Record attendance at this week's Martin Luther King Jr. Day events may boost the likelihood that students will have the day off again next year, university officials say.

"Between Monday and Tuesday about 1,000 students were involved," Denise Ziobro, co-chairwoman of the Day of Service, said. "This is phenomenal. It shows the power of having this day off and enabling students to do service."

Ziobro said 300 people signed up to volunteer for the service events, but an additional 100 people expressed interest after the sign-ups ended last Friday. Last year, only 150 people volunteered.

Penn State spokesman Bill Mahon said the number of students participating in service activities in honor of King is likely to increase the chances of classes being canceled again next year.

"I don't know the final assessments," Mahon said. "I have heard that hundreds of students took part in the activities, and that's what we had hoped to take place."

Mahon said that the university was worried about students losing the meaning of MLK Day amid a day free from classes. Although the university has not finished assessing the results of the free day, officials and organizers say they appear promising.

"I believe having the day off is now the practice of Penn State, but the calendar is not yet put in place for next year," Mahon said, adding that the university will continue to monitor the affects of having the day off in years to come.

The day began with the Red Cross Blood Drive and a Penn State Forum with Roslyn Brock, vice chairwoman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Almost 300 people were involved in the first Peace Service March, where students performed excerpts of MLK's most famous speeches. The day concluded with a Social Justice dinner and the opening of the Tunnel of Oppression, which was attended by about 125 people.

Throughout the week, the celebration continued with a speech contest and the commemoration of a historical marker in King's name. On Wednesday night, as a culmination of the week's events, the Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke to a sold-out crowd of more than 2,000 people.

Jocelyn Fitzgerald (sophomore-biology and women's studies) said that although she did enjoy having the day off, she thinks MLK's remembrance cannot be limited to just one day.

"Jesse Jackson said in his speech that Martin Luther King Day was never meant to be a day off, but a day on," Fitzgerald said. "So many groups had good programs, such as the Tunnel of Oppression, but many Penn State students are not aware of the oppressed and have a narrow view of what Martin Luther King stood for."

Others shared concerns that students may be missing opportunities to get involved in service and to recognize the importance of King.

"Having the day off is a good idea if it was taken seriously by the whole student body," Derek Rohaly (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said. "The various activities are great, but I think more students should try to attend an activity instead of thinking of it as a three day weekend."

Roberta Johnson (sophomore-crime, law and justice) said that she thought having the day off was a good idea, but that activities needed more advertisement.

"Last year there were so many things to do, but we had class," Johnson said. "This year we didn't have class, but it seemed like nothing was going on. There were events, but you had to search for them."

Katie Kauffman (sophomore-music and history) said she agreed with Johnson's sentiments.

"As a student body we should have been made more aware of service opportunities," she said.

The service opportunities may not be over yet. Ziobro said that because of student demand, the Day of Service Overall Committee will continue to plan events to honor King's legacy throughout the year.

"We all woke up on Jan. 16, and we can't let it end here," Ziobro said. "We want to keep doing things. One day in January is not enough."