1. The DVC Veteran:
An inside attempt to profile the veteran community at DVC
Ryan Kelley
Brian Vargas
2. 2
Table of Contents
Abstract……………………...…………………………………………………………….3
Introduction………………………...…………………………………………………………….3
Background………………………………………………………………………………………4
Methods…………………………………………………………………………………………...5
Data Gathering………….…………………………………………………………………5
Survey Design and Creation………………………………………………………………5
Distribution and Collection……….………………………………………………………6
Quantitative Data………………………………………………………………………………...6
Community Veterans……………………….……………………………………………..6
College Veterans……………………….………………………………………………….8
DVC Veterans……………………….…………………………………………………...11
Results of Survey……………………………………….….……………………………………13
Statistics…………………………………….……………………………………………13
Open Response Answers………………………..……………………………………….16
Discussion…………………….………………………….……………………………………...36
Notable Trends…………………………………...………………………………………37
Error analysis……………………………………………………………………………38
Limitations………………………………………...…………………………………….38
Acknowledgements………………………………………………..……………………………38
Sentinels of Freedom………………………………………………………...………….39
State Chancellor’s Office…………………………………………………….....……….39
District Research and Planning Office…………………………………………………..39
MSOD…………………………………………….……………………………..………39
Byron Swain.………………………………….…………………………………………39
University of California: Berkeley…………………………………………...………….39
References……………………………………………………………………………………….40
Appendices…………………………………………….………………………………………...40
Digital Copy………………………………………………...……………………………40
Paper Copy……………………………………………….………………………………40
Invitation and Follow ups……………………………….……………….………………44
3. 3
Abstract
Little research has been done at Diablo Valley College (DVC) concerning veteran
services. The purpose of this research paper is to get a comprehensive view of the profile and
needs of the veteran community at DVC. This data will assist in the efforts to help faculty/staff
and all administrative officers familiarize veteran students with resources, programs, and
processes at Diablo Valley College to support their success in accomplishing educational
objectives. The data was gathered both quantitatively and qualitatively in attempts to fully
encompass veteran’s needs. Statistics were pulled from multiple sources in attempts to discover
“best practices”, and the qualitative analysis was done by creating a survey and distributing out
to as many student vets as possible. Our total population of veterans is N=436 and we drew our
results from a sample of s=115 (26%). Outside data was provided to compare the college with
the local community, as well as all 111 other community colleges in the state. The data revealed
that veterans are as diverse as the rest of the student population. Veteran’s also come to college
with added problems such as Traumatic Brain Injuries, anxiety, dependency from self-
medication, and stress only known by those who have survived the most violent traumas. When
asked what they would want improved on campus, the number one request was for a center.
Other common requests were a veteran specific orientation, more hours for certifying
officials/counselors, help with job placement, and general support with benefits. One service
heavily suggested by the faculty and not so much by the veterans is mentoring.
Introduction
When reintegrating into “civilian” life, separating service members require a unique
transitional roadmap. Because of this difference, one might consider “veteran” life a more proper
term for their journey. Veterans who decide to take the path to the world of higher education are
finding themselves lost in the system; a system that is totally new and foreign. Some veterans
adapt to this academic veteran life smoothly. Others face challenges such as: Posttraumatic
Stress (PTS), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), anxiety, mental disorders, sleep disorders, and war
related traumas. All of this piled on top of the normal issues of higher education, such as:
environmental shock, financial aid, career paths, academic advising, disability services, and
health care. It is quite amazing that veterans are willing to go through all of the combined
difficulties in attempts to get a degree, and shocking how many succeed.
Veteran support networks are a must, and laid out in President Obama’s 8 Keys to
Success on Campus (Contra Costa Community College District Governing Board, 2013) are:
1. Create a culture of trust and connectedness across the campus community to
promote well-being and success for veterans.
2. Ensure consistent and sustained support from campus leadership.
3. Implement an early alert system to ensure all veterans receive academic,
career, and financial advice before challenges become overwhelming.
4. Coordinate and centralize campus efforts for all veterans, together with the
creation of a designated space (even if limited in size).
5. Collaborate with local communities and organizations, including government
agencies, to align and coordinate various services for veterans.
4. 4
6. Utilize a uniform set of data tools to collect and track information on veterans,
including demographics, retention and degree completion.
7. Provide comprehensive professional development for faculty and staff on
issues and challenges unique to veterans.
8. Develop systems that ensure sustainability of effective practices for veterans.
As it was well put in the 8 keys, DVC is working to better comprehend their veteran
population. The DVC Veteran Stakeholders along with the Veterans Alliance are currently in a
joint task force working to implement changes on campus and better serve those who served.
Background
In spring of 2008, the Veteran’s Alliance was started. In 2012, Anthony Rodregous
became president and a new era would begin. A student veteran had a very stressful moment
where they needed some time and space to themselves, and none was available. The Alliance had
a mission now, to never have another veteran in that position again. The club slowly grew as
more veterans came together and midway through the semester it was a very successful group.
Over time it was recognized that the service members had very different needs than that of a
traditional student, and during that semester, the school was not adequately taking care of those
needs. The Alliance drew from existing data published by the California Community College
Chancellor’s office and presented it to the president of the college. The president was on board
and supportive of the idea of bringing a space for veterans on campus.
As the fall semester of 2012 began, Niall Smith and Dave Cascante emerged to lead from
where the previous semester left off. These veterans were recently separated from service, and
shared the same goals as previous team. Niall and Dave’s team continued to press for a space for
veterans, but they encountered a series of obstacles. The Alliance then reached out to Associated
Students of DVC (ASDVC) in hopes to get a room allocated within the Margaret Lescher
Student Union building for one academic year. The room was designed to be used for peer-to-
peer support situations, both for academic and personal reasons. The room was also planned to
be used for outside organizations to come in to present to veterans in a variety of areas,
including, assistance with applying for VA benefits, financial aid, resume workshops, and
college success workshops.
In spring 2013, the Alliance worked out a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with
ASDVC to have a room allocated for veterans. In October 2013, the Alliance met with Emily
Stone (Dean of Student Support Services) and Lindsay Kong (Program Manager of Student
Life), and it was determined that the room failed to meet the standards necessary to
accommodate student’s needs, let alone veteran’s needs. The room was always crowded, so if
ever a student needed a moment, it would take longer than that moment just to get the space
available. Also, furniture that was donated for veteran use was being damaged, so the room could
not effectively transition into a more comfortable space.
In November of 2013, the Veteran’s Stakeholders group was established with the aim of
improving veteran services on the campus. On February 11th, the stakeholders started monthly
meetings, headed by Dr. Newin Orante (Vice President of Student Services). The stakeholders
established their mission to improve veteran services across the school campus. Student veterans
5. 5
were extremely interested in a center for veterans, and the stakeholder’s decided to collect data in
attempts to profile the student veteran and their needs in efforts to establish a central location that
would offer the best support possible.
During the March and April meetings, improvements made to veteran services were:
establishing Veteran Information Sessions, resigning the MOU with ASDVC for another
academic year, and a detailed student veteran roadmap for incoming students and transitioning
students. The goal of this report is to lay out the DVC veteran profile supported quantitatively
from documented sources and common practices, and qualitatively by the data collected through
2014 Diablo Valley College Veteran Survey.
The road has long and difficult, but we still possess a great deal of determination and
desire to see a center come to Diablo Valley College. It will benefit not only the veterans of
DVC but also the college collectively due to the fact that veterans on campus will have a better
opportunity to fully integrate back into civilian life and become fully functioning contributing
members of society.
Methods
Data Gathering
With a goal of helping student veterans, it was clear that the initial action should be to
analyze the veterans and determine their exact needs to help them to the best of our ability.
Rather than “reinventing the wheel”, the stakeholders determined a two-step process to evaluate
the DVC veteran. First, they reached out to other community colleges within region 3 and 4 in
the Bay Area in efforts to learn some of the common practices, as well as finding any hard data
that had already been developed. The group also reached out of state to the University of Arizona
and Cascadia Community College, both who were very generous in sharing their findings. Once
all the data had been collected; a baseline of the veteran population had been established. With
that strong foundation, a survey was designed to appropriately profile the student veteran at
DVC. Both steps attempted to get hard numbers, as well as notable trends, so that DVC could
help its veterans as a whole, and individually.
