The Daily Athenaeum
VETERANS DAY EDITION
2013
2 | VETERANS DAY
THE DAILY ATHENAEUM
MONDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2013
WVU named military-friendly campus BY JACOB BOJESSON STAFF WRITER DAILYATHENAEUM
West Virginia University currently serves as a temporary home to more than 800 veterans, military personnel and their dependents. GI Jobs magazine has named WVU a Military Friendly School for the fifth consecutive year. “I guess the definition (is) how (a university) cares about their student veterans’ dependents and service members on a daily basis, defines how well or not a military friendly institution will be,” said Jerry McCarthy, WVU interim veterans advocate. “I would simply say that we offer the opportunities for success through education for somebody who’s served or is currently serving in the military.”
WVU began to offer special services for veterans in 2004 and is today ranked as the No. 18 “Best for Vets” college by Military Times. With hundreds of veteran students enrolled, WVU continually strives to expand the programs and services it offers. Just in the past year, close to 20 new projects and services have been introduced, including classes designed specifically for veterans in English and math. “It’s not about having a building that has bling on it, because then you have a building but you don’t have anything that goes with it,” McCarthy said. “The most important thing is to have good programs and services first. It’s hard for me to say what programs stick out the most and defines us to be military friendly be-
cause it’s not just one, it’s a combination of most.” Many departments on campus have joined the Yellow Ribbon program in the last year. The program is an extension of the 9/11 GI Bill that pays all in-state tuition and fees at public colleges and universities for eligible students. This is the second year the University has offered the Yellow Ribbon program to out-of-state graduate students. In order to continually improve the WVU experience for veterans, McCarthy and his colleagues are working on several new projects. McCarthy is writing a proposal to legislators to bring the Veterans Upward Bound program to campus. The program helps students academically by providing on-campus assistance in math and science classes
to student veterans during their first semester. “This won’t solve everybody’s problems, but it will move VUB into 2013, and it’s no added money,” McCarthy said. “Nobody at any institution has that idea. It’s fresh, it’s brand new, and it’s beautiful.” Te r re n c e Mo n ro e, an engineering student and member of the National Guard, sought assistance from the WVU Veteran Affairs office for the first time in September and said he approved of the military friendly label. “I think the school is doing a great job granted that I’ve run into some issues,” Monroe said. “As far as the veteran affairs office goes, this is my first experience ,and it’s been really good.” danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu
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Freshman Air Force ROTC cadets practice drills early in the morning earlier this semester.
What’s Inside
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WVU’s Yellow Ribbon Program helps vets offset tuition costs.
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USAA has named Morgantown one of the best small-sized cities to live for veterans seeking jobs.
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MONDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2013
Yellow ribbon program helps relieve vets’ tuition costs BY MEGHAN BONOMO STAFF WRITER DAILYATHENAEUM
The Yellow Ribbon Program aids veterans financially by helping to relieve the cost of higher education. For several years, West Virginia University has participated in the Post9/11 GI Bill Yellow Ribbon Program on the undergraduate level and, more recently, has started offering graduate level programs. The Post-9/11 GI Bill pays all resident tuition and fees for public school eligible students. Jerry McCarthy, the interim veterans advocate at WVU, said the benefits of the Yellow Ribbon Program are a huge help to veterans. “The Yellow Ribbon Program is designed to assist in deferring the cost of tuition and fees,” McCarthy said. “It really helps to pay the difference be-
tween in-state and out-ofstate tuition.” WVU has agreed to waive up to 50 percent of this difference, and the Veterans Administration under the program will match directly. “West Virginia has a law, so it’s not a WVU thing at the undergraduate level. In 2009, when the Yellow Ribbon became a program through the VA, West Virginia passed a law that said all institutions in the state of West Virginia that take in VA educational dollars have to be a Yellow Ribbon Program participant at the maximum allowable contribution, which is 50 percent of the difference,” McCarthy said. The goal McCarthy is striving for is to have all schools and colleges within WVU to offer Yellow Ribbon for graduate programs in a three-year time period. “It really removes the barriers between world-
class education and an opportunity to take advantage of that. We don’t want to put that barrier up,” McCarthy said. “By doing that, we gain a student who is going to be using his (or her) GI Bill benefits, so it does pay the school at the same time it does pay the community.” There are currently six GI Bill chapters at WVU, and veterans can use it themselves or pass it on to a one of their dependents. Veterans must also be 100 percent eligible for the program, which is gained after 36 months of service. The program not only helps veterans, but the University gains students and provides them with many other programs and services that create a military-friendly environment on campus. “We do the same thing for everyone, whether it’s a dependent or whether it’s a service member,” McCarthy said. “We re-
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Freshman Air Force ROTC cadets practice drills early in the morning in the Stansbury Hall gymnasium before the start of their normal classes for the day.
