Eric弄脏, assistant director for Student Veteran Support Services at 威尼斯人娱乐城, oversees the 安逸区, a resource center for veterans on campus. His background gives him keen insight into student veterans’ needs.
在美国海军陆战队服役期间，戈姆利被派往卡特里娜飓风、伊拉克和秘鲁。 When he completed his service, Gormly, a Kansas City native, took advantage of his G.I. Bill and enrolled in community college to pursue a degree in law enforcement and worked in the Veterans’ Affairs office.
“After a couple of semesters my academic advisor said, ‘You talk a lot about helping vets. 你确定要去执法部门工作吗？’”
他意识到帮助退伍军人是他的使命。 戈姆利在高等教育领域工作了10年，建立了一些项目，让退伍军人更容易过渡到大学，并帮助他们感受到校园生活的一部分。
“Veterans go from a highly organized structure in the military to no structure at the university. We help with the transition.” —
“There is culture shock on re-entry,” Gormly says. “Veterans go from a highly organized structure in the military to no structure at the university. We help with the transition.”
为了更好地了解退伍军人入学情况，申请人有机会在威尼斯人娱乐城入学申请中确定退伍军人身份。 Gormly’s office uses that to contact and connect with students who might benefit from services his office provides. 虽然该表格提供了校园退伍军人的一些基本信息，但Gormly认识到，并非所有退伍军人都有相同的需求。
“We know who receives benefits, but there’s a wide range of student veterans,” Gormly says. “Also, the military doesn’t do a great job explaining the benefits, and some veterans may not be clear on how to use them.”
安逸区是退伍军人寻找资源的好地方。 自在区位于学生会内，也为军校学生提供了一个舒适的校园场所，供他们学习、社交、与工作人员交流。
本学期威尼斯人娱乐城有156名新老学生。
“I call every incoming student,” Gormly says. “We push that out. They don’t have to ask. 他们可能需要帮助来建立校园联系。 对一些学生来说，小组讨论更好，对另一些学生来说，一对一的会议效果最好。 We try to find the best fit.”
不管他们的偏好如何，Gormly指出，在校园里有一个显眼的位置，在提供各种资源服务的方式上产生了重大影响，而不仅仅是一个放松和做作业的地方。
“There are computers available, and students are welcome to come in to study or do Zoom classes. We have tutors, academic coaches and a 32-inch display with resources including veterans’ organizations on campus and information on the 袋鼠储藏室.”
他说，随着学生们本学期回到校园，他们能够参加更多的活动，包括志愿服务。
“There are many opportunities for student veterans to get involved. Every home Chiefs football game, 20 student veterans volunteer with the Chiefs organization for pre-game activities.”
Building these connections is critical to student veterans’ success. Kavitha Reddy, BLA ’99, MD ’00, is associate director of 员工整体健康 in the Veterans’ Health Administration Office of Patient-Centered Care and Cultural Transformation and assistant professor in Emergency Medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine. Throughout her career, she has been an advocate for veterans’ health through a variety of resources in and outside the hospital setting.
“Places like the 安逸区 are perfect places for veterans to be proactive about their health and well-being,” Reddy says. “For the men and women who went into the service relatively young – often 18 years old – they are facing a lot of new challenges along with mental and physical health issues. 平民生活似乎支离破碎，照顾好自己，身心和精神，是非常重要的
“The university establishing a safe space that is visible on campus is significant.”
Gormly对未来的机遇感到兴奋。
“Vets face a lot,” he says. “They are often confronted with the idea that veterans have trouble adapting, but being in the military often helps us to adapt. 这些学生带来了不同程度的成熟、动力和毅力。
Our office provides training for faculty and staff to understand a vet’s mindset. 他们给校园带来了很多积极的品质。 We hope to expand.”
For more information on services or to volunteer contact Eric弄脏 at gormlyea@umkc.edu or 816-235-5599.