The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs is raising awareness throughout the state this fall by holding campus outreach events, hoping to ensure veterans know their guaranteed rights.

The events began last spring and started again Sept. 3 when the Department of Veterans Affairs teamed up with Vets for Vets in Madison to kick off the new school year.

The event was open to the public and helped raise awareness of the veterans’ presence on the University of Wisconsin campus. Attendees spoke with a representative from the Veterans Affairs hospital regarding health benefits and also learned more about tuition and work-study programs.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is also working to promote the “I Owe You” program at the events, which helps to “reintegrate” young veterans into society, school and work, said Andrew Schuster, a spokesperson for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

With the nation at war, an increasing number of young people are joining the military and serving their time overseas. Upon returning from deployments, many of these men and women are finishing their educations at universities across the nation.

“I think people are definitely surprised by the amount of veterans on campus, especially female veterans,” UW junior and veteran Erin Black said. “I have another friend who is a female veteran, and we’re girly girls, so people try and figure us out.”

As a member of the Army National Guard, Black said her deployment overseas forced her to take two-and-a-half years off from school to serve in Kosovo. She took one year off for basic and advanced training, followed by another year-and-a-half for deployment overseas.

Schuster said it is necessary to make sure veterans, especially students, know their rights and are well-informed upon their return to the states.

“Young veterans do not always think of themselves as veterans,” Schuster said. “We’re here to help all veterans in all ways, and make sure they succeed.”

The events will continue throughout Wisconsin for the remainder of the fall. At each campus the goal of the outreach remains the same: to help the veterans learn their guaranteed rights.

“The school year is just starting off, and there are a lot of events to come to. We are trying to contact every county veteran service officer to come, and we encourage all students to attend.” Schuster added.