Today the United States observes Veterans Day to recognize military veterans that have served our country.

California State University, Stanislaus (Stan State) supports our student veterans by providing places like the Veterans Affair Office, otherwise known as the Student Veteran Center, on campus where veterans can go to find support for each of their individual situations.

The Veterans Affair Office provides academic support programs and services such as advising, counseling and tutoring, while also providing financial support and information specifically tailored for veterans.

There are a variety of different benefits that veterans and their families receive at Stan State.

The benefits range from priority admission and registration to full paid tuition. It benefits not only veterans directly, but also their dependents through different types of programs, such as the Chapter 30 Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty and Chapter 33 Post 9/11 Bill, as well as plenty of others programs.

Chicago Houdek, the Veterans Affairs Coordinator at Stan State, assists with veteran’s transition into university life, as well as runs the Student Veterans Club and helps with student veterans admission process.

He also assists veterans with transferring credits earned in military training into college credit.

“They are a special population,” Houdek said, “and are not traditional students. The majority are usually older, have families, and are working full time jobs,” which is why the Student Veteran Center on campus is such an important resource to many of these students.

“The center has helped me find a tutor and navigate all the resources available to me,” Pete Butler (junior, Political Science) said. “It also provides a nice place for veterans to come together and keep a sense of camaraderie. We don’t really get that anywhere else.”

Joaquin Rincon (junior, Biology) says that he benefits from the Veterans Affair Office because they “get to socialize and swap stories to the point where everyone knows each other’s backgrounds. It’s a really tight knit group because most of us are out of the military and can understand each other’s experiences.”

In honor of Veterans Day, the Stanislaus Committee and Veterans Affairs Office hosted a “Thank a Veteran” event on Nov. 9 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in front of the University Flagpole, where a veteran’s booth was located as well as veteran giveaways.

For more information on this event and the Veterans Affairs Office, email [email protected].

To learn more about the Student Veteran Center, click here.