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ally don’t differentiate, whether it’s a social function (or) an academic function. You know, everybody’s a family so you have to include everyone in that family.” Students do not have to apply to take advantage of the Yellow Ribbon Program. “Student veterans bring a unique character, integrity and life experience to campus,” McCarthy said. “It adds both a voice and perspective in exploring where theory and practice intersect, the importance of intercultural collaboration and how to create a fair and just society grounded in real world experience.” For more information on the Yellow Ribbon Program and other veteran programs and support, visit http://wvuveterans.wvu.edu.
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MONDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2013
VETERAN SPOTLIGHT
Marines to Morgantown BY ALEXIS RANDOLPH
ployment, Tannenbaum served with the Combat Logistics Battalion 2 as convoys in southern Afghanistan. The convoys drove supplies all over the southern part of Afghanistan, and it was there where Tannenbaum applied to West Virginia University. “Me and my roommate were together in Afghanistan and applied together,” he said. “Once we got out, we came to visit a friend here in Morgantown and really liked it.” Tannenbaum is currently a first-year business student at WVU, and he hopes to have a career involved with the stock market after graduation. He said he feels WVU does a good job with being a veteran-friendly school. “They help out with Veterans Club and everything, and I heard they are working on a Veterans Center now, so I’d say it is a pretty friendly campus,” Tannenbaum said. “It is a really good thing to recognize people who have
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A l e c Ta n n e n b au m, a 23-year-old veteran, served four years as a United States Marine Corps member from 2009-13. Tannenbaum, a Newburgh, N.Y., native, joined the Marines after one semester of college. Tannenbaum worked as an electrician within the Marines and served in Japan from 2009-11 in areas that were affected by a tsunami that hit the Japanese coast. While in Japan, Tannenbaum took advantage of the country had to offer. “It was very culturally different. They are very old school but very nice people. I had a lot of fun there,” Tannenbaum said. After his time in Japan, Tannenbaum came home and was sent to North Carolina to train for deployment in Afghanistan. After training, he was deployed from July 2012 to February 2013. During his de-
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served.” Tannenbaum was also honored at the first Mountaineer football game this season and will be honored at the football game Saturday against Texas. Tannenbaum’s family has a history of service to their country. His father served as a New York Police Department officer for 20 years, and Tannenbaum’s grandfather is a World War II veteran. Growing up, Tannenbaum did not give the military or the Marines a lot of thought. Tannenbaum said he feels satisfied by the job he has done for his country. “It’s a good accomplishment,” he said. “I got to actually go to Afghanistan, which is the reason everyone was joining at the time.” While Tannenbaum said he feels his time with the militar y is done, he would also go back and do it all over again.
