Stockton held Wellness Day on March 4, 2014 in the Campus Center Main Event Room.  Various clubs and companies were in attendance, displaying a variety of health and safety initiatives as well as some natural treatments for hair and skin.  The Music Union provided the music.

One of the clubs in attendance was the Stockton Neighborhood Watch.  The Neighborhood Watch sought to receive signatures on their annual Spring Break Safety Pledge.  They wanted to beat the previous year’s record of 1,088 pledges.  While Wellness Day was not the only day they would be collecting pledges, they wanted to get off to a good start.  With the heavy flow of student traffic, they hoped to get a majority of students to stop by the table to sign the pledge.

The pledge stated that students would not drink and drive.  Neighborhood Watch wanted to make sure that if people did decide to drink that they would make smart decisions and participate in safe and smart behaviors.

Students were not the only ones to sign the pledges.  Professors, visitors, and other tabling companies signed the pledge.  Even if they didn’t necessarily have a Spring Break, they were still encouraged to sign to show their support for the students who were going to be on Spring Break and that they themselves would practice safe drinking habits.

The pledges that were signed were taped onto an inflatable palm tree.  By the end of the day, the tree was plastered with multiple colors of coconut-shaped pledges.  At the end of the day, all of the pledges were taken down and counted.

Another group in attendance was Atlantic County Prevention Resources.  This organization is a big part of the groups STAND and REBEL held in middle school and high school.  They were giving out information on a variety of topics relating to health and drugs.

On February 27^th, Stockton Christian Fellowship set up a table for Shine a Light on Slavery Day.  It was a part of the End It Movement campaign to end modern slavery.  They displayed a poster showing information about the movement as well as the cause and how to become a part of the campaign.

The movement was not only about saying that one is against modern slavery.  Anyone can post about it without really doing anything about it.  End It Movement is about going out into the community and volunteering time to educate people and notice the signs of modern slavery that could possibly help save a life.

As part of Stockton Christian Fellowship’s movement, the students placed markers, drop cards, and post-it notes.  Students were encouraged to draw a red x on their hands and tell everyone about what the End It Movement is all about.  Once students marked their hands, they were asked to write a brief message about the End It Movement and then sign their name.  The post-its were then placed onto the mirror in the shape of an X so people both inside and outside could see the X.

Students were given drop cards with information about the movement and its website so they could learn more on their own.  Another group was tabling next to Stockton Christian Fellowship collecting funds to help people who fell victim to human trafficking.

The turn-out was not as large as the club anticipated, but there is no telling how many people received the message either through friends or Facebook.  By spreading the information, it is the club’s hope that more organizations will do things in the future to help spread the word and Shine a Light on Slavery.

On April 11, 2014, Stockton hosted Woodstockton featuring the Goo Goo Dolls.  The event was held in Big Blue with standing room as well as bleachers for sitting.  Before the Goo Goo Dolls performed, two groups opened for them.

The first opening act was performed by The Blithedale Romance.  They were the winners of Stockton’s Battle of the Bands and were given the honor of opening for the Goo Goo Dolls.  When they first came onto the stage, the lead singer’s guitar was not properly hooked up to the amplifier.  They played a series of rock songs that were very hard to understand.

Following The Blithedale Romance, Run River North came onstage, playing music from a completely opposite genre reminiscent of something that would have been played at Woodstock.  They came all the way from California to perform at Woodstockton in front of their first large live audience.  The audience did not pay much attention to their music, claiming that a lot of songs just blended together and sounded the same.

The Goo Goo Dolls did not take the stage until roughly 9:30 PM.  They were very interactive with their audience.  When the lead singer said that he wrote a song for his girlfriend, one girl was raised up onto her friend’s shoulders.  He began to jokingly speak to her as though she was his girlfriend, asking her where she had been for so long.

The audience had a great time, laughing, clapping, and singing along throughout the Goo Goo Dolls performance.  When the set was over and the band left the stage, the audience began to chant “one more song.”  Some people gave up on waiting and left.  A few minutes later, the band finally came back out onto the stage and sang more songs, whipping the crowd into an uproar.

The Goo Goo Dolls performed excellently and were very good in front of an audience.  They were a great choice for a band.

The Richard Sockton College of New Jersey School of Arts and Humanities Theatre Program performed Frogs Reimagined Wednesday, April 9 through Saturday, April 12 at 7:30 PM and Sunday, April 13 at 3:00 PM at the Performing Arts Center.  The book, music, and lyrics were written by brothers Al and Rob Gregg.  It was directed by Ken Kaissar.

The play was written based upon Aristophanes’ The Frogs.  The Frogs (also known as Lysistrata), was about how women could rise up and take control whereas Frogs Reimagined looks to poets and how one might rise up to save the world.

The music was played by the Stockton Faculty Band:  Peter Hagen, David Pinto, Warren Ogden, Rodger Jackson, and Michael McGarvey.  They were nicknamed “The Croakers” to follow along with the frog theme.  They performed on the stage and at one point were even included in the plot.  Their stage became an integral part of the play in the final act.

