It was on a cold Thursday, November 21st, when the PAC stage at the Stockton College was filled to the brim with song and dance. The Stockton Entertainment Team was performing Broadway in the Box, a collection of various numbers from several famous plays and musicals. The catch? There was no charge for admission, only donations being accepted for Atlantic City Rescue Mission. Entrance could be gained by writing out a check to the program or by depositing nonperishable cans of food at the doors.
The Atlantic City Rescue Mission is an organization whose goal is to provide sustenance to the less fortunate residents of Atlantic City. Its call for help was sent out with emphasis due to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, and the Stockton Entertainment Team answered with gusto.
When I shuffled into my seat, I did not know what to expect. My friend had told me about the event, and though I was more than happy to contribute I had no idea what “Broadway in the Box” would entail. What ensued was an excellent collaboration of performances. Almost every thespian involved had their own individual song, ranging from pieces of Les Miserables to The Little Shop of Horrors. Everyone performed wonderfully, and the spectrum of musical numbers was strung together with the comical theme of getting out of the house.
Without a doubt, the Stockton Entertainment Team put on a fantastic show. What was even more important was what they did for their community. It would have been easy to raise their own funds, or even perform just for fun, but instead they took the initiative to reach out to an outstanding organization and help those who truly needed it. That is why this performance was truly a five-star act.
Monthly Archives: December 2013
Humans Versus Zombies
No one wants to look over his or her shoulder in fear of what might lay ahead. Still, eyes glance backwards, periodically checking for movement and a flash of bright green. It is Humans Versus Zombies week at Stockton, and the paranoia has set in.
The objective of the game is simple, but is entirely dependent on which side the player is on. Humans simply need to survive the week, and complete a mission from the moderators each night. They are identified by wearing green bands around their upper arms and are armed to the teeth with Nerf guns and balled up socks. Such devices can “kill” a zombie for a short amount of time when used with precision. Zombies are branded by wearing green headbands and can turn a human into a zombie by tagging them. Gameplay is only legal outside of buildings, but that is enough to make travel to class or meals nerve-wracking.
Being a human may be one of life’s most horrifying experiences, but it is also one of the best. Students found themselves bonding with one another, planning safe routes and organizing survival teams. I was a part of the Funky Bunch, best human squad this side of the Mississippi. Do not be mistaken, even though humans broke into groups we all worked together. Every time a human was in need, another five would materialize to take care of the attacking zombies. At least, that was what it was like for a short while.
During the second day of gameplay, things started to go downhill. The number of zombies was growing exponentially, and we had to venture out for the night’s mission. Everything went smoothly, as the numbers were still on our side, but the return home was doomed from the offset. We took a back route after meeting up with some fellow residents, and everything seemed fine as we entered my housing wing. But there was one bit of unfinished business. Two members of our group lived in different wings, and making the trip alone would be suicide. So we all set out to get them home.
The first run was quick and clean. With only one member left to escort, we emerged from cover with weapons drawn and eyes open. A dozen or more zombies were waiting for us. It was the largest cluster we had seen yet, and they had the doorway surrounded, so we fell back inside. The battle of patience commenced, and after long minutes of waiting it seemed as if we had won. I leaned out of the doorway, looked left, then right. It seemed the coast was clear, but I never heard the footsteps that marked my death. I only felt the tag that hit the center of my chest. The last thing I remember as a human was stumbling back inside, and saying goodbye to my friends before my green band was moved from my arm to around my head.
Life is different as a zombie. They do not fear being outside, but immerse themselves in it. Frantic eyes do not search for cover, but for prey. It was not long before my companions joined me in death, each from their own demise, and we hunted as a pack once more. Some of our best times were had as the undead: setting up an ambush at the observatory, chasing stragglers into hiding, and giving the survivors dirty looks through glass windows. Overall, there was fun to be had on both sides of the fight.
A lot can be said about Stockton’s Humans Versus Zombies. It certainly is a fun experience, and one that draws all of its participants closer together. From sneaking to class on Monday morning to chasing down the stragglers on Friday evening, we did not spend a minute sitting restless. No matter what, both sides win in this game, except for the humans, who had no survivors.
