Veterans Services office offers support to returning student military

Michaela Marquardt spent four years as a maintenance data systems analyst in the U.S. Air Force, working on military aircraft in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar.

Upon her return to the United States in 2003, she came to UW–Madison to learn about consumer science and personal finance with the goal of becoming a financial planner. She plans to graduate this spring.

While Marquardt studied, the Student Veteran Services arm of the Office of the Registrar was hard at work looking after her military benefits and tuition reimbursement, easing her transition back to civilian life.

“The help I have received since I’ve been out of the military has been superb,” says Marquardt. “They’re always on top of the new laws and regulations, keeping me informed. It’s very easy and less stressful for me during the semester to have that help.”

Student Veteran Services (SVS) provides a variety of free assistance to students in the military before, during and after active military duty. Among its roles:

• Staff members counsel and guide students through the logistics and paperwork involved when they are called up.
• The staff also works closely with other campus service units as well as state and federal veteran affairs offices to ease the way for the students.
• The office is frequently the first stop back to campus for returning student veterans, who often have had life-altering experiences.

“Being called to active duty in 2003 was very stressful, and the fear of the transition when coming back was even more stressful,” says Melissa Heisz, a senior majoring in accounting and a returning active duty member of the military. “From re-admission to getting back in the swing of things, the university was understanding of the pressure and the reliance that I had and tried to help out as much as possible.”

Linda Struck, coordinator of the office, provides personalized attention and often hears about the life situation and military experiences of students.

“They’ve been through a lot,” says Struck. “I’m glad to be here for them. I feel good at the end of the day when someone calls and says ‘thanks for straightening this out for me.’”

When students are called up for active duty, Struck advises them on their options on withdrawing from school. If students don’t have enough time to take care of the withdrawing themselves, SVS helps facilitate the process for them. While the students are deployed, they stay in touch via e-mail and staff members provide advice on what to do when they are ready to re-enter the university.

The campus has streamlined the re-entry admission process for student veterans, and SVS also helps facilitate the process for them when they return. SVS serves returning student veterans in a variety of other ways as well, often providing individualized help for a particular situation.

“I really admire these kids who put their lives on hold and then come back and try to put together some normalcy,” says Struck. “I like working with the student veterans. They are very appreciative, and I feel like I have a chance to make a difference.”

SVS also provides assistance to military reservists and National Guard members as well as new student veterans when they arrive on campus. Staff share information about the state and federal benefits available, help them fill out the application for the federal GI Bill benefits and assist with discharge and disability papers.

In the past year, there have been significant changes in veteran’s benefits at the state level. The state recently merged two separate programs into one called VetEd. Additionally, the Legislature enacted a new bill in August that gave new vets and their dependents eligibility for either 50 percent or 100 percent off of their tuition and fees.

The staff at SVS is working with other campus offices, such as UW System, the Office of the Bursar and the Office of Student Financial Services, to incorporate those new programs.

“SVS does an amazing job of sorting through the red tape for veterans,” says Josh Ryf, a senior communication arts major and president of the student veterans group Vets for Vets. “It would be impossible for students to keep everything straight. We work together to make sure veterans know about their benefits and submit the right paperwork.”