Student veterans at Nicholls added to the University’s status as a ‘Military Friendly School’ by starting an organization for students who previously served in any branch of the armed forces or military reserve.

According to Courtney Cassard, director of enrollment services, there are roughly 150 veterans eligible for benefits on campus. The organization is trying to help students learn about these benefits through membership.

“This organization will be a support system for student veterans. We want to focus on providing the best service for these individuals,” Cassard said.

Kodi Woods and Anjuli LeBlanc serve as co-presidents for the organization. Woods is a business administration sophomore who served in the Navy. LeBlanc is a general studies sophomore who served in the Army.

“Anjuli and I used to see all the other organizations on campus and wondered why veterans did not have one. We went to Mrs. Wanda Porche, who is a representative in the Veteran Admissions office and asked if we could start something. She agreed, so we got serious about it,” Woods said.

The organization, which just completed the process of becoming an official organization, seeks to give student veterans a chance to come together, despite the fact that not all of these students served in the same branch of the military.

“You may not recognize a veteran on campus unless he or she is wearing military clothing or fatigues,” Woods said. “We want to change that by giving those particular students the opportunity to bond with each other and also network with non-veterans on campus.”

Woods said the group of about 25 members will be planning events on campus this semester, such as tailgating for football games, a toy and food drive and service projects.

Social media will be an integral part of spreading the word about the organization too, Woods said.

“We want to get our message out and our announcements out by using our Facebook page, and our soon-to-be Youtube channel,” Woods said.

This is not the first time a group like this has been on campus. The original group was discontinued, but Woods said that he and LeBlanc are working hard to make sure that that does not happen this time around.

Nicholls was designated a ‘Military Friendly School’ for the third straight year by Jobs Magazine in September.

This is an honor shared with only 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools across the country. This also means that members and veterans of the military can expect priority service when enrolling at the University. Admissions criteria are exempt for veterans who have received an honorable discharge, and enrollees may register before the general population.

Woods said he took advantage of this policy, and he is happy that veterans are given this privilege.

Woods said veteran life is very different than civilian life. He believes that veterans who have already made the adjustment should assist those who have not.

“Who better to help a veteran than another veteran, whether that may be tutoring, studying together or just getting to know one another by hanging out,” Woods said. “Also, even though we are not in the military anymore, we still represent the United States for men and women students.”