Trigger warning: Mentions of post-traumatic stress disorder, hazing and sexual assault

A group of veteran students is advocating for more and improved resources for veteran and military-connected students at Chapman University. The Veterans Club’s resurgence in 2023 has given birth to efforts to improve the Chapman experience for military-connected students.

Over the summer, Nick Irwin conducted a study that researches veteran students peacefully reintegrating into higher education. Irwin, a doctorate student in education and leadership studies, is a member of the Veterans Club who also served for 20 years in the Navy.

Irwin stated that he and five other Chapman veterans met to discuss their personal experiences as veterans for four hours per day for four weeks straight. All the veterans in the study were deployed at least once and served for at least four years.

The group opened up about their personal struggles and discussed various peace practices, as well as issues they’ve noticed on campus.

“We sat in a circle every day; we passed this talking piece around, and we were talking a lot about different traumas we experienced before, during and after the military,” Irwin said.

Irwin began thinking about why the veterans don’t have a space to reintegrate because “a lot of this work is really important.”

Irwin named his research Peace Practice Alliance for Student Veterans. With this research, he wants to create a handbook to serve as a resource to other veterans, not just for those attending Chapman. In the Chapman sphere, Irwin hopes to create a course in the leadership program for veterans.

Veteran students can have unique experiences, unlike other students, and also have different needs. Examples of these experiences, according to Irwin, include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from deployment, hazing and sexual assault.

“(We’ve also experienced) different military conditioning that are really compacted with conforming masculine norms, which could be emotional stoicism, self-reliance. It can be aggressiveness, (or) it could be something that's more of just competitive and taking a lot of risks. And, if that's something that doesn't necessarily align with your identity or align with your mindset, it could be really hard just to navigate that experience in the military.” 

Veteran students may also have other responsibilities that don’t apply to the typical undergraduate student, such as raising a family and financial burdens. 

“Maybe you have a mortgage, maybe you have these different bills because you're older,” Irwin said. “You may have a family, kids, and you're being even more stretched. And you're a full-time student, and you're also trying to go to school and navigate this environment.”

In addition to the aforementioned obstacles, veteran students are also navigating their freedom to explore their identity, now that they do not have to conform to the military’s rigidness. Some veterans are also trying to succeed with the physical disabilities they have from their time in the military and may require specific accommodations.

Funding for veteran and military-connected students

Veteran and military-connected students who qualify and have applied for educational benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) receive funds for their schooling from the U.S. government.

“This is a community that is guaranteed funds,” said Karla “Roxie” Arce, the president of the Veterans Club. “The moment that Chapman accepts a veteran student to come and attend school — or a dependent — that is guaranteed government funds coming to this school.”

Arce served in the Navy for 14 years and is now a junior creative producing major. She revived the Veterans Club last year and is concerned about the current resources Chapman offers military-connected students due to the complexity of their needs.

She is a work-study student at the Veterans Resource Center (VRC), and since she is a veteran, the VA pays for her work-study, not Chapman. 

Irwin was unaware of the VA work-study option until he spoke with Steve Leader, the director of the VRC, which is located at 526 N. Shaffer St.

“Steve brought up that he recently got funded through the VA to do work-study,” Irwin said. “And none of us knew about VA work-study. This is the first time I've ever heard about it, and I did my master's here, I’m doing my PhD here. Granted, I did my undergrad at a different school, but I've never even heard about work-study.”

The current resources Chapman offers include the Yellow Ribbon Program and priority registration. 

“Chapman has made a huge impact by having the unlimited Yellow Ribbon Program,” Arce said. “That's huge; that is not being foreshadowed by any means. Chapman veterans get priority registration because we have these government funds that come to the school and they need to be certified as quickly as possible.”

“Should those be the only things that we're afforded?” Arce said. “I don't think so.”

According to the VA, the Yellow Ribbon Program “can help pay for higher out-of-state, private school, foreign school or graduate school tuition and fees that the Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) doesn’t cover.”

