We can all agree that being a student is hard. Whether you go to school full time, work part time, or are part of an organization, students have many different needs, including student veterans.
Charles Schneider, or as most people call him, Chuck, is a senior at Eastern Michigan University studying information assurance with a concentration in network security and administration and is also treasurer of the Student Veterans of America chapter at EMU.
Along with his duties as a student and his position on an executive board, as any other student does, Schneider has hobbies he likes to keep up on such watching movies, reading, going to the gym and hanging out on the water.
All students deal with hardships, however, it can be argued that student veterans have a little extra to deal with.
“Driving once I was back in the states was the biggest thing that I had to get used to, sometimes I would find myself trying to drive with the same alertness that I had in Afghanistan without realizing it,” Schneider said. “While I went on many convoys none of my trucks ever hit any IEDs, the closest was 2 trucks ahead of me. Seeing the danger first hand and having it be so close is incredibly stressful.”
It is possible to overcome hardships and build a network of people who can act as a support system and the Student Veterans of America is just the place. Schneider has used SVA as a place to escape from classes and be with fellow veterans on campus.
“The SVA has given me something to do on campus. Before I was starting to get involved, I was a commuter. I would come to class and then go home if I had a long break.”
SVA has become a community on campus to unite veterans and provide a safe social environment. They also welcome civilians who are interested in educating themselves about military life and experiences.
“We want veterans on or off campus to know that they have a community of people that share their experiences. We want vets to succeed and provide any service that they might need to make their life easier and even if we can't do that for them, we can point them in the right direction to solve their problems,” said Schneider.
Schneider cares about our veterans here on campus and aims to change the perception. “I don’t want another student to be sitting in the Student Center at a table by themselves for two hours waiting for class and just wishing they had someone to talk to. I want them to know that anytime they are on campus they can walk up and someone will have a conversation with them even if they’ve never met them before.” He wants to create a better environment where everyone feels welcomed.
For anyone interesting in contacting the SVA at EMU, they can be located at 202 Pierce Hall or call (734) 487-3119. Their Facebook page can be found here.
