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Campus Review
August 15, 2014
Students Vets Take a Challenge, Not a Break
by Siera Blasco
Veterans’ Services at Clayton State University
Clayton State University has a variety of
fruitful branches in its diverse community
of families, all of who support each other
by their common roots in the University.
One such facet is the veterans’ services at
Clayton State.
Clayton State’s programs are constantly in
a motion of progress, always assessing
and amending in how to best assist their
students. In the spring of 2014, Diana
Peters, administrative specialist and coor-
dinator for the Clayton State Center of
Academic Success, attended the
Deployment Psychology University
Counseling Center Core competency pro-
gram held at University of Georgia, where
universities from across the state gathered
and collaborated on how to better improve
their military support.
What Peters discovered was that a major-
ity of universities were in the “talking-
stage” of what Clayton State had already
accomplished.
For example, in the fall of 2013, Clayton
State held faculty training on assisting
veterans in their transition to campus life,
creating a solid backbone of support
throughout the University’s staff. For
more specific assistance, veterans are also
always given an open door to the
University’s Office of Counseling and
Psychological Services (CAPS).
One such veterans advocate in CAPS, and
a licensed psychologist, Dr. Sherri Allen,
has even created a group for female veter-
ans, “designed to further empower these
students via a supportive and confidential
environment.” A Supportive and
Encouraging Resource for Veteran
Empowerment, or S.E.R.V.E, was held
during the spring 2014 semester every
Monday in the CAPS Group Counseling
Room. Plans are to start-up S.E.R.V.E.
with the fall 2014 semester.
Veterans at Clayton State also have their
own Veterans Resource Center (VRC),
which consists of an area for the military
community of the University to hang out;
furnished with computers, printers, a
refrigerator, microwave, and a variety of
military publications and informational
brochures. In addition to free coffee and
often muffins and other pastries that the
military supporters or the military stu-
dents themselves provide, the environ-
ment is one that cultivates a culture of
openness and comradeship. Coaching for
academic success is also provided in the
Veterans Resource Center by appoint-
ment, to help students gain and maintain
organization, time management, and
study skills.
The VRC averages approximately 200
visits per month. In the month of April
2014 alone, there were a total of 295 vis-
its. With just more than 400 active mili-
tary and veterans attending at Clayton
State, it is clear that many find this
resource to be helpful.
Clayton State’s latest military support
accomplishment comes into effect this
summer, dictating that military-affiliated
students are granted priority registration,
due to Reserve and National Guard’s lim-
ited availability and veteran’s educational
benefits having a time limit.
While Clayton State has accomplished so
much, still the VRC’s Veteran’s Advisory
Instead of taking a break, student veterans
take on a challenge. At the end of this past
Spring Semester, a group of student veter-
ans completed the challenge course offered
by Clayton State University’s Department
of Recreation and Wellness, through its
Outdoor Adventures. The course presents
both physical and mental challenges that
promote team building. The event was
organized by the Clayton State Veteran’s
Resource Center and proved to be a big hit
with the participants.
The team maneuvered through tasks that
required agility and critical thinking. One
challenge required team members to pass
through netting without touching any part
of the apparatus and some parts of the net-
ting could be passed through only once.
Getting all members through presented
quite a challenge, but the team managed
to work together and complete the task.
Student veteran Kelly Bloom, a former
Air Force medic, drew upon her experi-
ence of transporting injured military per-
sonnel from the field. She devised a plan
to lift team members through areas of the
netting that were too high for individuals
to go through without assistance.
“I was so impressed at how quickly the
team assessed each challenge and devel-
oped a strategy to conquer it. It was obvi-
ous that their military training was kick-
ing in,” explains Tina Lake, Veteran’s
Resource Center coordinator.
Other tasks required team members to
have trust in one another in order to
accomplish the task.
Student veteran Kevin Nguyen, com-
ments, “the Clayton State challenge
course reminded me of the most important
lesson the Navy taught me, which is team-
work. It was really inspiring to see our
group of veterans apply that lesson and
complete the challenges faster than the
average student group.”
Staff members from Recreation and
Wellness facilitated the event and ensured
group members had clear instructions for
each task and that they were performed
safely.
“The event was a great way to end the
semester. I learned that the military mem-
bers’ pledge, ‘I got your back,’ remains in
effect even when they are no longer serv-
ing,” Lake observes.
“Outdoor Adventure greatly appreciated
the student veterans utilizing the chal-
Challenge, cont’d., p. 8
Veterans Services, cont’d., p. 8