November 18th Meeting

On November 18th, we had a busy night. First off we elected a new Vice-President John Haviland. That created an opening for the position of Secretary, which was filled that night by Colin Winter. Colin welcome and best of luck to you with your new officer position.

We then passed word about our plans for next semester. We are requesting various companies and organizations to come and speak to the Student Veterans. The tentative list of companies are Cisco, GE, Harris, Battell, and more. The organizations include the VFW, AMVETs, and Veterans Affairs. Check out the calendar for the most recent information on the meetings.

As for meeting, we are taking a poll to find out what times and nights are best for you to attend Vets 4 Vets meetings. Please fill out the form located here, so we can make the meeting times more convenient.

The design for the 2013 - 2014 Vets 4 Vets t-shirts are finalized. We will be taking orders soon for those that wish to pre-order. Prices are not yet available because we need a count to get the final price. Estimates are between $15 and $20 per shirt. If you participate in the various fundraising events, you will be given a shirt for your help. To pre-order t-shirts, click here.

Friday December 13th, we are having a Vets 4 Vets night out. We know what day, the time and where is all up to guys. Vote here.

Some updates from the Veterans Ambassadors:

First Year Experience

Transition Orientations will begin to include Student Veterans into the presentation. This is a great way to show the incoming veterans that there are lots of resources available to them. They are also beginning the planning process to implement a mentorship program, where an upperclass Student Veterans will be paired with an incoming Student Veteran.

Rec Sport

Recreational Sports are going to begin hosting special Veteran only events once a month beginning in January. The idea is that for each event you attend, you will get a punch card. The people with the most punches on their card will be eligible to compete for a 2 day expenses paid kayak trip in Pennsylvania. The events will be free for Student Veterans to attend, except for the kayaking trip. The tentative list includes:

• January - Martial Arts Night
• February - Boot Camp (Student Veterans will be the instructors for this)
• March - WipeOut
• April – 2 day kayak in penn (10 ppl funded)

2014 Spring Semester Re-Enrollment

If you are planning on using your Post 9/11 GI Bill Benefits next semester, be sure to fill out the re-enrollment form and email it to the Military and Veterans Services Office so they can file it with the VA for you. 

Download the PDF file, fill it out and sign it, then email them to boyd.533@osu.edu or lee.49@osu.edu.

Coat Drive Still On

We are still collecting winter coats donations. We will be collecting winter coats until November 22nd.

Top 100 Military Friendly Jobs

Looking for a job or internship? Why not pick a company that wants to hire veterans. Here are the top 100 military friendly employers. militaryfriendly.com also has comparisons for schools (but why go anywhere else than Ohio State), and cities.

Tops 100 Employers
Top Schools
Top 50 Cities (Columbus, OH is #11)
Top Frnachises

Ohio State Basketball Military and Veterans Night

On November 12^th, 2013, The Ohio State Men’s Basketball honored their Student Veterans. 25 Student Veterans were selected to participate by waving the American Flag during the National Anthem, and they also cheered on the Buckeyes as they took the court. Along with the starting lineup, on Student Veteran from each branch was selected to represent their branch as well as their fellow Student Veterans from OSU. Prior to the game, all of the participants were taken “back stage” to check out the numerous trophies from that OSU has earned over the years. This was a great way to show their appreciation.

On behalf of the Student Veterans from The Ohio State University, I would like to thank

Coach Thad Matta, Ohio State Basketball Head Coach

Dave Egelhoff, OSU Director of Basketball Ops

Jim Miller, OSU Office of Business & Finance Associate VP

Mike Forrest & Mike Carrell, OSU Military and Veterans Services

The Ohio State Men’s Basketball Team,

And everyone else at The Ohio State University

If not for these people, this event would not have happened. We appreciate the welcome and support as we continue through college and lives.

Pictures from the event are posted here, and the official article is here.

Winter Coat Drive and Flag Display

This Friday (November 8th) we will be setting up American Flags in the Oval. There will be one to represent every Veteran at The Ohio State University (Students, Faculty, and Staff). At the same time we will be collecting coats for Homeless Veterans for the winter. We will need help for setting up the flags (over 2,000) and to man the collection booth. Set up begins at 8:00 AM in the North East portion of the Oval. If you would like to help out, please sign up here.

The location is outlined in red: