On Wednesday Nov. 18th, the Student Activities Board (SAB) held “Boot Camp” on the residential quad to help raise awareness for those in the military suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“The ‘Boot Camp’ event was a great way to bring awareness to what soldiers go through when they come home. We even had veterans come over at one point and talk to students about their experiences with the military. A lot of the students came out and asked questions and learned more information that they had not known prior to the event. Also, there were many fun races through the inflatable obstacle course that was provided which put an exciting touch to the day,” said Mel Lewis, a Graduate Assistant for Student Activities and the Programming Assistant for Fraternity and Sorority Life.
SAB wanted to give the campus a meaningful event which brought PTSD to the forefront. The legal definition of PTSD, according to Oxford Dictionary, is “a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress occurring as a result of injury or severe psychological shock, typically involving disturbance of sleep and constant vivid recall of the experience, with dulled responses to others and to the outside world.”
James Ruffino a sophomore marketing student and Awareness Chair on SAB stated that he “felt that bringing this event to Monmouth’s campus would really help raise awareness to something that is not talked about enough on this campus and I’m glad my executive board and I could execute it to its full ability. I was also extremely satisfied to actually see students very interested in learning about what PTSD is and how people overcome it.”
To make sure that this event was more than just a lecture, SAB ensured the event was informative and interactive. The first attraction was a humungous inflatable obstacle course that students were able to race one another for some fun competition, yet related to the event in the sense of what “obstacles” veterans have gone through in order to keep our country safe.
Next, there was a novelty in which students were able to take pictures of themselves or with friends. That picture would be pressed onto a dog tag, resembling those that military men and women wear. Lastly, the Veterans Association on campus had a table with information on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with pamphlets, worksheets, and a small American flag that event goers were able to take away from the awareness affair.
“I am extremely proud of James for planning Boot Camp because he took an extremely important issue, PTSD, and made it into an event that was interactive and enjoyable so that students would walk away with a great experience as well as learning something new. With how much our veterans sacrifice for our country, it makes me proud that SAB was able to pay this tribute to them. Our hope for the event was that participants will walk away with tools to make veteran students acclimating back to campus life more comfortable,” said Alicia Torello, a junior communication student and President of SAB.