Survey Design and Creation
The survey was decided to be anonymous in attempts to achieve more accurate responses
to questions. Veterans on campus were able to answer freely without any judgment or
repercussion. Also, with the freedom of not being tied to any of the data, we hoped this would
convince more students to participate in the survey.
The original survey was created using a number of resources. The University of
California Berkeley veteran’s questionnaire was used as a baseline. Then veteran input was used
to design the questions and in which order they would be asked. The Stakeholders discussed
some of the data that would be most effective in creating the profile. The survey was then put
together digitally using the survey creator and distributor SurveyGizmo. The survey contained
eighteen multiple choice, eight open response, three Likert scales, and one needs assessment
table.
6. 6
The survey partakers were not compensated, but as an “incentive” to complete the survey
in its entirety, the Veterans Alliance held a prize drawing of an iPad Air; which had been donated
by the Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship Foundation. On Tuesday, May 13th
, the iPad was
handed over to Daniel Abad. Daniel was the lucky winner randomly selected amongst the 115
participants.
Student’s eligible to take the survey and win the iPad Air had to be a self-identified
veteran or dependent on campus. If they were self-identified, the veteran certifying official
would be able to contact them through their provided student identification number.
Distribution and Collection
On March 3rd
, 2014, the survey was developed digitally using SurveyGizmo.com, and
275 paper copies were printed by Jenny Howard of the Sentinels of Freedom Scholarship
Foundation. The survey was broadcasted largely for two months until May 2, 2014. Survey
participants were targeted largely through the DVC Veterans Service Office e-mail system and
Facebook. They were also handed hard copies while the Veteran’s Alliance members were
tabling weekly.
All paper copies were typed into the digital storage in order to keep in one uniform
location. 16 responses were deleted for multiple reasons. Some were test responses when the
survey was first created. Some users duplicated their responses for unknown reasons. Others
were only partially completed. Hard copies of the 2014 Diablo Valley College Veteran Survey
was collected and inputted into SurveyGizmo. Surveys that were completed through the link to
the online survey were compiled and processed into a full survey report. This report presented
the data into bar graphs, pie charts and individual response.
Quantitative Data
Community Veterans
In 2012, Eighty-four percent of institutions offering services for veteran and military students
provide counseling to assist with post-traumatic stress disorder, compared to only 16 percent in
2009 (Hanover Research, 2014)
In 2010, California had over 1.7 Million veterans with a -2.42% compound annual growth rate
In 2010, Contra Costa County had almost 60,000 veterans with a -3.62% CAGR
Subject
Total Veterans Nonveterans
Estimate
Margin
of Error
Estimate
Margin
of Error
Estimate
Margin
of Error
Civilian population 18 years
and over
791,701 +/-206 60,108 +/-1,345 731,593 +/-1,367
PERIOD OF SERVICE
Gulf War (9/2001 or later)
veterans
(X) (X) 6.80% +/-0.8 (X) (X)
Gulf War (8/1990 to 8/2001) (X) (X) 12.00% +/-0.9 (X) (X)
7. 7
veterans
Vietnam era veterans (X) (X) 35.80% +/-1.2 (X) (X)
Korean War veterans (X) (X) 12.70% +/-0.7 (X) (X)
World War II veterans (X) (X) 12.50% +/-0.7 (X) (X)
SEX
Male 48.00% +/-0.1 94.10% +/-0.6 44.20% +/-0.1
Female 52.00% +/-0.1 5.90% +/-0.6 55.80% +/-0.1
AGE
18 to 34 years 27.40% +/-0.1 5.40% +/-0.7 29.30% +/-0.1
35 to 54 years 39.50% +/-0.1 22.10% +/-1.1 40.90% +/-0.1
55 to 64 years 16.30% +/-0.1 23.50% +/-1.1 15.70% +/-0.1
65 to 74 years 9.10% +/-0.1 22.90% +/-0.9 8.00% +/-0.1
75 years and over 7.60% +/-0.1 26.20% +/-0.8 6.10% +/-0.1
RACE AND HISPANIC OR
LATINO ORIGIN
One race 96.60% +/-0.2 97.20% +/-0.5 96.50% +/-0.2
White 65.60% +/-0.3 77.50% +/-1.1 64.60% +/-0.3
Black or African American 8.90% +/-0.1 10.10% +/-0.8 8.80% +/-0.1
American Indian and Alaska
Native
0.40% +/-0.1 0.60% +/-0.2 0.40% +/-0.1
Asian 15.00% +/-0.2 6.60% +/-0.6 15.70% +/-0.2
Native Hawaiian and Other
Pacific Islander
0.50% +/-0.1 0.50% +/-0.2 0.50% +/-0.1
Some other race 6.10% +/-0.3 1.90% +/-0.4 6.50% +/-0.3
Two or more races 3.40% +/-0.2 2.80% +/-0.5 3.50% +/-0.2
Hispanic or Latino (of any
race)
21.20% +/-0.1 8.50% +/-0.8 22.20% +/-0.1
White alone, not Hispanic or
Latino
51.60% +/-0.1 71.90% +/-1.1 49.90% +/-0.1
MEDIAN INCOME IN THE
PAST 12 MONTHS (IN 2012
INFLATION-ADJUSTED
DOLLARS)
Civilian population 18 years
and over with income
36,831 +/-437 50,715 +/-1,475 35,532 +/-471
Male (X) (X) 51,306 +/-1,545 44,155 +/-830
Female (X) (X) 42,694 +/-7,870 29,094 +/-546
8. 8
EDUCATIONAL
ATTAINMENT
Civilian population 25 years
and over
703,848 +/-155 59,676 +/-1,327 644,172 +/-1,345
Less than high school graduate 11.40% +/-0.3 5.50% +/-0.7 12.00% +/-0.3
High school graduate (includes
equivalency)
19.20% +/-0.4 18.00% +/-1.2 19.40% +/-0.4
Some college or associate's
degree
30.70% +/-0.5 38.20% +/-1.4 30.00% +/-0.5
Bachelor's degree or higher 38.70% +/-0.4 38.30% +/-1.4 38.70% +/-0.5
EMPLOYMENT STATUS
Civilian population 18 to 64
years
659,123 +/-244 30,601 +/-1,137 628,522 +/-1,153
Labor force participation rate 77.90% +/-0.4 77.70% +/-1.7 77.90% +/-0.4
Civilian labor force 18 to 64
years
513,576 +/-2,826 23,771 +/-1,099 489,805 +/-2,972
Unemployment rate 9.90% +/-0.3 9.40% +/-1.2 10.00% +/-0.4
POVERTY STATUS IN
THE PAST 12 MONTHS
Civilian population 18 years
and over for whom poverty
status is determined
785,015 +/-700 (X) (X) (X) (X)
Below poverty in the past 12
months
0.40% +/-0.1 (X) (X) (X) (X)
DISABILITY STATUS
Civilian population 18 years
and over for whom poverty
status is determined
785,015 +/-700 (X) (X) (X) (X)
With any disability 2.00% +/-0.1 (X) (X) (X) (X)
PERCENT IMPUTED
Veteran status for the
population 18 years and over
3.80% (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)
Period of service for the
civilian veteran population 18
years and over
5.90% (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)
College Veterans
It is estimated that 16,000 of the 21,000 veterans and their dependents using the GI Bill at
California postsecondary institutions are enrolled at a community college
9. 9
Group College
College
Total
College
Total
VETERANS ACTIVE DEP RESERVES
Fin Aid
VA Form
260
10 PALOMAR 1522 1148 1011 62 57 18
10 SOUTHWESTERN 1414 1045 920 22 87 16
10 SAN DIEGO CITY 1405 712 656 30 21 5
10 MIRA COSTA 1334 1096 1004 38 46 8
10 SAN DIEGO MESA 1272 951 842 45 51 13
10 SAN DIEGO MIRAMAR 1264 686 616 24 32 14
10 GROSSMONT 1248 856 766 27 52 11
2 SOLANO 1196 452 341 18 81 12
9 RIVERSIDE 1133 313 254 20 27 12
7 EL CAMINO 1090 342 301 3 28 10
2 AMERICAN RIVER 1035 739 620 30 77 12
8 ORANGE COAST 998 437 399 12 15 11
9 MT. SAN JACINTO 989 613 515 13 67 18
8 MT. SAN ANTONIO 878 523 476 12 17 18
2 SACRAMENTO CITY 756 475 410 6 47 12
8 SADDLEBACK 639 560 517 16 18 9
2 SIERRA 631 461 384 10 58 9
3 SANTA ROSA 626 460 379 15 54 12
3 SAN FRANCISCO CITY 587 613 533 29 32 19
10 CUYAMACA 586 423 391 10 20 2
8 LONG BEACH CITY 584 452 395 12 39 6
7 SANTA MONICA CITY 563 393 351 9 20 13
5 FRESNO CITY 542 460 342 23 55 40
4 MONTEREY 516 201 180 6 14 1
8 CERRITOS 516 375 328 6 21 20
6 ANTELOPE VALLEY 511 330 267 5 47 11
5 MODESTO 507 327 251 8 52 16
8 SANTA ANA 503 279 252 6 8 13
5 BAKERSFIELD 498 206 162 6 31 7
5 SAN JOAQUIN DELTA 495 194 135 4 41 14
8 FULLERTON 488 445 384 20 19 22
7 L.A. EAST L.A. 483 215 195 6 6 8
6 CANYONS 466 320 293 7 11 9
1 BUTTE 453 371 307 15 42 7
9 DESERT 425 224 199 6 16 3
7 L.A. CITY 405 337 306 16 9 6
8 CYPRESS 405 350 313 15 11 11
12. 12
o Voc. Rehab- 19
o 9/11 GI Bill- 172 Veterans, 05 Dependents.
