Student Veteran Discussion Panels: Deconstructing the Traumatized Veteran Stigma on Campus

Abstract

describes a series of discussion panels held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that helped the campus community learn more about the varied experiences of the student veterans in their midst and supported the student veterans in having a positive voice on campus.

Invisible Disabilities, Stigma, and Student Veterans: Contextualizing the Transition to Higher Education

“…Adapting to civilian life is challenging for many student veterans, and the transition to college is often equally difficult (Durosko, 2017;Jones, 2017;Kirchner, 2015). The move from a highly structured lifestyle, to that of a civilian and student, brings with it numerous obstacles such as feeling out of place or isolated on campus (Campbell & Riggs, 2015;Durosko, 2017;Hitt et al, 2015;Kapell et al, 2017;Jones, 2017;Osborne, 2014). Military culture is characterized by clear direction, organization, and regulation, and transitioning to a world of multiple choices, ambiguity, and freedom can be daunting, confusing, and frustrating for some student veterans (Durosko, 2017;Jones, 2017;Kapell et al, 2017).…”

“…Like other student populations in higher education, student veterans face both familiar, and unique challenges such as being the first in their families to attend college (Kapell et al, 2017;Mechur-Karp & Klempin, 2016a). Similar to their peers, student veterans also face the challenges of balancing work, life, school, and other, non-academic responsibilities (Hitt et al, 2015;Mechur-Karp & Klempin, 2016a;Osborne, 2014). However, student veterans also experience challenges unique to themselves (Hitt et al, 2015;Kirchner, 2015;Mechur-Karp & Klempin, 2016a), such as differentiated treatment from others on campus due to stereotypes and stigma related to the military and disability.…”

“…Many of those disabilities represented by student veterans are invisible-emotional, cognitive, or sensory (Hitt et al, 2015). Some student veterans feel like an invisible population (Osborne, 2014). Disability and stigma play a role in the transitioning experiences of student veterans on campus.…”

“…Student veterans' experiences, discipline, and work ethic can add to their academic success (Osborne, 2014). However, student veterans as a population continue to struggle academically (López et al, 2016).…”

At Attention: What Student Veteran Mission Statements Say About Public Flagships

“…Undergirding research posits that student veterans benefit from social and academic programming that recognizes and works to de-stigmatize and correct the common faculty, staff, and student perspective that all student veterans represent a monolithic, homogenous group (Vaccaro, 2015). Related research supports this premise, asserting that student veterans feel acknowledged and better understood when the multilayered, intersectional experiences of diverse student veterans are discussed in public panel formats, allowing student veterans to share their idiosyncratic journeys from active duty to the college campus: this organizational responsibility rests with practitioners working with student veterans (Osborne, 2014).…”