Fit2BTide S08.E06: UA's Veteran and Military Affairs

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Wvuafm Tuscaloosa. [00:00:09] Speaker B: Happy Sunday, y'. [00:00:10] Speaker C: All. [00:00:10] Speaker B: You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone and. Hello? [00:00:15] Speaker C: Hello. [00:00:16] Speaker B: Your voice, I have to say, sounds a lot better. I'm sure your problems, as I said yes now. And this is. This is just seasonal, like, allergy funk. Right. [00:00:28] Speaker C: I think. [00:00:28] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:00:29] Speaker C: Yeah. I'm about to start coughing again. You might want to mute me. [00:00:32] Speaker B: You know what? I. I will mute you, y'. All. I have her muted. You probably hear it on my mic too. We're just. We're doing all the things. [00:00:43] Speaker C: Yeah, sorry. [00:00:44] Speaker B: Hey. Okay. [00:00:45] Speaker C: Hey, I'm looking for an allergist. Yeah. So seasonal allergies, I guess that's turned into bronchitis. Yes. You know, I'm a little less Kathleen Turner today. [00:00:55] Speaker B: Yeah, I. I agree. [00:00:57] Speaker C: But still. Still on the struggle bus. Still driving it. Still stopping every, like, you know, 10ft to hack up along. Well, but, you know, I'm hoping the cooler air and rain that we've gotten lately will help. [00:01:11] Speaker B: I hope so, too. And we're officially, by the time this episode airs, we'll be in November. Yeah, I know. That's so crazy. [00:01:19] Speaker C: No coughing November. [00:01:20] Speaker B: No coughing November. [00:01:22] Speaker C: Claim it. [00:01:22] Speaker B: I like that. You know, and I do enjoy November. I don't know if it's because my birthday is also in November, but just enjoy November as a whole. You know, it kind of gets into that full throttle holiday season. [00:01:34] Speaker C: And. [00:01:37] Speaker B: You guys, we're just. Hey, you're okay. Okay. You're totally okay. But, yes. So, you know, it's birth, which. How big do you like to celebrate? Birthday for unica. Okay, y'. All. So we are continuing. We took a brief pause. You probably won't notice it because we, you know, we stopped the recording, but Nika was just mentioning it is the Mondayest Monday ever. [00:02:06] Speaker C: It is. It really is. Okay, so you were asking me about how I do birthdays. [00:02:12] Speaker B: Yes. Like, is birthday. Like, is it a big thing for you? Because, you know, there. There are people in our lives or pockets of people who, you know, birthday is no big deal. Others, it's like, okay, it is my birthday week, y'. All. It is my birthday month. What. What is your personality when it comes to birthdays? [00:02:28] Speaker C: I love having a birthday, like, you know, the day of. I'm like, oh, it's my bir. But I tend to do my kids birthdays up pretty big. Like, it's their whole birthday week. [00:02:40] Speaker B: Yes. [00:02:40] Speaker C: You know, every day they get to choose to do something fun, whether it's like, you know, go get a snack or go choose what we're gonna have for dinner. [00:02:50] Speaker B: So. [00:02:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:02:51] Speaker C: I love birthdays. How about you? [00:02:52] Speaker B: I do too. I think that as a mom now. Yes. I feel like my energies are shifted more on trying to make it a big deal for my kids. And then also, you know, you reach a certain age where it's like, how I gonna celebrate being in my 40s, you know what I mean? [00:03:08] Speaker C: I've reached the age now that I. When, once I turn an age, I start calling myself the next year's age. Yes. Is that weird? [00:03:16] Speaker B: No. [00:03:16] Speaker C: So then I get confused how old I really am. [00:03:18] Speaker B: Right. [00:03:19] Speaker C: Because I. I'm always like, you know, yes. [00:03:21] Speaker B: Well, I'm turning 41. And I almost accidentally said, like, oh, I'll be 42, because I'm already pegging myself as 41. Like, wait a second. But now Terri, my husband, you know, he's constantly been saying, what do you want for your birthday? What do you want for your birthday? And I just, I don't, I don't. I couldn't really think of anything specific. And then I thought of something. Guess what? I have asked him I want to do for my birthday. [00:03:45] Speaker C: What do you want to do? [00:03:46] Speaker B: I am gonna take an intro to improv class. It's a two hour primer and I think it's a little teaser to see if people want to sign up for their eight week intensive course. That's like once a week for eight weeks. This is just a one time two thing. [00:04:04] Speaker C: I. I don't know the next Tina fan. [00:04:07] Speaker B: Well, I've, you know, in high school, when it wasn't for college applications, when people would say, what do you want to do when you grow up? I would say, I wanted to be a cast member of snl. I don't know why. [00:04:17] Speaker C: Oh, I would love that. [00:04:18] Speaker B: I don't even know if other people think I'm funny. I don't even know if I am. I think it's just getting to do some creativity. So, like, into someone being like, oh, I'm gonna take up painting or writing. I'm like, I'll try improv. Why not? [00:04:34] Speaker C: How did you find this class? [00:04:36] Speaker B: It was actually on a Tuscaloosa moms Facebook group. Okay. Somebody just posted, I think that their spouse or partner was offering the services and they're like, hey, FYI, they did @ one point in time have a workshop related to workshops for writing your own stand up comedy bit. So I wanted to learn the ins and outs and skill of writing a bit within a set, but then you eventually had to perform it. And so I just, I think that was going to be a no go for me. [00:05:08] Speaker C: So. [00:05:09] Speaker B: But maybe one day. But y', all, thankfully, we have to take a break. I'm going to go ahead and shut the train down, Nika, before you think of questions to ask me, because I know. But y', all, if you are listening, as always, thankfully, what we talk about in this first segment is not what we're talking about the rest of the show. And as always, we have a fabulous guest for you. But we've got to take a quick break, you guys. You are listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 capstone. [00:05:42] Speaker A: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa. [00:05:51] Speaker C: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to Fit to Be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the