Vets vacate MC

According to GIJobs.com, Cleveland State University is one of the nation's most "military-friendly" schools. CSU's reputation for being welcoming toward veterans is in large part a result of its Veteran Student Success—or Viking Vets—program. Recently, the Viking Vets program moved from offices on the first floor of Main Classroom to offices on the second floor of Rhodes West, where Admissions was formerly housed.

"The new offices are excellent," said Ben Boyle, a Business Administraton major and military veteran. Now that the program has moved, "All operations are together in one location," he added. Vikings Vets' new location in Rhodes West unites the program's offices and annex, which were formerly down the hall from each other in Main Classroom. Veterans enrolling at CSU can go to the Viking Vets office for complete help in securing their GI Bill educational benefits. Viking Vets' old offices in Main Classroom were smaller than the new ones. Before, one room served as the lounge, the computer room and the study area, which made silent study difficult. Now that the program has moved, student veterans enjoy a spacious lounge, a separate computer room and a dedicated silent study area. There are also offices for the program's coordinator, Bob Shields, and Vet Success counselor, Dennis Ward. CSU's Student Veterans Association also makes its home in Viking Vets' new offices.

When asked what makes CSU veteran friendly, Education major Joe Ferguson cited the university's accommodating professors. "I've never had a problem with a professor while working around a deployment," he said.

Boyle noted how wonderful it is to attend one of eight colleges nationwide that have a Vet Success counselor on campus. At last count, 542 veterans were enrolled at CSU. As a result, Ferguson sometimes has class with two or three fellow veterans. The attitude of many Viking veterans may best be summed up by Boyle's statement: "Being at Cleveland State is like having my unit back again."