o 33 – Survivors and Dependent Assistance, aka Chapter 35,
o 18 –VRAP, (phased out April 1, 2014)
Student Veteran Demographic Information
Age (years) 2011FA 2012FA 2013FA
Under 20 26 9% 25 8% 19 5%
20-24 74 26% 77 24% 78 21%
25-29 106 37% 106 32% 134 36%
30-39 51 18% 77 23% 76 20%
40-49 14 5% 20 6% 25 7%
50+ 13 5% 22 7% 40 11%
Total 284 100% 327 100% 372 100%
Gender 2011FA 2012FA 2013FA
Male 220 77% 248 76% 290 78%
Female 60 21% 76 23% 77 21%
Unknown 4 2% 3 1% 5 1%
Total 284 100% 327 100% 372 100%
Ethnicity 2011FA 2012FA 2013FA
White 153 54% 148 45% 181 49%
Hispanic 50 18% 66 20% 68 18%
Asian/PI 28 10% 27 8% 43 12%
African American 20 7% 45 14% 38 10%
Other Non-White 11 4% 28 9% 35 9%
Unknown 19 7% 10 3% 5 1%
Native American 3 1% 3 1% 2 1%
Total 284 100% 327 100% 372 100%
Student Veteran Success Outcomes
2011FA 2012FA 2013FA
Population Students Veterans Students Veterans Students Veterans
Headcount 21122 284 20941 327 21023 372
Full Time Equiv. Student 7636 126 7705 139 7699 166
Success Rate 72% 73% 72% 71% 73% 70%
Completion Rate 85% 87% 85% 86% 84% 84%
Retention Rate 76% 82% 75% 78% 75% 78%
13. 13
GPA 2.81 2.73 2.82 2.77 2.84 2.79
Results of Survey
Statistics
The following questions were asked to get a generalized understanding of the DVC veteran.
Academic Goal:
AA-T and AS-T degrees 41 35.7%
IGETC 39 33.9%
CSUGE 16 13.9%
Other 15 13.0%
Certificate of Achievement 4 3.5%
Military Affiliation:
Veteran 91 79.1%
Active Duty/Drilling Reserves 14 12.2%
Family Member 6 .2%
ROTC 2 1.7%
Other 2 1.7%
No military Affiliation 0 00%
Member of Student Veteran Organization:
No 97 84.4%
Yes 18 15.7%
Interested in learning more about Student Veteran Organization:
No 58 54.2%
Yes 49 45.8%
Using benefits:
Yes 91 79.1%
No 24 20.9%
Benefit payment received on time:
Yes 68 59.1%
Not Using 37 32.2%
No 10 8.7%
How well are veterans received on campus?:
Good 42 36.8%
Excellent 31 27.2%
Average 30 26.3%
Poor 6 5.3%
Very Poor 5 4.4%
14. 14
How would you rate the GI Bill Certification process?:
Good 35 35.4%
Excellent 31 31.3%
Average 25 25.3%
Poor 5 5.1%
Very Poor 3 3.0%
How would you rate campus-based advising services?:
Good 34 30.4%
Average 29 25.9%
Excellent 24 21.4%
Poor 18 16.1%
Very Poor 7 6.3%
Do you feel fully informed of the veteran services available on campus?:
Somewhat 49 42.6%
Yes 48 41.7%
No 18 15.7%
If a VRC were established, how often would you use it?:
Occasionally 44 38.3%
Several Times a week 34 29.6%
Once a week 24 20.9%
Daily 11 9.6%
Never 2 1.7%
Branch of service:
Army 37 32.7%
Marines 32 28.3%
Air Force 22 19.5%
Navy 18 15.9%
National Guard 8 7.1%
Other 3 2.7%
Coast Guard 3 2.7%
Gender:
Male 99 86.1%
Female 16 13.9%
Other 0 0.0%
Age:
25-34 73 63.5%
18-24 27 23.5%
35-54 9 7.8%
55+ 6 5.2%
15. 15
Under 18 0 0.0%
Race:
Caucasian 57 49.6%
Hispanic 23 20.0%
Asian/Pacific Islander 15 13.0%
Other/Multi-racial 8 7.0%
Black/African-American 6 5.2%
Decline to Respond 5 4.4%
Native American/Alaska Native 1 0.9%
Marital Status:
Never Married 64 55.7%
Divorced 17 14.8%
Married 29 25.2%
Separated 3 2.6%
Widowed 2 1.7%
Do you have kids?:
No 74 64.9%
Yes 40 35.1%
Are you their sole provider?:
No 69 69.0%
Yes 31 31.0%
Do you have a service related disability?:
No 65 56.5%
Yes 50 43.5%
How often do you experience PTS?:
Never 63 56.3%
Several times a year 12 10.7%
Every day 7 6.3%
Several times a day 6 5.4%
Nearly every week 5 4.5%
About once or twice a year 5 4.5%
Less than once a year 5 4.5%
2-3 times a month 4 3.6%
About once a month 4 3.6%
Once a day 1 0.9%
Most valuable VRC services:
Academic advising 98 85.2%
Hiring/recruitment opportunities 89 77.4%
16. 16
GI Bill Certification 88 76.5%
Financial aid 83 72.2%
Computers and printers for student use 81 70.4%
Representatives from the Dept. of Veterans Affairs 78 67.8%
Peer mentoring with other Veterans 73 63.5%
Quiet study space/ Group study area 73 63.5%
Community veterans organizations representatives 69 60.0%
Lounge with couches 62 53.9%
Mental Health services 53 46.1%
Kitchenette (sink, fridge, microwave) 49 42.6%
Conference area for group projects and meetings 44 38.3%
Other 6 5.2%
Priority of service improvements:
No Nice to Moderate Great Absolutely
Need Have Need Need Essential
Employment opportunities 0.9% 14.8% 20.0% 26.1% 38.3%
/recruitment events for Veterans 1 17 23 30 44
Provide a “sanctuary” 3.5% 16.5% 20.0% 27.0% 33.0%
for transitioning vets 4 19 23 31 38
Securing a designated physical 4.3% 15.7% 22.6% 29.6% 27.8%
space for a VRC on DVC campus 5 18 26 34 32
Improve Relationships and 3.5% 22.6% 25.2% 24.3% 24.3%
enhance services from DSS 4 26 29 28 28
Boost Vet-to-Vet counseling 1.7% 22.6% 28.7% 24.3% 22.6%
On campus in a safe environment 2 26 33 28 26
Improve GI Bill Certification Process 11.3% 23.5% 30.4% 12.2% 22.6%
13 27 35 14 26
Implement Mental Health 7.0% 33.0% 23.5% 18.3% 18.3%
Services and Counseling 8 38 27 21 21
Community Outreach opportunities 6.1% 27.8% 30.4% 22.6% 13.0%
7 32 35 26 15
Open Ended Response
Our most important open ended response question was question number nine on the
survey. The question asked the participant to share their thoughts on the greatest need for veteran
community at DVC, the answers were the following:
17. 17
I cannot see a great need here at DVC. I have been very happy with every interaction I've had with the
veterans office, and I always get my benefits on time. I have not encountered a single problem at all
during my whole time here at DVC while utilizing my benefits.
