With the United States still involved in two wars in the Middle East, more students are entering college as veterans. A recent study by the American Psychological Association reported that college veterans are six times more likely to kill themselves and 20 percent have planned to commit suicide.

The survey included a total of 525 veterans — 415 males and 110 females, with an average age of 26. Sixty percent of the group had experienced combat in Iraq or Afghanistan and 98 percent said they had been deployed in either the Afghanistan or Iraq wars. Fifty-eight to 60 percent had experienced combat.

The University of Wyoming is offering a special transition course for veterans this fall and University of Massachusetts Amherst has a “drop-in” center for veterans. There are currently 432 chapters of Student Veterans of America in colleges and universities across the nation, which makes me wonder why more institutions of higher education have failed to equip themselves with necessary training programs and orientation sessions that help bridge the disconnect they feel with their fellow students.