By Liza Porter

Vets helping vets: That’s the main purpose of the Pima Community College Vets4Vets Club, which held its first board meeting of the semester Aug. 27 at Downtown Campus.

“What we want to do is have a gathering place,” said PCC employee and V4V advisor Tim Kelliher, a veteran himself.

“We’re here to help the veterans,” Kelliher said. “From whatever era they come from, to get into school and be successful.”

V4V meets every Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m. at the Student Life Office at Downtown Campus (LB-171) for both social and practical purposes.

During the V4V meetings, Kelliher and student advisers help veterans with any problems they may have, whether regarding enrollment difficulties, adjusting to college life or finding a job.

V4V president Chris Clemens and resources director Robert Tobara have much experience helping guide fellow student veterans through the cumbersome registration process many vets must undergo to receive GI Bill benefits and other financial aid.

Election of new officers will take place on Sept. 14.

Fall semester Vets4Vets social activities include a fundraising barbecue at Downtown Campus on Sept. 7.

Also in the works is a rock concert on Halloween weekend at the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Post 4903, which is now one of V4V’s sponsors.

“They adopted us,” Clemens said of Post 4903.

“It’s one of the few posts around town that is actively seeking Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans,” Tobara added. “A lot of the other posts around town are still very, very resistant to let them in.”

VFP Post 4903 will donate use of its hall for the concert. The music will be “younger-generation, more of the assault-your eardrums rock,” Tobara said. More information about the concert will be available soon. Check the “Groups” tab on MyPima for updates.

Post 4903 is also involved in a food and clothing drive organized by Vets4Vets. Donations will be accepted Oct. 4-8 in the Downtown Campus Student Life office. Clothes and food collected will go directly to homeless veterans in Tucson.

V4V wants to encourage all campus veterans to come check out the club, especially women.

The board is concerned that they haven’t made enough of an effort to reach women veterans attending PCC. The club is even going to the extent of changing the wording of their constitution to be less gender-specific.

“We need women here,” member Fernando Felix said. “Women do things. Men, we can talk about it, but I find that women are more effective.”

“We do have experience and knowledge,” Maria Elena Moreno said. The sole woman vet attending the meeting, she said it with a smile.

For more information about Vets4Vets and upcoming events, contact Chris Clemens at 272-9929 and silverwolf6669@netzero.com, or Robert Tobara at 881-0814 and robert.tobara@yahoo.com.

Abel Moreno, Robert Tobara and Chris Clemens discuss issues. Aztec Press photo by Liza Porter.

Battling the Books: Veterans return to college

By Liza Porter

The veteran population at Pima Community College has tripled in the last year, according to Holly Tackett, Student Services Specialist in the Admissions and Registration Department at Downtown Campus.

PCC statistics show that 1,626 veterans and their dependents are utilizing the G.I. Bill so far this fall.

An Aztec Press series, “Battling the Books: Veterans Return to College,” will explore the experiences of war veterans who enroll at PCC following discharge from the military.

Who are the veterans at PCC’s six campuses? Do they have unusual obstacles to overcome while settling into a college career? How is the experience different for men than for women? What does it take to get set up on the G.I. Bill?

These are the types of questions we hope to answer in “Battling the Books.”

We welcome input from veterans and other students, instructors and administration. Contact Steve Choice or Liza Porter at aztecpress@pima.edu or 206-6800.

Resources for veterans

Peer support for Iraq/Afghanistan-era vets can be found at www.vets4vets.us.
Local contact: Chris Clemens, president: silverwolf6669@netzero.com

“Military Guide to College” can be found at www.studentveterans.org. Choose “Resource Library” at the top of the site.

The American Council on Education’s “From Soldier to Student: Easing the Transition of Service Members on Campus” can be found at www.acenet.edu. Choose “Military Programs” under “Programs and Services.”

PCC Veterans Office

Pima Community College District Veterans Office
Address: 4905 E. Broadway, Suite B220
Phone: 206-4715
E-mail: veterans@pima.edu

Financial Aid: 24 hours a day / 7 days a week at:

Or visit any campus Student Services Center during normal college business hours.