from rifles to writing vet presentation
TRANSCRIPT
From Rifles to Writing: Helping Second-Year Veterans Succeed at a
Professional Focus Commuter Institution
Presented By: Ashley Babcock, Ed.D
Study Overview Longitudinal, Intrinsic Case Study
Sample: 4 veteran students; Data Collection: Interviews, focus groups, blog
Unique Features of Bartley
Large Veteran Population (19%)
Results show differing needs of veterans than civilian students
Methodology
Narrative Inquiry captures competing plotlines, mutlivoicedness, tensions, and opinion conflict of each vet’s experience (Moen, 2006; Pinnegar & Hamilton, 2011).
Theoretical Framework
Chickering and Reisser’s (1993) revised seven vectors of student development
Focus on how Veterans develop in their second-year and what support structures need to be in place to support that development
Findings: Structure
Failure to follow rules or question authority = disrespect
John and Sam discuss struggles with disregard to rules
Bartley’s structure = positive to vets/negative to civilians
John discusses professional focus
Grateful for support structures
Used first and second year programs more than civilians
Support Structures and Extracurricular Activities help Veterans with Networking
Mike elaborates on First-Year programming, importance of networking
Findings: Veteran Affairs on Campus Knowledgeable Veterans Affairs representative is
crucial Ability to connect with other veterans helps
engagement and integration Mike discusses the importance of a vibrant Student
Veterans Association (SVA)
Disconnect between Bartley and VA department Mike elaborates on the lack of connection between
Bartley and the VA
Findings: Camaraderie and Networking
SVA started by students as a forum to discuss issues and to come together under the common bond of student veteran Lack of involvement on campus affects SVA attendance and
getting word out
Samuel, John and Mike share experiences on lack of communication on campus
Students with common interests start their own groups in lieu of formal student groups Mike and John share their experiences with forming their
own informal veteran animators club
Findings: Struggle with other Students Use “Military” as verb to define their behavior
John discusses struggle of trying to be less “military” in class
Veteran classroom expectations differ from traditional aged students All four veterans struggled with lax behavior from
younger students Javier explains why traditional students irritate him
Disability intolerance from peers John and Sam tell about their disabilities and how it
affects communication and how they are seen by their peers
Discussion: Chickering and Reisser’s Seven Vectors of Student Development
Vectors must be seen as fluid instead of linear (whole student development)
At Bartley, the four veterans needed the most support with the following vectors:
Developing Competency
Developing Mature, Interpersonal Relationships
Establishing Identity
Establishing Purpose
Recommendations A support structure should be developed using four common ideas:
Purposeful Programming
Specific events for Veterans in conjunction with SVA group
Bring Faculty Veterans into events/design programming
Mentoring
Veteran Faculty and staff as mentors
Alumni and third year students as mentors
E-Portfolio Community
Connect Veterans through online community for Bartley
Help increase communication, networking and build community of veteran artists
Becoming Allies to Veterans
Sensitivity training for Faculty and Staff
Help fix disconnect between Bartley and the VA by enforcing accountability
Further Research Larger scale qualitative studies on veterans needed
Public Institutions
Private Institutions
For-Profit
Focus needs to be on overall experience and on each year
Veterans need to be studied at all institutions and at all points in their college tenure to truly understand what veterans need at differing institutions and how they can be best supported in all capacities
Thank-You!
Contact Information:
Ashley Babcock, Ed.D
A copy of this presentation is available at: http://www.slideshare.net/AshleyBabcockEdD/from-
rifles-to-writing-vet-presentation