Establishing a Campus-Wide Veteran-To- Veteran Mentoring

Program On Your Campus

Helping America’s Best, Brightest and Bravest get their degree

Dr. John Schupp, NGG National Director

What This Presentation Will Provide The types of stresses on the service-member and

student veteran How this may impact the present suicide rate

The levels and differences in stresses between three different service-member groups How many you have in your area and on your campus

National Guard, Active Duty and Veterans The impact of these stresses on their academic success

Impact of campus support on this demographic You help more than just the military student

You impact several generations

CY Total Army Active Duty Suicides (Includes USAR /ANG) 1991-2002

**= HP&RR TF Estimated NOT ARMY OFFICAL: is based on an Active Duty Army strength of 715,662 (as of 1 Oct 11)

Army Active Duty Suicide Deaths 2003-2011 **

* = Preliminary Civilian Rate NOT CDC OFFICIAL (as of 16 March 2011 update)

*

Suicide Rates - 2012The July record included 38 potential suicides among active-duty soldiers/National Guard-reservists. The 26 suicides are also a monthly all-time record high for the active-duty Army.

The Army suicide pace this year is surpassing last year, particularly among active-duty soldiers where there is a 22% increase — 116 deaths so far this year vs. 95 during the same seven months last year, according to Army data.

In a recent interview with USA TODAY, Gen. Ray Odierno, Army chief of staff, said suicides are now the most common form of death in the Army, claiming more lives than combat or motor vehicle accidents.

Review of Data - Active Duty Army & Guard Reserve on Inactive Status 1991 Army suicides peak at start of Gulf war

340,000 troops deployed to Saudi Arabia Suicides drop off 5 years later

2007 suicides surpass highest level since 1991 2008- suicide rate passes civilian suicide rate

19.6 vs. 17.7 per 100,000 2011 Suicide rate is at 23.2 per 100,000 2012 projected to have 192 suicides

Suicide rate projected to be 26.8 per 100,000

Present Suicide Data Active Duty Army & Inactive Army Guard/Reserve

Most have had their deployments Are finishing up their 4-year commitment

Feeling a sense of lack of mission Not knowing what to do next Dealing with what they have experienced

If campuses were to embrace them before they leave the service They may gain a sense of mission again

Reduce the suicide rate of Active Duty

Let’s compare the two groupsand the impact of the stresses on these groups Active Duty

Gender Age Education Marital Status Years of Service

Guard/Reserve Gender Age Education Marital Status Years of Service

All of the following data (on slides 3 thru 12) is from the Report entitled 2009 Demographics of the Military Community

Published by the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (military community and family policy) along with the Defense manpower Data Center

Gender & Age - Enlisted

Active Duty Gender

86% men 14% women

Age 18-25 - 51.5% 26-30 - 21.3% 31-35 - 12.3% 36-40 - 9.4% 41 or older - 5.5%

Guard/Reserve Gender

82% men 18% women

Age 25 or younger - 38.8% 26-30 - 19.1% 31-35 - 11.3% 36-40 - 11.4% 41 or older - 19.4%

SERV Proprietary and Confidential

Education - Enlisted

Active Duty Less than bachelor’s -

94.0% Bachelor’s - 4.1% Advanced Degree - 0.5%

No High School Diploma -0.8%

Guard/Reserve Less than bachelor’s -

87.8% Bachelor’s - 6.7% Advanced Degree -1.0%

No High School Diploma -

4.0%

SERV Proprietary and Confidential

Martial Status - EnlistedActive Duty

Married - 53% Average age 29.9 yrs.

Never been married - 42% Married By gender

57.4% male 46.5% women

Age of Spouse 25 or younger - 30.2% 26-30yrs. - 24.1% 31-35yrs. - 18.1% 36-40yrs. - 14.3% 41 or older - 13.3%

Guard/Reserve Married-44%

Average age 36.1 yrs. Never been married - 48% Married By gender

50.8% male 37.7% women

Age of Spouse 25 or younger - 14.1% 26-30yrs. - 18.0% 31-35yrs. - 17.1% 36-40yrs. - 18.2% 41 or older - 32.6%

Families - Enlisted

Active Duty With Children - 43.7% Without Children - 56.3%

Single with Children - 5.3% Married to civilian

with children - 35.6% No children - 13.7%

Guard/Reserve With Children - 42.8% Without Children - 57.2%

Single with Children - 9.0% Married to Civilian

With Children - 32.3% No Children - 13.5%

SERV Proprietary and Confidential

Children/Dependents - EnlistedActive Duty

Average # of Children - 2 Age of Children

0-5yrs. - 42.0% 6-11yrs. - 30.9% 12-18yrs. - 23.1% 19-22yrs. - 4.0%

Avg. age at birth of 1st child 24.8

Guard/Reserve Average # of children - 2 Age of Children

0-5yrs. - 27.2% 6-11yrs. - 30.4% 12-18yrs. - 31.0% 19-22yrs. - 11.4%

Avg. age at birth of 1st child 26.4

SERV Proprietary and Confidential

What the Trends Show More guard/reserve women than active duty

Active duty younger than guard/reserve

Guard/reserve have more education than active duty

Less Guard/reserve married than Active duty Guard/Reserve spouses are older than Active duty

More single parents in guard reserve than active duty Nearly double the amount

Children of guard/reserve older than active duty Greater amount of teenage children in guard/reserve

What the Campuses Will See

3x more active duty than guard/reserve 30% are guard/reserve, 70% active duty

Except for Indiana campuses

77% of the student veterans are men 23% are women

Women vets have more education than male vets 40 percent of these veterans have a bachelor’s degree

57% of male veterans have some college 16% who have a bachelor’s degree

Types of Stresses on the Demographics

Active Duty Once they serve their 4 yrs.

