Newsletter published by WKU Veterans Upward Bound contains articles and calendar of events

WKU Veterans Upward Bound

Newsletter published by WKU Veterans Upward Bound includes articles and calendar of events

TopSCHOLAR

Western Kentucky UniversityTopSCHOLAR®WKU Archives Records WKU Archives1-1-2006UA35/8 The TopperWKU Veterans Upward BoundFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_recordsThis Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in WKU Archives Records by anauthorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact connie.foster@wku.edu.Recommended CitationWKU Veterans Upward Bound, "UA35/8 The Topper" (2006). WKU Archives Records. Paper 1408.http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records/1408I WINTER 2006 Volume 12 Issue 3 Financial Aid Info on the Web Support Spotlight: Schella Smith If inancial Aid . These two words can send even the most serene college student into a panic-stricken tail-. spin. But it doesn't have to be that way. Thanks to the internet, there is now more financial aid infor-mation at your fingertips than ever before. The FAFSA The most important financial aid website is http:// www.fafsa.ed.gov. The ac· ronym FAFSA stands for the Cl "Free Application for Federal Student Aid ." Every student seeking financial aid must fill out either the FAFSA or the Renewal FAFSA. Fortunately these can be completed on the computer, and you can use our lab if you don't have a computer. There are also paper copies avail-able for those who wish to submit it by mail. PRIORITY DEADLINE FOR FILING THE FAFSA IS MARCH 15 There are people out there who would like you to pay them for this free service, but remember the first "F" in FAFSA stands for "FREE." No fee is associ-ated with th is service. OTHER SITES WKU's Financial Aid website (http://www.wku.edu/lnfo/FinAid) provides a great deal of information on applying for financial aid and scholar-ships. Their website also has a specific page for information about Veterans Benefits. Although some of this information is specific to students attending WKU, much of it is very general in nature and can be D helpful for anyone. The Department of Veterans Affairs has a website (http:// www.gibill.va.gov) which helps explain re you planning on attending WKU using your GI Benefits? Schella Smith, the VA Coord ina--':::::"'L":CI tor at WKU, is someone you should get to know. Her years of experience help her to help you navi-gate the paperwork and bureaucracy so that you can get the money fiowing as quickly as possible. Schella (pronounced "Sheila") works as the lia ison between the student and the Department of Veterans Affairs, certifying students in order for them to receive their benefits. Although she has worked in other offices both at WKU and other uni-versities, she enjoys the student contact that comes with this particular job. "I really enjoy working with the veter-ans. They have given so much for our country and deserve whatever (Continued on page 3: Support Spotlight) and answer questions more specific to VA educational benefits. Some impor- \ tant features include a list of Frequently J Asked Questions (FAQs) and their an- ~ \ their enrollment status online. swers, as well as a way for veterans 1 already receiving VA benefits to verify -=A-p-p-'-ly- N-=-=-o-w- flO:-o-r -=~:-a/-:-:-/ -'-V-""U-:-B::--=-SCh-::-ol-a-rS-h-ip----'1 ~J (I;; oing to school in the fall of 2006? Apply now for the vue Scholarship for a chance to earn $300 for your education. This scholarship is made possible through donations from the Types of Financial Aid Director's Desk News and Notes , Important Numbers and Dates VFW and the American Legion, and it is only available to former VUB students. So make sure you apply today. Applications are availab le in the VUB office. page 2 page 3 page 3 page 4 Page 2 · .. . .:. .. , Types of Financial Aid Relying on grants or loans for school? There are several types of financial aid you might be eligible to receive, and each type is different. The table below explains the various Federa l Student Aid programs, who's eligible, whether or not you have to repay them, and how much you may receive. (In formation below taken from The Student Guide, 2005-2006 edition). Federal Student Aid Program Type of Aid Program Details Annual Award Amounts Federal Pell Grant Grant: does not have to be Available almost exclusively $400 to $4,050 (2004-2005 repaid to undergraduates; all eligi- amounts); 2005-2006 ble students will receive the amount wi ll depend on pro-Federal Pell Grant amounts gram funding they quali fy for Federal Supplemental Grant: does not have to be For undergraduates with $100 to $4,000 Educational Opportunity repaid exceptional financial need; Grant (FSEOG) priority is given to Federal Pell Grant recipients; fu nds depend on availability at school Federal Work Study Money is earned while at- For undergraduate and No annual minimum or maxi-tending school ; does not graduate students; jobs can mum award amounts have to be repaid be on campus or off campus; students are paid at least minimum wage Federal Perkins Loans Loan: must be repaid 5% loans for both under- $4,000 maximum for under-graduate and graduate stu- graduate students; 56,000 dents; payment is owed to maximum for graduate stu-the school that made the dents; no minimum award loan amount Subsidized FFEL or Direct Loan : must be repaid ; you Subsidized: US Department $2,625 to $18,500, depend-Stafford Loan must be at least a half-time of Education pays interest ing on grade level student while borrower is in school and during grace and defer-ment periods Unsubsidized FFEL or Di- Loan: must be repaid; you Unsubsidized: Borrower is $2,625 to $18,500, depend-rect Stafford Loan must be at least a half-time responsible for interest dur- ing on grade level (includes student ing life of the loan; financial any subsidized amounts re-need not a requirement ceived for the same period) FFEL or Direct PLUS Loan Loan: must be repaid Avai lable to parents of de- Maximum amount is cost of pendent undergraduate stu- attendance minus any other dents enrolled at least half- financial aid the student re-time ceives; no minimum award amount TRiO r--.... T HE TOI' I'ER is pu hlished three ti mes yea rly hy the VetertlnS Up wlIrti Bound Pmjea al !Yes/em Kentucky University . Vl1 n is rund ed 'ill by OJ grant from th c U.S. Department of £dm:lIliolJ (Fiscal Year 05-06: S270,759). The opinions ex pressed within Ihis newslettcr do not WESTERN necessarily reflec t thc position ur po licy of ei th er Ih e U.S. Department VETERANS UPWARD BOUND of Education or Weslem KelJllIcky UII/Vim;;f)'. a nd no otlici al KENTUCKY entJ orscmcnt should be infer red. UNIVERSITY Support Spotlight: Continued from page 1) assistance we can offer them." So what does Smith say is the first thing you need to do to get your benefits going? "Contact our office. We will assist them in completing the application to apply for their benefits or transferring their benefits from another univer-sity. We will also sit down with the veteran and go over all the rules and regulations that VA requires veterans to abide by when receiving their benefits. We will also answer any questions they may have. " But make sure to turn in the required paperwork every semester. Smith says this is the biggest problem her office encounters and can delay your benefits for months. Her best suggestion is to plan ahead because the process takes time. Ide-ally, if a student knows he or she will attend WKU, "they should contact the VA Office at WKU several months ahead of the semester they intend to use their benefits. They need to par-ticipate in Priority Reg istration every semester and turn their paperwork into our office at that time." Smith makes it clear that she's there to "serve the students to the best of our ability. We have made ourselves and,this office available to answer any questions that we can for the stu-dents." The VA Office has a webpage spe-cifically targeting veterans (http:// www.wku.edulfinaid/vahome.htm). Many forms are located there for easy access. "Even though we have limits placed by VA, we do everything we can to assist our veterans and to help them receive the benefits they are eligible for." Page 3 The Director's Desk BAD WEATHER CLOSING 1f his time of year can bring ice and snow, and the question is, "Is Veterans Upward Bound open?" We close when the campus closes. Campus closings are usually an-nounced on the WBKO television station and on the WKU web page at http://www.wku.edu. You are still welcome to call us if you do not see the notice in those locations. Even if VUB is open, we still urge you to use your best judgment if it is safe for you to get out in the weather or not. All we ask is that you call ahead of time if you plan not to be here, and be careful and be safe when bad weather hits. WE NEED YOUR HELP We are behind in our numbers of active students this year. Please talk to friends and colleagues and let them know of our program. If you are working, please ask if we can bring a fiyer or brochures by to post at the worksite for other vets to see and then notify any VUB staff if you get a positive answer. We have a good program and we can use your help in finding other veterans who can take advantage of our free services. If you want to take fiiers or brochures to various locations we can provide ' them so please let us know of your News and Notes ,~ desire to help. We want to help more veterans have a chance to go to school. Please help us help them. VUB HELP IS AVAILABLE FOR ALUMNI I want to congratulate all those students with good GPAs. VUB checks to see who is doing well and then if we find people struggling we try to see if there is a way to help. For example, if you can not get help on campus, call us and we can possibly provide help. If you want some help between semesters again, call us and we can help before you go back to school again. Above: VUB Staff and friends await-ing the start of the 2005 Veterans Day Parade • Congrats to Kelly Anderson and Will King , who both earned bachelor's degrees in December. • • Congrats to the following students with GPAs of 4.0 for the fall semester: John Barry, James Bronson, Ron Fabbo, Katherine Faesel, Will King , Ward Moran, Jesse Penny, Billy Simmons and Race Stork. Congrats to the following students with GPAs of of 3.5 or greater for the fall semester: Dorthoy Isomura, Kimberly Mack, Michael Miciotto, Glenda Murley, Cody Norris, Carlton Potter, Kimberly Smith and Jeffery Treece. I I ., S} Sue Lynn Stone University Archives Helms Library Important Numbers and Dates Department of Employment Services, Bowling Green Feb 11' (270) 746-7425 Stephanie Gabbard, VA Voc-Rehab, B.G. Office (270) 846-2092 Mar3' VA Regional Office, Louisville (800) 827-1000 Apr 8' VA Regional Office, Nashville, TN (615) 695-6372 May4 VA Medical Center, Louisville (502) 895-3401 May 5' VA Medical Center, Nashville, TN (615) 327-4751 Kentucky Center for Veterans Affairs, Louisville May 29 (502) 595-4447 Military Records Branch, Frankfort (502) 564-4883 May 30 Kentucky Veterans Center, Wilmore (800) 928-4838 AMVETS, Louisville Jun 10' (502) 582-5594 Disabled American Veterans, Louisville Jul28 (800) 333-1720 Veterans of Foreign Wars, Louisville ACT Test Date NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 398 BOWLING GREEN, KY 42101 Registration Postmark Deadline for April 8 ACT Test Date ACT Test Date VUB Spring Classes End Registration Postmark Deadline for June 10 ACT Test Date Memorial Day VUB Office and Classes Closed VUB Summer Classes Begin ACT Test Date VUB Fall Semester Postsecondary Registration Deadline (502) 582-6445 *Please call early for infonnation on test dates. VUB may pay testing Military Order of the Purple Heart, Louisville fees, but to do so we must have your application at least six weeks (502) 582-6926 prior to the registration postmark deadline. 