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MONDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2013
USAA names Morgantown ‘Best Place for Veterans: Jobs’ BY SUMMER RATCLIFF CITY EDITOR SUMMERRATCLIFF
Military veterans in the Morgantown, W.Va. area who are looking to begin the civilian chapter of their lives are in the right place, according to USAA’s “Best Places for Veterans: Jobs” list. USAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our He-
roes program recently announced the top 10 best places for veterans to find jobs list. On this list, Morgantown earned the No. 5 ranking among small metro areas with populations less than 175,000. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for veterans under the age of 25 is almost 20 percent, and overall veteran unemployment is two percent higher than the
national average. To help veterans pinpoint the places offering the most opportunities for employment, the study evaluated several key job market indicators such as the top industries employing post-9/11 veterans, unemployment rates and recent job growth across 379 metro areas. The study also factored in access to healthcare and higher education. “Ranking No. 5 in the
top 10 is significant, and it demonstrates that the folks within West Virginia and specifically in Morgantown recognize the value that Veterans bring,” said Eric Engquist, executive director for USAA military assistance programs. “It also reflects highly on the economy of the local area.” Engquist said the fact that Morgantown has several thriving industries such as education, health services,
retail and trade, transportation, utilities, leisure and hospitality helped place it so high on the list. When separating from the military, service members can make the transition easier by planning sooner for the drastic changes. “USAA recommends service members begin planning for separation 18-24 months prior to the date to ensure they have adequate time to do everything nec-
essary,” Engquist said. “Including looking for where they want to settle ultimately and where the best prospects are for them to find employment after the separation.” Veterans can access this list and other tools to help work through their separation, including checklists and assessments, by visiting http://usaa.com/bestplaces. summer.ratcliff@mail.wvu.edu
WVU pushes W.Va. legislation to allow vets priority registration BY HILARY KINNEY STAFF WRITER DAILYATHENAEUM
During every registration period, West Virginia University students compete to get in the courses they need to complete their degree. Some students, such as Honors students and student athletes, have the advantage of priority registration, which allows them to schedule for classes first. For more than a year, individuals at WVU have been pushing to grant student veterans the opportu-
nity to receive priority registration for a number of reasons. “We noticed that it’s extremely difficult for a veteran student, even for any student, to graduate on a four-year timeline,” said Daniel Alexander, veteran and president of the Veterans group on campus. “Veteran students who come to school on the Post 9/11 GI Bill only receive payment for eight semesters of tuition for a four year degree.” Priority registration would allow student veterans to complete their
GI Bill paperwork more quickly in order to receive their payments. However, reason enough for priority registration is the fact that veterans may have more courses to complete for their degrees. “They are set back in the basics of English and math, from being out of school for so long,” Alexander said. “If you’re starting in remedial math and need up to Math 150 for your degree, that’s up to two or two and a half years, if you can get into the classes.” Last fall, a petition was
started at WVU to grant veterans this benefit. More than 2,700 signatures were collected. During the 2012 winter break, the formal petition was submitted to the registrar, but no formal response approving or denying the petition was made from the Registrar’s Office. After the petition attempt, the veterans group met with Monongalia County legislator Barbara Evans Fleischauer to discuss the various issues student veterans were facing pursuing higher education.
They developed House Bill 2490, which was introduced in the House this spring and passed. The language describes that “Priority registration shall be granted to veterans where appropriate.” Since then, no one has defined what “where appropriate” means, and veterans have not yet been granted priority registration. Alexander said that veterans who have received priority registration have had to work with the WVU Office of Accessibility Services
“It’s almost embarrassing that they have to do this to get priority registration,” Alexander said. In the future the group plans to gain veterans the benefit of receiving in-state tuition as well as finding a home base for all of the veterans resources on campus. A new website is currently in the works. To keep updated on these issues, information will soon be able to be accessed at http://veteranswvu.com. danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu
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Living a dream
VETERAN SPOTLIGHT BY SUMMER RATCLIFF CITY EDITOR SUMMERRATCLIFF
From the age of six, Josh Henderson, a political science doctoral student at West Virginia University, said he can’t remember a time he did not dream of serving in the military. When Henderson’s halfbrother returned home after serving in Desert Storm he began to want to serve in a similar capacity. If he hadn’t decided to join the military, Henderson said he would have felt as if he hadn’t lived up to the model his brother had displayed. “He’d been a tank driver and it looked like the coolest job in the world to a young boy,” Henderson said. “He was big and strong and got to wear an Army uniform and all of these things became indelibly etched upon my mind. Serving in the military became both a dream and a stepping stone necessary to me viewing myself as a man.” Henderson served in the Army National Guard for six years, including a one -and-a-half -year active duty stint in the U.S. Army.