Capstone. [00:05:56] Speaker B: That's right. And if you are just now listening, that's actually probably a good thing, per usual when I think about how rogue we go in that first segment. But, but I did tease earlier on that we have a fabul guest today. And you know, really this year and really just the whole time of our show, we've always had incredible guests, you know, showcasing the different services we have on campus. We've had student guests as well. And Today we have Mr. Andrew Newby, who is director of veteran and military affairs here at the University of Alabama. So, Andrew, thanks for being on the show. [00:06:30] Speaker A: Thanks so much for having me. I'm really looking forward to our conversation. [00:06:34] Speaker B: Absolutely. Now, Andrew, I will acknowledge that Nique and I, we are both honored to know you on a personal level. We know your beautiful bride, Jessica Lauren. And so it's so fun to get to talk to you in an official capacity today on the show. And so for our listeners who are unfamiliar with you, can you share your hometown academic background and professional background prior to coming to ua? [00:07:00] Speaker A: Sure. So I'm originally from North Alabama. I was born in Huntsville and we bounced around a bit when I was a kid. We landed in Hartzell from sixth grade through high school. And then in 2006, I decided to join the Marine Corps. Saw a guy in a uniform and I thought that looked awesome. So I decided to try and get one myself. And I did. My parents moved while I was in the Marine Corps. I was stationed in California and they moved to Oskaloosa in 2009, 2010 timeframe, which was about the time that I was supposed to move to my next duty station. Going from Southern California over to Florida. And so I walked into my parents house for the first time ever and I went to the fridge and I saw a picture of this girl on the refrigerator. And I was like, who is that? And my mom was like, oh, that's our best friend's daughter. Why can't you marry somebody like her? So a year and a half later, we did. We got married in her backyard that her daddy built that house and my dad married us. And we've been married going on 13 years now, got five kids, and we're just loving life. So when I got out of the Marine Corps, my wife was doing her PhD work at Auburn in nutrition and dietetics. And so I went to Auburn because that's where she was and who wants to live apart? So I did my undergrad there and I kind of fell into the work that I do now. I worked at the Veterans Resource center as a student and then as an employee, and then I went to the University of Mississippi and I was at Ole Miss for eight years. And I started last December here at the University of Alabama. And I'm just tickled to be here. [00:08:35] Speaker B: Well, we're tickled to have you. [00:08:36] Speaker C: I know such a small world. So I actually know your mother in law. [00:08:43] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [00:08:43] Speaker C: I used to personal train her before I even met Jessica Lauren when I started grad school and she was in one of my classes. [00:08:51] Speaker B: Wow. [00:08:51] Speaker C: And that's how I met you too, Sheena. [00:08:53] Speaker B: Yes, you did. [00:08:54] Speaker C: So I met both of them, but I actually made the connection when I was like, wait a minute, that's your mom? And she was like, wait a minute, you're my mom's trainer? So it was a real cool, full circle moment. And now even more full circle, you know. Yeah. At 13 years married. Wow. That much time's passed. [00:09:12] Speaker A: I know. It's amazing. Feels like yesterday. [00:09:14] Speaker B: No, no. And I mean, I. I love that you share that, but I also want to rewind to the part where you talked about joining the Marine Corps and saying like, oh, man, that uniform is awesome. I want to do that. What percentage would you say is the reason that some people join for that reason where they're like, dude, that guy looks kind of like, you know, pretty amazing. Like, I want to be that. You know what I mean? [00:09:39] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, you know, they say that typically those kind of statistics are made up, but I'd say it's got to be 100%. Like, you look at the Marine Corps uniform, there's nothing like it. [00:09:48] Speaker B: Absolutely. [00:09:49] Speaker A: It's a smoke show of a uniform. Yeah. And it's a great escape. You know, there's all kinds of things that come with joining the military. I'm sure we'll get into that kind of stuff. But for me, I joined because of the uniform, which is not a reason to do anything right. But I did, you know, it's a perk. [00:10:09] Speaker B: Like I used to think as a little girl, like oh, I want to be a Crimsonet because like the outfit's cute, lots of rhinestones. So not the same but some similar logic there. Now did you have any family members that were actively in the military or had had military history? [00:10:23] Speaker A: Oh yeah. So my family goes back to my seventh grade grandfather served in the Continental army in Virginia. He came the north of Ireland over to Virginia and fought in the Revolutionary War. And then, you know, I've had, you know, great, great greats and great greats and then my granddad, both sides, army and Navy and stuff like that. I'm the, I'm the first marine family which is nice, but yeah, so big military family. Yeah, my wife's got a big military family as well, so. [00:10:52] Speaker B: Absolutely. [00:10:53] Speaker C: So. So with your new role here at ua, I know you said you're tickled to be here and I have to say I know your mother in law is too to have her babies home. But tell our listeners like what is a DES in a nutshell of what you do here at the university's veteran and Military Affairs? [00:11:13] Speaker A: Yeah, my job really is to get military connected students to, through and beyond higher education. Here at the Capstone, we want to help them find their purpose on purpose. And my job is to just walk through the invisible walls that these service members might put up, meet them where they are, sit down with them and help them find their purpose on purpose. Because everybody's life is different and everybody's got different lived experiences. And so the beauty of my job is I really get to help people kind of connect with themselves and connect with the things that they think they're going to make the most impact in and get them plugged in. I'm just the intermediary that