UA35/8 The Topper

Western Kentucky UniversityTopSCHOLAR®WKU Archives Records WKU Archives1-1-2005UA35/8 The TopperWKU Veterans Upward BoundFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_recordsThis Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in WKU Archives Records by anauthorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact connie.foster@wku.edu.Recommended CitationWKU Veterans Upward Bound, "UA35/8 The Topper" (2005). WKU Archives Records. Paper 1405.http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records/1405WINTER 2005 Volume 11 Issue 3 Filling out the FAFSA This information is taken (rom a brochure produced by the United States Department of Education. .. ,,;\~~ eed money for college? If you hope to receive any financial aid to pay for your l'!!-~tl J postsecondary pursuits, you 'll need to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Fortunately you can com-plete this form and submil it online. Here are six steps to help you as you prepare to complete the FAFSA. 1. Get a PIN. To sign your FAFSA electronically, you need a U.S. Department of Education PIN (Personal Identification Num-ber) . If you don't already have one, apply now at www.pin.ed.gov. Your FAFSA will be processed faster if you sign using a PIN than if you mail in a signature page. 2. Print the Pre-Application Worksheet from www.fafsa.ed.gov. Some stu-dents find it helpful to complete the Pre-Application Worksheet be-fore completing FAFSA on the Web. 3. Save your FAFSA as you go . Save your applicalion often using the "Save" button at the bottom of the screen. That way, if you lose your Internet connection, you can return to your FAFSA without losing any information . NOTE: If you click the "Exit" button, you'll not only close your application, but you 'll also erase all the information you enlered since the last time you saved it. 4. Get help. Because Ihere is FREE help available, you don 't have to pay to get assistance filling out your FAFSA. The "Need Help with this Page?" button at the bottom of every FAFSA on the Web page will lead you to information to help you complete that page. The "Help" button at the top of every screen has an index of help topics. In addi-tion , you can chat with a customer (Continued on page 2: FAFSA) Glasgow Classes Begin lID eginning this spring, Veterans Upward Bound will offer re-[] fresher classes at WKU's Glasgow Campus. Instructor Marlys Garman will offer two class times on Wednesdays: 9:00 a.m. to 11 :30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Interested students can sign up for the Glasgow classes by calling Mar-tha Kenney at the main VUB office (270-745-5310). Whether you're a former student interested in return-ing or a new student wanting to re-fresh those old skills, give us a call and sign up for classes in Glasgow. Teacher Spotlight: Marlys Garman As of January, former evening instructor Marlys Garman moves to the Glasgow campus to offer VUB classes there (see Glasgow Classes Begin, below). W!Il~ hat do you enjoy most WI J about teaching at VUB? This is my eighth year as a teacher for VUB. It is such a pleasure to work with students who are truly motivated and open to learning. I am excited about starting up classes at the Glasgow campus. I feel privileged to be working with veterans who have served our country. What advice do you give students as they prepare to leave our program and pursue their postsecondary goals? I encourage them to have confidence in (Continued on page 3: Teacher Spotlight) Veterans Day Parade Photos; What You Need for FAFSA on the Web Director's Desk; New Postsecondary Admission Policy page 2 page 3 page 3 page 4 News and Notes; Beware of Scholarship Search Scams Important Numbers and Dates Page 2 Veterans Day Parade Photos (FA FSA: Continued from page 1) service representative directly over the I nternet by clicking the "Live Help" button. If you still need more help, call 1-800-4-FED-AID. 5. Sign your application. If you have a PIN, you can electroni-cally sign your FAFSA. Other-wise , you 'll need to print the signature page and mail it in . 6. Submit your application. Click the "Submit" button lo-cated on the last page of FAFSA on the Web You'll be taken to a new page that con-firms your submission and gives you a confirmation number. What You Need for FAFSA on the Web • Your Social Security number. • Your driver's license number, if you have one. • Your W-2 Forms. • Your federal income tax return . • Your current bank statements and records of stocks, bonds and other investments. • Your records of other untaxed income received, such as Social Security, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), wel-fare or veterans benefits. • Your business or farm records, if applicable. Your alien registration number, if you are not a U.S. citizen. Use income records for the calendar year prior to the academic year you're applying for (i.e. - use 2004 income information for the 2005-2006 FAFSA) .... • WEJKRN (clockwise from top) : VUB students and staff gather before the parade; stu-dent Marshall Gilliam marches down the street; Glasgow Instructor Marlys Garman sits in the back of her flag-festooned truck , with student William Peterson standing by; students Lyle Hensley and Bill Martin carry the VUB banner while Instructor Davy Stone and Fall Intern Marisa Duarte stand behind. 'I'll [ TO I)PElt is puhlishcd Ihrl'c times ~'carlr hy tilt' , 'clt'ran.fi Upward IJoflm/ Project (If lVe.flem Kentucky Ullil'crsily. "un is funti ed by Ii ~r:ln l from lil t' U.S. Df!prlrlmel11 (If Educatiof/ (Fisca l Yca r 04·05: S270,759). T Ill' o ll ini ons u: prcssl'd \\ ilh ill this 1I (' \\ sll'tll'" du nol ncrcs!ria rily n' nl'ct th e pusition or policy (If dl her th e U.S. Depttrlmelll of EtllICtlfimt or ,, 'e!ill'rI1 A'l!l1flH'I..r Unil'l!r~i(l'. :1111.1 110 onicia l cndurscmr ll l shuuld be inferred. A FEDCRA~~Y KENTUCKY FU N oeD PROGR AM UNIVERSITY ------- ---- --------- ------Beware of Scholarship Search Scams early every year people are swindled out of money they desperately need for school because some group contacts them and offers to do a search for scholarships that the person can apply to receive. Veterans Upward Bound would like to warn you that many of these searches do not tell you anything you can not learn by talking to the staff or to a financia l aid officer at any college or university. Unfortu-nately, these searches often ask for a lot of money for their service and you seldom get a return on your dol-lar. Our advice is that if someone wants money to run a scholarship search for you , call VUB and ask if it sounds legitimate before sending them a check. Teacher Spotlight: Continued from page 1) their abilities and never give up. What interests do you have when you're not working at VUB? I love to spend time with my grand-children. I also enjoy photography, painting with acrylics and working in my flower gardens. What do you like most about work-ing with adults? Working with adults is a real pleasure because they are usually very goal oriented and appreciative of what VUB does to help them achieve their goals. It is also very rewarding to see them gain confidence in their ability to succeed. Got Financial Aid Questions? Call VUB at 270-745-5310. New Postsecondary Admission Policy To better facilitate the postsecond-ary admission application process, VUB has established the following deadline dates for the 2005-2006 academic calendar: Deadline Date Fall Semester '05 July 29, '05 Spring Semester '06 Nov 23, '05 (Wednesday before Thanksgiving) Veterans Upward Bound will need to receive all application forms by this date if you are requesting our assistance in the process. So if you're planning on attending school this year, let your VUB in-structor know as soon as possible so that we can better assist you. Thanks! Page 3 The Director's ~, ~~9~ ach year Veterans Upward I Bound is funded a specific amount of money that is di-II;:==!.I vided by the amount of partici-pants we serve every year (120) to reach a Cost Per Participant -that is currently at $2,256. This amount covers the salaries for staff who provide services, materials, supplies, stipends, and incidental fees like ACT registration or college application fees. It becomes important, then, that partici-pants participate fully in the program. It is also important that participants go on to postsecondary school rather than drop-ping out of VUB or finishing VUB but never going on to school. Our program is evaluated by how we meet our objectives, including how many of our graduates enter postsecondary school and then graduate with a baccalaure-ate degree or a certificate of completion. To verify that a person completes school after VUB, we must rema in in touch with that person. Some tracking can be done on the computer but many times we also need to hear from participants so our records can be accurate and complete. Your success is directly related to the continued success of the VUB program. By keeping us informed, you make it possible for us to provide services to more vets in the future. News and Notes • Congratulations to Bill Basham and David Angle. Both graduated from Western Kentucky University in December. • Congratulations to Carl Potter, who completed the VUB program this fall and is enrolled in classes at the Western Kentucky University Community College this spring. • Congratulations to the following students on their current academic success: David Angle (3.81 ), William Basham (4.0), James Bronson (3.6), Teresa Compton (4.0), Debbie Goodnight (4 .0), Deidre Stewart Jessup (4.0), Jacob Likens (4.0), Kimberly Mack (3.75), Allen Martin (4.0), William Martin (3.5), Glenda Murley (4.0) , Jennifer Patterson (4.0), and Scott Robinson (3.75) . 1/ 'l. 5' Western Kentucky University 1 Big Red Way Bowling Green, KY 42101 Sue Lynn Stone WKU University Archives CAMPUS MAIL/ WKU Important Numbers and Dates Department of Employment Services, Bowling Green Feb 12* (270) 746-7425 Debbie Brizendine, VA Voc-Rehab, B.G. Office Feb 21 (270) 783-8038 VA Regional Office, Louisv ille March 4* (800) 827-1000 VA Regional Office, Nashville, TN (615) 695-6372 April 9* VA Medical Center, Louisville (502) 895-3401 April 29 VA Medical Center, Nashville, TN (615) 327-4751 Kentucky Center for Veterans Affairs , Louisville MayS (502) 595-4447 Military Records Branch, Frankfort May 6* (502) 564-4883 Kentucky Veterans Center, Wilmore (800) 928-4838 AMVETS, Louisville June 11* (502) 582-5594 Disabled American Veterans , Louisville July 29 (800) 333-1720 Veterans of Foreign Wars , Louisville ACT Test Date Presidents Day NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 398 BOWLING GREEN, KY 42101 Registration Postmark Deadline for April 9 ACT Test Date ACT Test Date VUB Awards Banquet Holiday Inn University Plaza Hotel VUB Spring Session Ends Registration Postmark Deadline for June 11 ACT Test Date ACT Test Date VUB Fall Semester Postsecondary Registration Deadline (502) 582-6445 * Please call early for information on test dates. VUB may pay testing Military Order of the Purple Heart, Louisville fees, but to do so we must have your application at least six weeks (502) 582-6926 prior to the registration postmark deadline. 

Western Kentucky UniversityTopSCHOLAR®WKU Archives Records WKU Archives4-1-2002UA35/8 The TopperWKU Veterans Upward BoundFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_recordsThis Other is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in WKU Archives Records by anauthorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact connie.foster@wku.edu.Recommended CitationWKU Veterans Upward Bound, "UA35/8 The Topper" (2002). WKU Archives Records. Paper 1400.http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records/1400WINTER/SPRING 2002 Volume 8 Issue 3 A World Wide Web of Financial Aid Info r inancial Aid . These two words can send even the most se-rene college student into a - panic-stricken tailspin. But it doesn't have to be that way. Thanks to the internet, there is now more fi-nancial aid information at your finger-tips than ever before. The FAFsA The most important financial aid web-site is http://www.fafsa.ed.goY. The acronym FAFSA is used when talking about financial aid, but just what does that stand for, anyway? The FAFSA, quite sim-piy, is a "Free Applicaiion for Federal Student Aid: Every student seeking financial aid must fill out either the FAFSA or the Renewal FAFSA. Fortu-nately these can be completed on the computer. There are also pa-per copies available for those who wish to submit it by mail. There are people out there who would like you to pay them for this free service, but remember the first "F" in FAFSA stands for "FREE." No fee is associated with this ser-vice (see "Warning!" below). OTHER SITES Mike Hills, the veterans financial aid counselor at Western Kentucky Uni-versity, suggests two other financial aid websites . First, INKU's Financiai Aid website (http://www.wku.edu/lnfo/FinAid) provides a great deal of information on applying for financial aid and scholarships. Although some of this information is specific to students attending WKU, much of it is very general in nature and can be helpful for anyone. (Continued on page 2: Financial Aid) Warning! FAFSA free, but not everywhere People trying to fill out the FREE Application for Student Financial Assistance (FAFSA) online should be careful. Several websites using addresses mislead-ingly close to the official FAFSA website (http://www.fafsa.org) charge any-where from $50 and up for services that would otherwise be free. These sites use misspellings and different domain names from the real site, and they are in no way affiliated with the US Department of Education or the FAFSA. Remember, the official FAFSA website is http://www.fafsa.org, and you will be required to pay NOTHING to fill out this form. I II Veterans Voices 2002 Preview Notes and News The Director's Desk Important Numbers and Dates Student Spotlight: Robert Beam and Teresa Compton P erhaps it was destiny that brought Robert Beam and - Teresa Compton together. :!:!l Both their families have strong ties to the military. Robert, who is originally from Holland, Michigan, comes from a long line of veterans; his brother served in Desert Storm; his father in Vietnam; and his grand-father served during World War II. Teresa, originally a coal miner's daughter from Pocahontas, Virginia, also had a grandfather in World War 11, as well as several uncles who were in the Marine Corps. So like their progenitors, both Robert and Teresa joined the Marines and were soon headed overseas. In 1994 Robert, who worked in sup-ply, and Teresa, a Transportation (Continued on page J: Student Spotlight) page 2 page 2 page 3 page 4 Page 2 " . c Veterans Voices 2002 Preview This May. in conjunction with the annual awards banquet. VUB will publish the fourth biennial "Veterans Voices." a book highlighting the unique voices of our veteran participants. Through poems, essays, letters and short stories. our students relate their experiences and share their insights while practicing the writing skills so important to postsecondary education. The following poems are a sample of some of the works to be published. Below are two Haiku, Japanese poems with three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syl/ables. Kaleidoscope Edwin Phelps Our Kaleidoscope All we've heard, said , and done is The sum of ourselves Poetry Angst Mary Clark Reading these words I've Developed a headache now What a pain this is You & Me Anthony Johnson How do you think this world would be If there was no difference between you and me You'd look around and all you'd see Is you and you and never me We'd walk and talk and act the same So there would be no use for the blaming game Cause there wouldn 't be anyone else to blame Now wouldn't that be a crying shame Imagine the whole world like this too There would be no he's nor she's, only you Everyone walking around and feeling blue ------___ ____ _ _ __________ ---, Now what is it that we could do Notes and News How do you think this world would be • VUB Alumni who achieved the Fall 2001 WKU President's List (a If there was no difference between you and me You'd look around and all you'd see Is you and you and never me GPA of 3.8 to 4.0 for full time students): Alison Anderson, How dull and boring our lives would be David Angle , Marisa Duarte, David Embrey, Kyle Hines, Scott L ___ ,--__ -= ___________ _ Robinson, Kimberly Smith, and Jimmy Williams. • \lUB Alumni who achieved the Fall 2001 WKU Dean's List (a GPA of 3.4 to 3.79 for full time students): Jodi Madison . • Honorable Mention-Deidre Stewart achieved a 3.33 GPA for Fall 2001--missing the list by only .07 of a point. CONGRATULATIONS to all those who achieved these outstanding grades. We are very proud of your accomplishments. Keep up the great work!!1 (And keep us informed when you have attained goals that make you proud!) You can reach us bye-mail or at 745-5310 or 745-5024. Please excuse any omission that may have been made in this list. • Congratulations to Kim Smith, who earned an Associate's Degree in Auto-mated Industrial Systems Technology from KCTCS in Bowling Green, KY. • Congratulations to VUB Administrative Assistant Joan Harrison and her husband Barry on the birth of their daughter. Katie Sue Harrison was born February 11 at the Medical Center in Bowl-ing Green, KY. (Financial Aid: Continued from page 1) The Department of Veterans Affairs has a website (http://www.gibill.va. gov) which helps explain and answer questions more specific to V A ,,=~(')ry1: educational benefits. Some impor-tant features include a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and their answers, as well as a way for veterans already receiving VA benefits to verify their enrollment status online. Finally, remember that financial aid monies are limited, so it's important to file early to ensure that you are consid-ered for all possible aid. According to the FAFSA website, the priority dead-. line for filing in Kentucky is March 15. ..... A WE~RN THE TOPPER is published three times yearly by the Veterans Upward Bound Project at Western Kentucky University. VUB is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (Fiscal Year 01-02: $257,718). The opinions expressed within this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of either the U.S. Department of Education or Western Kentucky University, and no official endorsement should be inferred. A FEDEAmY KENTUCKY WWW -- http://www.wku.edu/vub/ FU NO EO PROGRAM UNlVERSITY e-mail __ Veterans.Upward.Bound@WKU.edu (Student SpoUighl: Continued from page 1) Management Officer, met while both were stationed in Japan during their first year of service. They became a couple and stayed together until 1996, when they were transferred to the 1 st Force Service Support Group in California. It was there that they married. After separating from the Marines in 1997, they had to decide where to live as civilians. They finally decided to use a map to determine the loca-tion of their future home. When Teresa closed her eyes and pointed, her finger landed on Bowling Green which they felt was a good choice because it allowed them to live equally distant from both their fami-lies. They eventually settled in Scottsville, just a few miles from Bowling Green. Robert first learned of VUB from a public service announcement on TV. He attended VUB instructor Marlys Garman's evening classes, for which he received an Outstanding Effort Award at the 2001 VUB Awards Banquet. He enrolled at Western Kentucky University in the fall of 2001 . He currently is pursuing a de-gree in Financial Management and Corporate Communications, with a minor in Financial Planning. After Robert moved on to WKU, Teresa decided to take advantage of the opportunities that VUB offers. She joined VUB the same semester that Robert began university classes , and she currently attends the same evening classes her husband had at-tended almost a year before. Teresa plans to pursue a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education, with the hope of eventually teaching 3rd grade. Robert and Teresa have two chil-dren: Jessie, a 4-year-old son born in California, and Lauren, a 2-year-old daughter born in Bowling Green. Page 3 The Director's Desk ~----, ....... m have just submitted an annual re-port to our funding agency in Washington, DC, and it shows that Veterans Upward Bound is =~== quite successful. We served more participants last year than in recent years, and we are thrilled to reach so many deserving people. However, we would like to reach even more veter-ans who want to go to college or voca-tional school and need to refresh their academic abilities before they do. So please help put the word out that VUB always has spaces open for eligible veterans. It is time to apply for financial aid if you are planning to attend postsecondary school this fall or in spring 2003. Many times people do not feel they are qualified for financial assistance and do not apply . A person can lose out on lots of help this way. The financial aid I am talking about is not tied to vet-erans benefits, so I urge you to file the application and just find out what is available for you. Call the VUB office at 745-5310 or the WKU Student Fi-nancial Assistance office at 745-2755 if you have questions. And if you are attending VUB classes at this time just ask a staff member while you are in the building. after the last banquet is eligible to at-tend, and we will also invite special alumni guests who have achieved success in post secondary school. Wait for the letter to arrive and then call the office at 745-5310 to reserve your seats. There is no cost to you if you attend but a reserva-tion is required in order for us to know how many meals to order. Good news related to the above is In about a year VUB staff will be writ-ing a new grant proposal to get money to continue the program for four more years. This is about the only time we can make significant changes in the program. If you have any feelings about what parts of the program are good or not so good, or if you have any suggestion regarding the way in which we do business, please let the director know. But re-member, our money comes from the U.S. Department of Education, not ~;iiii;1 from the VA so suggestions about veterans benefits are not what we are looking for. that the Pell grant maximum has been raised by the House and Senate and if the President adds his signature the total Pell grant available for the needi-est people will be $4,000. We have an important event coming up that I want to tell you about. An of-ficialletter will be sent later, but you can reserve this date on your calendar now. The annual Veterans Upward Bound Awards Banquet will be held on Friday, May 3, 2002, at the University Plaza. Any person who was in VUB Enjoy the spring, and as the weather gets nicer, remember that your edu-cation has to be apriority. Don't start missing classes to be out in the nice weather. Stay committed to your education and remain focused until you complete postsecondary school. If you start taking breaks you might lose your drive and never go to school or maybe never complete school so the best course is to just keep "plugging along". Randy Wilson A W WESTERN KENTUCKY Veterans Upward Bound Western Kentucky University 1 Big RedWay Bowling Green, KY 42101 NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERM ITl98 BOWLING GREEN, KY 42 101 Important Numbers and Dates Department of Employment Services, Bowling Green Mar 11-15 VUB student spring break (classes will (270) 746-7425 not be in session, although the office will VA Regional Office, Louisville be open) (800) 827-1000 VA Regional Office, Nashville, TN Mar 22- VUB registration deadline (615) 736-5243 for June 8 ACT VA Medical Center, Louisville (502) 895-3401 May 2 VUB spring session ends VA Medical Center, Nashville, TN (615) 327-4751 May 3 VUB Awards Banquet Kentucky Center for Veterans Affairs, Louisville (502) 595-4447 Military Records Branch, Frankfort May 27 Memorial Day - VUB offices closed (502) 564-4883 May 28 VUB summer session begins Kentucky Veterans Center, Wilmore (800) 928-4838 Jun 8' ACT Test Date AMVETS, Louisville (502) 582-5594 Jul4 Independence Day - VUB offices closed Disabled American Veterans, Louisville (800) 333-1720 Veterans of Foreign Wars, Louisville (502) 582-6445 Military Order of the Purple Heart, Louisville (502) 582-6926 *Pleas8 call eany for information on test dates. vue may pay testing fees, but to do so we must have your application at least six weeks prior to the registration postmark deadline. 

