Understanding the Need for Veteran Learning Communities

1. Understanding the Need for Veteran Learning Communities • Paul Grossman, Hastings College of Law paulgrossman@comcast.net • Sandra Burnett, Santa Monica College burnett_sandra@smc.edu • Wayne K. Miller, II Wayne.Miller4@va.gov • Mary Lee Vance, University of Montana marylee.vance@mso.umt.edu

2. “[L]et us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle….” Abraham Lincoln Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865

3. Outline • Veterans and Wounded WarriorsAssets, Challenges and Best Practices • Veterans: Collaboration for Successful Transition • Essential Practices in Student Veterans Programs: Serving Veterans and Veterans with Disabilities in Higher Education: A Delphi Study • Building Process for a Learning Community or VETS Office • Q/A

4. Veterans and Wounded WarriorsAssets, Challenges and Best Practices AHEAD 2011 Seattle

5. The Engine Behind the Surge:The New GI Bill“The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act” • Up to 4 years of full support after 36 months post-9/11 active duty (sliding amount depending on length of service) • Can Include: • Tuition (up to highest public college tuition) • Books, fees • Housing stipend • Tutoring expenses • Licensing expenses • More information is available from the VA GI Bill website, http://www.gibill.va.gov/

6. Assets Veterans/Service Members Bring With Them • Cultural, racial, ethnic diversity • Maturity: in terms of both age and experience • A mission/goal accomplishing orientation • Trained for leadership/experienced in leadership: • Within diversity • Within chaos with life and death consequences Sven Jones, retired US Army Company Commander and Training Officer//Founder of the Institute for Learning & Understanding, “Understanding Military Culture,” AHEAD, July 2009 Of our 44 U.S. Presidents, only 12 have not had military experience. Twelve of our Presidents were generals, including Washington and Eisenhower.

7. Assets That Can Also be Liabilities • Cohort/team oriented- they tend to connect with one another more than with non-service members/veterans • Do not like to ask for help from others and want to be self-sufficient • Well-trained in critical-thinking, even in difficult circumstances, but not experienced at independently taking care of basic bureaucratic responsibilities like registering for class: ”It would be a great help to not just be thrown into college. All the paperwork and what not that I have to go through. I’m probably eligible for things I am not aware of….[T]hey just tossed a piece of paper at me…. That does not help.” Robert Ackerman et al., Transitions: Combat Veterans as College Students, in Creating a Veteran-Friendly Campus: Strategies for Transition to Success, (Ackerman & David DiRamio eds., Summer 2009).

8. The Challenge • Ensure that veterans, service members, and wounded warriors come to college, transition and persist, in light of • College representing a new culture for everyone • Immersion in military culture • Repeated exposure to a traumatic asymmetrical war “In asymmetrical warfare, battles are fought largely in civilian population with soldiers fighting an enemy often shielded by civilian populations.” The Untold War • Newly acquired status as a “wounded warrior” • Potential collapse of familial supports

9. Common Causes of the Transition Challenge for All Vets and Service Members • Sense of purpose to purposelessness • No more mission or a very much less critical one • From high structure where ever minute is scheduled to low structure and little schedule • High stressors to lesser stressors, hard to let go of the high ones and focus on the lesser ones • Adverse or hostile attitudes toward war that imply hostility to vets and service members • Uncertainty about recovery • Sexism and racism are not permitted---sexism and racism are accepted to the degree protected by the First Amendment • Everyone is prepared for the mission, some students are prepared, some are not.

