From: VCU Military Student Services
Date: October 16, 2024
Subject: October 16th Newsletter


VCU Military student services January 2024

 Hot Topic 


Calling All Artists!!!

Are you a budding student veteran or dependent artist? Are you looking for a great way to celebrate the upcoming Veterans Day? And are you looking for a way to showcase and increase your artistic visability? Then we have the opportunity for you. Our Art Open House will be held at the MSS Office on November 11th. 

We are accepting all mediums, i.e. painting, printmaking, photography, film, crafts, 3-d art. You name it, we want it. Please fill out the attahced google doc HERE to submit your piece.

Free Wills Clinic

Now is your chance to get those legal documents taken care of. We will have volunteers from the Greater Richmond Bar Association in the MSS Office on October 23rd from 1-4 to help with basic wills, medical advanced directives and powers of attorney. This equates to a savings of over $500!! Do Not Miss this opportunity. Register Here

You will need to fill out forms prior to the event. Email Stephen Ross for the forms and for an appointment time if you have not done so already.

Join the SVA!!

ATTENTION ON DECK! As part of SVA @ VCU's ongoing efforts to engage with members and offer meaningful opportunities to develop skills outside the classroom, we'll be periodically sending out stories and student profiles via our new "SVA NewsWire." The goal is to keep students informed of events and opportunities that help SVA @ VCU accomplish the mission of Student Veterans of America: To act as a catalyst for student veteran success by providing resources, network support and advocacy to, through, and beyond higher education.

SVA NewsWire will highlight past events to raise awareness of what we're doing in our community, with our alumni, and how these events are beneficial to students acadmically, personally, and professionally. We'll highlight chapter members and leaders so you can get to know your peers and develop a greater sense of community. 

When it comes to student organizations, there's no better "bang-for-your buck" than SVA (duh, membership is FREE). SVA has a ton of resources to aid you on your journey towards your degree and beyond - all you have to do is reach out and use them! 


Our first SVA NewsWire story comes from Adan Rivera, who has volunteered to lead this effort. We hope you enjoy, and stay tuned!
 

School Certifying Official Updates

Advance Spring 2025 registration for our Veteran and active duty, Guard/Reserve  students is October 30th at 8AM (this is for Veteran and active duty only and does not extend to dependents using transferred benefits).  If you are eligible for early registration, please reach out to your VCU academic advisor now to plan out your courses for Spring 2025.

All students should check their VCU account ahead of time to make sure you do not have any registration holds or remaining balances on your account that would block your Spring registration.  If you have questions about your balance or the holds that may be on your account, please give us a call at 804.828.6563

After you register for Spring 2025, be sure to submit for your VA benefits for the Spring term.  

  • For Federal benefits (Chapter 30, 31, 33, 35, 1606) you can submit your online RFC (after you register for the term) at go.vcu.edu/militarystudents.  To check and see how much remaining benefit time you have, you can log into your VA account at va.gov/education  
  • Students using the State VMSDEP program can re-authorize their VMSDEP award at https://vmsdep.dvs.virginia.gov/user/login  When you are logged in you can check the VMSDEP site to confirm how many remaining semesters you have in benefit

This past Fall we saw noticeable prolonged processing times at the VA for Chapter 35 benefits... so if you are using Chapter 35, please be sure to get your request in early to avoid delays in payment.

Go Rams!or Chapter 33 post 9/11 Gi Bill students

Employment, Internship, and Volunteer Opportunities

UNlimited Potential Career & Internship Fair
When: Wednesday, October 23rd 12:00-3:00
Where: University Commons, second floor in the Richmond Salon
Register Here

RVA Internship & Experiential Opportunities Fair
When: Tuesday, October 29th 12:00-3:00
Where: University Commons, second floor in the Richmond Salon
Register Here

Scholarships and Professional Growth Opportunities

Scholoarship Links

Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

The 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will open in a phased roll out in October 2024 to a limited number of participants. For more up to date information please visit the FAFSA site here.
Be sure to regularly check the RAMS Scholarship Hub for scholarship opportunities that are open to VCU students.
Don’t forget that the Military Student Services’ website also lists several scholarships and financial aid opportunities specifically for veterans, service members, and their families: https://militaryservices.vcu.edu/scholarships-and-aid/

SVA and MSS Updates and Events

Mark Your Calendars: 



MSS Pizza Day: Join the MSS Staff and the SVA starting at 12:00 on Wednesday October 30th in office at 3122 Harris Hall. Free Pizza and Comaraderie!! Our Pizza Day is sponsored by the Wounded Warrior Project this year. Many thanks for their support!! Register Here

MSS & SVA Hosted Dinner: Join the MSS & SVA for dinner at Riverside Tavern (a veteran owned business) on Thursday, October 17th from 7-9 p.m. Come enjoy some great company and learn more about what the MSS & SVA does to support our veteran students. Register Here

Bi-Weekly SVA Meeting: Currious about what the SVA does and how we support our fellow military affliated students? Come on out to our next meeting on Wednesday, October 23rd in the MSS office, Harris Hall Rm 3122. Register Here

