The University of Rhode Island continued its support for veterans, active duty members and military families through an early celebration of Veterans Day on Nov. 7.
Veterans Day was nationally recognized on Nov. 11. Four days prior, the URI Center for Military and Veteran Education held an event in the Alumni Center to honor veterans and their place within the university community. URI President Marc Parlange, Sen. Jack Reed and Tim Gray ’89, an award-winning documentary filmmaker and founder of the World War II Foundation, spoke at the event.
The service yielded a greater turnout than the 2023 celebration, according to Chantel Rosario De Los Santos, a graduate assistant at the MAVE Center. It garnered between 60 to 70 attendees, according to Bob Flynn, the director of the MAVE Center.
“I think, ultimately, that all service should be celebrated,” Flynn said. “When we have a day like Veterans Day, where we can recognize our military and those that support the military, I think we need to do that, because if we lose sight of that, it becomes about us.”
The MAVE Center, constructed in September 2022, functions as a safe space for active military members and veterans, according to Flynn. They can go to ask questions about enrollment and receive tutoring for their classes. Individuals can also learn how to use their G.I. bill benefits, which is a program that provides financial assistance to veterans and their families.
“Let’s face it, we’re all human beings,” Flynn said. “Not that we’re selfish, but we have to look out for ourselves first, and sometimes, we need to remind ourselves to look after each other.”
Enrollment services advise and help veterans navigate the benefits that come with their G.I. bill, such as covering a certain amount of credit hours and maximizing the use of those resources. These resources can be found on their website .
The G.I. bill could allow a veteran to become a full-time student after service, according to Flynn. While veterans could use it to pay for a smaller amount of classes, Flynn supports the idea of having veterans use their benefits to take classes full-time.
“What they [enrollment services] are great at, is figuring out ways for veterans to best spend their money,” Flynn said. “They go above and beyond, not only to help with tuition but they’ll advise people on the best way to use their benefits to use them at max efficiency.”
There are exactly 181 students at URI that are on Veteran Affair benefits from the United States Department of Veteran Affairs, according to Flynn. VA benefits are obtained by applying for them online or in-person and it requires that the beneficiary has served in the military or is actively serving. Veterans can either use these services themselves or have their families use them.
“The MAVE Center is the main hub where students and military dependents can come here and get the sense of community they seek, as well as learn about the different support systems we have,” Rosario said.
There are many community events and charities that go through the MAVE Center, according to Rosario. There is a winter clothing drive happening from until Nov. 30. The center is hosting a free coffee tasting on Dec. 5.
URI’s MAVE Center has connections to other centers on the Kingston Campus, including the Gender and Sexuality Center and the Women’s Center, according to Flynn.
“I think we’ve made inroads to a lot of places,” Flynn said. “We have good relationships with all our fellow centers in community, equity and diversity. We want to let people know that if they want to partner with us to talk to the Student Veteran Organization, we’re always looking to partner with people.”
Flynn said he is dedicated to making veteran and active duty military students’ experience at URI exceptional and as easy as it can be.
“I want URI to be the best place in the country for a veteran to go to school,” Flynn said.
For more information, visit the MAVE Center in Room 113 of the Memorial Union.