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Florida State University Student Veterans Center

Intern Guide
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Table of Contents

The following sections aim to give incoming recipients of the Jay Rayburn Communications
Internship a description of the Student Veterans Center and the different functions, activities and
entities that are important for the Communications Intern to be familiar with. Having learned this
information, the intern will be better equipped to smoothly transition into the role.

Overview 3
FSU’s Veteran History
Jay Rayburn Communications Internship
Student Veterans Center Overview
Veterans Advancement Council
1947 Program

Veteran Alliance 5
Overview
Veterans Student Union (VSU)
Collegiate Veterans Association (CVA)
Student for Americas Military (SAM)
Veteran Liaisons
Alumni and Supporters
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps - ROTC

Outside Entities to Note 7

The Hooch
Student Veterans of America (SVA)
Department of Veterans Affairs & Florida Department of Veterans Affairs
National Association of Veterans’ Program Administrators (NAVPA)

Events 8

Miscellaneous Things to Remember 11

SVC Lounge TV Maintenance
FSU Bitly Account
Priority Registration Open
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Overview

FSU’s Veteran History

Knowing the role that veterans played in Florida State University’s establishment as a
coeducational institution is an important place to start when beginning to understand the
Student Veterans Center. From 1851 to 1947, Florida State College for Women—as its name
suggests—was only open to females while men often attended the University of Florida in
Gainesville. After the end of World War II, the abundance of veterans returning to the United
States in search of a higher-education degree was more than the University of Florida could
bare. Therefor, the then Florida State College for Women in Tallahassee became coeducational
to serve the needs of the growing population in search of a degree. Florida State University was
then established in 1947.

Jay Rayburn Communications Internship

The Jay Rayburn Communications Internship was officially established in 2016 although the
Student Veterans Center has been including interns on their staff since its establishment in
2011. The position intends to give students within the College of Communication and
Information the opportunity to learn about the different communications activities of an
organization—from social media management, event promotion and awareness raising to
website development, editing and maintenance. While this is the name of the internship, the
position title can also be referred to as Communications and Marketing Coordinator. Dr. Jay
Rayburn is an Army veteran and long-time Florida State University professor within the College
of Communications and Information, and he was honored with this internship’s establishment to
highlight his achievements and what he has contributed to both Florida State University and our
country.

Student Veterans Center Overview

The Student Veterans Center was officially established on Florida State University’s campus on
November 11, 2011. Its establishment was aided by the work of student veterans on campus at
the time—one of which was Jared Lyon who is currently serving as the CEO of Student
Veterans of America in Washington D.C.—and the university president at the time, Eric J.
Barron. Colonel Billy Francis took on the role of director of the SVC, transitioning from his
position leading Florida State University’s Air Force ROTC program.

The Student Veterans Center is the university’s arm for veteran support and success, and there
are two primary functions. First, the Center is there to ensure that veterans, active duty
personnel, members of the Reserve and National Guard, and dependents (children of military
personnel and/or veterans) receive the federal educational benefits that they are entitled to.
Secondly, the Center functions to initiate, cultivate and sustain relationships among student
veterans to aid in high veteran graduation and job rates. This second function is primarily where
the Communications Intern contributes through his or her work with spreading awareness and
communicating the SVC’s initiates and events.

Veterans Advancement Council

The Veterans Advancement Council functions as a Board of Directors of sorts for the Center.
The council consists of roughly thirteen veteran alumni and supporters. Initially, this group was
established to aid in the Center’s fundraising efforts—with the primary fundraising goal being to
build the Veterans Legacy Complex, which you can find more information about in the SVC
website. However, as time has gone on since its establishment, this goal has not been attained
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in the way Director Francis and the SVC had hoped, so this group has served more as an
advisement board as well as a network of contacts. Without diminishing the Veterans
Advancement Council’s validity, the importance of this group has lessened as time has gone on
which is an important note to make when understanding the full scope of the Student Veterans
Center.

