Online editor’s note: The current version of this article reflects a correction made to Associate Professor of Anthropology Lauren Arenson’s first name since its initial publication on Sept. 29.
The Veterans’ Learning Collaborative, a newly formed 12-unit education program that unites 25 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans on a single learning path, has been launched.
The Veterans’ Learning Collaborative, a newly formed 12-unit education program that unites 25 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans on a single learning path, has been launched.
English and anthropology professors volunteered to help create the collaborative, said veterans’ Counselor Patricia D’Orange Martin.
The program’s launch comes at a pivotal time for returning veterans.
Recent revisions to the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill dictate that veteran students taking fewer than 12 units per semester now receive only 60 percent of their living stipend benefits, D’Orange Martin said. Originally, veterans would receive full benefits if they took seven units or more.
“At least 30 percent of our veterans have been released from active duty within 30 days,” she said. “Some veterans get discharged on a Friday or Saturday, and start school here on Monday.”
As a result, D’Orange Martin said, many new veteran students are not ready for a fulltime class load. The 12-unit program’s purpose is to assist the new veterans in successfully completing their first year at PCC.
The courses’ content has not been altered for the veterans but is more beneficial, she said, because most classes are attended by veterans only, so they’re able to speak and write more freely.
Two of the program’s courses are counseling classes; a standard students’ introduction to college and the veteran-specific Boots 2 Books, taught by Associate Professor of Psychology Harold Martin.
In a recent radio interview on “Which Way L.A.,” hosted by Warren Olney, Martin explained the intent of Boots 2 Books, and a PCC veteran student explained its benefits.
“It’s a transition course — the kind of personal development course that every student has to take to graduate [with] a bachelor’s degree — but [it’s target is] veterans and their unique developmental needs,” Martin said.
Marshall Lewis, PCC student and Marine Corps veteran, said Boots 2 Books had played a critical role in his transition into academia, encouraged him to stick with his college studies and improved his life as a whole.
“[Martin teaches] you to set goals to succeed in school [but] it carries over into your life, as well,” he said.
“All these things I picked up [allowed me to] break out of my shell, put away the alcohol and pull out the books.”
Included in the collaboration is an accelerated English class taught by Kathleen Green.
Green said veterans are usually more disciplined and have real-world work experience, so they are good role models for other students.
Teaching the veterans-only English class, she said, is a unique and rewarding experience.
“There’s a lot of camaraderie and support [amongst the veterans],” Green said. “That’s really touching.”
In addition to the English program, is an anthropology course taught by Lauren Arenson.
The anthropology course isn’t for just veterans, Arenson said. The collaborative program was folded into a lecture class of roughly 200 students. The only difference is that the veterans work together on their online lab projects, she said.
Arenson said her veteran students have personally affected her.
“I might teach them about anthropology, but [the veterans] teach me about life,” she said.
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