Saint Xavier Opens New Student Veteran Resource Center on Chicago Campus

Caption: (From left to right) Vice President of Student Affairs John Pelrine; Dr. Paul DeVito, SXU Provost; SXU Pres. Christine Wiseman; State Rep. Kelly Burke (36th Dist.); and Senator Bill Cunningham (18th Dist.) participate in the officially ribbon cutting during the Grand Opening celebration for the Student Veteran Resource Center located on SXU’s Chicago Campus.

Saint Xavier University has opened a new Student Veteran Resource Center on its Chicago campus. More than 50 people joined the grand opening celebration on Aug. 25, which included an official ribbon cutting ceremony in the Warde Academic Center (Room L-209).

“The objective of this office is to provide individualized advising and advocacy, as well as a diverse range of programs and services that support student-veterans’ academic and personal development, learning experiences, and involvement in campus life,” said Sheri Gross, veteran coordinator for the SVRC.

The SVRC office will coordinate all Veteran Affairs Education benefits to be used toward an education at SXU, including Chapters 30, 31, 33, 33YR, 35, 1606 and 1607, as well as Army Tuition Assistance. The veterans resource center is located on SXU’s Chicago campus at 3700 W. 103rd St.

The veteran coordinator will be housed in the SVRC and is the primary point of contact for all student veterans and dependents on campus. The Office of Financial Aid and Office of Admissions staff members are also easily accessible from the SVRC, as all offices are required for a smooth admission to an academic career at SXU.

This office will also act as a starting point for making initial contact with newly admitted student veterans and for assisting current students with any issues that may arise during their tenure at SXU.

SXU veterans will have a congregating space in which they can meet and socialize with other veterans, find peer support, and participate in veteran-specific activities; therefore, enhancing their connectedness with the university and their education. The SVRC serves as the primary meeting place for SXU’s Student Veterans of America chapter as well.

Lastly, the SVRC will be used as an information point where students can access veteran-specific materials relating to campus resources, education benefits, scholarships and grants, changes to VA legislation, career opportunities, and community-based veterans events, as well as general information on other VA benefits and opportunities (medical, mental health, housing, etc).

Saint Xavier hopes to provide veteran specific career counseling and academic advising on a walk-in basis at least twice per month, as well as start a peer mentoring program within the student veteran community.

For more information about the SVRC, please contact Sheri Gross at gross@sxu.edu or 773-298-3345.