By Brennan Beck
Asst. Director for Military and Veteran Engagement
Student Transitions and Family Programs
Like many student veterans, Ty Robinson found it hard to adjust to college. “I found my transition into Clemson to be very difficult,” he said. Robinson attended Clemson for a semester after high school before enlisting in the Air Force. Once his four-year contract was finished, Robinson decided to return to Clemson to finish his education. Since he was a former student who was returning to the university, he wasn’t required to attend new student orientation. As a result, he never learned about the various student veteran resources available to him. Instead, he isolated himself, finding it difficult to identify with his younger, less experienced classmates. His grades started to suffer.
Here to help
Things changed when an attentive Clemson employee, recognizing Robinson’s struggles, connected him with me. “Having someone who understands the [military] transition who could sympathize was a huge help,” he said. We set up bi-weekly meetings to establish goals, connect to campus resources, and hold him accountable to his responsibilities, much like he was used to in the military. As a result, Robinson’s grades improved. Soon he was engaging with campus resources, participating with the Student Veterans Association and eventually helping other transitioning veterans as a student assistant in Clemson’s Student Veteran Center. The student who was once struggling is now excelling.
Clemson is home to more than 300 current and former military students, with one professional staff member dedicated to veteran resources through Student Affairs. It’s important to have a contact devoted to supporting student veterans. But more people can make a greater difference.
It takes a campus
That’s why Clemson Green Zone Training was designed, an initiative to support student veterans and educate the campus community. The 90-minute presentation provides faculty, staff, and students with an understanding of the military experience of student veterans as they transition from military to campus life. It helps increase awareness of relevant issues and challenges, builds confidence in participants and identifies campus and community resources for veterans. In a sense, Green Zone Training builds an army of advocates for veterans at Clemson.
Rusty Guill, special assistant to the vice president of student affairs, found the training to be particularly insightful. “I gained a whole new appreciation of what a student veteran goes through when they return to or first attend college,” he said. Now more than ever, Guill recognizes the unique challenges that veterans in higher education deal with, and sees the need for Clemson to do more. “I would encourage everyone to take part in this training both as an educational lesson, but more importantly as a personal understanding of [the veteran’s] life as a college student.”
Upon completing the training, participants receive an identifiable sticker to display on their office door or desk, a “cheat sheet” highlighting campus and community resources for veterans and the option of being added to an email list to receive periodic updates as veteran resources and benefits expand.
The next Green Zone Training session will on Wednesday, Nov. 14, during Clemson’s Military Appreciation Week. I am proud to announce that Ty Robinson will be helping me co-facilitate this training. Additional trainings are offered each semester. Register for Green Zone Training here.
