Military Culture and Student Veterans: Survey of Campus Faculty and Staff

Universities throughout the nation are experiencing an increasing enrollment of military veterans as the conflicts in the Middle East are coming to a closure (Vacchi, 2012). Veterans often face various barriers and challenges as they transition from the service to higher education. One barrier commonly experienced is a sense of disconnect between student veterans and faculty or staff members (DiRamio, Ackerman, & Mitchell, 2008). The purpose of this study was to first assess and then enhance faculty and staff’s knowledge, familiarity, and comfort levels on military culture and transitioning issues. The study involved a formal training presentation with a pre and post survey assessment using a standard Likert scale. Participants (n=16) consisted of staff psychologists, social workers, advisors, pre-doctoral psychology interns, and post-doctoral psychology fellows from two local university counseling centers. A t-test and random measures ANOVA were used to analyze the data. This study found that about 88% (n=14) of participants were not familiar with the current conflicts in the Middle East (P<0.001), 75% (n=12) presumed stereotypes about veteran mental health (P<0.001), and 88% (n=14) assumed poor academic success rates for veterans (P<0.001). After training, the knowledge, familiarity, and comfort levels of the participants were observed to increase by an average of 1.2 Likert scale units, with the most significant increases of 1.73 Likert units each occurring in familiarity with general stressors (P<0.001) and common issues on campus (P<0.001). The findings suggest that common media-influenced stereotypes and a general lack of understanding about student veterans can be mediated through formal training and increased interaction with student veterans.  Recommendations from this study are to expand the reach of the training by including: a variety of universities in other regions, faculty members from all departments, and traditionally-aged students (18-21 years old) to more accurately gauge the overall campus climate towards student veterans. Furthermore, student veterans should be included in this dialogue to convey a greater value to the training. References DiRamio, D., Ackerman, R., Mitchell, R. (2008). From combat to campus: voices of student-veterans. NASPA Journal, 45(1), 73-102. Vacchi, D. (2012). Considering student veterans on the twenty-first-century college campus. About Campus, 17. Doi: 10.1002/abc.2107