Published: October 20, 2025
PORTLAND, ME — The University of Southern Maine’s Military Affiliated Student Hub (MASH) served up more than just burgers and hot dogs at their BBQ and Mini Resource Fair on Wednesday, September 17. The event at the MASH House on Exeter Street provided veteran students with direct access to VA representatives, campus support services, and benefit counselors, connections that many said were easier to make over a free lunch than through months-long appointment scheduling.
“Instead of having to set up an appointment that may take a month, two months, three months to get, he’s here dedicated to speak to you,” said Coltin Brantley, a Marine Corps veteran studying cyber security at USM. Brantley came to volunteer at the event, but ended up connecting with VA representatives he had been putting off contacting through traditional channels.
The mid-day event drew veterans from across USM’s programs, from undergraduate cybersecurity students to PhD candidates in leadership. Attendees could grab food hot off the grill while moving between booths staffed by VA medical representatives, Veteran Service Officers, campus IT support, academic advisors, and other campus support centers.
For Deb Couture, a veteran pursuing her PhD in leadership, the event provided crucial tech support she needed for her academic success. “My biggest question was my computer skills, as far as Zoom and how to do presentations in my class,” Couture explained. She connected with IT staff who helped her schedule on-campus tutoring sessions, and she learned about financial aid options for when her Post-9/11 GI Bill expires before degree completion.
Douglas Doughty, a Veteran Service Officer with the State of Maine, said the informal setting helps veterans discover benefits they didn’t know existed. “The biggest thing is a lot of veterans don’t realize what they’re eligible for, and they don’t have an understanding of how broad some of the services are,” Doughty said. He particularly highlighted vocational rehabilitation and education benefits available to veterans with service-connected disabilities, calling the application process “very simple.”
Laurie Lentz, Senior Associate Director of Advising on USM’s Portland campus, emphasized that many students remain unaware of available support systems. “There’s a lot of resources available to students. A lot of the students don’t know that the resources exist,” Lentz said. “We want to make sure that if students need help, they know how to find it.”
The event’s casual atmosphere, complete with popsicles and cornhole games, seemed to achieve its goal of making veterans feel supported without the formality of traditional service appointments. Several attendees noted their preference for the smaller group setting over large university-wide events.
“I prefer small groups,” said Couture, who initially hesitated to attend veteran events until she built connections with fellow veterans in her summer coursework. “I think that the university-wide ones would be much larger, and maybe I wouldn’t get as much out of it.”
The success stories from the event highlight ongoing challenges in connecting veterans with services. Brantley noted that traditional VA services are often scattered across distant locations, sometimes requiring drives of “two, three hours away.” By bringing services directly to campus, MASH eliminated transportation barriers and lengthy scheduling delays that can prevent veterans from accessing needed support.
For veterans like Brantley, the on-campus location made all the difference. “I can just walk over here and talk to him,” he said, referring to the ease of connecting with the VSO at the campus event versus traveling to their office at the airport.
The event also served broader outreach goals, with organizers hoping to reach non-veteran students who might connect others with veteran resources. “Honestly, I wish there were more people who actually came out here, even if you’re not a veteran,” Brantley said. “You may get resources for somebody else that you know.”
MASH’s combination of community building and resource connection appears to address a key challenge in veteran student support: making essential services accessible and approachable. As Lentz summarized the event’s purpose: “It kind of puts out there, hey, we’re here to help you. There’s support. That’s the key for students to feel supported.”
The Military Affiliated Student Hub provides support services for military-affiliated students across USM’s campuses. Students interested in connecting with veteran resources can visit the MASH House at 39 Exeter Street on the Portland campus.
