The Student Veterans Alliance (SVA) is a club for student veterans. Our primary goal is to generate a campus-wide culture that embraces the leadership, discipline, and high standards veterans bring to our campus while translating their military experience to student success. Also, to further educate faculty and staff about the issues that we, the veterans, deal with coming to school, especially adjustment to college, traumatic head injury or post-traumatic stress disorder.
How will the SVA accomplish these goals?
Facilitate access to programs, benefits and services for veterans in the local and
college community.
Invite all students, staff, and faculty to participate in the SVA community.
The current Student Veterans Alliance club was conceptualized by a student veteran that wanted to ensure that the veteran population had a voice on campus and resources available for the combat to classroom transition. This effort began September of 2010 by establishing meetings twice a month that welcome student veterans, dependents and spouses of veterans, and all other BCC students, staff/faculty interested in participating in the veteran community. This group is officially recognized as a student club on campus by the BCC Student Life Office and has an active membership and always welcomes new student veterans.
Resources for Veterans
Veterans Benefits
Amanda Pittenger
Senior Special Programs Coordinator - Enrollment Services Coordinator
Registrar's Office
apittenger@berkshirecc.edu
413-236-2130
Soldier On
Wounded Warrior Project
VA Home Front
Women Veterans Health
VA Benefits Policy Advisory:
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Policy Advisory: Cannabis Industry Certificate VA Benefits Use
Veterans Affairs (VA) Education Service (EDU) Policy Advisory:
Because marijuana remains illegal at a federal level, Congress has not provided any exception for students seeking to use their VA educational benefits on courses involving the cultivation, sale, or distribution of marijuana, and to be consistent with VR&E, EDU will prohibit a student from using VA educational benefits for such courses. This prohibition includes programs in states in which either the recreational or medicinal use of marijuana is legally permissible.
This includes BCC's Cannabis Industry Certificate.
Berkshire Community College has withdrawn its participation in Yellow Ribbon Program. The state now gives all veterans in-state rates which is what the Yellow Ribbon Program was designed to off-set.