The University of Wisconsin Student Veterans of America filled Bascom Hill with American Flags Friday in celebration of Veteran’s Day. Each flag represents a veteran in a UW student’s life, according to the event posting.
Students and community members were invited to grab a flag from SVA’s table and write the name of a loved one who served in the U.S. military.
Leah Henning, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and now handles outreach for SVA at UW, said the event helps bring awareness to the presence of student veterans on campus while celebrating the holiday.
“It’s raising awareness of veterans on campus — because I don’t think a lot of students really get the opportunity to recognize that,” Henning said.
Veterans Day is observed federally Nov. 10 but officially observed Nov. 11. University Veterans Services Director Joe Rasmussen said other events celebrating the holiday Friday included a breakfast for student veterans and a flag ceremony at the men’s basketball game against Tennessee.
Saturday, UVS will be hosting a tailgate at Union South and students will take the field at Camp Randall Stadium to present the flag at the UW v. Northwestern University football game, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said UVS supports all military connected students — including veterans, those actively serving and children or spouses of an enlisted person.
Most students first interact with UVS when seeking information about the GI Bill, which helps veterans pay for college or graduate school, Rasmussen said. Along with helping veterans access this benefit, Rasmussen said UVS also provides supportive programming to promote belongingness.
Rasmussen said this programming helps bridge various gaps between veteran and non-veteran students. He said veterans are on average six years older than their non-veteran peers, and know on average less than one individual in their personal network that is a college student or university staff member.
“The veterans that have more connections to people in education, do better,” Rasmussen said. “They have better outcomes, they report higher senses of belonging and that sort of thing.”
Henning said she struggled to find a sense of community on campus during COVID-19.
After returning to campus, Henning said engaging with SVA helped restore her sense of community and purpose.
“So that’s really one thing I love about going to school here, is seeing those people [SVA members] and just being able to engage in community with them,” Henning said.
Henning said to further SVA’s efforts at uniting student veterans, ROTC and UVS, the organization is working toward securing a physical space for veterans to participate in programming on campus — ideally, near Camp Randall, which has a rich military history.