They are done No more deployments Start the 2nd part of their lives

Education Families Career

Can no longer enjoy the camaraderie of their unit

Guard/Reserve Are in for a longer period

When home from deployment They can be deployed again -

this impacts Education Families Career

They can still enjoy the camaraderie of their unit

Different Triggers of Stress Counter-insurgency type of war

There isn’t any type of ‘front lines’ And no rear ‘safety zone’

This creates a constant level of heightened awareness And a constant level of stress

Two different types of battlefield environment Iraq - Mostly urban and city type of combat

Streets, houses, overpasses, markets, many people Afghanistan

Extremely rural, mountainous, fewer people

Two different types of triggers for stress and PTSD

Challenges to Families RAND Study - 913 vets, 293 spouses

22% of vets had a mental health condition 6% had PTSD 6% had depression 10% had a combination of PTSD/depression

Only 9% of group tried drugs Many vets won’t try drugs

positive drug test can hurt the security clearance

38% had alcohol binges Similar to civilians of same age group

Biggest challenge - finding access to care Those that find care

20% of sample wanted care, did not get care 24% sought help

Service-members don’t seek care as often May hurt career, security clearance, sign of weakness

50% of those who sought care, found it helpful 33% of care is outside of the VA

36% of those in study attended college for 1st year 72% are employed full time

2nd biggest challenge - getting information about care This is where campuses can help

Challenges to Families

Recommendations from RAND Increase supply of providers

Both VA and others Encourage veterans and service-members to seek care Deliver effective care in all areas Involve campus/RAND researchers when providing care

Can close knowledge gaps, provide info. for next generation

How can campuses help? What is the population of this

demographic?

Challenges to Families

Campus Support Programs (CSP’s) Support programs created to provide support to

a culturally diverse group of students Campus counselors Volunteer support groups Student associations Fraternities

What types of specific programs are available on campuses today?

Other Campus ‘Support Centers’Michigan State University www.msu.edu Office for Inclusion and Inter-Cultural Initiatives Family Resource Center Multi-Cultural Center Office on International Students and Scholars Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource

Center Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities Women’s Resource Center

Colorado State Universitywww.colostate.edu

Office of Equal Opportunity Asian/Pacific American Cultural Center Black/African American Cultural Center El Centro Student Services Native American Cultural Center Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Resource

Center Women’s Programs and Studies Resources for Disabled Students

Georgia State Universitywww.gsu.edu

Student Support Services Office of Disability Services Child Care Access Means Parents In School

(CCAMPIS) Educational Opportunity Center Educational Talent Search Ronald E. McNair Program Student Support Services Upward Bound Programs Veterans Upward Bound Upward Bound Math-Science

University of Vermont www.uvm.edu Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity

Diversity and Equity Unit Accommodation, Consultation, Collaboration and Educational Support

Services (ACCESS) ALANA Coalition ALANA Student Center Center for Cultural Pluralism Center on Disability and Community Inclusion (CDCI) The Learning Co-Op Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning and Ally Services

(LGBTQA) Office of the Associate Provost for Multicultural Affairs and Academic

Initiatives Student Life - Diversity on Campus Summer Enrichment Scholars Program (SESP) The TRiO/SSS Program The Women's Center

University of Arizona www.arizona.edu Diversity Support Centers and Research Units

African American Student Affairs Asian Pacific American Student Affairs Chicano Hispanic Student Affairs Early Academic Outreach Native American Student Affairs

ASUA Pride Alliance ASUA Women’s Resource Center Baby Cats (students with children) Child Care and Family Resources

University of Arizona (cont’d) Center for Research on Equity and Opportunity/ADVANCE Cultural and Religious Center Equity, Access, and Inclusion Graduate College Diversity Programs Indian Cooperative Extension International Affairs LGBTQ Affairs Office of Institutional Equity Office of Outreach and Multicultural Affairs Social Justice and Leadership Center Veterans Education and Transition Services

Different Types of Student Veteran Campus Support Programs Campus counseling

VA counseling

Private counseling

Mentoring

Campus Counseling

Most campus counselors do not have PTSD training They are specialized in general college student stresses

Most campus counselors are only available at certain times

Usually 9-5 weekdays Volunteers may answer phones overnight

Most campus counselors wont have the time available PTSD recovery takes many months and years of rigorous

counseling sessions Most campus counselors do not have a ‘PTSD rubric’ to

determine success Most veterans will avoid campus counselors

VA Health Centers Medical Centers - 164 nationwide

Community-Based Outpatient Clinics - 567 nationwide Extension of the Medical Centers