Western Kentucky UniversityTopSCHOLAR®WKU Archives Records WKU Archives7-1-2005UA35/8 The TopperWKU Veterans Upward BoundFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_recordsThis Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in WKU Archives Records by anauthorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact connie.foster@wku.edu.Recommended CitationWKU Veterans Upward Bound, "UA35/8 The Topper" (2005). WKU Archives Records. Paper 1406.http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records/1406SUMMER 2005 Volume 12 Issue 1 2005 VUB Awards Banquet Iii veryone likes recognition for his/her successes. On Fri-, day evening, April 29, the B VUB staff recognized suc-cessful students from the 2004-2005 school year at the 13th annual Veterans Upward Bound Awards Banquet at the Holiday Inn University Plaza Hotel. First, Mr. Don Counselor/Coordinator Martha Kenney recognized students who have completed certificates or degrees. Both John Enlow and David Ramsey received certificates from KCTCS, while Melissa Lebo Steele received an Associates degree. David Angle, Bill Basham, Kelly Culp, Henry Damron, Carl Garrett, John Maloney and Bryan Mink all received Bachelors degrees. Former VUB intern and 2002 Alumni of the Year Marisa Duarte continued her education by completing her Mudd of VFW Post #1298 presented Director Randy Wilson with a check for the local schol-arship fund . This year's scholarship winner is Glenda Murley. (middle) stands between. instructors Marlys Masters degree. Garman (leN) and CassIe Z/ppay (right) . Th' th After the buffet, guest speaker Dr. Luther Hughes, Associate Vice President at Western Kentucky Uni-versity, brought students the message that, while you may not be able to afford to go to school, you definitely can't afford NOT to go. IS year, e Alumni of the Year award was given to David Angle, an excellent student who has been very supportive of the VUB pro-gram throughout his time both at VUB andWKU. Instructor Cassie Zippay recognized (Continued on page 2: Banquet) Instructor Marlys Garman Retires arlys Garman, the evening teacher for several years in Bowling Green and recent daytime teacher in Glasgow, announced her resignation at the end of the May. She emphasized she loves VUB and will miss the students and staff, but she'll remain very busy. We will miss Marlys and we wish her the best in her new activities. Student Spotlight: Doug Nelson WfJJ ho's in the VUB classroom almost as much as the in-structors? Doug Nelson, that's who. Since August of 2004, Doug has been a regu-lar tutoring student at VUB. After a more than twenty-year career with the United States Air Force, this retired military man is completing his Bachelor of Science in Professional Aeronautics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Day-tona Beach, FL. No, Doug doesn't fly between Embry-Riddle and VUB in Bowl-ing Green; instead, he takes all his classes online. A participant of VUB through the Veterans Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation program, Doug receives tutoring to help him with college classes like algebra, literature, and professional writing . (Continued on page 3: Student Spotlight) Page 2 (Banquet: Continued from page 1) those students who have displayed outstanding effort while refreshing their skills at VUB. Receiving certificates were Bill Adams, Doug Nelson, Carl Potter, Neal Taylor, Bill VanHook, and Cary Wolfe. The Dare to Dream award, given each year to a student who has overcome adversity in pursuit of an education, was presented by Instructor Davy Stone to Kevin Crum for not letting an Army injury hinder his pursuit of education. 2005 Banquet Photos A special Certificate of Appreciation was given to Carma Runner, who has used her own time and money to promote VUB to both the community and legislato~r~s:-. ..... """'--~~:: Finally, Marlys Garman presented Kimberly Mack as the 2005 VUB Student of the Year, an award given to the student who exemplifies the successes we hope for all our students. Kim was the winner of the local VUB scholarship last year, as well as one of the 2005 winners of the National Association of Veterans Upward Bound Project Personnel (NAVUBPP) scholarship. After all scholastic awards had been given, Office Associate Pat Ault and VUB student worker Kevin Crum drew names for door prizes which were generously donated from organizations throughout the community. Clockwise from top: Counselor/Coordinator Martha Kenney introduces David Angle, VUB Alumni of the Year; WKU Associate Vice President Luther Hughes brings greet· ings from WKU and speaks about the importance of education; students and guests listen to the guest speaker; Dare to Dream award winner Kevin Crum; Director Randy Wilson awards the local VUB Scholarship to Glenda Murley; Director Randy Wilson thanks student Carma Runner for her activities and support of VUB . .... THE TOPPER is published three times yearly by the Vett'Tam' Upward Bomul Project at JIIestem XenlllcJ.y Ullil·ersitj'. VUB is fundl'd by 1l grunt from the U.S. Departmellt 0/ Edm:atiOIJ (Fis('al Year 04-05: S270,759). The opinions expresud within this newsletter do not necessarily reneel the position or policy of either the u.s. Departme"t of Educatioll or Western Kentucky University, and no offidal endorselll('nt should be inferred. A WES'VERN /\ FEDERACCY KENTUCKY FUNDEDPRooRAMlfl\IT\fEF(SI~ ----------------------------------------------------Student Spotlight Continued from page 1) A 1980 graduate of Grayson County High School in Leitchfield, KY, Doug was an aircraft electrical and environ-mental systems craftsman for more than twenty years. During his career in the Air Force, he was awarded numerous medals. Among these are the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Kuwait Liberation Medal. Doug lives in Bowling Green with his wife Leslie and their three children-Alicia, 13 years old; Brandon, 5 years old ; and Morgan, 20 months old. In a few short months, Doug will receive his BS degree. Feeling confident about navigating the Internet, communicating via email and discussion boards, and being self-motivated are necessary qualities for students who want to be successful in online courses. Doug has managed these as well as family and job responsibilities, making his pursuit of this four-year degree one that hasn't always been easy. Got Financial Aid Questions? Call VUB at 270-745-5310. Page 3 The Director's Desk TRIO, VUB BUDGET BECOMING TIGHTER VII UB is part of a group of edu-rrJ! cation programs collectively . known as TRIO, and TRIO budgets are becoming tighter and tighter. We have just been notified that we will be funded for another year, but we have the same amount to run the budget as the previous two years. That amount probably will not change for the last year of this cycle. With the cost of living increasing in the country (look at gasoline prices alone), you can do the math and see that we may have to make some cuts as ·we go. The Director ultimately has to make decisions about what program cuts to make. My goal, as VUB Director, will be to cut those "extra" items like mugs and t-shirts that don't affect the academic quality of our program. PARTICIPANT SUCCESS IN PSS ~means 95% are getting grades of 2.0 or better (C or better). Congratulations to all of you who fit into this categoryl! SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION The local American Legion and VFW have donated more money to our scholarship fund. In addition, we received a donation from our supervisor, raising the amount of the fund by over $900 this year. That money gets added to the deposit amount and we award scholarships using only the interest that builds up. This year's scholarship is $300. I just attended a training where it was reiterated from a document put out by the U.S. Department of Education that "95% of the VUB participants enrolled in post-secondary school are in good standing at their institutions." This Above: At the 2005 Awards Banquet, Mr. Don Mudd of VFW post #1298 hands Director Randy Wilson a check which will be added to the VUB Scholarship fund. News and Notes • Congratulations to the following full-time students who made the WKU president's List for the Spring 2005 semester: Carl Potter, Kim Mack and Ron Fabbo. • Congratulations to the following full-time students who made the WKU Dean's List for the Spring 2005 semester: Neal Taylor, Will King and Oscar Ortiz. • The Nashville Regional VA Office has a new phone number, and it may be different from the one listed in old copies of The Topper. The new number is (615) 695-6372, and callers should identify themselves as a veteran in Kentucky but trying to reach the Nashville office or else they will be auto-routed to the Louisville office. Dli2tD Western University 1 Big RedWay Bowling Green, KY 42101 Sue Lynn Stone University Archives Helms Library Important Numbers and Dates Department of Employment Services, Bowling Green July4 (270) 746-7425 Stephanie Gabbard, VA Voc-Rehab, B.G. Office (270) 846-2092 July 29 VA Regional Office, Louisville (800) 827-1000 VA Regional Office, Nashville, TN Aug4 (615) 695-6372 VA Medical Center, Louisville (502) 895-3401 Aug 19' VA Medical Center, Nashville, TN (615) 327-4751 Aug 29 Kentucky Center for Veterans Affairs, Louisville (502) 595-4447 Sept 5 Military Records Branch, Frankfort (502) 564-4883 Kentucky Veterans Center, Wilmore Sept 16' (800) 928-4838 AMVETS, Louisville (502) 582-5594 Sept 24' Disabled American Veterans, Louisville (800) 333-1720 Oct 22' Veterans of Foreign Wars, Louisville Independence Day NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 398 BOWliNG GREEN, KY 42101 VUB Offices/Classes Will Be Closed VUB Fall Semester Postsecondary Registration Deadline VUB Summer Classes End Registration Postmark Deadline for Sept 24 ACT Test Date VUB Fall Classes Begin Labor Day VUB Offices/Classes Will Be Closed Registration Postmark Deadline for Oct 22 ACT Test Date ACT Test Date ACT Test Date (502) 582-6445 * Please call early for information on test dates. VUB may pay testing Military Order of the Purple Heart, Louisville fees, but to do so we must have your application at least six weeks (502) 582-6926 prior to the registration postmarK deadline. __ I 

