Jacob Pixler, the assistant coordinator of the University of Oregon Student Veterans Center, sits at the front desk as he welcomes students. In front of him are several informational brochures with resources for students and some free stickers. An American flag hangs from the ceiling and several military plaques line the walls.
The University of Oregon Student Veterans Center is located on the first floor of the EMU. It aims to provide resources and support to student veterans to ease barriers they may face, including trauma and financial barriers. Students are welcome to grab a free cup of coffee or look in the fridge for any food left from the weekly produce drop. To some student veterans, the space provides a space where they can be understood.
Pixler said the Student Veterans Center has a misleading name. Its name suggests it is only for veterans. However, it is open to all students who utilize the GI Bill, including students currently serving in the military and their dependents. According to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, the GI Bill helps “qualifying Veterans and their family members get money to cover all or some of the costs for school or training.”
Pixler said that due to the center’s misleading name, many students who may benefit from the space don’t utilize it. He suggested switching the name, but said that he was met with opposition from his supervisor. According to Pixler, his supervisor said they tried to change the name in the past but were not successful.
He would also like to change the name because “veterans have been stigmatized for a while.” He sees a real difference between how veterans were perceived after World War II and how they were perceived after the Vietnam War, with veterans receiving backlash upon their return from Vietnam.
“I think there’s an idea that there’s a certain type or like even class of people that will join the military,” Pixler said. “Most people that I’ve met aren’t what you typically think of.”
For students like Philip Highwood, the Student Veterans Center is a space for community, support and camaraderie. Highwood is a graduate student pursuing a Master of Education in prevention science. While Highwood worked in suicide prevention in the army for 12 years, he hopes this degree will allow him to be more marketable and in turn have a more profound impact.
“Main reason for going back to school is to get that back to get that master’s degree,” Highwood said. “So that I can be a bigger voice in the community.”
Through the Peer Advisors for Veteran Education program at UO, Highwood leads roundtable Vet Talks. The participatory talks focus on issues veterans face today, rather than struggles that may arise from the past. It allows veterans to work in a group counseling session through their problems and concerns, which allows them to return to class ready to learn, Highwood said.
While Highwood feels like any other student in the class, he also said that others don’t understand what it means to be a veteran. At the Student Veterans Center, he finds support from students and staff that better understand his experiences in the National Guard and active duty.
“I don’t expect anybody that’s never been through it to even possibly comprehend [it],” Highwood said about his service in the military. “We go overseas and we go to combat so that we don’t have combat here.”
Veterans on campus face a different set of struggles than the average student, Pixler said. Stigmatization and misunderstandings are among these issues. Additionally, they may have dependents they care for or face disabilities.
“They have financial barriers and mental health issues that are unique to this population,” Pixler said about veterans. “Lots of anxiety that I think college campuses don’t necessarily have the resources to sort of help deal with.”
Through produce drops, vet talks and a variety of other activities, the Student Veterans Center works to create a supportive community for veterans, army personnel and their dependents on the UO campus.
The Student Veterans Center is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. For updated information on its current events and resources check out its Instagram page @uovets.
