Office of Military & Veteran Affairs (OMVA)

Mid-Month Muster
October 2025

The Office of Military & Veteran Affairs: Mission Statement

The mission of our office is to assist and support the student veteran and military affiliated student population both on and off campus. With the help of dedicated team members in the OneStop, we are here to advise, advocate for, and support you and the rest of the Military & Veteran community at the University and we are available to assist at a moment’s notice to address your needs and concerns of this unique population.

Greetings Charger Nation!

My name is Ryan Noonan, Manager of Military & Veteran Affairs here at the University of New Haven. I am pleased to be sending you this inaugural edition of the Office of Military & Veteran Affairs (OMVA) monthly newsletter.

On the 15th of every month we send this newsletter to both current students and our Veteran Alumni Chargers who are out in the world crushing it to ensure you are up to date with updates, important info, upcoming events and more. 

There is a lot of uncertainty going around related to the current government shut down and what it means for your VA educational benefits. While students have reported to me that they have not received some or all of their monthly housing allowance (MHA) allotted to them through CH33, CH31, or CH35,  tuition and fees payments seem to be coming in as normal and I have not yet encountered an issue with that. This doesn't, however, make things any easier for those of you who may be relying on those monthly allowance checks. 

Reports state that when calling the VA, no one is on the other line to answer, and VA personnel that we may have corresponded with are unable to respond to emails. This is not, nor will it ever be the case, for the Office of Military & Veteran Affairs here at the University. Given this situation, I strongly encourage ANYONE affected by the shutdown, and even those who haven't been affected yet, to contact your elected state and federal congressmen to express your concerns and urge them to end the shutdown.

Rest assured though, since this issue was not at all the fault of you, the students, there are appropriate protections to ensure that you can still register for classes and carry on with your degree. If you are in a financial hardship and need to explore short term options; please reach out to me immediately!

We are also doing a lot of exciting things around campus though so it's not all bad! Make sure you keep an eye out for our emails in the coming weeks to get involved! In the past month, our OMVA team and students have participated in the Artillery crew on the field at our D1 Football games, getting right in the action when we score! If you're interested in getting VIP passes to get onto the field, please reach out to me ahead of our 2nd Annual Military Appreciation Game on November 8th!

Registration for our Military Appreciation game gets you:
-Full pre-game tailgate access with connections to Veteran Organizations
-Free access to the Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium to watch the game vs Merrimack
-VIP access to Club Fitzy in the North Endzone which includes free lunch w/ cash bar (*21+ only)
-Free UNewHaven Military & Veteran Affairs Challenge Coin & lapel pin

Be sure to nominate an Honorary Captain for the pre-game coin toss! Link is in the Eventbrite page!

As always, open office hours are as follows:
Wednesdays, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.**

Warm Regards,
Ryan L. Noonan
Manager, Military & Veteran Affairs
(203) 932-7350
RNoonan@newhaven.edu

Important reminders from our SCO, Registrar, Bursar, and Financial Aid offices.  These may significantly affect your VA Education benefits, so be sure to pay close attention to the reminders!

The Veterans Club, a chapter of the Student Veterans of America, is currently seeking to increase its roster size to better support and advocate for you on campus.

We are excited to announce that veteran dependents are now eligible to join our organization, and we are excited to have you!

We recently filled all of our Officers roles and e-Board spots, but if you are interested in getting active and getting involved, let us know through Charger Connection; just clo

General meetings are set for Thursdays at 5-6pm

E-board meetings are set for Wednesdays from 12:30-1:00pm starting next week (October 20)

We welcome donations for the pumpkin carving contest of $5 or any form of donations to keep the lounge stocked with snacks and/or for future events!

Warm Regards,
Nicole Hernandez
Chapter President
militaryveterans@newhaven.edu

I am Ryan J. Wells, your newly elected USGA Student Senator wishing all of you had a delightful semester so far with midterms wrapping up! If I haven’t had the pleasure to meet with you yet, feel free to stop by my office hours in the Veteran Lounge on Tuesdays and Thursday from 2pm to 3:30pm.

So, what does this mean for you? Well in addition to the wonderful staff with the OMVA, I am another resource to help you and your experience here at the University of New Haven particularly regarding the Student Government. If you have issues with anything regarding student engagement such as tutoring or another resource which is not operating as it should, contact me and I will see what I can do! If you are interested in any on campus career resources, wondering who you need to go to, or just looking for someone to talk to in between classes, again feel free to stop by the Veteran lounge!

Beyond that in conjunction with the OMVA and other entities on Campus, we are planning events for all of you every semester and would love to see you attend! Besides the potential for free gear or food it’s also a way to engage in fellowship with each other. If you have ideas of what you would like to see from us, contact me either through email or in person and I can make it a reality! For now, I wish all of you a great rest of your semester and hope to see you all at our coming Veterans Day events!

