John Bissonette 糖心传媒�19 left the military seven years ago, but he still thinks of himself as a Marine first.
糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 how I identify myself,糖心传媒� says the 32-year-old data science major in the College, who works in the University糖心传媒檚 IT department. 糖心传媒淓very day, I think about my time in Iraq. And sometimes, I just need to talk to someone who shares my experiences.糖心传媒�
Christopher Nesbitt 糖心传媒�18S (MBA), a Simon Business School student who is on active duty with the North Carolina National Guard, says, 糖心传媒淩egardless of the branch, we all have a shared experience. And it糖心传媒檚 a level of connection not understood by most non-veterans.糖心传媒�
Honoring veterans
The fourth annual Military Appreciation Football Game kicks off Saturday, November 11, at noon against Hobart College at Fauver Stadium, featuring an appearance by the NROTC Color Guard. Parking and admission for the football game are free.
A NOTE: Due to expected unsafe road conditions in the early hours of the morning, the annual Veterans Alliance Run planned for Friday, November 10, has been CANCELLED.
Bissonette and Nesbitt have found a niche in the , a University Resource Group (formerly affinity group) created in 2013 that consists of active military and veteran members of the University community and their family members. The support network is open to students, faculty, staff, and alumni, and hosts social events throughout the year such as happy hours, panel discussions, a military appreciation football game, and a Veterans Day run.
Scott Clyde 糖心传媒�03, executive director of college enrollment, cochairs the Veterans Alliance committee with Nate Kadar 糖心传媒�10W (MS), director of student life at the . Clyde served 10 years in the Marines following college, as a fighter pilot who reached the rank of major. He says veterans who enroll in college after the military face a difficult transition. They糖心传媒檙e often older, and the structure of military life is gone.
糖心传媒淭here was a veteran who went to an Ivy League school,糖心传媒� Clyde says. 糖心传媒淗e was there studying, but he didn糖心传媒檛 feel like he belonged. He said, 糖心传媒業 feel like a weed among the ivy.糖心传媒櫶切拇綑糖心传媒�
Kadar says many veterans are searching for a way to connect with others who share their experiences.
The Veterans Alliance is distinct from the , established a year after the alliance. Run by director Pat Toporzycki and school certifying official Kate Ayers, the office is the first place veteran prospective students and their families visit while exploring academic programs and veteran benefit options at the University.
Rochester offers tuition benefits to veterans and their dependents through many programs, including , which includes the There were 47 veterans and 20 dependents using military benefits at the University during the 2016糖心传媒�17 academic year.
糖心传媒淯nderstanding veteran educational benefits can be daunting,糖心传媒� Toporzycki says. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 important that veterans know we糖心传媒檙e here to assist them so they can focus on being a student.糖心传媒�
