VETERANS DAY EDITION The Daily Athenaeum November 11, 2014
THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
2 | VETERANS DAY
Tuesday November 11, 2014
Remember our PAGE 4 vets every day Female veterans important to WVU community
While West Virginia University is considered a military-friendly school, Anita Mayer, director of the Office of Transitional Programs, recognizes there is still much to be done for its veteran students, particularly those who are female. “We realized that we were offering all of these services, but that women needed different services,” Mayer said. “One would think that would be an innate sort of thought, but it wasn’t for us. We were doing the exact same thing that everybody does, which was automatically picturing a male when thinking about a veteran.”
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Night club Boomers hosts Patriot Glow Party
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by jake jarvis managing editor @jakejarviswvu
It’s that time of year again. Each year, on Veterans Day, the staff of The Daily Athenaeum looks forward to crafting our annual Veterans Day Tab. It’s always a joy to learn about the many opportunities West Virginia University has to offer to the countless student veterans that attend this institution. I came to WVU dragging my feet. I hoped to attend a different University, but fate dealt me a different hand. Originally I resented my institution. I slowly grew to have a strong sense of pride for it. I saw the many wonderful degrees students could pursue, the active
group of student organizations and a committed faculty that advised me to push myself beyond what I thought was possible. Needless to say, my blood changed from red to old Gold and Blue. When “Take Me Home (Country Roads)” plays, I can’t help but scream it at the top of my lungs — no matter where I am. Su p e r ma rke t ? O K . Maybe I whistle it there. What I didn’t expect to grow to love about this institution was its commitment to veterans. Unlike many, I never had the direct impact of a veteran in my life. None of my grandparents or parents served our country. Still, in elementary, middle and high school, I learned all about the sacrifice that serving in the armed forces requires.
I was struck one day when i learned that a coworker of mine served in the armed forces. It all became real to me. I immediately had a deeper respect and admiration for veterans. While we might not always agree on the war we fight, I think it’s safe to say we always appreciate those willing to lay down their lives for the freedom of United States citizens. As we’ve been creating this special edition over the last week, the entire staff of The Daily Athenaeum has done its best to match the excellence that veterans exemplify. Though Veterans Day is once a year, let’s all remember the few, the proud and the brave who serve. jajarvis@mix.wvu.edu
New Morgantown nightclub Boomers is stepping into the downtown nightlife scene by making a positive impact and hosting a series of charity events throughout the year. The Patriot Glow Party will help raise money for a veterans lounge and the future fundraising and operations of the West Virginia University Veterans Club. Boomers’ target goal is $3,500.
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RBA program offers degree flexibility for student veterans at WVU Unlike typical bachelor’s degrees, the Regents Bachelor of Arts degree allows students to receive college credit for experiences outside of the traditional classroom. For student veterans, the West Virginia University RBA program serves as an innovative, flexible opportunity to count the skills attained in a veteran’s service toward a college degree.
Tuesday November 11, 2014
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VETERANS DAY | 3
Yellow ribbon program benefits veterans at WVU by rachel mcbride staff writer @dailyathenaeum
West Virginia University implemented the Yellow Ribbon Program, a bill that helps veterans afford the costs incurred while attending college, for student veterans at the graduate level. Since 2009, veterans who have served on active duty for 36 months have been eligible for monetary assistance at the undergraduate level through the Yellow Ribbon Program. The program is a product of the 9/11 GI Bill. Now, veterans who want to use the assistance to continue their education at a graduate level are able to do so. Some of the costs the program helps cover are tuition and money for textbooks. The financial assistance also helps ensure veterans receive the best education possible. Almost 300 veterans at WVU qualify for the Yellow Ribbon Program. The main concept behind the program is for WVU to make up the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition. The West Virginia state law declares 50 percent of the difference between instate and outof-state tuition must be
matched by the Veterans Affairs. This helps ensure that as little to no cost at all is placed upon veterans attending college. “This is important because it shows how much we care about those that serve,” said Jerry McCarthy, the director of WVU Veterans Affairs. The process of convincing all colleges to join the program at a graduate level was a long, but successful process, he said.
ful for the Yellow Ribbon Program. “It’s all about offering them (the veterans) an opportunity to be a student at WVU,” McCarthy said. When asked about the program, many students responded positively, expressing a desire to support and help those who have helped by serving the country. “It’s definitely a good thing. They fought for our country. They should be able to go to school,” said Josh McGrath, a senior at WVU. Sophomore Morgan Spolarich felt the same way. “I think it’s a good idea,” she said. “If they are willing to serve us, they should be able to come to school. They sacrificed years.” Although each WVU college will decide individually whether to continue the Yellow Ribbon Program each year, McCarthy is confident the program will be present in future years.