Vet Centers - 239 nationwide Not officially associated with the VA

Created during the Vietnam veteran era No computerized system Documents are not shared with the VA system

Veterans wont lose their security clearance J. Schupp has list of all three of these per state

SERV Proprietary and Confidential

Tennessee VA Health CentersHealth Centers

       Memphis: Memphis VA Medical Center

       Mountain Home: Mountain Home VA Medical Center

       Murfreesboro: Tennessee Valley Healthcare System - Alvin C. York (Murfreesboro)

       Nashville: Tennessee Valley Healthcare System - Nashville Campus

Outpatient Clinics

       Chattanooga: Chattanooga, Tennessee

       Cookeville: Cookeville, Tennessee

       Knoxville: Knoxville, Tennessee

       Nashville: Charlotte Avenue (Nashville, TN)

Community-Based Outpatient Clinics

       Arnold Air Force Base: Tullahoma, Tennessee

       Clarksville: Clarksville, Tennessee

       Dover: Dover (Stewart County), Tennessee

       Memphis: Covington, Tennessee (North Memphis)

       Memphis: Memphis, Tennessee (South)

       Morristown: Morristown, Tennessee

       Nashville: Vine Hill (Nashville, Tennessee)

       Savannah: Savannah, Tennessee

Vet Centers

       Chattanooga: Chattanooga Vet Center

       Johnson City: Johnson City Vet Center

       Knoxville: Knoxville Vet Center

       Memphis: Memphis Vet Center

       Nashville: Nashville Vet Center

 

VISN Nashville VISN 9: VA Mid South Healthcare Network

 Veterans Benefits Administration

   

Area Office Southern Area Office-Nashville

Regional Office Nashville Regional Office

   

Tennessee Vet Centers, Regional Offices

Tennessee’s VA Medical System VISN 9 In FY 2007, $372 million in expenditures 2,938 full-time employee equivalents (FTE)

245 physician and 649 nurses The inpatient workload was 86,514 unique patients Outpatient workload totaled 656,276 visits 742,790 veterans seen at the TN VA System

Allow 10% to be Post 9-11 74,000 OEF/OIF veterans seen at the TN VA system

VA Counselors VA counselors are specialized in Post 9-11 veteran

PTSD counseling VA counselors are very good and very understanding

VA counselors have specific rubrics to determine levels of success Need to re-assure student veteran that they are improving

Most VA counselors are over-worked Appointments may interfere with classes

If they miss an appt., they have to wait months for next one

Most Veterans trust VA counselors Many (30%) veterans won’t go to VA counseling

If diagnosed with PTSD, they may lose their security clearance For many, this is very important for their future careers

Vet Center Counseling Certified counselors

Many are Vietnam era veterans More flexible with their time

Can come to your campus on a regular basis No charge to veteran or campus for this service

Good bridge between VA and student veteran Counselors can talk/observe and recommend to VA counselors if

needed Vet Centers created during Vietnam Vet era

Paperwork/diagnosis not shared with VA Veterans can discuss their challenges/issues Can still keep their security clearances

Many vets work well with Vet Center counselors Vet center schedule may not match with student vet schedule

Private Counseling - from the community VA benefits won’t cover private counseling

Costs are ~ $200/hr. and above Many private counselors do not have experience

with Post 9-11 PTSD Once they ‘open the box’ they may not be able to

handle it Are more available than VA counselors

Veterans don’t trust private counseling

Veteran Counseling Data for Several Mid-West Campuses 5 campuses evaluated

4 pubic, 2 private 2 private only have campus counselors

Have less than 25 student veterans 2 public campuses have no counseling at all, (350 student veterans)

Not even student counseling Had one student veteran suicide last year

1 public campus (900 student vets) had Vet Center counselors on campus 1 day/week Counselor left because very few veterans showed up after 6 weeks

Class schedule and counselor schedule did not match Campus did not get the information out to the student veterans Campus had two student veteran suicides over past two years

1 Ohio campus (>1,000) different approach Psych Dept. Chair created a peer mentoring program

Trained 50 Student vets to help other student vets High visitation rate

Mentors saw an average of 4 student veterans/week

No suicides among student veteran population 2-year period

Veteran Counseling Data for Several Mid-West Campuses (cont’d)

Development of Mentoring Program Step #1 - Identify campus veteran population

31% of student veterans are Freshmen 46% of student veterans are juniors/seniors

One mentor can usually handle 5 -10 student veterans If campus veteran population is 500

150 freshmen student veterans 230 juniors/senior s- need 15 - 20 of these to be mentors

Step #2 - Identify vet upperclassmen able to participate

Want Juniors/Seniors Sophomores are still adjusting and entering their majors

Don’t want to sacrifice their grades for this project

Development of Mentoring Program Step #3 - Train upper classmen on counseling

A one-semester course Taken with other courses

Usually have psych. or counseling majors participate

Trained to recognize signs of trouble with a vet Military trains members to evaluate and assess

Taught how to intervene and what actions to take When to call the VA - when to recommend counseling

Veterans will accept advice from other veterans Not from civilians

Step #4 - Provide certification of completion Makes the mentor ‘official’ in the eyes of the vets

