Red, White, and Bison Gala is another Howard military community win

Howard University’s legacy has been connected to the military since the school’s founding, and next week’s inaugural Red, White, and Bison Gala continues that legacy.  

 The gala will be held Thursday, Oct. 23rd, from 6-10 pm at the Blackburn Center on campus. This first of a kind homecoming event, along with other major university changes, is part of an effort to support the university’s military-connected community, an effort spearheaded by Paris Adon, director of student services. 

Howard offers Army, Air Force, and Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs—students who participate train, study, and graduate to become officers in their respective military branches.  

The military-connected community, however, includes student veterans and military dependents using their benefits to attend school.  

Adon said, “80% of the students who use our services are dependents.”  

Adon heads six university offices, including the Office of Military and Veteran Services (OMVS), Advocacy and Support, Student Accessibility, Bison Intervention, the Pantry, and the Office of Interpersonal Violence Prevention (IVPP). Since he came to the university, there have been several renovations, the most recent being the Veterans Resource Center.  

Armed with a grant from the Department of Education and significant investment from the university, Adon has overseen major changes. The grant allowed for renovations to create the Veterans Resource Center, and the university added staff to help support the military-connected population, which has grown to nearly 700 students since Adon arrived.  

The success of the VRC is in large part due to the community being built within the space, Adon said. He said he takes pride in the fact that it’s a popular destination, even with students who have off-campus housing. 

“The students come down here to enjoy themselves,” Adon said. “The SVA meetings are packed.” 

The SVA is the Student Veterans of America, a student organization that uses the space for meetings and is made up of mainly military-connected students. Restarting the chapter was another win for Adon.  

Mentorship from the Ohio State University SVA chapter helped make the Gala possible. 

The Ohio State chapter suggested Adon pitch the idea to the school’s development office.

“Why don’t we do it during homecoming?” the development office asked Adon. 

The gala will honor Brigadier General Ronald Sullivan, an Army judge advocate general (JAG), graduate of Howard’s ROTC program, and the School of Business. There will be additional awards for cadets and SVA members. 

“A lot of campus partners don’t realize how connected this community is,” Adon said.  

For the students, the community is a huge draw.  

“If you come down here often enough, you’ll know everybody,’ said Xavier Rodriguez, a junior.  “It’s a chill place where a lot can go on, and nothing can go on.”  

Adon said he has tried to attend the commissioning ceremonies for the programs the university offers. His constant effort to make more connections across the campus is evident whenever he steps outside of his office.  

“We’ve done so much under his leadership,’ said Senior Vice President of Student Affairs Cynthia Evers. “They’re doing amazing things, and now others call on them.” 

Adon said he is most proud of what the students are doing with the space that he has helped create.  Not only is it a place for them to hang out, it’s a place for them to get answers, he added.  

“Any resource that Howard has, someone here knows about it,” said Joshua Gaither, a sophomore.  

Armani Bostic is a third-year law student at Howard who visits the VRC often.  

Bostic said she completed a work study program with the Veterans Administration and has found both community, and mentorship opportunities.  

“I go to school on west campus,” she said. “This is a great way to interact with the main campus.”

Adon said the staff he has built in and around the center is just as focused on creating those positive outcomes.

“We want to be the number one Student Veterans of America chapter,” Adon said. 

Keshala Fluker, one of the VRC case managers said for her, it’s about helping the students when they’re navigating hard times.  

“Sometimes you don’t know you need something until you experience it,’’ she said. 

She also said, there are more great things to come.

 “I think the more traction the VRC gets, the more positive outcomes we’ll see,” she said.  

Tickets for the event, which start at $100, are still available, and can be purchased online.