“ This is important because it shows how much we care about those that serve ” “It took three years to get everyone on it. This year was the biggest push,” McCarthy said. The schools within WVU had considerations to take into account. This included the number of students they could allow into their programs, while calculating how much revenue would be lost. Regardless of the few cons that were present, every college at WVU was on board with the idea, and the end result was success-
danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu
Visit WVU’s VA Program & the Yellow Ribbon program’s website — http://wvutoday.wvu. edu/n/2014/08/18/all-schools-and-colleges-atwvu-to-participate-in-yellowribbon-program
The Adult Toy Boxxx Thank You Veterans Located on Hartman Run Rd. Between the Mileground & Sabraton Off-street parking
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HOURS: Mon-Fri 12pm- 12am Sat 7PM- 12am
(304)-296-3428
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4 | VETERANS DAY
Tuesday November 11, 2014
Female veterans important to WVU community by lauren caccamo correspondent @dailyathenaeum
While West Virginia University is considered a military-friendly school, Anita Mayer, director of the Office of Transitional Programs, recognizes there is still much to be done for its veteran students, particularly those who are female. “We realized that we were offering all of these services, but that women needed different services,” Mayer said. “One would think that would be an innate sort of thought, but it wasn’t for us. We were doing the exact same thing
that everybody does, which was automatically picturing a male when thinking about a veteran.” Through an up-and-coming initiative, Women Veterans United, Mayer said she hopes to encourage female veterans to identify themselves and network with each other in order to facilitate their transition through higher education, and to support each other through day-to-day challenges. “We’re trying to give female veterans a voice,” Mayer said. “The men are doing quite well. They’re organized, they meet regularly, and they’ve done some fan-
tastic fundraisers. They’ve taken ownership of that. But women and men are different. The women are finding it difficult to find one another on campus, thus, making it difficult to possibly fit in. So we want to give them a voice. We want to give them each other.” Laura Jones, 26, expressed similar observations from her experiences as a student veteran at WVU. “Female veterans are less likely to go to an area where male veterans meet,” Jones said. “It’s not necessarily that those male veterans are the problem, it’s just that we have such negative expe-
Thank You Veterans!
@W @ @WVUVeterans W wvuveterans.wvu.edu
riences in the military with our male counterparts that they don’t want to be around them anymore.” After being stationed in both Japan and California, Jones transferred to WVU last school year and joined Veterans of WVU, an organization on campus that supports all student veterans and provides them social opportunities. Being the only female in the group, Jones was drawn to Women Veterans United initiative in hopes of reaching out to students more like her. “The experience has given me a lot more stability at school. I came here not really remembering anything from high school or not really having a way to connect with the students younger than me because I’m so much older than most,” Jones said. “But it’s also given me an opportu-
nity to have some social support. I’ve made some really great friends—female veteran friends—and we spend most of our time together, and that’s been a God-send.” Currently, WVU offers all student veterans numerous opportunities and benefits, such as free tutoring, free counseling, and a veteransonly “adventure” through the Adventure West Virginia program. Jones said she believes that many female student veterans may be unaware of the programs and funding dedicated to veterans. “There’s so much valuable information that would really help in college, and that’s why this initiative is so important,” she said. Because student veterans are often unidentifiable without coming forward, Mayer says the University is taking
steps to prepare incoming faculty to handle challenges they often face in the classroom. She also called on students to take similar steps to support Veterans. “This generation of students whose parents opted for a war, those men and women who opted on their own to fight, are your brothers and sisters,” she said. “It’s really your generation. So, we need students that are not veterans to rally for veterans, to recognize veterans.” Mayer suggested non-veteran students who wish to get more involved should attend events Women Veterans United sponsors to gain a better understanding of what challenges female student veterans face and to become friendly with veterans themselves. danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu
WVU Libraries are investing in student veteran success. You supported us, now we support you.
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Tuesday November 11, 2014
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veterans day | 5
New night club Boomers hosts Patriot Glow Party by alexa mcclennen correspondent @dailyathenaeum
New Morgantown nightclub Boomers is stepping into the downtown nightlife scene by making a positive impact and hosting a series of charity events throughout the year. The Patriot Glow Party will help raise money for a veterans lounge and the future fundraising and operations of the West Virginia University Veterans Club. Boomers’ target goal is $3,500. “We want to do something Morgantown clubs haven’t really done before, and that’s raise continuous money for charity. Everyone is going to be going out on Friday anyways, (so) students might as well come to Boom-
twitter.com/boomerswv
ers for a good cause,” said Keith Kennedy, a Boomers Manager. “We want to give back to the veterans who have given so much to us.”
Cover is free for ladies until midnight, and there will be free cover all night for members of the military and their families with proof of service. Red,
white and blue shots will be $1, domestic bottles will be $2.50 and domestic drafts will be 50 cents. Donation buckets will also be passed around all night.
