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Donors assist with opening of new Veterans Center


A silent art auction, held Feb. 13, raised $3,440 for the new Veterans Center. Artist Linda Aman, wife of UCC Vice President of Student Services Rick Aman, donated 30 paintings which she painted in 30 days.
Summer Hall / Mainstream
A silent art auction, held Feb. 13, raised $3,440 for the new Veterans Center. Artist Linda Aman, wife of UCC Vice President of Student Services Rick Aman, donated 30 paintings which she painted in 30 days.

Veterans at UCC can find a place to study, unwind, and get assistance in the new Veterans Center. The Center, located in the Education Skills Building, opened up on Jan. 27. The “official” grand opening of the center will be at a later date.

The Veterans Center is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Any student who is a veteran, who has previously served or is currently serving in the armed forces, can use the Center to socialize. According to Ann Abel, veterans and work study specialist, the Center “allows student veterans to make connections with other student veterans.”

The Center offers five laptops for student use and assistance in setting up tutoring times. The staff hope to eventually have “Vets helping Vets” tutoring. Also, a representative from the employment office will come to the Center once a month to help veterans with job seeking, resume building and other job skills. Marjan Coester is also working on setting up a mentor program for veterans with a veteran mentor in the Center for about ten hours a week to provide peer support and to work with veterans on college success skills including time management, scheduling and studying tips.

According to Courtney Evans, the center’s secretary, this will be a “safe, secure environment.” Evans states that being surrounded by fellow brother and sister veterans is therapeutic.

A major goal of the Veterans Center is to help veterans get assistance transitioning back into civilian life. “A veteran will always have a piece of their military experience with them, and that alone sets them apart from many civilians who have never experienced such things,” Evans said. Older veterans who have already transitioned are able to provide guidance and insight.

Steve Buchko makes a bid on a painting.
Summer Hall / Mainstream
Steve Buchko makes a bid on a painting.

They also intend to plan camping trips and other outdoor events. These trips will provide student veterans a chance to relax away from campus while allowing them to interact on a more personal level rather than just school work. There will also be consistent meetings for the members of the Veterans of UCC association.

Funding and remodeling for the Veterans Center has consisted of donations from community members, businesses and organizations. The local veteran community has also provided a lot of support for the facility. “The Facilities staff has also been very helpful towards the Veteran Center effort,” Abel said.

 To help with this funding, a “30 Paintings in 30 Days” fundraising event was led by artist Linda Aman, wife of interim VP of student services Rick Aman. She created 30 paintings to be auctioned at the fundraiser. All of the benefits from the auction went towards funding the Veterans Center

Some items are still needed in order to complete the Veterans Center:

  • Cash to purchase furniture and supplies
  • Network capable printer
  • Paper and ink for the printer
  • DVD player with wireless capability

If anyone would like more information or to donate to the Veterans Center, contact Lisa Davis at (541)817-3393 or, lisa.davis@umpqua.edu.