Student veterans make difficult transition, bring perspectives to campus

Fall brings the biggest batch of new students to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The freshmen, most straight out of high school, often start life on campus together and essentially start college as a collective.

For another group of new students, the transition to, or back to, college can be starkly different. The paths that lead student veterans to Madison are quite unique from those of other new students, and even from fellow veterans. And student life is marked by a whole other set of opportunities and challenges. Navigating the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, VA health care, VetEd grants and more, while balancing the weight of the semester’s coursework, can feel more like a perpetual walk up Bascom Hill than a walk in the park.

Here for student veterans in any stage of their transition, among a number of resources on campus, is the UW–Madison chapter of Vets for Vets. Advised by John Bechtol, assistant dean of students and expert in student veteran affairs, Vets for Vets serves a wealth of functions for student veterans.

According to Gerald Kapinos, Vets for Vets president and Midwest regional director of Student Veterans of America, the organization not only makes available education benefits and opportunities clear, but offers a camaraderie that individual veterans often have difficulty finding in large lecture halls filled with freshmen who are, so to speak, all in the same boat together.

Student veteran Paul Dolan says the experiences of veterans put them in a unique position entering college. “Student veterans have had different life experiences, and we’re already done discovering who we are so we can focus on the necessity of our education,” Dolan says. “Student veterans seem to have a much different outlook at school. They understand that there are many things you cannot learn from books. Sometimes you need to immerse yourself into whatever your trying to discover. Plus, we realize there are worse places you could be in this world, than in a lecture hall.”

“Vets for Vets is a great way to meet others on campus,” says new student and Army veteran Kristian Dipersio. After serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Dipersio returned to the United States in November and began at UW–Madison in January.

According to Dolan, meeting others on campus was key to adjusting to student life. “My transition to school was difficult at first. The college campus is very different from what I experienced in the Marines. However, Vets for Vets and other support groups were crucial for me to meet people who have already made the transition.”

For many student veterans, the desire to study at UW–Madison came long before they applied for admission. “Even as a child, I once dreamed of attending school in Madison, so it is an honor to have this opportunity,” says Dolan. He explains that many student veterans make use of the G.I. Bill and other opportunities to pursue their college goals, and they truly appreciate the value their education.

For Bobby Lange, the decision to join the Air Force was made with his future education in mind. After his father was hospitalized in 2005, Lange decided to financially support his own goals and looked to service as an opportunity to support his future.

For many, it was important to gain life experience before heading to college, and their experience serving helped prepare them for the demands of studying.

Student veteran Steve Noonan attended a UW System college right out of high school, but said he did not feel dedicated to his academic work. “The first week of basic training knocked that out of me,” Noonan says, describing how dedication and hard work are built into service training.

Dolan expressed having a similar experience, and says that training instilled a set of habits in him that carry through to college. “If you’re not 15 minutes early, you’re late,” Dolan says, and “failing to exceed expectations is not an option.” He adds that these ideas apply now to lectures and assignments as much as they did to training and service.

According to Kapinos, Dolan, Dipersio, Lange and Noonan, students and others on campus are more welcoming to veterans and are much more receptive to their perspectives than some of them anticipated.

“Other students are more understanding and more open to me sharing my experiences than trying to tell me what is right or wrong about the situation that they may not understand like those who have been there,” Dipersio says, describing how classmates take an interest in his perspective as an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran. A psychology major, Dipersio brings experience with Army human intelligence and interrogation to the classroom, making his contributions to discussions uniquely beneficial.

Kapinos expressed having a similar position in his Middle Eastern studies class. Having served two tours in the Middle East, Kapinos says the situation is not at all like what is shown on TV. Students in his classes value his knowledge and experience.

Noonan says that in a speech class, he was once assigned to share a personal story. “I can always tell war stories,” Noonan says. He says that classmates were very supportive and attentive to his stories. There are also more casual ways fellow students on campus express their gratitude to student veterans. Lange said he’s often been offered a free beer when he goes out.

According to Kapinos, he and fellow student veterans appreciate the interest other students take in their experience, but do not wish to be singled out in classes only for the perspective of a veteran. “We’re all individuals too, and have our own ideas in addition to the perspective of our experiences,” Kapinos adds.