for a variety of reasons, Weston says, the biggest of which is that veterans will not receive their GI Bill benefits unless they are already enrolled in college courses.
For many, timing is critical.
“A lot of reservists are always waiting for their next deployment,” Weston says. “They need to be able to get in and set their schedule so they can properly plan.”
California is home to more than 2.2 million veterans, Weston says. More than 175,000 service members are stationed throughout the state which is also home to more than 35,000 National Guard members and reservists. Of the 600 veterans attending Sac State at least 80 are active-duty members attending school through the Department of Defense tuition assistance program.
Suzette Del Mundo, vice president of the Student Veteran Organization, says Troops to College fills an awareness gap.
“Working at the Veterans’ Affairs Office on campus, I have met students who missed out on benefits that were due them,” says Del Mundo, who served in the Army in Bosnia. ”I have seen the frustration in their eyes when they found out they were qualified for a benefit but it was too late to use it.”
Since the initiative, Veterans’ Affairs has updated its website and expanded its outreach efforts, making it easier for students to find the office.
Austin Sihoe, who served for five years as an aviation electrician in the Navy, says he is glad the university system is responding to veterans’ needs.
“Because of the war, many service members are being discharged voluntarily by the military for medical reasons,” Sihoe says. “It gives those service members a chance to go to college to better prepare them for their transition from the military to the civilian world.”
Weston says the pressure on many veterans returning to college is immense. Many he says are leaving the military after as many four tours of duty.
“I feel any person that puts their life on the line for their nation deserves to be honored,” Weston says. “Making their transition to college easier is just one way to tell our vets that our universities are thankful.”