Opportunity, Inequity, and America's Story: Intersections With Military-Connected Individuals in Higher Education
Author(s): Morse, A. Q., & Molina, D.
Editor(s): DiRamio, D.
Citation: Morse, A. Q., & Molina, D. (2017). Opportunity, Inequity, and America's Story: Intersections With Military-Connected Individuals in Higher Education. In DiRamio, D., What's Next for Student Veterans? Moving From Transition to Academic Success (pp. 25-40). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition.
Abstract
This chapter describes the characteristics of undergraduate students with a military connection and their access and attainment of postsecondary education. Equity and access for students from underrepresented backgrounds is an increasingly important topic in higher education. This is also true of student veterans, as a “one-size-fits-all” model does not take into account the various underrepresented identities present among military-connected students. On a broader scope, this chapter also highlights connections between the inequities in postsecondary opportunities and military service. The core of the chapter discusses how students of color and from low SES backgrounds continue to struggle with issues of access and postsecondary attainment. Women and people of color had lower incomes, less access to military benefits, greater unmet financial need, and took out more loans to pay for college. By drawing on the various identities that may influence military-affiliated students, higher education will have a deeper understanding of the different challenges that service members and veterans face on a campus.
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