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Boatwright: ‘Student veterans need your support, and they are the next generation of Legion members.’

Student Veterans of America President and CEO Cory Boatwright acknowledged 17�Թ���’s longtime support of student veterans when he spoke during the Sept. 1 general session of the 107^th national convention in Louisville, Ky.

That mission isn’t over, though.

“I just have one message, and that’s we must do better connecting student veterans and their chapters with the local American Legion posts,” Boatwright said. “Student veterans need your support, and they are the next generation of Legion members.”

Boatwright noted that the GI Bill promoted by the Legion had created America’s middle class. “Any time the benefit has been threatened or targeted, 17�Թ��� has stood in the way,” Boatwright said.

“You did not just create the GI Bill, you have been protecting it for 80 years. And on behalf of student veterans past and present, we thank you.”

That being said, there’s still more the Legion can do to help student veterans. Boatwright cited three findings from a series of roundtable discussions SVA conducted over the last year in 11 states.

“(Student veterans) need visibility on campus and in their communities,” he said. “Campuses often don’t realize how many student veterans are on their campus. And because of that, they’re not investing in the resources appropriately, such as providing veterans resource centers.”

Boatwright also said student veterans need to be connected to internships and jobs that are aligned with their majors.

“Sixty-three percent of student veterans are first-generation college students. They are largely trying to figure it out on their own when they don’t need to,” Boatwright said. “What they need are mentors that are present. What they need are networks that care. They need folks like you; they need the Legion.”

Most troubling, Boatwright said, is that student veterans’ basic needs are often not being met. “Most student veterans are struggling financially; 73 percent are working full-time just to make ends meet. The GI Bill does wonders for paying for school, but most student veterans are supporting more than themselves; 56 percent are married, 50 percent have children, 21 percent are single parents.”

Boatwright referenced an earlier speaker, MOH Donald Ballard, in noting that the Legion needs to engage younger veterans.

“Sixty-five percent of student veterans are between the ages of 25 and 35,” Boatwright said. “They are looking for community. They are looking for people who understand where they’ve been, and they are looking for ways to continue to serve. They are the perfect segment of this community to engage, and they’re not hard to find; they’re just not being included.”

So include them, Boatwright asked.

“Open your posts to them. Many campuses do not have a dedicated veterans resource center. Where they do exist, student veterans have higher GPAs and graduate at higher rates,” Boatwright said.

“Space matters. Your post can be that space. Offer study space, sponsor a study date during finals, host college sports watch parties, host graduation parties. … Connect with student veterans on your local campuses. SVA will help you find them, and we’ll help them find you,” Boatwright said.