Events of June 13, 2008

Sorry it took so long to get this up. Here is what went down Friday, June 13, at the National Conference:


DR. BRUCE H. BRUNSON
Commander, USN, retired
Director, OSD Office of Personal Finance & Transition, Military Community & Family
Policy

CAROLYN BAKER
Carolyn.baker@osd.mil

EMILY FARREN
Intern, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Policy
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Military Community and Family Policy

DAVE JULIAN
CDR, US Navy
Deputy Director, OSD Office of Personal Finance and Transition

The following (in italics) was submitted by the Office of Personal Finance and Transition:
The Office of Personal Finance and Transition (PF&T) is the newest directorate within
the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy(DUSD (MC&FP)). Combining oversight for both the Financial Readiness Program and the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), previously operating independently within separate OSD directorates, the office is responsible for a broad range of policies, educational programs, and resource services that address both the financial readiness and transition assistance needs of military members and their families.

This shift in infrastructure and program responsibility reflects the new philosophy that recognizes that financial readiness, military and veterans benefits, and transition assistance are closely linked to one another and must be addressed as a whole. The directorate provided OSD with subject matter experts in Personal Finance.

Through education, counseling, and an inventory of high-tech and interactive resources
and programs, PF&T is responsible for ensuring all military members and their families have
access to the tools necessary to attain economic security throughout their military careers and beyond and to make educated decisions regarding their next military career milestones and ultimate transitions to the civilian workforce. Ensuring military members and their families have an accurate and complete understanding of both military and veterans’ benefits, and how application of those benefits affects their individual transition and economic security plans, can also have significant retention implications which in turn can contribute to mission and force readiness.

Key resources which PF&T is currently responsible for are the “Money Matters” section
of Military One Source (www.militaryonesource.com), the Financial Readiness sections of
Military Home Front (www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil), and the Transition Assistance
Program’s TurboTAP (www.turboTAP.org).

Dr. Brunson said he failed 3rd grade and now he has a Ph.D. and two Masters degrees.

His mission is to change TAP to a lifelong transition program. As it stands right now, there are
too few provisions for education certification in the military. People don’t know what they’re
qualified to do when they get out into the civilian world. Service members need to know how
they’re qualified, what they’re certified for, and what they can get credits for.

Two other issues he’s dealing with are distance learning (AKA death by PowerPoint) and the
Thrift Savings Plan, which no one knows anything about.

Dr. Brunson opened up the floor to people who have personal experience with TAP. One student
veteran pointed out that the person who gave him the TAP briefing/presentation never went to a post-secondary school.

Another student veteran noted that the TAP program has no follow up mechanism—you get a
short briefing, and then you’re thrown into the world.

Luke Stalcup mentioned that TAP should be goal-specific and take into account the needs and
interests of those who aim to go to an elite school. As it is now, the program steers veterans
towards community colleges which offer military and MOS-specific Associates degrees.

Brendan Hart argued that TAP is broken. The program was never intended to work, he said,
because the prevailing attitude is that it runs against the military’s interests to help service
members get out of the military.

Another student veteran said SVA should get lists from the Department of Defense on who’s
getting out of the military and who’s returning from deployments (guards/reservists, etc.) so that SVA can help with the transition. Dr. Brunson said that as it stands right now, that is unrealistic.
Those lists are classified.

Anthony Allman noted that the new SVA website has a chapter locator, which would be a great
resource for returning/discharged veterans. Dr. Brunson agreed to put a link on his website to
our website.

Carolyn Baker mentioned that SVA should send representatives to ACME’s annual world wide
conference. Nine (9) states have a Council on Military Education. DANTES is the information
point of contact for those nine CMEs and the one national CME. See
http://www.dantes.doded.mil/dantes_web/organizations/acme/index-text.asp?Flag=True. SVA will be put on the agenda at the next ACME meeting.

Dr. Brunson announced that Emily Farren will be the new liaison between his office and SVA.
She is an intern from University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Brunson concluded with the thought that the next time SVA has an event, we should include
training on how to deal with veterans coming out of the military (train-the-trainer sessions).

VOTING RESULTS & INAUGURATION
The new Vice President of SVA is Kevin Blanchard.
The new Secretary of SVA is Russel Silver.

