Plans For Veteran's Park Underway

With the weather warming up, the plans to complete the first phase of the Lyndon State College Veteran's Park are set to begin.

Lyndon's Veterans Club has been working on the three-phase project for over a year now. Phase one will include letters and three stars in the colors of our nation's flag, spelling out the words "LSC Veterans Park," on the wall near the Fountain Pond. Thanks to several generous donations, the first phase of the project is set to be completed before the semester's end.

However, that isn't the end of the project. Passersby may have noticed the club adviser, mountain recreation management professor Thomas Anderson, running the table in the theater lobby last week. The National Collegiate Athletic Association contest (otherwise known as March Madness) was meant to raise money, provide some entertainment, and educate people about the Veterans Park, said Anderson.

While the $265 the club raised through this fundraiser may not seem much when compared to the $4,000 to $6,000 needed, the club is dedicated to fundraising and hope to finish the second phase within the next year or two. This will include a granite reflection bench near the pond, similar to the one near the Library and Academic Center entrance, which will have its own special markings.

Phase three, a series of plaques on the wall of the staircase leading up to Harvey Academic Center, will also be in the works.

The park is meant to act as a visual reminder to students that student-veterans are in their midst.

"It's not about the club. It's about the veterans. It's to make sure that the veterans are acknowledged and integrated into the community," said club president Mark Hoffmann.

He went on to say that there was an emphasis on making sure that students, with the elements of the park having minimal interference, could still use the area freely.

The Student Government Association has helped in its own way; both by donating $1,000 to the project and by having many of its members participate in the fundraising activities.

"We really appreciate their support," said Anderson.

Between co-sponsoring the 40th Army Band concert recently, as well as helping with the Wounded Warriors project to help veterans and their families, members are seriously dedicated to making the most of their presence on campus despite being a very young club. One member of the band had his last performance here at Lyndon after many decades of service. With the Soldiers in the Classroom Seminar last semester, where student veterans were invited to answer questions about the unique issues they face, awareness was promoted even further.

Faculty and staff, as well as the Campus Planning Committee, have been a big help. A committee has been set up specifically to work on meeting the unique needs of veteran-students. President Steve Gold even bought the service flags, which will be displayed at graduations and other ceremonies, out of his own pocket.

The adviser and the president of the club, both veterans themselves, have high hopes for the future of the club. Former president Jason Clark still visits from Boston to check up on the club, after he fought so hard to get it going in the first place, said Hoffman. With the increasing number of student-veterans coming to Lyndon, their representation in the club and on campus is increasingly vital.

"I'm very committed to it," said Anderson. "I want to see it thrive in the future as well."