The University will establish an office to coordinate support on campus for veterans and students pursuing military studies this spring, according to Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services.
The Corporation directed President Ruth Simmons to create the office in response to her recommendations to uphold the extracurricular status of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program and expand cross-curricular officer training programs with other universities.
"When the Corporation discussed the president's response, they decided that adding an office would be a powerful signal that Brown is not reluctant to support ROTC students or veterans on campus," Klawunn said.
Klawunn and Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron are working to develop a final proposal for the office by examining other offices' models of service delivery. The two will submit a formal proposal to Simmons by the end of this semester, which will result in an operational office next semester, Klawunn said.
Though the resource center will formally be called an office, the emphasis will be less on the physical space and more on establishing a central hub for ROTC and veteran resources, said Bergeron. The office will not have full-time staff and its main component could simply be a web page providing resources. The final form is still in the works, she said.
"We're still working it out and looking at models from other schools," Klawunn said.
The University will not hire new staff members for the office, Bergeron said."It will likely be a piece of somebody's job responsibility, because we make staffing decisions in proportion to need."
By coordinating and enhancing existing resources, the office will give the University a way to show support for students who participate in ROTC through cross-curricular programs with other schools and for the educational experience of veterans, Klawunn said. "Establishing this office gives visibility to our support," she added. "No one could read Brown's response as keeping the military at arm's length."
