On Tuesday, Nov. 12, Salt Lake Community College will host the Student Voice Project focusing specifically on veterans and active duty soldiers. This event will give veterans and current soldiers an opportunity to share their struggles and triumphs with students.
“The project will be going on every year,” writes Katelyn Prawitt of Student Life and Leadership (SLL) in an email. “We are always trying to find different topics or student groups to participate in this.
The Student Voice Project will have a panel of military members ready to answer questions from the student body.
“The panel will be made of three veterans and a veteran’s spouse,” says Darlene Head, manager of Veterans Services at SLCC. “The Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force will be represented by the panel. We felt that having a spouse of a veteran was a very important perspective to include. Many veterans had someone waiting for them at home and it’s not an easy thing.”
The Student Voice Project is a series of events formed with the collaboration of Arts and Cultural Events, SLL, the Fine Arts and Lectures board and Veterans Services.
“We have over 1300 veterans at Salt Lake Community College,” says Head, “It is important for students to hear their perspectives and opinions.”
SLCC has been one of the more proactive colleges in the country when it comes to helping veterans.
“We were the first campus to have a Veterans Center in Utah and one of eight campuses in the United States selected to run the VA pilot program called Vet Success on Campus back in 2008,” says Head, “We have a lounge area, free printing and a computer lab, all housed in a 1700 square foot building. We try to do a lot for our veterans. These services are also available to military spouses. This is all on top of the educational aid military veterans have access to.”
This is the first time SLCC’s Student Voice Project has had veterans as the focus. The school plans on showcasing many different groups within the student body so that students can learn from the perspectives of its diverse student body.
“It is important for everyone who works for this college to know how they can better represent and serve the student body,” writes Prawitt. “If it wasn’t for the students, none of us would be here.”
The event will start at noon and go until 1:30 p.m. at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus in the Oak Room of the Student Center.