A Veteran Service Center - More Veteran student services support and counseling
A veteran center for counseling and decompressing.
A place for veterans to study and meet and connect with each other
A designated place aside from the main building to do any military affiliation needs
A veterans center
Our own small area. Like a break room. I don't know. ?
A dedicated room for Veterans to relax, unwind, decompress and to get support for one another. When I
was the [in] the Vet Club, I helped a fellow Vet who was having a bad day. If we had had a room, or
somewhere completely dedicated to Vets, he might not have had to track me down for help. Also, not
disrespect intended, during the time I was involved with the club, the only thing that was being done, was
talking. [A former member] knows how I feel about this.
Veteran Center
improved veterans services (preferably in a central location)
A way for us to come together as a group
Assistance when needed/answer any questions that people may have.
Awareness of services and support.
a coordinated veterans service program to help guide them in transition
Being of Service to students that struggle.
A better connection with transfer universities
Better VA hours and returning phone calls/e mails
Better priority registration dates
Counseling and explanation of GI Bill benefits
Great support, designated councilors regardless of "wait" time would be preferred.
Easer to make an appointment for Ed plan
Group counseling and study aid, veteran fellowship
Having good counselors
I am unsure, haven't really been here long enough.
18. 18
I think the community is run well
I am very happy with the people running it
I think everything is good right now.
I would like to know more veterans and more about our benefits
Indoc course to assist in transition from military life to student life
Help with transfer services
Information about the resources for veterans benefits.
Initial orientation
A veteran-specific orientation to DVC would be nice. When I enrolled, I had to figure out pretty much
everything for myself
It helps to keep diversity and also a well needed sense of pride for our veterans
Job help
Job/internship placement.
Knowing which teachers are willing to work with students who are in an active drilling status.
Larger presence
[Left Blank]
Longer office hours!
MORE SUPPOET
Meeting later at night for the group meetings,
More active participation on the part of the veterans
More assistance with scholarship opportunities.
More communication in a timely matter.
More counselors available at a given time.
More employees available specifically for vets.
More VA office hours
More office hours for those who work during the day
More staff. More hours of operation.
More involvement.
More information about the programs that are available for veterans.
19. 19
Perhaps more hours for the va window to be open at the beginning and at the end of each semester.
More involvements from the student body. And more knowledge being passed throughout campus.
More programs and more people with helpful knowledge
Not a member of the community, can't comment on his needs.
Not too aware of the Veteran needs.
Outreach Programs to assist in getting veterans info about potential benefits
An office responsive to veterans calls within the 48 hour time limit that is stated on their voicemail.
P Timely payment of gi bill bah and tuiton payments.
Personnel that can help on personal issues,programs, services, (guidance) on life.
Publicity/Awareness of such a community
Quick VA counseling appointments
Specific veterans counselors that can assist veterans in their special college needs such as maximizing the
use of their military benefits for the most possible college education.
Social events?
Therapy
Support in understanding the college enrollment/registration process etc.
Teachers need to be fully aware of all veteran programs
There is a high turnover rate so something to draw in new people
They need to allow everyone in state tuition fees rather than out of state
Idk
A more noticeable presence. I didn't know there was anything for veterans until a friend told me.
longer hours at veteran's office
knowledge of the programs and scholarships that are available to Veterans
lack of getting information about anything relating to the VA
maybe a class or an INDOC for veterans services
more activities, more office hour and assistance. more meeting with flexible time
more benefits
more hours and availability of staff at the dvc va office. More knowledgable staff
i sense of community with a accelerated path for veterans to move onto a 4 year
20. 20
n/a
to learn about it
unknown
Veterans integration into the school system and programs that help make that transition smoother for the
vet. (Study/test taking strategies, stress management, etc.)
To be honest. the only thing I could say that might help with new veterans enrolling, maybe having
current veteran students helping new vets enroll
Noticeably BIG and BOLD signs, text on papers and brochures which catch the attention of one's eyes,
especially veterans, when it comes to putting the attention at the subject of BENEFITS 101; basically, a
more eye-grabbing technique and also implementation of a mini class or two about showing newly
enrolled veterans the ropes of utilizing their benefits in an easy manner.
We need a VA rep available at the San Ramon campus badly.
Understanding benefits
attention and access to people who can help me with things like my GI Bill etc.
SIGNAGE...more signage with regards to Veterans Services / Areas explicitly for veterans to ask
questions, get academic counseling-easier accessabiliity - at LEAST one evening of extended hours for all
stated areas. In General, one question: "What are MY options at DVC, what do I have available from the
VA, (maybe that is a VA question but it would be convenient to have some more information available
from the DVC campus, (or any campus). I do not want this to sound like any "finger pointing" just merely
a fact solicitation/finding.
Veteran discounts on food and also having more office time for the employees to help students
financial assistance for veterans especially older veterans
I haven't used any of the Veteran services other than the early registration so I couldn't really say.
more Educational Benefits, because when it expired we don't. I'm still in school, and I have one more
semester to go.
Staff dedicated to VA services only.
A veterans service office that actually cares about serving the veterans of DVC. Every experience I have
had with the veterans service office has been negative. I have never felt as though the person behind the
counter actually cared about me as the veteran. Additionally veterans should have priority at the
counseling office. A student athlete can get an appointment whenever they want, yet a veteran has to wait
until there are openeings. This can take as long as 3 to 4 weeks.
A better certifying official that understands our needs as veterans.
Improved communication. While the information that is passed is great, it needs to be done earlier to
21. 21
allow more time for responses.
ANOTHER VA REP
A sense of belonging. It seems that most veterans just want to come to school and leave because DVC
isn't their final goal; a 4-year university is. For them, there's no reason to get attached to anything here.
A DVC Veterans Center. Where Vets can have central location to gather, feel safe, study, conduct
Veteran Alliance meetings, have brown bag workshops, listen to guest speakers, have a peer mentorship
program. As well as better VA certifying officials, one that owns this position. Puts their all into it, and
had a huge heart for veterans. Best to heir a vet. Gill gave me problems when I came to him trying to get
my work study paperwork in on time. he said, "this is BullShit, this isn't my job". I was felt very
disrespected as a Student Veteran on the DVC pleasant Hill campus!!!!
I believe the system in place is doing well. I didn't find any difficulties when enrolling in school.
I think emotional support is severely lacking for veterans who attend DVC and that is most crucial.
Not sure yet; this is my first semester. Initially I think having an environment where vets can be with
other vets to assist in moving ahead with their lives makes sense.
better services for veterans, the office needs consistent hours and longer hours. I work as well as school it
is almost impossible to meet with anyone. I am very unhappy with the poor service.
I have attended 3 colleges in my two years of post military. DVC has the weakest veteran services out of
all three. I think the veterans community should seek to help manage and welcome incoming and
currently attending veterans. Veterans helping veterans. Not school "appointed" personnel. It has worked
great in my past colleges.
Involvement and helping each other transition from military to school mindset by giving guidance and
advice that will help veterans understand what benefits are out there that meet their specific needs.
Resume building workshops would be nice as well.
Creating a course for all new veterans. Providing information of all of the benefits available to them.
I don't have the need for many of the services, but I do like that I am informed of everything that the
veterans office has, in case I need to start to use more services.
Opportunity to see a veteran counselor in the evening. I go to school at night and take care of my daughter
during the day. This makes it difficult to see a counselor during normal hours. At the very least be able to
schedule an appointment in the evening.
Genuine communication between veterans (instead of one-way comm, such as people receiving emails
but not responding/taking advantage of opportunities)
22. 22
Veteran support in ALL aspects. Especially more people who are knowledgeable in Veteran affairs. (not
the V/A organization)
Don't know. Haven't really been informed of what we have, or just haven't payed attention due to work.
