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SVA aims to help veterans continue their education

by Prufer

If you hadn’t heard of the Coastal Carolina University chapter of the Student Veterans of America (SVA), and if you happened to be at the Military Appreciation Day at the Coastal Carolina-Monmouth football on Nov. 5, you know about the organization now.

Possibly the SVA's biggest feat to date, was Military Appreciation Day, a memorable two-day event honoring the men and women who served this nation. A Missing Man chair was installed on Nov. 4, and the All-Veteran Parachute Team skydived into Brooks Stadium on Nov. 5 to deliver the game ball. More than 70 motorcycle riders with the Combat Motorcycle Veterans Association formed a tunnel for the Chanticleer team to enter the teal field. The SVA planned the event in partnership with Coastal Athletics.

The second Missing Man Chair at CCU was permanently installed at the flagpole in Brooks Stadium to honor the nation's POW and MIA. This past spring, CCU became the first university in South Carolina to install a Missing Man Chair at one of its athletics facilities in a ceremony at Springs Brooks Stadium.

Additional military appreciation included CCU’s ROTC students leading the Chant Walk through the TD Sports Complex entrance, a World War II veteran joining the football captains at the coin toss, and CCU's marching band, the Chanticleer Regiment, presenting a special halftime military tribute that included an Armed Forces Salute.

“The SVA gets all the credit for that great lineup,” says Denny Powers, director of student veteran services. SVA members Yancy Methvien, Chris Gatley, Mary Watson and Chris Trinemeyer worked with area military groups to plan the events. Greg Nance, CCU’s military funding coordinator, and Powers coached from the sidelines.

“This is the first year we’ve taken the reins of Military Appreciation Day,” says Methvien, who is president of the SVA. The SVA previously planned the annual Sept. 11, 2001, Memorial Service on campus.

One million student veterans are attending colleges and universities across the country, according to the national SVA website.

Powers says there are 525 military-related students on campus, which means some have military service but others are using G.I. Bill benefits of family members, perhaps a father or mother, who served. A total of 140 are veterans who have served and retired or have been discharged. Eighty of that number belong to the SVA, and 20 of them are women.

“That’s pretty good considering we had 10 members when we first started the SVA in 2012,” said Powers, an Army veteran who retired in 1994 after 22 years of service. He went into higher education after he retired, and as adviser to the SVA, he is the University advocate for rights of student veterans.

He points out that CCU has won the military friendly designation for the University for six years running, due in part to the Office of Veteran Services and the SVA.

Methvien, originally from Springfield, La., served in the Air Force for six years and the Coast Guard for eight and a half years. As a senior studying business management, he would love to become a coach for young athletic teams, but his backup plan is to go into real estate and sell handicap-accessible properties for disabled veterans.

He joined the SVA to help student veterans transition into the college population, which, he notes from experience, is not always easy. “I mean, I’m 40 and sitting in a room full of 20-year-olds. You don’t always feel like you belong.”

Methvien applauds Coastal for all it is doing for student veterans, from providing free parking to priority registration and installing a lounge in Room 209-B of the Lib Jackson Student Union. The small facility has five computers, a television, free printing and a coffeemaker that always seems ready for takers.

A recent student leader summit he attended was “very encouraging,” says Methvien. “I feel like we are being heard.” Raising awareness of the SVA and fundraising for scholarships are currently on Methvien’s mind. Attending student government meetings and serving as a voice for veterans to vote on issues are important aspects of his job.

Methvien is currently working on getting three reserved parking spaces for Purple Heart veterans – one at the Student Union, one at the HTC Center and one between the baseball and football stadiums. Two student veterans at CCU are Purple Heart recipients. The Purple Heart parking issue will be voted on as a bill going through student government.

“We want students to know we are here,” says Methvien. "We want vets to be included. We are not trying to be anybody but ourselves. Coastal is still so new, it’s writing its own book. It’s a frontier for the next generation, but I feel the administration does listen and does care. We’re not just an organization to make veterans’ lives better, we are trying to make the campus better, too.”

For more information on the Student Veterans of America, visit https://www.coastal.edu/campuslifeandstudentengagement/studentveteransofamerica.

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