On a day the nation sets aside to honor service in the military, Oklahoma Christian University began its first step in honoring its veterans.
The Registrar’s Office in the Cogswell-Alexander Hall hosted the first Veterans Meet and Greet on Tuesday to honor students, faculty and staff who either served in the military or have relatives in the military.
“The goal of the Meet and Greet is to meet our students who receive VA benefits face to face,” Veteran School Certifying Official Nicole Carpenter said. “I would like for them to know who we are so that if they ever need anything, they know that we are here for them and happy to help. I also feel that it is important for them to get to know each other as well.”
The meet and greet provided a point of contact between veterans and Carpenter as she steps in to her role as Veteran School Certifying Official.
“I think it’s important that they have someone on campus that they can go to and can direct them to where they need to go,” Carpenter said. “I’m going to be that point of contact for anyone that has VA benefits. …We just want them to be able to have somebody to come to and I’m honored to be that person.”
Carpenter and the other staff members in the Registrar’s Office took measures to make this event special for the veterans on campus, including dedicating a flag for them.
“I spoke with Ken Miller, who then was able to put me in touch with a representative to have a flag flown over the capitol exactly one month ago today in honor of Oklahoma Christian University Veterans,” Carpenter said. “We wanted to honor our veteran’s to let them know how thankful we are for their service.”
Pictures of former and current students, faculty and staff in uniform were hung in honor of their service inside the office.
There are approximately 65 undergraduate and graduate students receiving Veteran Affairs benefits at Oklahoma Christian, according to Carpenter.
“They have all sacrificed so much for us that they need to be honored and we would just love to do that,” Carpenter said. “Doing this reception is starting the process of wanting to honor our veterans and their families.”
At the event, students were able to meet and share stories with veterans in Oklahoma Christian’s faculty and staff, including President Emeritus Mike O’Neal.
“I think today is about remembering the commitment of those who have decided to sign a line on a piece of paper that says they will do everything that they are told to do and part of that may be to give your life,” senior Liza Bennett, who was a Staff Sergeant prior to separating from the Air Force last year, said. “That’s why we do today and that’s why we have cookies and coffee with people in uniform. It’s nice to come together with people who are like you.”
Campus life is sometimes challenging for veteran students, according to Bennett.
“It’s like being a chicken on a duck farm,” Bennett said. “As a society, I don’t think people realize how much veterans have gone through. I think that because we’ve been at war for so long, it’s almost as if it’s desensitized our culture to the struggles that veterans are going through. …I think it’s always a good thing to remind people the reason that you get to come to school.”
The meet and greet helped connect the people on campus with similar stories, according to first-year student Alex Whittington, retired U.S. Navy airman apprentice.
“Once you’re a veteran, those are your brothers in arms, no matter what branch,” Whittington said. “So, it’s really nice to meet other veterans and sit around and talk. … It’s an awesome thing to just have a bunch of veterans sit around and tell stories.”
Veteran’s Day is a time set apart to pay special attention to those around you, according to Bennett.
“I think days like today is taking a moment to realize that, despite the fact that most of us wear plain clothes and come to school and blend in pretty well among everyone else, there are those among us who have different backgrounds,” Bennett said. “For me, today is definitely a point of pride, but I kind of just like blending in and enjoying this experience.”
Other changes are being implemented to honor students receiving VA benefits during graduation starting with the December commencement.
“We just ordered red, white and blue cords for graduation,” Carpenter said. “These will honor our students receiving VA benefits. This is one of the first steps in paying special attention to all the sacrifices they have made to get to where they are now.”
Student veterans or those receive VA benefits due to service of a family member, can email Carpenter at nicole.carpenter@oc.edu.
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