Editor’s note: This article was produced as part of the Daily Wildcat‘s 2018 Campus Guide — the perfect resource for any incoming Wildcat. Whether you’re trying to find important dates, looking for a club to join or are interested in UA history and traditions, we’ll be there to help you get through your first semester. Welcome to the University of Arizona!
Whether you’re seeking academic aid or health care, a club to connect with others or a way to continue to serve the UA community, there is a place for you on campus.
UA Veteran and Military Services
Veteran Administration and Veteran Services Office
In partnership, these two offices provide services for helping veterans and dependents manage their GI Bill benefits. Help also includes general information regarding enrollment, payments and deferments, an academic certification guide, deployment, military leave of absences and more. These offices are located in the Modern Languages Building, room 347 for Main, Phoenix, Online and Distance campus students and University of Arizona Sierra Vista Campus’s Groth Hall room 107 for UA South campus students.
Veteran Education & Transitions Services (VETS)
Falling under the Veteran Services office umbrella, VETS is a resource center to assist veterans with everything from academics and research to financial aid and student involvement clubs and programs. There are two VETS center locations. One is on the Student Union Memorial Center’s fourth floor, and the other, geared toward Veterans in health-related fields, is north of main campus at the Arizona Health Sciences Center.
PALS is a program that works with veterans in transition with resources both on- and off-campus to help with Veterans Administration heath care, counseling, goal-oriented mentoring, additional navigation help with the GI Bill, networking and other social aspects. PALS advocate to support their peers and themselves in their communities. For more information, contact peeradvocacyliaisons@email.arizona.edu.
Supporting Education for Returning Veterans (SERV) Classes
This is a program which gives returning veteran students the opportunity to develop more skills in everyday life and their future careers. Classes accomplish this with various tools and student veteran tutoring.
University of Arizona Veteran Alliance (UA Vet Ally)
The UA Vet Ally is an advocacy group that trains to create a supportive community on campus. Training includes weekly online readings, scenarios, and reflections to cultivate an understanding of military experience and transition issues to take action by connecting the veterans for the help they need. Each participant who completes the training will receive a VET Ally approved marker location. For more info, email: VETSofc@email.arizona.edu.
A few Veteran/Military-related Clubs:
Veteran Alumni Club
A club under the UA Alumni Association, according to their information page, the Veteran Alumni Club’s mission is to “support the unique needs and interests of our veteran population” through collaboration of both current and former veteran Wildcats in volunteerism in the community and activities events. For more information, please email rap4@email.arizona.edu or scotthrifkin@msn.com.
Founded by a UA Professor, VeloVets is a Tucson non-profit organization of cyclists who ride around the Tucson Veterans Affairs Campus. The club which promotes the benefits of biking and many disabled veterans in using adaptive bikes.
Eller Veterans Club
This is a club within the Eller College of Management that help mentor veterans interested in a business-related degree. Contact emails: tbazua@email.arizona.edu or dereklavey@email.arizona.edu.
Other Veteran services:
Located in the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, the clinic helps all military service members with legal and policy issues pertaining to military service. Their services includes representing in the AZ Regional Military Veterans Treatment and Pima County Justice Veterans Court, changing discharge statuses, benefit cases, and policy and community outreach.
ROTC, NROTC, and AROTC (Wildcat Wing)
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) trains future officers both physically and mentally on university grounds. The University of Arizona provides community housing in the Cochise Hall next to the all the ROTC offices in South Hall. ROTC participates in taking military sciences classes, physical workouts, leadership skill development, activity events and more. NROTC is the Navy and Marines unit, AROTC is the UA Air Force unit.
This is the University of Arizona’s chapter in a nationwide program that provides Arabic language and culture training. Coordinated by the UA School of Middle Eastern North African Studies (MENAS), the project sends and support an officer representative from any of the ROTC branch services to study abroad. For the national website: https://www.rotcprojectgo.org/.
Community Service Officer (CSO) program /UAPD
This is a program in which the University of Arizona Police Department (UAPD) employs students to act as, according to their information page, the “eyes and ears” of the police department on campus. Community Service Officers also helps in taking on and responding to certain criminal reports with a police aid or officer.
