STLCC’s recent Veteran Services Presentation raises concerns.
BY: TY DEFRATES
Staff Writer
In the recent September Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting at STLCC, a presentation on Veteran Services was delivered. Unfortunately, this presentation fell short of the transparency and accuracy that the stakeholders, particularly our veterans, deserve. This incident highlights a concerning trend noticed when researching the presentations, decisions, and issues presented to the BOT and Leadership: the BOT, seemingly a mere rubber stamp for Chancellor Pittman and his leadership team, does not hold them accountable for presenting inaccurate or incomplete information.
The initial reason for this presentation was my persistent concerns raised to the Board regarding Scheduling Issues that hinder veterans from receiving their total Basic Housing Allowance (BHA) and the absence of a budget for Veteran Services despite funding from both Federal and State levels (covered in my other opinions piece in this issue). The scheduling issues were brought to the BOT and Leadership’s attention in October 2022. They choose to deny the problem and fix the root cause. After persistently trying to get them to fix the issues in the April BOT meeting, they requested Leadership give a presentation from Veteran’s Services. This presentation happened in the September 2023 meeting.
The presentation should have addressed the key concerns. It was meant to cover veteran issues, including scheduling problems and budgetary constraints. Regrettably, these critical topics were absent from the discussion. Instead, the presentation’s leaders focused on surface-level information and touting Veteran Services but missing factual information. It did not advocate for veterans and our issues, but instead, it was about all the “great” things the college supposedly does for its veterans.
During the question part of the presentation, Trustee Kevin Martin asked, “We’ve heard from some students over time issues with scheduling and credits. I was just wondering if we’ve been able to address kind of, I don’t know all the details, but just knowing if we addressed some of the scheduling issues and concerns to align with better and financial aid.” Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Ms. Regina Blackshear, responded, “So that particular program is over with the VRRAP (Veteran Rapid Retraining Assistance) program, so we won’t have those scheduling issues.”
When questioned about scheduling issues, Blackshear dismissed them as non-issues and vaguely referenced changes made at Student Success, lacking concrete facts or details. Furthermore, there needs to be more discussion regarding budget, an essential aspect of any program’s functioning and growth.
They mentioned that they now have an event calendar, but I have asked and looked and need help finding one. I have looked on the website and at the three larger campuses. The week of October 23, we received an email about volunteering at Veterans Community Project (VCP) the tiny homes organization, and a Veterans Recognition Lunch. To put this in perspective, last year, we welcomed cookouts at each campus in the first three weeks, not funded by the school but by third-party contributions—multiple opportunities to attend professional sports games. There were more than five events before November 2022 where student Veterans volunteered and supported local community events. There were numerous gatherings and events on campuses for veterans to meet with resources and talk to the VA and other organizations to network and discuss hiring opportunities. As of the end of October 2023, there have been no events or volunteering functions held.
The presentation also mentioned that STLCC offers the study abroad program for the World War II D-Day 80th Anniversary trip in June 2024. Still, some quick research shows it is a typical offering from most touring companies giving World War II tours. On top of the trip costs, the student must also pay tuition and fees. Looking at pricing online from the different touring companies, it also appears the school does not help offset costs, but the chaperone’s trip is probably covered. What did the school or STLCC Veteran Services do to provide this besides promoting it and setting it up as a course for study abroad so they can charge tuition and fees? This is another example of Leadership trying to promote something they have done for Veterans without transparency.
Another presentation bullet point was district-wide training on Military-Connected topics, specifically Green Zone Training. Green Zone training was designed back in 2010, and it is a program that has ten training modules and certifications. Colleges that have implemented it have budgets allocated to the program with a website, training schedule, information, and a way to let Veterans know which staff has been certified. I have requested and am still waiting to receive any information that shows that this program is implemented or will be implemented correctly. It highlights that it is not about helping Veterans but just putting some excellent bullet points on a slide for the BOT to say a good job.
They devote a slide to our Veterans Resource Centers, discussing their study areas, comfortable furniture, a lounge area with music and movies, coffee, tea, snacks, a refrigerator, a microwave, board games, a resource library, and more. In actuality, they are small offices with folding tables and office chairs. The resource centers were not open or had office hours until the week before the BOT meeting. Now, there are office hours posted, but only open a few days a week if they show up. I tracked the Meramec office hours, and two weeks in a row (October 16th and October 23rd), the resource center was closed on Monday office hours.
I went and collected pictures and checked to see if the resource centers provided what they presented in the BOT presentation. Every location was not set up with the resources discussed in the presentation. It was disappointing that Leadership was unhappy about me checking up on the resource centers and spent their time tracking my movements, asking me to reschedule an appointment, and trying to create barriers like saying I could not take pictures and report on issues with other campuses when we were just reporting the facts. I wish they would spend their time advocating for Veterans rather than spinning false information and spending time trying to cover up their misinformation.
This incident sheds light on a troubling reality: the need for accountability and transparency within our institution. As stakeholders, we must demand accurate, complete, and transparent information from our Leadership. It’s time for the BOT to step up and ensure that the information provided to the stakeholders, especially our veterans, is trustworthy, verifiable, and aligned with their best interests.
We owe it to our veterans and all stakeholders to demand accountability and transparency, holding our Leadership responsible for their actions and their commitment to the truth. Only through these efforts can we uphold the integrity of our institution and truly advocate for those we serve.
