When I first came to UMass from the active-duty Navy in January of 2007, I was immediately struck by the relatively-poor resources on campus for veterans. From the inept transfer "orientation," to the endless arguments with financial aid over my veteran status, to the cold treatment by the housing assignments office, my transition from the military to the UMass community was anything but smooth.
Within my first week as a student, I was contacted by the co-founder of a veterans' organization on campus who was extremely interested in helping me voice some of my concerns to the former Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Mike Gargano.
That supportive student was fellow serviceman, Iraq War combat veteran, Army Reservist, unyielding force behind the establishment of the Military Community Resource Center and current President of the Veterans and Service Members Association (VASMA), Jon Zagami.
Zagami is graduating this month after four years as a UMass student - four years as a crusading activist, friend, mentor and supporter of the UMass veterans' community.
To so many of us in this small but tightly-knit community, Zagami is nothing short of a hero: ready, willing and able to speak up on our behalf when members of the administration are hiding under their desks avoiding an issue or when the SGA is too busy funneling money into the pockets of their friends and cronies to help out a severely under-funded VASMA.
Zagami, along with fellow veteran Jon Schnauber, founded VASMA two years ago to assist veterans, service-members and their families, here at UMass. According to its Web site, "the mission of VASMA is to establish a long-standing organization, which will help to facilitate the transition between military and academic environments through a support network of veterans and service members helping each other, while providing information about appropriate services and resources to those in need."
As President of VASMA for the last year, Jon Zagami was instrumental in the battle to establish a military resource office organized under the Center for Student Development (CSD). Toward this noble end, Zagami, after sensing the need for an additional veterans office on campus to take some of the burden off of veterans officer and Assistant Dean of Students Eileen Stewart, took his case to Beacon Hill last summer, urging legislators to look into why this campus' resources for veterans paled in comparison to those of UMass Boston and other UMass system campuses.
After much give-and-take with administrators and SGA leadership, the product of Jon's valiant efforts was the creation of the Military Community Resource Center (MCRC) organized under long-time veterans supporter and student affairs events coordinator Judy Gagnon.
The MCRC currently exists as a sort of pre-agency under the CSD, directly accountable to Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Byron Bullock. Its mission is generally similar to VASMA's in that it seeks to ensure a smooth transition from the military to academia for UMass veterans.
When some veterans fall through the cracks or become increasingly frustrated with the bureaucratic jump rope that is often necessary to get anything done in Whitmore, these two fine organizations are now right there, ready to support the veterans community.
Four years ago, veterans matriculating at UMass had a very small support network that consisted of little more than an office where they could go to ask why their benefit payments were always late.
One honorable young man, American hero and tireless veterans advocate saw this and set out to do something about it. He was determined to make this campus more friendly and responsive to our finest men and women. As a consequence of this relentless drive to help his brothers and sisters in arms, veterans on campus now have their own RSO and their own support agency.
Future generations of UMass veterans will not have to feel like they are making the long and uncertain journey from battlefield to academia by themselves without anyone to lean on.
Jon Zagami, much more than any other single person, is responsible for this. As the veterans community bids him farewell and wishes him the best of luck after graduation, we rest comfortably in knowing that our once unfriendly campus feels a little more like a home because of his determination to never take no for an answer and his persistence to do right by those who have served our great nation.
On May 24, this school will say goodbye to thousands of fine and upstanding men and women whose contributions to the UMass community are appreciated. One of them, however, has left an incomparable legacy at this school and accomplished so much that future generations of students will greatly benefit from his selfless advocacy and concern for others. For this and so much else, Jon Zagami is indeed a hero, and it pains me to have to say goodbye to him.
Brad DeFlumeri is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at bdeflume@student.umass.edu.
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