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Date: 12/4/2019
WESTFIELD – While Westfield State University ranked first for Veteran Education in Massachusetts in a College Factual study, the university’s Veteran and Military Service Coordinator said her goal is to provide the best education for all of the school’s military students.
Lisa Ducharme, military and veteran service coordinator at Westfield State, said that she didn’t have an opinion on the ranking because she doesn’t look into what metrics the studies look. However, she said being ranked in the Military Times’ Best for Vets ranking would be a tremendous honor.
She said that their center and its two VA work studies are one of the biggest benefits for their military students. “One of the advantages of having VA work studies is those students who are using veteran benefits get the opportunity to come and work in the center and help other veteran and military students,” she said.
Along with the work studies, the center offers a place for veterans and military on campus to come relax with a pool table, ping pong table and a refrigerator full of refreshments. The center also includes a closet full of school supplies for military students.
Ducharme added the center also has two full-time employees as well that are key to the entire operation. “Justin Marques, our certifying official, is what I call our lynchpin because he handles all of the benefits for our students, he really keeps the flow moving,” she said.
She noted that one thing Westfield State does to distinguish itself from other universities is to offer services to all of its military students, regardless of whether or not they are using benefits. She said, “We kinda pull everybody in because we understand whether you’re using benefits or not, the resources, which are the most important thing, are not easy to do on your own.”
One thing Ducharme said she did differently this year is using the Strength Finders Assessment to figure out what the students’ strengths are and then help them improve.
“I purchased codes for our students to figure out what their strengths are and improve them both for school and their careers,” she said, “So far the results have been phenomenal. Anybody who has taken it so far has understood themselves better than before, and in a couple of cases helped students find paths that suit their strengths.”
Ducharme added that their department has collaborations with every other department on campus to help her students find the resources they need if they are having trouble. “One thing we are very big on is understanding all of the resources that are available. Sometimes it’s harder to find resources for one person depending on when they served but we can always find them,” she explained.
One way the Veteran and Military services at Westfield State helps its students is by being available if they need anything.
Ducharme said, “We’re all about the students. We’re literally a one stop shop for all of their needs because we have all of the resources available to them, regardless of if they are available locally or not.” Ducharme said that one of the ways she tries to integrate military connected students into the school is by treating them like every other student.
“One of the advantages that we have here is that by understanding all of our students are the same, integrating them means that the campus community knows we’re here to help all of our students,” she said.
Ducharme added that in order to keep this idea of treating everyone the same, she keeps many of the center’s events open to the entire school, including its De-stresser days on Wednesday and Thursday when they do different anxiety reducing activities.
One of the students in the center said the entire service has been a great benefit to her. She said, “It’s a place I can go when I need help, it’s literally anything that I need anyone at the school to do.”
Ducharme stated, “Friends come and go, but our military connection is forever, that’s the most important thing. It doesn’t matter who you are, if you are military connected, you have a family regardless of where you are.”