Editor's note: The original version of this story contained an attributed indirect quote that was not correctly paraphrased. It has been removed from this story. The Daily Lobo regrets the error.
Members of the UNM Veterans Resource Center, alongside Student Veterans of UNM, held a “Veterans Sound Off” day at the SUB on Friday.
The event was a unified effort to combat stigmas surrounding the student-veteran community and gain scholastic engagement through reaching out to the on-campus veteran community.
Kenny Ortega, a student-veteran in his last semester as a secondary education major, said it was aimed at generating social activity among student-veterans who make their way onto campus daily.
“There’s about a thousand veterans at UNM, but maybe about a dozen or so will show up to the monthly meetings or are involved with any activities that go on, so this is basically a way to bring more people into the organization and just to let the student body know about the role of veterans on campus,” he said.
Organizations such as Student Veterans of UNM and Veterans Resource Center, located toward the south end of the SUB on the second floor, work to enhance student-veteran campus culture and, ultimately, help veterans reintegrate into society.
“Maybe the word doesn’t get out enough,” Ortega said, in regards to the perceived lack of student-veteran turnout. “Our [only means] of contacting veterans is through this mass-email system. Sometimes you... just delete them without looking, maybe that’s the case.”
He added that non-veterans are welcome to join as well.
“We don’t even really want the majority of our members to be veterans,” Ortega said. “We’re taking dependents of veterans, even just [students] who don’t have any connection to a veteran and just want to be able to support the veteran community on campus.”
If there is any reason that veterans are having issues feeling like they are a part of the student-body, those problems should be confronted, Ortega said.
Tyler Walker, a sophomore history and psychology double major, said, as the son of two veterans, the urge to contribute to the cause of successful reintegration comes naturally to him.
“It was a little confusing at first, but now it’s really interesting and I’m glad I met all these people, because I didn’t really have a community before,” he said. “I’m in a community that really works for me now.”
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Walker said, in addition to all he has contributed to the VRC and its efforts, he has also benefited in return by gaining invaluable social experience and acquiring new, necessary skills.
“I’m more interested in school, definitely, because of my work-study here,” he said. “I pick up skills I need such as [a healthy work ethic]. I think it’s due to being around Marines and Army personnel, or ex-Army personnel. They’re very ethical people, they’re motivated and hard-working, they’re very understanding as well, and they’re some of the greatest people I’ve worked for, worked with.”
Walker said service men and women are the people needed as setting an example at the heart of society, not hidden away at what might be its farthest fringes.
Eliberto Calderon, recently appointed president of Student Veterans of UNM, is also working towards integrating veterans into the community. He said he sees the position as a full-time job, and that the focus of the organization is to recruit former serviceman back into active roles of societal duty, only this time within their own communities.
Calderon said the improvement of facilities intended for veteran accommodation is another key component of his agenda. After 10 years of service in the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, Calderon said it took him 10 more years to feel like a fully functioning member of society again.
“More importantly, to me, it’s working with the vets and their families; if I can shorten their time, instead of 10 years to get their benefits,” he said. “It’s a lot of wasted time if you don’t reach out and if you’re the veteran and you’re just frustrated with the system and not engaging it.”
Johnny Vizcaino is a staff reporter at the Daily Lobo. Contact him at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thedailyjohnnyv.
