SPC’s Allstate hosts student veterans celebration

Competition and camaraderie were both a part of St. Petersburg College Allstate Center’s First Annual Student Veterans Celebration held earlier this month.

Sixty-eight veterans, representing the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy and five SPC campuses, attended the April 20 event.

Veterans enjoyed the event and said they were looking forward to the Second Annual Student Veterans Celebration to be held in April 2014.

Organizers attributed the event’s success to the combination of activities and the celebration’s atmosphere. Activities focused on skills veterans had acquired during their service and the event’s atmosphere and environment that fostered good fellowship among attendees.

“This was one of the most successful outreach events with St. Petersburg College that I have attended and look forward to participating in next year,” said Africa Simone Miller, a Readjustment Counseling Therapist with the St. Petersburg Veteran Center.

Event competition and activities

Competition was fierce among the branches of service but camaraderie was even stronger. The St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus Student Veterans Association hosted a free raffle and gave away more than thirty prizes. Veterans also enjoyed a barbeque in the Allstate Mess Hall (Florida Room).

Veterans competed against one another in a pistol competition at the Allstate firearms range. The Marines overwhelmingly dominated the pistol competition with the following ranking:

1. Jake V. Gauthier (Marines) 257
2. Curtis Fivecoat (Army) 221
3. Brian C. Fernandez (Marines) 211
4. Joseph R. Rasor (Marines) 197
5. Brian V. Talafer (Marines) 195

The Army made a strong comeback, winning both the wall climbing event and the tug-of-war event.

Those interested in participating in the planning committee for the 2014 Student Veterans Celebration should contact Dr. Carol Rasor-Cordero.

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In the news: SPC program helps veterans start their own businesses

WUSF 89.7 News’ Off the Base featured a story on an SPC program that helps veterans start their own businesses.

SPC professor Amy Sauers helps teach the veterans entrepreneur certificate program, created by SPC and Pinellas County SCORE, a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground.

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Kilimanjaro climb part of SPC employee’s research to help wounded vets

From the Tampa Tribune: Arlene Gillis and graduate student Ted Graves apply electronic sensors to Will Wilson to measure fluid volume in his body.

Arlene Gillis, program director for the J.E. Hanger College of Orthotics and Prosthetics at SPC, has been featured in a series of articles and news reports about the Combat Wounded Veteran Challenge.

The program works to improve the lives of wounded and injured veterans through challenges that are rehabilitative for participants and that further sciences related to their injuries and treatment. Earlier this year, Gillis and others traveled to Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, to get that information, according to an article in the Tampa Tribune. This challenge aimed to gather research on the effects of stress, extreme weather and altitude on prosthetics, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

For Gillis, it was her first mountain climb, the article reported. “Yes, I am nervous,” she said. “But I am leaving my family and the comforts of my home because these men gave so much for me.”

Data collected during the challenge will also aid a study Gillis is conducting with SPC, Florida State University and the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop adjustable sockets that better fit on residual limbs, according to an article in Stars and Stripes.

On Friday, Feb. 22, Gillis will be inducted into the 2013 class of Fellows by the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists during the organization’s annual meeting and symposium in Orlando. She, one of just 14 people in the country to receive the distinction this year, also is the winner of the Academy’s 2013 Outstanding Educator Award.

Reports about the trip, research and the study also have been featured on Bay News 9, WFLA-TV and the Tallahassee Democrat.

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SPC basketball teams play in Military Appreciation games

Military Appreciation games are proving to be lucky for SPC’s Titans.

The women’s basketball team defeated Brevard College 63-43 on Tuesday, Feb. 12. The week before, the Titans baseball team ended a two-game losing streak, defeating the University of Tampa Spartans JV team 5-4 at that night’s Military Appreciation event.

About 70 people attended the basketball game at the gymnasium at St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus. The Student Veterans Association provided food and beverages to the crowd.

The next Military Appreciation Game is set for Feb. 20 at the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus. This time the event will be held at the men’s basketball game against Polk College. That game starts at 7 p.m.

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Military Appreciation Game draws crowd, nets win for Titans

More than 200 people came out for the Military Appreciation Game between the SPC Titans and the University of Tampa Spartans JV team Wednesday, Feb. 6. The baseball team didn’t disappoint SPC fans with a 5-4 win over the Spartans.

“That is the most fans we have had at a game home or away in my three years with the program. What an experience for the guys! Donnie Kiernan, Jeff Cavanaugh and Clearwater’s Student Government did a tremendous job of supporting the team,” said SPC Baseball Coach Ryan Beckman. Read more about the team played on the college’s sports blog, the Locker Room.

The event was sponsored by SPC’s Student Veterans Association, which provided custom-printed baseballs to fans.

More military appreciation sports events are planned for later this month with food and drink provided. These are free and open to the public:

• SPC women’s basketball team game against Brevard College, 6 p.m., Feb. 12, SPC Gymnasium
• SPC men’s basketball team game against Polk College, 7 p.m., Feb. 20, SPC Gymnasium

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SPC Military Appreciation Game at Bright House

Take yourself out to the ball game when the SPC Titans baseball team takes on the University of Tampa Spartans JV team Wednesday evening in the second annual Military Appreciation Game.

Admission for the Feb. 6 game is free. Gates will open at 5 p.m. and the game will start at 6 p.m. The first 200 fans will receive a SVA Baseball courtesy of the Student Veterans Association. Bright House Field is located at 601 N Old Coachman Rd, Clearwater, and is just seconds away from the SPC Clearwater Campus. The West Gate will be the only gate open for this event. Please park in the old coachman parking lot next to the Phillies Water fountain.

