“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle
Student Government of Loyola Chicago January 27th, 2015, 4:00 PM Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt MPR South, Damen Student Center, Lake Shore Campus Senate Minutes
1. Roll Call a. Call to order at 4:03pm 2. Visitors and Guest Speakers a. Anita Lumpkin: Veteran Students Discussion i. Sen Tsarouhis: Anita spoke about Veteran Student Affairs at a University Senate meeting. I spoke to her right away to talk about how to improve things for veteran students. Looking into three issues: UNIV101 can be demoralizing for veterans to take; serving country does not count as engaged learning requirement; and finding a space for veterans to hang out. Office is in the back of the tutoring center right now, size of a public bathroom. Something I’m very passionate about, believe that our veterans do deserve the best. ii. Anita: Coordinator for Veteran Student Services here at Loyola. New office that was started in August 2014, second semester here at the university. Role is threefold: help to transition our veteran students when they leave active duty into civilian life, try to walk with them through the admission advising process; helping them apply for VA benefits; work with campus resources to help veteran students increase and maintain their wellness; work to make our campus one that is inclusive and appreciative of veteran student experience. I’m a Loyola alum, MA in Education in 2011. iii. 149 veterans enrolled on campus, 50% of those are undergraduates. Average age is 29 years old at the undergraduate level. A lot of them have families, children, and responsibilities. 1. Sen Bosnich: We have a representative on the Engaged Learning committee. Anything else you hear from veterans about their experience? 1. Anita: A lot of barriers to that educational experience, regardless of what school they go to (not just at Loyola). Nursing school not taking transfers, no place for higher learning experience. How do we assess higher learning experiences that veterans have? How do we take the experiences they have had and make it meaningful in the higher ed perspective? Much larger conversation. At Loyola specifically, it just goes towards their elective credits, not really helping them progress towards a degree in any meaningful way. When someone joins the military, and someone calls you to serve your country, that changes people. Same goal we have for you through engaged learning. Makes you think about how you’re going to take this service and make the world a better place. 2. Sen Tsarouhis: How is the Wellness Center doing its job? 1. Anita: Wellness Center has been a pretty good advocate for my office and the veteran student population as a whole. Students in general only get about six appointments before they are asked to seek service elsewhere – not meant to be a long-term care-giving body. We have identified folks who are specialized for the specific types of traumas that veterans are most likely to have encountered. Also, there are resources with the VA, but veterans may not want to go to the VA for reasons you’ve heard on the news, I’m sure. We’ve identified some other resources outside the Wellness Center.