The play followed the story of Bonoff, lead singer of “U Also,” and his roadie, Xanthias.  Bonoff is trying to a write a song that will change the world, but he cannot think of the lyrics.  He decides to head to Nowhere aka Hades to find John Lennon to bring him back to the world of the living where he can write lyrics that will change the world.

Along with John Lennon, the play makes reference to many musical icons:  Elvis, Jim Morrison, Freddie Mercury, Poly Styrene, Marvin Gaye, Amy Winehouse, and Eminem.  Between casting and costumes, the characters greatly resembled the icons they were playing.

The costumes were designed and made by students Emily Albertson and Chelsea Regan.  There was a lot of detail placed into each outfit that really brought the play to life.  Many of the students who worked on the play were deeply saddened at the end of the play, some still chanting the line repeated throughout the play:  Brekekex koax kaox!

On April 17, 2014, Ratio Christi hosted what was dubbed “Debate with an Atheist” at 7:00 PM in G137.  Keith Kendrex, advisor of Ratio Christi, debated against Gregg (who asked the group not to share his full name).  The debate was slotted to last until 8:30 PM.

Ratio Christi is a Christian apologetics club held on campus ever Thursday from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM.  At the meetings, the club discusses how to defend faith through science, history, philosophy, and religion.  The group tries to bring in a volunteer from outside the Stockton community who considers themselves to be well versed in atheism to debate Keith Kendrex in a way that is informative and not derogatory to either side.  Both debaters are encouraged to be kind and courteous to their opponents, conversing using facts without personal attacks.

The debate allows students who have been attending the club to see how to put the tactics they have been learning at the meetings to practical use.  By seeing it in action, students can better understand the arguments presented before them and be better able to either defend or refute the information presented to them.

The debate topic was “Is Christianity True?”  It was set up to follow a set structure of introduction, rebuttal, conclusion, and a Q&A session.  Gregg started the debate and Keith followed.  During Keith’s rebuttal, the fire alarms went off and everyone was forced to go outside.  Once everyone was permitted to go back inside, Keith was allowed to finish his rebuttal.  Students wrote down their questions on notecards and the conclusion portion was cut out completely.

Everyone gathered outside of the library for the weekly Thirsty Thursday Bible Study and then were invited to go to Denny’s at 9:00 PM to continue the debate’s Q&A session.  Students who could not attend the Denny’s session were encouraged to write down their questions along with their e-mail address so they could receive their answers.

On April 17, 2014, the Honors Program hosted the Honors Scholars Day, a day for high school seniors to come to the Stockton College campus and get to experience the events of the day firsthand.  Everyone gathered in the Campus Center in Meeting Room 5 at 9:00 AM to get to meet the incoming freshmen and learn about their choices in majors and careers.

At roughly 10:15, everyone was set free to explore the campus as they pleased with their incoming freshman.  Mentors were encouraged to take their “minions” to at least one class, either in their major or offered through the Honors Program.  The Honors courses this year were “Ways of Knowing” and “Ethics and Contemporary Life.”  Students were also encouraged to stop by the Celebration of Service with their mentees as well as the freshman honors dorms where they would be staying.

Mentors stressed the importance of the Honors Community and how it is, in fact, a community.  Mentees were encouraged to attend the Honors Experience over the summer to get to know incoming freshmen and transfers students as well as students who are already attending Stockton.

With my mentee, I showed her around the entire campus:  where to go for career assistance, where to go if she gets sick, the library, and so on.  One of my upperclassmen friends also took us across the lake on the shuttle to visit an apartment in Housing IV so she could also see what upperclassmen housing looks like.

While my mentee and I did not share a major, I was still able to help her find the information that she needs to succeed in her major.  Hopefully, the incoming freshmen will remain in contact with their mentors in the future if they ever need any more assistance.  The event was very helpful to me when I was an incoming freshman, and I hope that it has been helpful to my mentee as well.

The Aquila Teatre Company presented Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night on Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 7:30 PM in the Performing Arts Center.  There were many people in attendance, and the audience was very receptive of the play.

The Twelfth Night is about a set of fraternal twins that could pass for identical twins except for one fact:  one is a boy and one is a girl.  The play begins with them on a ship when a storm hits.  The twins, Viola and Sebastian, are separated and set into two different directions.  Then, the play follows the story of the girl.

Viola dresses up as a boy and seeks help from Duke Orsino.  Duke Orsino hires her to tell Lady Olivia of his love.  In a turn of events, Lady Olivia falls in love with Viola who is dressed as a boy.  Meanwhile, Viola is in love with Duke Orsino.

The version of the play presented varies slightly from the traditional Shakespeare play.  It did follow the basic plot of The Twelfth Night.  The actors managed to bring the play into a new light, understandable by all in attendance.  At least one gender role was switched:  Toby Belch became Lady Belch, but this had little to no effect on the play’s meaning.  The role was adapted perfectly to fit the casting of this version.