Rank and hierarchy very important in the military

Step #5 - Inform faculty/staff of their status Instructors can identify vets that are in need

Recognize mentor status at graduation Gives incentive for upper classmen to enroll in course

SERV Proprietary and Confidential

Development of Mentoring Program

Advantages of Mentoring Program Student vets mentors on campus more often

vs. campus/community counselors Increase chances of seeing a vet in need

Student vet mentors can relate better Vets in need will be more open to discuss issues

Student vet mentors are success stories They have worked their way through the labyrinth

All of this leads to increased communication Mentors ‘face time’ 10-15x higher than

community/campus counselorsSERV Proprietary and

Confidential

Campus Counseling (cont’d) If you don’t prepare your campus

As student veteran enrollment increases, risk for mental health issues increase Independent of total vet enrollment numbers

Impact of a Good Mentoring Program For the student veteran

Help with transition Veterans supporting veterans Professionals supporting veterans

Help with education Campus advocate Retention Graduation

Help with finances VA Claims Financial benefits Bill paying (Veterans Service Commission)

Results of Campus Veteran Mentors

SERV Proprietary and Confidential

LYNN ISCHAY/THE PLAIN DEALER

Jo Gibson, center, teaches creative writing at Cleveland State University. She is surrounded by students and veterans, from left, David Bennett, who served in Iraq; Jeff DeLuca, who was awarded a Purple Heart for his service in Iraq; and John Buckon, who served in Afghanistan.

SERV Proprietary and Confidential

A new category of student has recently been added to our student body. I discovered that last spring when I was editing our Department of English "Essays" anthology of outstanding student writing. Reading more than 1,000 essays by freshmen, with no information as to student or instructor identification, the staff and I selected the top six academic essays for publication.

When we gathered the writers' biographical information, I saw that two were veterans: Kevin Gallagher served four years in the Navy and Jeffrey De Luca was a Marine Corps veteran with a Purple Heart for service in Iraq. That two of the six top academic essays were written by veterans was, I thought, remarkable. (I later learned that Cleveland State University serves 400 veterans enrolled as students under Project SERV [Supportive Education for the Returning Veteran], a program developed by John Schupp, and that the Pat Tillman Foundation selected Cleveland State's SERV Program as one of only four institutions of higher education to become a new scholarship partner for 2010.)

SERV Proprietary and Confidential

I have since had veterans in my writing classes. When Army veteran John Buckon wrote, in his "Personal Statement" assignment, about being

in an Afghani farming village where he "became a vital part of a group of 30 soldiers that saved

over 200 villagers," he came to understand how life is shaped "through small but

significant actions.“

SERV Proprietary and Confidential

When Marine Corps veteran David Bennett wrote and read to our class in an impromptu writing assignment of

a day when, as an infantry team leader in Saqliwiyah, Iraq, he was leading a squad and, "responsible for nine

men, nine friends, nine brothers," they came under fire and took cover in a ditch, we listened, stunned. As he read what he wrote, how "blowing tall grass arches

childlike, flickering above me as hell rages on," we understood something of his experience.

This exposure to different cultures should count for a diversity requirement!!

Impact of Mentoring - Education Education - Civilian levels at CSU

Only 29 percent of CSU students who enrolled in 2003 had graduated six years later, according to the Ohio Board of Regents. (Avg. 6-year grad. rate is 56% statewide)

That ranks CSU 11th among the state's 13 public universities, ahead of only Central State University and Shawnee State University.

CSU also ranks 11th in retention -- the number of freshmen who return for a second year was 64% as of 2008

By Karen Farkas, The Plain Dealer, Published: Monday, April 11, 2011, 5:08 AM

Impact of Mentoring - Education Student vets with VRC and cohort classes - CSU

The 1st group - Spring 2008 14 students total

10 remained after 2nd year 71% retention rate after 2 years

7 have graduated or will graduate in Spring 2011 50% Graduation Rate in 3 years

3 others are still on campus On pace to graduate in Spring 2012

The Human Impact Preventing Substance abuse, Suicide &

Homelessness with our OEF/OIF veterans PTSD, major depression, feeling disconnected No “Daily Mission”

VRCs can bring student vets and the VA together Campus can help local VA find more OEF/OIF veterans Previous generations of veterans can go to VRC Vietnam vets identify with OEF/OIF vets

CMPs can help families of student vets How many generations can be impacted?

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) OEF/OIF veterans in 2009

53% had diagnoses of alcohol-only SUDs 21% had diagnoses of drug-only SUDs 26% had diagnoses of both

58% of OEF/OIF vets with SUD diagnoses had a diagnosis of one or more additional

mental health conditions PTSD, depression, bipolar disorder &

schizophrenia U.S. Government Accountability Office, VA Faces Challenges in Providing Substance Use Disorder Services and Is Taking Steps to Improve These Services for Veterans, GAO-10-294R, March 10, 2010 http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10294r.pdf

The Human Impact of a CMP Preventing substance abuse, suicide &

homelessness with our OEF/OIF veterans

Did we have a suicide problem after other wars that the US has had over the years?

The answer is…yes.