VOTE ON BYLAWS
Copies of the Bylaws were passed out on Thursday and Friday morning.
Luke Stalcup moved to adopt the Bylaws.

Jonathan Sanford from Portland State University took issue with the absence of an enumerated
responsibility for the Regional Director to assist in the creation of student veterans groups within
his respective region. Sanford raised the concern that some Regional Directors may be
temporarily out of contact or may just fail to respond in a timely manner to opportunities to help
create groups. After some debate, Sanford proposed a change to the first enumerated Regional
Director responsibility in Bylaws § 9.01.

Luke moved to vote on Sanford’s proposed change. All groups except one were voted in the
affirmative.

Luke moved to add to all first person singular masculine pronouns (“he,” “his,” and “him”) the
additional words “or” and the first person singular feminine pronoun (“or her,” etc.). All groups
except one voted in the affirmative.

Luke moved to vote on adoption of the Bylaws. All groups voted in the affirmative.

NEXT NATIONAL CONFERENCE
The next national conference will be on January 9, 10, and 11 of 2009.

VOTE ON NEW DIRECTORS
Derek Blumke moved to elect Anthony Allman and Luke Stalcup to the Board of Directors. All
Directors voted in the affirmative.
The Board of Directors now consists of:
• Derek Blumke, President
• Kevin Blanchard, Vice President
• Russel Silver, Secretary
• Luke Stalcup
• Anthony Allman

Our new website is up and running! http://www.studentveterans.org/

Royal Neighbors of America Scholarship Winners

The Royal Neighbors of America female veteran scholarship winners are:

Jennifer Washington, Chico State College
Lyndsey Anderson, University of Iowa
Gwynn Edwina, Tuoro University International
Bridgett Mayeaux, University of Texas

Congrats to the recipients, and keep your eyes open for another female veteran scholarship provided by Royal Neighbors of America next year!

Election Results

Due to a server outage at the Reserve Officer Association and a giant blackout in DC, we were unable to blog in real time--our apologies, like we said before this technology isn't perfect!!

Election Results:

Vice President: Kevin Blanchard, George Washington University

Secretary: Russell Silver, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

Congratulations to the winners, they bring a great deal to the table and will be a great addition to the SVA leadership team.

Full recap of the conference events of Friday, June 11 to come.

Elections closed

Elections are now closed--thank you for voting, and winners will be announced later this morning!

Vice President Elections

All, we just had our elections for Vice-President, Secretary, and Regional Directors. 

Its now your turn to vote if you have your application submitted.

Vice President nominees:

Josh Karrasch, University of California Santa Cruz

Chris Lamb, Louisville

Shane Lee, South Dakota School of Mines

Kevin Blanchard, George Washington University

Matt Moser, Georgia Southern University

Secretary nominees:

Russel Silver, Indiana University

Wade Spann, George Washington University

Candidate description:

Josh: involved in veterans issues all across California; program coordinator of a veterans outreach program at his university.

Chris: Socio-political major who wants to go to law school.  Veterans organization at his school--got them money and support.  When asked how much of a time commitment he's willing to make, he said as much as it takes.

Shane: serves in a local campus group; successfully contested a Board of Regents candidate b/c not supportive of veterans; when asked what he thinks should be changed as Vice President, he responded that we should continue building; we're not in the change stage yet.

Kevin: has experience speaking in front of people and being in the public spotlight; lost a leg in Iraq and knows what it's like to be in the hospital for a year.

Matt: when asked how much of a commitment he's willing to give, he responded that he's 100% committed to the position if he gets it.  He's been to GI Bill rallies in DC (ACE, etc.) and worked for veterans benefits; lobbied for S.22, meeting with congressmen, etc.

Russel: associated with the VA (work study position); technology consultant for a university, and his MOS in the Army was 25U (computers); he's very computer and technology literate.

Wade: was in teh Marines; injured; now goes to GWU; will drop personal obligations for SVA; his location in DC is prime; he's worked with Marine veterans groups.