10. Deliberate Steps Do Make a Difference • 66% of all non-veterans will attend some college—29% of all non-veterans will attain at least a BA vs. 41% - 15%, respectively. Educating Veterans in the 21st Century, Hermann, Hopkins, Wilson & Allen, 2009, p.7. • US Dept. of Education numbers are even more disparate. ED estimates only 3% of vets earn a BA in four to five years. • At San Diego State University, a veteran friendly campus, veterans, service members, wounded warriors have a 7.5 percentage point lower non-completion rate and a GPA .21 points above their undergraduate peers. • Business as usual will not work--- Perfect Storm, JPED

11. “Wounded Warriors” • A large part of the vet/service member pool • A group whose needs must be addressed to have a “veteran-friendly campus.” • Individuals with distinct legal rights

12. “Wounded Warriors—Signature Wounds” • A variety of sources indicate that significant number of services members returning from OIF/OEF will have visible and non-visible impairments. Sources vary, but they include 20-50% for PTSD, TBI and/or depression. Other common injuries include combat eye trauma (13% by one estimate); amputations (6% by one estimate); blast-related hearing and burn injuries. • Impaired hearing may be the single most prevalent injury • Many individuals will be sufficiently limited in major life activities such as walking, seeing, thinking, concentrating, or learning that the Wounded Warrior qualifies as an “individual with disability” under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended by the ADAAA of 2008—two disability rights laws enforced by OCR.

13. Key Considerations for Wounded Warriors • They often are: • New to their disabilities, without prior history of IDEA/Sec. 504 eligibility • Unaware of rights and procedures • Unaware of how to overcome barriers • Lacking information from high school about disability or accommodations and may not be likely to acquire information through traditional means like a student handbook

14. More Key Considerations for Wounded Warriors • Psychological processes for accepting disability status may take time • Given their military background, some warriors may equate disability with “weakness” • Their documentation of disability may not meet the needs of higher education in identifying appropriate accommodations

15. A Lethal Mix of Challenges? • Historically, the suicide rates have been lower in the military than in the general population. With the continued wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, however, military suicide rates have been increasing and surpassing the rates for society at large. HOWEVER, in 2009, researchers found that male veterans were twice as likely to die of suicide as male non-veterans in the general population.  --Suicide in the Military. Center for Deployment Psychology, 2010. • The suicide risk is further increased for veterans diagnosed with a selected mental disorder, such as PTSD or TBI. -- Risk of Suicide Among US Veterans After Returning From the Iraq or Afghanistan War Zones. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2008. • These numbers do not include the high numbers of suicide attempts among veterans. In fiscal year 2009 alone, there were 1,621 suicide attempts by men and 247 suicide attempts by women who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, with 94 men and 4 women dying. --18 Veterans Commit Suicide Each Day. Army Times, 2010.

16. Critical Contact Information • VA Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273 TALK (press 1 for veterans) • www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org • Best overall veterans’ assistance: 1-877-WARVETS

17. A Challenging Transition For all the reasons presented earlier, transitioning from military to student life can be a very challenging adjustment. Throw simultaneously adjusting to disability and the challenge can seem overwhelming.

18. What May It Take for Colleges to Attract, Retain, and Graduate Wounded Warriors ? Examples of promising practices collected from colleges and universities

19. What May It Take? • An understanding by faculty and administrators of what distinguishes Wounded Warriors from other students, even other students with disabilities. • Plans and actions well-calculated to address what makes them unique. Suggested actions include: • Faculty in-servicing about the signature wounds and disabilities of OIF/OEF

20. What May It take? • Another suggested “promising practice”: • A campus-wide interdisciplinary committee to address the needs of veterans, service members, and wounded warriors including: DSO, VSO, advising, counseling, student health, academic deans, curriculum development, campus security, student discipline, drug and alcohol abuse programs, housing, physical education, athletic and entertainment events services, recreation and intramural sports, on-line learning, technology acquisition, adaptive technology, campus transit, and grounds/facilities maintenance

21. What May It take? • Policy and service review with regard to: • requesting the removal of program access barriers • requesting and documenting the need for accommodations • adding, dropping, and withdrawing from classes • bringing on campus personal attendants • discipline • drug and alcohol abuse • suicide prevention • use and control of service animals

22. What May It Take? • Veteran-centric programs • A veteran/service member/wounded warrior-based focus group to help identify how the campus can welcome and support such students • A new student orientation run by and for veterans/service members/wounded warriors • Athletic/strength training activities for veterans, service members and wounded warriors

