In the lead-up to Veterans Day this year, Arizona Western College celebrated Military and Veterans Appreciation Week to create awareness of the students who have served our country and are also part of our community. Each day from Nov. 3-6 and on Veterans Day itself, special events were held on campus to encourage awareness and appreciation of our military students:

• Monday, Nov. 3: A Resource Fair kicked off the week's activities. A variety of schools and businesses were on board to talk with students about educational and vocational opportunities.
• Tuesday, Nov. 4: Beautiful art in a variety of mediums, created by military and veteran personnel, was auctioned off for the Military Legacy Scholarship.
• Wednesday, Nov. 5: Operation Open Mic was held for veterans to share their military experiences with other military personnel, faculty and the campus at large.
• Thursday, Nov. 6: A Freedom Walk was held as an additional fundraiser for the scholarship.
• Veterans Day, November 11: A basketball game was held at the AWC gymnasium to honor Veterans.

A brand-new day

Support for veterans' educational services has increased dramatically since July 2008, when the Post-9/11 GI Bill was signed into law. This bill provided a new heavy-duty educational benefits program unrivaled since the 1944 Montgomery bill was created for WWII veterans.

An article in www.military.com explains that, after the Post-9/11 GI Bill became law, "there were reports of aggressive and deceptive targeting of service members, veterans and their families by some educational institutions." Apparently schools were eager to receive government funds but did not ensure that the veteran students they recruited were receiving adequate academic counseling.

To create stronger guidelines to protect the veteran benefits given by the Post-9/11 bill, further legislative measures had to be enacted. These guidelines were created in the May 2012 executive order titled "Principals of Excellence Program." AWC is designated as a school participating in this program.

AWC hired Gabriella Siqueiros-Herwig in Feburary 2013 to implement the new guidelines. Implementing the new guidelines has created the need to track and keep statistics on the services the College provides to ensure that it is compliant within the guidelines of the law. Since that time, AWC military and veteran services staff has increased to eleven full-time and work-study personal.

An array of help

AWC Military and Veterans Services provides services to active duty military, veterans and dependents. These are new students, continuing students, transfer students and vocational rehabilitation students.

The campus provides a Military and Veterans Student Center where students with similar military experiences help each other as they transition back into civilian life.

There is also a Student Veterans Club on campus.

Training resources are also provided for faculty and staff to understand the different challenges that military and veteran students have as they transition back into civilian life. Steve Dilley, AWC professor of Fine Arts, heads the Veterans Art Project. This program offers classes in clay and hand casting, and a silver-casting class is planned.

Participants in the program contributed to the art auctioned off during Appreciation Week. The auction raised $341 for the scholarship fund. Herwig created this scholarship to help bridge the gap for students between government benefits and unexpected financial burdens. Herwig also works with the community and approximately 65 organizations to provide additional resources for veterans attending AWC.

AWC is designated by the state of Arizona as a "Veterans Supportive Campus." According to the Arizona Department of Veterans Services this means addressing "the unique needs of military affiliated students on campus, including veterans, service members and their families." On Thursday of Military and Veterans Week, AWC was presented with a plaque to honor our 100-percent compliance with these guidelines.

Recognition has also been awarded to Military and Veterans Services by the Military Advanced Education Magazine. AWC has been awarded the MAE recognition for 2015 as a "Top College and University." In addition AWC has earned the status of a Military Friendly school.

Accessing services

Services to veterans are divided between veterans and active-duty military. The AWC website has links and contact information for the different services. Veterans Services is located in the 3C Building on the Top Floor. The phone number is (928)344-7622 and their email is veterans.services@azwestern.edu.

Military Services is located at the Marine Corps Air Station-Yuma at the Education Center, Bldg 850, Room 112. Once a month they are at Yuma Proving Ground in the USAG Yuma Education Center, Bld 501, 2nd Floor. The phone number for Military services is (928) 317-7626

Military and Veterans Services have made great strides in providing excellent services for current and past military personnel.

"We really want to make sure we take care of our military and our veterans," Herwig says, "and to recognize the uniqueness that veterans bring to the campus."

Photo courtesy of AWC Photo Services