Fall Semester Impact Report: 3rd & Goal Peer 2 Peer Sponsorship Program
Below is our impact report* for the fall semester 2022-2023 academic year for the 3rd & Goal Peer 2 Peer Sponsorship Program at The Ohio State University.
Peer Sponsors directly assisted 596 military-connected students this semester.
Peer Sponsors aided military students regarding 458 transition issues/GI Bill certifications, 20 other education benefit questions, 52 residency concerns, 3 Veterans Success on Campus Counselor questions, 13 academic advising conversations, 2 career services inquiries, 6 mental and physical health referrals, 2 student organization and activity recommendations, 1 with a housing referral, 27 admissions inquiries, and 42 other transition requests.
Peer Sponsors continued their weekly conversations with the 104 assigned new veteran students requiring transition assistance.
Peer Sponsors worked 1 hour per week in our campus Veterans’ Lounge
One Peer Sponsor reported: “Through my Veterans’ Lounge hours, I connected at least 12 military students with tutoring recourses. I informed them of the hours and locations and in some cases even walked the students to the mathematics and physics tutoring locations to show them where it is. Veteran students told me they would not be passing their classes without the tutoring I connected them to. As a Veteran who also uses tutoring offered in the Veterans’ Lounge, I can say the same thing.”
Another Peer Sponsor reported: “A Marine Veteran reached out to me saying that he was lonely, feeling lost, and wanted to get more connected in the campus community. I connected with this student in person, got them Veterans’ Lounge access to meet other vets, provided the contact information to join on- campus student organizations, assisted them with filling out the FAFSA for the first time, and walked them through the financial aid office’s family contribution appeal which is quite complicated.”
Lastly, a Peer Sponsor shared: "A graduating senior came into the office to ask when he would receive his military cords for the ceremony. As we were making small talk, I asked if he was using the GI Bill while at his time at OSU. He said no, and that no one at his unit had ever shown him how to do it so he figured it was a lost cause. I explained to him that he is entitled to his benefits and that he could potentially get a refund of tens of thousands of dollars. I sat down with him and walked him through the process of how to apply and since then he has already started receiving his benefits. He said that he was grateful for this because he has been going through very hard financial troubles the past couple of years." *Impact numbers provided by The Ohio State University.