1947 Program
Another means of fundraising that was set in place at the Center is the 1947 Program. Playing
off of the year in which Florida State University was made coeducational due to an influx of
student veterans from the ending of the WWII, this program is a donation plan that any
supporter of the SVC can sign up for in which $19.47 is donated to the Student Veterans Center.
These funds contribute to hosting activities to further support the SVC’s mission of supporting
and empowering veterans.
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Veterans Alliance

Veteran Alliance Overview

The Veterans Alliance is something that can be confusing when initially joining the SVC team.
While the SVC logo is named the “Veterans Alliance Arrowhead,” it is easy to think that the
Veterans Alliance solely encompasses what the Student Veterans Center does. However, you
can think of the Veterans Alliance as an umbrella that houses everything veteran or military
related regarding Florida State University. While the SVC is at the forefront of the Veterans
Alliance, there are many entities within it that the SVC does not directly manage. The following
sections will detail some of the main ones and how they are beneficial/notable for the
Communications Intern.

• Veterans Student Union (VSU)

The Veterans Student Union is the student-run agency within FSU’s Student Government. They
function to bring awareness to the student community as well as advocate for veteran needs on
campus. As the Communications Intern, it would behoove you to become acquainted with the
VSU executive board so that you can easily be informed of any campus activities that the SVC
might find valuable to share on social media and/or to promote to the student-veteran
population. The Student Veterans Center is the only entity that is permitted to house the email
list of all students, so the VSU will often call on the SVC to promote messaging through this
medium as well as social media.

• Collegiate Veterans Association (CVA)

The Collegiate Veterans Association is the Registered Student Organization (RSO) for student
veterans to become better acquainted with each other in a more social setting. Their events are
generally more social in nature, so this includes game-day tailgates, community volunteering
opportunities, share-it nights and the Military Ball. Similar to the VSU, it would be beneficial for
the Communications Intern to become acquainted with the student leaders in the CVA.

• Students for America’s Military (SAM)

Students for America’s Military is another RSO on campus that primarily includes civilian
supporters of the military. While participation can vary from semester to semester, this group is
one of the smaller organizations within the Veteran Alliance. However, it is still important to know
the group of students leading the organization in order to include them in necessary messaging
and to promote what they do on campus. Primarily, their biggest presence on campus is in
being instrumental in putting together the 9/11 Memorial which consists of one American flag for
every life that was lost presented on Landis Green. A picture of this can be found on the SVC’s
social media from September 11, 2018.

• Veteran Liaisons
Veteran Liaisons are also part of the Veterans Alliance, and they serve as the point of contact
within different colleges and entities of the university. They are meant to be an extension of the
Student Veterans Center that students can go to in order to speak about issues pertaining to
their specific entity of the school. They are also beneficial for the Student Veterans Center as
veteran liaisons serve as a contact for the SVC when promoting different initiatives or hosting
certain events in conjunction with another arm of the university.
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• Alumni and supporters

Veteran Alumni and supporters of the Student Veterans Center are also considered to be apart
of the Veterans Alliance. While the Communications Intern rarely interacts with members of this
group, it is important to note that they also fall under the Veterans-Alliance umbrella.

• Reserve Officers’ Training Corps - ROTC

While members of ROTC—aside from those leading the cadets—are not necessarily active duty
personnel or veterans, they are also an important component of the Veterans Alliance that can
be easy to overlook. These groups of students are in the ROTC program to enlist in the military
as officers upon graduating. The ROTC program is essentially the basic training that one goes
through when first enlisting in the military. So on top of fulfilling the requirements for their
individual degrees, this program allows them to graduate with a certain status in the military
after completing it. Graduates of the ROTC programs attend the SVC’s Cord & Coin Ceremony
because, while they are not veterans, they will have a contract with the military once graduating.