The event is sponsored by The Bank at 344 High St., Erock U and Anheuser-Busch. “It’s going to be a great night full of great people. We encourage all students to come,” Kennedy said. Boomers is located on 228 Walnut Street and has only been open for seven short weeks. Management’s goal is to take Morgantown nightlife and make it classier. “We want to make Boomers a friendly environment. We want to work with the community and offer students a safe and interactive place to hang out and party without the negative connotations that come with bars in downtown Morgantown,” Kennedy said. “We are a bar run by students for students.”
Management has completely remodeled the inside to make the area more accommodating. Senior public relations student Ryan Upperman has been to Boomers recently and liked the changes he saw. “I’ve been to Boomers a couple times and had a great time,” Upperman said. “It looks really different in there - they added an upstairs and added a bar, and there are couches along the walls now. There is a lot more space for people to walk around or dance. I definitely will go back there.” The first event, the 2014 Patriot Glow Party, will be held Thursday, Nov. 13 from 10 p.m. until close. danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu
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6 | VETERANS DAY
Tuesday November 11, 2014
University introduces new STEM program for vets
wvutoday.wvu.edu
by caroline peters staff writer @dailyathenaeum
West Virginia University has recently introduced a science, technology, engineering and math program for veterans seeking help with their studies. Also known as STEM, the tutoring program allows veterans to receive one-onone tutoring sessions in the subjects they may be struggling in. “The majority of veterans, service members and dependents who I have at WVU are pursuing a bachelor of science degree. As a result, many have not had math or chemistry for a while,” said Jerry McCarthy, the director of WVU Veterans Affairs. “They come into the University,
take the placement test, which places them into a math workshop. In order to get through their courses they need help because they haven’t taken math classes in years opposed to traditional college students.” The University was able to create the tutoring program after receiving a $15,000 grant from AT&T. The grant was able to fund the supplies, tutors and computers needed for the program to be a success. Rhea Sublett, a tutor serving the program said she has been able to help the veterans more than she had ever anticipated. “At first I would just help students in my classes with different homework problems,” Sublett said. “As time went on, I would help stu-
dents more and more, until I wasn’t just helping with homework – I was actually explaining concepts and helping people understand the class as a whole. When I can help someone transition from having a lot of trouble in a class to actually understanding the concepts and being able to work things out without my help, it is extremely gratifying. Most of the time, they just need someone to show them a new way to look at things.” Each tutor is allowed five hours a week to help the veterans with their studies. Sublett said the time she spends with each veteran varies. “Each session is unique, depending on who I’m tutoring and the subject. Sometimes I will go through
the book and pick out a few problems that I can help them work through,” Sublett said. “Other times they will bring in past assignments and I will help them understand what they got wrong and show them how to solve those problems in the future. Or they may just come in with a question on a certain topic and I will help them work through the topic until they feel comfortable with it.” Although the STEM program has been in effect for less than a semester, Adam Chandler, a tutor for the program, has seen some of the veterans improve in their classes. “With one of the veterans I am helping, I can clearly see their critical thinking become more oriented towards physics,”
Chandler said. “They have a much better grasp on laws such as conservation of energy and momentum and I can see how the connections between different ideas are connecting with one another.” Aside from the veterans, Chandler believes the tutors have something to gain from the program. “Tutoring gave me the opportunity to help others with their classes especially in their times of most need,” Chandler said. “Being able to help veterans is an added bonus as my father is a veteran himself and I can relate with them at least at that level.” The tutors may not be able to make the veterans receive a 4.0 this semester. However, the tutors have set aside goals for the vet-
erans they have been working with. “My goal is always for them to not need me anymore. In the end, I don’t just want my students to feel comfortable solving problems,” Sublett said. “I want them to feel confident enough in their abilities to help other students.” Chandler said he hopes to see all of the veterans succeed. “Seeing them truly understand the material and make the connections between equation and reality gives me a sense of accomplishment,” he said. “Overall, I’m happy just to see them learning and that I have the chance to help these wonderful people.” danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu
Tuesday November 11, 2014
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VETERANS DAY | 7
McKinley met with WVU student vets in August by jacob bojesson Editor-In-CHief @dailyathenaeum
Congressman David McKinley – W.Va. (R) visited West Virginia University Aug. 21 to meet with student veterans and get firsthand references on how veteran resources can be better utilized on college campuses. McKinley serves as the representative for West Virginia’s first district, which includes the city of Morgantown. Instead of researching and debating issues on Capitol Hill, McKinley said he wants to hear from the people affected by policy. “I will listen much more to veterans who have been on the ground, than listen to a bunch of politicians in Washington,” McKinley said. “I want to deal with people who really understand.” Many veterans pursuing a college education
struggle with the transition from deployment to enrollment, or as they described it themselves, “the lack of a transition.” McKinley said he believes the time away from the habit of being in school and taking classes is a major disadvantage many veterans face. “I think our veterans are in a different ball game,” McKinley said. “They have been away from school and an educational environment for four to five years.” Dan Alexander, a WVU senior and former president of the WVU Veterans Club who served in the Navy, suggested that more resources should be spent on the issue. “I would start the process a year before someone is due to get out of their service, where they meet with a counselor and let them know what their plans are,” Alexander said. “If it’s someone that’s looking to get out
McKinley meets with student vets. and start college then they push them towards resources that will help them before they get out. There is education at all the bases.” Lauren Bowen, a sophomore who served in the Marine Corps, said she wants to major in geology, but having to start with lower level classes in math and English
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will likely force her to stay at WVU past the four years covered by her GI Bill. “We spend years away from schooling and we don’t have time to do it when we are stationed places,” Bowen said. “I’m starting from scratch, I’m starting from the lowest level of math possible. I am going to use up
my GI Bill like that. What are we going to do after the four years once we’re out?” Another concern WVU student veterans voiced is the limited resources available to them on campus. WVU currently has 1,109 student veterans enrolled, with just two faculty members serving them.
