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Orange door hangers with three black silhouettes are affixed to the door handles of some faculty and staff offices throughout Syracuse University. Those with the hanger are part of the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs’ Orange Door Program.

The program, established in 2017, was designed as a support system for the 546 student veterans and the hundreds of other students with a connection to the military through family. The orange tag represents an open line of communication and engagement between faculty and veteran students, according to the SU news release.

The program provides the ability for volunteers and veterans to have one-on-one conservations, interpersonal relationships, academic advising, tutoring and help with monetary funds while attending SU, said Lauren Pyland, an operations manager for the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs.

“This is not a counselor or academic adviser. This is just an open door,” Pyland said. “It’s somewhere student veterans could see this orange door hanger and is a way to say we claim to be the best place for veterans.”

The program features roughly 120 faculty and staff — including teaching assistants — as student veteran liaisons, Pyland said. All those involved have been provided with video and brochure information regarding the resources student veterans have access to.

Michael Thomas Griffin, a veteran at SU who served in the military, is a student studying said the transition from military to university life can be difficult.

“(In the army) you’re forced to mature much faster than many of your peers,” Griffin said in an email to The Daily Orange. “This isn’t a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s an entirely different culture than the one present at a university.”

The program features roughly 120 faculty and staff — including teaching assistants — as student veteran liaisons.Ella Fling | Contributing Photographer

The Orange Door program creates a visual cue that there are people on campus available to talk about veteran-student problems, but Pyland said there are additional health services specific to veterans, including the Veterans Affairs hotline and the legal clinic for veterans.

The Office of Veteran and Military Affairs provides information to faculty and staff who volunteered about the VA center and local student organizations so that they can relay it to student veterans, Pyland said.

Griffin said the OVMA made his transition to SU easier.

“Coming to a prestigious university immediately following a combat deployment wasn’t my ideal transition period,” he said. “The OVMA accommodated me every step of the way and made me feel like a member of the community at large.”

In a system where there are both veteran- and civilian-specific resources, student veterans need direction and assistance if they are going to readjust to post-secondary academic life or careers, Pyland said.

“(It is) basically, saying, ‘(If) you need to talk to me, my door is open,’” Pyland said.

Published on December 1, 2021 at 12:16 am

Contact Julia: jsniehof@syr.edu | @julianiehoff17