Greater outreach to veterans and possibly students in general what scholarship and financial aid
opportunities are available
When asked about G.I. Bill payments, the issues with timeliness were stated as:
My application has not been accepted due to what I believe are technicalities. Every time I call and leave
a message it takes several weeks for the office to get back to me. Unfortunate for me, when the do call,
they call during my work hours and I haven't been able to answer the phone right away so I am forced to
call back and leave yet another message. It has been a endless and vicious circle and my benefits are
probably lost for good (they expired in Feb 2014) unless they honor my application retroactively.
Saving for transfer, didn't use
School lost some paperwork and never prompted me to redo it.
Still haven't received my payment for this semester
Vonapp
didn't receive it on time..
n/a
not worth it
none
Filled out paper work for sister school but the process was time consuming and schools did not seem to
coordinate with each other.
I'm using the 2006 DVC catalog and VA did not recognize a course due to a change in course number,
however the course was/is the same.
This box is not big enough. But suffice it to say, that I am still waiting mid March for benefits that should
have been paid for January.
23. 23
I turned in all my forms into the DVC VA Rep on Jan 15. Email from VA-ONCE@vba.va.gov stating
DVC enrollment certification submitted 2/20/2014 and it will be processed in the order received. Still
awaiting payment.
Decline to say
Expired
I simply haven't utilized the GI bill yet. I am waiting till I transfer before using it.
N/A
The respondent’s military job titles were:
infantry
0231
0231
0311
0311 Infantry, Sergeant
0311 highest billet reached squad leader
0311-Grunt
0311-Infantry Rifleman Sgt. Billet-Platoon Sergeant
0321
0341
0369 Infantry Platoon Sergeant
0811
11 bravo team leader
11B
24. 24
11B Infantryman (I still haven't completed AiT. I'm a split op training soldier)
11B, Infantry
11B-infantrymen
11B40
11b (infantry)
12B20
1371- Combat Engineer
13M MLRS crewmember
19k
1N3
2111
25 U
25Q E4
25q
2821/tech control
2A571- Aerospace Maintenance Craftsman - aka Crew Chief
2A672
2E2X1 Computer Network Cryptographic Systems Technician
2a551h
3043
3432 disburser
25. 25
3531 Motor T Operator
3P0X1/A (Military Police/K9 Handler)
3po51
42A
4A051 health services management
5974 - Tactical Data Systems Administrator
6469 8411 6412
6531. Aviation Ordnance. IYAOYAS
68J Medical Logistic Specialist
68M Nutrition Care Specialist
71L
76 popper
89 bravo ammunition speicalist
92 Golf or cook
92y30
ABE 3
Aerospace maintenance (Crew Chief)
Air Traffic Controller
Air trans
Aircraft Armament Systems
Allied Trade Specialist
26. 26
Aviation Structural Mechanic (AM)
BM3, law enforcement
Biomed equipment technician
C-130 crew chief (6276)
CTR
CTT
Cavalry scout 19 delta
Civil Eng.Roads & Grounds
Cryptological Technician Technical CTT
Damage Controlman
Dc
Dependent
E-3
E-5
E3
E5 AFSC 2A6X4
E6
Electrician's Mate(Nuclear)
Electronic Countermeasures, Fire Direction Control, Military Police
Electronic systems security assessing 1NG1
Electronics technician, nuclear field - navy 92W - army reserves
27. 27
Engineer MP Intel
Father was Master SGT, Historian. Cross trained into Command Post.
Fire Controlman
Flight Engineer
Flightline Mechanic 6116
Geospatial Imagery Analyst (35G)
Infantry and Signal Support
Inflight Refuler
Information Systems Technician
Linguist
MA2
Machinist Mate/ MM2
Marksmanship Instructor/ Data Specialist
Master-at-arms petty officer 2nd class
Medic
Medic 68W
Military police
Nuclear Biological Chemical Specialist (NBC)-74D
Operations Specialist Petty Officer Second Class (OS2)
Operations Specialist/Intelligence Specialist
Riflemen team leader. 0311
28. 28
Ssg Medic 91w Human resources 42a
Supply Admin Clerk (3043)
Trombone and Bassoon Player in Army band
aircraft mechanic C-5
comm unicatkions
ground radio communication equipment repairman
ms 2 cadet
n/a
trained in communications but was in special forces and worked for awhile in personnel as well.
5702 Nuclear Biological & Chemical Warrant Officer Natural Resources Environmental Affairs Branch
Project Manager @ Quantico, VA Career Planner, 5th Bn, 11th Marines @ Twentynine Palms, CA
Career Palnner, MAG-11 and VMFAT 101@ Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro, CA
The respondents intended majors are:
AA DEGREE IN PARALEGAL STUDIES
AS Construction & Building Inspection
Accounting
Admin of justice.
Administration of Justice
Administration of criminal justice
Allied health
Anthropology
Architecture or Civil Enginheering
29. 29
Art
Artificial Intelligence (Computer Science)
BE business accounting
BS Biology
BS Mechanical Engineering
BSN
BSN (nursing)
Bachelors science of nursing
Biochemical and molecular biology
Biomed Engineering
Botany
Business
Business Accounting
Business Admin
Business Administration
Business adminastraion
Business administration
Business for transfer
Business management
CIS
Certificate in GIS
30. 30
Civil / Structural Engineering
Civil Engineering
Communications
Computer Animation
Computer Science
Computer engineering
Computer major
Computer science
Computer tech
Criminal Justice
Dental Hygiene
Developmental Psychology
Digital Media
Economics
Electric Tech.
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Engineering
English
French
General education
Geography
31. 31
Health Education
Health Science
History
Hospitality Management
International Relations
Kinesiology
Kinesiology coaching
Masters of medical science
Mechanical Engineer
Microbiology
Music
Oceanography
POLY SCIENCE
Physics
Political Science
Pre-Law
Psychology
Social Work
Sociology
Sociology (Social Work)
Sports Medicine
32. 32
art new media
business administration
computer network technologies
computer science
culinary arts
marine transportation
mechanical engineering
music industry studies
nursing
poli sci
political scien
political science
psych
real estate sales license
real estate--certi of axchievement
social services
sociology
When asked if the participant had any health/wellness issues, they responded with the following:
decline to answer
none of your business
no answer
33. 33
No response to 28 or 29.
hypertension
no
none
N/A
No
None
traumatic brain injury
Adhd
Anxiety and physical pain related to my service related disability
Anxiety, addiction, back and shoulder pain
Anxiety, alcohol abuse, physical pain
Anxiety, insomnia
Anxiety, physical pain, etc.
Anxiety, stress, PTSD
Anxiety, stress, depression
PTSD, anxiety, deppression
Anxiety, stress, drug addiction. Physical back pain.
Anxiety, stress, physical pain, depression, chronic fatigue
Cancer
Chronic pain, stress, anxiety....
Deep Depression, Chronic fatigue both mental and physical, Stress/Anxiety, Obesity, High BP, ADD.
Depression, anxiety, stress.
34. 34
Drug alcohol addiction, anxiety stress depression fatigue
Hearing problems
Migraines, knee pain, lower back pain.
Pain from back injury non military related
Pain in the ankles, knees, lower and upper back. 60% disbalilty rating.
Physical Allergy & Mental Obsession
Physical Pain
Physical pain TBI Anxiety
Ptsd tbi
STRESS, DEPRESSION CHRONIC FATIGUE
Severe Depression
Stress
Stress, insomnia, physical pain.
Yes, stress
alcohol dependence(previous), PTS
all of the above no alcohol/drugs
anxiety
anxiety, depression and stress. Knee pain.
anxiety, stress
anxiety, stress, back and knee pain, fatigue
anxiety,stress, depression
35. 35
anxiety,stress,depression chronic fatigue
chronic fatigue, occasional addiction struggles
severe anxiety. Almost debilitating at some times. Not diagnosed
lower chronic back injury, physical pain, anxiety, depression, psychological problems.
physical pain and hearing los
nothing extreme
Anxiety, Stress, TBI, Pain, Depression, Panic Attacks, Hearing loss, Sleep issues, nightmares, PTSD,
Vertigo/Blurred vision, Sensitive to light and motion.
- PTS - Anxiety - Depression - Back Pain - Migraines - Hearing loss - Memory loss - Prior Alcohol
Addiction
Knee and ankle joints of both legs in pain due to various injuries sustained in service, but not declared as
a disability
stress fatigue
The last question was for open comments, the comments left were:
If I do get randomly selected for the ipad, just give it to a Veteran who is having a hard time. I'm doing
well enough now.
