Benefits and Mentoring Available to Veteran Students

Hudson Valley has come up with another way to help with the transition from soldier to student.
Last fall the Committee of Military and Veteran Affairs opened up the Armed Forces Study Room on the second floor of the Marvin Library.
The Armed Forces Study Room and the Veteran Mentor program give student veterans a place to study while also making it possible to meet other veterans.
In 2011, Hudson Valley was named a “Military-Friendly” school by G.I. Jobs.
In an effort to continue aiding student veterans, the Veteran Mentor program was started up during the spring 2013 semester.
The Veteran Mentor program is designed to help active duty, reserve and veteran students connect with all the services that are available on campus. Family members of those who are utilizing military benefits are also eligible.
“We really hit a home run,” said Karen Ferrer-Muniz, Associate Dean and member of the Committee of Military and Veteran Affairs. “We think veterans relate to their peers better and it makes them feel that the campus is supportive of them.”
“We try and reach out to enrolled students as well as incoming freshman by emailing them or calling them and just simply saying, ‘Hey, we are here,’” said Ferrer-Muniz.
Student veterans of all branches have the option of speaking with a mentor that is available to help them with any issue or concern they may have.
“We wanted to include every branch [whether students are veterans, in the reserves or active duty] so we could cater to every student veteran’s particular needs,” said Aaron Nooney from the Center for Academic Engagement.
“We would like to see more involvement of student veterans in the [Center for Academic Engagement] office,” said Nooney. “We want to be able to encourage them to come here and connect with the veteran mentors we have so they can discover the services we provide, and just to check in and see how they’re doing.”
For more information on the Veteran Mentor Program, visit the Center for Academic Engagement located in room 230 of the Siek Campus Center.

Author: Raleigh Powell