Pitt veterans’ group combats culture shock

‘ ‘ ‘ Though today is Veterans Day, Pitt veterans hope to meet more than just once a year. ‘ ‘… ‘ ‘ ‘ Though today is Veterans Day, Pitt veterans hope to meet more than just once a year. ‘ ‘ ‘ The Student Veterans’ Organization allows young veterans to help one another cope with the culture shock they experience when they transition from life in the armed forces to life on a college campus, said member Mike Boyd. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I haven’t been to Iraq,’ said Boyd, a member of the Air National Guard majoring in finance and history at Pitt. ‘But I have experienced the culture shock that comes with going from a military environment to an academic environment. I know it’s got to be a lot harder if you’ve been in longer or if you’ve been to Iraq.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The group got off to a slow start, said its founder, business administration professor and Vietnam veteran Jay Sukits. ‘ ‘ ‘ The group began last December, Sukits said, but many of its members graduated last spring. ‘ ‘ ‘ So Sukits is currently trying to attract new members. Sukits said it’s been hard to advertise the group to students because he’s had to work through individual departments within each school on campus, as opposed to sending out mass messages. ‘ ‘ ‘ So for now, he said, the group will focus on setting goals. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘The short-term goal is to get this viable,’ said Sukits. ‘The intermediate goal is to get some events and to make sure veterans are receiving all their VA benefits. The long-term goal would be to get some money to establish a veterans’ scholarship.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ He added that, ‘Most of the events we would have would be targeted toward veterans’ benefits and employment.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Sukits said the group hopes to help organize job fairs for student veterans.