Today, you may have walked past a veteran and had no idea that you crossed paths with someone who served in the military.

Many people on Kent State’s campus are veterans who have dedicated time to the service and are now seeking a degree or working a job. The Center for Adult and Veteran Services, also known as the CAVS office, took time to organize a display that will showcase the number of veterans that walk this campus daily.

“We wanted to provide a visual representation of the number of veterans we have in the Kent community in terms of our student population and our faculty and staff,” said Scott Crawford, the program coordinator and a Veterans Affairs certifying official.

There are about 1,000 people on Kent’s campus and within Kent’s system combined who are service members or veterans, Crawford said.

The office is using stars on a black backdrop to represent the combined population of previous and current service members. Both sides of the stars will include a label giving either the year and major of students or the job position of faculty and staff.

Students and faculty can observe the stars and make a connection with a veteran through their major, job position or class standing. The display aims to create a parallel between past and current service members to students and staff on campus.

The takeaway the office hopes people will have is realizing they were unaware of the number of veterans on campus, Crawford and Joshua Rider, the director of the CAVS office.

This is a first-time display that will run from Feb. 27 through March 1. The location is the second floor of the Student Center and all are welcome to stop by to view. Students and faculty may have the opportunity to connect with a veteran they didn’t even know served for the country.

Mariah Hicks is the military and veterans reporter. Contact her at [email protected].