As of last week, I have been nominated as the public relations officer for the Active Minds Club of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. Part of my duties as an officer include, but are not limited to: spending time in the Active Minds office doing various tasks, creating flyers for numerous events that the club will participate in, and helping to plan these events out. On October 22, 2013, the Active Minds Club will be participating in the Send Silence Sailing Event, which addresses important issues such as suicide awareness, the importance of mental health, and diminishing stigmas for students on campus.

There will be games, food, and music throughout the event in order to keep everyone entertained while still spreading this important message. In addition, the Active Minds Club will be making one thousand one hundred sailboats, which represent the number of college students who have committed suicide in the last school year and their struggles. The club will be hanging the boats in front of the library on campus. There will also be club members administering surveys to determine whether or not students may be at risk of depression in the future. This is vital to the theme of the event. It can not only help students discover possible complications that they normally may not have picked up on, but also will allow them to face these problems with confidence as there will be therapists on location to talk with these students. Overall, this event will be a wonderful experience for all of those who attend, and I will recommend it to anyone who is looking to have a good time and learn something important too.

On September 7^th, 2013 I participated in the Tenth Annual Day of Service at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. What I initially expected to be an experience that would not significantly affect me turned out to be one of the most defining moments of my academic career here so far. I had woken up that morning with the idea that a group and my friends and myself were going to all work together on the same project and have a great time. However, the tables for each project only had so many spots so we eventually were all separated and I was only with one friend. At first I thought this was a disadvantage but in the long run it truly helped me branch out and meet some new people whom I otherwise would never have spoken to.

The service project that I had joined was called “DO ART” and the objective was to help volunteer at a local art festival hosted on the Atlantic City boardwalk. My job was to hand out ballots for the festival that would determine which art exhibit was the best. This task was a lot more important than I had originally thought because it really helped inform some people on the boardwalk of the show. It greatly increased the number of visits to each stand and overall revenue to the artists due to more pieces of art being purchased. Another task that I was given was to go around to each exhibit and ask if any of the artists needed help with any small jobs. We also talked to those interested in the festival and helped to keep everything up and running. Overall, this was a very positive and eye-opening experience for me, and I hope to participate in the next day of service.

Coming to Stockton is an experience I’ve never had before, so why stop there? While I’m here, I made a goal for myself: to take as many opportunities as possible. Over the summer, when I found “fencing” in a pamphlet, I knew I wouldn’t be able to turn it down! Although the first thing that came to mind was Hallie and Annie in The Parent Trap, I soon learned that it is nothing like the movie.

After the club members all got to know each other with a few ice breakers, we began to learn the basics of fencing. First, we learned the official stance used in fencing, called “en garde.” In en garde, we learned how to properly advance and retreat, using an imaginary saber. After retreating and advancing for a while, we got “suited up.” At first, it was difficult for me to get used to a saber swinging by my face. After a quick reminder that the helmet would take care of it, I was able to take action! After a few practices, we were able to fence with the electric scoreboard. To fence electrically, we hooked a wire onto the back of our suit, our helmet, and our saber. Whenever someone gets a point, the appropriate side of the scoreboard lights up. It was certainly a new experience!

Fencing is definitely not something I would have done in high school. It showed me that there is no harm in trying something a little different. After applying this statement to my studies, I learned that taking classes outside of my major may assist me in deciding what to do as a career. The lesson I learned by simply joining a club is well worth the time put into it. After fencing, I’ll be sure to take any opportunity that comes my way.

On November 19, 2013, there was a different kind of concert in Alton Auditorium. Instead of a concert where the performers sang, for the most part, the performers communicated in another language- sign language.

To open the concert, Stockton’s Stockapella sang “Demons” by Imagine Dragons and “Hurt” by Christina Aguilera while members of the American Sign Language Club signed along with the lyrics. After them, Stockton’s Stocktones sang “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” by The Police and “Let Your Heart Hold Fast” by Fort Atlantic. As an executive board member of the ASL Club, Rachael Wance interpreted the lyrics into sign language. Listening to the beautiful voices of Stockton’s acapella groups and seeing the emotion each performer put into their signing made the combination pretty movin

After the acapella groups performed with the ASL club members, there were many individual acts with people signing popular songs such as “Still Into You” by Paramore, “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus and “Love Somebody” by Maroon 5. Each signer performed in her own unique way and incorporated dance moves with the signing. The facial expressions that went along with each sign conveyed to the audience the feeling of the song. Sometimes they were over the top and funny, but other times they were painfully serious and added to the depth of the performance.

