MEETING VETERANS
Christian “Mac” Manning ‘15
of the military, you’ve learned something that maybe before you
weren’t good at. I’m awful with math yet I was doing upper-level
algebra because I was working with ballistics. So you gain the ability
to learn something you didn’t know before and master it. That’s the
word: master. That’s the level where they expect you to perform.”
As with Manning, Morris—who has a wife and two children—saw
the difference between himself and traditional students. “Because
I’m a commuter, it’s not as bad, but I could imagine a traditional
student perhaps feeling lonely or not having many people to reach
out to because they’re feeling by themselves.”
That’s a big adjustment, he adds, because it’s such a change of
atmosphere for veterans. “American culture is very individualistic;
people think, ‘What’s the value to me? Is this worth my time?’ In
the military, it’s very collective. It is even reinforced as part of the
Army Soldier’s Creed: ‘I will never leave a fallen comrade.’”
Veterans Serving Stevenson
Both Manning and Morris continue to help others by working to
support students at Stevenson.
By working as an Admissions Counselor for transfer students,
Manning says that his SU experience has allowed him to relate
to prospective students on a more personal level. “I truly enjoyed
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VENTURES/SUMMER 2016
One person crucial to supporting
veteran students at Stevenson is
Laura E. Holland, Assistant Registrar, Veterans Affairs Programs.
She serves as the School’s Certifying Official
(SCO), which acts as the liaison between the
students and the VA.
“One of my most important functions as
SCO is making sure a student’s credits for
which they are registered are certified so that
they receive the benefits to which they are
entitled for that corresponding semester,”
Holland says. “Depending on the chapter
under which their benefits are calculated,
students receive assistance with their tuition
and fees, as well as any housing allowance,
if applicable.”
Other functions of her vital role include
contacting the VA on behalf of any veteran
student who expresses concern about their
benefits or with questions about their entitlement. “I keep track of every student’s
entitlement and any changes they make to
their program and their schedules,” she says.
“And, of course, I assist with the process of
making sure students apply for educational
benefits with the VA if they hadn’t already.”