MURFREESBORO — Veterans
at MTSU and across the Middle Tennessee region are welcome to attend the first
Veteran and Family Benefits Expo, which will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday,
April 24, on campus, event organizers said.
The benefits expo featuring more than 30 vendors will be
held in Gym 1 of the Student Health, Wellness and Recreation Center on Blue
Raider Drive. A printable campus map can be found at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap13-14.
Vendors will include Veteran Benefits Administration,
Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Tennessee Career
Coach, Tennessee Career Center and many more.
“Our vision is to bring together campus and community veterans and
their families, with organizations who endeavor to assist and support veterans
in one form or another,” said Heather Conrad, counselor and rehabilitation
counselor for VetSuccess on Campus.
VetSuccess on Campus and the MTSU Blue Raider American Veterans
Organization, or BRAVO, are two of seven sponsoring organizations.
Free food, entertainment and fun for all will be available
from 4 to 6 p.m. in front of the Student Union. Children are welcome. The
Nontraditional Student Organization sponsors this portion of the event.
“BRAVO
is wanting to help the veterans on campus and in the community be successful
and instead of just having one area for the veterans this allows the community
of veterans and family members to come together, have a great time and learn
something that may benefit just about every veteran,” said Malcolm Stallard,
BRAVO president.
“Whether
it be for a disability claim help, setting up GI Bill or even becoming a member
of one of the veteran organizations in the community, there are a lot of resources
and opportunities for the veterans,” Stallard added.
Sophia
Wessels, president of the Nontraditional Student Organization and a Student
Government Association senator, said the event will be “to show gratitude for
the support networks of MTSU’s nontraditional student population.”
Wessels
said the campus student population is about 35 percent nontraditional —
students 23 and older, “meaning at least one out of three students has a
full-time job, is a caretaker of another person, has children, is married or is
returning to school after a break of more than one year.”
“Many
veterans and nontraditional students never return (to school) for fear of not
being able to complete their degree, not being able to manage the schedule or
simply not fit in,” Wessels said.
Other
sponsors include MTSU, the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional
Students, the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership and Pinnacle Honor
Society.
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