Festivities celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day begin throughout campus today.

The theme of this year's celebration, "Call to Conscience," includes music, speakers, a campus march and community service opportunities. Those involved say they value the week as a way to reflect on King's messages of equality and to celebrate diversity on campus and our everyday lives.

Thomas Poole, associate vice provost for educational equity, said the impact of the celebration on campus is evident because it allows people to remember King as a leader and to "rechallenge" themselves with an awareness of social justice and progress.

Poole said the events scheduled are another way to increase awareness of diversity on campus.

"[The event is] one more signal that the university takes equity seriously," he said.

Tomorrow, the Office of Undergraduate Education and International Programs will sponsor a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration march.

John Sanchez, associate professor of communications, and Charles Dumas, associate professor of theatre and African American studies, oversee the program, which is in its fifth year. Tineke Cunning, chair of Undergraduate Education and International Programs Division Enhancement Team, said she sees the program growing every year but is always eager to see more involvement.

A volunteer fair will be held Wednesday in HUB Alumni Hall. Beth Bradley, Student Affairs program director, said the fair attracts more than 50 local non-profit agencies, campus organizations and student volunteer organizations.

"The fair allows the agencies a free space to advertise their needs for volunteers, helps connect students with the surrounding communities and learn about various social issues that exist, and is a great way to link the university with the community," she wrote in an e-mail message.

Poole said the university committee and the USG-sponsored Martin Luther King Jr. committee decide the theme. Students on the committees have the greatest influence in the decision, he said.

MLK celebrations on campus began in the mid-1970s, Poole said. When he began working on celebrations in 1978, most of them took place in the Eisenhower Chapel. Since then, the day has evolved into a weeklong celebration headed by university-wide committees, he said.

Poole said support for King's messages has not diminished despite the time between King's life and today.

"[It's] an event many people in the Penn State community have taken seriously," he said.

Poole became interested in King's life after taking his master's with a professor who had been one of King's teachers. For 30 years, Poole has been studying King's life and his struggle to break racial barriers.

"You can't overestimate the role of racial and social justice," he said

Poole added that King's conviction and belief changed the world.

Cunning had similar opinions on King's work.

"His action and his words have been inspirational, going beyond who I am and my respect for others," she said.

Poole said social awareness should be something one is concerned with all the time, not just on King's birthday.

"It's a ongoing effect that we have to attend to every day," he said.