With Sinclair being in the heart of Dayton, and its close proximity to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the college has seen an increase of veterans or service-connected members on campus.
“Nationwide we are seeing that veterans need more support in a college environment than they are letting on that they need,” Debra Moody, facilitator, said.
“If you come into a group that has commonalities, you are more likely to stay with that group of people. So, we found a need for veterans to have some sort of campus connection to navigate themselves through college because it is beneficial.”
Due to that fact, Sinclair has started a military-connected discussion group that meets every Thursday in Building 10 Room 323 from 2-3 p.m. This discussion group enables veterans to network and share their experiences with other service members and discover available resources that the college offers, according to Tony Bryan, facilitator for the discussion group.
“The need is there and we can help students with needs that we know exist on campus. I think that is going to help that student with their time here at Sinclair and beyond their time at Sinclair,” Bryan said. “And that is what we are really focusing on. How we can provide them with the opportunity to complete their goals? And to me, that is really important.”
The purpose of the discussion group is for veterans or service-connected military to find commonalties with other service-members so that they know they don’t have to navigate college alone. The discussion group hopes to alleviate some of the pressures of college by showing the veterans the resources available to them.
While the discussion group is facilitated by Moody, Bryan and Jake Erisman, their wish is that the discussion group will be driven by the veterans.
“It is for veterans and about veterans they have the control in what they want to discuss,” Moody said.
The discussion group welcomes all military-connected students or family members, including those who are active and those who have finished their military service.
“It is important that they know that they are not the only veteran on campus. We have heard from several classmates that they don’t know any other veterans on campus and that is pretty difficult for them,” said Erisman, facilitator.
“They know that there are other veterans on campus, but they want to get connected with them because it gives them a sense of pride and honor. They did right by the country and now they want to do right by themselves– by getting connected with other military-connected students.”
For more information, contact Tony Bryan or Debra Moody at 512-5113.