Group helps student veterans adjust

When IU alumnus Jeff Memmer came home from the Navy in early 2002 and began attending classes at IU, he realized something was missing from the campus.\nThe item on his list that wasn't to be found was a true place for people who were in the military to get together so they could find out what kind of benefits they had. More simply, he couldn't find a place for all veterans to get together so they could talk.\nIn April of 2004, Memmer began to think of ideas to create what he was looking for. The result was IU's Military Veteran Student Society.\n"There was no mention of what to do when we got here, no mention of VA benefits, just nothing," Memmer said.\nThe group wasn't predicted to be as large as it has become, however more and more students contacted Memmer about different issues they had involving coming back from the military.\n"Since I was getting so many e-mails and phone calls, (the group) began a Web site so it could centralize information for students to go when they returned from over-seas, and what to do when they came back to school," Memmer said.\nThe Web site provides information not only about the benefits they receive once they return from active duty, but also steps current national guard members who have not been called up can take if they must serve.\nThursday nights the group meets at Yogi's to talk about politics, the war on terrorism and the war in Iraq, among other issues. \nAnother venue to communicate with the more than 300 veterans on the IUB campus is through the groups that United States Marine Sergeant and junior Brandon Nordhoff began on www.TheFacebook.com -- "U.S. Military" and "The Few, the Proud, the Marines."\n"The camaraderie that you feel is great, I have over 100 members on TheFacebook who have been in the military," said Nordhoff. "I didn't realize that there were that many people here (who have or currently are serving)."\nSecond-year optometry student and Navy veteran Rachel Davis, took over the club from Memmer when he graduated last year. Davis, along with IUB Associate Vice Chancellor for Extended Programs Les Coyne, has been working to help students returning from overseas adjust to being back in an academic environment.\n"One of our main goals is to help people who are coming from active duty, those who are coming back into a school atmosphere," Davis said. "When you come back at age 22 to 23 and are a freshman, you really don't fit in, but that's what this group is for."\nOne of those students is Nathan Bobay, who served in the Army National Guard in Iraq and Kuwait in 2003.\n"Returning to campus was tough because everyone I had been here with previously had pretty much moved on and graduated," said Bobay. "It was really different coming back to Bloomington after being away from school for a year and a half."\nFrom young to old, the club is not exclusive. Even those who are not in the military but have an interest in it can join the group.\n"I thought it was just important that we could make it (as) open and available to people as possible," Memmer said.\nThe group doesn't only help members, but it helps future members who are in Iraq by sending care packages.\n"We sent 21 care packages a few weeks ago and 10 at Christmas," said Davis. "We raised $750 through fund-raising on this campus so we could send those packages."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Ryne Shadday at rshadday@indiana.edu.