Remarks at CMVE 2017 Annual Conference: Serving Veterans in the - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Remarks at CMVE 2017 Annual Conference:

Serving Veterans in the Classroom

• Dr. Eric Fretz

University of Michigan

Where we’re going today

STUDENT VETERANS

• Who are they?

– How do we even define a “veteran” ?

• How are they “different”?

– And are some of their differences actually similariJes?

• What are their most common concerns?
• What are some top resources to improve

awareness and cultural competency?

Why should you listen

• 24 years in uniform, U.S. Navy (ret)
• 3 deployments to Persian Gulf combat zone across 2 wars
• Service under, alongside, and over every branch of service
• 24 years in post-secondary classrooms as student or faculty
• SVA mentor and educator for mulJple campuses (1000’s of vets)
• Chairman of Michigan’s Region 9 Veteran Community AcJon Team

(VCAT9, 6 counJes and 50,000+ veterans)

• Editorial Board for Journal of Veterans Studies
• Founder of two 501c3 charitable organizaJons to help veterans
• Public speaker/trainer for Student Veteran issues naJonwide,

including “cultural competency” training for faculty

You Don’t (necessarily) Know Who They Are

Many (but not all) “hide in plain sight” for a variety of reasons

• WanJng to “put that phase behind them”

– Not always due to negaJve feelings towards military

• WanJng to “fit in” or “pass” as regular student
• Concerns about “military bullshi#” (SVA/orgs/center)
• Not certain they are welcome (feel differences acutely)
• “Self-isolaJng” due to maladapJve habits (suck it up)
• Perceived benefit/cost raJo for being “out” (rep)

A community with unique issues:

• What we have asked of them is historically without

precedent!

– WW2 = 10 million over 4 yrs / 1-2 yrs / 10 days – GWOT = 2 million over 16+ yrs / ? yrs / 1000 days+

• 1.5+ million deployments since 2001
• Lack of training/experience/control is a problem…
• “Moral Injury” as a concept….
• The military is at war, America is at the mall…
• Almost 200,000 have done 5+ deployments…
• And even those who never deployed are ‘re-

calibrated” in significant ways... (deploy, isolate, stress, toxic, danger)

A community with unique issues:

• From Boot Camp to the worst of War…it’s not

“normal” or “natural”

• Mental Health concerns:

– Up to ¼ experience anxiety or depression – 45% experienced “significant” PTSD symptoms (at some point!) – 46% considered suicide ( 6% for all students) – 10% frequent thought or acJon

• But their resilience is amazing...

Focus on the amazing. The vast majority of Veterans are high funcJoning!!!

* David Rudd NaJonal Center for Veteran Studies

A community with unique issues:

• SOME things are similar to other student

communiJes you already know how to serve:

– Older / “Chronologically advantaged” (frustraJon with “youth”) – Married and/or with kids (finances!, work life balance) – Commuter (frustraJon with Jme management, parking) – Part-Jme – First generaJon college students (system/resource awareness, Impostor Syndrome)

• They actually have much in common with many
• f their campus peers… help them see that.

A community with unique issues:

• SOME things are preqy unique:

– Cultural divide / De-Greening (hierarchical, owned, norms “BLUF”!) – Self-IsolaJon tendencies (‘man” up, embrace the suck, deal with it) – MasochisJc approach to struggle and Avoidance of helpseeking – Degree as “qual” - uJlitarian strategies – Lack of purpose, affiliaJon. Yearning to return to the team. (oxy)

• Most of this is solved with affiliaJon to a support

structure/team!

Their Experiences Are Impossibly Diverse

• There is NO “typical Veteran”

– Examples:

• “Veteran” ≠ “Combat”

– Find 12 agencies or programs, get 12 definiJons (20 yrs reserve,

“are you?”)

• Combat Zone/Pay ≠ “Combat” (even defining combat…)
• Strongly inbred aversion to mental health

services and help-seeking in general (who’s cooler)

• As with any “group” member, you must get to

know them as an individual….

So why do Veterans feel misunderstood?

They Don’t Trust You To Not Stereotype Them

RESOURCES

• For military awareness/history

– Uniformed Services University CDP

• hqp://deploymentpsych.org/online-courses/military-culture

– VA training

• hqps://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/communityproviders/

military_culture.asp

• For military/veteran cultural competency

– hqps://psycharmor.org/ – hqps://kognito.com/products/veterans-on-campus- for-faculty-staff

Treat them the way a progressive, enlightened campus treats all other groups…

• Avoid stereotypes and micro-aggressions

– Presuming right wing affiliaJon / beliefs – Labeling “angry veteran” (plenty of students are unreasonable and fussy!)

• Assert your “veteran friendly” posture

– They feel much more mature, and don’t understand others can’t see that

• Don’t make them “representaJves”

– “What do Veterans think of the war, Sarah?” – Be sure it is ok to “out” them before you do (because…)

• Monitor classroom discourse

– They oven just want to “pass” – “Did you kill anyone?” L Trivializing service (John Kerry effect) – Group work drama, but also aversion to help-seeking

• Respect : )

Veterans bring fantasJc traits to your campus, make sure the Vets AND your campus know it!

• Maturity
• Loyalty
• Time management
• Intense Work Ethic
• Life experience
• World Travel, Expanded Cultural Lens
• TradiJon of selfless service
• Team skills / Team spirit

QuesJons…

• Dr. Eric Fretz

ebfretz@umich.edu