DANBURY, CONN. — The Western Connecticut State University Student Veterans Organization has planned a number of activities to commemorate Veterans Day throughout the week that starts on Monday, Nov. 7, and ends on Veterans Day, Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. Unless otherwise indicated, all events will take place on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. The public is invited.

At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8, a panel of veterans will discuss their real-life experiences in the Student Center Theater. At 8 p.m., “The Hurt Locker” will be screened, after which attendees will be given the opportunity to ask the veterans questions.

At 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10, the “Being Home” PowerPoint presentation and panel discussion will be in the Student Center Theater. Readjustment Counseling Therapist Rodney Davis, who works at the Danbury Vet Center, will lead the discussion with a panel that will feature student veterans Aaron Atwood, Dave Curtis and Brian Liebelt.

At 5:30 p.m. on Thursday Nov. 10, WCSU communication department faculty Dr. JC Barone and Dr. Jeanne Christie will present the Veterans History Project in the Student Center Theater. The Veterans History Project was established in 2000 and focuses on honoring those who have served their country. Through taped interviews, photographs and documents of veterans from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War and the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, the Veterans History Project helps educate the public and preserve those histories.

At 8 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, the Remembrance Day National Roll Call will take place at the Alumni & Friends Circle outside of Old Main. Campus and community volunteers will read names of the service men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past decade and will observe a nationwide moment of silence. Honoring approximately 6,500 casualties of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the reading of names is called Operation New Dawn. WCSU is the only institution in Connecticut participating in the event. To see a list of participating schools, visit http://va.eku.edu/rollcall.

At 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, a Veterans Day ceremony will take place in the Ives Concert Hall in White Hall, followed by wreath-laying and reading of the Gettysburg Address at the Alumni and Friends Circle outside of Old Main. A reception will follow in the lobby of Old Main.

From 8 to 11 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, a dinner to raise funds for the Student Veterans Organization Book Scholarship will be at Casa do Benfica, 331 Main St. in Danbury. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. and there will be a cash bar. Parking is located across the street. The Student Veterans Organization will accept monetary and silent auction donations during the dinner. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the Info Desk in the Student Center on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury, and also at the Info Desk in the Westside Campus Center on the Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury. Seating is limited. For ticket information, call (203) 837-8499.

For more information about the fundraising dinner, contact Mario Oliveira at svo@connect.wcsu.edu.

For more information about the Remembrance Day National Roll call event, contact Lisa Peck at (203) 837-8564 or peckl@wcsu.edu or Brett Morris at remembrancerollcall@gmail.com.

For more information about any of the events happening during Veterans Week, contact Dawn Bailey at (203) 837-8606 or at baileyd@wcsu.edu.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics of New England’s best small private universities.