OMS, ROTC, AND OTHER PLAN WEEK OF EVENTS TO HONOR MILITARY SERVIVCE
By Isabella LaMagdeleine, Staff Writer
As Veterans Day approaches on Nov. 11, the Office of Military Services (OMS) and other campus organizations are ready to celebrate the brave members of the Mason community that have served our country in uniform.
OMS will organize a week of events and activities to honor Mason veterans, including live performances, a luncheon, and a celebration for members of the Marine Corps.
To begin the week, priority registration for the spring semester will open for active duty members, reservists, guardsmen, and veterans on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Students using education benefits like the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill must also complete the Veterans Registration Reporting Form, or VRRF, and submit it to OMS. This form is how the school certifies classes for education benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VRRF will be available for students beginning Friday, Nov. 10.
On Wednesday, Nov. 8, OMS will host service officers from Disabled American Veterans (DAV) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The officers will be available to answer any questions that Mason’s student veterans have about how to apply for benefits. Because the federal and state benefits processes can be difficult to navigate, their expert advice can be extremely helpful. According to DAV, they assist more than 292,000 veterans every year prepare and submit benefit claims.
Then on Friday, Nov. 10, a Veterans Day Luncheon will be held in the Concert Hall Lobby at the Center for the Arts from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. The annual event will be hosted by the Office of the President and George Mason ROTC to honor veterans who work at Mason and their invited guests.
Also on Nov. 10, the Hub’s Corner Pocket will host a celebration of the Marine Corps’ 242nd birthday. The event will feature light refreshments and free games from noon to 1 p.m. to celebrate the founding of this military service branch.
The final event on Veterans Day itself is Celebrating Veterans and the Arts at the Hylton Performing Arts Center at Mason’s Science and Technology Campus. Starting at 1 p.m., everyone is welcome to enjoy live chamber music, a guitar workshop, a new art exhibition and presentation by veteran Martin J. Cervantez titled “War and Recovery.”
“Since 2014, the Veterans and the Arts Initiative has served as an arts and community hub,” according to Dr. Niyati Dhokai, program manager for the Veterans and the Arts Initiative. “On Veterans Day, we bring together veterans service organizations, community groups, and arts organizations that serve and support our veterans, service members, their families, and military caregivers so we can facilitate community engagement through local arts organizations that establishes lasting connections to the arts and supports strong social relationships within the community.”
The event will conclude with a concert featuring performers including Darden Purcell and Mason Jazz Voices, vocalist Jim Van Slaughe, and dancer Luke Sprig. The concert will start at 4 p.m. and will be free to veterans and their families, but admission for the general public will cost $15. All other events that day will be free of charge to all.
Photo Courtesy of Alexis Glenn/ Creative Services
