When Patrick, a Navy veteran, finished his enlistment, he left a world of strict organization that offered a clear picture of where to find the necessary resources to accomplish his daily mission. Now he is a student at UWM, named a “Military Friendly School” in 2017, yet the road to his success and the path to his military benefits on campus aren’t as easy to navigate as they were during his Navy career.
UWM has four different veteran-affiliated offices spread across campus in multiple buildings, which can be confusing for students. Veterans like Patrick have the Military and Veterans Resource Center, known as MAVRC, at their disposal as well as a Veterans Success Counselor and a Veterans Upward Bound office on campus. But none of these are anywhere near the Military and Educations Benefit Office located in Mellencamp Hall.
“It’s difficult to hunt everything down,” said Patrick. “It’s gets very stressful.”
“There’s so many benefits out there for veterans that I don’t even know about,” he continued. “A resource office with it all would be so beneficial. I wouldn’t be running all over chasing this stuff down. If I’m spending half of my day chasing down benefits, it kind of defeats the purpose.”
Patrick, US Navy veteran
“When you build a kitchen together, you don’t put your stove here and your refrigerator over there. You put it all in one room to use it all efficiently.”
Members of the Armed Services have faced intense stresses of battle. When they trade in combat boots for sneakers and ruck sacks for book bags, they must adjust to civilian life while navigating the hallways and buildings of campus. UWM’s MAVRC offers student veterans a map to the available benefits as well as a place to connect with other vets.
With over 1,000 student veterans on campus, UWM has the largest student veteran population in the University of Wisconsin system. MAVRC sees nearly 50 of those students come through their doors every day.
“You’re comfortable at home, you have comfort at work, MAVRC is the comfort found at the UWM campus,” said Director Yolanda Medina.
“To bounce from one building to the next, to the next and to the next, to try to get to each available safe space, it builds on that anxiety,” she said. “Possibly halfway through the walk, they say forget this and say I’m out of here. They don’t go to the resources that are available that they need because of the anxiety level is too high.”
While MAVRC’s office in the Student Union is celebrated as a place for veterans to escape from the hectic college life outside, it is small. The room sits just off to the side of the street entrance near Union Station, a busy hub of student activity and go-to area for a quick snack.
A student who enters through the welcoming glass door finds friendly faces and a warm pot of coffee. There is even a quiet space to study and a brochure stand with resources available across campus.
James “Groovy” Cocroft, the assistant director at MAVRC, often has to give students complicated directions to find important benefits.
You’ve got to go up some stairs. Go past Burger King. All through a bunch of other students mind you. Then you go past two other buildings. Go into another building. Then you turn past a bunch of corners, down a bunch of hallways. All to try to find this other office.”
James “Groovy” Cocroft
“We want something much like what the University of Syracuse has,” said Josh Lynch, the SVA-Milwaukee president. “We want to create one place that has the Military Education and Benefits Office, along with the other veteran support programs that can be found on campus.”
The University of Syracuse Veterans Center was voted as one of the Best for Vets Colleges in 2019 by Military Times. It was built for veterans returning from World War I.
“In addition to this, we would want to have a checklist that would require every new Student Veteran to complete upon their enrollment at UWM, so that they would know what resources are available to them on campus,” Lynch said.
Community Outreach Director Carlos Munoz echoes Lynch and Cocroft’s concerns about a chaotic landscape at UWM.
“The noises, it’s stimulating a possible panic attack,” said Munoz. “You are walking elbow to elbow, and you’re already stressed out about finding the benefits you are owed.”
(Photo: Matthew Cade)
Munoz says a young woman recently came in for help. She was battling the stresses of home life and school after a deployment overseas.
“She just couldn’t find her groove back,” said Munoz. “Personally, professionally. She just couldn’t find her groove.”
“She even told me that she wasn’t feeling safe at home. She was contemplating taking her own life. People in her life couldn’t understand her transition from a combat zone to life back here. I had to advise her to go to the VA and offices away from campus.”
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has released the 2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report showing that in Wisconsin, 124 veterans took their own lives in 2017. The suicide rate in the state is nearly 3% higher than the national average.
In response to the stresses of student veteran life and the number of veterans facing their battles with mental health, Munoz wonders if a larger resource center on campus could help those in need.
“Having everything under one roof would be awesome,” he said. “Everybody can assist each other more in conjunction.”
UWM plans to include a veteran student services center in the new Student Union project, according to Kelly Haag, chief student affairs officer. She said that UWM expects to talk to stakeholders and potential donors about a move into an integrated space that would allow visiting agencies like the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs and the Veterans of Foreign Wars to engage with students in a single location.
If you are a Service member or Veteran in crisis or you’re concerned about one, there are specially trained responders ready to help you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The Veterans Crisis Line connects Service members and Veterans in crisis, as well as their family members and friends, with qualified, caring VA responders through a confidential toll-free hotline, online chat, or text-messaging service.
Dial 1-800-273-8255 and Dial 1 to talk to someone.