Western Kentucky UniversityTopSCHOLAR®WKU Archives Records WKU Archives4-1-2004UA35/8 The TopperWKU Veterans Upward BoundFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_recordsPart of the Communication Commons, Military Studies Commons, and the SociologyCommonsThis Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in WKU Archives Records by anauthorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact connie.foster@wku.edu.Recommended CitationWKU Veterans Upward Bound, "UA35/8 The Topper" (2004). WKU Archives Records. Paper 2468.http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records/2468SPRING 2004 Volume 11 Issue 1 Veterans' Voices Every other year Veterans Upward Bound publishes Veterans' Voices, a book which gives our stu-dents a chance to publ ish their writing . Some writing is done as part of classroom wont, while some is done simply because the author wanted to express a thought. Veterans ' Voices 2004 will first be available at the annual awards banquet (see below). The following two essays are samples of the writing you'll find in this year's Veterans' Voices. We hope you enjoy them . Alaska by Gary Jessee lID uring my tour of duty, I was for-tunate enough to be stationed at Fort Greely, Alaska. Many people believe that Alaska is always cold and snowy, but it's not. The Ceremony by Shana J . Thomas fID tanding on the back steps of the Chamberlin Hotel you can see the Continental Park surrounded by a field of green. If you come out early enough you can see the sol-diers preparing for a ceremony of During the summer months it is very nice. The bright sun shines for hours on end . The longest day has 23 hours 45 minutes of sunlight. ThaI's a lot of ,,_ .... honor. time for many fun activities. One of my favorite activities was fishing . There was one clear cold babbling stream that I used to fish and where (Continued on page 2: Alaska) SitS In the middle of the field all alone The Continental Army Band is in for-mation to the left of the gazebo. With the Drum Master front and center of his troops and the instruments shining like (Continued on page 2: Ceremony) Annual Awards Banquet in May ~ s another school year comes .0. 10 an end, the time has come to celebrate our success sto-ries from the past year. On May 7, the annual VUB Awards Banquet will be held at the University Plaza/Holiday Inn in Bowling Green. Classroom awards will be given to students enrolled during the previ-ous year, and other special awards and door prizes will be given out as well. Mark your calendars for May 7. In-vitations will be sent out in April. Martin Schenck: Gone but not Forgotten NAVUBPP Scholarship Winner VUB Visit, Book Discussion Pictures Important Numbers and Dates Student Spotlight: Kimberly Mack II enlisted into the Army in 1998 and completed basic training at Ft. Leonardwood, MO. After complet-ing basic training, I completed my MOS training at Ft. Lee, VA, where I graduated with honors. LuCkily, my first duty assignment was an exciting one. Germany brought many changes for me. Learning the Ger-man culture opened my eyes to the world around me. I was honorably dis-charged as a Sergeant after four years and made my way back to Bowling Green, KY. Now a divorced mother of two, my desire to continue my education emerged . After hearing about Veterans Upward Bound, I ea-gerlyenrolled. Since then, VUB has fueled my passion immensely. Being a working single mother doesn't leave for much free time, which is why I live a very structured lifestyle. I am an active member of Third and Park Church of Christ, where I teach a page 2 page 3 page 3 page 4 Page 2 A/ash: Continued from page 1) the white snow capped mountains seemed to louch the clear blue sky . would go there when I wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the troublesome world . The soothing water gently flowing over the rocks, the birds chirping their sweet songs, a gentle cool breeze on my face, and the beautiful wild flowers giving out their refreshing aroma reminded me of who I was. The bold beautiful mountain range seemed to extend forever as I cast the bright red lure in the crisp cool water. The lure gave a rippling as it landed smoothly on the water. As the days get shorter, the air gets colder. and we know that w inter is near. 1 prepare for the long dark nights ahead. Snow begins to drift from the sky like feathers float. The streams are silenced by the thick .h.ar~. The mou_n~~re cove l ed with sparkly white snow, and a team of sled dogs can be heard softly barking in the d istance. The bright Northern Lights dance in the star studded sky, while snow blows briskly across the barren plain . A wolf howl ing in the dis-tance pierces the night air. I begin to think of the days of ice fishing ahead. (Ceremony: Continued from page 1) new, they patiently wa it for the cere-mony to begin . The Honor Guard stands at Parade Rest w ith their weap-ons in front of the gazebo. The Color Guard, six paces in front of the Honor Guard, are ready with the American flag and the Army flag wav ing in the genlle breeze coming off the sea. To the right of the gazebo are three can-nons with two soldiers at every one. each standing tall and proud on either side, looking for the signal to fire the ~t~...:..-Then ther are atto.u.La hun-dred chairs with names of Officers taped to them according to rank . Everyone is in position, standing tall. You can see the pride and valor they hold inside of them. Even if you are feeling down and out, you can't help but to smile as this feeling rad iates to you . The band begins to play and the per-son(s) being honored march to the podium at the front of the field . After a salute from the Color Guard the ceremony continues with a Pass and Review, then the cannons fire the 22-gun salute. Afterwards , the first shell fired is brought to the Honoree. He makes his way back to the pod ium to make his speech of his accomplish-ments. As he bows his head to say, -Thank you ,ft anyone with any pride for their country stands and applauds the true "American Soldierft as he ap-proaches his next journey in life. Martin Schenck: Gone but not forgotten It is with sadness but fond memories that I tell you that One of the fi rst part icipants in the Veterans Upward Bound at WKU and a graduate o f Western Kentucky Universi ty has passed away. Martin Schenck was a retired veteran with service in both the Navy and the Anny. He saw action at Pearl Harbor in World War II , and he also served in Ko-rea and Vietnam . Martin survived several service related wounds and retired as a highly decorated veteran. A fier retiring again, this time from a ci-vilian job, Martin came to VUB to pur-sue his lifelong dream of earning a col-lege degree. He earned that degree in Anthropology in 2002 and was recognized by the President of WKU as "The Oldest Degree Seeking Student in His Graduating Class" , When we thought Martin was done he continued on and in 2003 he earned a graduate certificate fro m WKU. Martin kept veterans and Veterans Upward Bound in his heart and visited the program often. He was proud o f his achievements and was also proud of his association with VUB, where he was the example for younger vets just starting into the program . Martin will continue to be an example and will be missed by all of us who knew him. THE TOPPER is publishtiithrtc lima yearly by Ihe V~U",IU Up"Vlrd Bound Projmol Wu(~r" K~f/t .. cl.y U"i>'ttrsity. VUB Is funded b~' a granl from the U.s' IHfHI""'''If' of Ed"auion (Fisul Yur OJ-(l4: $270,75'). The opinions uprcssw .. -jlhln this nt,,',ldlt'r do nol nruuarih' rtnefllhc posi tion or polk)' of tithu the U.s. lhplln", .. ", o/Ed .. (llllo" or H'tsrt rn Kentucky Unil't'rsily. and 110 official endorvmt nl should be lnferrtd. A ~RN A C EDE",""Y KENTUCKY WWW -- http://www.wku.edu/vub/ FUNDED PROGR AM UNIVERSITY e-mail __ Veterans.Upward.Bound@WKU.edu (Student SpolJight Continued from page 1) Sunday school class. In addition, I host a weekly Bible study in my home for my peers; as well as a monthly la· dies' Bible class . There is nothing like being with Christians to get you through the lough times. My future holds endless possibilities . I've always wanted to write books, but now I have also found a love for teaching . In six years, I plan 10 be employed as an English teacher and working towards my Masters degree. Eventually. I will write a book about my experiences. I love a challenge and though my road is not an easy one to travel , God, my kids, and my family keep me motivated. NAVUBPP Scholarship Winner WI e are pleased to announce that W ill King has been chosen to receive one of four $500 scholarships of-fered by the National Association of Veterans Upward Bound Project Per-sonnel (NAVUBPP). The competition for this scholarship was national. King is a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard and is pursuing a BS in Com-puter Information Systems. In his application essay, King wrote that while he has been in school , VUB has provided him ~with support and focus, instilling a can-do attitude and encouraging [him] that the goal of a college degree is not unattainable.R Page 3 Below: VUB at WKU hosted the Site Coordinators of the new1y funded VUB at Shawnee State College (Ohio). They came to Bowling Green to learn more about how they might run their new program. They were very complimentary of all the staff and the design of our program. Above: Several VUB students and family members stand with author Silas House at a book discussion/signing at Barnes and Noble in Bowling Green. House's book, A Parchment of Leaves, was read community-wide in Bow1ing Green as a part of the ~One Campus, One Community, One BookR project. Several VUB students took part in the project, read House's book, and at-tended the book discussions and signings. .. ill WESTERN KENTLCKY Veterans Upward Bound Western Kentucky University 1 Big Red Way Bowling Green, KY 42101 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Ms Sue Lynn Stone WKU University Archives WKU - CAMPUS MAlL Important Numbers and Dates Department of Employment Services, Bowling Green (270) 746-7425 Apr 3* Debbie Brizendine, VA Voe-Rehab, B.G. Office (270) 783-8038 VA Regional Office, Louisville May 6 (800) 827-1000 VA Regional Office, Nashville, TN May 7 (615) 695-6372 VA Medical Center, Louisville (502) 895-3401 VA Medical Center, Nashville, TN May 31 (615) 327-4751 June 1 Kentucky Center for Veterans Affairs, louisville (502) 595-4447 Military Records Branch, Frankfort June 12* (502) 564-4883 June 24 Kentucky Veterans Center, Wilmore (800) 928-4838 Aug 5 AMVETS, louisville (502) 582-5594 Disabled American Veterans, Louisville (800) 333-1720 Veterans of Foreign Wars, louisville ACT Test Date NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 398 BOWliNG GREEN. KY 42101 VUB Spring Session Ends Annual VUB Awards Banquet; Registration Postmark Deadline for June 12 ACT Test Date Memorial Day - VUB Offices Closed VUB Summer Session Begins ACT Test Date VUB Open House - 5:30pm VUB Summer Session Ends (502) 582-6445 * Please call early for information on test dates. VUB may pay testing Military Order of the Purple Heart, louisville fees, but to do so we must have your applicat ion at least six weeks (502) 582-6926 prior to the reg istrat ion postmari\ deadline. 

