Queens Tribune

As the Iraq War nears its fifth anniversary, Queens College is preparing for an influx of veteran students. Today, approximately 2,500 vets are enrolled at CUNY schools and 10,000 more are expected to matriculate in the coming years. On Feb. 27, Queens College launched a new Veterans Support Services. The program, which links seven independent campus departments, seeks to provide veterans with holistic assistance.

The offices of Academic Advising Center, Career Development and Internships, College Counseling and Resource Center, Continuing Education Program, Health Services Center, Registrar, and Special Services, have each designated a specially-trained veterans’ liaison.

“After admission to Queens College, the Academic Advising Center will offer guidance that is attentive to the needs of veterans and reservists,” Advising Center Director Laura Silverman said. “At the same time, we’ll ensure that the advice we give is consistent with the policies governing the eligibility and maintenance of their educational benefits.”
Now, when veterans “self-declare” at the Registrar at the start of the semester, they will be eligible for specific services.

“It had become apparent that returning veterans, who have multiple needs, require specialized support to adapt to college life,” Special Services Detres-Hickey said. “We developed this consolidated approach to make sure that the veterans took full advantage of the benefits due them and to provide guidance and a sense of community as they reentered civilian life in an academic setting.”

Silverman said that although the College identifies veterans as a unique population, it is unable to aggressively pursue vets.

“We can’t ask outright ‘are you financial aid’ either,” Silverman said.

Among the 126 known veteran students is Raphael Hernandez, a 22-year-old Computer Programming major who came to QC following basic training at Fort Sill, OK. When he was called back to duty in 2005, he approached a professor to ask for permission to take the final early. The professor refused and he had to withdraw from the class.

“It depends on the individual [professor],” Hernandez said. “I tend to think that people appreciate what you do for your country and don’t put limitations on it...but it depends if a person acknowledges and respects the duty and sometimes they don’t.”

Hernandez, who joined the service in order to afford a college education, said he hopes the new comprehensive Veterans Support Services program will enable him to fulfill both his academic requirements and military obligations.