Issue date: 1/30/09 Section: NEWS

Media Credit: Christena Jeremy Mixon, from the Veterans of Foreign Affairs, spoke at an orientation for veteran students Thursday night in the Syndicate. Mixon is on the board of directors in Denton. The event gave practical advice and encouragement to veterans on campus.

As veterans make the transition from military to civilian life, some may return to college to complete their education. Last night, NT's Student Activities Center hosted an orientation to provide information about benefits available to student veterans.

Representatives from Student Accounting, the Health and Wellness Center, the Learning Center, the Career Center, Dining Services and the Office of Disability Accommodation provided information to student veterans and guests.

"There aren't any services just for student veterans," Dean of Students Mona Hicks said.

She said she wants to change that for the more than 500 veterans who are NT students.

"It's my goal to develop a student veterans' center to help students get more acclimated," Hicks said.

She said that the center, which will be in the Student Activities Center, will not open until the fall semester so the office has a chance to get the center staffed with other student veterans.

"There will be a big push in the next couple years," Student Activities Coordinator Dantrayl Smith said. "We'll have an influx of veterans, and we hope to build a solid foundation for students so they can network and so they can feel welcome."

Hicks said students returning from Iraq or Afghanistan who are dealing with trauma could go to the counseling and testing services in Chestnut Hall.

"Those counselors are already properly trained to support special needs for veteran students who have already been deployed and are coming back," she said.

There are many problems that face veterans, human resources senior Harvey Spears said.

"At first it's more like a loss because in the military you have a very tight-knit community," he said. "We usually support each other and we're there for each other. When you first come out of the service you don't have too much of a support background other than your family, and a lot of service members that I've talked to, including myself, tend to miss that comradeship that we had."

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