Warm regards,
Ryan J. Wells
USGA Senator for Veteran & Service member population

University of New Haven: Army ROTC Student Spotlight - Cadet Morgan Stromski
(CDT Stromski, pictured on the right in the photo)

The University of New Haven’s (UNH) Army ROTC program wishes to highlight the accomplishments of one of its cadets, Cadet Morgan Stromski. A sophomore at UNewHaven, Stromski is currently studying security and defense policy, hails from Long Island, New York, and is highly involved across the campus community.

Cadet Stromski actively participates in the ROTC program’s Ranger Challenge Team, a very mentally and physically challenging group that competes in various tasks and obstacles against other Army ROTC programs in the Northeast. Further demonstrating her leadership, she serves as the President of the Military Service Engagement club and is a member of the Artillery Crew, which is hosted by the Office of Military and Veteran Affairs and Veterans Club.

Aspiring Military Intelligence Officer

Cadet Stromski has strong aspirations to become a Military Intelligence Officer in the Army. She intends to pursue active-duty service and help provide critical intelligence for our nation’s military operations. She specifically seeks to be a part of the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) stating that she takes great pride in her future in the military, serving alongside some of our nation’s finest men and women.

Cadet Stromski advises those interested in the ROTC program to give it a try, sharing that she “had no idea that I was going to be in an ROTC program,” but also mentioning that she enjoys the program and is grateful for her scholarship, which is helping her pay for college and guarantees her an occupation when she graduates. She noted that the program is a great way to meet new people and gain some of the best leadership skills the university has to offer. Whether it's joining the program or just trying out a new club, Cadet Stromski advises others to give it a try because you’ll never know how much you’ll enjoy it.

In her final remarks, Cadet Stromski mentioned that ROTC is a great addition to your resume and will give you critical knowledge in organizational management and leadership, and finally that the program's demanding nature pushes cadets "beyond your limits to reach heights you never thought possible."

For more information please contact:

Mr. Robert M. Clark, Jr.
ROTC Program Coordinator
(203) 931-2996
RClark@newhaven.edu

We are thrilled to extend a warm invitation to Veterans who have served honorably and are pursuing academic excellence at the University of New Haven. By joining our local chapter of the SALUTE National Honor Society, you gain recognition for your service and become part of a supportive network that offers numerous benefits, including scholarship opportunities.

If you’re interested in joining the ranks of this honor society exclusive to student veterans, please contact Chapter President Jordan Hardie and he will guide you through the process. Click the link below to learn more, or email me to formally apply as a University of New Haven Chapter member. 

Warm Regards,
Jordan Hardie
Chapter President
Phone: 203-932-7351

From left to right: Danielle, Johnny, Jordan, Nicole, Henry

Danielle Jastrab: Creative Director
Class: Senior (Class of  '26)- VA Educational Benefit: Chapter 35
Dependent, US Coastguard

Favorite Part of work Study?
I love hearing the unique stories and experiences of veterans. It’s inspiring and gives me a greater appreciation for their service.
If you could invite any famous person to the lounge who would it be?
Bryson DeChambeau

Johnny Holland: Operations Specialist
Class: Sophomore (Class of '28)- VA Educational Benefit: Chapter 31
Veteran, US Navy

Favorite Part of work Study?
Favorite part of the work study working with other service affiliated members.
What’s your hidden talent that no one here knows about?
I can do dumb impressions and make funny voices.

Jordan Hardie: Operations Coordinator
Class: Junior (Class of '27) - VA Educational Benefit: Chapter 33
Veteran, US Airforce

Favorite Part of work Study?
Building a community with the team and helping other student vets/dependents in their transition from military to student.
What’s your guilty pleasure TV show or movie?
Dancing with the Stars

Nicole Hernandez: Engagement Coordinator
Class: Junior (Class of '27)- VA Educational Benefit: Chapter 31
Veteran, US Marine Corps

Favorite Part of work Study?
The closeness of the group. The ability to help people how I know I need when I first came.
What’s one food you could eat every day and never get tired of?
I could eat Chinese food, specifically pork fried rice or hibachi steak, everyday!!

Henry Wylie: Special Projects
Class: Sophomore (Class of '28)- VA Educational Benefit: Chapter 35
Dependent, US Army

Favorite Part of work Study?
Being able to connect with my fellow military affiliated students and Veterans and be able to support them the best I can.

If you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go?
New Zealand

Spotlight Volunteers

Are you a veteran, active-duty service member, dependent, or military-affiliated student who would like to be featured in our next Student or Alumni Spotlight?
We’d love to share your story — who you are, your service background, and what brought you to the University of New Haven. Click the link below to email us and nominate someone!

Let us know how we're doing or what changes you'd like to see within the Office of Military & Veteran Affairs. Do we need more pens in the Vet Lounge? Tell us! Do you want a different kind of coffee in our coffee corner? Let us know which kind!

Sheffield Hall, ground floor
300 Boston Post Road
West Haven, CT 06516

https://www.newhaven.edu/veterans/index.php

https://mycharger.newhaven.edu/veteran-services/