The Aquila Theatre Company works nationally, traveling to more than 60 cities every year to present that year’s plays.  They have also performed in New York City (not on Broadway), and on occasions have traveled outside the United States to perform in London, Holland, Germany, Greece, Scotland, Canada, and Bermuda where they perform at festivals.  One such performance was the performance of Herakles in Syros, Greece.

This play was the first of three Shakespeare plays to be performed at Stockton this year.  The other Shakespeare plays presented are Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet.

Stockton hosted the 3^rd Annual Celebration of Service on April 17, 2014 from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM in F wing on campus.  During the event, I also noticed a few tables set up in lower C wing with service projects on display.

There were not many tables set up.  A majority of the tables had posters but there was very little explanation as to the projects presented.  One of the tables in F wing was hosted by the Wellness Center where they were discussing sex and safety.

In C wing, Kappa Sigma and Delta Delta Delta had a table where they were taking donations to help children with Leukemia.  They had a poster on the column in the middle of the hallway advertising their cause as well as a brief description of the disease that they were raising money for.

Also, there were few people walking around and actually stopping at the tables to speak with the representatives seated there.  As it was also Honors Scholars Day, I was walking around with a high school senior, and the tables did not seem to really catch her attention as we wandered around the halls.

At the end of the day, as I walked outside the Campus Center, I noticed a cluster of purple flags placed by the UBSS club on campus.  There was a sign that dictated that the flags were in representation of the 3000 people who commit suicide every day.  This project touched me the most out of everything I had seen.  Rather than just set up a table, they made a statement.

In the future, I hope that the Celebration of Service will grow and that more organizations will actively participate in the event.  There are many service projects that occur on campus, and a lot of classes join their requirements with Service Learning.  By having a greater turnout at the Celebration of Service, more students would know about and attend the various service projects offered on campus.

On April 12, 2014, the Stockton Honors Program attended the Atlantic County Animal Shelter to do volunteer work.  From cleaning up the yard to doing laundry, the Honors students in attendance had a lot of work to do.

The event began at 9:00 AM, so everyone had to meet up at the Arts and Sciences building at 8:30 so everyone could arrange for rides and get to the event on time.  Once at the animal shelter, everyone was given a brief tour of the facilities, and then they were assigned their tasks.

The group was split in half:  some going outside to clean up litter and doggie doo doo while the other half remained inside to clean the windows and the lobby.  Once everyone had completed their assigned tasks, they met up inside to be assigned the next ask:  emptying out the garbage.  After this, it was time to help take care of the cats.

Students cleaned litter boxes and cages, helping the workers move the cats around to allow for cleaning.  They also brought food and water to the cages as a worker filled up the bowls and passed them along.  Those who were allergic to cats were allowed to go into the back room to do the laundry.  They filled and emptied both the washer and dryer as well as folded and sorted the pile of dry clothes that had yet to be put away.  These students went back and forth from the laundry room to the lobby to lend a hand where needed.

At 1:00, everyone gathered outside for a group picture then headed back to the cars to return to Stockton.  Once back at the school, everyone met up at Primo’s in the campus center to enjoy a meal together and talk about the service project.  There was no reflection session attached to this particular project.

In the end, the only regret voiced by students was that they were unable to take care of the dogs and help out more during their time at the shelter.

On April 8, 2014, Stockton Christian Fellowship hosted a Messianic Seder.  Keith Kendrex, advisor for the club, invited Ron, a Messianic Jew from Keith’s church, to lead the group in the discussion of the meal.  Throughout the meal, Ron also shared his testimony on how he found Jesus through the Seder.

A Messianic Seder is a Passover meal in which the items presented and the food eaten represent something related to the story of Jesus and his death.  One example of this is the matzah bread which is broken and fed to all.  This bread is the middle piece taken from a group of three within a white bag called a “matzah tosh.”  During the meal, this piece of bread had been hidden away until the family drank the third cup of wine.  This piece of matzah is symbolic of Jesus Christ, a part of the trinity.  The matzah is full of holes, symbolic of Jesus’ hands, feet, and side being pierced.  In the Bible, when Jesus performs the Passover meal, he tells his disciples that the bread is to be seen as his body.

Before the meeting, the leadership council got together to talk with Ron.  They discussed reasoning for Christianity’s truth as well as everyone’s testimonies as to why they became a Christian.  Ron shared his bout with depression during his time as a Jew and how he was prepared to commit suicide.  It wasn’t until a friend showed him that Jesus existed that he changed his mind and became a different person.

At the group meeting, both Christians and Jews attended.  Ron showed videos explaining the connection between the Passover meal and Christianity.  He paused them from time to time to allow the group to discuss what they had seen and to show them the meanings from his own Passover table which he set up in the middle of the room.

SCF meets every Tuesday night from 8:30 until 10:00 in the TRLC’s meeting room.