says you should do this, you should talk to this person. We should explore these things, just have a guide. [00:11:55] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. So what have you enjoyed so far, the most about this role here at the university? [00:12:03] Speaker A: Well, I really do love the division of student life. I think that we've got phenomenal leadership top to bottom. I've been at two other institutions and I have two degrees from Auburn, but I've never been in a place like this in terms of how professionally run the institution is. Presidents are presidents. But when you've got great staff just in general that are happy to be here, looking to do the right things, to make things work and to meet students where they are, that's what I want to be a part of, and that's what Alabama's got. Football doesn't suck either. That's a great time. [00:12:40] Speaker C: It's a beautiful campus. [00:12:41] Speaker A: It's a gorgeous campus. It's huge. But yeah, it's great. It's a great place to be. Everybody's happy to be here. [00:12:48] Speaker C: So I'm hearing that you like us better than Auburn. Do I hear a Roll Tide? [00:12:54] Speaker A: I do cheer for the paycheck. It's very easy to cheer for the. [00:12:56] Speaker B: Paycheck on the first month. Totally fair. We'll roll Tide to the now. Do you still cheer a War Eagle as well? [00:13:04] Speaker A: I will say in my work, rivalry really does go out the window. I've got partnerships with all the me's across the country, essentially, but particularly in the sec. Paul Esposito is the director at Auburn University. He's a great friend of mine. You've got down at Mississippi State, you've got a guy named Andrew Redden. He's great. You've got Jeremy Alexander at Ole Miss now. And you've got all these different people that we work with. So when student veterans decide that they're going to go to a particular school, there's a lot of stuff that goes into that decision. You know, where are my parents? What are the responsibilities that I've got for my own family? What is my health going to look like? What are my goals professionally? So I always joke that, you know, if you tell me you and I are serving in the Marine Corps together and you're getting out next week and your mom is sick and she lives in Oktibaha County, Mississippi, and you don't go to Mississippi State, I'm going to have questions for you. [00:13:59] Speaker B: Right. [00:14:00] Speaker A: So that's the beauty of my role now. It's easy to say roll Tag because I work here and Alabama's wonderful, but just everything goes beyond that rivalry. [00:14:10] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:14:11] Speaker C: Interesting point. [00:14:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:14:13] Speaker C: Just like the deep connection that like just family ties and everything, not only to their actual biological family, but their military family as well. [00:14:25] Speaker A: Absolutely. If you've ever had to write your blood type on your clothes to go to work in the morning, you shouldn't have to wonder where you've got to go to get the help that you need on whichever campus it is that you're going to end up at. And that's what we do here. I think we do it really well at Alabama, but there are other schools that are doing it as well because it's important work. You know, you've got kids that at 18 years old sign their life away not knowing what they're going to get into, and then it's time for them to get out and what are they going to do next? Well, we've got a seat for you. [00:14:52] Speaker B: Well, and I think, you know, I know we're about to have to transition to a break, but I think even in the brief conversation that we've had so far, you've already laid out a lot of things that will bring clarity to our listeners that a lot of us are really just unaware or uninformed. And especially if, you know, we don't necessarily have immediate family members who are part of the military or who have been part of the military and really knowing the nuances of what is a higher ed experience for someone who is a veteran. So I'm excited for us to jump into that. But, y', all, we do have to take a break. So I need you to get hydrated, you know, run to the restroom, do what you gotta do. But we will catch you on the flip side. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. [00:15:44] Speaker A: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa. [00:15:53] Speaker C: Happy Sunday, listeners. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Neeka on 90.7 the capstone. And we are joined today by our great guest, Andrew Newby, who is the director of the Veteran and Military affairs here at the University of Alabama. [00:16:06] Speaker B: That's right. And Andrew, I know that you said this in our other segment about the mission of the VMA at ua, but let's talk a little bit more about that. And also tell us, how do most students learn about your services on campus? Are they typically learning at Bama Bound orientation? Get on board day? Word of mouth, I think that you alluded to it definitely being an all hands on DEC situation with trying to get students aware of the resources they need. So kind of walk us through what that looks like. [00:16:37] Speaker A: Sure. So my office engages in essentially recruitment. We engage with military members who are preparing to exit service. You know, they may have just gotten to their duty station. They may have always loved Alabama and the international brand that is the university. So what we try to do is to just really work on putting ourselves in their way. Right. And we try to get out in front quickly and as efficiently as possible. Talk to them about what their goals are. We do breakout sessions for Bama Bound for every single student, military connected, which is guard reserve, active duty dependents. So that's spouses and kids and then service members themselves. And then we just, you know, we lay out what their roadmap's gonna look like. A lot of times a lot of anxiety happens from not knowing what's coming up. And if you've ever had to deal with anything like the Department of Veterans affairs, you know that it's archai. It's difficult in a lot of ways. There's a lot, a lot, a lot of things that you don't know. And our job is to just kind of illuminate that path for you and make sure that you're going to land where you need to land. So with Bama bounds and information sessions and a website and social media and things