MU’s student veterans participate in the Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11.
DAVID BOLLERT / COURTESY
By Laili Shahrestani and Otito Maduegbuna, Staff Writer and Contributor
Manhattan University serves as a home base for many student veterans who reflected on Monday, Nov. 11 about the opportunities they have now and what the Veteran’s Day holiday means to them.
The Quadrangle had the opportunity to sit down with some student veterans who have served in a variety of branches across the military and shared their thoughts and emotions about how the meaning of Veterans Day has changed for them before, during and after their time of service.
Juan Ortiz, a former Marine embassy security guard who served in the Marine Corps for six years, shared with The Quadrangle his experience with the holiday.
“Before I joined, I guess I didn’t even really care or even heard about Veterans Day,” Ortiz said. “I think as a veteran, the day’s become more of a ‘I’m glad to be appreciated and acknowledged’ because we tend to kind of fall through the cracks sometimes.”
According to the Military Times’ 2024 “Best for Vets” colleges, Manhattan University is ranked eighty-fifth in overall best schools for former military service members, and partakes in the Yellow Ribbon Program, which assists with funding tuition expenses for veterans. The student veterans each spoke about the sense of personal meaning that Veterans Day holds to them now that they have transitioned out of the military and into civilian life.
“At least for me, I’m glad for veterans to be acknowledged,” Ortiz said. “It brings attention to the veterans, but it also brings attention to issues and aspects of different problems in the VA or the veteran community.”
Student veterans can find a sense of inclusion and belonging through the Veterans Success Program at MU, which provides student veterans with an abundance of resources and opportunities. This program includes the Veteran Success Center located in Thomas Hall, which is an area for student veterans to collaborate with one another in a shared space.
Tyler Thomason, a student veteran and a radiation therapy major, spoke to The Quadrangle in regards to how the Veteran Success Center has assisted him in his transition from serving in the military to becoming a Jasper. He mentioned how Manhattan University is a campus that allows student veterans to thrive and achieve their goals.
“My experience has been good here,” Thomason said. “When I first got here, I wasn’t connected with the Veterans Success Center. I didn’t really come here too much. I was just going to classes because I’m a commuter. But once I started coming here, I was able to connect with a lot more veterans. And it’s been super helpful because I get assistance, such as tutoring for classes. I get a lot of help from the veterans that are ahead of me, and then I’m also able to give guidance to veterans that are just coming in.”
Thomason went on to speak about how Manhattan University has fostered a beneficial environment for student veterans to help them achieve success. He emphasized how the veteran programs around campus have allowed him to partake in new opportunities.
“I think for me, just being a part of the Veteran Success Center has been very beneficial,” Thomason said. “The school also has a work study program here, which is also really beneficial. I think those two things are really awesome, because it gives us a chance to hang out here and meet other veterans.”
Veteran’s Day is not only a day to acknowledge veterans, but to bring light to different issues affecting the group.
“I’m glad for veterans to be acknowledged because it brings light to different situations,” Ortiz said. “Although Veterans Day is meant more so to commiserate and bring attention to veterans, it also brings attention to issues and aspects of different problems in the VA or the veteran community. For me, I’m glad for the appreciation and the free food at Applebees.”
David Bollert, Ph.D., is the director of Veteran Services at MU. He spoke to The Quadrangle about how the holiday should be taken seriously by all students, veterans or not.
“I’d like everyday folk to know that most veterans take Veterans Day seriously,” Bollert said. “Veterans are not a monolith. They’re just as complex and nuanced in their political beliefs, religious beliefs and general views. If you think you can stereotype or typecast veterans in general, you’re wrong. I want folks to get to know veterans as full-fledged, three dimensional, complex and nuanced beings that they are like the rest of us.”