MOVING FORWARD

HI DAD,

WELL, WE'RE SITTING AROUND RIGHT NOW, LISTENING TO SOMEONE GIVE A SPEECH ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MODERN VETERAN AND THE CONTRIBUTION WE ARE MAKING AND WILL MAKE FOR OUR NATION.  IT'S SO ODD TO BE IN A ROOM WITH PEOPLE I'VE NEVER MET WHO HAVE THE SAME CONCERNS, JOKES, ATTITUDE AND HUMOR AS ME.  MY ENTIRE ADULT LIFE HAS BEEN DEDICATED TO THE MILITARY IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, AND SOMEDAY SOON, I INDEND TO SPEND THE REMAINDER OF IT TO MY COUNTRY BY HELPING PEOPLE LIKE ME LEAD A BETTER LIFE, AND REALIZE THAT THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO FEEL THE SAME WAY AND SHARE THE SAME DREAMS.  I WORRY OFTEN THAT THIS GENERATION WILL FALL UNDER THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY, THAT IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH THE WEIGHTY TASK OF SECURING OUR LEGACY AND THE LEGACY OF LATER GENERATIONS, THAT WE WILL FAIL OURSELVES, EITHER THROUGH A LACK OF DRIVE OR MALFEASANCE.  IT SEEMS MOST DAUNTING THAT SUCH A SMALL COMMUNITY IS TRYING TO TURN THE TIDE OF TIME IN THE DIRECTION OF WHAT IS RIGHT INSTEAD OF WHAT IS EASY.  

AFTER COMING HERE AND MEETING ALL OF THESE WONDERFUL PEOPLE, I NO LONGER HAVE THIS CONCERN.  WE HAVE AMONGST US MEN, WOMEN, BLACK, WHITE, POISED, WORRIED, WHOLE, AND SCARRED HUMAN BEINGS WHO HAVE SEEN IN MANY PLACES THE WORST OF HUMANITY.  WE UNDERSTAND THAT IN THE FUTURE, WE WILL HAVE TO ADVANCE TOGETHER IN THE GREAT JOURNEY TOWARDS OUR COLLECTIVE DESTINY THAT WILL DEFINE OUR GENERATION.  THIS CONFERENCE IS THE FIRST STEP IN THIS ENDEAVOR, AND I CANNOT WAIT FOR US TO TAKE THIS FIRST STEP TOGETHER.

YOUR LOVING SON,

FELIX

Message to Incarnate Word-Great things going on here!

Hello to all-wish so much that you were here as this conference is putting out vital info not just for our organization, but for many who want the same things we want-CHANGE-

Senator Webb is soon to arrive as we have met the head of the VFW and a very great speech by the Vets 4 Vets organization who are probably the most interesting group here.

We are located a block away from the Capitol, next door to the Jefferson Library, and the weather is great. This is an awesome facility and the breakfast and lunch is top notch. Thanks to all who have helped me to see and honor this experience on what is happening here in D.C.

We should have a function for these guys and gals in San Antonio sometime!!!

from D.C.,

WILLY

Lunch Sponsored by Royal Neighbors

Lunch

VSO brief Bob Wallace

Bob Wallace is the executive director of the VFW. He is a former Lance corporal. He served in Vietnam and is the recipient of three purple hearts. 

Bob Wallace:

Just visited with the post near Fort Bragg. saw a lot of different soldiers with a lot of different color berets. He got his education under the GI Bill. He returned from Vietnam and went back to work at a local bank. He noticed that his buddies around him were climbing the ladder, and they all had degrees. He went to the VA and the told him he already had a job. He said yes but I don't have a career. He signed up for vocational rehabilitation. He went to Rutgers. graduated. Went back down to the VA and they asked if he was rehabilitated. He said no way. He wanted a graduate degree. He went to an executive MBA program for two years and got his MBA. 

The one thing that student vets and Bob have in common is the GI Bill. We owe it to people who served our country. In 1998 VFW tried to get a new GI Bill. Nobody cared. In 2002 a guy named Chris Smith from NJ became the chairman of the house VA committee. He made improvements to the GI Bill his signature issue. VFW maintained their emphasis on getting the GI Bill reformed. When senator Webb submitted the GI Bill for the 21s century he did so without pressure. He understood the need for the bill. The bill went nowhere. Eventually Senator Webb was able to build the bill up to 58 cosponsors. we hope that the bill will pass soon.