Girl Rising Documentary
On Tuesday, November 19, 2013 the Office of Service Learning held a showing of a documentary called Girl Rising in the Alton Auditorium. This short film followed the stories of four girls from all around the world and their struggle to overcome the obstacles of poverty, lack of education, and general sexism and oppression of women. The girls whose stories we saw were Suma from Nepal, Azmera from Ethiopia, Yasmin from Egypt, Senna from Peru, and Ruksana from India. Each of these girls has a very unique story and struggle and their fights to overcome them are inspirational to say the least.
To begin with, Suma from Nepal was born into an impoverished family and was unfortunately sold into slavery very quickly because the family needed the money to pay for her brother’s education. Suma went from master to master when eventually she was set free by a social worker who threatened to have her last master arrested because slavery of young girls was illegal in Nepal. She escaped and is now trying to be independent and help women attain equal rights in Nepal. Then Azmera from Ethiopia was around the age of thirteen and lived with her mother, father, and brother until her father passed and eventually her mother tried to sell her into an early marriage because school was getting to be too much to pay for, but Amzera and her older brother stopped this agreement from going through and Azmera was able to continue her education. Additionally, Yasmin from Egypt was living with her mom and one day she was taken by a man who promised to buy her some juice and then raped. She fought back against the man and she was brought to the police station for questioning where the cops tell her and her mom that justice may never be won for Yasmin and what happened to her because rape against young girls in Egypt is hard to prove and is, in some cases, acceptable. Senna from Peru is another teen girl facing impoverished conditions who is trying to make something of herself. Her father worked in gold mines until an accident after which her mother took his place. Senna’s father always wanted her to become something successful like an engineer so Senna tries her hardest to make her father proud even after his death. Finally, Ruksana from India is among the youngest of the girls we saw in the film and also the strongest. She dreams of better days in India and she loves to draw and unlike many girls in India, Ruksana’s father supports his daughter and wants her to be educated and to be successful. Unfortunately, the family almost leaves the city they live in for the village when their house is torn down by a brutal police force. In the end, though, they are able to rebuild their home so they can live in the city and the girls can finish their education.
After the film, there was a panel discussion that included four successful female professors, mostly from Stockton. They talked about things such as educating girls, economics, and how sexism and poverty could be helped in these countries. They said that as soon as people start realizing that educating girls is the way to a better economy and a better life, countries will find themselves in better economic states. Overall, I found this event to be very educational and something that everyone, especially all young girls, should be required to see.
Civil War Reenactments
Today, November 22, 2013, a senior at Stockton named Adam came into the honors freshman seminar class and talked to us about Civil War Reenactments. He came in wearing his uniform that he wears to the battles which was pretty cool and easily got everyone’s attention.
He started out by talking to us about what he was wearing and the whole uniform is completely authentic. It was all wool and leather just like what soldiers used to wear when they were in the army. He said the uniform is really hot and doing reenactments in the summer is hard because of this. He also told us that the uniform is extremely expensive and when you join a group that does reenactments you have to buy your own clothes and weapons.
After he talked about his outfit he explained what happens when you’re doing reenactments. He said a lot of people get really into the battles and it’s easy to get lost in character. He also explained that there are two main types of reenactments. There is one where it’s very accurate and follows history meaning that the side who really won the battle wins the battle during the reenactment. On the other hand, there are battles where the both sides go into the battle not knowing what the result is going to be and they just fight until one side wins.
A lot of people were really confused at how they determine who wins because they can’t really shoot each other so how do they know when they’ve been shot or when to die? Well, Adam said that they just kind of fall over and die or “get shot” whenever they feel like it. If you get shot at and it’s clear they were shooting at you then you just die. Then the question of theatrical deaths came about and he said that because the uniforms are so expensive they don’t typically tend to die in a theatrical manner.
After a few more questions had been asked, he concluded with some information on local groups that engage in reenactments. He also left some business cards for a few of the local groups so that anyone who was interested could go up and grab one. It was a really neat experience.