Free Wills Clinic: Now is your chance to get those legal documents taken care of. We will have volunteers from the Great Richmond Bar Association in the MSS Office on October 23rd from 1-4 to help with basic wills, medical advanced directives and powers of attorney. This equates to a savings of over $500!! Do Not Miss this opportunity. Register Here

Veterans Day Art Show: The MSS and SVA are proud to announce our very first Military Community Art Show. The show will take place in the MSS Office on Veterans Day, November 11th from 9-2. Food will be provided. We will showcase work from our military affilated students in the VCUArts programs as well as our MSS community at large that like to dabble. RSVP Here

Green Zone: Learn how to support Veterans and their families as they transition to civilian/student life on October 28th. This event is for those in a teaching and/or support role. Register Here

 

 

 

 

Extras

Free access to the great outdoors!

Veterans and their families are eligible to free lifetime access to all U.S. national parks.

Visit here to learn more

  • Department of Defense Identification Card
  • Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
  • Veteran ID Card
  • Veterans designation on a state-issued U.S. driver’s license or identification card

 

Check out the Pineland Underground podcast.

“Join us as we explore critical topics to forge a holistic understanding of Special Warfare, and the role of Army Special Operations Forces of the past, present, and in the future of our National Defense.”
 

Stephen Ross, Director                               (stross@vcu.edu)
Tres Morley, Assistant Director                   (wemorley@vcu.edu)   
Fran Chesler, School Certifying Official      (cheslerfl@vcu.edu)
Jerry Hunt, School Certifying Official          (huntgl@vcu.edu)
Pamella Newton, Communications Intern   (newtonp@vcu.edu)

Virginia Commonwealth University
Strategic Enrollment Management and Student Success
Military Student Services

1015 Floyd Ave
Box 842536
Richmond, VA 23284
(804) 828-6563
militaryserv@vcu.edu

Free Wills Clinic on Wednesday, 23 October 2024 At 1:00 PM. No image description provided

EVENT

Free Wills Clinic

clock Wednesday, October 23, 2024
1:00pm - 4:00pm
Location pinPrivate Location (sign in to display)
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Mark your Calendars for our Free Wills event on October 23rd. Our volunteers from the The Greater Richmond Bar Association can help with Powers of Attorney, Medical Advanced Directives and Basic Wills. In order to qualify for the free legal service you must be 18, a current Virginia Resident with a valid photo ID and you cannot own a business. Priority will be given to our military population but this opportunity is open the general VCU population.

You will need to email Stephen Ross if you wish to attend as there will be forms to fill out before the event. He can be contacted at stross@vcu.edu
REGISTER
Green Zone Training on Monday, 28 October 2024 At 12:00 PM. No image description provided

EVENT

Green Zone Training

clock Monday, October 28, 2024
12:00pm - 1:15pm
Location pinPrivate Location (sign in to display)
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Learn how to support Veterans and their families as they transition to civilian/student life. This event is for those in a teaching a/or support role. Please register at the below link, once registration is complete a followup email will be sent for lunch choice options.

https://training.vcu.edu/course.aspx?processFlag=2&itemID=18397
REGISTER
MSS Pizza Day on Wednesday, 30 October 2024 At 12:00 PM. No image description provided

EVENT

MSS Pizza Day

clock Wednesday, October 30, 2024
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Location pinPrivate Location (register to display)
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Come swing by the MSS office for some camaraderie with your fellow Vet and Military affiliated students. You get great conversation and FREE Pizza. This year's Pizza Days are being sponsored by The Wounded Warrior Project. Many, Many thanks for their support!!

This event is for Veteran and military spouse/dependent students
REGISTER
MSS Veterans Day Art Opening on Monday, 11 November 2024 At 9:00 AM. No image description provided

EVENT

MSS Veterans Day Art Opening

clock Monday, November 11, 2024
9:00am - 2:00pm
Location pinPrivate Location (sign in to display)
CalendarAdd to Google Cal, Outlook, Yahoo, iCal

Come join us as we celebrate our VCU Artists at our very first Art Opening on Veterans Day. Lite fare will be available as you peruse through our office gallery. Our very own Stephen Ross will have three of his famous wooden flags on display at the event and raffle tickets will be available for purchase for three lucky winner to take a gorgeous flag home. Raffle ticket prices will be 1 for $5 or 5 for $20. You must RSVP to attend.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5aoQD5dz8autjvhqBP6_YmRDMWWy-63BPNelyk8unvv2f_g/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0
We are looking to showcase our military affiliated students and our student Veterans. We will also take submission from VCUArts students as long as they adhere to the veteran/military theme. If you are interested in submitting a work, please fill out the below google form.

For military affiliated and student veterans:
https://forms.gle/6bVnz3iEbMuwnDhcA

For unaffiliated VCUArts students:
https://forms.gle/ZSEcZiNS4pPnQNj2A
REGISTER