Interacting with Your Peers and Faculty
Many veterans find that their fellow students, professors, and college staff are curious about their military history. Often, people want to thank you for your service and offer support. Sometimes, they have never had the chance to speak to a veteran. While some veterans welcome the opportunity to talk about their experiences, sometimes these questions may feel inappropriate, invasive, or even traumatic.
Common inappropriate questions that student-veterans might find themselves faced with include:
- Have you ever killed anybody?
- Do you have PTSD?
- Do you agree with the war in (various) country?
- How could you leave your family for such a long time?
- What was the worst thing you saw in combat?
Sometimes, civilians assume that you have certain political leanings, hobbies or views because of your time in the military. Sometimes veterans face prejudice because of their military history.
It’s important to think about how you’d like to answer questions about your personal service. Remember that you always have the right to decline to answer, particularly to protect your own privacy and mental health. If you feel that you’ve been treated inappropriately do not hesitate to bring your concerns to your VA coordinator, your academic counselor, your dean, or the student health center.
You may want to take a look at Kognito: Veterans Links to an external site. – an on line program for student veterans. Ask your education counselor or health services how to access this cool interactive program. This is a good program to refer others to if they want to learn more about how to help veterans who may be struggling.
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