WASHINGTON, DC –Student Veterans of America (SVA) revoked chapter membership at over 40 for-profit institutions of higher learning.
Michael Dakduk, Executive Director of Student Veterans of America, issued the following statement following the decision:
“As Executive Director, I take our member chapter registration and contact information very seriously. I ordered a closer look at our membership applications after noticing a problem with the contact information of certain chapters. We found that many for-profits had school administrators signing up as the primary contact of their student veterans’ organization and others listing their school’s website as the chapter’s website.”
Listing a staff member as the primary contact and providing the school’s website as a link to the chapter raises questions as to the legitimacy of the organization and goes against SVA policies. Student veterans’ organizations seeking SVA chapter membership must be run by and for student veterans. SVA resources, including our website and chapter map, are not meant to be used to advertise a specific school or program of study. SVA requires chapters to be renewed annually to ensure that every chapter is legitimate.
As a non-profit advocacy organization, SVA remains very concerned that some for-profit institutions may be using the SVA brand to legitimize their programs because having an SVA chapter is often synonymous with a campus being labeled ‘veteran-friendly’.
“SVA will not allow institutions of higher learning, whether for-profit or not, to use the name Student Veterans of America for the sole benefit of the institution,” Dakduk said.
Given the growing controversy surrounding for-profit institutions of higher learning, Student Veterans of America will be undergoing an in-depth review process to ensure chapters are not bypassing the requirements for membership. Any student veteran, at any type of institution, should immediately contact SVA if they feel they are being exploited or misrepresented by their school. SVA takes reports of abuse very seriously, and has a proven track record of defending our members.
About Student Veterans of America:
SVA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit coalition of student veteran organizations on college campuses globally. SVA’s mission is to provide military veterans with the resources, support, and advocacy needed to succeed in higher education and following graduation.