Campus-wide celebration includes hands-on military demonstrations and a panel discussion on the military experience
Gary, Ind. – Indiana University Northwest will celebrate Veterans Day with a variety of interactive activities and a panel discussion to honor veterans, military service members and their families, on campus and in the community. Festivities will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11 in the Moraine Student Center.
IU Northwest is proud to serve more than 100 students, faculty, and staff who are veterans or family members receiving veteran education benefits. It also boasts a growing student-led Military Service Association.
Registrar Peter Zachocki, who also manages the Office of Military and Veteran Services at IU Northwest, says this year’s celebration builds on the excitement generated at the opening of the campus Veterans Resource Center, which took place on Veterans Day last year.
“People on this campus really care about veterans, military service members and their families. We want to do whatever we can to celebrate their contributions and help students with military ties succeed,” he said.
Agenda
Beginning at 11 a.m., several hands-on demonstrations and activities, courtesy of the Indiana National Guard, will be available for all to experience, including obstacle courses, games, and MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) tastings. Military equipment and items, including an M-ATV combat vehicle, gear pack, tent, and night vision goggles will also be on display.
At 1 p.m., members of the IU Northwest Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) will post the colors of the flag, before IU Northwest Chancellor William J. Lowe welcomes attendees and opens a special panel discussion featuring a mix of faculty, students and alumni with military ties.
Designed to explore the military experience, the panel will be moderated by Joseph S. Pete, business reporter at The Times of Northwest Indiana. A U.S. Army veteran deployed to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom III, Pete served in Baghdad, Mosul, and Fallujah where he earned the Combat Infantryman Badge. Members of the panel will include:
- Dee Dotson, IU Northwest alumna (2016), military mom, producer and host at Lakeshore Public Media
- Charles Hobson, Ph.D., IU Northwest business administration professor and U.S. Army veteran
- Dan Riordan, IU Northwest student, U.S. Marines veteran, and founder of the Military Service Association at IU Northwest
The panel discussion will conclude at 3 p.m. All activities are free and open to the public. If weather permits, some interactive demonstrations will take place outside.
For more information, please contact James Wallace at jamewall@iun.edu or 219-980-6596.
