While designating a specific space for student veterans is a positive step, a resource center is nothing without resources.

It’s also worrisome that this center just was established. It’s a shame university officials have done so much for other groups on campus, but for so long neglected our veterans that have a long-standing history in the school.

Spaces such as the Multicultural Center, which recently was revamped because of student demand, and the LGBT Resource Center have been established campus entities. Yet until now, help for veterans has been pushed to a support website.

Unfortunately, MSU is far behind other schools in catering to the needs of veterans.

Universities such as U-M, the Ohio State University and the University of Minnesota all have veterans’ affairs offices with personal faculty members that veterans are able to contact. MSU still does not employ any full-time staff members dedicated only to serving student veterans.

Part of the problem might be the lack of widespread student activism outside the veteran community to build a center.

There seems to be a disconnect between the general student population and veterans.

When people talk about veterans, the image usually is not a young college student. Instead, it’s easier to visualize grandfathers or fathers who might have served.

The fact is there are a lot of veterans our age who need help. Veterans are in the same shoes as us: working to better themselves through education.

But unlike us, they have a past that can make getting a degree more challenging. They have unique needs and issues that, until today, haven’t been addressed fully.

Deployment can be traumatic for veterans. Many experiences can leave behind serious psychological effects, and for some time, student veterans had no public space to share experiences.

It is good that veterans now have a place where they can talk to others who have been exposed to similar events.

These are the people who put their life on the line for us. They have gone through things that normal citizens never will have to go through; the least we can do is allocate an area for them.

Especially at MSU, we should hold our veterans in high regards. Veterans are the reason MSU is what it is today.

After World War II, the university saw an influx of veterans coming here to study under the GI Bill.

So many veterans enrolled that the president at the time, John Hannah, was forced to make a temporary quonset hut village to house all of the veterans.

The creation of Brody Complex Neighborhood, Snyder, Phillips and Shaw halls also were results of housing demands for veterans.

In fact, the increase in the student body by post-World War II vets is one of the big pushes in our campaign for admittance into the Big 10. Our veterans made huge impacts on the university, many of which still can be seen today.

This is a step in the right direction, but we need to continue our support of the students who dedicated their lives to serving our country. Resources, such as a full-time employee to help connect veterans with help, must be a priority.

Although opening the Veterans’ Resource Center is a symbolic show of support from the university, more concrete steps must be taken, and soon, to help those who have given so much to us.