Alexander said he believes WVU President Gordon Gee and former President Jim Clements have ignored the issue, while the state’s top politicians have tried to help them. “Barbara Fleischauer, Senator (Joe) Manchin and yourself (McKinley) coming in, have always fought tooth and nail for us,” Alexander said. “I’ve never met a president of this University. I’ve tried to set up appointments but I’ve never met President Clements and I’ve never met President Gee.” McKinley said he would try to reach out to Gee and investigate the possibility of opening a new resource center dedicated to student veterans. “We’ll get back to him and talk to him,” McKinley said. “This veteran resource center is a decision in space. Let me just try.” carl.bojesson@mail.wvu.edu
RBA program offers degree flexibility for student veterans by jennifer skinner staff writer @dailyathenaeum
Unlike typical bachelor’s degrees, the Regents Bachelor of Arts degree allows students to receive college credit for experiences outside of the traditional classroom. For student veterans, the West Virginia University RBA program serves as an innovative, flexible opportunity to count the skills attained in a veteran’s service toward a college degree. RBA students choose an area of emphasis or a minor along with their general requirements and college-equivalent credits from life experiences. These degrees aim to let adult students who may not be able to study on campus, may have family
obligations or may have unique demands or obstacles, earn a degree that leads into whatever next step students take, such as graduate school or work. The interim director for the RBA program, Kristi Wood-Turner knows that this type of degree is essential to and popular with student veterans. “It is really built with the intention of being a flexible degree. It is designed so that we can allow for credit from life skills and knowledge that they learned,” Wood-Turner said. “We can take a lot more of their military credits like standard awards than most degrees.” Since students who are returning from war rely on their GI bills for a limited time, they can graduate relatively quickly and
go on to work on their own when needed. “The average (length of the degree) is about two and a half years because they do get so many credits from their military experience and what else they might learn outside of the classroom,” Wood-Turner said. “We also don’t have any specific courses they have to take outside of Gen-Eds, so they can get them out a lot quicker. The faster we can get them through from an undergrad to a masters, the faster we can move them into getting paid.” Advisors serve as RBA students’ best friends because they help the students determine what they will need for their next step, such as graduate school. “The advisor helps them
all the way through, from finding some place to park downtown to scheduling math tutoring, from the time (students) enter to the time they walk across the stage and graduate,” Wood-Turner said. The RBA program offers graduate degrees with the College of Business and Economics and the Reed College of Media, while RBA graduates can also apply to medical school, law school or other graduate programs. As Wood-Turner explained, choosing between pursuing a four-year degree and an RBA degree depends on the student’s preference. “Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that they can come do a traditional degree on campus, or they need flexibility with the
RBA degree,” Wood-Turner said. “They’re both great foundational degrees to get to your next level; the difference is the way you get to your end rather than the things you’re learning.” The number of student veterans pursuing RBA degrees is increasing as the program markets more toward veterans across the state. “What I hear from veterans advocates is that (the program) has given them the opportunity to bring in credits from experiences they’ve already done. It also gives them the opportunity to be on campus if they want or take a semester off if they want,” WoodTurner said. “They’re always humble. They would feel like somebody is taking special care to what they’ve done and mak-
ing sure they’re getting all they can out of their experiences.” Because student veterans typically have a variety of learning experiences and needs, as well as a unique transition returning to school, the RBA program gives them the ability to be a student however they need or want to be. “I have never been more rewarded than seeing these students after all their years of hard work get to walk across that stage,” Wood-Turner said. “Veterans all have a lot of different personal needs. We’re looking to do more focus groups to see what else we can do in the future. The personal guidance has been really important.” danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu
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Tuesday November 11, 2014