Jason Sakowski, Assistant Director for Veteran Student Support Services shares programming offered at the CVC this semester:
Semester Kick-off
In 2022-2023 the Military-Connected Kick-off is held in the fall and spring of each academic year. One hundred and fifty participants in the Kick-off in the spring and fall. The goals of the Military-Connected Kick-off are to make students aware of resources available to them and also socialize with their peer group to aid in their support as transitioning student.
VA Disability Benefits
When meeting or talking with student veterans it has been my goal to ask if they have filed for VA disability benefits. Many veterans have don’t know where to start or fill out the paperwork to get a claim started. Over the past year I have helped over twenty veterans file a VA claim that led to a them getting a VA rating.
Veteran Ally Training
2022-2023 Veteran Ally Training was co-hosted by Ingrid Wheeler from the Chez Veterans Center. There were a total of 4 workshops with a total of one 50 participants. The ally training cover military culture, what UIUC veteran population looks like, main issues veterans deal with and appropriate language when speaking with a veteran. These workshops build awareness of military culture an open many doors for collaboration for staff and faculty across campus.
End of Year Congratulations Event
Typically, at the end of every semester the VSSS and the Center holds a congratulations event to celebrate or military connected student’s completion of their degree and future chapter in their life. This year we had over 50 participants join in our celebration.
MOLLE Gear Training
MOLLE gear training is a daylong orientation for new military connected student. The program is designed to provide education and resources to aid military-connected students in successfully transitioning to the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana campus. The retreat is designed to help support military-connected students transition to campus with skills and knowledge to support their academic and career successes. We assisted 10 military connected students this year.