410,000 veterans in the region must be treated in insane asylums or go home

Suicide rate 100 per 100,000

24,405 mental cases on record, only 6,099 beds to care for them

Suicide Rate Summary for Past 150 yrs. Suicide rates per 100,000

Civil war - 30 WW I - 100 WW II - 12.2 Korea - 17.7 Vietnam - 19 OEF/OIF - 45

What impacted these rates? Why did it drop from WW I to WW II?This data has been compiled from over 200 documents, citations, journals and newspaper articles for the past 147 years.

Suicide Rates Among WW I Vets What the WW I vets were facing

Lack of proper psychological analysis Horrible fighting conditions Lack of US government concern Graft/corruption in Veterans Bureau US society/citizens moving on from the war

All these lead to very high suicide rates

What the Early Psychiatrists Thought Shell-shock caused the neurosis

The artillery shells caused a ‘molecular re-arrangement’ in the brain - Oppenheimer Soldiers nowhere near an explosion developed ‘shell-

shock’ symptoms German POWs exposed continuously to shelling did NOT

develop shell-shock symptoms Soldiers exposed to gases developed symptoms 1000s of Canadian soldiers with severe head wounds

due to shrapnel had no symptoms of shell-shock ‘Trench Neurosis’ occurs usually in non-wounded

soldiers

Neuropsychiatry and The War, A bibliography with abstracts; Mabel Webster Brown- Librarian, the National Committee for Mental Hygiene; Edited by Frankwood E. Williams M. D., Associate Medical Director, The National Committee for Mental Hygiene; The War Work Committee; National Committee for Mental Hygiene Inc.

What the British Doctors Found with Soldiers with ‘Trench Neurosis’ When the affected soldiers were

Evacuated from the war-front back to England Did not respond well to treatment

Treated at advanced base hospitals Did not respond well to treatment

Treated at hospitals near the war-front Improved much more rapidly

Treated at a combat organization near the front Was the best method for recovery, when given rest,

encouragement and persuasionNeuropsychiatry and The War, A bibliography with abstracts; Mabel Webster Brown- Librarian, the National Committee for Mental Hygiene; Edited by Frankwood E. Williams M. D., Associate Medical Director, The National Committee for Mental Hygiene; The War Work Committee; National Committee for Mental Hygiene Inc.

What They Found -Timing of Treatment Immediate attention

Best recovery

As time passes between evacuation & treatment Less chances for quick recovery

Separation between soldier and his unit Weakened the bonds with unit

Allowed time for the soldier to think:

If I’m not sick, then I am a coward who abandoned his comrades. I can’t accept being a coward, therefore I am sick.

Neuropsychiatry and The War, A bibliography with abstracts; Mabel Webster Brown- Librarian, the National Committee for Mental Hygiene; Edited by Frankwood E. Williams M. D., Associate Medical Director, The National Committee for Mental Hygiene; The War Work Committee; National Committee for Mental Hygiene Inc.

What This Analysis Means

The psychiatrist offers an alternative hypothesis You are just tired and will recover when rested

A soldier near his unit, both in location or time Can expect to get better

A soldier farther away from his unit Decreases this expectancy

Recovery takes much longer

Suicide Rates Among WW II Vets No reports of spike in suicides among WW II vets

12.2 per 100,000 (even 5 years later) Potential reasons

Country embraced them Country did not go back into a depression 52/20 club kept them from needing to work right away

Allowed time to re-adjust mentally GI Bill allowed them to gather on campuses Environment for self-support created

Unit cohesion re-created on campuses nationwide

Robert H. Stretch, "Follow-Up Studies of Veterans," in War Psychiatry (Falls Church, VA: U.S. Army Office of the Surgeon General, 1995).

WWII Campus Population in Classroom 2.2M vets enrolled in ~1,800 colleges/universities

Average of 1,222/campus 1949 >45% of all college students were vets

The classroom was full of WW II veterans Veterans get to class 15 minutes early Discuss their experiences with other veterans

2.2M vets has 4 years of ‘group therapy’ When they graduated, they were done talking about

the war

Dr. Jennifer Adams, Penn State Univ. ASHE meeting Sacramento Nov 18 2000

Results of the First GI Bill Era 1956

11 years after final victory 2.2 million WWII veterans attended college

180,000 college educated engineers 200,000 college educated accountants 238,000 teachers 91,000 scientists 67,000 doctors 22,000 dentists 1 million other college educated individuals

~1.7M college degrees 78% Graduation Rate

Milton Greenberg-report taken from the U.S. Department of State publication, Historians on America

% of Vets on Campus GI Bill Era WW II

1951 -Total college enrollment - 2,101,962 1951 -Total vet enrollment -1,870,000

88.9% of campus enrollment were veterans Campus veteran friendly environment established

Suicide rate - 12 per 100,000

Korea 1956 -Total college enrollment - 2,918,212 1956 -Total vet enrollment -2,312,000 WWII & Korean vets

79.2% of campus enrollment were veterans Somewhat campus vet friendly environment established

Suicide rate - 17 per 100,000

This data compiled from the DOE enrollment data, 1947 to present

% of Vets on Campus GI Bill Era Vietnam

1975 - Total college enrollment -11,184,859 1951 - Total vet enrollment - 2,019,733