The VFW was founded in 1899 for veterans of the spanish american war. In the 50s the VFW began to become more involved with in local communities. In the 60s and 70s veterans were slow to come into the VFW because of the climate in the nation at the time. The VFW has adjusted over time to change itself to adapt to new veterans. Including welcoming women and a younger generation of veterans. Changing itself to be more family oriented, and provide more services for people with families. 

If we can't do anything else for you we are going to get you a new GI Bill

Dan McSweeny Media Relations

Media relations 101 Presentations on media by Dan McSweeny from Columbia U.

What is the media? TV Newspaper

How do we label the media? Deceptive, liberal, dishonest, informative. NOT monolithic. In this day and age we have all forms of media. We heard about liberal bias is there conservative bias? Yes. 

Media can be an effective tool, but it can be dangerous. The media can take words out of context, and they can be a force for good or a force for bad. Keep in mind that the media can be a great service to expand democracy, but it can also be a great roadblock. 

Media can be a force multiplier, or a force divider. 

If you effectively use the media you can seen as more legitimate. If you don't you can be seen as illegitimate. Understanding how the media works is essential to being successful.

Three rules for media relations

Stay in your lane

talk about what you need to talk about. Don't talk about things that are outside of your experience. 

I am not the best person to talk to about that, talk to this person about that...

tell the truth

you will damage your credibility, the organization, and the mission if you don't

be presentable

dress to put your best foot forward. Use appropriate language. Take your chewing tobacco out. behave appropriately for the context. 

understand risks vs rewards. is there such a thing as bad press. 

you may not always win, but if you understand your context and the reporter (mission analysis)

be prepared to maximize media opportunities

understand and practice delivering sva talking points

strategize plan execute

media relations is simultaneously tactical and strategic

What is a talking point?

due to information overload soundbites.

a phrase that effectively and efficiently conveys what you want to convey

both tactical and strategic 

Vets4Vets Introduction

Vets4Vets is a non-partisan veterans' peer support organization dedicated to helping Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.  Founded in 2005, V4V hosts workshops where counseling is peer directed, "off the record" and provides vets an opportunity to reunite and/or meet new veterans from the same conflict.  The essential component of these workshops is that they are absolutely FREE.  V4V pays all lodging, travel, food expenses, etc incurred during your weekend experience.  The following is an events calendar:

June 26-30, 2008, San Francisco, CA

July 11-13, 2008, Birmingham, AL

August 1-3, 2008, Jefferson, TX

October 24-26, 2008, Salt Lake City, UT

Vets4Vets Challenge

V4V is seeking support from veterans to site survey locations for their next workshop.  V4V will reimburse the veterans $500 for their time and effort and double that incentive ($1000) for bringing 10 veterans to the event.

For more information, contact Matt Randle at 520-319-5500, matt@vets4vets.us, or visit www.vets4vets.us.

Posted by Anthony Allman, SVA Vice President

Website Debut

Hey all, Derek Blumke here. 

Currently Anthony Allman is doing a brief on SVA's new website. For those of you have seen the current website, the new one is a complete and total overhaul. On the new site there is an online application so we no longer have to physically mail applications , and several other huge additions; the most useful is the chapter locator. With this new feature, veterans and service members any where in the world can go to the website and find a campus with a student veterans group and thereby can find a campus that truly wants vets on their campuses. In addition, the chapter locater can be used to search by zip code.

Brendan Hart, SVA's Director of Operations, is now briefing the group on SVA's pilot program with the American Council on Education (ACE). SVA is currently working with ACE on the Severely Injured Programs where we are going to Bethesda, Balboa, Brook, and Walter Reed Medical centers and are assisting injured vets in transitioning to college. This program will link injured vets with student veterans at SVA groups across the country where they can assist them with finding housing, finding a major, picking a professor, and most importantly putting injured vets in contact with a group of individuals on campus. If you are interested in this, please contact Brendan Hart or Liz O'Herrin.

New site should go live within the next few weeks.

