Military, veteran alliance finds home on campus

Vice President of Academic Affairs John Thornell, Student Government Association President Laura Giles and retired Lt. Col. Wayne Bergeron listen to Col. Carl Brook speak during the 2013 Veteran’s Day ceremony.

After years of waiting, military and veteran students will soon have a place to call their own in the Guillot University Center. Due to recent space openings after The Commons’ debut, the Military and Veterans Alliance Center will be moving into a space in the GUC.

The new space will consist of two rooms on the second floor of the GUC. The center’s leaders are waiting to move in, said retired Lt. Col. Wayne Bergeron, adviser for MVA.

“I would hope that we could begin using the spaces by the end of the semester,” Bergeron said.

Bergeron hopes the space will be fully functional for veterans and ROTC students by the beginning of the fall semester, he said.

Senior Megan Thornton thinks the center is a good idea since it allows military and veteran students to meet each other.

“If they want their own spot, they should have it,” she said. “I can’t believe there’s not already something like that (for veteran and military students).”

Students will primarily use the center, but other veteran organizations have mentioned visiting as well, Bergeron said.

“Mainly we’re looking for somewhere for students to congregate, (where they) can get some help with different issues,” he said.

These issues include helping veterans and military students with Veteran Affairs benefits and GI bills, Bergeron said.

Sophomore Shelby Boman is unaware of any services currently offered for veterans at UNA, she said.

“I think it’s useful for them (military students) to meet with other people and get things sorted out,” Boman said.

The center may also offer a support group for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Bergeron does not want this to be perceived as a replacement for Student Health Services, though, he said.

The goal for the center is to provide military and veteran students a link to other veteran organizations on campus, as well as a quiet place with the appropriate resources, Bergeron said.

The center will also feature a computer bank, a study area, a television and a meeting place for benefits and disability issues, Bergeron said.

“We’re going to make it what the military veteran students want it to be,” Bergeron said.

Bergeron is currently planning to meet with the military and veteran students who may be interested in helping decide what direction the center will go in. These students will also help as MVA leaders, he said.