There are two different branches of ROTC programs on FSU’s campus: Military Science (Army)
and Air Force. Their uniforms are synonymous with those of enlisted Army and Air Force
personnel; green uniforms for Army ROTC cadets and navy for Air Force cadets. Becoming
acquainted with the staff and student leaders within both ROTC branches is a good way to
further connect them with the Student Veterans Center and their initiatives.
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Outside Entities to Note

There are several organizations outside of Florida State University’s campus that are important
to know when going about the internship. The following details some of the most relevant.

• The Hooch
The Hooch is a group that meets monthly at the Vietnam Veterans of America Big Bend Chapter
facility located at Lake Ella. This group consists of members of the community that contribute in
some way to veterans initiatives. This can include leaders of veteran organizations among the
community (The American Legion for example), outreach employees from the local Veterans
Health Clinic, members from local Veteran Affairs employees, etc. The Communications and
Marketing Manager, Reinhart Lerch is usually the SVC’s representative at the meeting, and he
attends in order to spread awareness about information that the veteran public could benefit
from knowing as well as to stay informed of community events and initiatives that would be
beneficial for the SVC to know. While the Communications Intern does not usually attend these
meetings, it is important to be informed of this as a way that the SVC stays connected to the
university rather than solely dealing with the student-veteran population. The name “hooch”
refers a military term for a gathering place.

• Student Veterans of America (SVA)

Student Veterans of America is a national organization that works to advocate for student
veterans across the nation. For example, they were instrumental in establishing the nationwide
policy that student veterans receive priority class registration. Annually, they host a national
conference (NatCon) in which student veterans and leaders in the campus-military community
attend in order to learn new tactics on engaging student, what new initiatives SVA is enacting
and participate in different workshops. The Veteran Student Union (VSU) is usually instrumental
in gathering the group of participants and they often pay for the cost using their annual budget.
As previously mentioned, Florida State University has a closer tie to the SVA because their
CEO, Jared Lyon is an FSU alumnus and was a key player in establishing the Student Veterans
Center on campus. While Florida State does not house an organization named “Student
Veterans of America,” the VSU acts as Florida State’s SVA chapter.

• Department of Veterans Affairs & Florida Department of Veterans Affairs

The Department of Veterans Affairs (often referred to as the VA) is the federal agency in
Washington D.C. that sources of benefits that veterans receive from their military service. This
ranges from healthcare to the educational benefits that the SVC ensures students receive. The
Florida Department of Veterans Affairs (FDVA) has a smaller function as it is the state agency
that lobbies the legislature to ensure veteran-friendly legislation.The Communications Intern will
likely have little interaction with these departments, but knowing about them and what they do is
key in understanding the Student Veterans Center and the student-veteran community.

• National Association of Veterans’ Program Administrators (NAVPA)

NAVPA is a relatively new organization, but one that is important to know due to some of the
staffs’ relationship to it. The Assistant Director for Benefits, Cheryl Goodson sits on the
committee for the organization, so she has been instrumental in its growth and establishment.
The organization consists of university employees across the national that work with student
veterans and ensure that they receive their benefits. Being able to meet collectively allows them
to collaborate in order to network and share ideas. In February of 2019, Florida State University
hosted the Veterans Higher Education Collaborative in which members of NAVPA met in order
to collaborate as a group.
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Recurring Events
The following will detail all of the Student Veterans Center’s reoccurring events and some
important aspects to note for each in relation to the Communication Intern’s duties.

• First Friday Feast

As the name suggests, this event is held on the first Friday of each month. The event has
multiple functions with the primary being to cultivate relationships among student veterans and
with the Student Veterans Center. This event was originally held at the FSU bowling alley but
has since moved to the Career Center since the renovations of the Student Union on campus.
This event is also a way for the SVC to relay important information for that month. The event is
a casual lunch that is generally held from 11:30 to 1pm. Promotion for the event which falls
under the Communication Intern’s responsibilities include email and social media promotion.
Since this is a monthly event only offered to the student-veteran population, it is not always
necessary to promote this via social media—especially if during a period of time when social
media messaging is heavily focusing on other events/initiatives. However, an email always goes
out the week of the event and is usually accompanied with a graphic that highlights its different
theme or food selection.

