On September 12, 2015, Stockton University hosted its annual Day of Service. Students, faculty, and staff members filed into the Campus Center Event Room, eagerly awaiting the beginning of the day. The university was trying a new format for the Day of Service this year. In past Days of Service, participants would choose which project they would like to volunteer with, and would board a bus to be transported to the off campus location. This year, off campus bussing was unnecessary. All of the service projects would be located on campus and students, split into colored teams, would have the opportunity to rotate through them evenly.
The morning began with opening statements by President Harvey Kesselman and keynote speaker Todd Bernstein. They both emphasized the importance of service, making a difference and giving back to the community on a regular basis. After the speeches were finished, volunteer Day of Service Project Leaders ushered their respective teams to the destined locations. I was on the Blue Team, so our first service project took place in the C/D Atrium of the main campus building.
This session focused on civic engagement. The project leaders had us at different stations within the atrium, enhancing our awareness of various topics. Firstly, we learned about the issue of search and seizure. As a group, we discussed the details of the Fourth Amendment and how the Supreme Court determined it protected us citizens from police searching our phones or belongings after an arrest. Next, we listened to a representative speak from the Petey Greene Project, an organization dedicated to tutoring prisoners in correction facilities. Then, we had the option of writing a letter to different politicians like Governor Christie or Senator Booker and submitting our opinion of the search and seizure issue and capital punishment in a mock voting booth. Once our group was done at those stations, we entered a computer lab where we took a survey about civic preparedness and our knowledge of current government affairs. It was shocking to realize that a majority of people do not understand the government process, are not involved regularly with government affairs, and have not been properly educated on the stances of politicians and the importance of voting.
The second service project was located in the Campus Center, led by the club Circle K. The two speakers focused on homelessness and listed different statistics and facts to emphasize its ubiquity in our area and state. After the short presentation, we were allowed to choose what we wanted to do. We could either make bags for homeless people, create birthday cards, or make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I chose to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; it was really nice to know that these sandwiches were going to be given to people who suffer from hunger. The second session was definitely the most hands-on session of the day and I really enjoyed that aspect. Even though making sandwiches was a small difference, it still felt good to affect people’s lives.
The third service project accentuated environmentalism. The president and CEO of Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA), Richard Dovey, spoke about his company and what they do for Atlantic County. ACUA deals about his company and what they do for Atlantic County. eople’er make bags for homeless people, with waste management, recycling, pollution prevention, and water distribution. Dovey also talked about the green initiatives that ACUA strives to uphold in its everyday operation. The Stockton club Waterwatch took over afterwards, discussing the origin of plastic water bottles, how water bottles are made, and their true danger. It was a very informative session that taught me to be more aware of environmental impact and the hazards of plastic water bottles.
The final service project of the day involved health and wellness. At the beginning of the day, we had the option of choosing which session to participate in. The topic options were CPR, Green Dot Training, Suicide Awareness, and Prescription Drugs. I chose to learn about prescription drug addiction and the frequent usage of Narcan for overdoses. A representative from the organization Join Together Atlantic County (JTAC) and a Stockton police officer gave a presentation in a small conference room at the Campus Center. They talked about the presence of drugs in Atlantic County and New Jersey overall, the realities of overdoses and injecting Narcan, and the steps we can take to make a difference. It was very eye-opening to see how prevalent substance abuse is in the community. Even compared to Ocean County, Atlantic County has one of the highest percentages of heroin addiction and other drug abuse.
The end of the 2015 Day of Service wrapped up with a closing ceremony in the Campus Center Event Room. The Office of Service Learning led reflection sessions throughout the room, sending Service Project Leaders to the multiple tables. The project leaders sat down at each table with a pen and notepad. The reflection questions were shown on slides on the giant wall-sized screens and the entire room went through the reflection process together. It was designed to make us think about what we had learned and done that day. Most importantly, it was essential to reflect upon how the Day of Service impacted our perspective and future outlook. The Day of Service had a brand new format this year that encouraged more continuous service and overall awareness and less sporadic volunteering. I enjoyed the different Day of Service because its intention was to inspire us students to be more involved in the community. This new format contributes to the element of service learning that Stockton desires all students to acquire.