At the crack of mid-morning on September 12, Stockton University opened its doors for the 2015 Fall Day of Service. The event, sponsored by the Office of Service Learning, kicked off with rousing speeches by President Kesselman and Todd Bernstein, as well as free doughnuts that seemed to be the main attraction for some volunteers. Then, divided into teams, everyone headed off for scheduled sessions.

Session 1, titled “Health and Wellness,” had a variety of options, ranging from suicide awareness to CPR training. I chose “Prescription Drugs,” which took place in a meeting room that completely ran out of chairs and almost ran out of floor space. Here a professor and a policeman delivered a presentation on drug abuse, focusing especially on heroin, which, due to its purity, accessibility, and cheapness, is spreading across New Jersey like a rash.

Session 2 focused on “Hunger and Homelessness.” In the CC Theatre, we learned about charitable organizations such as Covenant House, which provides shelter for homeless teenagers, and Books Without Borders, which provides donated volumes to impoverished countries. We were then instructed to organize leaning towers of paperbacks stacked at random on stage, and the assembly dissolved into a flurry of chaos, with dozens of students carrying, sorting, and packaging hundreds of novels, magazines, and textbooks.

Session 3, called “Civics,” took place in the C/D Atrium, and to my relief, the first order of business was devouring sandwiches. Smaller groups subsequently rotated through a dizzying assortment of activities which included discussing the rights of police, learning about a program that tutors prisoners, and taking a survey designed to expose how little I know about the Supreme Court/ Judicial Branch/ Government in general.

The final session, “Circle K & BWB,” took us back to the event room. Here we picked from a variety of crafts stations, and I spent the time making cards for terminally ill children with cancer. Decorating folded construction paper for a toddler who might not see next month was heartbreaking, but knowing that this simple gesture could spread a bit of sunshine into the life of someone who needs it was beyond rewarding. The day finished with a period of reflection.

Admittedly, I had been reluctant to roll out of bed on a rainy Saturday, but I left the Day of Service with new friends, an altered perspective, and a free t-shirt. That, to my mind, constitutes a day well spent.

On the evening of September 10, students and the general public alike funneled into the Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University for “Climate Change: A Panel Discussion.” Why would an art museum host a discussion of science? The display “Frozen Earth: Images from the Arctic Circle” inspired the talk, and Laura Petrovich-Cheney arranged for award-winning environmental activists to do the talking.

As the gallery grew crowded and the windows sweated condensation, an event coordinator joked that the broken air conditioner would simulate the conditions of global warming. Then, the room quieted and the dialogue opened with a short introduction by Diane Burko, a landscape artist whose work incorporates the effects of a warming climate. She thanked the audience for coming, and set the tone for a thought-provoking discourse.

Each panelist proceeded to wedge a unique presentation on global warming into the space of 10 minutes. Dr. Jeff Niemitz displayed a series of graphs depicting rising sea levels which, for coastal cities especially (ahem, much of New Jersey) could be devastating. Michael Lemonick discussed articles he has published in TIME magazine dealing with the greenhouse effect. Next was Amy Lipton, who presented a slideshow of artwork from the organization Eco Art Space, and spoke of its mission to promote awareness and create solutions. Former reporter for The New York Times Andrew Revkin brought the issue to life with a video of Arctic ice shifting, creaking, and melting during his visit to the North Pole. The discussion wrapped up with Aaron T. O’Connor, director of a program that sends artists into the Arctic aboard a sailing ship. He emphasized the importance of cooperation in striving towards a cleaner planet, not only among professionals in different fields of study, but also between community members.

The speakers spent an additional 40 minutes or so answering questions, comments, and above all, concerns. I left feeling certain that I would never look at the ocean quite the same way again.

Bethany Cornatzer

McGovern

Life of the Mind

23 September 2015

Soar Blog

Stockton’s Outdoor Adventure Retreat is offered to incoming freshman. One of the perks of attending S.O.A.R. is that students get to move in early. This year’s early move in date was August 25^th. When students arrived on campus, they were greeted by a variety of talons wearing different color clothing and accessories. The students soon found out that each color represented a different tribe. After they were assigned their tribe, they could begin moving into their new rooms. Once people finished moving in, they could go have lunch with their parents. Then, everyone was gathered into their tribes. From there the talons had them load their bags onto the bus and head over to say a final goodbye to their loved ones. Next, all of the students were directed outside to do countless ice breakers so everyone could get to know each other. People instantly bonded over having similar majors or other interests in life. When everyone was acquainted they headed off on an hour long drive to camp Ockanickon.

One of the first camp activities this year was a thing called low elements. This is where the tribes split up and mixed with each other to do more ice breakers and team building activities. The game my group excelled at was passing a ball to someone and saying their name as fast as possible. We successfully completed the game in seven seconds! Not only did it unite everyone together, but it was a fun way for us to learn each other’s name. On the second day, everyone learned about leadership and how to get involved on campus. All of the talons told us about the many activities and clubs that they were a part of on campus. It showed students that there are always things to do and you never have to be alone.

Finally, on the last day of S.O.A.R., the students had the chance to do high ropes. This is a suspended obstacle course filled with tasks such as rope bridges and walking across a log. It was a really intimidating course but the students who did complete it felt a great sense of accomplishment.