like that, and then just front facing things in the public, those are the ways that we kind of try to engage them just as often as we can. [00:17:53] Speaker B: Sure, sure. No, that definitely makes sense to me. And I think when we think about the educational benefits that these service members, what all does that entail? You know, I feel like I've always heard secondhand information as people casually talk about it. But you know, what standard information can you put out there related to educational benefits for service members? [00:18:15] Speaker A: Sure. So there are tons, there are all kinds of flavors of the GI Bill and different things that you can do while you're on active duty or in the Guard of the reserves. But typically, you know, the one that most people use is the post 911 GI bill that covers for 36 months. It covers tuition, fees, a living stipend and a book stipend. [00:18:35] Speaker B: Oh, that's wonderful. [00:18:36] Speaker A: That's what the student shows up with. That benefit is transferable. So dependents of veterans can also receive that benefit if the service member gives that benefit to them. And then there are just, you know, there's all kinds of different ways to maximize your college experience as a post traditional student or as a traditional student. [00:18:55] Speaker B: Are there any statistics out there about the percentage of use of those benefits? Does it seem like a lot of times those are not capitalized on or do you feel like we're in a culture now where people are strategically utilizing those benefits? [00:19:11] Speaker A: Yeah, I do feel like over the last 10 to 12 years the GI Bill has become the next right step after service. Just because you take a bunch of people who are skilled in violence and tell them that they can't do that anymore so they've Got to figure out what they're going to do next. Right. The entry point and the transition point to and from the military is it's not great. So you can take a kid who was popping zits in High School six months ago and at 17 years old, they can join the military. So they can't legally watch a film that's going to depict the violence that they're going to learn. Right. We're going to send them to boot camp and they're going to be issued a new identity. So the person that they could have been, that grief of the unlived life is gone. Because we don't know who you were going to be prior to joining. [00:20:01] Speaker B: Right. [00:20:01] Speaker A: And we're going to send you to a place that you, you can't find on a map to fight people that you've never met for reasons that you're not meant to understand. And when it's time for you to get out, we're going to say thanks for your service and it's time for you to leave. It could take you a year and a half to become the thing that the military needs you to do through school and training and all that stuff. But when it's time for you to leave, it's a five day class and that's it. It's called SEPS and taps, a Separation Transition Assistance Program. So the way that I like to describe it is if you imagine that we're all attorneys sitting at this desk and I look at you and I say, nika, I've got great news. You're working at the Andrew Newby law firm. Today is Monday. Friday's gonna be your last day. But I've got great news. Number one, you can move anywhere that you want to move, but you can't live in Tuscaloosa. Number two, you can do any job that you want to do, but you can't be an attorney. And number three, you can wear anything that you want to wear, but you can't wear a suit. That's what it's like to get out of the military. So the next right step is for me to figure out who I'm gonna be on the other side of this because you can't go back to who you were. [00:21:00] Speaker B: Right. [00:21:00] Speaker A: That person is gone. So what are we going to do now to grow where we're planted and who is going to be the person in my corner that's going to help to nurture and navigate all these new experiences that I've got to do alone? [00:21:14] Speaker B: Yeah, I think, you know, while I certainly understand why that process takes place. It still doesn't change the fact that that's very sobering information. And I don't think many of us even know that. Right. I don't think that we really think about that. I think when I have encountered students who been part of the VMA kind of network, you know, I'm not always actively thinking like, oh, what was their life like before this? You know, it might be a fleeting moment, but to really think about it, you know, I think again, could just be very eye opening. And so the fact that you all, you have a team of people who are ready and willing to help these students is incredible. [00:21:58] Speaker C: Yes. I. And I have a student right now that is actually the non traditional route. He's so funny. I love him, but he's always apologizing. He's like, I'm a little bit older. And I'm like, so am I. And so we connect with that, you know, so I'm like, we can connect with that. I love it. But speaking of, you know, trying to make students feel more welcome and a little bit less overwhelmed when they're engaging on campus after they are told, hey, thanks for your service, but go find a new identity. What are some tangible things that your office provides? I know you, you talked about, like, getting out in front and helping be the, like the connecting. But what are some of the things that you get to do on a daily basis that you're like, there it is. I did that. And I know I took a lot of stress off their shoulders. [00:22:49] Speaker A: Yeah, so. So we are really big on being hands on in the office. If there's a student in crisis, we're gonna be the ones that deal with it. Two weeks ago, we took a student who was having a lot of issues. We took him to the hospital to get him checked out. We didn't get home until 1:45 in the morning. Just because that's the nature of this business. [00:23:14] Speaker C: He didn't get bounced around. You took care of it. [00:23:16] Speaker A: No, exactly. Because the last thing that I want to do is to contribute to the lack of continuity of care that is the Department of Veterans Affairs. [00:23:24] Speaker C: Right, Right. [00:23:25] Speaker A: The running joke is that the VA gives veterans a second chance to die for America because they're not good at what they do now. The things that they're good at, it's great. They're great at PCP primary care. They knock it out of the park. But if I've got a foot