18.0% of campus enrollment were veterans Suicide Rate - 19 per 100,000

Presently 2011 - Total college enrollment - 21,016,126 2011 - Total vet enrollment - 962,780 4.6%% of campus enrollment are veterans

Suicide Rate - 45 per 100,000

As the % of vets on campus drops, suicide rate increases

This data compiled from the DOE enrollment data, 1947 to present

Factors in Suicide Rate Between WWI & WW II Veterans They used their GI Bill in very large numbers

Nearly 8.5M used their GI Bill benefits When they went to campus, they were the campus

Didn’t talk about the war before, during or after class

Their education/degree gave them hope for their future* Rather than dwelling on their past

Better future means less reason for suicides

*Quote from Milton Greenburg, WW 2 veteran and expert on the GI Bill

What is the suicide rate for student veterans today?

What is the suicide information on today’s student veterans?

Does education still help lessen the need for suicide being the only option?

Can the campuses help reduce the suicide rate? Provide a better environment (VRCs) to increase

graduation among student veterans

Suicides among military servicemen and women have surged in recent years. Between 2002 and 2009, army suicides more than doubled. "This problem doesn’t go away once somebody separates from service," Rudd said. [See After the Battle: 7 Health Problems Facing Veterans]

Rudd and colleagues examined survey results from a nationally representative sample of 525 student veterans whose average age was 26. Nearly all had been deployed to the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, and close to 60 percent said they had experienced combat.

After the Battle: 7 Health Problems Facing VeteransNov 10, 2010 | 1:41 PM ET | Maureen Salamon, MyHealthNewsDaily Contributor

David Rudd, the scientific director for the U.’s National Center for Veterans Studies - Congressional Testimony

Rudd Study (cont’d)

46% said they had had suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives, 20% reported having suicidal thoughts and a plan to carry it out, about 10% said they thought of suicide very often, 7.7% reported attempting suicide, and 3.8 percent said a suicide attempt was either likely or very likely. 

Eighty-two percent of those who attempted suicide also struggled with significant post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, Rudd said.

After the Battle: 7 Health Problems Facing VeteransNov 10, 2010 | 1:41 PM ET | Maureen Salamon, MyHealthNewsDaily Contributor

Impacting the Student Veteran Suicide Rate

Is it higher for those not using their GI Bill?

How many total OEF/OIF veterans can we expect to attempt suicide at least once?

What is the cost of counseling from the 1st attempt to recovery? Less than the cost of a good campus veteran program?

Impacting the Student Veteran Suicide Rate Can a Campus Mentoring Program reduce this

7.7%? Federal dollars for CMPs nationwide Can it increase the number of veterans using their GI

Bill? Bring more veterans to campus, reduce the suicide rate for all

OEF/OIF veterans

Projected Increase in GI Bill Usage Nationwide with Federally Funded CVPs/VRCs

Present OEF/OIF vets using their GI Bill benefits

Total # of OEF/OIF service-members,

veterans GI Bill eligible% of service-members,

veterans using their GI Bill

962,780 2,436,395 39.5%

Cost data from “The Veterans Health Administration’s Treatment of PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury Among Recent Combat Veterans Feb. 2012 - a CBO report

Target for % of service-members/veterans using their

GI Bill

Target - Total # of OEF/OIF service-members, veterans using their GI

Bill

50.0% 1,218,198

Projected Student Veterans Who Will Attempt Suicide & Associated CostsTarget OEF/OIF vets

using their GI Bill benefits

% of student vets who may attempt

suicide

Projected OEF/OIF vets using their GI Bill who may

attempt suicide

1,218,198 7.70% 93,801

Counseling cost per vet to reduce

suicide risk

Total counseling dollars on vets who've attempted

suicide

$15,000.00 $1,407,018,690

Cost data from “The Veterans Health Administration’s Treatment of PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury Among Recent Combat Veterans Feb. 2012 - a CBO report

How Campus Veteran Programs Can Be Funded to Reduce Suicides

% of counseling costs set aside for CVPs

Dollars allocated for CVPs

Total campuses with vet programs

Total dollars per campus

30.0% $422,105,607 1,250 $337,684

Reduction in suicide

attempts

New student vet 1st

attempt %

# of student veterans who will

NOT attempt suicide

Dollars NOT spent (saved) by the VA on

recovery

40.00% 4.62% 37,520 $562,807,476

Lives Saved & Dollars SavedTotal Cost of

CVPsTotal cost of

counseling for those remaining student

veterans that attempt suicide for 1st time

Total cost of suicide reduction and

treatment program for student veterans

Total costs for counseling from 1st attempt to

recovery if suicide rate among student veterans is

not lowered

$422,105,607 $844,211,214 $1,266,316,821 $1,407,018,690

Why a Campus Vet Program is Needed

Other campus programs for at-risk students Do not address suicide prevention or lowering

Other campus programs for at-risk students Increase the federal budget A campus veteran program reduces suicides and

decreases the federal budget Does this interest your campus?

Let J. Schupp know. He is working on a proposal for congress now!

