The newly-formed organization, Longwood Student Veterans (LSV), met on a cold November night at Sunchase's outdoor grill to discuss their present and future while enjoying some good company and some good food. LSV is the first organization of its kind to be formed at a university in Virginia and was primarily created by Greg Serwo, veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns, and now a student at Longwood. "We're here to help current and transitioning members of the military adjust to college life, make them aware of military benefits and healthcare as well as help out spouses whose husbands might be going on deployment and don't have the resources here in Farmville that a military base can provide," says Serwo.
The meeting/cookout on Nov. 19 focused around some of the more administrative items such as discussing co-sponsors for the organization and creating T-shirts, but it became apparent that LSV's members have high aspirations for their future.
LSV Vice President Chris David said, "We are trying to get certain speakers to come to Longwood and discuss the issues we deal with, most notably Virginia Sen. Jim Webb." One of the faculty members who helped Serwo get LSV off the ground is Susan Stinson. She expanded on David's statement about the future of the organization by saying, "We are going to join the Student Veterans Association of America, which is like a national chapter for what we are trying to do at Longwood. This will help establish a network for potential employment opportunities and certain nationwide programs. We are also going to be holding several educational forums on campus with different focuses. For example, we plan on doing one for faculty members only, where student veterans can speak about their perspectives on coming to college from combat which could be help professors better understand what they are going through."
Having officially been created in September, LSV is currently working through the preliminary logistics. This includes picking two co-sponsors which are established organizations that can help new ones through the beginning stages of development. On November 20th LSV was appropriated a $3,300 budget by the Student Government Association to help fund their many endeavors. Along with this, LSV is hoping to get the remaining students at Longwood who receive G.I. Bill money to come forward. The G.I. Bill "provides benefits to veterans, service members, and some dependents of disabled or deceased veterans wishing to pursue an education," according to www.gibill.va.gov. According to David, "There are about 40 people on campus in addition to the 45 who already belong to LSV that qualify. We don't know if they are veterans or not, but they are getting G.I. Bill money so hopefully they hear about us and come check us out."
Recognition by fellow military members at Longwood is something that all of LSV hopes to gain but most of all, Serwo said, "We've accomplished quite a bit in a short amount of time compared to other organizations and we only hope to get bigger. For those of you who haven't come forward yet, don't be afraid to join a veteran's organization. We are just trying to help people out, and you coming to a meeting might be able to help somebody else out as well. Also, you might be missing a sense of camaraderie which is what I experienced a couple years after being deployed and this group will help you find that again."
For more information on the Longwood Student Veterans organization visit http://www.longwoodstudentveterans.org/