problem and I'm in Birmingham, I can go to a podiatrist that has done this procedure seven times this morning, or I can go to the va, who's done it seven times this month. Right. So our job is to be that constant for as long as you're going to be here at the University of Alabama, like, you can count on us, guaranteed, day or night. We're going to be there to do whatever it is that you need. And that's not just doom and gloom. There's not always crises that we're having to manage. But, you know, just being there, having a good time. We're going to go out to eat, we're going to go, you know, do whatever it is that we do. We're going to go tailgate. We're going to go make sure that you get a normal college experience. The other thing that we try to do is we don't want this office to turn into a vfw. Not that there's anything wrong with a vfw, but you're coming to Alabama to be a college student. You're a veteran as well, but you're a multifaceted person. Right. You've got a bunch of different things that make you who you are. So I want you to plug into what it's like to be a college student. Right. If you're like me, you couldn't afford to go to school, so you joined the Marine Corps. And that's what got me through college, is the GI Bill. And it's great. It's fabulous. Love it. But if you want to do things like join a fraternity or sorority, or if you want to be on club teams, or if you want to go try your hand at playing D1 athletics, please do it. Pull it apart. Do everything that you can that you would do that you didn't get to do. The other thing that we try to really focus on is the idea of the grief of the unlived life. So you're faced with a choice. You can do it or not do it, and you're going to regret both. So what we're here to do is to help you figure out what are the things that you can and can't do. How are you going to do that? Well. And what can we learn from it? Right. Good or bad. [00:25:19] Speaker C: I love that. [00:25:20] Speaker B: Yeah. And I mean, I'm sitting here listening to you, Andrew, and I think that your passion and your intention with these students is so clear and so obvious with how you've articulated everything. And so, you know, as people are learning about this, and clearly it's a great recruitment tool for us. Just with how well equipped you are serving these students. If individuals were to go to your department's website, what kind of services and offerings would they probably see on there? [00:25:50] Speaker A: Definitely going to see lots of stuff about the government shutdown because right now the government's not working, but we still work. So we've got information there on that. All the different kinds of GI Bill that you can use, federal tuition assistance, scholarships, ways to get involved, links to things like the career center. Right. Because our other mantra is that if you want to know about cows, you talk to a cow farmer. I'm not the cow farmer in terms of career services. [00:26:15] Speaker B: Right. [00:26:16] Speaker A: But we've got great people in career services who can help you find the job that you're looking for. Right. We've got all kinds of information, you know, to the dean of students and to the vpsl. Right. All these things. Right. They can get in touch with Dr. Steven Hood, who's my boss, and say like, hey, this is what we'd like to see, all that kind of stuff. That's another great thing about Alabama is that it's so front facing. [00:26:38] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Well, on that note, I do want to take a quick break, but I want us to dive even more into this and especially even talk about some misperceptions that I think people have related to your programming. But we are going to take a quick break, you guys. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7, the capstone. [00:27:03] Speaker A: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa. [00:27:13] Speaker C: Welcome back, listeners. You are listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena And Neeka on 90.7, the capstone. [00:27:18] Speaker B: That's right. And our poor friend Nika, she's had a little coughing. You might have. I'm only acknowledging it because I'm sure you probably heard a little bit of it. But all is well. She is alive. Everything is okay. Yeah, nothing contagious. We just, you know, there's just a lot of stuff in the environment kind of making us feel crude, you know? [00:27:40] Speaker C: You know, I used to be on allergy shots, but I think we talked about this last week. [00:27:43] Speaker B: Yes, yes. Well, you know, here we are. [00:27:47] Speaker C: Here we are. Thanks for hanging in there with me, though. And thanks to our guest Andrew, for not, like, running out the door thinking that I'm bringing, like a communicable tuberculosis disease or something into the studio. I promise I'm not. [00:27:59] Speaker A: I have five kids. I'm used to open mouth, open mouth. Coughs. [00:28:04] Speaker C: Yes, yes. [00:28:05] Speaker B: It's like, oh, daddy, let me cough right into your mouth as I kiss you with my snuggles and kisses. [00:28:13] Speaker A: I'm here for it. I'm here for it. [00:28:14] Speaker C: You probably have an immune system of like a steel wall, you know, at this point with five kids. [00:28:19] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:28:21] Speaker B: So if you are just now joining us, I strongly encourage that you go back and listen to the prior segments of the show because we have had an incredible conversation with Andrew Newby, who serves as Director of Veteran and Military affairs on campus. He has really enlightened us with the different VA educational benefits with the. With the GI Bill students utilizing those and how he and his team equip students to feel empowered with their journey here at the capstone and in higher ed in general. And so, you know, Andrew, I kind of want to transition to asking, do you feel like there are certain misperceptions about students who've previously or currently serve in the military? You know, when I added this question in, I didn't know what direction it would go, but I felt like I just wanted to ask it in general. [00:29:08] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Think that there are definitely some differing ideas. You know, most of the time when folks think of the military, they think of these, you know, these people who just come in and commandeer things and take over countries and blow things up. And that's not at all the