To coincide with the opening of the brand new Pontiac Veterans Center, Oakland University will be hosting a Veterans Day celebration on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

The event will give current and future student veterans a chance to meet fellow OU veterans and interact with representatives from the Pontiac Veterans Center, as well as learn more about the newest student organization, Student Veterans of Oakland University.

The celebration will take place in Gold Room A of the Oakland Center and will include free food and beverages.

Student veterans Michael Brennan and Jason Hale will give presentations about their experiences in transitioning back to civilian life, and attendees of the event will be given information about how to get involved in the communities in which they live, and in the Oakland community.

Representatives from the Pontiac Veterans Center will be present at the event to speak with student veterans.

The newly-created center offers peer-group counseling, as well as assistance and guidance to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts on how to transition back into civilian life.

The center, located on Woodward Avenue in Pontiac, is also hoping to form a student organization at OU.

“Being commuters, this is hopefully a way of getting student veterans more involved at Oakland,” said Brennan, who is also the student veteran liaison. “We want all of them to have a community in which they can feel welcome.”

All student veterans of Oakland are also being asked to submit pictures of themselves during their military duty or on drill. The pictures will be placed in the Oakland Center.

In addition to the Veteran Support Services office and Pontiac Veterans Center, the Center for Student Activities will be sponsoring the event.