A new student club that focuses on the interests and needs of student veterans recently opened at EC on Oct. 15.

Students and veterans Scott Sinclair and Michael Chesnut, who work for the Department of Veterans Affairs at EC, decided to start a club to share information with other vets and help them become comfortable in a college environment.

“For the most part, coming out of the service and getting back into school with a much younger crowd, it’s tough to meet people and get back into it. ” said Sinclair, 24, who served in Iraq.

“You don’t know all the benefits and resources that are available to you, That’s why we decided to start the Student Veteran Club this semester.”

Sinclair and Chesnut decided this was a great time to start a club that supports veterans, considering that there are 244 veternas enrolled at EC.

Many are young veterans who recently served in war zones.

“These people served their country for the right to have this institution,” Sinclair said.

The roster already includes 25 members in the Student Veteran Club, but both Sinclair and Chesnut say that they are looking for more members to build a strong community of support for veterans.

“The club seems to help out the veterans, too, because most of them have been in the service for the past four years and they are used to structure and direction and they are not accustomed to walking in somewhere with no support,” said Chesnut, 42, who served in the Gulf War. “They feel like they are chasing their tails and they are getting frustrated quickly.”

This is of concern for both Chesnut and Sinclair because they don’t want veterans to become too frustrated and drop out of college.

Instead, they would like a supportive environment for veterans to interact with each other as well as students and staff around campus.

“I want the Veterans Club to be a place to network and talk to each other about their experiences and problems,” Chesnut added.

Many veterans at EC a bit older than the students who arrive just out of high school and are often far away from their families and friends.

They have been exposed to a lot of experiences that most students at EC have never seen, Sinclair said.

“It was tough at first; trying to figure everything out on my own and not having anyone to talk to about my experiences in the service,” he added.

The club is open to all veterans, as well as to faculty, alumni and students who are not involved in the military, but are open to supporting veterans.

A goal for the club is to open a designated area for a Veteran Center where veterans can have access to a printer, computers and the Internet.

The next club meeting is Friday, Oct. 24 at 11:30 a.m. in the Special Resource Center Meeting Room

There is also a Veteran’s Resource Fair planned for Nov. 20 in the Student Activities Center.