Several events are scheduled to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day at NDSU.

About 450 NDSU students will join in the national day of service and spend Martin Luther King Jr. Day volunteering in the community. The students are scheduled to participate in NDSU’s annual MLK Service Plunge on Monday, Jan. 19, when the university is closed in observance of the holiday.

NDSU volunteers will tackle projects, such as painting, cleaning and organizing, at more than 30 nonprofit organizations in Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo. The NDSU event, organized by the NDSU Volunteer Network, is among service events scheduled throughout the country on the holiday.

An interactive discussion on King’s views of social justice and a candlelight vigil are scheduled later in the week.

Lee Garth Vigilant, professor of sociology at Minnesota State University Moorhead, is scheduled to present “Dr. Martin Luther King’s Vision of Social Justice” Thursday, Jan. 22, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Hidatsa room.

A candlelight vigil is set to follow the presentation for supporters of social justice principles. The NDSU Office of Multicultural Programs is sponsoring the events, which are are free and open to the public.

“Our goal is to broaden the discussion and build awareness for a variety of social justice issues and what that looks like on a college campus,” said Jered Pigeon, program coordinator in the Office of Multicultural Programs. “We want students to know their voices are heard. The event will give them an open chance to express their thoughts.”

Vigilant teaches classical and contemporary sociological theory, qualitative research methods, and classes on social movements and social problems. He co-edited and co-wrote “Social Problems: Readings with Four Questions” and “The Meaning of Sociology: A Reader.”

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