Veterans who served on active duty after Sept. 10, 2001 may qualify for these benefits, and students can also check to see if they qualify for Chapters 30, 31 or 35 to help fund education. Chapter 30 should be utilized by students attending college while still on active duty.

Dependent family members of veterans may also qualify for VA benefits.

Irwin continued: “I know when I did, and I told my family that I was 70%. They're like, ‘Why did you do that? What's wrong with you?’ And my mom took a lot of offense to it, but it's one of those things where they don't understand what we go through in the military.”

Veteran recognition on campus 

Another concern is that Chapman’s official academic calendar does not include Veterans Day. 

“If (Chapman veterans) want to take the day off from their employer or from school, they're not being recognized,” Arce said. “So they're not being afforded that holiday that they deserve and have earned.”

Currently, the academic calendar for the 2024-2025 school year does not include Veterans Day. 

Mike Pelly, the vice president and dean of enrollment who oversees the VRC, did not comment on whether or not Veterans Day will be recognized on Chapman’s official calendar next school year.

In the week leading up to Nov. 11 — which is Veterans Day — Chapman implemented Operation Green Light to honor the veterans for their service. Green lights illuminated buildings throughout campus, including Memorial Hall. Irwin shared his thoughts on Operation Green Light.

“We're doing this Operation Green Light right now that's supposed to recognize veterans,” Irwin said. “And it sheds a good light on Chapman like, ‘Hey, we're recognizing them (veterans) by dedicating a week and we have this Operation Green Light.’

Irwin continued: “But really, it's not actually going to the community itself and asking them, ‘What do you want and how do you want to be represented?’ It's just a way for them to check a box for them to look good. And so, if I'm an incoming veteran and I see a university putting on all these things, the advertising is appealing to me. But then when I'm actually there, I'm not experiencing those things.”

Chapman honored veterans back in 2019 with a Veterans Day event. According to the veterans in the club, this was the last time the university has held an event like this. Members also stated that no official reason for the discontinuation was disclosed to them.

The veteran students have also observed a lack of Chapman recognizing faculty or staff for their military service. 

According to Leader’s own database, there are 114 known veterans at Chapman, but notes how there are probably more that he is unaware of. This is because he can only track the number of students who are utilizing VA benefits.

“Veterans are an invisible population… because they could have a beard, they could have tattoos, no tattoos, nothing with the military,” Leader said.

Veterans hope to improve the Panther experience for military-connected students

Leader pointed out how veterans are “elevating the classroom experience.” 

“The neat thing about our population is most of them served for four to five years,” Leader said. “And so most of them on the enlisted side were all non-commissioned officers. They have a tremendous amount of experience as leaders.”

The veteran students here at Chapman have major goals for the military-connected students on campus, such as trying to send as many students to the Student Veterans of America National Conference as possible. 

Irwin mentioned the possibility of throwing a Captain’s Cup event with other Chapman clubs, which is something done in the Navy.

“It could be different sports, it could be shooting pool, it could be throwing darts, it could be cornhole, but it can also be things like drawing,” Irwin said. “We want to hold a Captain's Cup, and I was brainstorming with Roxie and I was thinking, ‘Wouldn't it be cool if we got the other clubs interested in participating in this Captain's Cup to build these relationships?’” 

Simón Londoño, an executive master of business administration student who works at the VRC, sees great potential for Chapman.

“I think there's an opportunity for Chapman to be a destination campus for veterans and military families,” Londoño said.

He is excited about the potential Chapman holds for veteran and military-connected students.

The club also made its tabling debut in the Piazza at the Student Involvement Fair in September. Leader told The Panther that he feels grateful for the Veterans Club.

“We are thankful that they have a tremendous amount of leadership that they are trying to take our school and help us to serve their population better,” Leader said.

This article is the first of two articles in a short series about veteran students’ experiences and journey at Chapman. Read the second part here.