Centralia College Reviews Service to Veterans, Family Members

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    The burden on a service member returning from war can be immense — and with an increasing number of military veterans receiving their education at Centralia College. Trustees and staff of Lewis County’s highest educational institution met with veterans Wednesday to discuss how the college can better serve their needs not only educationally, but emotionally as well.

    According to Vice President of Student Services Michael Grubiak, 102 veterans are receiving tuition waivers or Veterans Administration education benefits — 24 of which are receiving a 100 percent waiver on tuition. But that’s not enough for the college to offer those who have served their country during wartime, Grubiak said during a public scanning session involving over 40 participants that entailed roughly two hours of discussion.

    “We’re committed to finding ways we can further honor our veterans beyond just the monetary benefits,” Grubiak said. “We want to truly serve those who have served us through military duty.”

    The college is planning to honor veterans each Memorial Day and Veterans Day by hosting ceremonies, and Grubiak floated the idea of a “veterans safe zone” where active-duty and separated military members can meet, study and find support.

    The ideas were proposed in conjunction with a presentation by Peter Schmidt, dean of student services at Edmonds Community College, in which he shared data regarding the demographics of returning veterans: over 9,000 military veterans reside in Lewis County, comprising 13 percent of the county’s population as a whole. Schmidt also detailed steps 16 other colleges across Washington have taken in becoming state-certified veterans’ supporting campuses, described as colleges and universities that have offered expanded services to those who served in the military.

    “For many who have seen the horrors of war, it’s a cultural transition to come back home and be expected to resume normal life again,” Schmidt said. “Many soldiers have seen and heard the horrors of death, and that’s something that lives with them. ... We need to ensure veterans’ success and restoration is our core value when it comes to their education.”

    Mike Gregoire, husband of Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire, was in attendance and detailed his personal experiences in the late 1960s as a young graduate of the University of Washington who was drafted into service in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He noted the contrasts between how soldiers were treated after Vietnam and current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and praised efforts of colleges across Washington State who have enhanced their offerings for veterans.



    “When I meet with veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan, I’m seeing that there are more active veterans’ groups to help people receive support,” Gregoire said. “Everyone has their own stories of what you did, where you were that shape your experience of the war.”

    The session ended with a roundtable discussion in which a group of student veterans discussed their experiences with the Centralia College Board of Trustees as well as others in attendance. Trustee Judy Guenther reinforced the college’s commitment to its veterans and pledged to not only enhance the college’s offerings, but also be more proactive in distributing information about what Centralia College currently offers to veterans.

    “Just being able to have a discussion like this has opened the door wide open to what we will be able to offer our veterans in the future,” Guenther said.

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    Christopher Brewer: (360) 807-8235