The Veterans Services Office works in tandem with the Financial Aid Office and the college to enable student veterans and dependents of veterans to take full advantage of their veteran's education benefits as well as federal and state financial aid programs. The VSO strives to provide a positive and caring community for our student veterans built on shared experiences and dedication to service. We are committed to supporting opportunities for access to higher education and the achievement of vocational and professional goals by ensuring consistent and timely delivery of services to our students.
The VSO administers federal and state education benefits to eligible veterans and dependents of veterans at Butte College or plans to attend Butte. These services include certification of veterans' educational benefits, referrals to both on and off-campus resources, including financial aid, mental health, DSPS, and Veteran Work-Study students' supervision. The regulatory services are guided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Further guidance is provided by the Student Services and Special Programs Office within the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office. The VSO also provides oversight for the Veterans Resource Center (VRC). They are located in the same building to provide veterans with easy access to information and certification and promote a sense of community for those who have the common bond of having served in one of the branches of the armed services. As with financial aid, regulations concerning new GI Bill chapters have grown exponentially while the number of staff -- one certifying official who also has financial aid responsibilities -- has remained the same. The president recently signed into law PL 116-315 that has added more regulations. The demand on the certifying official will increase with the added regulations to the certification of benefits. For several years, Butte College Veterans Services and the Veterans Resource Center (VRC) have received state and national attention for a model programming. This is a source of pride for Butte College, but it has been accomplished on a shoestring and should be directly supported by district funds.
Campus Awareness (Veterans Day Celebration)
Student Equity and Achievement Program
The VSO remains committed to providing a smooth transition from the military to civilian life. Our office has a knowledgeable staff that can assist student Veterans without referring them to another office. One of the services we offer is helping Veterans through the FAFSA application.
Veterans
2017/2018
2018/2019
2019/2020
Applied for FAFSA
53%
51%
63%
Received BOG
48%
45%
46%
Did Not Apply for FAFSA
47%
49%
55%
Veterans Services embodies the Butte College Values. Students always come first when implementing a new service or making a change to current practices. The question that we ask ourselves is, "How does this change affect our students?" The VSO is always striving for excellence in improving a process and is not afraid of change if it will help our students to succeed.
The VSO meets the Strategic Direction of Butte College.
Support Student Progress and Completion – The VSO reaches out to student Veterans that did have a successful semester. Our office would provide on and off-campus resources to the student.
Closing Equity Gaps – Female Veterans have been identified on the equity dashboard. The VSO is creating new workshops and sponsoring events. We sponsored six female Veterans to attend the Women's Veterans Alliance Unconference.
Meeting Student Achievement Goals – The VSO has kept the number of degrees and certificates at the same level despite the camp fire (2018) and loss of enrollment.
Strengthening Professional Development – The VSO staff attends annual training to stay up-to-date on regulatory changes that could impact our students. The certifying official must complete 5 hours of VA training every year to be eligible to certify benefits at an institution.
The Veterans Services Program review conducted in Spring of 2017 included recommendations to strengthen our Veterans Counseling services, outreach to our Veterans, community connections and add additional workshops.
We have far exceeded our recommendations as stated in our Program Review.
We also referenced the new Veterans facility approved through Measure J. We will continue to work with leadership and facilities to ensure that our Veterans receive a facility that aligns with the expectations outlined in the description of Measure J when passed by voters.
Strategy 1 - District VA Program Coordinator
Create a Program Coordinator position to manage the operations and Veterans Education Benefits Certification process within the VRC.
The VRC currently serves an estimated 346 Veterans and dependents of Veterans. The current school certifying official has carried the responsibility of managing the VRC, overseeing activities and workshops, providing leadership to our Special Programs Clerk in the VRC and VA Work-Study students. Coordinates services with our VA Counselor and outside Veterans agencies to provide resources and support to our Veteran students, all under the title of Financial Aid and Veterans Services Assistant, Senior. To align this position based on program responsibility and the number of students being served through the VRC, it is critical that the District appropriately fund a Program Coordinator position within the VRC.