First Attempt Suicides Prevented in the Region 22,053 total veterans

Goal to have 75% of region’s vets use their GI Bill 16,540 student veterans

Present 1st attempt suicide rate among student veterans - 7.7% Expect 1,273 student veterans to attempt suicide

Create a good campus veteran program with a VRC - reduce 1st attempt rate by 50%

Save 640 student vets from attempting suicide in the region!

Homelessness/SUD Prevention on Your Campus…if you had a CMPTotal veteran/service-

member campus Enrollment Spr 17

508

Total Combat vets on campus

# of vets with undiagnosed

PTSD/Depression

# of undiagnosedPTSD/Depression

at risk forpotential

substance abuse

# of undiagnosedPTSD/Depression

with potentialsubstance abuse

at risk forhomelessness

Total vets that your campus

could prevent from being homeless

318 42 31 24 24

From the Rand Report “The Invisible Wounds of War” 2008

Human Impact of Your CMP Spring 2017, 508 veterans on Campus

318 combat vets - 42 with undiagnosed PTSD/depression If untreated

31 will have substance abuse issues 24 will spend all GI Bill money on addiction and become

homeless Spring 2017 - 318 combat vets on campus

One suicide over a four-year period The Campus CVP reduces the risk of these events Bring the VA to the campus once/week or once/month

Help VA reach more OEF/OIF vets than the present 52%

How many families in Seattle will benefit from a CMP at Your University or several CMPs in your region? In region

Ex-Service-members

Total # of vets 18-35

Total # of reservists

# of reservists 18-35 Married vets

Married reservists

22,053 18,525 2,993 2,035 11,688 1,317

On campus 2013 Married vetsMarried

reservists Ex-Service-members

Total # of vets 18-35

Total # of reservists

# of reservists 18-35 vets reservists

508 426 69 47 269 30

In region

# Spouses of vets with

between 25-35

# of Spouses of reservists

between 25-35 BA

degrees

Reservists with BA degrees

Married vets with kids

Married reservists with kids

13,673 1,467 904 201 5,108 564 On Campus 2013

# Spouses of vets with

between 25-35

# of Spouses of reservists age between 25-35

BA degrees

Reservists with BA degrees

Married vets with kids

Married reservists with kids

315 34 21 5 118 13

How many families in Seattle will benefit from a CMP at Your University or several CMPs in your region?

In regionsingle

veterans single reservists total # of children # of children

with kids with kids of veterans with reservists

461 151 11,137 1,429

On campus 2013 single

veterans single reservists total # of children # of children

with kids with kids of veterans with reservists

11 3 256 33

How many families in Seattle will benefit from a CMP at Your University or several CMPs in your region?

In region

Age of Children Of vets Age of Children Of

reservists

zero to 5 6 to 11 12 to 18 19 to 22 zero to

5 6 to 11 12 to 18 19 to 224,678 3,452 2,573 455 386 429 443 157

On campus 2013

Age of Children Of vets Age of Children Of

reservists

zero to 5 6 to 11 12 to 18 19 to 22 zero to

5 6 to 11 12 to 18 19 to 22108 79 59 10 9 10 10 4

How many families in Seattle will benefit from a CMP at Your University or several CMPs in your region?

By Having a CMP at Your UniversityVRC on campus of Your University

You could impact 426 vets 69 Guard and reservists 349 spouses 289 children

206 of them younger than 12 yrs. old

At least two generations All with a small investment

VRCs on several campuses in the region

You could impact 18,525 vets 2,993 Guard/reservists 15,140 spouses 12,566 children

8,945 of them younger than 12 yrs. old

Total Impact of Campus Mentoring Program

Financial Campus - $9.5M

Community - $16.2M

Total - $25.7M

Human Impact Homelessness prevented - 24

Suicides NOT attempted - 640

289 children impacted

All by having a $206,000 investment

Resource Requirements

Personnel requirements Instructors

May need to be briefed on student veterans Administrators

May need to attend training seminar on campus procedures VA counselors and psychologists

From the region - no cost to campus Specialists in understanding veterans and veteran

environment Campus recruiters

J. Schupp can teach how to meet potential student veterans

Resource Requirements

Resource requirements Need a VA Hospital/CBOC near campus - J. Schupp can provide

Adequate level of OEF/OIF veteran population in area - HAVE Program has to be self-sustaining

Need to have community involvement/support - OBTAIN Community leaders, local businesses, Chamber of Commerce,

County Commissioners, other elected officials Need to have financial support of Veteran Resource Center

Resource Requirements

J. Schupp can provide a business plan outline to all those campuses that request it Send me

Your present enrollment data by chapter The counties that you draw from for civilian enrollment

Many places of worship have concerns about veterans and their families

Many families of veterans/service-members attend places of worship

What is the level of information and interest at these places of worship regarding veterans and their education?

How can you get your campus information to them?

Campus/Faith-Based Groups

Veterans’ Survey - Background Sampled the entire Episcopalian Diocese of Ohio for

their activities and level of interest in Veterans’ education

31 out of 75 parishes responded – What did they say?

How many members of your parish are currently in the military?

How many members of the armed services does your parish pray for each Sunday?

