The University of Scranton opened a Student Veterans Lounge on the campus at a ceremony held April 29. The lounge, located in the lower level of Loyola Hall, provides a place for student military veterans to gather for peer support, advocacy and community involvement.
The lounge was planned with support from the University’s Student Veterans Club, the Veterans Club Advocacy Committee and members of the Physical Plant Department.
Honored at the opening was the late Ray Burd, a veteran and longtime University employee. He was remembered for the instrumental role he played in the creation and development of the Student Veterans Lounge. His daughter, Karen M. Burd DeMarco ’00, spoke at the ceremony, and a plaque in his honor, donated by the University’s Staff Senate, was placed in the lounge. Burd served in the U.S. Air Force from 1971 through 1975, including a tour of duty in Panama. He was also an active member of the University’s Veterans Advocacy Committee.