23. What May It Take? • A clear, comprehensive, point of contact for all types of veterans and service members, as a “portal,” or as a “one stop shop” through which veterans may resolve common administrative tasks like course registration, housing registration, GI bill benefit registration • Academic credit to veterans, service members and wounded warriors for military experience

24. What May It Take? • Places where service members and veterans, including wounded warriors can congregate and support one another --- vets’ house, center, fraternity, etc., to enable these individuals: • to network with their peers • to advocate for better policies and practices on campus • to engage in social interaction instead of isolation • to emerge as campus leaders • to eventually create and implement their own programs

25. What May It Take? More vet–centric promising practice programs: • Late registration and late drop privileges for veterans/service members/wounded warriors • Campus events honoring veterans • Housing programs that allow veterans/service members/wounded warriors to pair up as roommates/floor mates and contain vet-centric counselors

26. What May It Take? (cont.) • Revision of DSS services: • An opportunity to lead other campus components in preparing for wounded warriors • New name/location that is more “vet-friendly”; e.g., Access Services • Adoption of vet-centric outreach through channels of communication veterans/service members and wounded warriors are likely to use like VA county service centers, on-campus veterans’ service office, veterans’ web-sites and social network sites.

27. What May It Take? (cont.) • Off campus outreach by a campus team to: • Local VA medical center/polytrauma center • Local military base transition programs, training officers and family assistance centers • Veterans’ Assistance Centers • Mental health services • Drug and alcohol abuse services • Suicide prevention programs • Local Vocational Rehabilitation Office • U.S. Department of Labor’s Transition Assistance Program vendor, such as an employment development agency • Governors’ programs

28. Video: Tammy Duckworth’s Closing RemarksVideo Clips Courtesy ofGeorge Washington University

29. The nation that makes a great distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools. Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War , 431 BC

30. Veterans: Collaboration for Successful Transition Sandi Burnett Santa Monica College

31. Re-tooling in Tough Economic Times • No added $$$$$ • Shrinking staff and resources • Doing more with less • Sound familiar?

32. Regional Players • College Disability Services • College Veterans Resource Centers (VRC) • Veterans Affairs/ VBA (Chap 31, 33) • VA Medical Centers • County Veterans Offices • Private Non-profits • Last but Not Least, student veterans

33. Cross Training • Invite for a face-to-face meet-up • Identify information gaps • Identify best practices • Identify mutual support mechanisms • Schedule future opportunities

34. Santa Monica College • College-wide Committee • Regional Committee • Transition course • VRC/ High Tech Center support • Student Veterans Club • Dedicated academic counselor and VA Work Study students

35. Essential practices in student veterans programs: Serving veterans and veterans with disabilities in higher education: A Delphi study Preliminary Results Wayne Miller, ABD University of Connecticut AHEAD 2011 - University of Connecticut - Wayne Miller, ABD

36. Study Overview Sample = 45 Institution's of higher education • 18 responded for all 3 rounds of the study • Respondents chose a level of essentiality ■ identified practices for student veterans with disabilities ■ identified practices for student veterans without disabilities AHEAD 2011 - University of Connecticut - Wayne Miller - ABD

37. Study Overview • The choices were: • Not important with a value of 1 • Somewhat important with a value of 2 • Important with a value of 3 • Essential with a value of 4 AHEAD 2011 - University of Connecticut - Wayne Miller, ABD

38. Study Overview • An essential practice was one which had a Mean of 3.75 or greater • At the end of the second round there were 11 practices that statistically could have qualified as an essential practice • There were few changes between the 2nd and 3rd rounds. • 3rd and final round results identified 9 essential practices AHEAD 2011 - University of Connecticut - Wayne Miller, ABD

39. Top Three Essential Practices ONLY for Student Veterans with Disabilities • Three of the most essential practice applying ONLY to student veterans with disabilities are: AHEAD 2011 - University of Connecticut - Wayne Miller, ABD