N/A
Semper Fi.
Still Army ROTC but the campus needs more resources and support for our heroes.
Thank You.
Vets are importaint in our community, we need to take care of them
You are welcome.
hello
36. 36
It's always great and enlightening when I see the Veteran's Affairs booths on campus, knowing that us
veterans have that resource.
I dont care to "join" a group but I will make myself available to talk to others. I have first hand experience
with not coping with my environment after returning from deployment as everything was changed and
hasnt been the same since. Being a friend to talk to would help them and me..
I am a full time student, but VRAP is not paying me for the whole semester. I think this is discriminatory
towards students in the culinary program. I feel if I take 12 units I should get full assistance like any other
student.
I have been extremely happy with every interaction I have had at the veterans office. My benefits always
arrive on time, and I'm able to get everything that I need done. I have had zero problems here at DVC. I
feel that keeping everything flowing smoothly in that regard is the most important task of all. Everything
else is a bonus.
very difficult to get any VA benefits information everyone is either too busy or doesn't respond in a
timely fashion
I think Gil and the rest of the staff do a fine job of keeping us gets informed of the different events and
working with us in all matters pertaining to our educational needs.
Discussion
When looking to profile the DVC veteran, we started out by looking at ourselves and our
Veterans Alliance community. We noticed that, like traditional students, we all had different
backgrounds, races, ages and genders. However, what united our population was much different
from that of the rest of the campus community. For over a decade our nation has been at war in
multiple combat zones. Many of our veteran students have deployed in support of these wars.
The bond that is built from being deployed is not known by many. It is a bond that unites the
DVC veteran and it is a vital part of the campus culture.
Some of our veterans have been platoon, squad, and team leaders who led their troops
into battle. Others were linguists, who had to translate between their fellow service members and
the locals, whether friendly or hostile. There were also transport specialists, who road motor
vehicles over IED laden roads. These are the future leaders of the country and they have chosen
to take their first steps here at Diablo Valley College. The survey clearly displays a broad range
of disciplines from infantrymen who want to become pre-law majors to weapons mechanics that
want to become engineers. Unfortunately, all of their experience came at a price. Many of our
veterans at DVC reported struggling with: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic
Brain Injury’s (TBI), anxiety, physical pain, insomnia, anger and substance abuse issues. These
student veterans are unique indeed. The training they have received while serving the military
has taught them to succeed and reach goals while dealing with intense stress and unimaginable
37. 37
obstacles. While gathering all of this data, it is clear why a great number of our DVC veterans
have a need for a designated space specific to the needs of our community heroes. A space on
campus would not only help the student veteran at DVC and their transition into academia, but
will have a valued impact on the DVC community as a whole.
Notable Trends
Question number nine was an open response question asked after a few personal facts.
Without any prior questions that offered any influence, students were asked to identify the
greatest need for the college’s veteran community. The most common answer was more
hours/employees to help with veteran services. Veterans requested that counselors and certifying
officials have more time available for veterans, especially in the evenings.
Another heavily requested item was a center for veterans. Quantitatively, there were more
requests for veteran services, but qualitatively the center could cover more requests. With a
veteran’s center, there is a location for information related to jobs and internship placement. A
closed door could provide opportunity for counseling, whether mental or emotional. At times,
this could even be used informally as a sanctuary for those times when a veteran just needs a few
moments to “collect their thoughts”. The center would be able to offer some peer-to-peer
mentoring, and could be filled with individuals very knowledgeable in veteran benefits. It would
have the possibility of being a true starting location for veterans. Every vet lost on campus could
go to the center and be directed to their next step.
The last trend of note is an orientation. Referred commonly by vets as an Indoc, this
would be a short seminar introducing veterans to college. It would include all the facts that
students normally need to know, with added parts about maximizing benefits. This would be a
chance to introduce all the benefits chapters, and identify key issues with each.
One thing to note, the idea of mentoring was not mentioned very much by the veterans in
the survey. The faculty, as well as many professionals in the outside world, believe that
mentorship is key to the success of transitioning veterans. Even the military itself utilizes
mentorship programs. The bond between a mentor and a mentee could help mitigate the “every
man for himself” mindset that college seems to promote. Mentors would be able to guide their
mentees at the start, introducing them to the ways of the college system and their educational
benefits. As the mentee progresses through their educational goal, the mentor would be their less
and less, until the mentee felt completely self-reliant.
Error Analysis
By creating an anonymous survey, responders would not have to worry about sharing any
private information, because that information is still private. Unfortunately, we believe there
were still errors, for multiple reasons. It was recognized that 24 veterans answered no when
asked if they were using their benefits, but when asked if they received their payment on time,
37 said they were not using benefits. No responses showed responses that looked like patterns
(such as yes/no/yes/no all the way down). One respondent checked no to every question, except
38. 38
when it came to one issue that respondent personally had, in which there was a yes checked, and
question 9 was answered referring to that check mark. Although this is deemed a significant
outlier, it was a completed survey, and therefore was not removed. It is believed that although
this survey was completely anonymous, some information is still personal, so some facts may be
skewed. It is believed that the PTSD figure was under-reported, although no factual evidence
supports this. Also some injuries might not yet be discovered, and/or diagnosed.
Limitations
The stakeholder’s is comprised of a group of full time faculty, and students who are
either full time or split between work and school. With all this time already devoted to their
professional life, and each members own personal life, it was difficult to put maximum effort
into the task at hand. Also, due to running on a college schedule, the survey was only able to run
until the end of the spring semester. With privacy protection laws, only self-identified student
veterans were able to take the survey anonymously, so that our certifying officials could get a
hold of the winning participant. Once the survey was completed, six months were allotted for
outside contacted organizations to deliver any data, documents, and/or information they had. In
the early weeks of 2015, this document was finalized.
Trying to profile an entire student group in such a short time is difficult. Adding on the
limitations of the stakeholders (and all third parties), makes this document a very broad profile.
With DVC being a transfer institution, the majority of the veteran population has completely
changed every other year. It is therefore encouraged that the ideas in this document be viewed
more as guidelines, and any individual utilizing these guidelines should recognize that veterans
need’s will always be changing. The support that is given to these students should be able to
adapt and overcome, as this will make the veterans transition a guaranteed success.
Acknowledgements
Through the data collection process, a lot of noteworthy people offered to help in the process.
Without their phenomenal help, the research might have taken years to collect.
Sentinels of Freedom
The Sentinels of Freedom is a very passionate group. When they heard what we wanted to do for
student veterans, they offered to fully fund an incentive prize to help encourage maximum
participation. When the school was unable to print 275 hard copy surveys, Jenny Howard
volunteered to help. The President of SoF, Mike Conklin, came to a stakeholder’s meeting in
efforts to share his opinion on ways the members could achieve their goal of developing a center
for veterans on campus. He also donated 30 copies of “Networking for Veterans” to the
Veteran’s Alliance in efforts to help some of their newest members transition even more
successfully.
State Chancellors Office
39. 39
When first looking for data, many community colleges were called. Questions were asked, and
data was gathered slowly. Finally, it was shared that all the data was already collected and stored
by The California Community Colleges Chancellors Office. A few calls were made, and David
Lawrence (Veteran Services Program) was found to be the point of contact. Without hesitation,
Mr. Lawrence sent the requested data. He quickly and efficiently laid out easy to read data for all
112 community colleges in California.
District Research and Planning Office
For the more local data, the district office was contacted. The office works with faculty only, so
student veterans were unable to acquire any data. Dr. Orante was able to put in a request and get
the quantitative numbers for DVC, which showed the total population in comparison to the
veteran population. This data helped identify the demographics and success rates of the student
veterans at the college.
University of San Fransisco MSOD Team
Pamela Burrows, Alyssa Fantin, Chelo Gonzalez, Joyce Harris, and Daniyal Mirza make up the
great MSOD team from the University of San Fransisco. Without even knowing who we were,
they allowed us to sit in on one of their focus groups to try to understand how universities were
best tackling the idea of a veterans place on campus. As they worked on their project, they
continuously shared their findings on best practices.
Byron Swain
Byron is the graphic designer for the Veterans Alliance, he designed the cover art for this report
quickly and efficiently. This simple but elegant design is just a small taste of his skills, as he also
developed the club logo for the Veterans Alliance and the cover art for their Facebook page.
