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LAS CRUCES – History is being made and repeated on Standley Drive.
New Mexico State University will be the first university in the country to offer housing specifically designated for student veterans that isn’t dorms or fraternity-style housing, according to university officials.
“I feel like it’s going to give veterans as a whole a better chance to feel like they’ll be accepted here on campus,” said NMSU Student Veterans Association President Tony Cano, who will move into one of the houses.
But the students won’t be the homes’ first veteran residents. NMSU built its family housing after World War II, when the GI Bill let veterans go to college, NMSU Housing Director Julie Weber said.
“It’s similar now with the new (post 9-11) GI Bill,” she said.
Eight houses are now available to veterans.
They will help veterans transition to university life and create a supportive environment, said Student Veterans Association Vice President Andrea Sandoval.
Three or four veterans have expressed interest, and several more have inquired about possible housing in the future, Weber said.
Many of the school’s 1,300 student veterans have families, Weber said.
The houses are one-story and accessible to veterans with mobility issues. All eight are on the same street, so residents can build a sense of community, she said.
Veterans without families, like Cano, can also apply for the houses.
The housing is helpful for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder or if they don’t want to deal with roommates who may be younger or don’t understand their experiences, Cano said.
“It’s going to give them the privacy they need,” he said.
The two-bedroom cinderblock houses are painted various shades of tan and salmon. Nearby is the community garden, green heads of lettuce budding.
The units have two small bedrooms; a yard “bigger than your house,” as Weber said, with a clothesline; a bathroom; kitchen with refrigerator and stove; closets; and a small nook originally designed for rotary phones. Now, some residents stick a phone book there, Weber said.
“While it may not be the Taj Mahal, it is a good option,” Sandoval said.
Rent is $630 per month, including cable television, Internet and utilities. GI Bill funds help most veterans pay rent, Cano said.
With Fort Bliss, White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base nearby, Weber said, “There is no reason we shouldn’t be one of the most veteran-friendly campuses.”
— This article appeared on page C02 of the Albuquerque Journal
