A Guide for Columbia University Administrators Navigating New Student Veteran Orientation

Columbia is home to a vibrant and diverse community of veteran and military-connected students, ranging from recent service members to spouses, caregivers, ROTC cadets, and dependents, across every undergraduate and graduate school. As an administrator, advisor, or faculty member, your role in supporting these students is essential to their connection, sense of belonging, and success. Use this guide as an à la carte menu of suggestions to support your veteran and military-connected students. Feel free to pick and choose, edit and adapt, and share with your students whatever feels most relevant. While we always welcome the opportunity to connect with students directly, and have space and resources available for them, we recognize that you are their first point of contact.

Here, we can draw from one of the Center for Veteran Transition and Integration’s core values: while the responsibility for transitioning belongs to the student veteran, on their own terms and using available resources, the responsibility to integrate with the veteran and military-connected student themselves, and meet them where they are, belongs to staff and faculty.

Key Takeaways:

“Meeting students where they are” means designing classrooms and advising practices that are veteran and military-connected inclusive from the start. Prioritize listening over labeling, and honor veterans’ positionalities without forcing disclosure.
Narrative engagement is inviting a range of veteran and military-connected stories. Narrative practice: knowing who’s telling the story, who’s the audience, and who’s affected, challenges our own assumptions of who veterans are and can helpo us create a more inclusive space for former and current service members.
Peer to Peer Support pairs incoming veterans with faculty, admin, or student mentors early, whether through automatic or opt-in matching processes.

Key Resources:

Center for Veteran Transition and Integration Training Resources for Those Serving Students

Feel free to use the following menu-list of items as you navigate orientation and onboarding with your new students:

A Working List of 10 Things To Know As You Transition Into Columbia

1

You are a student first

Your military background is part of your story, but it does not define your entire Columbia experience. Engage broadly. But always remember, as a student first, connect with your Academic Advisor early and often!

2

There’s no one way to be a veteran or military-connected student

Some are combat veterans. Some are dental technicians. Some may even be combat dental technicians. Some are officers and some are enlisted. Some are reservists, some are retired after 20 years of active duty, some are retired after a few months of service. Some of those in this community are caregivers, spouses, and NROTC midshipmen. Some are international and foreign service veterans. Some former service members don't identify as veteran, at all. There are many ways you’re identified and how you may identify on campus, in the classroom, and at home.

3

You have a support network

Mentors, peer support, Advisors, School Admin, the Office of Military and Veteran Affairs (OMVA), the office of GS Veteran Initiatives, and the Center for Veteran Transition and Integration (CVTI), to name a few are here to help.

4

Benefits require proactive steps

Submit for your COE early. Connect with Disability Services early. If you qualify, waive your health insurance by the deadline. Complete the Request for Certification each term and verify your enrollment monthly if using the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

5

Your housing and MHA depend on enrollment

Dropping below full-time can affect benefit payments, including monthly housing allowance (MHA) - the civilian term for BAH. Be sure to coordinate any schedule changes with your certifying official.

6

Health & wellness are priorities

Whether through Columbia Health, the VA, or external non-profit services, mental and physical health resources are robust. And remember, confidential!

7

Your people are here

Join the Business School Veteran Association, the Military Veterans of Columbia University (MilVets), the Women Veterans of Columbia University (WVCU), SIPA Vets, others, or start your own group. Or just hang out with the community at CVTI (205 Kent Hall) every afternoon.

8

Narrative matters

Your experience + the context around you + who tells your story and to whom they tell it = narrative. Your presence and how you add to the larger ecology of narratives, no matter how you identify, is appreciated.

9

Every school is different, but when it comes to success, we’re all in this together

GS, SIPA, Law, Social Work, Business, TC, SOA, Nursing, etc etc. each has its own orientation, its own programs and resources, its own vibe, but shares the same CU commitment to supporting you, and your success, which means ask about career education as soon as possible! Your goals may inform your course choices and load.