• Cord & Coin Ceremony

The Cord & Coin Ceremony is the graduation event in which students receive their graduation
cord and the commemorative “Challenge” coin. It was previously held at the Alumni Center
ballroom but has since moved to the President’s residence. This is an invitation-only event, so
the social media coverage is generally during and after the event. Those invited include
graduating student veterans and ROTC cadets, veteran liaisons, and campus supporters. Due
to the size of the venue, students are only permitted one guest. The significance of the
Challenge coin is in reference to a military tradition. Usually, every military base has a coin
specific to that base or squadron and members receive the coin upon leaving. The idea behind
the “challenge” is that anyone with the coin can challenge another who’s received one at any
time to see if they have the coin on their person. For examples of different coins, I would
encourage you to look into the many coins that Billy has acquired throughout his service which
he displays in his office.

• Outdoor Pursuits
Outdoor Pursuits is a program organized by FSU Campus Recreation in which they take
students to different outdoor activities ranging from local canoeing trips to out-of-state ski trips.
For these activities, the Student Veterans Center offers to cover the costs associated with these
different trips for any student veterans that would like to attend. While this is an ongoing
opportunity available for student veterans, the SVC will usually promote this once each year or
semester in order to remind students of the opportunity. A good opportunity to take advantage of
for social media purposes is to reach out to students who utilize this opportunity in order to get
pictures of them participating in the trips. This is a good tactic to gain social media content while
reminding student of that opportunity that the SVC offers.

• Military Appreciation Events

FSU Athletics often assigns one game of the season to recognize veterans and military
personnel through a Military Appreciation events. The sports teams that often host these events
include football, soccer, volleyball, softball, baseball, and occasionally basketball. These events
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usually include a recognition of the students veterans and veterans within the community.
Promotion for these events through social media and email messaging take precedent as it is
important to bring out a large number of students. Prior to every event, the SVC is in
communication with the Athletics employee in charge of the event, and this contact will often
provide you with a graphic for the event as well as details about the run-of-show that is
important to know when planning how to publicize the event.

• Veterans Networking Night & Career Prep Workshops

The Veterans Networking Night is hosted by the Career Center and is a networking event with
company recruiters the day prior to FSU’s campus-wide networking event, Seminole Futures.
This event is another way that the university commits itself to supporting veterans by giving
them the opportunity to meet with employers in a less populated setting. Similar to most events,
promotion will be via email and social media. Career Prep Workshops are often held by the
Career Center prior to this event to give student veterans the opportunity to revise their resume.
These types of events are usually scarcely attended, so promoting them is important.

• Fall Kick-Off Party

The Fall Kick-Off Party is one of the SVC’s premier events as this is a way of initiating
relationships with new student veterans. This event usually includes a catered evening—in the
past being held at The Gathering—in which different prizes are given out to act as an incentive
to attend. These prizes are often donated by local companies, so promoting the prizes through
social media is a way of giving the companies publicity as well as inciting students to attend.
Also, since this is an event that introduces many new student veterans to the SVC and the
already-established veteran community on campus, it is important to heavily promote this event
in order to bring out as big of a crowd as possible.

• Homecoming Rally
The Homecoming Rally is often held in Collegetown and is another way of bringing student
veterans together. Similar to the Kick-Off Party, this event requires heavy promotion in order to
draw a large crowd.

• Torchlight Program Presents Series (Veterans Film Festival)

This film festival is done in conjunction with the Torchlight program within the College of Motion
Picture Arts. This event showcases a veteran- or military focused documentary that is featured
for the public in Ruby Diamond Concert Hall. In the past, the Student Veterans Center has held
a larger role in putting on the event while it was named the Veterans Film Festival. However, as
this event has become more established, the College of Motion Picture Arts has taken the lead
on putting it together. Therefor, the Communication Intern’s role in this event is primarily
promoting it thought social media. Also, capturing pictures of the event is a good opportunity to
get social media content to further promote the event as an annual festival. The
Communications Intern will also likely take part in meetings leading up to the event in order to
stay informed of its promotion strategy.

