Faculty and Staff,
During a time of natural disasters, it is not uncommon for the Department of Defense or the Governor to activate reserve and National Guard units to help provide assistance to civilian agencies. Across the country, nearly 15,000 National Guard members have been called to active duty to provide support during the coronavirus outbreak.
At IUP, we have over 150 students who currently serve in the National Guard and reserves. A few IUP students have already been put on active duty orders. We should expect more to be called to active duty before this crisis is over.
Military and Veterans Resource Center Director Cory Shay spoke with one IUP reservist who was told by his unit to have his bags packed and have enough for at least a three-month deployment.
Unfortunately, during a time of national emergencies, many National Guard and reservists will not receive active duty orders until they report to their duty station.
If you have a student who has been called to active duty, please tell them to call the MVRC at 724-357-3008 so that the MVRC can work with the Academic Success Center to see what support the university needs to provide for them.
If any faculty and staff have questions, please contact Director Shay either by email or by phone.
Thank you for all that you do for IUP's military-affiliated students.