10

You don’t have to go it alone

Assistance is available from step-by-step benefits instructions to peer support to health and wellness advocacy to family and housing support to career education and much, much more.

7 Buckets Of Priorities and Checklist Items:

Educational Financing
As a Graduate Student, stay connected to OMVA – The Office of Military and Veterans Affairs
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the Office of Military & Veterans Affairs (OMVA)
In person to 210 Kent Hall
Scan/email to [email protected]
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits
As an Undergraduate Student, stay connected to the Office of Financial Aid for Veteran and Military-Connected Students.
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the GS Office of Financial Aid
In person to 408 Lewisohn Hall
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits

Educational Financing (cont.)

If you are entitled to receive Yellow Ribbon, apply at your school’s Financial Aid Office. Yellow Ribbon extension was granted to active duty servicemembers and their spouses/dependents on August 1, 2022
Complete the Veterans Request for Certification – Students must certify their enrollment to receive military benefits for education, prior to the start of every term.
Enrollment Verification: Effective December 17, 2021 – all Post 9/11 GI Bill students who receive monthly housing allowance (MHA) are required to verify their enrollment to continue receiving their payments.
Submit class schedule to VR&E counselor (Chapter 31)
Set up VA Direct Deposit with the VA: 1-888-442-4551
Students are responsible to pay any accounts balances that exceed their benefits by the due date listed on the E-Bill Statement. Failure to pay by the deadline will result in a hold on your student account and late fees.
Students can apply for Veterans Tuition Assistance (VTA) at https://www.hesc.ny.gov. Please refer to the eligibility criteria for more information. If there is a duplicative benefit of VA funding such as GI Bill, YRP, and VR&E., VTA payments will be reduced or decertified accordingly.
Check in regularly with OMVA or GS Veterans Office

Educational Financing
As a Graduate Student, stay connected to OMVA – The Office of Military and Veterans Affairs
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the Office of Military & Veterans Affairs (OMVA)
In person to 210 Kent Hall
Scan/email to [email protected]
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits
As an Undergraduate Student, stay connected to the Office of Financial Aid for Veteran and Military-Connected Students.
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the GS Office of Financial Aid
In person to 408 Lewisohn Hall
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits

Community Engagement

Meet others from across campus through all available community resources. Veteran group, or not, there are many communities to join.
For Undergraduate students, connect with GS Student Life
For Graduate Students, connect with University Life
For All, reach out via the Connect with a CU Veteran Resource Ambassador Form to get connected!

Educational Financing
As a Graduate Student, stay connected to OMVA – The Office of Military and Veterans Affairs
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the Office of Military & Veterans Affairs (OMVA)
In person to 210 Kent Hall
Scan/email to [email protected]
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits
As an Undergraduate Student, stay connected to the Office of Financial Aid for Veteran and Military-Connected Students.
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the GS Office of Financial Aid
In person to 408 Lewisohn Hall
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits

Family and Housing

A number of students stay in University-owned housing, many live at home, and some secure other non-University housing in the New York area.
GI Bill Landlord Letter: Qualifying student veterans pursuing higher education in New York City may utilize G.I. Bill housing allowances to subsidize the cost of renting an apartment. The New York City Department of Veterans’ Services and the New York City Commission on Human Rights aim to provide landlords and student veterans with helpful information about legal protections under New York law for tenants seeking to finance their rent with G.I. Bill housing allowances.
For undergraduate students, Columbia Housing and off-campus housing is available on the Housing page of the GS website.
For graduate students, connect with your respective schools

Educational Financing
As a Graduate Student, stay connected to OMVA – The Office of Military and Veterans Affairs
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the Office of Military & Veterans Affairs (OMVA)
In person to 210 Kent Hall
Scan/email to [email protected]
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits
As an Undergraduate Student, stay connected to the Office of Financial Aid for Veteran and Military-Connected Students.
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the GS Office of Financial Aid
In person to 408 Lewisohn Hall
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits

Career

Meet with Career Counselor at the Columbia University Center for Career Education (CCE). CCE works to empower you to make smart career choices, develop the tools necessary for a successful internship/job search, and connect professionally with employers through workshops, career events, online resources, and meetings with counselors.
The graduate school application process is both exciting and daunting. Graduate School Coaching is designed to help students develop the skills necessary to determine which programs meet their individual circumstances, needs, and goals, and to gain admission to the often highly-competitive world of graduate school.

