April Newsletter

As April comes to a close and another semester's end quickly approaches, the Office of Student Veterans wishes you the best of luck as you round out your semester.

We still have a few opportunities to continue engaging with the community. First, mark your calendars for the end-of-semester Chapel Climb. This event will be coupled with a graduation cord handout for those students who are graduating this term. Read on for more information on a few members of our community, as well as ways you can volunteer for a good cause. Finally, keep an eye out for an email survey focused on your transition to Duke University.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, remember that our office is here for you. Your well-being and success are our top priorities.

The Duke Office of Student Veterans

Spring Semester Chapel Climb

The Duke Office of Student Veterans will host a Duke Chapel Tower Climb on Monday, May 5th, from 1030 to 1200. Climbs will happen every half hour, with the last climb beginning at 1130. There will be food and refreshments provided as you wait your turn to climb.

You are welcome to bring a guest, but they must be 16 years of age or older. All participants must wear closed-toed shoes and will be required to fill out a waiver on-site. We encourage participants to view the waiver ahead of time here.

We will also have graduation cords available for those who are graduating this semester to pick up in person.

Graduation Cords

Each semester, the Office of Student Veterans hands out cords to our graduating students to celebrate the occasion. If you are graduating this semester and would like a graduation cord, please email the Office of Student Veterans. Remote students can send us an address where the cord should be mailed. For in-person students, we will work with you to coordinate a time to give you a cord.

We ask that only students who are graduating this semester request cords, as it allows us to better track our inventory.

Community Highlights

Two members of the community have been highlighted in various media platforms that we wanted to reshare.

The first is from Duke's Match Day 2025. Matthew Bergens is a 4th-year medical school student who shared his story in the lead-up to match day. The video above, as well as this article, has more information about Duke's Match Day.

The second is a Duke Daily article from the School of Nursing about Commander Hannah Sterns, a Doctor of Nursing Practice student at the School of Nursing. Hannah Starnes shared more about her experiences in the program in this article.

If you, or anyone you know, would like to be highlighted in future newsletters, please reach out to us directly!

March Madness Bracket Winners

Congrats to our winners of the March Madness Bracket Challenges! Winners, you will be contacted directly to arrange your prize pikcup. Thank you to all who participated, and best of luck on next year's competition!

Men's Winners

Bradley Romig
Lucas Vaughan
James Daeteuil

Women's Winners

Zach Messina
Katharine Ziegler
Lisa Deis

OSV Graduate Assistantship

Do you enjoy being a part of this military-affiliated community and want to help it grow and prosper? Consider applying to work for the Office of Student Veterans!

Work in cooperation with the Dean of Students Office staff to create, execute, and support programs and services for military-affiliated students enrolled at Duke University. Using the OSV's three pillars, the graduate assistant will assist fellow military-affiliated students by advocating for them university-wide, creating community-building opportunities, and connecting them to resources that can make their time at Duke a great and memorable one!

This position requires in-person hours during business hours and some nights and weekends. If you are interested, please email us with an attached resume. We look forward to hearing from you all and are excited to add another member to our team!

The job description can be reviewed here: https://duke.box.com/s/0dw9tqclwoyl5d9gmt39nbxaauy3dara

Valor Games Southeast Volunteer Request

Bridge II Sports is hosting their 13th year of the Valor Games Southeast: a spirited adaptive sports competition for our Veterans and members of the armed forces with disabilities.

This impactful initiative, which highlights the power and camaraderie that can be found when veterans participate in adapted sport, is proudly supported by community and corporate partners in conjunction with an adaptive sports grant from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The competition will take place from May 19 - May 22, with competitions being hosted at UNC-Chapel Hill's Ram's Head Campus Recreation, Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium, and Lake Crabtree in Raleigh.

Valor Games SE needs help to make this an incredible Games for the Veteran Athletes! More information about their Games, including a schedule of events, can be found on their website at www.bridge2sports.org/vgsevolunteer/

All volunteers need to complete a ~15-minute virtual training before signing up for volunteer shifts. The training and sign-ups can be completed by following this link.

For questions about the games, please contact events@bridge2sports.org or 866-880-2742.

OSV Transition Survey

The Office of Student Veterans is surveying Duke's military-affiliated community to better understand how our community transitions to, and is a part of, the broader Duke community. This survey will allow us to understand current student perspectives and make Duke a more welcoming and inclusive community in the future.

It is important to note that your responses are confidential and no individually identifiable information will be shared. The Student Affairs Office of Assessment team will work on this project and report the information in a combined, aggregate format to the Office of Student Veterans.

A unique link will be sent directly to your email; please do not share or forward it to anyone else. The survey will remain open until 5 p.m. on Friday, May 9. If you do not receive the direct link or have any questions about the survey in general, please do not hesitate to reach out to our office.

Questions about Financial Assistance and Veteran Benefits?

The VA Education Benefits Coordinator in the Office of the University Registrar is happy to assist you with any questions regarding:

GI Bill
Yellow Ribbon
Chapter 31 Benefits
Chapter 35 Benefits
Tuition Assistance
VA Benefits

Questions can be directed to veteranseducation@duke.edu.