As Eastern continues to see an increase in the veteran population each year, Veterans and Military Personnel Student Affairs works to provide an integrative learning for these students.

Lt. Col. Stephen Knotts, the coordinator of Veterans and Military Personnel Student Affairs, said 294 veterans are on Eastern’s campus, according to the Fall 2012 census.

“We know these veterans and military dependents are important to us because they’re the ones who enabled the defense of the Constitution and provide the peace and prosperity so we can have institutions of higher learning like Eastern,” he said.

Knotts said the veterans services office of Eastern works with and supports veterans through enrollment, recruiting, retention, integration, transition and career services.

“Different studies have said that as high as 80 percent of veterans who drop out in their first year of going to college do so because they don’t have a support system,” he said.

Veterans are used to having “battle buddies” and a constant feeling of camaraderie, Knotts said, so not having such a support system can be a huge change of pace.

“They’re looking for support, and we can provide that,” he said.

Registered student organizations that are geared toward providing that sense of support to veterans, including the Black Knights of Embarras and the Black Orchid Society.

Knotts said they may also find support through the newly instated Veterans Advisory Board, which is made up of Eastern staff who can provide services and help Eastern’s veteran population.

“We’re getting together to target and better support our veterans,” he said. “At least once a year, we’re going to be doing a survey and analysis of veterans and asking them what their interests and needs are.”

Knotts talked of the vast differences in age and background of the veterans he works with and how the program seeks to cater to all of them.

“If they feel like they’re at home, it’s more likely that they’ll stay,” he said.

The population of veterans at Eastern has grown over the years, Knotts said.

“Right after World War II, the majority of students were all veterans,” he said. “We have only in the last two or three years started tracking how many veterans we have on campus, and we’ve been having a steady increase.”

This increase has been caused by the decrease in active duty troops overseas, and Knotts said it is likely to continue to increase over the next few years.

During the application process, Knotts said veterans have many advantages right from the start.

“All veterans get their application fees waived and get priority registration each semester,” he said. “One of the reasons for that is because many veterans have taken night classes and online classes and have many credits, but have to fill in the spots they really need to graduate.”

All marines can also go through the testing department in Old Main and get credit for their military experience, he said.

“These are credits they can get because of their on-the-job training,” Knotts said.

Most of the feedback Knotts said he has received has been positive.

“We’ve had 42 different suggestions and responses to our phone survey, including information on financial aid and program advertising,” he said. “About 85 percent of responses have been positive.”

Robyn Dexter can be reached at 581-2812 or redexter@eiu.edu.