College offers veterans a hand

For the past 20 years, the college has offered student veterans and their dependents an array of services. Of these services, the primary focus is easing the students’ workload and aiding them with any troubles they may experience.

Kena Zumalt, coordinator, Veterans Service is responsible for the growing number of students using these services. “Our office serves primarily to assist students with using their education benefits,” Zumalt said. “However, we also serve as a point of contact for veterans, especially when they first come to campus.”

The Veteran Services office deals exclusively with education benefits but Zumalt said she is in the business of easing the transition between each student service offered at the college. The counseling office has partnered with Zumalt and the Veteran Services office to better serve the veterans.

“We’ve been working together to try to set up some lines of communication between us, so that we’re giving students appropriate information, or even referring students to each other for help,” Zumalt said. This can prove very helpful to students applying for educational benefits associated with the GI Bill, a blanket term for any Congressional bill which provides money to armed service veterans.

Aside from the normal processing that takes place for all students, there is extra paperwork students must complete to qualify for their educational benefits. According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA), students must report monthly school attendance directly to the USDVA in order to qualify for payment of classes.

With help from Zumalt, more than 300 students at the college complete this paperwork each month. “In the fall of ‘08, we certified, meaning reported, to the [Veterans Administration] enrollment on 319 students,” Zumalt said.

Not all of the students using the services offered at the college are veterans. Dependants, including children and spouses of the veterans, are eligible to receive educational benefits as well. After meeting stringent guidelines, those who qualify for the benefits must complete monthly paperwork. Aaron Conner, student veteran, believes Zumalt’s investment in his education is crucial for his success. “Kena is pretty good about talking to us if we need to talk,” Conner said. “She does a good job.”

Aside from assisting with processing, the Veteran Services office, in collaboration with the student veterans, helped create the Veterans Club. The club meets on Wednesdays from 4 to 5 p.m. and is open to all student veterans as well as anyone interested in promoting veterans initiatives.

At the meetings, the students discuss veteran-based projects they would like to see take place at the college. The most recent topic discussed was a potential partnership with the Vet Center, a regional veteran’s organization, in order to bring a satellite support group to the college.

The Vet Center is already involved in facilitating several other support groups across the Kansas City/Metro area, and is interested in starting one at the college According to Zumalt, the support group will be facilitated by an individual from the Vet Center as well as a counselor from the college.

Together they will help organize a weekly meeting in order to aid the veterans with any issues they would like to address. The Veterans Club is also interested in promoting community service events at the college and surrounding areas.

In the fall of 2007, the veteran services program at the college was recognized as one of the largest in the state. It offers services to more veterans than nearly every other college in Kansas, second only to Kansas State University. “It is an honor that so many veterans c hoose to pursue their educational goals at [the college],” Zumalt said. “And I believe they deserve excellence in return for their service.”

Kyle Gray is special to The Ledger.