DePaul has joined the ranks of the 2014 Military Friendly School’s list, placing with the top 20 percent of schools nationwide that offer exemplary programs, resources, and experiences for veterans.

Military Friendly, a research organization for veterans, listed DePaul alongside 95 other schools (not including branch campuses or virtual schools) in Illinois for veterans to pursue a degree.

The University of Illinois at Chicago and Columbia College Chicago were also listed, while Northwestern University, Loyola University Chicago and the University of Chicago are not.

“It was a big surprise for all of us,” said Sgt. Tyna Korcz, a junior psychology major who works as a liaison for veterans in DePaul’s Office for Veterans Affairs.

Korcz also worked in the intelligence unit of the Army. Her four years of duty included stations in South Korea and Germany, as well as a tour in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.

“We’re just like [other students],” she said. “We don’t want our veterans to be alienated.”

This is the first year DePaul has been recognized as Military Friendly, but DePaul has had a strong connection with student veterans since the post-World War II era.

It was after DePaul saw a large influx in post-9/11 veterans in the early 2000s that a veteran student group collaborated with the Office of Student Affairs to provide institutional support for veterans. Finally, in 2009, the Office of Veterans Affairs was founded. By 2012, more than 500 student veterans were enrolled at DePaul.

Haydee Nunez, Director of Adult, Veteran, and Commuter Student Affairs, said that this is an institution-wide recognition.

“DePaul as an institution really values veterans,” Nunez said. “We prioritize the veteran student experience, and actively look to see how we can make the entire student environment more veteran friendly.”

The office provides veteran students with mentors, a student union, annual events, and access to resources to ease what can be a rocky transition from military to college life.

While Korcz considered her transition to DePaul to be fairly smooth, she admits that the adjustment can be difficult.

“The military is very structured. [Outside of service] I didn’t know what to do with myself sometimes. Once school started, now I have a goal, something to do,” Korcz said.

First year psychology major Arthur Ortiz, on the other hand, said the hardest part about coming to DePaul was adjusting to the other students.

“Being 25 years old and going to school with 19 year olds, their views in the world and my views in the world are so dramatically different, and I have to constantly remind myself about that.”

Ortiz was a fighter jet mechanic in the Air Force, (officially known as a Tactical Aircraft Maintenance Journeyman) stationed in Boise, Idaho for six years.

“Now that I have a couple quarters underneath my belt, I’ve kind of like, relaxed and I’m not so over-attentive,” Ortiz said. “[But] I have to consider that in my vocabulary, my language – how I associate with everybody else – they’re just at different levels.”

According to Ortiz, the Office of Veterans Affairs was at first difficult to get in touch with, but after that initial contact, they handled his GI Bill and other paper work, which was a relief.

The GI Bill is a federally funded program to provide veterans with money to attend school after their service. The GI Bill only covers the highest in-state tuition, so DePaul’s Yellow Ribbon Program covers the rest of the tuition for veterans who are eligible for 100% of the benefit.

According to Nunez, DePaul became a Yellow Ribbon Institution in 2009.

“Most importantly, we don’t put a cap on how many students we will support through the Yellow Ribbon Program,” Nunez said.

Ortiz said the application for the GI Bill was a long and anxious process.

“When you apply for the GI Bill you have to wait forever for a letter of eligibility. The letter of eligibility is pretty much your ticket into college. It basically tells the school what I served, everything I’m entitled to, and all sorts of specifics,” Ortiz said.

He continued on to say that veterans at other schools aren’t as lucky.

“I have a friend who’s also a veteran who goes to Boise State University. They lost her paperwork…five times? She had to pay out of pocket for school, which is ridiculous for a veteran,” he said.

Senior digital cinema major, Daniel Williams, aka Specialist Daniel Williams of the Army Reserve, emphasized how good it felt to relate to other veterans through the Office of Veterans Affairs.

His first year at DePaul, Williams didn’t connect with the Office of Veterans Affairs and called it a “big hindrance.”

“[Transitioning to DePaul] would have been easier [with] a group to relate to,” Williams said.

“It’s comforting to know people who have had the same experiences,” Korcz said. “We want to make sure veterans know we’re here for [them].”

On Monday, Nov. 11, the Office of Veterans Affairs will be sponsoring a celebration for Veterans Day.

The University of Illinois at Chicago and Columbia College Chicago were also listed, while Northwestern University, Loyola University Chicago, and the University of Chicago were not.

“It’s important to thank those of us among our community who provided the service for our freedoms, liberties, and way of life,” Nunez said.

“Students, staff, and faculty have family, friends, and loved ones that are in the military and are veterans. They’re a part of the community, and we are here to support them as well.”