University of California: Berkeley
The Berkeley Veterans have also been trying to improve their services, and they developed a
survey in order to understand what their veterans truly wanted. As always happens with
networking, they were glad to help us in our journey, and we hope to help theirs equally if not
more.
References
The Contra Costa Community College Governing Board. (2013). Regular Meeting: November
13, 2013. California: Author
Hanover Research (2014). Veteran Support: Best Practices and Funding Opportunities.
Washington, DC: Author.
40. 40
Appendices
Digital copy
The following is the link to the digital survey:
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1559495/Test-2-2014-Diablo-Valley-College-Veterans-Survey
Paper copy
The following is the actual survey printed out and distributed:
2014 Diablo Valley College Veterans Survey
The Diablo Valley College Veterans Alliance is trying to get a comprehensive view of the profile
and needs of the veteran community on our campus. Please take a moment to give your honest
feedback, as this will go on to assist current and future veterans on campus. The primary focus of
this survey is to assess services available to the student veteran population.
Individual responses will be kept confidential and no attempt will be made to identify
participants based on responses. Unless otherwise specified.
By participating in this survey, you are assisting the DVC Veterans Alliance as well as the
administrative staff who are COMMITTED to obtaining this data to better assist our Veterans
Community.
For further information please feel free to contact:
Ryan Kelley, Veterans Alliance President (ryankelley@live.com)
David Vela, Club President Faculty Advisor (veladavid@sbcglobal.net)
*Required
1) What is your academic goal at Diablo Valley College? *
Check all that apply
o Certificates of Achievement
o AA-T and AS-T Degrees
o IGETC
o CSUGE
o Other:
2) What is your affiliation with the military? *
o Veteran
o Currently Active Duty/Drilling Reserves
o Family member/dependent of a veteran
o ROTC member
o No military affiliation
o Other:
3) Are you an active member of the Veterans Alliance Club on campus? *
o Yes
o No
If not, would you like to be contacted?
o Yes
o No
4) Are you using VA educational benefits? e.g. Post 9/11 GI Bill *
41. 41
o Yes
o No
If yes, please specify:
5) Did you receive your Spring 2014 GI Bill payment on time?
(If applicable, mark only one)
o Yes
o No
6) If no, please describe the issues you faced:
7) What is your projected major? *
8) How many semesters, including this semester, have you been a student at DVC? *
9) What do you see as the greatest need for the Veteran community at DVC? *
10) How well do you think Veterans are received/welcomed on the DVC campus? (If
applicable)*
VERY POOR POOR AVERAGE GOOD EXCELLENT
11) How would you rate the GI Bill certification process at DVC? (If applicable)*
VERY POOR POOR AVERAGE GOOD EXCELLENT
12) How would you rate the campus-based advising services available to DVC veterans? (If
applicable)*
For example: veteran counseling appointments/counselors, veteran’s services office, etc.
VERY POOR POOR AVERAGE GOOD EXCELLENT
13) Do you feel fully informed of the Veteran services available on the DVC campus? *
o Yes
o No
o Somewhat
Veterans Resource Center
A major initiative the DVC Veterans Alliance Club this year is establishing a Veterans Resource
Center on campus. The idea is to have a committed physical space on campus where veterans of
all eras can easily access the services that are essential for their success on campus: e.g. financial
aid, mental health services, academic counseling and advising, community outreach, and VA
services. Just as importantly, the center will provide a space where Veterans feel comfortable,
safe, always welcome, and where they can gather with other Veterans to build/join a social
support network of Veterans through the community.
14) Do you think a Veteran’s center would be a valuable and well-utilized resource for the
Veteran community at Diablo Valley College? *
o Yes
o No
o Somewhat
15) If a Veterans Resource Center were located in a central location, how often would you visit
and utilize the resources? *
o Daily
o Several times a week
o Once a week
o Occasionally
o Never
16) What Veterans Resources Center services would be most valuable to the DVC Veteran’s
community? (Check all that apply) *
42. 42
o GI Bill Certification
o Academic advising
o Mental Health services
o Financial aid
o Peer mentoring with other Veterans
o Community veterans organizations representatives (Vet Center, CCC Veterans Services
Office)
o Representatives from the Dept. of Veterans Affairs
o Computers and printers for student use
o Quiet study space/ Group study area
o Conference area for group projects and meetings
o Lounge with couches
o Hiring/recruitment opportunities
o Kitchenette (sink, fridge, microwave)
o Other:
17) Of the following list, how would you prioritize the Veterans Alliance and campus efforts
toward improvements? In other words, what services do you think would be most valuable to the
Veteran community at Diablo Valley College? (Mark only one box per row) *
No
Need
Nice
to
have
Moderate
need
Great
need
Absolutely
essential
Improve GI Bill Certification Process
Implement Mental Health Services and
Counseling
Community Outreach opportunities
Securing a designated physical space
for a Veterans Resource Center on
DVC campus
Employment opportunities/recruitment
events for Veterans
Improve relationships and enhance
services from the Disabled Student
Services
Boost Vet-to-Vet counseling on campus
in a safe environment
Provide a “sanctuary” for transitioning
Veterans of all eras.
Diablo Valley College community profile: Questions which help us better understand the
makeup of our community.
43. 43
18) Which branch did you serve? (check all that apply) *
o Army
o Navy
o Air Force
o Marine Corps
o Coast Guard
o National Guard
o Other:
19) What was your Job Title? (Military Occupational Specialty (MOS ) or Rating)
20) Gender *
o Male
o Female
o Other:
21) Age: *
22) Race/Ethnicity:
23) Marital status:
24) Do you have children?
o Yes
o No
o If yes, how many?
25) If you have dependents are you the sole provider?
o Yes
o No
26) Do you have a service-related disability? *
o Yes
o No
27) Do you or have you ever suffered/experienced Post Traumatic Stress?
o Yes
o No
28) Do you experience other health/wellness issues? If yes, please describe (whether officially
diagnosed or not) e.g. anxiety, stress, drug/alcohol addiction, physical pain, depression, chronic
fatigue
29) Open Comments/Contact information:
Please feel free to give any clarifying information to your responses, or provide other
feedback/concerns you would like to bring to our attention. If you would like to be contacted
please leave contact information (name, email, number, Facebook)
Invitation and follow ups
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Four emails and two Facebook posts were sent out in efforts to encourage maximum
participation. The emails were distributed to all self-identified veterans through the school’s
certifying official, and the Facebook posts were displayed on the club’s page:
On March 5th, 2014:
Sent to you on behalf of Ryan Kelley:
Good afternoon,
I realize that this is just another hugely disbursed message, but PLEASE do not ignore it.
If you are uninterested in the message, then just skip down, and take the survey.
If you require a bit more details, then please, read on...
My name is Ryan Kelley, I am the president of the Veterans Alliance and a member of the
Veteran’s Stakeholders group. As part of the Stakeholders, we created this survey in efforts to
accurately improve veteran’s services across campus.
The survey is completely anonymous, as the officers handling the surveys have no access to
student ID numbers (which means if you check the box for more information about the Veterans
Alliance, we are going to need a name or something). For those of you who took surveys in the
military, this is not anonymous like that- there aren't enough questions to separate you from
everyone else taking the survey.
So what's in it for you? Well for one you get to help improve veteran’s services, but in case that's
not good enough: every survey taker will get added to the list and one ID will be picked at
random to be given, a FREE iPad Air!
*To protect anonymity, the list of ID numbers (without any survey info) will be handed to Gil
Rocha, our certifying official; He will then screen all ID numbers for verification, and use excel
to select one randomly. He will then email the student owning said ID number, and that student
will be able to pick up his/her prize!
The survey can be located here:
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1559495/Test-2-2014-Diablo-Valley-College-Veterans-Survey
If you have any questions/comments/concerns~ let me know.
If you would like to be a part of either group previously mentioned~ let me know!
Contact info-
Email: ryankelley@live.com
Veterans Alliance Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dvcveteransalliance
Respectfully,
Ryan Kelley.
