From Combat to Campus

Across The University of Tampa’s campus, there are freshly manicured palm trees, historic buildings and even a crisp blue pool that students can go to lounge around before and after classes, but can you imagine if all that didn’t exist and instead there was only desert after desert mile after mile?

For most college students, the glamorous campus not existing would be a nightmare. However, for some veteran students, that had been a reality at one point.

“When deployed to Iraq, I always missed color. Everything around there is this kind of dusty brown, and it is rare that you stumble upon anything green,” said Nicholas Eddy, a senior and English major at UT. “When you do, it’s this beautiful oasis surrounded by nothing, and it’s astonishing, but depending on where you are, you may go an entire deployment seeing only the blue of the sky, the sandy brown of the desert and the fuzzy green of night vision goggles.”

Eddy is a Staff Sergeant (Infantry Squad Leader) and is in the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He has been deployed six times for a total of 36 months, going back and forth between soldier and college student.

For Eddy, it’s all about setting goals.

“The hardest part for me was shifting to becoming more goal oriented and being a little more proactive in setting and achieving my own goals,” said Eddy.

When on active duty, most of Eddy’s life was regulated by the military and “there [was] always a training schedule to adhere to, soldiers to mentor and train and direction from superiors in down time.”

Though the stressful environment of the military is gone, Eddy has found that he has replaced it with school.

“I tend to overload myself with classes, but also with helping to organize Sigma Tau Delta,” said Eddy.

However, it gives Eddy something to work toward and a chance to set more goals and make more friends, which he finds to be the hardest thing to do but the most important for his transition back to normal.

Eddy believes that by sociological standards of everyone else, he is living a somewhat normal life.

“When you have been to war and seen combat,” said Eddy, “[your] perspective shifts dramatically.”

For Eddy, he has noticed that what he sees to be frivolous may seem important to others.

“I feel, sometimes, like we that served will always see the world differently than those who have not. The trick is to not rub it into people’s faces,” Eddy said.

There are times, though, that Eddy doesn’t consider himself normal.

“I am forced to constantly go to the VA (Veterans Affairs) hospital in order to deal with wounds sustained during combat,” Eddy said. “This often interferes with things like school and life in general.”

Then again, there are many people who never served that have to deal with the same thing.

“So, I feel now more normal than I did when I first got out, just don’t sneak up behind me,” Eddy said.

Fortunately for Eddy, he doesn’t have to transition from soldier to college student alone.

“UT has committed a large amount of resources to veterans on campus,” said Robert Bruns, a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the U.S. Army and the adviser for Gateways 104.

Not only does it rank in the top 15 percent of all colleges, universities and trade schools nationwide for being a “Military Friendly School,” but it also has the necessary staff that makes the student veterans’ experiences at UT more comfortable and positive.

There is Rovert Palko, the designated Veteran’s Benefits coordinator in the Registrar’s office.

Also, there is Eddie Hoffman, UT’s leader of the Veteran Student Organization.

Hoffman has worked on creating an organization where veterans can get together to discuss VA and GI Bill benefits, UT issues affecting veterans and general fun and activities that honor veterans.

Bruns also pointed out the work that Edesa Scarborough does for Gateways 104.

Scarborough is the director of the First Year Experience Program and has conducted extensive assessment of the course to determine its effectiveness.

Gateways 104 is specifically for “students who are typically older, who have been in the workforce for three to 12 years or more, who are exceptionally mature based on the first two points and therefore extremely dedicated to their academics, who are generally more worldly and culturally aware and who have traveled geographically around the U.S. and world, who have already identified and sometimes worked in a major,” according to Bruns.

The course exposes veterans to UT academic policies and procedures, to student organizations, provide them with knowledge of UT’s academic and social resources and if needed, help them integrate into classroom settings where they are usually much older than other students.

“We try and take these students and help make their transition from the military to being a college student more meaningful and successful,” said Bruns.

Occasionally, the class has guest lectures, consisting of Generals, FBI recruiters, CIA recruiters and other local business leaders who are veterans who discuss opportunities on how to integrate into local community activities.

In the classroom, Bruns spends time talking to the student vets about their experiences in the military and how those experiences can be related to being a student at UT, how they can participate in classroom discussions and how they should interact with professors and staff.

“These students are here to learn, to succeed, are well versed in time management, financial management, healthy behavior traits, things that First Year Gateways focuses on but traits these students already possess,” said Bruns.

This year there are almost 40 student veterans enrolled into the course and their ages range from 20 to 34.

All but one student vet lives off campus, and mostly everyone works and has a family.

Two of Bruns’ students are even expecting babies this semester while one student is a parent of four, works and attends UT full time.

“This is exactly why we have these students together,” said Bruns. “How could other first year students even begin to understand the issues that she deals with on a daily basis, working and raising four kids?  I admire them all for their dedication, hard work and their service to our nation.”

Gateways 104 is not only beneficial for transitioning and academics, but it also provides student vets with getting assistance when needed.

“On occasion, some of these student vets may have unique issues from service related injuries that require UT counseling or Veterans Administration counseling,” said Bruns, “and we try and help them get the necessary assistance they need.”

Also, most students don’t know that UT is part of the Yellow Ribbon Program, so whatever the GI Bill does not cover for tuition and fees, the university pays.

If it weren’t for the Yellow Ribbon Program, Eddy would have gone to USF.

But he’s happy he didn’t.

“From the smaller class sizes to the lack of hustle, I don’t regret my decision,” said Eddy. It doesn’t hurt that he loves the campus either.

He’s also proud of the work and dedication he’s put into at UT so far.

“I feel like I’ve made a big impact with Sigma Tau Delta,” said Eddy, “and I hope to increase the awareness of the English program on campus.”

One thing he does regret is not going to college straight from high school.

“It’s kind of crappy being in college when you’re 29,” said Eddy.

That hasn’t stopped him from setting his heights high.

“My long term goals,” said Eddy, “are to graduate, commission as an officer and remain in the National Guard while I try and start a career in publishing.”

Stef Crocco can be reached at Stefcrocs@yahoo.com