Veterans and their families who have found a home at Illinois State University now have a new affinity group to connect and share a community. The group is for faculty and staff and is set to debut this fall and is part of the University's diversity initiative.
Military affinity groups are catching on in the workplace. That's according to University Registrar Jess Ray, who is an Army National Guard veteran. "Places like State Farm and Cargill have very active military affinity groups," said Ray. "And it's just another opportunity for employees to get together with people who may not be in their direct area who have a similar background. We had people from all over campus express interest, which was great because now we have a chance to meet people that we don't get to see on a daily basis because our workplaces don't intersect. It's a great way to meet people all over campus and learn more about what they do, and at the same time have something in common."
A plus with this group is it allows those with some shared experiences to revisit those and have an understanding, which can't be expected from someone who hasn't had those same experiences. "That's to be expected in any kind of group," said Ray. "You can try to explain what it's like to go through basic training, but unless you've actually gone through it, you're missing some nuance there."
It's not just faculty and staff who served in the military that are welcome. Family member of those who served will be a part of the group, as well. Ray added that the affinity group hopes to support ISU military -connected students by way of mentoring, resourcing and providing opportunities for networking.
