Troops to College

New program helps veterans with the transition from boots to books

Army veterans Anita and
Garrion Orr opted to move
from Washington in
order to expand their
career options with an
education at CSUB.
Pictured above during
active duty and today
at CSUB.

When Garrion Orr was discharged from active duty after five years of service in the Army, including a one-year deployment to Iraq, he was ready to get a job. He had good skills and experiences, but quickly realized that wasn’t going to be enough.

“In the job market you need both skills and an education,” Orr said. “My wife talked me into going to college and it is really expanding my career options.”

Anita Orr, who met her future husband on Independence Day at Fort Lewis in Washington state, is also an Army veteran. She served three years in Korea. Together, the Orr’s researched possible universities and selected CSUB.

“Bakersfield is definitely a big change from Tacoma, but it’s growing on me,” said Mrs. Orr with a laugh. “Everyone at the university has been great and I’ve really enjoyed my professors. Through my classes I have learned so many things about my major (social work) and options for careers.”

Mr. Orr, a criminal justice major, agrees noting that the university is “opening doors to jobs I’d never heard of before.”

With one year to go before receiving their undergraduate degrees, the Orrs are now encouraging other veterans to take advantage of a higher education.

Troops to College “honors their service”

The Orrs are lending their endorsement to a comprehensive CSUB effort that is making the campus more welcoming to those returning from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. The university has embraced the Troops to College program, a California State University system-wide initiative, by creating a cross-campus team of professionals to assist veterans. The group is offering customized outreach materials, guidance with financial benefits, academic support, counseling services and more.

“Regardless of your politics, our veterans and active duty soldiers are deserving of our respect and assistance,” said Dale Berona, CSUB coordinator of veteran’s affairs. “We honor their service to our country by helping them to build a better future. On campus we’re creating a ‘one stop shop’ for our veterans. We have a designated expert in nearly every area of the campus who can assist our veteran students with any special needs they may have.”

University officials indicate that 128 CSUB students have identified themselves as veterans and are majoring in everything from business administration to liberal studies.

“The transition can be challenging”

According to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office, California is home to approximately 160,000 active duty military personnel with about 60,000 exiting military service each year. However, trading combat boots for classroom books is not always an easy transition. Many veterans, especially those who are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, may have physical or mental disabilities and often find that they have little in common with their classmates.

“Not all of our young veterans are immediately ready for something like college,” explained Keri Fujiwara, vocational rehabilitation counselor for the Department of Veterans Affairs. “They need to focus on integrating back into their families and getting their feet back on the ground. Because of their experiences, it may also be hard for them to relate to others who aren’t veterans.”

Still other service members return from deployment ready to “get on with their lives as quickly as possible,” Fujiwara said. “They’ll work around injuries or manage post-traumatic stress, but their needs will be different from a traditional college student.”

Large crowds and loud noises, features not uncommon to most university campuses, can be overwhelming for someone with post-traumatic stress disorder. Nearly 20 percent of service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan report symptoms of PTSD or depression.

Communications major
and Army reservist Matt Gonzalez
is a proud CSUB student. Shown
today on campus and during his
deployment to Iraq.

After a 13-month tour of duty in Iraq, Matt Gonzalez knows first-hand about post-traumatic stress. The CSUB communications major, who recently enlisted in the Army Reserves, is 30 percent disabled by PTSD.

“The transition can be challenging, but it’s worked nicely for me,” said Gonzalez, who is in his second year at CSUB. “I went from not wanting to be around anyone to being around a small number of people in a classroom to general population. It’s made life a whole lot easier. CSUB works to make it an easy transition. Everybody here is for the students – disability or not.”

GI Benefits are “tremendous”

Reaching out to recently discharged veterans and partnering with military groups is part of CSUB’s strategy to increase the number of veterans on campus. Helping the effort is the new GI Bill, recently signed into law by President George W. Bush, which increases benefits for post-9/11 veterans. Most aspects of the new program will go into effect on Aug. 1, 2009.

“We do what we can to help our veterans know how vital an education is to their future The GI Bill is a tremendous benefit and the education they’ll receive is valuable,” said Chuck Bikakis, director of the Kern County Veterans Service Department. “I support the Troops to College program, but I don’t know what CSUB could do to make the campus more welcoming than they already do. I have work-study students in my office who are very happy with the university and the education they are receiving. I’m happy to see it.”

The latest GI Bill has many new provisions, including tailoring benefits based on the cost of each veteran’s school, extending benefits to reservists, and allowing veterans up to 15 years after leaving the military to use their benefits.

“It’s our duty”

According to Berona, the new GI bill and CSUB’s Troops to College effort is not only a tribute to veterans for their service, but is also an investment in our community.

A 1988 Congressional study found that every dollar spent on educational benefits under the original GI Bill added seven dollars to the national economy in terms of productivity, consumer spending and tax revenue.

“It’s our duty to help our veterans achieve a higher education,” Berona said. “The benefits go far beyond the individual veteran and impacts their family and the communities they contribute to as their careers advance. When we help them, we are all stronger.”

To hear Mr. and Mrs. Orr and Gonzalez

share their thoughts about CSUB or for

more information about admission, visit

www.csub.edu/admissions/veterans