During his active duty time, Henderson was deployed to Kuwait from 2010-11, where he was a security forces member tasked with defending a secured facility on the Persian Gulf in support of Operation New Dawn. Throughout his yearlong deployment, Henderson said the challenge of leaving home for an extended period of time put a strain on the relationships he had with family and long-term friends.
“They didn’t understand how hard it really is to pack up and leave your life on hold for a year,” he said. “When I came back home, things hadn’t stayed paused. Everyone was in a different place compared to when I’d left and I was expected to just jump back in without a second’s hesitation.” Prior to his time in the military, Henderson was a self-proclaimed introverted “book nerd” and was frequently uncomfort-
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able in social situations. The military training and increased self-respect Henderson received from his military time made a distinct difference in his life. W h i l e much of military training is combat-oriented, Henderson said SUBMITTED the problem solving skills learned during his military experience is a well he draws from on a daily basis. “The confidence gained from combat training, armed and unarmed, transfers over to other aspects of my life every day,” he said. “I don’t know any other organization that presses leadership roles on young people so quickly. My experiences leading soldiers are the only reason I can go and teach a class of undergraduates confidently.”
In addition to the problem-solving skills, Henderson said his military service also helped him learn to look past small, petty issues that arise in his dayto-day life. He said the time he spent overseas taught him to look more globally and to expand his horizons regarding news and daily events. In the fall of 2011, just 10 days after Henderson returned from his time stationed overseas he came back to WVU to finish his education. Since his return, Henderson has finished a master’s degree and has moved on to earning a Ph.D. in political science. He is also currently teaching an undergraduate course in the political science department. During his time at WVU he has changed his research trajectory. He has become fascinated by national security issues and the conduct of counterinsurgency warfare. In the future, Henderson said he wishes to go back into the military as an intelligence officer. “I miss the challenge and camaraderie that are uniquely available in the
military,” he said. Henderson said his advice to young people considering military service is to join because nothing will ever fulfill the desire aside from joining and serving. The military, like any organization, has problems, but Henderson said the culture, challenges and opportunities it presents are well worth any difficulties that may arise. B e f o re He n d e r s o n moves on to the next chapter in his life, he said he wants to help the Veterans of WVU as much as possible. “(Prior to leaving) the University I want to do as much work with the Veterans of WVU as I can to improve on-campus conditions for veterans,” he said. “If you’ve served, please get active within the WVU Veterans community. It might not replace your old brothers-in-arms, but it’s the closest you’ll find here. “We do a lot of work for all veterans on this c a m p u s, but w e’ re only as strong as our membership.” summer.ratcliff@mail.wvu.edu
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Adventure WV offers vets program VETERAN SPOTLIGHT BY LAURA HAIGHT STAFF WRITER DAILYATHENAEUM
The Adventure West Virginia Veterans Program provides outdoor activities and trips exclusive to those individuals who have served for the United States Military. Veterans can get away from their hectic student lives through Adventure WV’s veteran specific opportunities including orientation trips, whitewater excursions, canopy tours and spring break trips. Nathan Harlan, associate director of Adventure West Virginia, said the trips are catered towards the background the veterans have come from. “We know that veterans are coming from a different place, different set of life experiences, and they have a different needs essentially because of that,” Harlan said. “They’re coming from a very different culture and have a certain set of life experiences that you need to validate and understand before you’re going to be successful working with them.” The orientation trips are modeled after the freshman orientation trips, but the trips are specific to veterans, and the leaders understand their participants aren’t coming straight from
