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Transition hard on student veterans

By the numbers

200
Approximate number of student veterans at UCLA

91
Percent of U.S. Marines without a degree after deployment to Iraq

19.9
Percent of U.S. Marines who experienced PTSD after deployment

SOURCE: New England Journal of Medicine and the UCLA Veterans Resource Office

By Shoshee Jau

Nov. 10, 2010 1:08 a.m.

For many military recruits, time seems to stop when they leave home to fight.

After years of service, veterans return home, still expecting to continue from where they left off, not realizing that the passing of time has made people and circumstances different.

“When (recruits) leave, they think that you hit “˜pause’ on family and friends and can just resume,” said Edward Gurrola Jr., student development educator for the UCLA Veterans Resource Office. “But they’re not the same person, and time has gone by for everybody.”

The transition is particularly difficult for student veterans, who must adjust to life as students and ease themselves back into civilian life, said Shannon Vaughn, a fourth-year environmental science student who served in the U.S. Marines for eight years.

Vaughn sought aid from the Veterans Resource Center during her first year. She said she was grateful for coordinators at the office who were familiar with both her military background and the campus.

“When you transition into something unfamiliar, you have questions about how to figure things out,” Vaughn said. “I knew there were certain things I would need help navigating through, and it was nice to have that reassurance from them.”

After years of deployment, some student veterans are shocked to return home and find it different from their memories of the past, Gurrola said.

Often, such changes can lead to psychological disorders, said Rachel Robertson, Student Veteran Services specialist for Counseling and Psychological Services.

“For student veterans coming back from deployment and being a student again, they may experience post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance use and panic attacks,” she said.

“In school, it can look like difficulty sleeping, concentrating or getting work done.”

Students who have experienced combat also struggle with other PTSD symptoms including flashbacks, hypersensitivity and emotional numbing. These issues can prevent normal social interaction and success in the classroom, Robertson said.

While not all student veterans experience difficulties adjusting to social and academic life in college, they have specific needs as both veterans and students, she said.

In the process of switching from military quarters to a large college campus, student veterans may feel isolated and alone, Vaughn said.

“You build camaraderie when you’re on active duty and when you’re deployed,” she said. “Leaving that and coming to a big school, it’s like going from a close family to being surrounded by all these people you don’t know.”

Both CAPS and the Veterans Resource Office offer counseling, information, support and community for veterans, Gurrola said.
“(Veterans) have to face the reality of being a student,” he said.

The Veterans Resource Office brings together students with similar experiences, providing moral support to ease the transition, said Vaughn, who now works as a student veteran coordinator there.

“There’s a common understanding with people when you experience the (same) things,” she said. “People drop in all the time, and you don’t have to explain the rank structure or anything. It’s a common bond that you share.”

Though student veterans may have a hard time returning to school, their discipline gained from military experience can spur them to success in college if they are provided with the resources and support they need, Gurolla said.

“I enjoy working with them, and I admire the skills they bring,” he said. “They’re very focused and know what they want and have a sense of respect. It’s important to help them achieve their dream of going to school.”

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