Published 2012-09-25T20:50:00Z”/>

Allison Weeks

Chico State has been declared a military-friendly school for the third year in a row.

Victory Media, a group dedicated to helping veterans when they leave the military, lists the top 15 percent of trade schools, colleges and universities in the country that share its mission of helping veterans in whatever ways they can.

Victory Media’s 2013 Military Friendly Schools list was compiled from a survey, according to a Chico State Public Affairs press release. About 12,000 schools approved by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs participated in the survey.

Nick Hanhart, a senior animal science major, was a Navy medic for five years before transferring to Chico State in fall 2011 and was not surprised by the findings, he said.

“They have a very capable staff that works with the veterans, helping us to process all our paperwork and help us with our G.I. program stuff,” Hanhart said.

There are many dedicated staff members working in the veteran affairs office, especially Larry Langwell, the coordinator of veteran affairs who is also a veteran himself, Hanhart said.

“He goes out of his way to help out with student veterans,” Hanhart said.

Hanhart chose Chico State over other California State Universities because he would have had to take more classes for his major at other schools.

The U.S. government is cutting back on personnel in the military, said Derek Evans, a senior mechanical engineering major and veteran affairs office clerk. Many service members will be affected.

“They’re not going to be able to re-enlist because they’re not keeping the military as large,” Evans said.

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<strong>Allison Weeks can be reached at </strong><a href=”mailto:[email protected]”><em>[email protected]</em></a>