-DP

Ben Renda - Dartmouth/Tuck

Checking in from day #2 of the conference at ROAA bldg in DC. It's interesting to be sitting around ex- service members from all backgrounds. Some have had strong starts and have well-established programs (e.g. Univ. of Houston); others are looking to avoid re-inventing the wheel when starting chapters and/or building programs on their campuses. end-of-day, we're all brain-storming to keep SVA momentum building.

Break

We're taking a break to meet with our sponsors. You can too. visit our website www.studentveterans.org for a list

The 21st Century GI Bill

Eric Hilleman, VFW: Deputy Director, Legislative Office:

Senator Webb's bill is a monumental benefit. It is not inexpensive, and it is difficult to get Congress to completely overhaul benefits.

We are close. It has passed the Senate and the House, and is attached to the war funding bill. It is currently being hashed out before it goes to the President's desk for a signature to become law.

Decisions pertaining to the bill's progress can come in three forms: policy, politics, or procedure.

Policy: decisions and outcomes affect lives of Americans

Politics: Who gets credit? Who does it hurt? Who does it help:

Procedure: How does it get done?

We have all worked together to bring together support among our elected officials. Why are we sticking by S.22, the new GI Bill? There are senior officials 

Webb's bill, 16 months in the making, with bipartisan support and with the help of the VA and Veterans Service Organizations, is not a piece of cake. But is it the absolute best for veterans? A resounding YES. Active duty will see a great increase in their benefits, and Guard and reserves will get the benefits they have coming to them: benefits will not be based on individual continuous deployments, but rather cumulative active duty. For example, Marines serving 7 months in, 7 months out for 2 full years have not seen the education benefits similar to an Army Reservist who served one continuous year to reflect their service. The new GI Bill will rectify this.

 The new GI Bill will also give a monthly living stipend based on E-5 BAH and and an annual payment of $1,000 to cover the cost of books and fees. The 21st Century GI Bill, crafted by Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) will improve the financial situation of virtually every veteran. Make no mistake: this new GI Bill is a brand new way of thinking about veterans' education benefits. But $1,100 simply does not cover the cost of education, and today's veterans deserve more. 

Budget/Appropriations Process

Attached to the war funding supplemental: Essentially, the nation's credit card. The GI Bill will be part of this. It is expensive, but it is an INVESTMENT: the original GI Bill returned $7 to our nation's economy for every $1 invested. 

Policy implications:

Money will be paid directly to your school from the VA. The VA has been tasked with a huge endeavor, and this will not be a simple process. Fees will be funded as part of the annual $1,000 book stipend, not paid directly to your school. You will receive the new GI Bill regardless of other scholarships, and you should be able to receive Pell Grants as well. This is an EARNED benefit.

Challenges:

So how does our nation reward service members who have been injured? The new GI Bill will in several ways, be more generous than Chapter 31, Voc Rehab, currently is. Shouldn't we reward these individuals more than veterans who have not been injured?

Questions: What about online schools? Is payment based on my residence or the ZIP code where my school resides?

Chapter 30 will still exist as is for those enrolled in online courses as well as trade schools. They will see a 20% increase in their Chapter 30 benefits. Therefore,  distance learning benefits will be ramped up, but distance learning students will not have the variable BAH or annual book stipend. The new GI Bill places emphasis on traditional classroom learning. Anyone enrolled in IHL, (institution of higher learning) will receive the current CH 30 GI Bill with the 20% increase.

Advocacy:

The VFW worked with SVA. SVA, a freshman organization (official since January), has done tremendous things in a very short period of time. We have the utmost respect for SVA leadership and have worked very closely with them. Local SVA folks have met up with VFW representatives, and have sent them forth into senator's local offices. This splashed all over the local papers, and caused quite a stir in Washington. We had young and old veterans together, talking about why or why not a Congressman was supporting veterans. This Senator or Representative will remember this when veterans issues get brought up again. The VFW also sends out weekly emails and email alerts to particular districts regarding veterans benefits issues. A few phone calls a day will make representatives offices pay attention. You can sign up for these alerts online.

Question: Is the bill retroactive?

How will it interact with Vocational Rehab, Chapter 31?

Chapter 31 benefits will remain the same. No proposed changes to Vocational Rehab at this time.

How will it be covered in CA? You are guarenteed free tuition, but must pay fees. Therefore some people have to pay $25,000 in fees annually, but not tuition.

