Public Information Director and advisor Rene Abadie U.S. Army veteran Mark Lawrence and retired Navy veteran Cal Broussard are working together to form the first ever student organization at Southeastern for Veterans of the United States. After hearing that there had never been a veteran’s organization on campus, Lawrence expressed his interest in the matter and was soon asked if he would like to be one of the people in charge of organizing the first one, and he agreed.

“I want to give my time, attention and heart to those who have served. I want to hear family members’ stories of their veteran,” said Lawrence. “I want a place for all veterans to feel welcome on our campus.”

While it is not yet an official student organization, all of the necessary steps are being taken to make it a part of Southeastern.  On March 15, the Office of Public Information sponsored a sign-up day in the Student Union Mall in order to begin gathering a list of veterans, family members of veterans and supporters to join the organization. Soon a meeting will be held to elect officers, approve constitution and bylaws and submit a petition to the university to officially become one of the many student organizations at Southeastern. As of right now, no decision has been made on what the official name of the organization will be, but the proposed name is the Southeastern Student Veterans Association.

Even though the organization’s full and permanent purpose has not been decided yet, there is no doubt that they will promote both issues and causes that support veterans.

The goal of the organization is to confront and solve the issues impacting veterans of the university, help the veterans that are both new and returning students adjust to college life and to serve as a support group.

A few of the services the organization hopes to provide include mentoring veterans, sending care packages to troops who are currently overseas, as well as those who are being deployed and provide resources for veterans.

Abadie, who has volunteered to be the faculty advisor for the new organization, hopes this will play an important role on campus. “We’re expecting this new organization to play an educational role in helping to keep the campus community aware of the issues that affect veterans and their families,” said Abadie.

The formation of this new organization will work to keep everyone on campus aware of the issues that veterans and their families face. It will bring with it the impact of those who have served in order to give students a real and in-depth record of what it is like to serve this country.

“In my opinion, our purpose is to serve those who have served, are serving and will serve in the future,” said Lawrence. “We must never forget the price of freedom.”

As of right now, there are no official activities or events planned for the organization, but there is a large list of ideas floating around to get it started.

Some of the events that have been mentioned include trips to the WWII museum in New Orleans, the U.S.S. Kidd in Baton Rouge and Ground Zero in New York.

To become a member, provide assistance or any information on the organization, contact Rene Abadie, Director of Public Information at 985-549-2341 or via e-mail at [email protected]