This letter is in response to the article “Paying Their Dues,” which was published on Sept. 21. The article accurately described the bureaucracy surrounding veterans’ educational benefits as unwieldy and often difficult to navigate.
Missing was any mention of either the services that Ohio University has in place to assist students who are receiving veteran’s benefits or the many individuals across campus who are working collaboratively to assist student veterans.
In the Registrar’s Office, Michele Parsons works as the certifying officer for the Athens campus. Mrs. Parsons works closely with veterans to help them obtain their educational benefits as quickly and efficiently as possible. Staff in the Bursar’s Office collaborates with the University Registrar to ensure that students who are awaiting receipt of veterans’ benefits do not have their classes dropped or have holds placed on their accounts due to non-payment. The Office of Student Financial Aid assists by offering small, short-term loans to veterans who are awaiting receipt of benefits. This service can allow student veterans to pay rent, purchase textbooks and generally get by until their awards arrive at Ohio University. The staff members in all of these offices understand that working through the system takes time and are committed to helping veterans negotiate the system.
In University College, Melissa Toretch, the coordinator of special populations, works to help commuter students and student veterans adjust to the academic requirements of Ohio University, find their place on campus, and, like any other student, make steady progress toward their degree. Mrs. Toretch is available to meet one-on-one with students. She also manages the Commuter and Veteran Student Lounge and offers programs to assist student veterans. In the Division of Student Affairs, Patti McSteen, Doug Franklin, Char Kopchick and others have been dedicated for some time to helping student veterans. You can learn more about Veteran Services at http://www.ohio.edu/military/.
Finally, the Ohio University Veterans Committee, which has student veterans as members along with individuals from units all across campus, is striving to smooth the path to a degree for students receiving veterans’ benefits. This committee reviews national standards for veterans’ services, makes recommendations for policy revisions aligned with those standards and creates opportunities for offices and individuals to collaborate toward the end of helping student veterans.
So yes, the processes related to receiving veterans’ benefits can be frustrating, but it is important to know that within the Ohio University community, many women and men are doing their best to ensure that student veterans have a rich and engaging educational experience. We still have a long way to go because there are still many problems to solve and many issues to address, but steady and sure progress is being made.
The Ohio University Veterans
Committee comprises representatives from 10 offices and divisions at OU.