The VA is working through issues such as this. It is unclear how the new GI Bill will be implemented at this time.

How does S22 affect eligibility? I am running out of GI Bill before this is implemented, will I get the new GI Bill?

If you have used your 36, you have used your 36. If you are eligible to file for Voc Rehab, Ch31, you can exhaust this and then use months of CH. 30, which will hopefully by then be upgraded to the new 21st Century GI Bill. If you use CH31 benefits, you can then use up to 48 months total of benefits.  How it's combined is up to you. Each chapter is eligible to pay for 36 months, and may be used in combination for 48 months. 

Will I have to buy-in?

No, you will not have to buy into the new GI Bill.

Private institutions with out of state tuition:

Highest in state tuition cost. If institution forgives any dollars, the federal government will match dollar per dollar to make up the difference. So if Harvard forgives $15,000, the government will match the other $15,000. This will allow veterans to attend more expensive, high quality schools without causing them to go thousands of dollars in debt.

Conference opens

We had a beautiful rendition of the national anthem by Randy Plunkett. Remarks by the ROA exec director. Now Derek Blumke is speaking about SVA and why we're having the conference. Derek gives a shout out to Luke Stalcup (me) and Liz O'herrin. 

Derek gives a shout to John Mikelson, John Powers, Brendan Hart. 

Derek gives our three primary missions: 

establish and develop student groups on campuses 

develop resources for vets on those campuses

advocate for vets at the state and federal level

talking about why everyone is here.

 Glenn from FL state talks about getting connected to a larger group

 Will Velasquez from Texas talks about why GI Bill is great, but we need some resources on campuses for vets.

 Alan Grundy talks about U Houston. Wants to be a role model for helping organizations to get established on campus. 

 Mr Hernandez AIU online it's important to unify to represent veterans more effectively. Talks about the importance of online resources.

 Mr Whittaker talks about Wright U setting up a groups on his campus and needing to get ideas

 U Kansas talks about advocating at the state level. Programs on their campus. 

Derek, we're all here because we have been missing that sense of brotherhood that we had in the military. 

Daniel Lebel University Massachusetts Lowell

Second SVA Conference in its history, and my first. Over forty schools are represented here from the United States. I am having a great time.  I have met other student veterans and is it great to know there is an organization of people like myself representing us on a national level. I was able to make national contacts with other veterans and represent my school in congress and with senators.  

SVA conference thursday

It's quarter to nine here and people are beginning to fill up the Reserve Officers Association conference center for the breakfast. If you are not familiar with the building it's right off of Capitol Hill. The conference will begin shortly.

Welcome Reception Summary

 The SVA conference is open. We had a great reception last night at the American Legion post 8. We have groups from all over the country including a handful of walk ins including folks from Delaware, American University, and a gentleman all the way from Texas. 

 The reception opened up strong with some words from Jon Rowan, president of Vietnam Veterans of America. He was followed by long time SVA supporter and VetJobs.com owner Ted Daywalt. IAVA and the VFW were well represented by Eric Hilleman and Patrick Campbell who attended, but did not speak. We are all  looking forward to the legislative brief from Eric today. 

 Following Ted Daywalt, Randy Plunket gave a few words before Anthony Allman (VP SVA) introduced representative Ginnie Brown-Waite (R-FL). Representative Brown-Waite gave some remarks and was presented with an SVA plaque by Anthony for her good work supporting the GI Bill for the 21st century. She was followed by representative Harry Mitchell (D-AZ). Representative Mitchell gave some remarks about his decades of experience as a teacher and the importance of education. He was also presented with a plaque for his strong support of the GI Bill and the Financial Aid Fairness Act. 

 The proceedings closed around eight.

