A Quiet Place for Student Veterans |
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| Authors: | Margaret Hollingsworth |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Education, Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia, USAmhollingsworth2@liberty.edu |
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| Abstract: | As electronic gadgets predominate a student’s life, there comes a need for silence. A quiet place free of electromagnetic spectrum waves, dirty and stray electricity, and the endless chirps, whistles, beeps, and customized signaling. A quiet place can offer solitude for meditation, inspiration, and spiritual awareness. Student involvement in the classroom and campus activities is of upmost importance for student retention and successful program completion; however, student veterans often face overwhelming transitioning barriers as they cross from combat to the community college environment. Whether student veterans need a place to calm themselves, compartmentalize traumatic memories, or concentrate on overcoming an educational challenge, the quiet place can offer sanctuary. The proposed quiet place will be designed inexpensively using furniture available on the host rural community college campus, the state surplus warehouse, and from employee donations. The labor to paint and refurbish will be provided by dedicated veteran college staff and members of the Student Veterans of America association on the community college campus. The quiet place will utilize a small room less than 10 feet squared, however with low earth sounds emanating from an MP3 player and speaker, soft comfortable seating, and a rug, the room will be free from all other electronics and electrical devices. This dedicated student-veteran space will be unstaffed, self-policed for quiet enforcement, although a Career Coach will be available to handle any situations and address messages left by student veterans. |
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