Serving service members: the USU Veterans Resource Office

Reaching academic success is a goal for any college student and campus resources play a key role in student achievement.

The Veterans Resource Office is one such resource at Utah State University that goes above and beyond to help service members and their families attain their goals. Located in room 314 of the Taggart Student Center, its primary function is to promote veteran student success.

“Everything we do is focused on breaking down the barriers which stand in the way of an individual earning their degree,” said Tony Flores, VRO Program Coordinator and veteran.

In 2009, former director of the USU Counseling Center Mary Doty identified that there was a strong need for veteran student services on campus. She formed a committee that established a resource center for veterans.

“I was hired in 2010 as the program’s coordinator,” Flores said. “We started out as a small program within the Access and Diversity Center. Around 2011 we were moved under the registrar’s office as a separate program working with veteran students.”

Since it’s installation, the VRO has developed several initiatives to assist these individuals in their academic and professional development.

“We are a one stop shop in helping veterans and their families get what they need within Utah State and the community,” Flores said. “First and foremost, we do all the processing of students’ GI Bill benefits. We are also heavily involved with programming.”

One program the VRO manages is tutoring services.

“It’s more conducive to individuals who are suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) or other issues,” Flores said. “We want students to complete their degree with success.”

The VRO also works closely with the community as an advocate for veterans.

“We do programming with the Cache Valley Veterans Association in an effort for community outreach,” Flores said.

The VRO partners with the VA (Veterans Benefit Administration) through a mentoring program under its VITAL (Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership) program,.

“We have mentors that reach out to student veterans to help them with their VA benefits as well as any health or physical, or mental health issue they may be facing,” Flores said.

Respecting and remembering fellow servicemen and women is a way in which the VRO is involved within the community every Veterans Day.

“We’re involved with several Veterans Day events,” Flores said. “This year we have a keynote speaker, Marianne Waldrop, a retired marine officer who will be speaking on Friday. We’ll also put out flags around the flagpole (next to Old Main) which represents all of the fallen of Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Creating a community for veterans on campus is also a large priority for the VRO.

“We have a student veterans club that is focused on building connections for, and between, veterans at USU,” Flores said.

The VRO also helps strengthen students’ connections with professors and advisors.

“We’re starting to work more with faculty to develop training for them to better communicate with veterans in the classroom,” Flores said. “When faculty members understand some of the things that veteran students may be dealing with, those students have more classroom success.”

There are many resources for former and current servicemen and women available through USU’s VRO. The employees and contributors to the VRO exemplify their motto to support these individuals as they pursue their academic, professional, and personal goals at USU.

—selinatramsey@aggiemail.usu.edu

@selinaramz