Conference Agenda

The SVA 2008 National Conference agenda is as follows:

June 11-13, 2008, Washington, DC

June 11, 2008

1700-2000: Welcome Reception (Sponsored by VetJobs)
Location: Kenneth H. Nash American Legion Post #8
224 D Street, SE
Special Guests:
Representative Harry Mitchell (D-AZ)
Representative Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL)

June 12, 2008

0830-1645: Conference (Sponsored by DeVry University & Vets4Vets)
Location: Reserve Officers Association: Top of the Hill Banquet Facility
One Constitution Avenue, NE

0830-0900: Registration and Continental Breakfast (Sponsored by Abbott Laboratories)

0900-0930: Welcome
Lieutenant General Dennis McCarthy (USMC Retired)
Executive Director, Reserve Officers Association

Derek Blumke
President, Student Veterans of America

0930-1005: Veterans Education Legislative Briefing
Eric Hilleman
Deputy Director, Legislative Affairs Office
Veterans of Foreign Wars

1005-1015: Break

1020-1040: SVA Website Showcase
Anthony Allman
Vice President, Student Veterans of America

1040-1100: Vets4Vets
Matt Randle
Institutional Outreach Coordinator, Vets4Vets

1100-1145: Media Relations Training
Dan McSweeney

1145-1230: Veterans Service Organizations
Bob Wallace
Executive Director, Veterans of Foreign Wars

1230-1330: Luncheon (Sponsored by Royal Neighbors of America)
Judith Tshibangu
Scholarship Presentation, Royal Neighbors of America

1330-1545: Regional Breakout Session

1545-1615: National Officer Nominee Addresses

1615-1645: Keynote Address
Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE)

1645: Adjourn

1700-1900: Reception (Sponsored by Veterans of Foreign Wars)
Location: The Monocle Restaurant
107 D Street, NE

June 13, 2008

0830-1100: Conference (Sponsored by DeVry University & Vets4Vets)
Location: Reserve Officers Association: Top of the Hill Banquet Facility
One Constitution Avenue, NE

0830-0900: Breakfast (Sponsored by Vietnam Veterans of America & Veterans of Modern Warfare)

0900-0915: Voting Results and Inauguration

0915-0925: Constitution Ratification

0925-1010: SVA Leadership Panel
Elizabeth O’Herrin
Executive Director, Student Veterans of America

Derek Blumke
President, Student Veterans of America

Anthony Allman
Vice President, Student Veterans of America

Luke Stalcup
Director of Media Relations, Student Veterans of America

Brendan Hart
Director of Finance and Operations, Student Veterans of America

John Powers
Regional Director, Northeast

1010-1025: Break

1025-1050: Closing Remarks by Newly Elected Leaders

1050-1100: Closing Remarks
Derek Blumke
President, Student Veterans of America


An Extra Special Thanks to Our Sponsors


www.vets4vets.us
www.devry.edu
www.vfw.org
www.vetjobs.com
www.royalneighbors.org
www.vva.org
www.modernveterans.com
www.legion.org
www.abbott.com
www.roa.org

Welcome to the SVA Conference

Welcome to the June 2008 Student Veterans of America conference in Washington DC. The conference proceedings will be covered here on this blog. Beginning with a summary of the reception Wednesday, live updates on Thursday and live updates Friday this blog will be a free internet portal to the SVA conference.
We understand that some of you could not make it here for various reasons. We still want everyone to participate in the conference. As we discuss the constitution, plans for the upcoming year, and identify common issues we need for those of you who could not make it to communicate via this blog with the assembled representatives of student veterans groups.
Here's how this is going to work:
- Updates and summaries will be posted.
- You should comment in the blog comment section with your thoughts or answers to questions posed at the conference.
- The closer to real time your response is on the blog the easier it will be for your input to be included. Remember that this blog will be one or two people sitting in the conference room chiming in with your input so be prompt, concise, and clear about what you want to say.
- you must identify yourself with your real name and school every time you post. For example: "Luke Stalcup, Columbia. how will this effect Columbia's veterans?"
- When votes are taken, groups that have submitted their applications , but are not represented, will have a chance to vote. Instructions will be posted when this happens. Groups that intend to vote need to identify a representative. Only communications from that representative will be considered. Take some time now to contact Liz to clarify who will be voting so that your vote will be counted in a timely manner. There will be another post on voting specifically.
- Be patient. We are trying to make SVA as inclusive and open as we can, but you are not here and this technology is not perfect. We all need to work together for this to be successful.
- No profanity.
- No squabbling or other internet tomfoolery. This will all work better if we all act like grown ups.
More posts to follow tomorrow and throughout the conference.
.