On March 12th:
Sent on behalf of Ryan Kelley, President, Veterans Alliance:
On Tuesday, March 25th, from 1-2 pm in room SU-101 (downstairs of the Student Union
Building) we are going to host a brown bag workshop. We are going to have a few veterans
speak about their transition from the military life to the student life, also just sharing some
45. 45
personal insight. We are welcoming all students, veterans, and non-veterans, to come hang out,
listen to some stories, and enjoy getting back into school after spring break. If you have any
questions, stop by our Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/dvcveteransalliance/) or
email me (ryankelley@live.com) ((still haven't gotten any random emails from anyone yet, so
either I am explaining all these things well, or no one cares to ask))
Also, on a side note, the survey has been showing us a great amount of data, and we are hoping
for more responses. I have seen some responses that I would like to address soon, I just don't
want to annoy you all with a billion helpful emails, so I'm waiting for more responses. There is
one comment I'd like to address right now, as it has already been addressed, just not publicly.
Question ten asked for the greatest need on campus for veterans. a couple people responded that
they would like to see an orientation for Veterans. Well, there is already an orientation in the
works. It's going to be mandatory for all incoming veterans and a replacement for the regular
student orientation. Also the Veterans Alliance is looking to sort of "mentor" incoming veterans
and help them with the first week of school. We all know the start has a lot of difficult hurdles
and improvement is a big thing right now. Taking that survey is helping us help you, so if you
haven't yet... get on it! Again, we are picking one ID number at random to give a free iPad Air,
so if you don't want to have a say in what happens to veterans services, at least get your name in
the hat!
The survey can be located here:
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1559495/Test-2-2014-Diablo-Valley-College-Veterans-Survey
Okay, that's all I'm saying for now, expect another email coming in after spring break with some
insight into things that have been mentioned already.
Thanks for all your help, you have no idea how such a simple task will affect so many people~
Ryan Kelley.
On March 26th:
Sent on behalf of Ryan Kelley, President, Veterans Alliance:
Good Morning,
Like I told you, after Spring Break I wanted to give some feedback for the survey. If you haven’t
taken the survey, look here:
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1559495/Test-2-2014-Diablo-Valley-College-Veterans-Survey
Again, we are doing this in order to better veteran’s services across the DVC campuses, and
hopefully push out to other schools who might need to better theirs as well. It’s a short survey,
it’s completely anonymous, and you have to provide your student ID number only to qualify for
the iPad Air. There is a place for contact information, feel free to put some and let us know if
you would like to be contacted. You need to fill out all three pages, if you were one of the few
who only did the first page, your response is only marked partial (which will be deleted due to
insufficient data) you can repeat the survey, and seeing a duplicate of your ID number, we can
clear the partial. Alright, on to the responses:
Almost 50% of the non-members of the Veteran’s Alliance said they would like to be contacted
about information of the club, but not all left an email address. I hope those of you who want to
46. 46
be anonymously contacted have joined our Facebook group. Also to those who commented about
past experiences with the Veterans Alliance, I’d like to invite you to a meeting this semester to
come see how things have changed, you might not see any change at all, or it might be worse
than it was, but I like it, and am always open for some constructive feedback to make it better.
For those of you who have had problems with your benefits, the good note is there are only a
few, the bad note is that I cannot personally help you with that. What we are effectively trying to
do here is see what errors are occurring and seeing how we can best mitigate them. Of course
that’s all words, so just stand by and hope some action happens…. Or join our cause!
For those of you who have been here over ten semesters, I hope you really like this school. I am
enjoying it but I don’t think I can go to one school for that long.
Question ten- the greatest need:
A lot of you asked for a veteran’s center/a central place for veterans/call it what you like. I agree,
that was my vote, hopefully it comes true. For those of you who wanted more people and hours
for the certifying office, it’s another issue we are pressing. If you mentioned an orientation
(indoc, etc) it’s already happening. And it’s mandatory for all new veterans. But if you don’t feel
fully knowledgeable about the school certifying process and all the perks DVC has, then go to
one, and get oriented in the right direction. To those who mentioned problems with the VRAP, it
is ending, so that’s why there are problems there. That is the Department of Veterans Affairs,
and I don’t know anyone who can change that. I hope you can shift over to other benefits and
keep your education on track. To those that think everything is fine and dandy… I’m happy
you’re happy, that’s our goal for everyone to say. For the small answers, it was requested to get
some services help at the San Ramon Center… to be honest, the main campus has everything,
and the SRC has a few things. The only way to get more help at the SRC is to prove the need. If
anyone wants to help join in achieving that, come find me, just know it’ll be a long political
request, and might have more success after the main campus has improved. Tied into the SRC,
students who go to night school, online, weekends…it should be possible to get the faculty to
have appointments available at weird times, but again, that’s a goal for a smaller group, so it will
be a bit harder, but I’m putting it out there so hopefully something happens. For another
response, in future semesters, we plan on implementing what some might consider a mentorship
program, or like a big brother big sister kind of gig. Salty student vets will help new student vets
with the enrollment process, web advisor, etc. The rest I will leave unanswered because I feel I’ll
cover them soon, if I completely miss a remark you made that you want feedback on, contact me
and let me know.
For the PTS question, we left it unrequired because we know this is an uncomfortable subject,
however, most responses have answered the question, and the results read loud and clear. Thank
you for those who did answer, and no worries to those who didn’t.
Thank you to all current participants, you are helping a ton. If you see any veterans anywhere,
tell them to take this survey! If anyone wants to do the paper copy, come find me! Or stop by our
table. The more responses we get the stronger our voice is and the more able we are to improve
things. This survey won’t stay open for ever, and on my next (way shorter) email, I will be
letting you all know the deadline. After closing the survey, one ID will be selected and handed
an iPad Air. Details will come with the deadline email, talk to you all then. If you need
anything~ ryankelley@live.com
Respectfully,
47. 47
Ryan Kelley
On April 30th:
Sent on behalf of Ryan Kelley, DVC Veterans Alliance:
Ladies and Gents,
I know I've been saying it a lot, but this is the last time you'll get an email about this.
go here: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1559495/Test-2-2014-Diablo-Valley-College-
Veterans-Survey
take the survey, and help improve veterans services!
The deadline is Friday, May 2nd!
We will run a report for everything gathered and start to compile it this weekend.
Starting Monday we will randomly select winners for the iPad air,
We will send the winners ID number to Gilbert Rocha, and he will contact you on how to pick up
the prize!
If you win, and do not respond within twenty four hours, you will be void and we move on to the
next winner!
85% of you reading this email have not taken the survey. It only takes about five minutes, and
it's completely anonymous.
If you would like a paper copy, the Veterans Services office has copies for you! Pick one up and
fill it out!
Also, as you are signing up for classes, keep Tuesdays open from 1-2~ if you have any questions,
comments, or just want to talk... ryankelley@live.com
Join the Alliance on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/dvcveteransalliance/
good luck on your finals, and see you in the fall!
(Facebook-posted by Brian Vargas)
March 4th:
Fellow DVC Veteran Students, Our DVC Veterans Alliance Club has created a survey to collect
qualitative data needed to move forward in our push to establish a Veterans Resource Center on
campus. PLEASE complete the survey in a timely manner. We would like to have a majority of
our 275 veterans students to have done the survey by the March 10 Veterans Stakeholders
Meeting. Thank you ALL in advance. ~AS AN INCENTIVE FOR COMPLETING OUR
SURVEY WE WILL BE RAFFLIING OFF A BRAND NEW iPAD AIR !!!!!!!!!! ~Please
follow the LINK to the survey: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1559495/Test-2-2014-Diablo-
Valley-College-Veterans-Survey
March 26th:
48. 48
Fellow DVC Veteran Students, Our DVC Veterans Alliance Club has created a survey to collect
qualitative data needed to move forward in our push to establish a Veterans Resource Center on
campus.
We would like to have a majority of our 275 veterans students to have done the survey by the
APRIL 11 Veterans Stakeholders Meeting. AS OF MARCH 4, 2014 - March 26, 2014 WE
HAVE CLOSE TO 60 COMPLETED. We will be ending the survey Friday May 2, 2014.
Thank you ALL in advance. ~AS AN INCENTIVE FOR COMPLETING OUR SURVEY WE
WILL BE HAVING A PRIZE DRAWING FOR A BRAND NEW iPad AIR !!!!!!!!!! ~Please
follow the LINK to the survey:
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1559495/Test-2-2014-Diablo-Valley-College-Veterans-Survey
