thedrifter
09-29-08, 03:08 PM
Campus veterans get a little 'R&R'
By: Sarah Campbell
Posted: 9/29/08
ASU's Beck PRIDE Center, which provides educational programs and services to combat wounded veterans, recently founded an informal group called R&R that will serve a broader group of individuals.
R&R, which stands for rest and relaxation, is a networking opportunity, a chance for student veterans to meet others that have gone through similar experiences.
R&R will meet every Wednesday from 12-1 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Union. The group is open to anyone but will especially benefit ASU veterans and family members of deployed soldiers.
Susan Tonymon, director of the Beck PRIDE Center, said there are close to 300 veterans on campus. Military branches represented on campus include the National Guard, the Marines, the Air Force and the Navy.
"ASU is a military-friendly university, and this [R&R] is a way to enhance awareness of military issues," Tonymon said.
R&R has met three times so far, but participation has been limited. Exposure may be key to increasing involvement in the group, Tonymon said.
Services provided by the Beck PRIDE Center, R&R's parent program, include providing information on G.I. benefits, career counseling and physical and mental rehabilitation.
"It's an excellent program for veterans to come and get assistance or guidance in receiving V.A. benefits," Kevin Neisler, a senior social work major from Wynne and an intern at the Beck PRIDE Center, said.
Tonymon said veterans who have served in other countries, such as Iraq, sometimes have problems adapting to the classroom setting. The obstacles facing such students include trouble focusing, memory problems and hearing impairment.
The center and R&R offer these students advice in overcoming such obstacles.
For further assistance, a counseling group for veterans meets from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Thursday in the College of Nursing.
The Beck PRIDE Center was founded in October 2007 and is in the process of moving from the nursing building to the Chickasaw Building.
Charlotte and Buddy Beck of Fairfax, Va., alumni of ASU, are notable supporters of the center and now of R&R. They donated $1 million to found the center that bears their last name.
Charlotte stops by the center when she is in town, and Friday was her second visit.
A reception took place Friday from 2-3 p.m. to give Beck PRIDE Center participants a chance to meet the center's benefactor and to allow Beck to become acquainted with R&R.
"I think it's a great idea," Beck said. "It's a great opportunity, a great way to meet people."
Ellie
By: Sarah Campbell
Posted: 9/29/08
ASU's Beck PRIDE Center, which provides educational programs and services to combat wounded veterans, recently founded an informal group called R&R that will serve a broader group of individuals.
R&R, which stands for rest and relaxation, is a networking opportunity, a chance for student veterans to meet others that have gone through similar experiences.
R&R will meet every Wednesday from 12-1 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Union. The group is open to anyone but will especially benefit ASU veterans and family members of deployed soldiers.
Susan Tonymon, director of the Beck PRIDE Center, said there are close to 300 veterans on campus. Military branches represented on campus include the National Guard, the Marines, the Air Force and the Navy.
"ASU is a military-friendly university, and this [R&R] is a way to enhance awareness of military issues," Tonymon said.
R&R has met three times so far, but participation has been limited. Exposure may be key to increasing involvement in the group, Tonymon said.
Services provided by the Beck PRIDE Center, R&R's parent program, include providing information on G.I. benefits, career counseling and physical and mental rehabilitation.
"It's an excellent program for veterans to come and get assistance or guidance in receiving V.A. benefits," Kevin Neisler, a senior social work major from Wynne and an intern at the Beck PRIDE Center, said.
Tonymon said veterans who have served in other countries, such as Iraq, sometimes have problems adapting to the classroom setting. The obstacles facing such students include trouble focusing, memory problems and hearing impairment.
The center and R&R offer these students advice in overcoming such obstacles.
For further assistance, a counseling group for veterans meets from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Thursday in the College of Nursing.
The Beck PRIDE Center was founded in October 2007 and is in the process of moving from the nursing building to the Chickasaw Building.
Charlotte and Buddy Beck of Fairfax, Va., alumni of ASU, are notable supporters of the center and now of R&R. They donated $1 million to found the center that bears their last name.
Charlotte stops by the center when she is in town, and Friday was her second visit.
A reception took place Friday from 2-3 p.m. to give Beck PRIDE Center participants a chance to meet the center's benefactor and to allow Beck to become acquainted with R&R.
"I think it's a great idea," Beck said. "It's a great opportunity, a great way to meet people."
Ellie