Penn State Community Honors Veterans for Military Appreciation Week

Story posted November 5, 2019 in CommRadio, News by Marissa Ulchaker

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State and the surrounding community will be celebrating the eighth annual Military Appreciation Week from Nov. 8-16. The purpose of this week is to honor those who are serving or have served for the United States and their families along with creating a bond between veterans and their community.

Veterans will be given free parking validation at the three garages downtown, and they will also be offered discounts and specials at many of the downtown businesses if they provide a military ID.

The week-long festivities kick off with a yoga class at 3 Dots Downtown in State College. This is a new event in the series that focuses on connecting veterans on campus with those who are off campus through yoga’s element of community.

Yoga instructor Jessica Minelli is trained in veteran yoga and said she is honored to lead veterans through meditation.

“We're incorporating things like breathing activities, guided rest, and guided meditation,” Minelli said. “As opposed to when you walk into a typical yoga class, you might come in and experience long periods of silence.”

Additionally, people can celebrate the opening of the new Penn State Student Veteran Center where student veterans will be able to access resources, study and convene with one another. The center will be in the west wing of the first floor of Ritenour Building.

The week will also feature a variety of other events including the Student Veteran Luncheon, a student veteran panel with a corresponding topic to this year’s theme and the annual Military Appreciation Football Game.

Chair of the Military Appreciation Week Planning Committee, Christopher Sebora, said there will be a new activity during the tailgate this year.

“For the tailgate, we’re going to do a banner competition amongst the Panhellenic and fraternities and have them develop something, and then judge it, and hopefully we’ll get the top three hung inside the stadium during the game,” Sebora said.

The week concludes with the annual Military Appreciation Tailgate and Football Game at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 16.

Click here to view the complete list of Military Appreciation Week activities.

 

Marissa Ulchaker is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email mvu5066@psu.edu.