Ten veterans at the College, searching for mutual support during the transition to their lives as students, have established the Dartmouth Undergraduate Veterans Association, a campus organization that aims to raise awareness of veterans' issues and provide support to student veterans with issues that may arise at Dartmouth.
"What really motivated us to form our group is so that we can meet other undergraduate veterans and increase awareness about veteran issues because we are in the Dartmouth bubble," Phil Aubart '10, who has served in the U.S. Army and helped start the group, said. Aubart is a member of The Dartmouth Staff.
The organization's main goal is to help student veterans adjust back to civilian life, Aubart said, because the college experience can be very different for veterans. Aubart said he learned about responsibility and "the need to get things done" in the army, so becoming independent in college was an adjustment.
"From my perspective, veterans have a different set of interests than many in the Dartmouth community, and they are more focused on what they want," DUVA member Abraham Holland '08, who served in the U.S. Air Force, said.
DUVA has already planned several events, including a barbecue for veterans with their families and Memorial Day ceremonies on the Green. The group also hopes to address the high rate of homelessness among veterans by having a "camp out" on the Green this fall. Other long-term goals include encouraging non-traditional students, especially veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to apply to Dartmouth.
The idea for the association came from Samuel Crist '10, DUVA's president, who was inspired to create the organization after meeting the Tuck Armed Forces Alumni Association, which serves the Tuck School of Business' veterans community.
"Several DUVA members have taken part in leadership development events at Tuck," David Earp Tu'09, leader of the TAFAA, said in an e-mail to The Dartmouth. "The current veterans can support each other in their transition from military careers to civilian careers. Additionally, they can serve as an information source for Dartmouth ROTC students or any others considering military service."
Many undergraduate veterans have discussed creating a similar organization in the past, but previously there were too few veterans on campus, according to Holland.
"It wasn't until this year that we had enough veterans to form a campus group," Holland said. "This year really was a critical point for veterans on this campus."
Members encouraged students who are not veterans to become involved in the organization as well.
"I think it would be great if non-veterans became involved -- it would show support for the veteran community here," Aubart said.
The organization is very diverse, according to members.
"Most people think of the veteran community as very homogenous, but one way our group is unique is because we have many international members," Holland said. "We have members who were conscripted, others who were volunteers. Some of us served the Israeli military, the Norwegian military. We really have a lot of different perspectives."
DUVA has received substantial support from the administration, Aubart said. College professors John Rassias, a World War II veteran, and Gene Garthwaite advise the organization, and College President James Wright has worked with the group. Wright has been widely recognized for his efforts in helping veterans secure higher education opportunities. A GI Bill, partially designed by Wright, that will provide tuition, room and board for veterans attending college, was passed by the House of Representatives last Thursday.
"I thought something that professor Rassias said was particularly inspiring," Holland said. "He said that veterans have a new appreciation for life. They have so much to share with the Dartmouth community."
