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Cal U. office works to help veterans readjust
Robert Prah is the Director of the Veterans Program at California University of Pennsylvania. Prah also helps veterans acclimate to life back at home and has helped several veterans struggling with suicidal thoughts.
Robert Prah talks to Cal U. students during a meeting on campus with the Veterans’ Affairs department. Prah discussed the plans for the walk to raise awareness on the suicide rate of veterans.
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Editor’s note: This story has been edited to reflect Don Fike served in the Marines.
Don Fike felt like a fish out of water when he walked onto the campus of California University of Pennsylvania last year.
He was a 28-year-old freshman who served in the Marine Corps, including a deployment to Iraq, and worked full-time before deciding to go to college. And he was married.
Then, Fike discovered the university’s Office of Veterans Affairs and its director, Capt. Robert Prah.
“I didn’t really feel like I fit. I was 10 years older than any freshman coming in. Then I met Robert. It’s easy to talk to him. He’ll answer any question you have or point you in the right direction,” said Fike. “It was an adjustment, but I never lost sight of the goal I was there for my education.”
With wars in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down and access to the GI Bill available, colleges and universities are experiencing a surge in veteran enrollment.
Nearly 90 combat veterans and more than 75 national guard and reserve members are enrolled at Cal U.
“Seeing what service members before us and those currently serving now have accomplished, it’s unfortunate that the difficult part is coming home,” said Prah, a member of the Army National Guard and a suicide intervention officer and a trainer for the Army’s Ask, Care, Escort suicide prevention and awareness training program. “Being on a college campus is a new experience, and there’s a readjustment. Veterans come to school and wonder how to get their books because their GI payment is late. Add in factors like they’ve been out of school for 10 years and they’re in class with 18- and 19-year-olds and other stressors, and it’s a difficult adjustment.”
Prah said California University is prepared to handle the needs of former service members, but thinks many colleges have a lot of work to do to address those needs.
“It can be a difficult transition. A lot of veterans are trying to figure out what they’re doing here, and they need to know that people care,” said Prah, who noted Cal U. provides special accommodations for veterans if they are required.
The campus also offers a Veterans Club that meets monthly and counseling services.
“We want them to graduate and to continue to be productive members of society,” Prah said.