Ivy Tech named military friendly

Ivy Tech Community College’s Bloomington campus was named a military-
friendly school for the second year in a row by G.I. Jobs magazine.

G.I. Jobs chooses schools that offer the best and most adaptable services. Veteran students may also vote for schools they believe are military friendly, according to a press release.

Though IU was also on the list, some veteran students prefer Ivy Tech because of low costs and veterans-only classes, Ivy Tech Bloomington student Pat Rincon said.
“I want to take more classes that are veterans-only,” Rincon said.

He said his U.S. history class is taught by a veteran and that the all-veteran students value such familiarity.

Ivy Tech Bloomington will offer three veterans-only courses in the spring, said Laura Vest, Ivy Tech veterans benefits coordinator.

“The classes allow veterans to share like experiences,” Vest said. “They’re more comfortable sharing with people who have had similar challenges.”

Rincon said he’s stalling his transfer to IU because he doesn’t know of any veterans-only classes at IU and because Ivy Tech classes are less expensive.

Student Service Assistant Sarah Gibson works with IU’s Veteran Support Services and said IU actually has one such class.

Education 206: “Orientation to College Life” is a veterans-only course specifically designed to support the transition of veterans to higher education and to utilize their experiences to aid their academic careers, according to the IU registrar’s website.

Gibson said IU doesn’t offer more veterans-only classes because interest isn’t shown very often.

“We might consider more if our student veterans expressed that’s something of interest,” Gibson said.

Veteran students, like other students, encounter many challenges, but remain different because those challenges vary greatly between individuals, she said.

“We have to adapt our services to individuals’ needs,” Gibson said.