University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Student Senate
Veterans Association Senator

Brian Manske

 This Year’s Student Veterans Association Senator, Brian Manske, is a senior who is a BioMedical Sciences and Psychology Major, with a minor in Chemistry. He is currently working with Dr. Tom Volk in the field of Mycology as an undergraduate researcher with the goal of becoming fluent in the identification process of new fungal species and their medicinal properties. Brian is from Coon Valley, Wisconsin, which is about 15 miles southeast of La Crosse where he spent most of his youth helping on his family’s dairy farm. He plans to graduate in the spring of 2014 and begin a master’s program with Dr. Volk the following fall semester.

   Brian chose to attend UW-La Crosse after graduating from Western Technical College with an associate’s degree in Nursing as well as the Emergency Medical Technician course. Brian has a wide range of
medical experiences from his military experience, employment in Gundersen Lutheran’s Trauma and Emergency Center, and in a long term care facility. He is currently employed as a Registered Nurse and volunteers as a Disaster Action Team leader for the American Red Cross.

   His role as the Student Veterans Association Senator is important to him as he is always seeking to further his knowledge related to veteran’s issues and benefits, while assisting fellow veterans in
acquiring earned benefits. Brian served in the US Army as part of an elite Long Range Surveillance company under a Military Intelligence Brigade. He is currently working with other veterans to secure
educational benefits and recovering from both psychological and physical injuries related to military service. Brian is also working on identifying local businesses who may wish to donate or sponsor the UW-L Student Veterans Association and maintain the newly acquired Veterans Center on campus located in the Cartwright Center in room 264.

   Brian’s largest goal this and every semester is to meet fellow veterans and military dependents and to increase the awareness of benefits, facilitate the proper steps to make and secure a claim, as well as connect veterans with educational support either through programs or fellow students who can help clarify confusing topics so that no one is left behind with a bad grade and bad college experience. The transition from a warrior to college student can be a tremendous challenge for anyone, yet, with the proper support and knowledge can prove easier than going alone. Promoting awareness among our faculty and student population of the presence of such valuable individuals on campus can be a difficult message as few people understand the personal dilemmas faced by our service members who may or may not have seen direct conflict.