• Veterans Liaisons Lunch

The Veterans Liaisons Lunch is an event that started in 2019 as a way of showing the SVC’s
appreciation for the liaisons across campus. This is important in maintaining a relationship with
them to ensure that they stay active with the student-veteran community. A secondary function
of this event is to reconnect with those liaisons that aren't as active in order to reconnect with
them. Since this event is only open to veteran liaisons, it is only promoted through email
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messaging. However, sharing pictures of the event on social media as it is happening is a nice
way to publicly thank them and inform followers of the veteran-liaison program the SVC
facilitates.

• FSU Great Give

The FSU Great Give is the 36-hour giving campaign that the university hosts in order to
fundraise for different entities within Florida State. It is hosted by the FSU Foundation which is
the university’s fundraising arm. The Foundation often provides different prizes (often called
incentives) that organizations can strive for in order to get extra money. For example, the
organization with the most number of individual donations between 2 and 4pm can win an extra
$1,000. This is where social media is key when communicating with potential donors. Promotion
for the Great Give usually takes precedent and is promoted well in advance to inform as many
possible donors as possible. During the event, it is also important to be active on social media in
order to contribute to the momentum of the campus-wide event.

• FSU Day at the Capitol

FSU Day at the Capitol is a day in which the different colleges and entities of the university
showcase themselves to Florida Legislators. In 2018, veterans were the focus of the event, so
the SVC had a large presence. However, this Spring-semester event normally requires the SVC
to staff a table that presents our initiatives and programming. Promotion for this event is
relatively minimal, but capturing content the day of the event is definitely an opportunity to be
active on social media.

• FSU Military Ball

The Military Ball is an event primarily put on by the Collegiate Veterans Association (CVA) It is a
formal event that student veterans and veteran alumni can attend to celebrate the year’s
accomplishments. While the Student Veterans Center does not host this event, it is often
representative of the Center since it is a university event centered around veterans. That being
said, the SVC has a hand in its production by assisting the CVA in making sure the event is well
organized. This is an invitation-only event, so promotion beforehand is relatively minimal.
However, capturing pictures the night of the event is an opportunity to post on social media to
inform followers about this well attended event.

• FSU Childcare Partnership

While this is not an event, the FSU Childcare Partnership that the Student Veterans Center has
with the FSU Childcare & Early Learning Program is a service offered during some premiere
events. With this partnership, childcare for student veterans is provided at no cost while they
attend events. This is not something that is usually publicized on social media, it is important to
include within email messaging in order to inform students of this free service.
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Miscellaneous Things to Remember

• SVC Lounge TV Maintenance

Maintaining the TV slideshow in the SVC lounge is one of the Communication Intern’s
responsibility, and for some reason, it can sometimes be tricky to navigate. The following steps
should make the process smoother:
1. Once the TV is on, press the “V” shaped button in the middle to display the menu
2. Select “Multimedia”
3. Then select “Photo”
4. Finally, press “Start Slideshow”

In the case that an image appears blank on the screen:

1. Save the files on the USB drive into one folder; this drive should only contain the
slideshow graphics
2. Plug it into one of the lounge computers
3. Open the USB folder titles SVCTV
4. Select the “View” tab
5. Check the “Hidden items” box
6. Delete any files that begin with “._” these are duplicate files that are automatically
created and will appear on the TV screen as blank

• FSU Bitly account

FSU has a campus-wide account with the URL shortening platform, Bitly. This can be used with
any Florida State University website URL, and it allows the link to appear more concise, coming
up as https://fla.st/

• Priority Registration open

The date that priority registration opens is an important one to publicize to ensure that students
begin scheduling their classes as early as possible. An important part to also remind students
about is the need to fill out their Request for Benefits form. The earlier they complete this, the
easier it is for the SVC staff to certify their benefits and ensure that they receive their funding in
a timely manner.