While people across the country enjoyed a day off on Monday in honor of Memorial Day, Full Sail spent the previous week honoring veterans and members of the military community.
“Full Sail University is proud to join the rest of the nation in observance of Memorial Day,” said Dr. Dave Franko, Vice President of Academic Affairs. “Our university pays tribute to past and present service members with recognition events on campus this week. As we move into the weekend in further remembrance, we honor the fallen heroes and their families.”
Festivities kicked off on Tuesday with a special flag ceremony to honor those who gave their lives for freedom. James Jones, a Military Online Student Liaison and Army veteran who spoke at the event, said the goal is to encourage participation as a way of showing support for veterans, active duty students, and their families.
“There’s the festive side [of Memorial Day], and then there’s remembering our veterans. An event like this let’s the military population know that the school supports them, their service, and the sacrifices they made.”
On Wednesday, military students were invited to a special Networking Fair featuring local businesses and guest speakers, including representatives from the CIA. Veterans were also honored at Thursday’s WWE NXT Taping with a special shout out.
The week’s festivities culminated on Friday with a Memorial Day Block Party hosted by Full Sail and the Veteran’s Student Union (VSU), an organization which seeks to provide resources and support to veteran and acting military students and military dependents. All campus and local online students were invited and treated to hamburgers and hot dogs, ice cream, and swag. During the event, messages of thanks from students, faculty, and staff were broadcast on the Jumbotron overlooking the backlot.
Speaking at the block party event, VSU President Rion Paige said that the organization recently set new goals for the future.
“We have a new staff, and we’re coming in with a completely new format. It has to do with us being a lot more integrated and interactive with Full Sail, and the other student organizations, as well as the students themselves,” he said.
For more information on military life on campus, the VSU, or future events, head on over to the military section on our website.