Western Kentucky UniversityTopSCHOLAR®WKU Archives Records WKU Archives7-1-2004UA35/8 The TopperWKU Veterans Upward BoundFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_recordsThis Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in WKU Archives Records by anauthorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact connie.foster@wku.edu.Recommended CitationWKU Veterans Upward Bound, "UA35/8 The Topper" (2004). WKU Archives Records. Paper 1404.http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records/1404SUMMER 2004 Volume 11 Issue 2 VUB Awards Banquet Success he Veterans Upward Bound program held its annual awards banquet on Friday, May 7,2004, at the Holiday Inn University Plaza Hotel in Bowling Green, KY. Attendees included 2003-2004 pro-gram participants, VUB alumni, TRIO programs' staff, and community and veter-ans affairs support-ers. Dr. Luther B. Hughes, Jr., Associ-ate Vice-President for Academic Affairs for Enrollment Manage-ment, offered greet-ings on behalf of Western Kentucky University. Dyrsen, Director of Educational En-hancement Programs which include federal TRIO programs like VUB. Con-gressman Lewis spoke about recent military developments in Iraq. He also spoke about the importance of educa-tion and urged the veterans to continue their education. His words provided en-couragement and inspiration for im-proving their lives through education. Commander of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Don Mudd attended the event and pre-sented a check to the VUB program which raised the amount the VFW and American Le-gion have donated to over $3,000. These local donations pro-The guest speaker for the evening was Con-gressional Represen-tative Ron Lewis of the second district in Kentucky, who was introduced by Ken Above (I-r) : 2004 Student of the Year Gary Jessee with United States Congressman Ron Lewis. vide funding for the (Continued on page 2: Banquet) Recruitment Request ..... 'fll~" e are getting closer to the end of our grant year, which means we need your help with recruitment. Before October 1 we need to enroll more people in VUB. If you know any veterans who might have an interest in either starting or returning to school, please tell them about us. If you belong to a group or organiza-tion where you can either place bro-chures around for people to see or else talk to the group about our pro-gram, we would appreciate your help in spreading the word about our program. Student Spotlight: Kevin Crum ~ eeking refuge from a drug-torn . family, I left for basic training ten il il days after high school graduation. After graduating with honors in basic training from Ft Jackson, SC, I went for training at Ft Huachuca, AZ, specializing in Ground Surveillance Radar Operations. Once I finished with the MOS training I received orders to go to Korea where I spent a year overseas and received two army achievement awards. From there I was sent to Ft Campbell, KY, where I completed air as-sault school and was promoted to SPC in February 2002. On March 2, 2004, I was deployed to Kuwait. We moved into Iraq a few days later. After a month I was sent home due to medical reasons. Those medical issues resulted in a medi-cal chapter discharge. On January 22"', I was honorably discharged from the United States Army. (Continued on page 3: Student Spotlight) Page 2 Banquet Photos Awards Banquet: Continued from page 1) annual VUB Scholarship. The win-ner of the 2004 VUB Scholarship is Kim Mack, a single mother who works full time and is preparing to enter WKU this fall. The first ever National Association of Veterans Upward Bound Project Personnel scholarship was awarded to Will King of Bowling Green. King is the recipient of a $500 academic scholarship that he will use this fall at Western Kentucky University. This was the first year the scholar-ship has been awarded and King was one of only four selected from across the continental United States and Puerto Rico. During the awards section of the banquet, staff members spoke about each award and its recipient. David Rippy and Bill Martin re-ceived standing ovations from ban-quet attendees as they came for-ward to receive their Dare to Dream awards. Gary Jessee was also recognized as the 2004 VUB Stu-dent of the Year. A number of other participants were recognized for outstanding achieve-ments and completing post-secondary degrees. Many partici-pants spoke about the need and importance for programs such as Veterans Upward Bound. Kyle Hines, the 2004 Alumni of the Year, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering the day after the banquet, told the crowd that he hoped Congressman Lewis would continue to vote for increased funding for VUB because the program is great and really ..... ~~~==~~====~ Clockwise from top: Inslructor Cassie Zippay presents Bill Martin wilh one of the Dare to Dream awards; Kim Mack, the VUB Scholarship win-ner, with one of her children and In-structor Marlys Garman; VUB Alumni of the Year Kyle Hines is presented with his award by Counselor/Coordinator Martha Kenney. THE TOPPER is published three times yearly by the Veterans Upward BOllnd Project at Westem Kentllc/,.y UIJi1'eniit)'. VUB is funded by a grant from the U.S. Depurtme"t of EducatitJlI (Fiscal Year 03-04: $270,759). The opinions expressed within this newsletter do nol IIC<'essarily rcfi('('1 the-position or poliry of cither the U.s. Departmellt of Edu('atitm or Western Kentucky Unb'ersity, and no official endorsement should be inferred. AJERN 1\ FEDERmY KENTUCKY ttp:] www.w u.edulvu FUNDED PROGRAM UNIVERSITY e-mail __ Veterans.Upward.Bound@WKU.edu Page 3 The Director's ~, TWO ALUMNI TO WORK AT VUB THIS FALL Above (I-r): Instructor Davy Stone presents the · Outstanding Effort awards; Dare to Dream co-winner David Rippy shakes hands with U. S. Congress-man Ron Lewis. arisa Duarte, a former VUB participant, works full-time as a teacher while also taking classes at WKU. To complete the requirements of her Mas-ter's Degree program in Student Affairs she will be working as an intern in the VUB office this fall . She will work closely with Martha Kenney in the area of coun-seling, especially in career matters, and will also be involved in other aspects of (Student Spotlight: Continued from page 1) A concussion changed my life in a matter of seconds. I began to experi-ence numerous medical problems that compromised my life signifi-cantly. I became a father a month be-fore I was discharged. It was the best thing that has ever happened to me and occurred at a time when I was a little down on my luck. My luck began to change as the love of my life, my daughter's mother, was tak-ing care of me. She was strong and stayed by my side the whole time. She didn't complain when I couldn't get out of bed to help her with our daughter. I was taking thousands of dollars of medications a week, I couldn't drive anywhere, and I had to be taken to doctor's appointments. The doctors couldn't tell me what was wrong. They ran test after test and still found nothing. Finally they found out I was allergic to one of my medi-cations . The medical complications started to resolve themselves, so I began to look toward the future . With my fian-cee by my side and my daughter in my arms, I began to search for an-other career. I received a phone call and a letter stating that I would be awarded the Global War on Terror-ism Expeditionary Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. life was actually looking up for the first time in a year. My fiancee and I decided that now since things had calmed down we would set a date for the wedding. On October 1, 2004, I will marry my best friend , love of my life, and the mother of my child . I was ready to move on and have a wonderful future for my daughter and my soon-to-be wife. On my quest for a new career I came upon an advertisement for Veterans Up-ward Bound. I called and set an appointment and started classes. I have been receiving unbelievable help from the teachers and staff at VUB. So much help in fact that I will begin college on August 23"', pur-suing a major in Exceptional Edu-cation. With this degree, one day I hope that I can help children with disabilities as I was helped along the way. News and Notes the VUB program . We are happy Ma-risa has chosen this location for her in-ternship and we ex-pect that she will be a great asset to par-ticipants during her stay. Another alumni who will be working with VUB starting this fall is Kevin Crum (see Student Spotlight on page one). Kevin will be working as a DAV (Disabled American Veteran) workstudy student while attending school. He will be here between his class times so you may see him in the day time or at night. Kevin will assist both in the classroom and the ad-ministrative office, so please look for him after classes start this fall . • The following students have applied to and have been admitted to postsec-ondary school this fall : Jim Bronson, Kevin Crum, John Enlow, Mike Hayes, Kim Mack, Allen Martin, Bill Martin, Neal Taylor, Shana Thomas, and Bill Van Hook. • • • The following VUB alumni were on the Dean's list for the Spring 2004 se-mester: Gary Jessee, William King, Kyle Hines, and Geoff Thompson. The following students were on the President's list for the Spring 2004 se-mester: David Angle and Scott Robinson. Did you make the Dean's or President's lists and we missed your name? Call us at (270) 745-5310 and let us know about your success. Sue Lynn Stone, WKU University Archives KYBLDG CAMPUS MAIIJ WKU Important Numbers and Dates Department of Employment Services, Bowling Green Aug 20' (270) 746-7425 Debbie Brizendine, VA Voc-Rehab, B.G. Office (270) 783-8038 VA Regional Office, Louisville Aug 23 (800) 827-1000 VA Regional Office, Nashville, TN Sept 6 (615) 695-6372 Sept 17' VA Medical Center, Louisville (502) 895-3401 VA Medical Center, Nashville, TN Sept 25' (615) 327-4751 Kentucky Center for Veterans Affairs, Louisville Oct 23' (502) 595-4447 Military Records Branch, Frankfort Nov 2 (502) 564-4883 Kentucky Veterans Center, Wilmore (800) 928-4838 Nov 5' AMVETS, Louisville (502) 582-5594 Disabled American Veterans, Louisville Dec 9 (800) 333-1720 Veterans of Foreign Wars, Louisville Dec 11' NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 398 BOWLING GREEN, KY 42101 Registration Postmark Deadline for September 25 ACT Test Date VUB Fall Session Begins Labor Day - VUB Offices Closed Registration Postmark Deadline for October 23 ACT Test Date ACT Test Date ACT Test Date Election Day - VUB Offices Closed Registration Postmark Deadline for Dec 11 ACT Test Date VUB Fall Session Ends ACT Test Date (502) 582-6445 ·Please call early for information on test dates. vue may pay testing Military Order of the Purple Heart, Louisville fees, but to do so we must have your application at least six weeks (502) 582-6926 prior to the registration postmark deadline. 

Newsletter published by WKU Veterans Upward Bound contains articles and calender of events