Read more about the game on the college’s sports blog the Locker Room.

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SPC Veterans Services event honors women in the military

Carol Barkalow, keynote speaker, at the SPC Veterans Services event celebrating women in the military

SPC’s Veterans Services hosted a day with inspirational speakers and meetings with representatives from college, community and veterans benefits resources at the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus on Thursday, Jan. 31. The event honored female veterans, active duty military and reservists.

Carol Barkalow, an author and retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, was the keynote speaker at the inaugural event.

Barkalow, one of the first female graduates of West Point in 1980, spoke about “a passion for leadership.” Her book, “In the Men’s House,” talks about what it was like to be part of the first group of women admitted to what had been an all-male domain at West Point for generations.

See more photos from the event on the college’s Facebook page.

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Inaugural event at SPC honors women in the military

SPC is reaching out this month to honor, inspire and assist women who have served in or have spouses in the military.

On Jan. 31, the college’s Veterans Services department will host an event at the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus celebrating these women, including reservists, retired military and spouses and dependents of active duty or retired military personnel.

Housed at the campus’ Music Center, event participants can meet with representatives of programs both at the college and from the community offering veterans services. Information will be available on topics ranging from claims to childcare.

The idea behind the event came from an effort to recognize and honor women who have served the country through the military, including students and female veterans in the community, said Annelies Williamson, student support specialist for Veterans Services at SPC. Organizers hope participants will come away with information they need about benefits and support services offered in the community as well as opportunities and assistance provided by the college.

“It’s bringing an awareness for our veterans that they’re not alone. We’re here to support them,” Williamson said.

The event is the first of its kind at SPC, Williamson said, and there are plans to hold similar events annually.

The keynote speaker is Carol Barkalow, an author and retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel.

Carol Barkalow

Barkalow, one of the first female graduates of West Point in 1980, will speak about “a passion for leadership.” In her book, “In the Men’s House,” she talks about what it was like to be part of the first group of women admitted to what had been an all-male domain at West Point for generations. She will be addressing the audience at 1 p.m.

There will be two other speakers during the event providing information for women connected to the military.

Food and music, provided by the college’s Music Industry Recording Arts program, also will be provided.

The free event runs from noon to 5 p.m. If you plan to attend, please complete this survey.

If you have any questions about the event, please call (727)341-4274. Follow the event on Twitter at #spcmilvent.

SPC is one of the top 20 veteran-friendly colleges in the country, according to the Military Times and Edge Magazine publications. Last year it ranked 15th nationwide among four-year colleges based on a survey looking at factors such as enrollment, academic support, veterans staff and the college’s per-credit-hour rate.

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SPC ranked 15th nationwide in Best for Vets college review

St. Petersburg College moved into the top 20 list for veteran-friendly colleges in the nation, according to the most recent ranking by the Military Times and Edge Magazine publications.

The college was ranked 15th “most veteran friendly” among four-year colleges nationally based on a survey that looked at factors such as enrollment, academic support, veterans staff and the college’s per-credit-hour rate. In 2011, SPC placed 47th, the first time the college had received a ranking in the survey. Also ranked 15th in the current survey were Concord University in Athens. W.Va., and North Georgia College & State University in Dahlonega, Ga.

SPC’s student veteran population has continued to climb over the past four years from less than 600 to now more than 1,700.

Jeff Cavanagh

Jeff Cavanagh, the college’s Coordinator of Veteran Affairs, called the ranking “fantastic news” and reported the announcement at SPC’s Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 20.

Cavanagh credited veterans staff at the college and active student veterans associations at SPC’s Clearwater, St. Petersburg/Gibbs, Seminole and Tarpon Springs campuses with the leap in the ranking.

The analysis for the ranking involved a multi-page survey consisting of nearly 150 questions and interviews with students. “Their survey is the most comprehensive and detailed of all and includes actual student interviews, follow-up and oversight to insure accuracy,” Cavanagh said.

When organizers conducted their survey, they checked information they had received from the colleges by speaking with students and contacting staff. SPC’s veterans staff received a four-star rating, Cavanagh said.

Ongoing programs at SPC such as a women’s initiative, tutoring and an early alert system for students struggling with classes also helped propel the college into the top 20, Cavanagh said.

Competition for the top spots was even tougher than two years ago with more than 650 schools responding to the survey, compared to approximately 500 in 2011, Cavanagh said.

Cavanagh’s goal for the next survey is to keep on rising in the ranks. “Within the next two years, we hope to be in the number one spot,” he said.

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Veterans Day ceremonies at SPC

The Clearwater Campus held a Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 7, honoring those who have served in the U.S. military.

Participating in the event were Donnie Kiernan, president of the SPC Student Veterans Association, and Joe Beimfohr, the ceremony’s guest speaker. Beimfohr served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army. While in Iraq, he lost both legs while trying to disarm an improvised explosive device.

“Veterans Day is a day we set aside to honor all who have served honorably in the military in war and peacetime. This is America’s opportunity to lean over and say thanks,” to those who have served, said Jeff Cavanagh, SPC’s coordinator of Veteran Affairs.

“It means all the world to them. It means more than the medals, the accolades and the rewards, to know that what they did was worthwhile.”

Upcoming Veterans Day events include ceremonies at the Downtown and Seminole campuses.

See more photos from the Clearwater ceremony on the college’s Facebook page.

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