 Midway through the concert the executive board of the ASL club performed their popular rendition of “Roar” by Katy Perry that has been previously performed at homecoming and the Multicultural Music Festival. Members of the audience signed along with them, myself included. It was a great experience, and it really created a sense of closeness in the room. It made the concert so much more meaningful to everyone. It was an amazing moment to see a large portion of the audience signing “Roar” along with the performers. Everyone was laughing and smiling and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The closing song of the concert was “Raise Your Glass” by P!nk, and it was the perfect way to end the concert. The performers who signed the song were so sassy and were just having a genuine good time.

Overall, the Signing and Singing concert was a genuinely unique experience that I would recommend to anyone. Instead of clapping like at a concert with singing, we clapped as was appropriate to a sign language concert- in sign language. It may be silent but it has the same effect on the performers as does clapping out loud. It makes them feel surrounded by love and appreciation. I truly enjoyed the concert and cannot wait for the event next year.

David Graziano

Make a Difference Day

                I’ll admit that I went into Make a Difference Day with somewhat low expectations.  I was told this was sort of like the Day of Service only not as large.  The organization of the event was my biggest problem with the Day of Service, and I doubted it would have improved in only a months’ time.  I suspected a lack of organization would plague the entire day, much like it did in the Day of Service.  Only one of these predictions actually came true.

There were some serious organization problems starting out.  Many people missed the part about handing in your paper for a bus ticket, and that slowed down the boarding process considerably.  The signs for different groups also could’ve been clearer.  There were no descriptions of exactly what we’d be doing, and for the whole bus ride I was concerned we’d get nothing accomplished.  But then we made our stop and everything just worked.

Our job was putting together Thanksgiving dinner boxes for families that were still suffering from the effects of Super Storm Sandy.  The event was being organized by another group, and we were volunteering.  This took care of the organization problem.  We just got in line and formed two human conveyer belts that put the different items in boxes and sealed them up.  We just kept doing that for a smooth 2 hours, completing a remarkable number of boxes.

There was a bittersweet felling of making a difference, but also knowing that we live in a world where such a difference needs to be made.  The only real complaint I have is that after the lunch break, the place had more volunteers than it knew what to do with.  This lead to an hour long period of just finding random activities to do for FoodBank, or just standing around trying to find something to do.

I really felt good about myself after Make a Difference Day, felt I played a big role in helping some people in need.  I would describe Make a Difference Day as an excellent activity, one that I hope will continue years in the future.

This past week I went to a Headliners meeting in the Campus Center Lounge. I really wish I had known about these meetings earlier in the semester because so far it has been my favorite event. To be honest, I only attended the meeting because I needed to go to a dialogue session for the Honors Service Learning requirement and this was the last one that fit into my schedule. When I entered the meeting I recognized Daniel Tome and then there were about seven other students whom I did not know. We sat in a circle and read through the New York Times and picked a few headlines that caught our attention. I was confused at first because all of my friends told me that at their dialogue sessions they just listened to a lecture and did not have to participate. I was excited to discuss some interesting topics with amicable students. The first headline we discussed was Facebook trying to buy the company named Snapchat; Snapchat denied the offer. The second headline we talked about was different energy sources, nuclear power to be specific. The majority agreed that the country should invest in more research for solar energy. We also discussed George Zimmerman, turtles, and the infamous mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford. We covered so many various topics in the span of an hour, and it was very organized. I wish that I had attended these meetings earlier in the semester because I really enjoyed it. I hope that Headliners returns next semester and that more students come out. Discussing such controversial and interesting topics and making friends in the process was such a refreshing way to spend my lunch break between classes.

Last Tuesday night after my final class I decided to attend a flag football game instead of going straight home. After my last class is done I usually go right to my car and leave as soon as possible. However, my friend asked me to attend his flag football game and show some support for the team he was on. I had been to plenty of athletic events throughout high school, but I had yet to attend one at college. With that being said, I was interested to see if it would be a similar experience. The first thing that surprised me was that the games were located off campus. I had assumed the games would be taking place on the main campus. It was my first time going to these fields on Pomona Road, even though I’ve driven by them countless times.