Western Kentucky UniversityTopSCHOLAR®WKU Archives Records WKU Archives7-1-2006UA35/8 The TopperWKU Veterans Upward BoundFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_recordsThis Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in WKU Archives Records by anauthorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact connie.foster@wku.edu.Recommended CitationWKU Veterans Upward Bound, "UA35/8 The Topper" (2006). WKU Archives Records. Paper 1409.http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records/1409SUMMER 2006 Volume 13 Issue 1 2006 Banquet Is A Success On Friday, May 5, students, staff, and friends of Veterans Upward Bound gath-ered to celebrate the annual awards banquet. Dr. Luther Hughes brought greetings from Western Kentucky Uni-versity, and Commander Don Mudd of VFW #1298 presented a check donated toward our scholarship fund. alumnus of our program who has not only completed his degree but who has not for-gotten the VUB program. James Lane received the Dare to Dream Award, which is given to a student who has had to overcome obstacles to make his edu-cational dreams come true. Then the crowd settled back for the entertainment provided by spe-cial musical guests "J Squared," a duo made up of VUB alumni Jeff Treece and John Zippay, husband to VUB instructor Cassie Zip pay. After dinner, Above (left to right): Dr. David Coffey, Cora Jane Spiller and Colonel Bob Spiller. Other awards were presented to John Oster (GED and Professional Certifi-cation Completer), Jacob Durbin, Kim Hibbard, Dorothy Isamura , and Glenda Murtey (Associate Degree Completers), and Christopher Adair, Ketty Anderson, Kevin Brassell , Paul Clark, Will special guest Dr. David Coffey, recently named director of the Educational En-hancement Programs, entertained the audience with tales of Colonel Spiller, shared words of encouragement, and congratulated veterans on winning awards. King , David Matthews, Doug Nelson, Scott Robinson, and Scott Wetts (Baccalaureate Degree Com pieters). Outstanding Effort in the Classroom awards were given to John Barry , Carlos Espino, Alan Hartley, and David Spencer . . Those veterans winning awards included _ The local VUB scholarship of $300 was John Oster, who won top honors as awarded to Jeff Treece, and Carlton Potter VUB Student of the Year. This award was recognized as being nominated for a recognizes a current year participant $500 national NAVUBPP scholarship. In who exemplifies the qualities needed to June NAVUBPP announced that Potter won be a successful and effective learner at his s~holarship . the postsecondary level. Will King received the award for Alumni of the Year. This award is given to an Director's Desk News and Notes Important Numbers and Dates For more infonnation on the banquet, see the Student Spotlights in this issue, as well as the pictures throughout the newsletter. Student Spotlight: John Oster, Will King, James Lane We thought we'd take the opportunity to show why this year's award winners were selected by includ-ing the remarks of the people who presented the awards to them. John Oster by Cassie Zippay (VUB Instructor) The Student of the Year Award is '~1 given to a VUB student who has en-~ rolled in a postsecondary program . of study, has made excellent aca-L !l demic progress in VUB classes and postsecondary work, has a high rate of atten-danee, and is a self-starter who demonstrates leadership. John Oster is the 2006 recipient of the VUB Student of the Year Award. When John arrived at our VUB program in late March of 2005, he had been out of school and away from an academic environ-Above: John Oster and his f riend Debbie page 3 page 3 page 4 Page 2 - . . - . . -(Student Spotligh t: Continued from page 1) ment for more than 40 years. John didn't graduate from high schoot; instead, he served our country as a soldier in Viet-nam, worked , and raised a family . Be-cause John understands the importance and value of education , he was able to overcome his fears and misgivings about going back to schoot and begin attending ctasses at VUB to help him prepare to pass the GED. John's journey to receive his GED met some hurdles . On June 29, I noted that John "has some big changes coming up in his life-maybe a move to Delaware and a new job. He will be absent for a couple of weeks for a trip to Pennsyl-vania. " Well , that trip to Pennsylvania turned out to be more than John ex-pected. He didn't return to VUB classes until August of that summer. During that month of July, we missed John and wor-ried that he had given up on his goal, but when he returned to the classroom, he was more determined than ever to pass his GED test. The GED is a demanding and difficult test composed of five subject areas. Test-takers must pass tests in reading. James Lane by Davy Stone (VUB Instructor) The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. _. Eleanor Roosevelt Each year we give the Dare to Dream award to a student who has worked to build a fu-ture based on their dreams despite obsta-ctes that some may find insurmountable . This year's reCipient, James Lane , definitely overcame such obstacles. Almost seven years ago, James awoke to find his mother unconscious lying on her bedroom floor. Allow me to read a excerpt from an essay he wrote which is included in this year's edi-tion of Veterans Voices . When we arrived at the hospital, all we could do was wait to hear about her con-dition. We didn't have too wait long .... We were given a decision to make--leave her on a machine to vegetate or take her off so she could pass on .. We both based our decision on what our mom wanted . Before this happened, she told us that if she was being kept alive on a machine that she would want us to take her off. We kept our promise. When we took her off the life support machines , I saw her one last time at her funeral. James came to VUB in August of 2005 wanting to go to school but unsure of how to make it happen. He attended very regularly during his semester with us, at one point earning an award for having the best attendance . He enrolled at WKU this spring , and despite his busy school schedule, he has taken the time to give encouragement to former VUB classmates who have yet to start school. James Lane has not only overcome ob-stacies, he's making great strides and building his future by believing in the beauty of his dreams. Will King by Julia King (wife of Wi ll King) writing which includes writing •••• 11 •• an essay I mathematics, sci- ~ Will had been in the Coast Guard for two years before we met. The main reason he went into the military was to have help in attending college. Little did he know, it would also provide many life-changing , character molding, and belief-challenging events. After he had been ence, and social studies ... all the subjects that must be taken and passed in high school. After fifty-five hours of concentrated study and prepa-ration, John took the GED in mid September. He received his diploma on September 26, 2005 .... . \ in the guard for four years, he proposed to me during the time he re-enlisted and was sent to Kentucky. Six months later we were married . During the next four years he was a TC in Group Ohio Valley and then was hon-orably discharged in 1999. He then be-came a Technical Instructor with a com-pany called ED Learning which was ac-quired by SUN Microsystems six months after he began . After working with SUN for the next couple of years, he was laid off and then decided it was time to go back to college. With this part of his journey successfully completed, please join me in congratulat-ing John Oster on his accom-plishment and as the recipient of the VUB 2006 Student of the Year Award . Above: James Lane is presented with the Dare to Dream Award by Instructor Davy Stone VUB was a tremendous encouragement and support for Will as he began the TRiO VETERANS UPWARD BOUND T H E TOI}I' f: R is publi~hcd three rimes yearly by the Vl!terans Upwllrd BOllltd Projec..1 at Wes/em Kellfucky U"iversit)'. Vl IH is funded by;t J! rltnt frum the U.s. Dt'pllrtmellf of Education (FiscK I Year 05-06: 5270,75')), The opini ons ex prcssed within thi s newsletter do not neccss:u 'i ly reflcce the position or policy of either th e U.S. Departmttn/ 0/ Education or Wesfem Ke"tucky UniVtm,irY. lInd no onicill.l endorse ment should he in rer red. ... ill WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY process of applying, taking his ACT exam, and sludying for CLEP tests. As a full-time husband and falher of two chil-dren, he maintained a 3.5 GPA for the next 2 1/2 years, and graduated lasl De-cember with Cum Laude Honors. He, of course, was given a big party 10 cele-brate. Currenlly, he is beginning training for his MSCE certification. Afterward, he plans to work on his Masters Degree in order to go back into teaching , which he loves and misses. You can be assured that VUB holds a thoughtful place in our hearts because they were an important encouragement for Will when he needed someone in his corner the most. Page 3 The Director's Desk n would like to urge all participants to set class attendance as a priority. I realize you have jobs and families, but if you do nol attend classes regularly, then you won't be pre-pared to enter postsecondary school. Please strive to come to every class pe-riod and be prepared to work so that you can get the most out of what VUB can offer. If you have not been to VUB for a while, please come back. You are always wel-come. We are here to help. I want 10 congratulate Carlton Potter for winning this years NAVUBPP scholarship of $500. He was one of five winners. For three years our VUB program has had a scholarship winner in the top five of this national organization . Sometimes people feel it is a waste of time to apply but this shows that it is worth while. If you do nol ask or apply you will receive nothing, guaranteed, so do not be afraid to put in a little work to compete for money to help Our First Medical Doctor pay for school. Cody Norris is a student worker who worked evenings last fall and spring. This summer Cody is working days and Kevin Crum, the other student worker, is off for the summer. In the fall both of these veterans will be back helping VUB provide ser-vices. They both attend WKU, so as you get ready to enter school , contact them. They have a lot of valuable information about their experiences after VUB to share that might help you. We are still accepting applicants, so if you have a friend or relative who is a veteran, bring them by and we will offer them our services. Congratulations to Brian Vincent, DO, who graduated from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine with a degree of doctor of osteopathic medicine May 27. Vincent received the Navel Health Professions Schol-arship while attending WVSOM. He has a bachelor's degree in biology from WKU. Vincent is interning at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia. Vincent was named our Alumni of the Year at the 2001 annual awards banquet. Clockwise from right: Kelly Anderson, VUB alumnus and recent graduate; VUB Alumnus Kevin Crum and his wife Amanda talk with Colonel Bob Spiller after the Banquet; Will King, winner of the Alumni of the Year awand, and wife Julia . 'I q Western Kentucky Univeo,ity 1906 College Heights BOlllevardl Bowling Green, KY 42101 Sue Lynn Stone University Archives Helms Library Important Numbers and Dates Department of Employment Services, Bowling Green Aug4 (270) 746-7425 Stephanie Gabbard, VA Voc-Rehab, B.G. Office (270) 846-2092 Aug 10 VA Regional Office, Louisville (800) 827-1000 VA Regional Office, Nashville, TN Aug 18' (615) 695-6372 VA Medical Center, Louisville (502) 895-3401 Sept 4 VA Medical Center, Nashville, TN (615) 327-4751 Sept 5 Kentucky Center for Veterans Affairs, Louisville Sept 16' (502) 595-4447 Military Records Branch, Frankfort Sept 22' (502) 564-4883 Kentucky Veterans Center, Wilmore (800) 928-4838 Oct 28' AMVETS, Louisville (502) 582-5594 Disabled American Veterans, Louisville Oct 29 (800) 333-1720 Veterans of Foreign Wars, Louisville Nov 23-24 NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 398 BOWLING GREEN, KY 42101 VUB deadline to apply for Fall 06 postsecondary classes VUB Summer Classes End Registration Postmark Deadline for Sept 16 ACT Test Date Labor Day - VUB Offices Closed VUB Fall Classes Begin ACT Test Date Registration Postmark Deadline for Oct 28 ACT Test Date ACT Test Date Daylight Savings Time Ends Thanksgiving - VUB Offices Closed (502) 582-6445 *Please call early for infonnation on test dates. VUB may pay testing Military Order of the Purple Heart, Louisville fees, but to do so we must have your application at least six weeks (502) 582-6926 prior to the registration postmark deadline. 

Western Kentucky UniversityTopSCHOLAR®WKU Archives Records WKU Archives7-1-2003UA35/8 The TopperWKU Veterans Upward BoundFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_recordsThis Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in WKU Archives Records by anauthorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact connie.foster@wku.edu.Recommended CitationWKU Veterans Upward Bound, "UA35/8 The Topper" (2003). WKU Archives Records. Paper 1402.http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records/1402Planning Life? Set Goals. By Will King Will King attended VUB classes in spring 2002. He is currently attending classes at Western Kentucky University. pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Information Technology. WI here do you want to be in five years? What goals 'fH have you set for yourself? W What type of job would you like to have? It sometimes seems like people are Socrates. Asking questions and then asking more. Further-more it seems that the questions tend to be about the unforeseeable future. I do be-lieve that the fu-ture can be planned, but then life happens. Sailors can chart their path to their destination on the ocean, but then things have to be taken into consid-eration daily - for instance, tides, waves, wind and weather. WE, un-fortunately, do not live in a vacuum and life becomes the great interrupter of our goals. I wanted to have my college degree, my own house, and a great paying job by the age of thirty. I wrote them down. I made them my mantra. I did everything I could to pursue them. Then some things disturbed my best-laid plans. Early on in my life my father told me he was not going to be able or willing to pay for my college edu-cation . So I joined the military to get the GI Bill. I told people my intentions and goals. I was right on track and then I met a beautiful girl named Julia. I knew she was the woman I was destined to marry, but my mantra echoed in the background - do four years in the military, get out, go (Continued on page 2: Planning LIfe) Fall Classes Begin August 25 Attention all VUB students. is the time to make the commitment r;t!J The opening date for fall to get back to education. We'll be ~. classes is August 25. hitting the books for sixteen weeks _ Whether you've been a regu- this fall, and we hope you'll plan to lar student with us during the summer be a part of our classes. Call the or you've taken the summer off, now office at 745-5310 to sign up. ~--------------Planning Life; Where Are They Now? (continued) Glasgow Position Available Director's Desk; Notes and News Important Numbers and Dates Volume 1 I Where Are They Now? Marisa Duarte II arisa Duarte, a teacher at Bowling Green High School • !i!!J of exceptional education, has overcome several obstacles and made sacrifices to be where she is today. And she hasn't stopped yet. A Smiths Grove native, this former U.S. Marine saw active duty for three years and was in the reserves for three more. Duarte first attended Vet-erans Upward Bound classes in the early 1990s. In 1999, having decided to get a degree and become an edu-cator, she returned to VUB to brush up on her English and math skills. She was named VUB Alumni of the Year in 2001 . While attend ing Western Ken-tucky University, she was a Dean's scholar and a President's scholar. She graduated in 2001 with a BS in Education, emphasis in exceptional Education, learning behavior disor-ders. (Continued on page 2: Where Are They Now?) page 2 page 3 page 3 page 4 PageZ (Planning Ufe: Continued from page 1) to college and then make a lot of money. I chose to live my life with her and extended my enlistment in the military for another four years. This was the first change of course. While I was in the military for another four years , I put my own personal plans on hold and Julia pursued hers. She went to college and received her Associates degree and we had two girls within our first five years of marriage. With having to provide for this family my mantra also changed . It became - I am going to be getting out of the military again soon and I need that good paying job now. I stil l wanted to get my degree and house. But I needed that good paying job and I found it. Final ly I had achieved one of my goals, ahead of the storm and Where Are Th ey Now?: Continued from page 1) before schedule. The job I had involved 75% traveling and teaching others, so I rationalized that what I was doing was my educa-tion and college could wait. My wife and I were living in Bowing Green, Kentucky, and I was flying to San Jose, California almost weekly . The traveling was putting a heavy strain on our marriage, so to keep the job, which I loved, we decided to move to Californ ia. The work was great, but living in Californ ia did not enable us to own a home. We had smooth seas and fair winds for six months. Then the bot-tom fell out of the economy. The United States was attacked. The Twin Towers fell. The company I worked for had a series of lay-offs. Then the waves around us started to get choppy, but we managed to ride One of her biggest sacrifices was giving up time with her two children while she went to school , although Duarte says "that in the long run what I was doing would payoff." "Moving on after a divorce and becoming a single parent and experienc-ing some of the struggles single parents go through like guilt" were some of the obstacles she faced when she returned to school. She goes on to say that her trust in God, belief in herself, determination, and family were what helped her achieve the goals she set for herself. Along the way, Duarte says she has met new people and has been able to give back to those who have helped her. These days Duarte is working on her MAE in Student Affairs, and she can be found doing what she loves best-working with and teach ing others-at Bowling Green High School or on the campus of Western Kentucky University as a gradu-them. I became scared of what the fu-ture held and survival became my main goal. I wanted to keep what I had . Luckily, I was not laid off in the first round , but a lot of friends were, and they were not able to get a new posi-tion because they did not have college degrees. They did not have a piece of paper - so no job. My previous goal of college came back to the forefront of life. I needed my degree. Then the storm that we saw in the dis-tance started getting closer. We tried many times to change our course, but the storm was out to get us. It pushed us. It created bigger waves. It tested my family's resolve. And then it hap-pened, I lost my job and our boat was pushed ashore, seemingly aground. Our ship is sti ll seaworthy; the charts are still good. But the tides, weather, and the waves will not let us reach our destination. So we wait, and prepare for the time for the storm to blow over and the tides to go in and out. ate assistant in the Career Services Center. Above: vue Student Nathan ie l Taylor catches up on a class assignment. .... THE TOPPER is published three times yearly by the Veterans Upward Bound Project at Western Kentucky University. vue is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (Fiscal Year 02-03: $265,450). The opinions expressed with in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of either the U.S. Department of Education or Wes tern Kentucky University, and no official endorsement should be inferred. AwL A FEDERAL L Y UNIVEKENTURCsKY WWW--http://www.wku.edu/vub/ F UNDED PROORAM ITY'I \1 t u e-mal -- ve erans. pward.Bound@WKU.edu Glasgow Position Available The Glasgow Area Career Center, located at 445 North Green Street in Glasgow, Kentucky, is looking for a motivated, articulate student that is a veteran of military service to work as an assistant to the Local Veterans Employment Representa-tive. This student will assist in pro-viding services to veterans of mili-tary service by working with the Employ Kentucky Operating Sys-tem Internet based system in the Glasgow Area Career Center. This will be a tremendous opportu-nity for the student to gain com-puter experience in a government agency and assist fellow veterans who are seeking employment. This opportunity will afford the student computer experience that employ-ers are seeking .. 5"P in today's job - C'iJ ~~~e~'eT=~S ~'....:~ excellent entry 't on your L~~ /' resume' . ~The job (twenty hours per week) will entail computer entries, updates of employment information and telephone contacts with veterans. If you would like to have more infor-mation concerning this opportunity contact Barry Symons at the Glasgow Area Career Center in Glasgow Kentucky at 270-651-2121 or e-mail Barry.Symons@mail .state.ky.us. Notes and News Page 3 The Director's Desk Ir have good news! Veterans Up-ward Bound has been funded for four more years and will be able :!i to continue helping veterans in south central Kentucky improve their academic skills so they can success-fully enter postsecondary school. Our funding was not as much as we had hoped, but it will keep us running. You may notice some changes in the classroom. Pat, our office associate, has been busy making a bulletin board full of information about the ways VUB can benefit its partici-pants. We have moved the banner and a new plaque is now hanging over the computers. Our newest plaque lists the names of our VUB scholarship winners each year. Our 2002 scholarship winner, Dee Dee Stewart, and 2003 winner, Mary Clark, already have their names on the plaque. More will be added as we award new scholarships in the future. Additionally, Mary Clark was included in an article in the National Asso-ciation of Veterans Upward Bound Pro-ject Personnel news-letter this summer because she re-ceived both local and state scholar-ships. supporter of VUB and veterans. If you are not a member, we encourage you to call them about joining. Their tele-phone number is 781-3574. Finally, VUB is seeking a qualified dis-abled veteran to fill a DAV workstudy position in the VUB office. Twice in the past, we have employed disabled vet-erans in our office, relying on them to help staff and to be a mentor to current participants. In those instances, the DAV workstudy workers were WKU or KA TI students and were paid for their work for us. If you are a disabled vet-eran and are interested in applying for this position, please call our office to learn more about the opportunity and to discuss qualifications for the position. At the May banquet the American Legion presented a gener-ous $500 to the VUB scholarship fund . The American Legion is a great Above: VUB Student Bill Martin looks at a new classroom bulletin board. • Congratulations to these VUB students who entered postsecondary school either this spring or summer: Michael Carter, Teresa Compton, J.T. Hardin, Will King and Geoff Thompson. • Congratulations to these VUB students who will be entering postsecondary school this fall : G,W. Delaney, Bennett Gatewood, Juan Gonzalez, Dorothy Isomura, Oscar Ortiz, Dave Ramsey and Kim Smith. .... ill WESTERN KENTUCKY Veterans Upward Bound Western Kentucky University 1 Big Red Way Bowling Green, KY 42101 Sue Lynn Stone NON·PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERM IT398 BOWLING GREEN. KY 42 10 1 WKU University Archives ** CAMPUS MAIL ** Important Numbers and Dates Aug 25 VUB Fall Session Begins Department of Employment Services, Bowling Green (270) 746-7425 Sept 1 Labor Day Debbie Brizendine, VA Voc-Rehab, B.G. Office VUB Offices Closed (270) 783-8036 VA Regional Office, Louisville Sept 19' Registration Postmark Deadline for (800) 827-1000 Oct 25 ACT Test Date VA Regional Office, Nashville, TN (615) 736-5243 VA Medical Center, Louisville Oct 25' ACT Test Date (502) 895-3401 Nov 7' Registration Postmark Deadline for VA Medical Center, Nashville, TN (615) 327-4751 Dec 13 ACT Test Date Kentucky Center for Veterans Affairs, Louisville Nov 11 Veterans Day (502) 595-4447 Military Records Branch, Frankfort Nov 27-28 Thanksgiving Break (502) 564-4883 Kentucky Veterans Center, Wilmore VUB Offices Closed (800) 928-4838 Dec 11 VUB Fall Session Ends AMVETS, Louisville (502) 582-5594 Dec 13' ACT Test Date Disabled American Veterans, Louisville (800) 333-1720 Veterans of Foreign Wars, Louisville Dec 22.Jan 5 VUB Offices Close for Holiday Break (502) 582-6445 *Please call early for information on test dates. vue may pay testing Military Order of the Purple Heart, Louisville fees, but to do so we must have your application at least six weeks (502) 582-6926 prior to the registration postmark deadline. 

