Relocated center welcomes military students, families
Sophomore Dylan Kratochvil has been in the National Guard for about four and a half years and utilizes the Student Veterans Resource Center at the University of South Dakota on a regular basis — something he said military students don’t necessarily know about.
“I use the printing here a lot; sometimes I come here and do a little bit of studying,” Kratochvil said. “I haven’t used a tutor yet but I haven’t really needed one for my classes yet but if I need one, I’ll definitely use the one here.”
An increased interest in ROTC and about 30 newcomers this fall — about double the recruits from last school year — leads to optimism in the program and in the center, where the annual welcome night was held Thursday night, said Lt. Col. Ross Nelson, professor of military science.
Students and family members attended the welcome night in the center, now housed in the temporary student center west of the North Complex courtyard.
The area was previously housed in a reserved space in the Muenster University Center by the Veterans Club. Funded through Student Services and a grant from the state of South Dakota, Director of Veteran Services Jason Dean said the center is a place for current military members, veteran military spouses and their dependents to take in the offered opportunities.
“We opened it mainly as a space for veterans, service members and dependents to have a place to gather, get services that are needed — tutoring, printing, study space, social space,” he said.
Free tutoring, free printing and library services are all offered in the center. Also available is support from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, computer use and peer mentoring. People may also seek assistance with possible benefits and scholarships at the center.
Complete with the installation of three computers, furniture re-purposed from elsewhere on campus and military publications hung on the walls, Dean said the military students are more likely to have a sense of familiarity and feel at home.
A card swipe system was also installed to keep track of the number of people coming in and analyze the usage of the space.
Nelson said the welcome was important so students and families realized the different services available to them.
“It gives them a quiet place to study, a place where they may meet people that have similar backgrounds to them or they may be able to relate to a little differently,” Nelson said.
Nelson said it is a good place for nontraditional students returning to school after serving who may be at different points in their lives and is a place to study in between classes for those who live out of town.
“Plus, it’s a focal point where we can put information about all the different benefits and services for veterans,” Nelson said.
Dean said the center is ready to evolve with the students and accommodate them depending on their needs.
“This is a good place for them to not only feel welcome but to also connect with other veterans in the same situation and it also shows that the campus cares,” Dean said. “They care enough to have the space, they care enough to fund the space, they care enough to do this and that with the space and the veterans respect that.”
(Michael Helgerson, a senior at USD who served in the navy for seven years, talks with Stan Miller, a representative of the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, September 4 at a Veteran’s social hour held at the Student Veterans’ Resource Center. Amber Bock | The Volante)