case. I mean, there are aspects of the military, obviously that do that, but, you know, there's all kinds of things that you could do in the military honorably. You can do anything and everything. Because I do view the US Military as a microcosm of America. There's every thing in the country within the military, all kinds of people from all different backgrounds doing all kinds of different things. It's a great place to grow up. It's a great place to figure out who you are, what you like, what you don't like, things like that. But I think that Hollywood does a pretty horrible disservice just to people's perceptions of what the military experience is like. That's not the case. [00:30:10] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I appreciate you acknowledging what the media does and portrays when it comes to movies and everything else. And also too, just thinking about the effect that that could have for those students who have had that lived experience. You don't want them to have these misperceptions that they can't have a quote, unquote, normal life after the military, too. [00:30:34] Speaker A: Absolutely. The idea of the broken veteran, I think, has perpetuated a of lot lot over the last decade. And that's not, you know, that's not everybody. And I Think it's important to recognize that, you know, there are people who go in, they do what they do, they serve honorably, they get out and they move on to whatever it is that they're going to do next. There's obviously, you know, people who have issues and that, but that's everyone. Right, right. Post traumatic stress is not uniquely something that is just for service members. Right. PTS is something that's present and has been around forever. Right, right. So I think the idea that, you know, the media, big Capital M media, has sold in general just to try and encourage young people to sign up and go fight wars is, you know, I think it's wrong. It's definitely a giant recruiting tool. [00:31:22] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:31:23] Speaker A: You know. [00:31:25] Speaker C: So you were talking about, you know, you've got your traditional and non traditional students that come back. I think just in general, it is more difficult for someone who maybe isn't in the 18 to 24 age range to feel like they can get connected on campus. So how do you. Does your office help that type of student who is struggling to get connected? I mean, they may be happy that they're on campus, they may know what they want to do for a career, but they're like, kind of like my student that's always apologizing for being a little bit older. I think keep, you know, realizing, and everybody around him is 20, 21 and he's older. And so I think he and I connect on that level because, you know, he's got an older instructor. But how, how do you encourage that type of student to get out and have that college experience from the life that they didn't live between 18 and 24? [00:32:20] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a great question. So we have the student Veterans association on campus that's comprised of service members who got out, hung up the uniform and decided to go to college. And that is a phenomenal way for students to get plugged in. It's not good for a man to be alone. Right. We know that from the very beginning. And the other cool thing is if you show me your friends, I'll show you your future. Right. There's a pastor that said that. I think that that's absolutely brilliant. So encouraging them to make those connections with people with similar lived experiences is a great first step. Now, that doesn't mean that that's the only place you've got to go, but it's this idea of these echelons growing grander and grander where you know these people and you know these people people and you know these people and you should you should connect in these ways, right? [00:33:03] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:33:04] Speaker A: My oldest student that I've ever had was 89 years old. [00:33:07] Speaker C: Wow. [00:33:07] Speaker B: I love that. [00:33:08] Speaker A: This was at Ole Miss. His name was Mr. Inman, and he came to Ole Miss with his grandson with the express intent of getting an undergrad degree and a bachelor and a master's degree before his grandson figured out how to stop partying and go to class. And he did it. [00:33:20] Speaker C: Wow. [00:33:20] Speaker A: Yeah. He just decided one day that he was going to go get a college degree because he never did. [00:33:25] Speaker C: I love that. [00:33:25] Speaker A: He was an old Vietnam helicopter pilot. He was a warrant officer, so he didn't have to have a degree to do that. [00:33:30] Speaker C: But so what I'm hearing is nobody has an excuse. [00:33:33] Speaker A: No, there's nobody with an excuse if Mr. Inman can do it. And that dude is bad to the bone. He beat his grandson. He got two degrees before his grandson got his first one. [00:33:41] Speaker B: That is crazy. What were those two degrees in? [00:33:43] Speaker A: Do you recall the first one? Well, I know the second one was in education because he wants to be an educator. I think that the first one was something like elementary ed or something like that. Yeah. [00:33:54] Speaker B: That's incredible. [00:33:55] Speaker C: And if I was that grandson, I'd have to pick up my pace. Yeah, yeah. I'm just saying. [00:34:02] Speaker A: Oh. You know, they call it the velvet ditch over there. You fall in and it feels so good, you don't want to get out, so. [00:34:06] Speaker C: Oh, well, you know. But I love that because I came back to grad school as an older. I came back at 27, and I felt like a grandmother. [00:34:19] Speaker A: Yeah, I started at 27, and then. [00:34:21] Speaker C: Looking back, I'm thinking, that is so young. But at the time, it didn't feel like. So I'm glad that y' all have these services where it's like, hey, let's find your people, and then those people will help you find people. [00:34:35] Speaker A: Yeah. The other neat thing is that, you know, I've got a bunch of enlisted veterans in my office. It's an entirely enlisted office. And so we've got our degrees on our wall for a reason. Because basically, a student walks into my office, they're looking into the future. Yeah. [00:34:49] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:34:49] Speaker A: Somebody as dumb as me can get a degree from a Cal College. Right. Community colleges in Port Gordon, War Eagle. I get it. But