Unlike the majority of college students who spend most of their summers relaxing, working or interning, private first class Chip Buckley spent his entire summer in boot camp training for the U.S. Marines. Buckley is also a full-time OU student studying history and political science.
Last spring, Buckley signed a six year contract with the Marines as a combat engineer. He is in the USMC Reserves, which lessens his chances of deployment, but he still has to report to drill once a month in Charleston, W.Va. for two to three days at a time. "Sometimes I have to miss classes on Thursdays and Fridays, but my professors have been very understanding and accommodating as long as I provide written documentation for my absences," said Buckley.
In addition to the typical workload of school, Buckley has to complete further training for his military career. "Next summer I'll be spending 29 days at Marine Combat Training and three months at engineer school," he said.
Buckley is not the only student at OU who balances both college life and military life. Angela Lash, assistant director of the Allen Student Help Center, served as OU's first coordinator of veterans' academic services last year. According to 2010-2011 estimates, she said roughly 550 military-affiliated students are enrolled on OU's main and regional campuses. That number included student veterans, reserves, and any dependent of a veteran receiving educational benefits through the Veterans Administration (VA).
Lash explained that OU has always sought to serve military-affiliated students, and in the past this was handled through the registrar's office. "Since the implementation of the Post 9/11 GI Bill, our student veteran and military personnel population has drastically increased, creating the need for more comprehensive services and an increased staff," said Lash.
She said this need was highlighted by student Michael Logue, "who got in touch with administrators in the Dean of Students' office." Together, they created the Veteran Support Committee, which consists of campus administrators and student veterans.
OU's commitment to serving the needs of military and veteran students didn't go unnoticed. In September of this year, G.I. Jobs Magazine recognized OU as "military friendly" in its annual Military Friendly Schools Guide. According to the magazine's website, www.militaryfriendlyschools.com, the list of schools "represents the 15 percent that are the most Military Friendly." Hocking College in Nelsonville also won recognition for being military friendly.
OU's recent improvements for military-affiliated students include enhanced communication with students, quarterly social events, and information sessions at student orientations.
Lash said OU has also developed "military points of contact" across campus in multiple offices, allowing students to speak with representatives who understand their issues and concerns. In addition, OU has created a website for students at www.ohio.edu/military.
"One service OU offers that I am fairly certain is not offered at many other institutions came from a strong relationship we developed with the local AmVets," Lash said. "Our campus hosts an AmVets National Service Officer twice a month. This individual helps students file claims with the VA right here in Baker Center."
Lash noted that having these services is important because military-affiliated students often face different challenges than non-military students. Depending on when these students certify for benefits, some face financial issues and experience delays in payment, making it difficult to pay rent and buy books. Also, some may have "invisible injuries" from their service, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, which is often misunderstood by civilians.
In addition to OU's extensive support services, the availability of ROTC is one of the factors G.I. Jobs Magazine considered. OU offers both an Army and Air Force ROTC.
Cadet Capt. Ethan Dick, public affairs officer for the Army ROTC, maintained that OU has an exceptional ROTC. "We've exceeded Cadet Command standards for 11 years straight," Dick said. "We have highly experienced officers and sergeants training us."
AS CADET CAPTAIN IN the Army ROTC, Dick wakes up three days a week for physical training at 6:15 a.m. In addition to typical college coursework, he's enrolled in a mandatory military science class and weekly lab. The lab class consists of cadets running hands-on missions. Dick said sometimes cadets will take on the role of "enemy combatants," for example.
OU's ROTC program not only offers to pay students' college tuition, but Dick said it offers amazing opportunities to travel. Last summer, Dick spent one week training in Honolulu, followed by three weeks in Taiwan where he trained Taiwanese cadets. He also participated in a language program at Arizona State University where he spent two months learning Persian.
Dick said he was not surprised that G.I. Jobs recognized OU as military friendly. "I've never been deployed, but I know the support and appreciation that OU offers is important to students serving in the military whether they are ROTC or not." He agreed with Lash that military students often face unique challenges, and he added time management as a major one. "It's hard to hear others complain about 8 a.m. classes," he joked. "That's like sleeping in for me."
Spc. Malkom Kidd said he can relate to the issue of time management. Kidd enlisted in the Army as a heavy-equipment operator in 2008. Similar to Buckley, Kidd is also in the Reserves and has not been deployed. However, he also reports to drill once a month and has to miss classes from time to time.
"Sometimes it's very challenging because not only do I have school, but I have to juggle a military career. Time management is key," he said.
Also, Kidd pointed out that being in the military while in college can lead to missing much more than a few classes. "One of my friends in the National Guard was supposed to live with me this year, but he got his deployment orders and left for Afghanistan. He'll be gone for the next nine to 12 months."
Kidd and Dick confirmed that in addition to the supportive services that OU offers, appreciation from students and community members is "overwhelmingly positive." Dick said, "Every Memorial Day Parade, the overall spirit is so high. I've been thanked multiple times for my service."
OU plans to continue improving its support services for military-affiliated students.
"We're on the right track," Lash said, "but we know we're still far from where we would like to be. I see the designation as recognition of the work we have done and a reminder to strive for continuous improvement."