Strategy 2 - Awareness & Celebrations of our student veterans
Hold events at district locations to celebrate our student veterans and bring about awareness of the unique issues they face. Awareness would come in the forms of presentations and training for faculty, staff, and students and through our annual Veterans Day event.
Veterans face unique issues as they transition from combat to civilian life. The transition to academia can be very overwhelming for both the veteran and his/her family. We must ensure faculty, staff, and students have an awareness of these issues. Veterans bring a unique perspective on diversity to campus. The majority of our incoming veterans have spent extensive amounts of time living in other countries and have experienced the culture (food, music, government, industry, education) alongside those countries' citizens.
Strategy 3 - Increase part-time Special Programs Clerk to full-time
Increase part-time Special Program Clerks from part-time (60%) to full-time to assist with the intake, processing, outreach, data entry, benefits certification, and campus community events.
Currently, the VSO does not have a defined budget to support the many initiatives and goals it has set to enhance support and services to our Veteran students. The VSO office depends on VA Work Studies (Volunteers) funded through the VA program to staff the office. The addition of support staff will allow the VSO to be more visible during community and campus events, outreach efforts would expand dramatically, and student success will increase due to additional support. VA Work-Study students do not have access to support data entry needs; additionally, there is high turnover, which leaves the VSO with less than adequate support to meet the overall strategic goals.
Strategy 4 - Laptop Loaning Library
Student veterans would be able to check out laptops in the VRC to use for the week.
Having laptops with WiFi access available for our student veterans to borrow will allow them access to complete assignments when not on campus.
None requested
Department of Veterans Affairs reimburses the VRC with a per-student reporting fee of $15, for 2019/2020 calculates to $4,365.
We received a $56,000 grant from the California Community College Chancellor's Office for VRC funding. The amount will change pending the number of student veterans Butte College serves.
Nor-Cal Crawlers: $4,000
| Original Priority | Program, Unit, Area | Resource Type | Account Number | Object Code | One Time Augment | Ongoing Augment |
| Description | Supporting Rationale | Potential Alternative Funding Sources | Prioritization Criteria | |||
| 1 | Veterans Services Office (VSO) | Personnel | 52120 | $0.00 | $14,655.00 | |
| Program Coordinator for Veterans Services | Create a Program Coordinator position to manage the operations and Veterans Education Benefits Certification process within the VRC. The VRC currently serves an estimated 423 Veterans and dependents of Veterans. The current school certifying official has carried the responsibility of managing the VRC, overseeing activities and workshops, providing leadership to our Special Programs Clerk in the VRC and VA Work Study students. Coordinates services with our VA Counselor and outside Veterans agencies to provide resources and support to our Veteran students all under the title of Financial Aid and Veterans Services Assistant, Senior. In order to align this position based on program responsibility and number of students being served through the VRC it is critical that the District appropriately fund a Program Coordinator position within the VRC. |
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| 2 | Veterans Services Office (VSO) | Personnel | To be established | 52150 | $0.00 | $31,751.00 |
| Increase Part-time (60%) Special Programs Clerk to full-time | Increase part-time Special Program Clerks from part-time (60%) to full-time to assist with the intake, processing, outreach, data entry, benefits certification, and campus community events. Currently the VSO does not have a defined budget to support the many initiatives and goals it has set to enhance support and services to our Veteran students. Currently the VSO office is dependent on VA Work Studies (Volunteers) that are funded through the VA program, the addition of support staff will allow the VSO to be more visible during community and campus events, outreach efforts would expand dramatically, and student success will increase due to additional support provided to students. VA Work Study students do not have access to support data entry needs additionally, there is high turnover which leaves the VSO with less than adequate support to meet the overall strategic goals. |
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| 3 | Veterans Services | Operating Expenses | $0.00 | $2,000.00 | ||
| Campus Awareness | Establish budget for on-going events such as Veterans Day Celebration |
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| 4 | Veterans Services | Equipment | 121557031648000 | 56411 | $3,200.00 | $0.00 |
| Laptop Loaning Library | Having laptops with WiFi access available for our student veterans to borrow will allow them access to complete assignment from home. |
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