Chapman University visits Washington, D.C.

Student Veterans of America’s (SVA) Washington Week provides student veterans the opportunity to meet their congressional representatives in Washington D.C. to advocate on behalf of themselves for state, local, and on-campus issues. Jake Slocum, Navy veteran and Vice-President of the SVA chapter at Chapman University, is one of many student veterans who traveled to D.C. to meet with his representatives.

Slocum has not been affiliated with SVA for long; his Chapman University SVA chapter formed only several months ago at the outset of the fall 2023 semester. The Chapman University chapter attended SVA’s 16th Annual National Convention in January, where they discovered a large community of student veterans, and fostered a newfound passion for advocacy which inspired their trip to Washington D.C.

Prior to Slocum’s trip, he wondered what Washington Week would entail. His thoughts on the governmental process in D.C. were jaded, similarly to many Americans who have not yet experienced a Congressional hearing or spoken directly to their Senate representatives. However, Slocum has been to D.C. prior to this trip but has never met with anyone on Capitol Hill. To his surprise, this experience turned out to be an eye-opening and trajectory-changing experience.

Prior, Slocum had the idea that his congressional representation was hard to access and unreachable. Having the ability to walk the halls of the senate buildings was an experience that helped to change the views Slocum had on Congress. Slocum said, “My biggest opinion that changed is that this isn’t hard to access, it’s actually very accessible.” He continued to say, “It gave me the impression that if I ever wanted to come and talk to my representatives, I could just walk to their office.”

During his time in D.C., Slocum and his Chapman University SVA chapter scheduled a meeting with Congresswoman Young Kim (R-CA), who represents California’s 40th district, which covers Chapman University. Accompanying the Chapman University SVA chapter was the Saddleback College and Irvine Valley College SVA chapter, which are also within the district.

“This was the first step with us at Chapman University in building a relationship with our local representation, which we found to be really important,” said Slocum. After speaking with Rep. Kim about issues concerning their universities, the chapters plan to continue advocating back on their campuses.

Much to their surprise, a congressional staffer reached out to the Chapman University SVA chapter to schedule a follow-up meeting, however, this meeting will be on-campus. Rep. Young plans to visit the chapter to gain a better understanding of the issues that student veterans face within her district.

Washington Week has many facets and isn’t solely focused on meetings with Senate representatives; attendees also have the opportunity to witness SVA’s National President & CEO, Jared Lyon, present testimony during the Joint House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. During this testimony, Lyon testifies on SVA’s legislative priorities and answers questions from the committee.

Witnessing Lyon during the testimony was one of many moments that were eye-opening for Slocum. “Sitting in the hearing room was really cool to see,” said Slocum.

In an effort to acknowledge that SVA is here on behalf of its constituents, Lyon asked for all student veterans to stand, for a brief moment during the testimony, and be recognized for their support and advocacy. Slocum’s family was watching the testimony via livestream and saw him in the hearing room; this moment of recognition was very special for him and his family.

Returning to campus, Slocum plans to continue his advocacy and recruit more student veterans from Chapman University to join the cause. Washington Week was an inspiring experience for him, and he will return next year, hopefully with more student veterans. He believes this program is a must for veteran advocacy. “It’s an opportunity for you to go directly to the people who make a difference in your healthcare, education, benefits, and everything that affects you directly as a veteran,” said Slocum.