Western Kentucky UniversityTopSCHOLAR®WKU Archives Records WKU Archives1-1-2003UA35/8 The TopperWKU Veterans Upward BoundFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_recordsThis Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in WKU Archives Records by anauthorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact connie.foster@wku.edu.Recommended CitationWKU Veterans Upward Bound, "UA35/8 The Topper" (2003). WKU Archives Records. Paper 1403.http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records/1403WINTER 2003 Volume 10 Issue 2 Financial Aid on the Web W1 inancial Aid. These two words can send even the most serene college student into a panic-stricken tailspin. But it doesn't have to be that way. Thanks to the intemet, there is now more fi-nancial aid information at your fingertips than ever before. The FAFSA The most important finan-cial aid website is http:" www.fafsa.ed.gov. The acronym FAFSA stands for the "Free Application for Federal Student Aid." Every student seeking financial aid must fill out ei-ther the FAFSA or the Renewal FAFSA. Fortunately these can be completed on the computer. There are also paper copies available for those who wish to submit it by mail. There are people out there who would like you to pay them for this free service, but remember the first "F" in FAFSA stands for "FREE." No fee is associated with th is service. OTHER SITES WKU's Financial Aid website (http://www.wku.edu/lnfo/FlnAid) provides a great deal of information on applying for financial aid and scholar-ships. Although some of this informa-tion is specific to students attending WKU, much of it is very general in nature and can be helpful for any-The Department of Veterans Affairs has a website (http:" www.gibill.va.gov) which helps explain and answer ques-tions more specific to VA educational benefits. Some important features in-clude a list of Frequently Asked Ques-tions (FAQs) and their answers, as well as a way for veterans already receiving VA benefits to verify their enrollment status online. Finally, remember that financial aid monies are limited, so it's important to file early to ensure that you are consid-ered for all possible aid. According to the FAFSA website, the priority dead-line for filing in Kentucky is March 15. Spring Classes Begin January 12 ~ ttention all VUB students. '/! The opening date for spring classes is January 12. Hope-fully you've enjoyed the holi-day break, but it will soon be time to make the commitment to get back to education. We'll be hitting the books Veterans Day Parade 2003 for sixteen weeks this spring, and we hope you'll plan to be a part of our classes. And if you haven't been in class with us recently but are still interested in attending classes this spring, call the office at 745-5310 to sign up. VFW Fire; West Nile Web Quest Director's Desk; Notes and News Important Numbers and Dates Student Spotlight: Lyle Hensley n joined the Air Force in December 1961 , serving four years. My po-sition was a Jet Engine Specialist performing maintenance on gas turbine engines ofT-33, F-100 and RF-101 aircraft. While stationed on Kadena AFB, Okinawa, I completed two temporary duty assignments with the 18th and 15th Tactical Fighter Wing at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon Vietnam in 1964 and 1965. My duty there was to support RF-101 Recon-naissance aircraft that flew dangerous unarmed missions over Vietnam. After my four-year tour of service I re-turned to my small town in Iowa. After a few years' work and saving money I moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where I attended Spartan School of Aeronau-tics and obtained an Airframe and Powerplant License. In 1973, I joined the Air Force Re-serves (AFR) and became a member (Continued on page 2: Student Spotlight) page 2 page 3 page 3 page 4 Page 2 Veterans Day Parade 2003 Clockwise from top left 1) vue staff ride in the truck. driven by Instructor Marlys Gannan's husband Jim; 2) students , staff and ~ Iumni gather before the parade. Pictured left to right: Director Randy Wilson, Marshall Gilliam, Instructor Davy Stone, Instructor Martys Garman , alumni B~ II Basham, Instructor Cassie Zippay, Bill Martin. lyle Hensley, Dale Tompkins. alumni Juan Gonzalez and Of· fice Associate Pat Ault; 3) students carry the vue banner through Fountain Square. (Student Spotlight: Continued from page 1) of the Air Reserve Technician Pro-gram (ART Program) with a new squadron of C-130 Hurricane Hunters at Keesler AFB, Biloxi, Mississippi. During my stay at Biloxi I met my wife Connie and that is where we got mar-ried . Connie has enjoyed the experi-ence of the many moves to new loca-tions my career has taken us. In 1979, I became an employee of the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) as a Quality Special-ist. In 1983 I took a Property Admini-stration position at Saint Augustine DCMA office. Later I moved to a Contract Administrator position within the same agency, but after two years I moved back into Quality Assurance. In 1993 we moved to Greenville, South Carolina, where I joined the DCMA team located at the Lockheed Martin Faci lity. Eventually I became the Program Integrator, coordinating activities between our government of-fice and our customers. In May 2002, I retired after having completing 32 years government ser-vice. As we have no ch ildren, Con-nie and I purchased a house in Bowl-ing Green in December 2002 to be near her sister and brothers. Since moving to Bowl ing Green, I have been looking for acceptable work. Considering my extensive background in the Quality Assurance field I thought I would have little trou-ble in finding a job here in some form of Qua lity Assurance position. How-ever, th is has not happened. One day in my job search I saw an arti-cle in the Daily News about veterans attending Veterans Upward Bound pro-gram at Western Kentucky University. A couple of days later I stopped by their office and found a very helpful and friendly staff ready to provide me with much information. That visit sparked my interest to attempt to set a new goal for myself and I signed up that very day. I am currently interested in continuing my education and hope-fully attaining an Associates Degree. I have not decided on which field I will pursue but with the help and guidance from the understanding staff, I am sure it will come to me at the proper time. It is a joy to attend a class with other veterans and listen to their experiences and at the same time have such helpful and knowledgeable instructors . .... THE TOPPER is published three times yearly by the Veterans Upward Bound Project at A ~ _.m ~,-, ~'-" ~'"'"".~ ... , .. - 'M ".£ --~,., W Education (Fiscal Year 02-03: $265,450). The opinions expressed within this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of either the U.S. Department of Education , I WESTeRN or Western Kentucky University, and ~o official endorsement should be inferred. A FEDERAL L Y KENTUCKY WWW -- http.llwww.wku.edu/vub/ FU N DED P ROGR AM UNIVERSITY e-mail -- Veterans.Upward.Bound@WKU.edu VFWFire 1r he VFW has been very good to VUB by donating money for the VUB Scholarship, and now it is time to express our appreciation in their time of need. Recently the VFW building burned to the ground. They have temporarily moved to a rented building at 3rd and College (formerly Ray's Catering) in Bowling Green. They are working to collect money to get back into a building of their own. They have es-tablished an account at the BB& T Bank to receive donations from con-cerned citizens. If you have a few bucks to offer them, you can send it to: BB&T Bank Fountain Square Branch 432 E Main St Bowling Green, KY 42101 Make sure to note that the donation is for the "VFW Building Account. " According to Don Mudd, the Post Commander, the building was so old that it was underinsured. No help is expected from the national VFW of-fice, so the local group is on their own to pay for a new space. Any help will be greatly appreciated. West Nile Web Quest The VUB instructors in cooperation with the Barren River District Health Department have created a web quest about the West Nile Virus. The web quest is an online activity in which students take on the roles of health department staff and investi-gate West Nile Virus from different angles. The web quest is online and available to anyone to use. The URL is: http://www.barrenriverhealth .org/ WNV/WebquesU Page 3 The Director's Desk NEW GRANT CYCLE WI UB started a new four year grant on October 1, 2003. The competition is becoming stiffer and was very close this year, but we are funded for this year and three more as long as money re-mains available from the government. ~ WHAT IF IT SNOWS? As long-time Kentucky residents know, if you wait 5 minutes the weather is likely to change. With winter coming that means we might have snow problems even if they are not predicted. Our pol-icy is to be open if Western Kentucky University is open. If With this increasing difficulty to get money to keep the program running , it becomes even more important that VU B participants take the outgoing assess-ment before leaving the program. This way we can prove to the government that we are doing our job. They want proof that people ~~~~~~~~' you are in question about if we will be here, watch WBKO morning news. If improved their academic skills and that people went on into school and graduated after leaving VUB. When you think you are about ready to leave us, please contact a staff mem-ber about scheduling a post-assessment. VUB PARTICIPATES IN VETERANS DAY PARADE On November 8, several VUB partici-pants and all the VUB staff took part in Bowling Green's annual Veterans Day Parade. Check out the pictures on the previous page. Notes and News you see WKU can-celed , we will also be canceled. But, we do not want you to drive to class if you feel it is hazardous. Just give us a call and let us know. The best numbers to call are: Pat Ault (Office Associate) at 745-5310 Davy Stone at 745-6876 Cassie Zippay at 745-6570 Marlys Garman at 745-3487 or the Director at 745-5008 All off these staff have voice mail so if they are out you can still leave a mes-sage. In addition, if you have a com-puter with e-mail , you can send a note to Veterans.Upward.Bound@wku.edu. • October was attendance month at VUB. Eight students had perfect atten-dance for the month: Charles E. Hampton, Greg Allison , James Bron-son, Lyle Hensley, Gary Jessee, Bill Martin, Dan Brown and Jake Jor-dan. Congrats to all these students. We appreciate your dedication to your education. • In October Mary Clark was awarded with the Kentucky Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (KAEOPP) Adult Learners Scholarship of $350. Congratulations, Mary. ill WESTERN KENTUCKY Veterans Upward Bound Western Kentucky University 1 Big RedWay Bowling Green, KY 42101 Sue Lynn Stone NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 398 BOWLING GREEN, KY 42101 WKU University Archives WKU - CAMPUS MAIL, _ Important Numbers and Dates Department of Employment Services, Bowling Green (270) 746-7425 Debbie Brizendine, VA Voc-Rehab, B.G. Office (270) 783-8038 VA Regional Office, Louisville (800) 827-1000 VA Regional Office, Nashville, TN (615) 736-5243 VA Medical Center, Louisville (502) 895-3401 VA Medical Center, Nashville, TN (615) 327-4751 Kentucky Center for Veterans Affairs, Louisville (502) 595-4447 Military Records Branch, Frankfort (502) 564-4883 Kentucky Veterans Center, Wilmore (800) 928-4838 AMVETS, Louisville (502) 582-5594 Disabled American Veterans, Louisville (800) 333-1720 Veterans of Foreign Wars, Louisville (502) 582-6445 Military Order of the Purple Heart, Louisville (502) 582-6926 Dec 11 VUB Fall Session Ends Dec 13" ACT Test Date Dec 19 VUB Offices Close for Holiday Break Jan 2" Registration Postmark Deadline for Feb 7 ACT Test Date Jan 5 VUB Offices Re-open Jan 12 VUB Spring Session Begins Jan 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Day VUB Offices Closed Feb 7" ACT Test Date Feb 27" Registration Postmark Deadline for Apr 3 ACT Test Date · Please call earty for Infonnation on test dates. VUB may pay test ing fees, but to do so we must have your application at least six weeks prior to the registration postmark deadline. 

