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No SVA Chapter on Your Campus? Here’s How to Start One
HigherEdMilitary
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No Student Veterans of America (SVA) chapter on your campus? SVA helps many military-affiliated individuals come together on campuses across the country. Here's what you need to know.
What is SVA?
After the original G.I. Bill was introduced in 1944, returning war veterans began studying at institutions of higher education. This came with many challenges, including a lack of sufficient housing and transition assistance. As numbers increased at campuses nationwide, student veterans, connected by their shared experiences, formed networks to support and help each other through these challenges.
After the 9/11 attacks, hundreds of thousands of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom veterans began to attend schools across the country. With this influx of new students with unique life experiences different from the traditional student, more and more campuses began to form organizations to connect these students. Eventually, these organizations came together in Chicago in 2008 and SVA was officially created.
Since these independent veteran organizations came together under the umbrella of SVA in 2008, over one million student veterans have attained a degree using the G.I. Bill. Additionally, SVA has connected student veterans and the military-affiliated community through events, services, and programs that can assist with the transition from military to civilian life.
Why Start and Maintain an SVA Chapter?
It is important that students from all walks of life are comfortable on campus. This can be the difference between truly thriving and simply surviving while on campus. There must be networks to connect student veterans with mentors that can aid mentees through the transition to campus life. These dedicated mentors understand the many responsibilities not traditional to the regular college student that student veterans face. Additionally, taking the time to support and understand what each veteran and military-affiliated student needs and wants from their institution can be difficult when there is not one place for these students to come together and voice their opinions. Utilizing an SVA chapter can better help institutions of higher education communicate and provide resources and space for military-affiliated students by allowing individuals to discuss what is best needed for them to thrive in this environment.
Due to the fluctuating nature of campus life, students, faculty, and staff are constantly graduating, changing, and moving. Therefore, implementing methods to remain continuous and effective when leadership changes is imperative.
Steps to Creating an SVA Chapter
If a school does not already have an established SVA chapter on campus, resources for forming an official chapter are available through SVA. Additionally, there are no dues or fees associated with establishing a new SVA chapter. However, there are certain minimum requirements that must be met before applying to become a chapter.
First, groups looking to apply for official chapter membership must write and abide by an official governing document outlining how the group plans to manage their chapter. This is important to maintain a standard operating procedure beyond the current leadership. It is also necessary for group members not in leadership to have a document to refer to if the group is not operating in the way that it promised. This document needs to include the organization's mission statement, membership requirements, and meeting frequency.
Second, groups need to be recognized by their institution as a registered student organization prior to applying to be an SVA chapter. Within the umbrella of university organizations, it is important to raise awareness of the group's goals and mission to encourage others to be supportive of it as well.
Third, groups must have a faculty or staff member serve as a club advisor. These individuals are vital to the success of the organization, as they serve as the liaison between students and the university. They can provide insight to administrative processes that students may not have experience with or time to dedicate towards. It is also recommended that applications include a list of current group members and a group of outside stakeholders that have an interest in supporting the chapter's goals.
Finally, SVA requires student leadership to be elected prior to applying. Establishing an executive leadership board proves to SVA headquarters that there exists sufficient support at the university for a successful SVA chapter. In total, SVA requires three contacts to be submitted with an SVA chapter application. A student veteran contact, an administrative contact, and a chapter email contact (made either through the school email system or a free system) are required to be provided.
How Can Staff and Faculty Support?
University officials can support student veteran organizations by allocating time and resources to better understanding the goals of an SVA chapter. This can be done through training provided by the university, such as Green Zone Training. Green Zone Training aids university officials based on three ideas: willingness to work with military students needing assistance, attending a training session, agreeing to publicly acknowledge that their office is military friendly. When undergoing this training, reach out to student veteran groups on campus to create a relationship and build rapport. Providing support to SVA organizations can be as simple as saying hello in the hallway.
Groups of student veterans, and other military-affiliated students, benefit greatly from SVA and their advocacy for military-affiliated communities on campus. It is critical for professionals in higher education to be knowledgeable and support the mission of creating a more comfortable learning space for student veterans and their families, and that can begin with establishing an official SVA chapter.
How to Encourage Students to Join SVA
SVA membership includes much more than just a title. It gives students and universities access to special resources, such as mentorship opportunities and a community of over 750,000 military-affiliated individuals nation-wide. Additionally, there are several events that SVA sponsors for leadership and career development. The most notable event that SVA hosts is the SVA National Conference. It is the largest gathering of Post 9/11 student veterans and brings together over 1,500 chapters from across the country. Keynote speakers bring light to their best practices and research regarding student veterans. There are also Leadership Institutes, Washington Week, Regional Summits, and more!
