March Newsletter

As we push on into March, and into the months of spring and warmer weather, the Office of Student Veterans hopes you are doing well!

To keep the semester rolling we have several upcoming events that may pique your interest! The Women's Duke Lacrosse team faces off against Harvard next week for the Military/First Responders Appreciation Game, and the Duke OSV March Madness Bracket will open next week.

We wish you all a great rest of the month and the semester and remind you to reach out with any questions or concerns. Our office is always open!

Warm regards,

The Duke Office of Student Veterans

S. Clay Adams, Assistant Vice President
Grace Sullivan Zirkle, Associate Director

Dalton Dey, Assistant Director
Beautiful Reed, Graduate Assistant

Upcoming Events

Women's Lacrosse Military Appreciation Game - March 12, 2024

March Madness OSV Bracket - Available on March 17, 2024

Chapel Climb and Graduation Cords - TBA

Military and First Responders Appreciation Game - Duke Women's Lacrosse vs Harvard

Duke Women's Lacrosse will face off against Harvard on this Tuesday, March 12th at 1800 in Koskinen Stadium for Military and First Responders Appreciation Day! Tickets are free for all students. To be granted the ticket, students must show their student ID at the Whitford Drive ticket booth.

Job Posting - Graduate Assistantship with the Office of Student Veterans

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!

March Madness Bracket - 2024

The Duke Office of Student Veterans is hosting a March Madness competition for our community. We are awarding prizes of Duke Gear to the top three Duke students with the highest scores. Sign up or log onto ESPN to join!

Selection Sunday will occur on March 17th, and the bracket will be released that evening. We encourage you to create your bracket by March 20th to be in time for the First Four games. The last day to submit brackets or make changes is March 21st by 1200.

As a virtual event, ALL military-affiliated students (in-person and remote) are welcome to join, and staff as well! No experience is required. If you need some pointers filling out a bracket, click here for some tips.

Veterans Council Meeting Interest

Our graduate assistant Beautiful will be convening a Student Veteran Council this semester to connect with the student veterans from across campus. We will discuss past and future veterans events, various initiatives in the Office of Student Veterans and student veteran organizations, and ways in which student veteran organizations can better engage with and serve the community. This meeting is open to all interested military-affiliated students. The Office of Student Veterans plans to hold the council meeting over Zoom.

Please use this Doodle Poll to enter your availability for the potential meeting dates. We look forward to meeting with you all.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Beautiful via email.

U.S Department of Veterans Affairs is Transitioning to Single Payment Bank Accounts

Starting April 20, 2024, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will be implementing a significant change regarding benefit payments. To streamline processes and ensure efficiency, VA will no longer distribute benefit payments across multiple bank accounts for Veterans and their family members.

What does this mean for you? If you currently receive GI bill payments or other VA benefits across multiple banking accounts, you will need to select one primary account to receive all future payments.

All Veterans and beneficiaries are required to consolidate their benefit payments to one bank account by April 20, 2024. Failure to do so will result in VA consolidating payments on your behalf, with your non-education benefit pay account being selected as the primary account.

For assistance or more information, visit VA's official website or contact the VA directly.

GI Bill Tutoring Benefit

Students can receive tutoring as a GI bill benefit if the student is:

Enrolled in an educational program for half-time or more,
Using the Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve (Chapter 1606), Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty (Chapter 30), Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33), or the Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) benefit
Having trouble in a required subject and needs a tutor

Students can be reimbursed by the GI Bill for up to $100 a month and a total of $1,200.

The course instructor (or teacher) must agree the student needs a tutor and write a letter on their behalf.

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