Student veterans find comfort, assistance at Veteran Services

When he first arrived at UB three years ago after serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq, Shaun Boadi struggled with the transition from military to civilian life. He frequently found himself in his adviser’s office in need of someone to talk to.

“I don’t really have the patience for things other students talk and obsess about,” says Boadi, a political science and business administration double major. “Our experiences are different.”

That same year, he saw a sign in Norton Hall alerting veterans as to where they could have their military credits evaluated. He later heard about the opening of the Office of Veteran Services, a community he would later find himself a part of.  

“I was there when they cut the ribbon and I have been here ever since,” he says.      

Boadi and fellow student veterans have found Veteran Services in Allen Hall on the South Campus to be a safe haven where they can get away from the responsibilities of school for a bit.  

Since its doors first opened three years ago, the office has continued to grow as it helps student veterans adapt to university life by offering reliable services, a strong growing community and a student lounge. It is a place for social interaction and helps students feel at ease as they navigate their way through the college experience.

“We created this office to bring together services that already exist on campus and communicate the availability of those services to our veterans,” says Daniel Ryan, director of veteran services.

There are a variety of benefits available to an estimated 300 graduate and undergraduate students — 150 who are veterans or active duty and 150 who are a spouse or dependent of a service member. The office directs them to Academic Advising, Financial Aid and Career Services, where there is a liaison designated to assist the student veteran population.

“We are now more easily able to connect students to other programs and services,” Ryan says. “That has been an important step forward.”      

He is pleased the work that has been undertaken so far has been recognized nationally, with U.S. News and World Report ranking UB No. 64 this year among the Best Colleges for Veterans, and Military Times naming UB No. 77 among four-year institutions in its “Best for Vets” rankings.

Veteran Services has devoted much of its efforts to helping students process paperwork from both the federal Veterans Administration and from UB to help with enrollment. Students also are connected to services that will assist with financial, interpersonal or academic challenges. The majority of student veterans who attend UB major in engineering and nursing.

“One of the things we are working on is having a more accurate understanding of who our veterans are,” Ryan explains. “What is important is that there is a central space where veterans can come and get the services they need, connect with one another, and decompress or relax and unwind.”

A lounge was created in the Allen Hall space where veterans can hang out and study. It is where introductions are made and veterans can share similar experiences. Most find comfort in being around people who understand what they have been through and are now on similar paths.  

Boadi sees the lounge as a step toward creating a larger veteran community on campus, as it makes it easier to socialize with other veterans. To him, the office and students have a familiar feel.  

“I have a great relationship with the veterans I know,” he says. “We all have a story to tell. When we get together, it feels sometimes like being back in the military.”

Veteran Services also has a hand in organizing UB’s annual recognition of university veteran and military service members. The program will be held on Nov. 11 — Veterans Day — on the North Campus.

It will begin at 11 a.m. with the traditional raising of the flag to half-mast and commemorative bell-ringing on Coventry Plaza in front of Alumni Arena. The program then will move into the Center for the Arts, where invited veterans will take the stage and share their experiences and talk about what it means to be a veteran.

For more information about the Office of Veteran Services, visit its website.