2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Many popular culture stereotypes exist about veterans—for example, movies and television shows frequently portray veterans who are troubled. Regardless of the origin of the stereotypes, it is interesting to work to better understand the potential impact stereotypes have on veterans and service members as they pursue higher education. Service members and veterans themselves are a protected class under VEVRAA (Vietnam Era Veterans; Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974). The Department of Labor clarifies that under VEVRAA there are four “protected veteran” categories, which includes a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military during war [1]. Veterans may also be protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Veterans develop valuable skills, leadership traits, the ability to work under pressure and the ability to work as a member of a team while in the military, making them highly sought after for roles in government agencies and the private sector [2]. However, for some jobs, a college education is required. Creating a welcoming environment in higher education for this non-traditional student group is important to the student’s success. Numerous studies have shown that faculty and staff in higher education who work directly with student veterans are critical to supporting this student population [3].

This paper presents an in-depth look at aspects of a larger study that measures perceptions and possible biases or dispositions towards a belief regarding veterans and service members who are students that was initiated in 2022. Specifically, the paper focuses on analyzing the faculty and staff perceptions as a function of both the number of proximal connections to family and friends who are veterans and the presumed closeness of those connections. Proximity was categorized as: self as veteran; spouse as veteran; grandparent; parent; adult child; sibling; extended relative; friend; former or current student; and no veteran connection [4].

The previous work [4] reported that the more distant one’s relationship with veterans, the more likely one is to have a biased belief regarding veterans and PTSD. This follow-on paper will explore the influence of one’s relationships to veterans on stereotypes relating to student veteran’s prior learning, motivation, organization, community-mindedness, relevant skills, rigidity and compliance in thinking, as well as likelihood of suffering from PTSD. In addition to providing more detail on the influence of this important characteristic, the paper will provide an update to previously reported results, as the number of survey respondents has increased by approximately 50% [4].

Preliminary results suggest that having many connections to veteran populations is more impactful on one’s opinion and beliefs about stereotypes than having a more direct familial tie. Through this work, a deeper understanding of that impact will be developed as it relates to many common stereotypes of students who are veterans or service members. Understanding the beliefs and the connections that impact those beliefs could be an important step in better supporting this dynamic group of higher education students. Understanding the strengths of the veteran and service member population as well as the challenges and biases that the population faces could inform the development of campus-wide interventions or contribute to an increased self-awareness of key influencers on the experiences of student veterans or service members on one’s campus.

References
[1] Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, "Know Your Rights - Protected Veterans' Rights," 23 September 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/regs/compliance/factsheets/FACT_Veterans_Sept16_ENGESQA508c.pdf.
[2] S. Shepard, D. K. Sherman, A. MacLean and A. C. Kay, "The Challenges of Military Veterans in Their Transition to the Workplace: A Call for Integrating Basic and Applied Psychological Science," Perspectives on Psychological Science, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 590-613, 2021.
[3] J. H. Lim, C. G. Interiano, C. E. Nowell, P. T. Tkacik and J. L. Dahlberg, "Invisible Cultural Barriers: Contrasting Perspectives on Student Veterans' Transition," Journal of Student College Development, vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 291-308, 2018.
[4] Removed for Blind Review