APSU and the Veterans Upward Bound program introduced their latest addition to the campus Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Academic Coordinator, Sondra Roddy and a host of others introduced the Veterans’ Student Lounge with an open house. The Student Lounge is open to all veteran students at APSU.
According to President Timothy Hall, 10 percent of the students on campus are either veterans or are in some way affiliated with the military. Veterans’ Upward Bound (VUB), a pre-college program for veterans, has donated some of its office space for the lounge.
VUB provides free educational services to qualified veterans who are planning to enroll in college, technical school or take the GED Exam. Veterans enrolled in enhanced or developmental college classes can also benefit from the tutoring.
“My husband is a veteran. He was in the military for 26 years,” Roddy said. As a result, she feels connected in every way possible with the military.
Roddy shared with those in attendance how this lounge started out as a table in her office with a few chairs. After receiving forwarded articles, and attending different conferences, she knew she had to make a move. Her goal is to get veteran students college ready through one-on-one assistance and the VUB program.
The Veterans’ Student Lounge is in McReynolds room 211 and is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. through 1:30 p.m. The lounge is a setting where veterans can take a break, study and share experiences over coffee and cookies.
According to Roddy, this connection point can break down the feelings of isolation that most veterans who are new to college experience.
Don McCasland, who spent 22 years in the military said, “The lounge enables me to connect with other vets.”
In addition to sharing his personal experience from his visit to the lounge, McCasland also highly recommended other veterans to join the experience.
The lounge is just the beginning of things to come from the VUB program. During the open house, suggestion cards were passed out allowing those in attendance to express what they would like to see happening in the lounge.
More information about Veterans Upward Bound can be found at www.apsu.edu/VUB/
By Terrence Henderson
Guest Writer
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October 9th, 2009 on 2:07 PM
The Open House was a great event. I learned that veterans that are applying to APSU can get free assistance with the COMPASS placement test. Current freshman that are veterans can also get one on one attention with anything they need help with as well. Congrats on the new Veterans’ Student Lounge!