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As a university close to San Antonio, dubbed Military City, USA, °Ä²Êͼ¿â has several students, faculty, and staff with military backgrounds who have shaped our campus.

In addition to available sensitivity training and open discussion about transitioning from deployment to college, °Ä²Êͼ¿â offers a haven for veteran and military students: Freedom Hall. Freedom Hall has ample, comfortable seating and tables for individual or group study. Equipped with a kitchenette which includes a sink, refrigerator, microwave and Keurig coffee maker, the lounge is a great place for veteran and military students to relax and escape from the hustle of college life.

Freedom Hall is accessible by key card (°Ä²Êͼ¿â ID) to students identified as veterans, military, or dependents. The lounge is located in the Alumni Student Center.

For key card access, please email Jessica Anderson, Director of First-Year Experience & Student Transitions and Freedom Hall Supervisor, and Ali Bratcher, First-Year Experience and Student Engagement Administrative Assistant.

°Ä²Êͼ¿â allows service animals in its offices, buildings, classrooms, residence halls, meetings, dining areas, recreational facilities, activities and events when accompanied by an individual with a disability who indicates the service animal is trained to provide, and does provide, a specific service to them that is directly related to their disability. Pets are not allowed in any campus building, and emotional support animals are restricted to housing and must be approved by the ADA office.

If you have a service animal that will be accompanying you on campus it is highly encouraged that you register with °Ä²Êͼ¿â's Office of Student Affairs.

°Ä²Êͼ¿â VSA’s are student workers who provide excellent customer service and ensure safety for students utilizing Freedom Hall. VSA’s are also responsible for organizing monthly support programming for °Ä²Êͼ¿â veterans and dependents.

Information on monthly programming is available on the Freedom Hall bulletin board and is also sent to students through their °Ä²Êͼ¿â email account.

Excused absences will be granted for students with short-term military obligations of no longer than 5 consecutive school day, with no more than 10 total school days per semester.

Longer absences will be handled on a case-by-case basis, but likely will result in a W on the transcript. The student is responsible for contacting faculty members in advance and making up all work missed during excused absences.

Veterans and Society Together (VAST) and the Student-Veterans Association (SVA)

VAST/SVA are the student-veterans groups at °Ä²Êͼ¿â and serves as a resource for students who are veterans or dependents to help them transition and become connected with campus life.

The group provides support for students with deployed parents or family members and takes on service projects geared towards veterans and military. The organization seeks to provide a positive setting for veterans and dependents who are attending °Ä²Êͼ¿â and an outlet where faculty and students can support those who have served and those who are still serving.

In 2013, °Ä²Êͼ¿â became part of the Student Veterans of America charter, the national organization helping students and military who are attending college by providing information, workshops, scholarships, and grants.

VAST/SVA projects include adopting a deployed military unit and sending care packages, feeding the local fire department Thanksgiving Dinner, participating in Relay for Life, coordinating Veterans Day celebrations, offering programs and sessions geared towards veterans and dependents for the continued support of all members.

In 2012, VAST planted a tree near the Alumni Student Center marked by a plaque that reads:

To those before us
whom did not make it home,
To those who were with us
whom did not make it home,
To those after us
whom will never make it home.

For more information, contact Dr. Samer Hijazi, faculty advisor to VAST, and Leslie Flores, staff advisor to VAST.