The Bakersfield College Veterans Club is on its way to officially becoming a club on campus.
The objective of the BC Veterans Club is to serve as a support system for BC Veterans and families.
It will be an organization that will inform students on any questions they may have when applying to BC after returning from military life. “The BC Veterans club will be an impartial club, having no political or religious affiliation.
An additional goal of this club will also be to take responsibility for the cleaning and appearance of the Veterans Plaza on the BC campus, said Robert J. Shoaf, president of the Veterans Club.
Shoaf, a business administration major, is a former Marine who served 12 years of active service and did three tours in Iraq that totaled 30 months.
On April 9, he was elected to serve as the interim president for the BC Veterans club. Another election will be held prior to the Fall 2010 semester to establish the executive officers for the 2010-2011 school year.
Aldric Horton, 24, psychology major and Veterans Club representative, was in the Army for five years. “I joined the club because I felt it was something long overdue at BC and thought it presented a good opportunity to network with other veterans,” said Horton.
Currently the club meets on Fridays at 9 a.m. in front of the library.
Although there weren’t a lot of people at the last meeting, Shoaf hopes to get the word out and have more members in the club. “I want to promote, recruit and give facial recognition to BC Veterans,” said Shoaf.
“Membership in the Veterans Club will be open to all students with a valid Gades card, registered at BC, in good standing with the Admissions and Records office and fulfilling the membership requirements of the organization,” said Shoaf.
Some specific roles that the Veterans Club will include: informing veterans and their families on the most up-to-date legislation that will affect them, provide campus counseling by contacting local mental health, social, or education counselors and have them come to BC, and educate veterans, families, supporters, and educators on the problems many veterans face during the transition from service member to student, especially on the affects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), according to Shoaf.
Accomplishing goals with the help of others is a key union the club wants to share with its members.
“Each student at BC has a goal they want to accomplish, and some people find it easier to accomplish their goals when they are surrounded by other people with a similar background. Veterans are unique in that they have experiences that are uncommon to most of their student peers,” said Shoaf.
“By coming together, veterans are able to give insight or provide mentorship to others. In the end, the gap between veterans and non-veterans will begin to be bridged as we all learn from each other and find ways to apply our experiences to best fit our lives and the lives around us,” said Shoaf.
For more information on the BC Veterans Club, contact [email protected].