Holding candles that glowed in the darkness, about 40 students marched silently through the snow last night in honor of Martin Luther King (MLK), Jr.

"Even though it's snowing, this is something necessary," said Dhelaysa Hunter (graduate-health administration), a participant in the march. "Martin Luther King needs to be remembered at Penn State."

Marchers first gathered at the mall entrance of the Pattee Library then circled through campus to HUB Heritage Hall.

Katrina Romain, one of the event coordinators, said she was pleased with the turnout. She said King gave a speech at Penn State's Rec Hall in January 1965, and students today are continuing his vision.

"Rec Hall was filled beyond capacity," she said. "It's great to see the legacy carried on today."

However, some participants in the march were not impressed with the size of the crowd. "I came to show support, even though I had other things to do," JaVita Miller (sophomore-marketing) said. "More students should have showed up. People died for this. I think everyone should be here."

Leslie Grant (junior-food science) said she was also disappointed more African-American students did not show up to the march. "There's not many activities for African-American students [at Penn State]," she said. "Students complain, but then they don't show up."

The march concluded with a short speech in Heritage Hall given by Errol Henderson, associate professor of African-American studies.

Henderson spoke passionately about King's message and said there has been a failure in keeping King's vision alive. "Why are there classes on campus tomorrow?" he asked. "It's easy to keep King in 1965... but what do you do now?"

Today, about 250 students will participate in the MLK Day of Service. Event co-chair Nicole VanVoorhis said there are at least 50 more volunteers participating this year than last year, an increase she says is probably due to greater recruitment efforts, such as the opportunity for students to sign-up online.

VanVoorhis said that a new aspect to MLK Day this year is the service-to-go opportunities at the HUB, where students will be able to make THON dancer mail, donate food for the needy and make paper carnations for charity throughout the day.

Also available at the HUB today are interactive activities exploring race and color, including the "Human Race Machine," a computer-generated morphing machine that will allow participants to sit in front of a screen and alter their facial features to look like a member of another race.

VanVoorhis said volunteers visiting local elementary schools will convey to children the message of King through playful demonstrations.

"They will take a brown egg and a white egg, and show students they both look the same on the inside," she said.