Student veterans at SMU collect donations for troops Friday and Saturday

About 175 SMU students are current or former military members.

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Student veterans at Southern Methodist University are collecting snacks, books, magazines, and toiletries to be fashioned into care packages for military members overseas.

Flickr user ONE/MILLION

Donations will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. November 11 at Hughes-Trigg Commons; and November 12 on the Boulevard near McFarlin Auditorium at the student veteran tent prior to the SMU-Navy game at 2:30 p.m.

“Most people know someone who has served or is serving in the military, whether it was a great-grandfather, a parent, a brother or sister, cousin, or friend,” says junior Santiago Martinez, who served in the Marine Corps from 2004 to 2008 and is a communication studies major at Meadows School of the Arts. “With care packages, our community can give something back to those who have chosen to serve our country in a time of war. Troops also get a reminder that we are thinking of them, which is a real boost for morale.”

According to the university, nearly 175 veterans, reservists, active-duty military, and their families are attending SMU through funding programs like the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The student veteran population is up 200% in the past five years.

“We hope our organization can help veterans make the transition to student life. We’re often older than the typical college student, and many of us have served several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. We hope to provide encouragement and information, and just a place to hang out and talk,” Martinez said.

Source: Southern Methodist University