The Veterans Resource Center will be hosting a grand opening to celebrate its move to the Student Service Annex, near the campus center, in an event open to the community on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 3 p.m.

The new VRC gives veterans more than just a place to get together on campus, but also a place to study, connect with other veterans and get help. The facility also offers computers and free printing for veterans.

“If they need help, I want them to be able to come to the VRC and get help from other veterans,” said Robert Felix, a veteran and student staff assistant. “I want them to their GI Bill, get them their education and get their degree.”

The opening will take place in the quad outside the campus center. Invitees include Rep. Julia Brownley, D-Calif., Acting Chancellor Bernard Luskin, Kim Evans, founder and Director of the Ventura County Military Collaborative, and others.

Although the grand opening is Thursday, it has been open since August. Prior to that it was just a desk in Fountain Hall.

“We didn’t have a go-to place,” said David Coots, a veteran and 30-year-old zoology major. “This [the VRC] is a place for study and focus for veterans to want to come to be away from other facilities like the library or fountain hall. It’s quiet and kind of private.”

With the center, Brianna Occhino, a veteran and biology and environmental science major, has not only found a place she can study but also a place where she can make friends.

“I’m new here at the school, so I don’t know anybody and I was able to connect with other veterans that are in very similar situations as me,“ said Occhino.

For other veterans, the transition may not be as easy, Coots said.

“It hasn’t been the smoothest, but very rarely do veterans have a smooth transition because its from one extreme almost to a very opposite extreme,” said Coots.

However, he feels the VRC helps veterans by giving them information about their benefits and how to get the GI Bill, a government bill that provides financial benefits for veterans, to further their education.

The new VRC is only a temporary solution, according to Felix. The permanent VRC will be located in the student center once it’s built.