Western Kentucky UniversityTopSCHOLAR®WKU Archives Records WKU Archives7-1-2007UA35/8 The TopperWKU Veterans Upward BoundFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_recordsThis Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in WKU Archives Records by anauthorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact connie.foster@wku.edu.Recommended CitationWKU Veterans Upward Bound, "UA35/8 The Topper" (2007). WKU Archives Records. Paper 1411.http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_records/1411Veterans' Health Care in Bowling Green By David Angle A s a veteran, I am constantly surprised at the number of other vets I meet that are unaware of the veterans' health care available to them in Bowling Green. The VA provides a standard en-hanced health benefits plan available to all enrolled veterans. The plan emphasizes preventive and primary care, and offers a full range of outpatient and inpatient services within the VA health care system. o uled evaluation will take place as soon as one becomes available. Due to the number of veterans now enrolling in the system, this wai t could be 12 to 18 months. Applicants with a service-connected disability or who are 50% service-connected or higher and need care for any condition will be provided with priority access-usually within 30 days of a desired scheduling date. The local VA health care facility in Bowling Green is Corpcare, located on Wil-kinson Trace. .~ . ~~~ Corpcare is contracted by the VA to provide primary care services to veterans enrolled in the system. J _ .. New applicants must make ~';;';==iiiiiiii_iii an appointment with a Pri- Bowling Green's VA Primary Care facility, Corpca,e, 1110 mary Care facility such as Wilkinson Trace. Corpcare and the sched-VETERANS UPWARD BOUND ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET Veterans Up-ward Bound held their 15th annual awards banquet on May 4th at the Holi-day Inn Univer-sity Plaza Hotel. The evening's guest speaker was Marisa Duarte, an alumna of both VUB and WKU. Ma-risa is an Exceptional Education teacher at Bowling Green High School and will earn her Masters of Science in Kentucky Technology this month. Also speaking to the audience during the welcoming announcements were Dr. David Coffey, the director of Educa-All veterans are potentially eligible: • Benefits are based solely on active military service in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard (or Merchant Marines during WWII) , and discharged under other than dishonorable conditions. • Reservists and National Guard members who were called to active duty by a Federal Executive Order may qualify for VA health care benefits. Returning service mem-bers who served on active duty in a theater of combat operations have special eligibility for two years fol-lowing discharge from active duty. • Health care eligibility is not just for those who served in combat. • Veterans' health care is not just for service-connected injuries or medi-cal conditions. • Veterans' health care facilities are not just for men only. VA offers full-service health care to women veterans. VA's medical benefits package pro-vides the following health care services to all enrolled veterans: Dr. Richard Miller (Continued on page 2) tional Enhance-ment Programs and Dr. Richard Miller, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Western Kentucky University. Veter-ans Upward Bound (Continued 011 page 2) THE TOPPER SUMMER 2007 Volume 13 Issue 3 Director's Desk ............................................................... 3 News and Notes . ...... . .............. . ... .. ... . .... .. .................... ... 3 TRiO Important Numbers and Dates ........................................... 4 VETERANS UPWARD BOUND RANDAL D. WILSON - rlireclor MARTHA R. KENNY - Coordinator I Counselor PAT AUL T - Office Associate DAVY STONE - Adult Education Specialist DAVID ANGLE _ Adult Education Specialist 745-5008 745-5024 745-5310 745-6876 745-6570 randal.d.wilson®Wku.edu martha.kenny@Wku.edu pat.ault@wku.edu davy.stone@Wku.edu david.angle@:wku.cdu ... ill WESTER.'\j KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY THE TOPPER is published three times yearly by the Veterans Upward Bound Project at Western Kentucky University. VU B is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (Fisca l Year 06-07 : 5270,759). The opinions expressed within this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of either the U.S. Department of Education or Western Kentucky University, and no official endorsement should be inferred. (Veterans' HeiJlrh C"re ContJnued from page I) Preventive Care Services • Immunizations • Physical Examinations • Health Care Assessments • Screening Tests • Health Education Programs Outpatient Diagnostic and Treatment • Emergency Outpatient Care in VA facilities • Medical • Surgical • Chiropractic Care • Mental Health • Bereavement Counseling • Substance Abuse Inpatient Diagnostic and Treatment • Emergency Inpatient Care in VA facilities • Medical • Surgical • Mental Health • Substance Abuse Medications and Suppl ies • Prescript ion Medications (VlJB Annu,,1 Awards Banquet conlmued from page I) Mrs. Joe Wrighl and Major James Wright, USMC was pleased to announce the presenta-tion of a new scholarship this year spon-sored by MOM (Military Officers Asso-ciation of America). The scholarship was in honor of the late Lieutenant Commander Joe Wright, USN reti red. A certificate of appreciation was presented to Mrs. Joe Wright and son, Major James Wright, USMC. The recipient of the $700 MOM scholarship was Robert Boyden, an officer with the Western • Over-the-Counter Medications • Medical and Surgical Supplies Payment for all health care services is determined by a means test based on your yearly income threshold . The means test is provided yearly to all participants in the VA health care system. Quite often, those veterans with low income, single or with dependents, do receive all services for free . The ex-ception is a minimal co-pay on pre-scription medications. The VA will not pay for medications written by a non-VA physician. Only veterans with special eligibility, such as veterans receiving Aid and Atten-dance or Housebound benefits, or those approved by a VA health care faci lity for Fee Basis are eligible to receive medications at VA expense. For questions about health care eligi-bi lity, please visit the VA inquiry web-Kentucky University police force. Other scholarship recipients were Jennifer Souffrain, winner of the local Veterans Upward Bound Scholarship ($300) , and Race Stork, winner of a national NA-VUBPP scholarships ($500). Oscar Offlz Award winner of the year for the Alumni ofthe Year was Oscar Ortiz. Oscar rejoined the Army National Guard in 2006 and was recalled for duty site: www.va.gov/healtheligibility With today's soaring health costs, it is comforting to know that veterans have an alternate source for receiving quality health care. Any services that the Primary Care facility in Bowling Green can not provide is accom-plished by a referral to the VA campus in Nashville at Vanderbilt University. Don't procrastinate in making an application to the VA health care system due to the long waiting period. The sooner you can become a participant the sooner you can benefit from health care services that you have rightfully earned as a vet-eran in service to your country. in Iraq. With just over one year's classes left before graduation, Oscar has decided to finish his degree online while serving in Iraq . This year's winner of the Dare to Dream award went to Rickie Romero. Rickie is starting his postsec-ondary education this fall at Rickie Romero lind wife Debra Austin Peay State University. He will be seeking a degree in Health Care Administration . Student of the Year was awarded to Dominique Riley. Dominique is an Air Force veteran who joined VUB in April of 2006. Al though faced with an awk-ward schedule with his job at the Medical The Director's Desk Dominique Riley Center, he was still very regular in his attendance. Dominique enrolled at the Community College this fall , majoring in Information Systems. As part of the process of gaining attendance to the Community College, he scored one of the highest scores a VUB student has made on the Accuplacer test. Outstanding Effort certificates were awarded to Ranada McClurg, Steve Jewell, Grant Maher, David Wakefield , Tim Rowe, and Alan Hartley. Associate 's Degree Completer certifi-cates were awarded to Ward Moran and Carlton Potter for earning an associate's degree after completing the Veterans Upward Bound Program. Baccalaureate Degree Completer certificates were awarded to Michael Miciotto and Kevin Smith for earning a bachelor's degree after completing the Veterans Upward Bound Program. The following is a list of our students that have competed the Veterans Up-ward Bound Program and have enrolled in a postsecondary program: • Charles Atkinson • Tim Barlow • Juanita Birge • Vanessa Centeno • Roger Cropper • Lawrence Dvorak • Aaron Early • Joey Elms • Carlos Espino * * * R ecently * : VUB staff * * ~~~ : : have been trying * * learn more no matter what : : bout Post Trau- you had to do while in the combat area. * * matic Stress Syn- Don 't shut them out. : : Randy Wilson, Director drome and its * * symptoms. We urge everyone read- If you are the family or friend of a vet- : : ing this to do the same thing. eran, understand that if he or she is * * distant or unhappy, angry or on edge, : : You may be a veteran who has a or may act like they feel the need to live * * problem and may find the term on the edge, they need support and : : PTSD unacceptable to yourself, but understanding. Do not give up on them * * if there is a problem, please TALK if they express rancor. Keep showing : : TO SOMEBODY. Go to a coun- love and support and never give up. * * selor, clergy, VUB staff, friend or : : significant other, but tell someone. A good book that everyone should read * * Healing can begin when you start is DOWN RANGE: To Iraq and Back * : trying to open up and let the stress by Bridget C. Cantrell , Ph.D., a member: * out in positive ways. Bottling up of the American Psychological Associa- * : your agony can cause stress, illness, tion and Association of Traumatic : * confusion , resentment by others, Stress Specialists, and Chuck Dean, a * * and perhaps family dysfunction. veteran of the Vietnam War. The book : : The people who cared and loved IS ineXpenSive, short, and is an easy * * you before you went to battle Will read . : : stili care and love you after battle, In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. * * - Jose Narosky * * ********************************************** • • • • • • • • Notes and News --""'!~""""""'''=:;:;r'':!:ll The Veterans History Project 'i..::.,~iS"'~ at the American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress was created on October 27, 2000, by Congress to collect and pre-serve recorded memories of America's wa,rtime ve~erans and civilian volunteers, support staff, and war industry work-ers. The Project and Its many partners across the country, including individual citizens, are working to collect audio and video recorded oral histories, memoirs, letters, diaries, photographs, and other personal documents from those who served in World War I, World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf wars. Join us in preserving America's legacy through firsthand accounts of service. For information about the Project, how to submit a. story, or to ~~d out how you can interview a veteran or civilian in your family or community, please VISit www.loc.gov/vets or call their message line at 1-888-371-5848. Bryce Gooch • Joe Phill Calvin Greene • Lucas Reynolds Steve Jewell • Dominique Riley Bryan Jones • Stephen Scarborough Joanna Jones • Shawn Slaton Jason McElroy • Larry Smith Junior Mondie • Daryl Wingo Sharon Mondie THE TOPPER Vete:rans Upwal'd Bound Western Kentucky University 1906 College Heights Blvd . #11098 Bowling Green, KY 42101 ·1098 NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 398 BOWLING GREEN, KY 42101 University Archivist Kentucky Building .... ill WESTERN KENTUCKY VERSIT Important Numbers and Dates Department of Employment Services, Bowling Green (270) 746-7425 Stephanie Gabbard, VA Voc-Rehab, B.G. Office (270) 846-2092 VA Regional Office, Louisville (800) 827-1000 VA Regional Office, Nashville, TN (6 15) 695-6372 VA Medical Center, Louisville (502) 895-3401 VA Medical Center, Nashville, TN (615) 327-4751 Kentucky Center for Veterans Affairs, Louisville (502) 595-4447 Military Records Branch, Frankfort (502) 564-4883 AMVETS, Louisville (502) 582-5594 Disabled American Veterans, Louisville (800) 333-1720 Veterans of Foreign Wars, Bowling Green (270) 781-1872 American Legion, Bowling Green (270) 781-3574 July 2 - July 6 No Classes July 4 Aug 2 Aug 10* Sept 3 Sept 4 Sept 15* Sept 21* OCT 27* Nov 12 Independence Day - VUB Offices Closed VUB Summer Classes End Registration Postmark Deadline for Sept 15 ACT Test Date Labor Day - VUB Offices Closed VUB Fall Classes Begin ACT Test Date Registration Postmark Deadline for Oct 27 ACT Test Date ACT Test Date Veterans * Please call early for information on test dates. vue may pay testing fees, but to do so we must have your application at least six weeks prior to the reg istration postmark deadline. 

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