What degree of knowledge do you or your outreach group have about military health issues like PTSD?

What degree of knowledge do you or your outreach group have about educational benefits and opportunities for veterans?

Are you or your outreach group familiar with the Post 9/11 GI Bill, which began August 2009?

Do you or your outreach group think learning more about veteran health and educational issues would help your outreach for military members and veterans?

Survey Analysis Some service-members are members of the parish Parish prays for many service-members at worship

Few parishes are aware of the Post 9/11 GI Bill Parishes more aware of health issues than educational

opportunities Some parishes don’t know how to establish a veterans’

outreach ministry Your campus can be the bridge between the veteran

community and the parishes But how do you begin to reach out to them?

Efficient Way To Reach This Demographic The Church Bulletin

Nothing else to do while waiting for service to start Feel too guilty to throw it away….immediately

Reaches three generations of loved ones Parents, grandparents, spouses, children

It already has troop announcements in it Just add the info. of the university program to it

It is trusted for its authenticity After all, it is in the ‘Church Bulletin’

How well does this idea work?

J. Schupp has provided business plans to over 50 campuses nationwide Both in person and by email

Many of these campuses have started VRCs based upon this information

Here are a few…..

Results from Hiram CollegeFrom: Rood, Donna B.

Sent: Wed 1/26/2011 2:21 PMTo: Faculty; Staff; Class of 2011; Class of 2012; Class of 2013; Class of 2014; Weekend College Students; Graduate MAIS StudentsSubject: Message from the PresidentTo the campus community, I am delighted to share additional good news with you this week. Our friend and former trustee Chuck Miller has given $500,000 to Campus A through the estate of his parents, Paul C. and Kathryn W. Miller. Chuck’s wishes are that we use the money to renovate Miller Dining Hall as the new home for student support services and for our new efforts to recruit and provide support to military personnel returning to civilian life. The funding will be used to complete the renovation of Miller and to create an endowment to support programs related to the work done by Kathryn Craig, Frank Hemphill, and their colleagues in Student Life. In his letter to me announcing the gift, Chuck said “I am certain that our mother and father would be pleased and delighted that their contribution to Campus A would be used for these activities. Both of them were very strong believers in education and the opportunities that can result from learning for not only the individual student’s career, but his or her family and the communities in which they live.” This is a wonderful gift from Chuck and his wife, Judie, that enables us to advance the support we provide to our student body. Tom Chema 

Terra Community College

New Veterans’ Center at Terra State Opens

For most of her career at Terra State Community College, Joyce Spencer has been an advocate for armed forces veterans. Now she has, well, an army of supporters.

Thanks to a push from administration, the hard work of maintenance and housekeeping employees, and Spencer’s steady guidance, the new Terra State Veterans’ Center opened on Nov. 15, 2012

It features four computer work stations, a conference room with white board, and a lounge area with a flat screen television. A coffee maker, microwave, refrigerator and sink round out all the comforts of home

From: John Schupp [john.schupp@theservprogram.com] Sent: Friday, October 07, 2011 5:59 AM To: Millet, David Subject: Re: Veteran's Mentoring Program

David, great talking with you today- Attached is a file of those that have returned and checked in with their VA since 9/11 as of Oct 2010 (they update every october) I have the numbers for Eastern Washington Counties in yellow, you have a total of 4,470 Post 9-11 veterans available. This data is from the Ombudsman's office of the VA in DC. If you could have the attached spreadsheet filled in as best as you can, I can provide you with the cost analysis and financial impact of what your campus has provided to the region so far, and project what it could do in the future- Kind Regards J. Schupp

On Thu, Oct 6, 2011 at 1:27 PM, Millet, David <dmillet@ewu.edu> wrote:

John – we participated in the Sept 15th webinar and would like to get some information. One of the slides mentioned you could provide “the number of post 9-11 vets that have returned back home to your county-aka- ‘your market’”

We are located in eastern Washington state in Spokane county and draw many of our students from eastern Washington counties. Is it possible to get this date from you.

Thanks-Dave

M. David Millet

Director of Advancement, College of Business and Public Administration, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Eastern Washington University, 102 Hargreaves Hall, Cheney, Wa 99004

Results fromEastern WashingtonUniversity

On Mon, Jul 16, 2012 at 7:58 PM, Millet, David <dmillet@ewu.edu> wrote:

John – I wanted to pass on a thank you and the below links to our opening of the EWU Veterans Resource Center. Part of the success of this project had to do with the information you provided last fall in “ROI” and from a purely business sense why we should do a better job of recruiting, retaining and graduating veterans.

First link is to photos of the opening – although still a work in progress.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ewuphoto/sets/72157630519578742/with/7545949310/

http://www.ewu.edu/about/ewu-news/military-center.xml

So EWU is moving forward and we look forward to assisting many more veterans in the future.

Best,Dave

M. David Millet

Director of Advancement, College of Business and Public Administration, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Eastern Washington University, 102 Hargreaves Hall, Cheney, Wa 99004

Let J. Schupp help you help your local veterans!

We can save this generation and make it the next “Great Generation”

john.schupp@theservprogram.com (440) 488 - 6416