Educational Financing
As a Graduate Student, stay connected to OMVA – The Office of Military and Veterans Affairs
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the Office of Military & Veterans Affairs (OMVA)
In person to 210 Kent Hall
Scan/email to [email protected]
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits
As an Undergraduate Student, stay connected to the Office of Financial Aid for Veteran and Military-Connected Students.
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the GS Office of Financial Aid
In person to 408 Lewisohn Hall
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits

Health and Wellness

Columbia University offers a multitude of world-class health and wellness resources for veteran students and their families. Because there are many departments, referral processes, and points of contacts, this packet is designed to help students navigate those resources.
Remember to waive the medical insurance by the university’s deadline.
Meet with Columbia Health
For Disability Services, get your paperwork in early!

Educational Financing
As a Graduate Student, stay connected to OMVA – The Office of Military and Veterans Affairs
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the Office of Military & Veterans Affairs (OMVA)
In person to 210 Kent Hall
Scan/email to [email protected]
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits
As an Undergraduate Student, stay connected to the Office of Financial Aid for Veteran and Military-Connected Students.
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the GS Office of Financial Aid
In person to 408 Lewisohn Hall
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits

Academics

Connect with your Academic or Faculty Advisor early and often. As changes in your life come up, keep them informed. Advisors are advocates for your academic success.
Create a plan with your academic advisor
Let them know if you are in the Reserves or National Guard and if there is a chance you will be called up throughout the semester and if you might miss class time. It is better they know ahead of time to plan accordingly.
Connect with tutoring as early as possible - either through GS ARC or University Life

Educational Financing
As a Graduate Student, stay connected to OMVA – The Office of Military and Veterans Affairs
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the Office of Military & Veterans Affairs (OMVA)
In person to 210 Kent Hall
Scan/email to [email protected]
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits
As an Undergraduate Student, stay connected to the Office of Financial Aid for Veteran and Military-Connected Students.
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the GS Office of Financial Aid
In person to 408 Lewisohn Hall
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits

Called to Duty

Notify GS or OMVA if you will be on Active Duty when you begin the term (even for one day, including terminal leave)

Educational Financing
As a Graduate Student, stay connected to OMVA – The Office of Military and Veterans Affairs
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the Office of Military & Veterans Affairs (OMVA)
In person to 210 Kent Hall
Scan/email to [email protected]
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits
As an Undergraduate Student, stay connected to the Office of Financial Aid for Veteran and Military-Connected Students.
To qualify for deferred tuition payments, please provide a copy of your Certificate of Eligibility and DD-214 to the GS Office of Financial Aid
In person to 408 Lewisohn Hall
If you don’t have this document – please visit www.vets.gov in order to apply for educational benefits

School Culture

Each Columbia school has its own policies, cultures, and student support systems. Learn yours!
Attend orientation
Develop your Columbia network early
Read your emails!

A Guide for Columbia University Administrators Navigating New Student Veteran Orientation

FOR VETERAN-SERVING ADMINISTRATORS:

Key Takeaways:

Key Resources:

Feel free to use the following menu-list of items as you navigate orientation and onboarding with your new students:

A Working List of 10 Things To Know As You Transition Into Columbia

7 Buckets Of Priorities and Checklist Items:

Educational Financing

Educational Financing (cont.)

Educational Financing

Community Engagement

Educational Financing

Family and Housing

Educational Financing

Career

Educational Financing

Health and Wellness

Educational Financing

Academics

Educational Financing

Called to Duty

Educational Financing

School Culture

Optional Welcome Letter from CVTI:

Phone

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