if somebody can walk into my office and say, well, that guy got a degree. Well, of course you can. Right. So they're literally looking into the future. Right. [00:35:03] Speaker B: Yes. Someone has walked that path before them that they are not a unique. Now, while everyone is a unique Individual. [00:35:11] Speaker C: It's not an impossible journey. [00:35:12] Speaker A: No, it's not. [00:35:13] Speaker B: Absolutely. And you know, and then when we think about just life on campus in general, of course, here at the University of Alabama we have our Alabama model of student health and well being. And we, we talk about self care for the student and being well rounded in their well being. And so, you know, Andrew, what do you typically, what would you typically advise to students about just having their best approach to their own self care and balance while they're in school? [00:35:39] Speaker A: That's a great question. So one thing that the military does really well is they help you to detach from yourself. You just press on because we've got to do this next thing, whatever. The thing is so present in your mindfulness, I think is a new learned skill that these student veterans need to really tie into. You don't, you don't notice hunger, fullness cues, you don't notice fatigue, you don't notice stress or anxiety. Just so I guess everybody feels this way. Right. The joke is that a demon would possess a veteran's body and be like, oh my God, get me out of here. Right? Right. You go to the doctor and they're like, how much pain do you have? And you're like 12. And they're like, that's not good. He's like, I thought everybody had this level of pain. Right. So really tapping into being present, that sounds very granola. It sounds very crunchy. But tapping into your physical body and saying, okay, I'm gonna start noticing how I feel. How am I presenting? Wherever you go, there you are, that kind of thing. Right. And I think, you know, it goes without saying, you were mentioning misconceptions earlier. A very big thing that I see in my line of work is eating disord and disordered eating. Very passionate about it because they don't teach you, you know, sports nutrition in the military. Right. They don't teach you. And so, you know, they did this study and they found that for females, 65% of all females in the military have full blown DSM diagnosed eating disorders. Wow. For the Marine Corps, it's 95%. [00:37:14] Speaker C: Wow. [00:37:15] Speaker A: So conversely, that's like 6, 5% of the women in the military in this branch, in the Marine Corps don't have an eating disorder. That is, it's tragic. [00:37:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:37:26] Speaker C: And I had no idea. And you know, I'm friends with you and I hear all the time about, you know, statistics about disordered eating, eating disorders, but no one's ever brought it up in my presence or anything. I've Ever read about the military? [00:37:44] Speaker A: Yeah, it's praised. [00:37:46] Speaker B: Yes. And I just appreciate the fact that you brought that up. And it was honestly, it was only more recently this year that our ROTC program on campus had asked me to come and do some performance nutrition related things. And as much as there were eye rolls, you know, I did spend a significant amount of time talking about the importance of a healthy relationship with food and your body. Yes. And so I think, Andrew, you bring up a really good point with thinking about these students and that lack of interoceptive awareness when it relates to not only those biological cues of hunger and fullness, but just awareness in the body as a whole. Because yes, in the military you are taught how to detach yourself. And while that was great in that moment, now trying to reintroduce those concepts of intuitiveness and that interoceptive awareness. But. But yeah, my brain is brewing because I'm thinking of like all these things I want to do with your students right now. [00:38:42] Speaker C: I've got to go down a rabbit hole. But the whole disconnecting yourself from yourself takes a great amount of mental discipline. But on the flip side, how do you get back being in tune with yourself? [00:38:56] Speaker A: How tragic is that? [00:38:57] Speaker C: Takes so much discipline. [00:38:58] Speaker A: You literally give yourself a way to say, I'm going to survive serve in this capacity. [00:39:04] Speaker C: Right? [00:39:06] Speaker A: And you're praised for being fast, you're praised for being small, you're praised for being thin. That's how we equate leadership in the military, right? Well, you gotta be this big, you've gotta have this waist size, you've got to run this fast, you've got to do this many pull ups and push ups and then we're going to promote you. But then you get out. Nobody's told you how to run. That's why I hate running, because I wasn't told how to run. They said run three miles in 18 minutes and you're going to get a perfect score. What? [00:39:30] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:39:31] Speaker A: Well, you get out and you continue to eat the way that you were taught to eat, but you weren't really taught. It's just like you should eat these things and then your body changes and so you might fall into depression, you might stop going. [00:39:46] Speaker C: It's a learned skill that no one's ever taught you. [00:39:48] Speaker A: Right? And so the tragedy and the way that we bat cleanup in my office is that we try to help connect you back to you, you to the organic person, whatever you are. Right. There's no judgment in my office. I don't care. Doesn't matter. We're going to help you find you and be the best version of yourself. [00:40:08] Speaker C: Right. And that takes a different type of discipline. So I wondered. This is me going down a rabbit hole. I wonder if, and I would have to ask a veteran if that discipline of being detached from yourself did. Does it seem to be weak minded if you are listening to your hunger cues? [00:40:30] Speaker A: So it can. Because if. I mean, that's because you've been taught. Right. But that's with anything. Right. So it can be viewed as a problem. And you're also in the military, not supposed to have problems. You've got mental health issues. You can't talk about it because you'll be pulled off the line. Right. You've got an issue, really. [00:40:46] Speaker C: Life, basic life from the get go. [00:40:49] Speaker A: Like how to be honest with yourself. Right. [00:40:52] Speaker