November Newsletter

First and foremost, the Office of Student Veterans would like to thank all of its student veteran and military-affiliated students, faculty, and staff for their service and sacrifice. Veterans Day is a hallowed celebration of the generations of veterans who have selflessly served their country and fellow Americans. We give thanks to you for all that you have done and all that you will do!

As we progress through the month of November, the Office of Student Veterans seeks to provide various opportunities for community development, fellowship, and relaxation for Duke Student Veterans. We know academic endeavors can be stressful. Please reach out to our office with any issues you may experience and consider joining us for the upcoming events listed below.

Warm regards,

The Duke Student Veterans Office

Samuel Clay Adams, Assistant Vice President
Grace Sullivan Zirkle, Associate Director
Tyler Van Parys, Staff Assistant
Nicholas Harrelson, Graduate Assistant
Beautiful Reed, Graduate Assistant

Upcoming Events

The Care of Souls Conference - November 8-10, 2022
Duke Veterans Day Ceremony - November 11, 2022
Veterans Victory Lap 5k - November 12, 2022
Chapel Climb - December (More Info Coming)

Community Spotlight

Beautiful is a new Graduate Assistant for the Office of Student Veterans who is pursuing her Doctorate of Physical Therapy here at Duke. Beautiful is also an Army Veteran, having served 8 years as a surgical technician for the 1888th Medical Detachment where she was also a non-commissioned officer. Beautiful’s position in her unit allowed her to teach wellness classes for the soldiers and families around her, which is something she continues to be passionate about.

Before coming to the Triangle, Beautiful lived her whole life in the Pacific Northwest. Being a Washingtonian, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Washington State University (Go Cougs!).

After completing her Doctorate, Beautiful hopes to work for Veteran Affairs and continue to support the military community for years to come. She also wants to pursue residency in Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy and potentially become faculty at a DPT program to help serve and teach the next generation of Physical Therapists.

Beautiful lives with her husband Ryan who is also an Army Veteran as well as a Flight Instructor. They live together with their German Shepard Husky, Kona. Both of them love to play video games together, go on hikes, play music, and be outside with Kona. Beautiful also loves to craft, create wood projects, and enjoys all things nerdy (games, anime, Star Wars [and Star Trek], you name it).

"As a new Office of Student Veterans Graduate Assistant, I hope to be an additional avenue for our veterans and military family members to reach out to at any time. I am happy to meet up, talk, go out for coffee or a drink, and get to know you better. As a future medical professional, I am especially interested in the health and well-being of our military community and want everyone to know my door is open for those who need an ear, a hand, a resource, or a friend."

If you would like to contact Beautiful to discuss any topics related to student veteran needs, you can reach her at beautiful.reed@duke.edu.

Electives of Interest to Student Veterans

The Office of Student Veterans is compiling a list of elective courses open to students across various programs that may be of interest to Duke student veterans. If you have any suggestions, please let us know by emailing veterans@studentaffairs.duke.edu.

Examples of the classes compiled thus far include:

War and the Christian Tradition
Care of Souls, Ethics of War
American Grand Strategy
Public Policy and Veterans
Introduction to Peace and Conflict Resolution

Check out the details of the classes we have compiled thus far by clicking here! If you have any suggestions that you think would fit well with the classes listed, please email veterans@studentaffairs.duke.edu.

Share your Student/Alumni Bio!

Interested in having a student veteran bio featured in the newsletter or a veteran alumni bio active on our Student Affairs website? Email our graduate assistant, Nicholas Harrelson, at nicholas.harrelson@duke.edu. He will provide you with a bio template and instructions on how to edit, update, or remove your student or alumni bio at any time.

Electronic Virtual Assistant Upgrade

Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E) Service’s Electronic Virtual Assistant (e-VA) is receiving a major upgrade! VR&E Veterans, service members, and dependents will now have the ability to electronically sign and return documents directly to their assigned VR&E Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) from their smartphone, tablet, or computer.

To read more about this upgrade and what it means for your benefits, click here.

Office Hours

The Office of Student Veterans will be holding regular office hours throughout the school year. Office hours will be Mondays and Fridays from 1000-1200.

If you would like to meet outside OSV office hours, please email our graduate assistant Nic at nicholas.harrelson@duke.edu. He will be happy to schedule you to meet with someone in our office.

The Care of Souls, the Ethics of War, and the Wisdom of Sacred Communities

Join with other active duty members, veterans, and civilians interested in the morality and ethics of war, November 8-10, 2022. This conference will explore how chaplains can respond with wisdom and integrity to ethical questions that arise in their religious leadership role. We will engage in honest conversation about responding to moral injury, connecting the roles of religious leadership and religious advisement, and understanding the relationship of the care of souls and the ethics of war.

Active Duty soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, veterans, and civilians interested in the morality of war are encouraged to attend!

Duke Veterans Day Ceremony

Duke University will be observing its annual commemoration of Veterans Day with a ceremony beginning at 1100 on 11 November 2022 outside of Duke Chapel. A wreath-laying ceremony will occur at the Memorial Wall adjacent to Duke Chapel, in front of the Divinity School, immediately following the ceremony. The entire Duke community is welcome to attend both observances.

For more information about the Duke Veterans Day Ceremony click here for the Duke Daily article.

DAFA Veterans Victory Lap 5k

Registration is now open for the Duke Armed Forces Association Veterans Victory Lap 5k! Come out and participate with the broader student veteran community at Duke! To register, either use the QR Code on the image below or click here.

Chapel Climb and Graduation Cords

The Office of Student Veterans will be holding its semester Chapel Climb in December. This is used as a time for community building and as an opportunity to pass out graduation cords to student veterans who will be graduating at the end of the semester. The event is open to all Duke Student Veterans! More information regarding date and time will be forthcoming!

Ways to Connect

Office of Student Veterans: veterans@studentaffairs.duke.edu

VA Education Benefits Coordinator in the Office of the University Registrar: veteranseducation@duke.edu

Facebook Group: "Duke Veterans"

Facebook Page: "Duke Student Veterans"

Instagram: "DukeStudentVets"