The University of Tennessee Nov. 2016 UT Veterans Resource A Division of Enrollment Center Management Contents: *New Vet Center Opens /VA Coordinators Welcome to Veteran Student Services at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. We provide assistance and guidance to our *Meet Your VA Work-Study active duty service members, veterans, reservists, guardsmen, and family members *VOLFighters using their VA educational benefits. *********What Have You Missed?******** *Veteran Spotlight Vet Center Receives Home UT Moves Up in List of Vet Depot Grant Friendly Colleges *Letter from a Vet This summer, UT’s chapter of UT was recently recognized for its Student Veterans of America strong support for veterans and received a $4,784 grant to their families in the 2017 U.S. *UT Honors Vets, Past & Present help furnish the center. News and World Report list of Best The Vet Center Initiative Colleges for Veterans. The Grant was part of $422,747 university rose eighteen spots *Event Calendar awarded by the Student since last year to 31st among all Veterans of America and the public universities and 66th Home Depot Foundation to among all public and private ifty SVA chapters across the colleges and universities. country to build or renovate space. *Articles courtesy of tntoday.utk.edu 1 UT Opens New Veterans NOW HEAR Resource Center THIS!! The new Veterans Resource Center, temporarily located on the Veterans Day did not 4th floor of Dunford Hall, room 2417-2418. It is open Tuesday, start out with the same title. Commemorating the Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00-3:00 (Eastern Time). The end of fighting during VRC center is closed on Friday and Monday. Our permanent WWI between allied space, located in John C Hodges Library will be completed in nations and Germany, Nov. 11 first became late spring, 2017. known as Armistice Day in 1919. It was not until WWII that Congress Our office staff will be located in both the VRC and the Office amended the Act and of the University Registrar for the fall 2016 semester. The renamed the day Veterans Day. President Registrar’s Office, located in Student Services Building in Circle Eisenhower issued the Park is open Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Students first Veterans Day are welcome by appointment or walk-in at either location. proclamation on Oct. 8, 1954 stating, "In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all Meet Your VA Coordinators veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans' Afairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at Jayetta Rogers Vickie Clark the national level necessary planning for I have been an employee of The From 1976 unl 2002, I was a VA the observance. I am also University of Tennessee for 14 years, but Cerfying Official at The University requesting the heads of have served in the VA role for almost of Tennessee. During that me, I all departments and five years. I have a B.A. in Psychology had the honor of helping veterans agencies of the Executive (Anthropology minor) and an M.S. in from several wars and conflicts branch of the Educaonal Psychology & Counseling receive their benefits from the VA. I Government to assist the (Adult Educaon Concentraon) both rered in 2002 as an Assistant National Committee in from The University of Tennessee, Registrar but was happy to come every way possible." Knoxville. My husband, Hugh, and I have back to work full-me in 2013 in the Information received from: two sons (Riley and Jake) and we live in Veterans Student Services Office. It’s http://www.va.gov/opa/ Seymour. I spend my me outside of more than a job, it’s something I feel vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp work, volunteering with Seymour youth the need to do. In my spare me, I sports, and I am a black belt instructor love to travel and spend me with at Tennessee Maral Arts University in friends and family and my grandkids. Seymour. 2 Meet Your VA Work Studies Christopher Walker Brent Bennae Brandon Pendergrass Chris is 27 and was born in Brent is a 29-year-old Marine Brandon served in the U.S. Conyers, GA. He joined the and Army Veteran. He was born Marines from 2010 to 2013 as army in 2007 in Military in Virginia, but joined the an infantryman. He did one Intelligence. Chris served two Marines in Florida in 2005. He deployment in the Helmand deployments, one in Iraq and is a father of one. Brent was Province of Afghanistan where one in Afghanistan. He then Medically retired from the he was injured in combat. In switched to the army reserves Military in 2015, serving 2013, he retired from the in 2015. This past summer, multiple deployments combined military and returned to Chris received his associates with the Marines and Army. He Tennessee, where he transferred degree and he is pursuing a served in Iraq and Afghanistan to UT in the spring of 2015. bachelor’s degree in Business to include peace time Brandon is a Psychology major Analytics. deployments for training.He is and plans to work with veterans an Animal Science (Pre-vet) as a mental health professional. Tom Cruise Michelle Rodriguez Christian Clifton Tom is 29 and a veteran of Michelle is 20 years old and an Christian is a military the U.S. Air Force. He is army dependent. She has been dependent. Her dad served in from Beckley, WV, where he an Army brat since birth, which the U.S. Army and is now left for the Air Force in has given her the opportunities 100% disabled due to a heart November, 2008. Tom served to travel and explore. Michelle defect. She is originally from 6 years as a tactical aircraft was born in Baymon, Puerto Gulfport, Mississippi, but she maintainer on the F-16 jet Rico, and currently resides in and her family moved to and was stationed at Eglin Tennessee, where her father Spring Hill, Tennessee about Air Force Base, Florida. He retired. She is pursuing her six years ago. Christian is a has traveled to multiple career goals of becoming a senior at UT and plans to bases across the U.S. testing Physicians' Assistant. graduate in May of 2017 with new weapons and systems. a Bachelor’s of Arts in Tom moved to Knoxville English with a concentration with his wife and daughter in in Technical July of 2015, and began Communications. taking classes at UT as a journalism major. 3 VOLFighters The Student- Vet Group at UT The mission of VOLFighters Student Veterans of America is to improve the school environment for veteran students and build a better understanding between school faculty and students here at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Our VOLF Ofcers mission includes building camaraderie among veteran President: students as well as mentoring Brandon Pendergrass systems. Vice President: Tyler Warner Primary Organization Advisor Name Jayetta Rogers Treasurer: Advisor email address Chris Walker [email protected] Social Event When do the organization's elections/leadership transition take place each year? Coordinator: During March. Brent Bennae When does the organization meet? Treasurer: Every other Wednesday Natalie Clayton Where does the organization normally meet? Temporary Veterans Resource Center located on 4th Floor of Dunford Hall, Room 2417 - 2418 Annual programs and events of the organization is known for: Green Zone, Veterans Day events, Memorial Day events When does the organization traditionally recruit new members? We always welcome and support new members. Please send interest/contact information to: [email protected] 4 Veteran Spotlight Name: Brian Gard Branch: USMC UT Afliation: Director of Emergency Management Years of Service: 23 years What do you love most about UT?: I love the sense of purpose being part of the state’s flagship university gives me. I believe in our mission and am glad to have a role of improving the lives of Tennesseans. What advice would you give a student veteran on campus?: Adapt, improvise, and overcome. Adjusting to campus life is going to be challenging, but you have to approach it with an open mind and not judgment. Flexibility, resolve, and creative thinking are cornerstones of successful military campaigns. The same skills can apply to successfully leading the next chapter in your life. Want to highlight a UT staf/faculty/ student veteran? -Semper Fidelis Request Form: [email protected] 5 LETTER FROM A VET I remember with clarity what my first day of college felt like. Since it was only five years ago, it is not difficult to recall. I remember a distinct and clear fear of math in pretty much any form. It had been since my high school graduation in 1992 since I had done more with math than help my kids with their homework. I remember a feeling of fear in general, but underneath that: excitement. How would I manage it all? Making the choice to come back to school as a non-traditionally aged student was not an easy one, more so because of this fear I held that I would somehow be unprepared to be successful. Of course, there was also the ever growing list of other duties and responsibilities in my life which had to be considered. I wear a lot of hats in my life: Army veteran, wife, mother, step-mother, chief, cook, and bottle washer…and there I was getting ready to try and fit “student” onto my hat rack.