When I arrived at the fields I found that there was a good amount of people there to support both teams. The team that I was there to support was up against a nationally ranked flag football team. It was a team of freshman verses a team of nationally ranked seniors. It was intimidating to say the least. Although the team was supporting did not generate a victory, they put up a good fight. They surprised the team of seniors with their competitive and persistent attitudes. One of the strong points that assisted the team was their speed. With many fast players on their side, they gave the team of seniors a run for their money. It was very intense, and the seniors did not have an easy win. I am glad that I attended this event because I got to see the competitive side of many students I see on a daily basis.

On Saturday, October 26, I participated in Make a Difference Day at Stockton. We filled out some forms at a table in the campus center and shuffled into the event room where we figured out where we were going for the day. I was able to sign up to go to the food bank, so after speeches were made, I made my way to the yellow school bus with the rest of my group and the other groups that were leaving campus.

Once getting to the food bank, we had to leave our things in lockers and were put right to work, filling and packaging boxes of non-perishable food supplies for Thanksgiving. I was given a tape dispenser and was told to seal the boxes after they were examined for the contents. After sealing the box, a sticker marking that the box was from the food bank was to be put on the side of the box. Previously, I had never used a tape dispenser quite like the one they gave me, so I had a bit of trouble, but by lunchtime, I had it down. I also had trouble both taping the box and putting the sticker  when the assembly line sped up, so the box examiner next to me put a bunch of stickers on the boxes to help.

After filling hundreds of boxes, we had our lunch break, but we were not down for long. We set back to work after finishing our meal. This time we ended up putting the boxes together to be filled. As it turned out, Stockton students are pretty adept and quick at constructing cardboard boxes. We kept piling the boxes up at a pace unrivalled by others. We quickly finished up putting together the boxes, and the boxes filled up steadily. After all was said and done, it was incredible to see how many pallets of boxes we put together for Thanksgiving.

Feeling good about ourselves, we boarded the bus to return to campus. It felt good to know that we were able to help people for the holidays. It also made me think about how many families are out there that need these boxes of food. I often tend to forget how many people are impoverished in our area and how many people live on minimum wage. It made me happy to accomplish filling hundreds of boxes, but saddened me that there was a need for hundreds of boxes. Overall, I really enjoyed this community service event and plan to participate next year, as well.

On September 26, convocation was held in the PAC in which we were given the opportunity to meet Mary Roach, the author of the freshman common reading, Spook. She was a delight to listen to, and I was able to gain a broader understanding of the book through listening to her experiences and inquisitive nature. It was a pleasure to be able to listen to such a renowned author. I felt like I left the room with a plethora of new knowledge to share with my peers.

The question and answer session was very helpful and provided new meaning to the book. She explained that she was not all that happy with how she ended the book, and the reasons for not including topics such as Western reincarnation. The issue was that the university that held the studies in the paranormal that researched cases such as reincarnation did not want their work to be released to the public to avoid humiliation. Hearing these answers quelled some of the discontent I had held previously towards the book, as I was not too fond of how the book ended, and I really wanted to hear more on the topic of reincarnation, especially in Western culture.

Mary Roach was an overall delight and kept the crowd entertained. Everyone in the audience seemed to enjoy having her there and had insightful questions for the question and answer session. It was also an option to actually go up to and talk to Mary Roach and get your book signed. Sadly, I had to run to get a bite to eat before heading to class, so I was unable to take up on the offer although I did have my book on me. However, if she was to ever return to campus, I’ll be sure to be in the audience.

September 7th was Stockton’s Annual Day of Service. The day started out with signing in before getting breakfast at the Campus Center cafeteria. After grabbing a bite to eat, I rushed to the Event Room to sign up for the day’s activity. I went with the Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society to assist in a back-to-school recreational event in Atlantic City alongside the Peacekeepers.

We arrived at the small park before the Peacekeepers did, so we scoped out the place and cleaned up the area a bit. When they arrived, we helped them unload donated gym bags full of school supplies to be given out to the children during the event. The children slowly arrived, and we set up a game of kickball and made sure the kids were having fun. We also spun jump ropes, and a few children even tried their hand at double dutch, or maybe they already knew how to, because they were pretty good.

The day closed up with a barbeque for the children and school-oriented prizes being handed out to them to ensure they had enough school supplies for the coming year. The Peacekeepers also spoke of the meaning of the entire get-together: to make sure that the children stay in school and do their best in hopes for a brighter future for them. To enforce this, they had some of us Stockton Students participate in small skits, mainly focusing on bullying.