C: Right. [00:40:52] Speaker A: So, like, oh, I'm sick, but I. I can't. I've got to do this thing and I can't. [00:40:56] Speaker C: No, that doesn't apply anymore. That life is over. [00:41:00] Speaker A: Literally. It doesn't matter. You know, Sheena and I were talking about this earlier is that, you know, if I leave this job, God forbid something happens to me. Yeah. Andrew was great. And then tomorrow they're going to post this job. [00:41:10] Speaker B: Right, Right. [00:41:11] Speaker A: There's nothing that pressing. And so this problem persists because, you know, our culture does it. You've got to be thin, you've got to be small, you've got to be all these things. And we just perpetuate this nonsense. Like that's not a ministry that God has ever called anybody to. That's a whole nother rabbit trail. [00:41:32] Speaker C: But, yeah, but I'm so glad that you brought this up because I think it helps for me at least enlighten listeners that like you said, the media has portrayed it as the beat down, worn down veteran that has seen horrible things. Yes, there are this. But there are also, like you said, those who are struggling mentally just to learn how to be organically a human again. [00:41:57] Speaker A: How do I exercise in a way that's not punishment. [00:42:00] Speaker C: Right. [00:42:01] Speaker B: Gosh, y' all on that. [00:42:03] Speaker C: I love it. [00:42:03] Speaker B: I. And you know, it's like, I don't. [00:42:06] Speaker C: Love that that happens. I love the conversation. [00:42:08] Speaker B: Yes. And y', all, we have to take a break. I'm. I'm so sad this show is ending. Thankfully. We have one last little segment and I'm getting the sense that Andrew would be willing to stay on for a last question. But y', all, we got to take a quick break. You were listening to Fit to Be Tied with Sheena and Na on 90.7 the capstone. [00:42:29] Speaker A: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa. [00:42:39] Speaker C: Happy Sunday, y'. [00:42:40] Speaker B: All. [00:42:40] Speaker C: You are listening to Fit to Be Checked Tide with Sheena Ana. And we are wrapping up a wonderful show today with our guest Andrew Newby, who is the director of the University of Alabama's Veteran and Military Affairs. [00:42:51] Speaker B: That's right. And so I would just say if you are just now hopping in, please, please, please go back and listen to our previous segments because we, I mean we, we, we got into the meat and potatoes and then some about conversation related to Andrew's office and just the experience of students in general on campus. And so, you know, as we the plane on our conversation today, Andrew, we did want to ask, how do you practice your own self care as a busy student life professional? You know, you've acknowledged that you have five kids. Yes. And you have a beautiful bride to take care of as well. And then you're, you're also pouring so much of yourself into our university students. So what does self care look like for you? Is it bubble baths and reading or is it, you know, watching a great fun show with your kids? What does that look like for you? [00:43:43] Speaker C: We know it's not running. [00:43:45] Speaker A: That's not running. You know what's cool about running? Me neither. Nothing. [00:43:49] Speaker C: You know what? Running run scales backwards is a ner. And it's a Nerf for me. [00:43:53] Speaker A: Yeah, it's a Nerf for me. [00:43:54] Speaker C: Okay. [00:43:56] Speaker A: No, I love all those things. Love hanging out with my kids, my wife, love to read. I read all kinds of things all the time. But yeah, I also like to explore. Right. So I'm terrible at, but really love pickleball. [00:44:10] Speaker B: Okay. [00:44:10] Speaker C: Okay. [00:44:11] Speaker B: Okay. [00:44:11] Speaker A: We have a lot of good pickleball court. [00:44:13] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:44:14] Speaker A: Right. It's a blast. And it's not this like pretentious sport that I kind of thought it was going to be. Right. It's going to show up. [00:44:19] Speaker B: Sure. [00:44:20] Speaker A: I literally played in Crocs. Don't recommend that. But yeah, you know, just giving my, myself permission to try things and like suck at it and that's okay. Yeah, that's fun. It's fun to put yourself out there in those ways. So, yeah, pickleball is my new thing right now. Sure. It'll be going, you know, in the next six months. I'll find something else. [00:44:38] Speaker B: Hey, you know what? But, but I love that, you know, just the, that fact. Fact that it's something to just unplug completely unrelated for from your job. [00:44:46] Speaker C: I was gonna say if you get tired of pickleball, you can join Chena with improv, you know? [00:44:50] Speaker A: Yeah, this is true. [00:44:51] Speaker B: You could. You could. Yes, I. And I was thinking that. I was like, yes, Improv is so completely different from what I do on campus. So I totally get the pickleball choice. [00:45:01] Speaker C: And I like that because I think you are just disconnecting. Like, you are just letting your brain not think about the things it thinks all the time. [00:45:10] Speaker B: Absolutely. [00:45:11] Speaker C: I think that's the best form of it. [00:45:12] Speaker A: Beats doom scrolling too, right? [00:45:14] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:45:14] Speaker B: Oh, goodness gracious. Yes. [00:45:16] Speaker C: It's a good way to cope without having to think about things and in a healthy way. Yeah. [00:45:21] Speaker B: Well, on that note, you guys, again, Andrew, thank you for being on the show. [00:45:25] Speaker C: Yes, thank you. I've learned so much. Yes, I know our listeners have, too, but I mean, well, in some education. [00:45:31] Speaker B: Today, I'm already starting to prepare to prepare my questions for the next time you're on the show, should you agree to come and join us again, Andrew. And you know, and who knows, one day maybe we'll have you and JL on at the same time. That would actually be a lot of. [00:45:44] Speaker A: Fun, let me tell you. I've got my coverage with that woman. [00:45:46] Speaker B: Well, we. We can't wait for the opportunity to have a conversation with both of y' all sometime soon. But for now, you guys, we hope you have a great week, a great month, a great month of November. You have been listening to Fit to be tied with Sheena and Nika on 90.7 the capstone. [00:46:08] Speaker A: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa.