Beck Hannaford was never a military veteran. But in his role as the veterans benefits/financial assistant coordinator on campus, he has found his own way to serve with the help of 10 campus partners that work one-on-one with veterans.
For Hannaford, developing relationships with around 340 veterans and children of veterans on campus this semester is the most rewarding part of his job.
"A lot of people pack up and come to Ball State, and they absolutely don't know a soul," he said. "We try to build a community through building relationships."
In its second year, the office has taken strides to help student veterans readjust to college life after serving in the military. It offers help with academic advising, tutoring, financial aid, counseling and disabled student development for military students.
Last year the program functioned on no budget, Hannaford said, but this year received a $15,000 Lilly Endowment grant which goes to pay tutors, academic support personnel, correspondence and road trips to career fairs.
Since its establishment, the program has helped the university receive designation as a Military Friendly School by GI Jobs magazine, putting it in the top 15 percent of universities nationally. This year the program was also named one of 60 "Military Friendly Universities" by Military Advanced Education Magazine.
"If we can help them a little bit in directing them around campus and different places they can receive help that's great, but they're the ones who have to take the tests," he said.
Hannaford said the biggest problem he encounters is getting some veterans to give him the time required to graduate. A lot of non-traditional students tend to work too many hours while they're trying to go to school and financial aid is not set up to be helpful to students that have kids and family at home, he said.
"More veterans are also enrolling in online classes, and the completion of those are not as high as classroom courses," he said.
At Ball State, Hannaford said the median grade point average is 2.92, compared to a median grade point average of slightly more than 3.0 for all Ball State students.
"Most veteran students have a lot of discipline and drive and a lot of focus on what needs to be done," he said.
STUDENT VETERANS
A grant from the Military Research Institute in Purdue also made it possible to create a Student Veterans Organization this year.
Brandon Forte, junior accounting major and president of the group, said the main goal of the group is to have family members and veterans share stories and feel comfortable around each other to share and talk.
So far its main issue is getting the name out and getting members signed up and not letting it fail after it starts; the group has about a dozen members and meets once a month, he said.
"It's more about being proactive about it and finding friends and being able to have somebody to share with and go do things with. So far I've been able to make a lot of friends on campus that help me out," he said.
GI BENEFITS
Hannaford also works with veterans on campus to make sure they're receiving benefits under the Post 9/11 GI Bill, unveiled by the Department of Veterans Affairs more than 60 years after the first one gave millions of World War II veterans training, loans and unemployment benefits.
In the next decade $78 billion is expected to be paid out under the new GI Bill, and more than 277,000 recent veterans have taken advantage of the new bill since the VA began accepting applications in May.
Each state determines its tuition reimbursement by whatever is the highest in-state tuition at a public university. Veterans who served at least 36 months in the armed forces after 9/11 will get 100 percent tuition; those serving less time get less money.
28-year-old senior Bonnie Leckron joined the Navy in 1999 to help fund her way through college. She transitioned from military, got married a month later, then got pregnant a month after that, finishing up her associate's degree at Vincennes University in December 2008 when her son Nathaniel was six months old.
In her third semester majoring in elementary education at Ball State, Leckron is under vocational rehabilitation with the Veterans Association, which pays for her school and retrains her so she can get the credits she needs to become a teacher.
Her husband, who also served in the Navy as a nuclear technician, qualifies for the new GI Bill.
"It's a hell of a better deal than in the past. It's changed time allowances. We were limited by the old one," she said.
Under the Yellow Ribbon Program, the VA will throw in 50 percent of the remaining balance at more expensive private schools that waive or pay the other half of tuition, and also provides students with payment for living and textbook expenses.
Hannaford said historically the GI Bill has been good for overall quality of life in the U.S.
"As hundreds of thousands of veterans return that are trained they will make their mark on society," he said. "The first GI bill had a huge economic impact historically. There's no reason to think this won't have the same amount of impact down the road."
Wounded Warriors
What: Veterans and family members of Ball State University and the BSU Student Veterans Organization are sponsoring a celebration "To Honor our Wounded Warriors" from 4 - 6 p.m. in Lucina Hall, Rm. 105.
Who: U.S. Army Master Sergeant Jeffrey Mittman, a graduate student in Ball State's Executive Development program and one of the more than 30 Wounded Warriors currently enrolled at the university, will give the keynote address, titled "The Luckiest Man."
Those interested in hearing Jeff's presentation may respond to Beck Hannaford, veterans benefits and financial assistant coordinator in the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, at 765-285-5736 or bhannaford@bsu.edu.
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