40. Three essential practices applying to both student veterans WITH and WITHOUT disabilities • Three of the most essential practice applying ONLY to student veterans with disabilities are: AHEAD 2011 - University of Connecticut - Wayne Miller, ABD

41. What can you can do? • Review you institutions Student Veteran Program (if you have one). • Work with the AHEAD Veterans SIG to develop a plan for implementing all of the essential practices. AHEAD 2011 - University of Connecticut - Wayne Miller, ABD

42. Beginning the Building Process Mary Lee Vance, Ph.D. Director Disability Student Services The University of Montana marylee.vance@mso.umt.edu February 2, 2011

43. University of Montana • Campus Exploratory Group • VETS Office (Veterans Education Transition Services) • Recommended UM Committee • UM Committee on Services for Veterans • Provost and VPSA Executive Officer oversight • Faculty, student (veterans), staff, community

44. Adjustments or Accommodations? Academic Adjustments Faculty have the ability to determine what they teach, how they teach and how they assess without compromising academic integrity. What they do within their classroom, that is fair to all students, as laid out in their syllabus, is their prerogative. Academic Accommodations Best practices have determined that there be a central office/person to collect and assess documentation for the purposes of determining reasonable accommodations. Accommodations range from classroom adjustments, to whether or not a skunk qualifies as a therapy animal.

45. Adjustments for PTSD and TBI • Have syllabus, and list of required texts as well as any audio clips, finalized by registration • Plan ahead to insure all audio clips, videos and movies are captioned (many veterans have lost hearing functions, as may have older students) • Eliminate timed tests in favor of other assessment methods that do not penalize students requiring extra time/lower distraction testing accommodations and/or attendance flexibility • Describe in advance audio or other media, so students can opt to leave the classroom if it might trigger PTSD symptoms

46. More Adjustments for PTSD and TBI • Eliminate timed tests in favor of other assessment methods that do not penalize students requiring extra time/lower distraction testing accommodations and/or attendance flexibility • Allow students to be able to use an index card with faculty-approved notes and/or build in memory joggers into the exams (if exams are deemed necessary) • Allow use of head-sets and/or dark glasses and/or earplugs etc. to reduce distractions • Allow use of head-sets and/or dark glasses and/or earplugs etc. to reduce distractions during quizzes/exams

47. The Best Practice: Universal Design • No stigma for users, no reluctance by veterans to engage in mitigating measures • No need to deal with compliance questions • A source of innovation in higher education • A terrific opportunity to change “business as usual” (teaching, assessment etc.)

48. Suggested Publications • AHEAD – JPED Special Issue: Veterans with Disabilities, Vol. 22, No. 1, 2009 • AHEAD - Veterans with Disabilities: Promoting Success in Higher Education Thomas E. Church • NACADA - M19: Advising Students with Disabilities: Striving for Universal Success, 2nd ed. ISBN No. 978-1-935140-19-1 • American Council on Education • http://www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/ProgramsServices/MilitaryPrograms/serving/index.htm

49. Additional Publications Creating a Veteran-Friendly Campus: Strategies for Transition and Success: New Directions for Student Services, No. 126 (J-B SS Single Issue Student Services) - Paperback (July 20, 2009) by Robert Ackerman and David DiRamio Educating Veterans in the 21st Century by Douglas Herrmann, Bert Allen, Roland B. Wilson, and Charles Hopkins (Sep 18, 2009) Improving College Education of Veterans by Charles Hopkins, Douglas Herrmann, Roland B Wilson, and Bert Allen (Jul 8, 2010)

50. Government Resources • Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities, http://www.ed.gov/ocr/transition.html • Auxiliary Aids and Services for Students with Disabilities, http://www.ed.gov/ocr/docs/auxaids.html • “Dear Colleague” letter including announcement of the Wounded Warriors Initiative and attaching “So You Want to Go Back to School,” a document for wounded warriors.http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/back-to-school-2008.html • http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/benefits.html