Student vets discuss possible deployment, drug-use

Student veterans met last October about clinical help, academic benefits, the group’s Facebook page and the desire for a veteran’s monument. Johnsonian file photoBy Jacob Wingard
wingardj@mytjnow.com

Mud coats the bottom of heavy combat boots, while packs of equipment weigh down a squadron of men and women.  

Orders are barked out from a man riding beside them, demanded they push themselves harder and prepare for the future.  

This is a scene all too familiar to the American soldier, yet few can claim to have experienced these hardships.  There is a select group of people in Rock Hill who can, the student veterans of Winthrop University.

This small eclectic group of students is designed to empower students who have either been to war or have experience as a soldier in some form.  

Members are from both genders and numerous ethnicities.  While most students and the general population respect soldiers, this group ensures that all health-related needs for the veterans, both mental and physical are met as they receive their education. 

 As the semester began, the group took a break and held their first meeting on Jan. 19.

As president of the club, senior psychology major Michael Widrich, opened with a few statements regarding the state of affairs at Winthrop, including how several students had been caught recently with alcohol and possession of marijuana.  

This revelation prompted Keystone Substance Abuse Clinic Speaker Felicia Pickening to step forward and inform the student veterans about the services they offer and what to do if caught with drugs or alcohol. 

Pickening was quick to point out that Keystone is the only area clinic where veterans could receive rehabilitation that would allow them to gain their benefits back after being punished by their superiors.  

Sgt. George Kast was quick to back up this claim before Pickening continued on with information regarding sexually transmitted diseases.

Kast took center stage next and quickly went over how the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) was coming along at Winthrop.  

Quick to point out the soldier’s benefits, Kast reported on the Veteran’s Day celebration name reading last semester.  

“One-hundred and eighty schools came together to simultaneously read 6,000 names,” Kast said, before informing the student veterans about how they had served their time, but the face of the military was changing and they could be receiving recruitment calls again soon.  

“If any of the recruiters steps out of line, let me know,” Kast said. “Because you’ve done your time and we can’t force you to go back, but I will make sure that no one tries to unjustly pressure you.”  

As Kast closed his remarks, William Cabaniss, the group’s advisor, spoke on how some of the student veterans would no longer be receiving break pay, or payments during days when school was not in session.  

Still, not all the news was bad at the meeting as Widrich reported that Winthrop’s Board of Trustees is pushing for a more ‘military friendly’ campus.  

According to Widrich, the board is pushing to add e-documents to medical files, so students —not just the veterans-— don’t have to fill out exuberant amounts of paperwork in order to receive treatment.  

Furthermore, they have added the victim-help clinic and are looking to implement tri-care for healthcare billing as well, adding more acceptable insurance plans to their list.  

The veternas were soon introduced to their new treasurer, junior mass communication major Timothy Cuoco before being informed that the current vice president and secetary would be stepping down due to their impending graduation. 

When elections were held, no one stepped forward to fill these empty seats, nor did anyone oppose Widrich’s position as president.  

This may cause future problems as the organization can not be recognized without a full regiment of officers.  

Widrich later spoke with The Johnsonian about the possibility of putting a monument on campus for the veterans.

“While it is being discussed with the Board of Trustees, little progress has been made at this point.  There is a lot of red-tape that has to be cut through and we currently don’t have the money necessary to get a monument built,” Widrich said. 

He said that the organization needed to raise at least $10,000 in order to have the monument built, then there were questions about design and placement.  

While Widrich was confident that the monument would be built in the future, he couldn’t say exactly when the plan would come to fruition.