Veteran Centers- what is the deal with these popping up?

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>At my University, a new strange organization related to Veteran's "services" as been created. </p>

<p>I myself am a veteran who enrolled at the school in 2009, and I'm also one of the first post 9/11 GI Bill recipients. Before this new "veteran's center", my only connection to that life (which I've tried very hard to move on from, and seem to be failing) was visiting a certifying official at a small obscure, non-descriptive office on campus to drop my degree plan off for certification with the VA. </p>

<p>However, this Spring a new veteran's center was established -and as a result, in-order to ensure that I've been certified, I now have to subject myself to walking in to this center, getting ID'd and having my information taken before I can get what usually took a short chat and 5 minute consult. This center also seems to try to project the usual notions of pride-in-service and American exceptional-ism (flags everywhere, speeches are often given there, recruiters occasionally show up at events).</p>

<p>With that said, this center is highly suspicious and does not make sense, for a number of reasons:</p>

<p>1) None of the veterans that I know and talk to on campus were consulted prior to the creation of this center to provide them "services". I've been told that this center was created without the input of any of the veterans on campus.
2) The services that are provided are relatively meaningless, and further- already handled by the local VA (of which veterans will be undoubtedly differed to).
3) Several people now work at this center, doing god knows what, and for the benefit of whom- no one knows. Someone is paying for the center's operations, but the University is basically stone walling in regards to information on this.
4) This center does not serve me in any way shape or form, it only adds additional bureaucracy.</p>

<p>So my open questions for the forum are:
- Are veteran centers a relatively new phenomenon on your campus (in the last <2 years)?
- Do you agree with them in premise (an exclusive area on campus consisting of "services" for veterans)? </p>

<p>Since my experience in the military and education, I've developed many views that are directly opposed to what our country has done and is doing currently. In my view, this center represents a recruitment tool, militarism on campus, as well as a method of keeping tabs on veterans by Uncle Sam. Moreover, this center does not represent my interests and views as a veteran. </p>

<p>I'm wondering if others feel the same.</p>

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<p>Well, just attend the university on your own dime instead of Uncle Sam’s and then you won’t have to even identify on campus as a veteran and you can ignore everything related to the vet center. I believe more and more campuses will have these as more returning vets decide to attend school. To have an office dedicated to issues vets may encounter in all aspects, whether they struggle to learn academics and need help, or are dealing with PTSD stuff as well and need to talk, or handle a professor due to missing classes…whatever. Reg students have to wait in lines, vets will get special services. You don’t like it, but maybe some will. I also wouldn’t be surprised if these offices are subsidized by the government.</p>

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<p>teachandmom, </p>

<p>I should have clarified in my original post that I was looking for a response from other vets.
So you agree with the idea of a vets center in premise? I do as well, but I think that this center does not represent that, unless it is funded privately and without involvement of the government. Further, the establishment of a center should be a decision of veterans on campus, NOT someone off-campus trying to coop the presence of veterans on campus.</p>

<p>Again, I want to emphasize that the services offered by this vet center, at-least on my campus- are basically ones of referral. There are no services that this center provides that are not already covered by other departments on campus, of which vets will be sent to without any head of line privilege implied. With that said, college vets aren’t stupid- they know when and where to get help if they need it. Thus, I still don’t think this center makes any sense. So as a vet, I’m wondering if there is an agenda other than this notion of vet “services” at work here. </p>

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<p>Firstly, the money that I’m paying the school with is not Uncle Sam’s anymore. It was earned through pay deductions, and my blood and sweat over the last six years. Unfortunately the feds like to see themselves as a bank which selectively withdrawals the benefits, and this leads to the common notion that “the government is paying for your education”. Money is a tool of implicit control, however, not everyone’s thoughts and beliefs can be steered by it.</p>

<p>Second, I can’t avoid identifying as a veteran. Believe it or not, some of us vets do have enough brain cells and integrity to remember who we are, who we worked for, and what we did to get to this point. Values and beliefs can’t be bought and sold.</p>

<p>So, some might argue other possible responses to this phenomenon- either get involved with a center, or to protest and petition against it. However I fear the agenda behind some of these centers may actually be furthered by any possible meat-space engagement. So I want to continue to gather opinions, from actual vets, about these centers through an online medium such as this.</p>

<p>Veterans, please respond. I know you’re out there.</p>

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<p>Just wanted to throw out there that after a brief search online, I couldn’t find a college or university that does NOT have some sort of Veteran’s Affairs office or Resource Center, etc. They all say they are there to help meet the unique needs of vets trying to transition to school, who might have families, be older, etc.
It sounds like you are suspicious of our government’s involvement in these centers. You say you are still proud to have served, but that suspicion just doesn’t sound like pride and confidence in our government. I hope you can get that back; seems like a huge, sad thing for a vet to lose.</p>

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<p>Considering some of the stuff the government makes our vets do, it’s not surprising.</p>

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<p>The veterans center has been around for a long time at my school, but it’s not just for veterans, but also for transfer students and re-entry students (hence the name Transfer-Re-Entry-Veterans Center).</p>

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<p>I really don’t think this is anything new, most, if not all colleges have Veterans Centers.</p>