high school. “Some of them have been in some pretty intense situations maybe overseas,” he said. “Even if they’ve served stateside they’ve been in places of responsibility and have had a job to do, which is all a lot more than can be said for most 18 year olds.” The Boeing Company and other grants subsidize the trip completely for veterans, so the trip is always free. “This is fun stuff and gets veterans out and gets them engaged in something that’s healthy and positive while they learn a new skill,” Harlan said. “Also, it’s a way to say thanks for their service.” Harlan said there are more veterans on campus than the program has worked with, so Adventure WV is trying to contact veterans more efficiently to inform them of these free opportunities. “Typically we have a shortage of vets, not a shortage of spots on the trip,” he said. Peter Allen, a first-year WVU student and veteran, participated on the fall break trip for veterans. “It helped teach me about programs that help veterans in school,” Allen said. “It gave me a group of people to connect with.” Allen served for a total of four years in the mili-
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tary and served in Afghanistan for one year. He said he’s had to adjust from being constantly with the same close knit group of people to being on his own in a large university. “It’s tough because I got used to a certain regiment every single day that I had to do for four years straight,” Allen said. “Someone did the thinking for me all the time. I had to make myself not think because if I did, I was wrong. “Now I’m out in the world where I have to think for myself, so I’m trying to learn how to think for myself again.” Harlan was one of Allen’s leaders on the trip and they still stay in contact by rock climbing every Thursday. Allen said he has found support in their friendship and in the connections from the trip. “It’s one of those programs where they work with the veterans to show them that there are people out there who care about helping us adjust,” Allen said. Adventure WV Veterans’ next opportunity will be Kayak Roll sessions at the start of the spring semester leading up to their spring break trip. danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu
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‘PRIDE’
BY ALYSSA PLUCHINO STAFF WRITER DAILYATHENAEUM
This week, citizens across the United States will celebrate the lives of brave individuals who risk their lives to serve this country. West Virginia University honors the students who have served in the military. Laura Jones is a 25-year-old Criminology student from McLean, Va., who served in the United States Marines for five years. During her time spent with the Marines, Jones served in Okinawa, Japan and Camp Pendleton, Ca. Jones comes from a long line of military veterans, and she was inspired by her grandfathers and godfather who served in the United States Navy and Air Force. From a young age, Jones knew she wanted to serve in the Marines and chose to achieve her goal by enlisting at the age of 19. “I chose the Marines because of the pride associated with it and the rigorous training and high expectations associated with that pride. I especially liked how few female Marines there are and that we go through the same boot camp as the men and that we are held to the same expectations as the male Marines,” Jones said. While serving, Jones was an Intelligence Ana-
lyst, which entails analyzing and assessing enemy threats. She also worked with encrypted radios. When Jones was stationed in the Philippines, she worked with the Safety Team and also overlooked the gas chambers the Marines put the Philippine Airmen through so they could be certified. “(My) best moment was when we were handed our Eagle Globe and Anchors at the end of ‘The Crucible,’ the final test in boot camp. I had a severe stress fracture in my leg and made it the whole way through boot camp without once going to medical,” Jones said. “I was determined to graduate, and I didn’t care what happened as long as I graduated.”
Jones admits that being a female in a male dominated work force was at times challenging, but accredits her service with the Marines to her becoming the driven, strong and passionate young woman seen today. Jones said she encourages anyone who is considering enlisting to really think long and hard SUBMITTED about their future and what they want to gain from it. “If you think that you might want to serve, don’t let family, friends or self-doubt deter you from serving your country,” Jones said. “You never know what you can do until you actually do it.” After graduation, Jones plans to become a Civilian Victims Rights Advocate for the USMC and work with Marines who have been sexually assaulted. Jones believes that her background with the service and knowledge of how the system works will ensure the Marines receive the top-notch care they deserve. danewsroom@mail.wvu.edu
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