Nelson Johnson
On November 1st the author of Boardwalk Empire, Nelson Johnson, came to Stockton and talked to the honors freshman seminar class about his book Boardwalk Empire. He started with a brief introduction about himself and then went on to explain why he decided to write a book on the history of Atlantic City. His main reason behind writing Boardwalk Empire was that before it was published, there were not any complete books on the history of Atlantic City, only books of the history of components of Atlantic City.
After his introduction, he opened the floor for questions and the majority of the questions revolved around how Johnson feels about the HBO series based on Boardwalk Empire. He really likes the series, even though it doesn’t follow his book all that well. He said that he is a huge fan of the series and that he gets to read the script for every episode before it airs! I thought that was pretty cool. Before he explained why he gets to read the scripts, I thought that it was because he wrote Boardwalk Empire and they wanted to make sure he likes what they’re doing with the story. Turns out that’s not actually the case. He gets to read the script beforehand because he asks them for it I guess they aren’t really seeking his approval anymore.
Another interesting question that was asked was about Johnson’s childhood. I never really thought about asking him that so it was neat to hear about what he liked to do as a child and where he went to school. He said he had always known he wanted to go into law, and he had pretty much always wanted to be a judge. His love for law led him to learn more about Atlantic County and then Atlantic City. This is where he found out that there wasn’t really a complete history of the city and caused the book Boardwalk Empire to come about. After everyone’s questions were answered, he signed books and went on his way.
Listening to Nelson Johnson talk about his life and his journey that led him to write Boardwalk Empire was fascinating. It was a really unique experience, and I’m glad I got to be a part of it.
Event: Affordable Care Act Forum
On Tuesday, November 12, 2013, the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy and the Stockton School of Health Sciences hosted an event called “Forum: Affordable Care Act, Marketplace, and Exchanges.” Students, faculty, and citizens were encouraged to either attend the event in person or watch live online. Since I was feeling under the weather, I choose to watch it online. This made it so much easier to enjoy the event in the comfort of my bed. This also benefited many elders or others who are not physically able to come out for the event, but are in need of information for the new healthcare policy.
The program began with an introduction from the director of the Center for Public Policy, Daniel Douglas, and The Richard Stockton President, Dr. Herman Saatkamp. Both explained their excitement for this program and thanked everyone for attending. Dr. Saatkamp explained the importance of learning about the Affordable Care Act. This act primarily takes affect in 2014, which is approaching very soon, and will change many the lives of many American citizens. He informed the audience how America may have the best doctors and treatment in the world, but it does not have the best healthcare system available. Millions of Americans are either bankrupt because of high healthcare costs or living without health insurance. After some background information, Dr. Saatkamp welcomed Dr. Jaime Torres to explain America’s healthcare problem and its solution more in depth.
Dr. Jaime Torres started by explaining the troubles of our current healthcare system including: the ability of insurance companies to take advantage of and discriminate against citizens, how premiums have doubled over the last decade, and that fifty million Americans are uninsured. Obama signed the Affordable Care Act in March 2010 in order to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to the American public. Many benefits of this Act include: protecting all Americans from insurance abuse and poor coverage, strengthening Medicare, and improving the quality of all care.
Dr. Jaime Torres proceeded to inform the audience of many other benefits the public may not be aware of. For example, previously insurance companies were mandated to spend at least sixty cents of every premium dollar on healthcare as apposed to marketing. Now insurance companies must spend at least eighty cents of every premium dollar on healthcare. Also, the Affordable Care Act is closing the “donut hole,” which is the gap of drug coverage for Medicare patients. This has saved patients about $299 million on prescription drugs since 2012. Finally, the act has expanded coverage for Medicaid patients. A family of four can now make about $30,600 a year instead of $23,500. This income eligibility is expected to increase over time.
As a public health major with a concentration in healthcare administration, I found this event to be extremely interesting. There are many rumors about the Affordable Care Act, and it is great that Stockton provided this event to give the public the truth. Dr. Jaime Torres was an excellent speaker and interacted frequently with the audience to make the presentation more personal and enjoyable. This event was very successful in aiding the public on need-to-know facts of the Affordable Care Act. Six-hundred people attended the forum, not including the online viewers. I encourage anyone who has yet to experience this event watch it online at http://new.livestream.com/StocktonCollege/AffordableCareActForum.