YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – After seven years of active duty with the U.S. Air Force, Kendall Dingus decided to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering at Youngstown State University.
“I figured my experience working on the planes translates well to mechanical engineering, and YSU – I have always heard good things, plus it’s local and everything,” the Niles veteran says. “We’ve got family up the road too.”
In the service, he worked on planes’ radio and navigation systems, including several months in Djibouti in East Africa.
One of the first things he did upon arriving on campus was visit the Carl A. Nunziato Veterans Resource Center. Rick Williams, YSU associate director of veterans’ affairs, and Jeremy Firm, assistant director, told him how he could use his GI Bill and VA benefits and about other resources available to veterans on campus.
They also told him what to expect in his first semester on campus and about services at the veterans’ resource center.
“It’s a cool little spot here just to come hang out between classes and decompress,” Dingus adds.
The center includes a computer lab, a lounge area with games and offices where veterans may talk to staff. It’s also where the YSU Armed Forces Student Association meets.
Dingus adjusted to an environment that’s less structured than military life, learning to use his time between classes to study. He also had to accept that most of his classmates are several years younger than he is.
“Something that I’ve kind of realized recently is they were my subordinates in the military,” he says. “Now, they’re my peers, so just adjusting to that is a little odd.”
His professors have been helpful and understand that because he’s in the reserves, he’ll miss classes during the times he’s required to train.
Awareness Training
To help the campus community understand more about veteran students, Williams, the YSU associate director of veterans’ affairs, started Warrior Awareness training about five years ago. The training, conducted two to three times per semester, informs campus faculty, administrators and staff about military life and culture, the different branches of the service and some of the challenges veteran students face.
It also introduces a panel of student veterans whose members answer participants’ questions. Dingus was a panelist at a training in early October.
Williams, a U.S. Army veteran, modeled the program after one he attended in central Ohio.
“I’ve been doing it ever since up here, and it’s been a hit,” he says. “I’ve trained over 160 faculty and staff in our last five years, and I get a list now of all the new hires.”
He contacts them, encouraging them to attend. “I think most people feel they walk away having learned something and a better understanding of the veteran population,” Williams explains.
One of the things some on campus learn during the training is that some students will miss classes because of a deployment order or to fulfill their drill responsibility as a reservist, he says.
“And I think when they come here, they get appreciation for the fact that these students can’t control when that stuff happens, and it shouldn’t be held against them because they’re serving their country…,” Williams adds.
When a veteran or veteran family member comes to YSU, the admissions office informs them about the veterans’ affairs office.
“I help them apply. I explain their benefits to them,” Williams says.
He gathers information about each veteran and informs them about the benefits for which they’re eligible and how to apply for them. “Our main objective here is to maximize all the benefits that that student can use to help them out.”
Once a veteran is accepted to YSU, veterans’ affairs staff have an orientation session with them. If the vet doesn’t know what they want to study, staff talk to them to learn about their interests and suggest possible careers that align with them. They also may refer the student to career services.
There are 214 veterans enrolled at YSU – many online – and the average age is 33.
For those who attend classes in person, Williams advises them that they’ll have to get used to being older than most of their classmates. That’s the way college is. The majority of students are aged 18 to 23, he explains.
“And if that bothers you, you just have to get over that because when you go into the workforce, you’re going to be entering the workforce with all these 18- to 23-year-old kids,” Williams says.
After a veteran student is enrolled and understands their benefits, he wants to make sure they stay in school.
“Some of them haven’t had a math class since high school, and we want to make sure that we marry them up with the services on campus,” he says.
That includes the math and writing assistance centers as well as the Resch Academic Success Center. Sometimes though, military veterans resist taking advantage of those services out of rn about appearing weak.
“They’re used to being in the military and they’re given a mission, and they accomplish the mission,” Williams says.
He tries to show them that it’s not weak to ask for help. Rather, it demonstrates strength.
Veterans at Thiel
Veterans affairs staff at Thiel College in Greenville, Pa., help those students with the challenges of college from admissions to accessing benefits. For every aspect of campus services, there’s an entity geared toward supporting veterans, says Michael Mason, the college’s veterans’ liaison.
“From the very first steps in the admissions process, there’s a dedicated admissions counselor that specializes in recruiting not just veterans, but also military dependents,” he adds. “So, we serve both the veterans themselves and the dependents that have the ability to access some of the benefits from their parents.”
Mason helps them determine which funding sources apply to what to fund different aspects of their education.
Mental health counseling for veterans at Thiel is also available through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. A VA counselor from Butler, Pa., visits the campus.
There are 10 veterans enrolled, which is about the annual average. Thiel also provides a $1,000 per year scholarship for veteran students.
“As long as you’re enrolled in a full-time capacity, that’s just automatically granted, and that’s on top of any other VA funding, or state funding or military tuition assisted funding that you would receive,” Mason explains.
As veteran liaison, it’s his job to know the varied ways a veteran may need support, from dealing with a faculty member to transportation barriers.
“I’d say the best way to describe my role is kind of being like a first sergeant in a unit,” Mason explains. “It’s my job to make sure that everyone is being taken care of – they’re getting everything they need to be successful.”
And not every veteran is the same. One Thiel student is in his 60s and enrolled to sharpen his information technology skills. That person qualifies for a different channel of benefits than someone who’s been in the Army National Guard for a couple years.
“There is always an abundance of resources that are available, whether that’s at the state level, the local level, or simply going to a local VFW and saying, ‘Hey, this individual could use some money. Are you guys willing to donate to support this person?’” Mason explains. “It’s really trying to cover every single possible opportunity.”
He served for 21 years in the U.S. Army, completing four tours in Afghanistan and other countries. He’s also a quartermaster and on the board of directors of the Reynolds VFW, which helps him tap into resources for student veterans.
“It’s not always educational based support we give them,” Mason says.
A veteran student may need help to get home during the holidays or with car repairs.
“We just make sure that they’re not only being taken care of on the educational side of the house, but also their personal life and experiences,” he says.
Pictured at top: Kendall Dingus of Niles is in his first year as a Youngstown State University student after serving seven years in the U.S. Air Force.