Towson University: Towson University Salutes Its Veterans, Helps Them Start New Journeys

Press release from Towson University:

Kyle Hobstetter

November 10, 2021

TU's inclusive campus is nationally ranked as one of the friendliest for those who
have served in the military

On Thursday, Nov. 11, President Kim Schatzel and the Towson University community will
host a special luncheon to honor TU’s veteran students, faculty, staff and alumni.

The event will also recognize current military and TU community members who were killed
in combat.

Dario DiBattista, director of the Towson University Military & Veterans Center (MVC)
and a Marine Corps veteran, appreciates that TU is celebrating those who have served
our country.  

“Veterans, by nature, are often humble about the gravity of their experiences. They,
in general, don't seek special recognition because that's the nature of service,”
DiBattista says. “Our student-veterans signed up for something bigger than themselves
in extraordinary and volatile times. It's commendable.”

One of TU's goals in its strategic plan is be a university that includes. TU seeks to build an even more inclusive, equitable,
and collaborative community where people from all backgrounds, identities, abilities
and life experiences are welcomed, valued and supported.

With more than 200 student-veterans on campus, TU is a place where veterans can feel
welcome.  In fact, the university ranked No. 19 out of nearly 2,100 institutions—the top 1%— for veteran friendliness in a review by College Factual. In Maryland,
TU earned top marks among all universities.

In the past, TU has been recognized by “GI Jobs” magazine as a military-friendly university and is one of the first institutions in the region
to establish a military and veteran’s center.

“Centered through our dedicated space on campus, we're a one-stop shop for connecting
with each other, participating in programs and getting individual VA benefits claims
fulfilled,” DiBattista says. “Our student staff—peer support specialists—are ambassadors
and experts in role modeling student success and exemplifying the reason for everything
we do: Vets take care of vets.”

Meet two peer support specialists stepping up for their community:

When Jenna Hess started at Towson University, she was freshly discharged from the
Air Force. So there was a little bit of culture shock.

“I didn’t know how to use my benefits [and] I didn’t know where to go or what information
I needed to send in,” Hess laughs. “I emailed the staff at the MVC and other student-veterans
like a hundred times because I was freaking out.”

It was the MVC that taught Hess how to use her benefits, navigate Towson University
and even get an apartment near campus.

So when the opportunity came to work with the MVC, she jumped at the chance to pay
it forward.

“I want to be the person that helped me,” Hess says. “I have friends who are veterans
at other schools, and they don’t have places dedicated to veterans. I’m grateful to
work with the MVC. I can’t believe I stumbled upon it, and I’m lucky to be part of
a great community.”

Some people wonder how veterans transition to civilian college life. The MVC helped
Carmen Whitby go the other direction.

“I left the Army in 2016, [enrolled at TU] and I felt like something was missing,”
she says. “It was the community that you were a part of. Being in the MVC allowed
me to find people I relate with and share old stories.

“Sometimes it feels like I don’t have to go to my therapist because you could just
sit in the MVC and talk. Everybody understands you.”

Working in the MVC helped Whitby find another calling: psychology. She will graduate
this fall with a bachelor’s degree in deaf studies and is now in the first term of
her psychology degree.

“I like to hear people out and give as much advice as I can,” Whitby says.  “I'm not
perfect, but sometimes somebody just wants you to hear them out. Even the smallest
thing you'd let them know about the situation helps.”

This press release was produced by Towson University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.