UMSL student veterans held a flag-raising ceremony on Veterans’ Day. From left: Ben Miller, Joe Gomez, Jeff Aiken and Jonathan Baker raised the flag to honor all veterans, but especially the 270 student veterans on UMSL’s campus.

Things are looking up for student veterans at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Last week it was announced that a liaison will be hired in early spring to help student veterans acclimate to a university environment. The liaison is one of several initiatives under consideration for student veterans.

Ronald Yasbin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences has been working with Miriam Huffman, assistant dean of students and the student veterans to focus on improving the veteran experience. A feature story in Sunday’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch relates some of the veterans’ frustration and how university officials have responded to calls for help.

“Most of the time we think of veterans as more mature, but they have different needs,” Yasbin said in the article. “They are coming from a regimented environment to a college environment where we might not offer as much direction.”

A new student veterans organization was formed last spring to provide support and some of the camaraderie they felt in the military. The group held a flag-raising ceremony on campus Nov. 11, Veterans’ Day.