When S.O.A.R. came to an end, everyone was sad to have to leave and say goodbye to camp Ockanickon. It was over in a blink of an eye and felt like they had just gotten there. However, the students were comforted by knowing that they made new friends and memories that would last for a lifetime. They were now truly ready to start their college experience.

This past Saturday, on September 12th, I participated in Stockton’s Day of Service. Although previous attendees of the event were disappointed at the many lectures going on throughout the day -due to their expectation of more hands-on service projects- I enjoyed gaining awareness of the many issues and now feel prepared to join with the charities whom presented to combat the problems of my society.

One of the foundations I was able to hear about discussed the importance of educating the incarcerated citizens of the state. The percentage of people who return back to prison within the year of their release is appalling. And education opens new opportunities for the inmates which will help keep them out of jail when their times come to depart. I look forward to meeting the various people involved in the program and using my skills in reading comprehension, grammar, and social studies to help others.

Although not a charity I will be directly contributing to, Join Together Atlantic County (JTAC), presented an intense presentation on prescription drug usage and abuse which radically shifted my perspective on the many substances circling the community. This lecture helped me to understand just how dangerous both the dealers and their product can be and helped solidify my aversion to substance usage. It additionally helped me understand why New Jersey’s heroin issue continues to grow and what can be done to slow down the epidemic.

Ultimately, the Day of Service facilitated my awareness for local issues and provided me with the resources to combat these issues. I look forward to the presentations of next year’s program.

HEY WHAT? This is the response that over two hundred students gave in order to get the day’s activities started. S.O.A.R is the Stockton Outdoor Adventure Retreat for incoming freshman. It is a three day, two-night exploration that began on August 25th. These students moved in two days prior to the rest of Stockton’s Class of 2019 which most viewed as a bonus. After students finalized moving their belongings into their dorms, they said goodbye to their friends and families and were bussed to Camp Ockanickon.

The program was run by a variety of staff members and forty-four hardworking T.A.L.O.N.S. The Activity Leaders Of New Students, also known as T.A.L.O.N.S, were volunteer upperclassman who wanted to make a positive impact in the lives of Stockton’s newest students. They were in charge of facilitating all of the activities for their corresponding tribe. There were seven tribes; yellow, red, green, navy, sky, orange and purple tribe. Each group became instantaneously close with roughly thirty other people by simply sharing the same tribe color.

The retreat involved team building activities, challenging exercises, diversity discussions, free time and plenty of icebreakers! The experience is meant to help incoming freshman transition into college life and get a head start on meeting new people, as well as acquire real leadership skills. It is a memorable and interesting experience that tests you both as an individual and as part of a team. I attended S.O.A.R and my personal boundaries were broken and it helped me grow in so many ways. I went into the situation as a pessimistic who didn’t even really want to be there, and came out as a better person with many new friends. By the end of the third day each student had “conquered their lion” and were fully capable of flying like an Osprey!

I was extremely proud after conquering my lion and I owe that all to S.O.A.R. It can be very frightening to face an inner conflict that you have never had the courage to attempt changing. For me, heights always seemed like an unbearable obstacle that I would fear. At S.O.A.R everyone was given the challenge to get comfortable being uncomfortable. The ultimately goal of the staff was to have students truly reach beyond their known potentials. I was able to accomplish this through the heights challenge when I climbed the rock wall. My heart was racing and I was skeptical, but I knew the only things we regret in life are the chances we don’t take, so I went for it. Conquering my lion was a life changing experience that I will never forget.

The TALONS of each tribe exemplified admirable qualities that made the experience more meaningful than just a camping trip. They were able to give realistic and insightful views to Stockton’s academic opportunities, campus life, available clubs and much more. It was extremely helpful to be given the opportunity to make connections with such caring individuals who had the ability to ease the new student’s worries away. They explained their personal stories about getting lost on the first day of classes and not knowing where to go for food. For some reason this made everything seem much better. It was finally understood that we weren’t the first to go through this and all before us had come out on top. Knowing this made beginning my college career much easier! Everyone involved in S.O.A.R fostered a positive and enthusiastic atmosphere that made the trip a true success. I am beyond thankful that I had the opportunity to attend S.O.A.R and I will most definitely be applying to be a TALON, so I to can continue enhancing the college experience for others!

Among all the principles of Stockton University, service is highly emphasized on campus. Much to this point, the Day of Service took place recently, stressing once again the importance of service learning. Volunteers were not limited to students, and activities ranged from civic engagement exercises to helping move and organize donated books for “Books without Borders.” The Day of Service started with complimentary breakfast after dividing the volunteers into four groups, and progressed in rotations to four different service stations where the four groups experienced opportunities in service relating to Civic engagement, Greendot, Environment and Sustainability, and Books without Borders / Covenant House. This scheduling format is different than past Days of Service, offering a wider variety of service activities when compared to the previous format where volunteers could only choose one of the projects available. Lunch was served in the middle of the third station in the rotation, after which the rotation continued; eventually volunteers who had stayed the entire duration were given a free shirt after a reflection session. At the end of the day not only did volunteers gain a greater understanding of what service opportunities are available to them here at Stockton, but they also got their foot in the door metaphorically. This step is important not only for those freshmen who are in the Honors Program but also for those who wish to become more interconnected with the community at Stockton, as many sociable and friendly students encouraged students to join organizations like Circle K which promote “the qualities of leadership, the rewards of service and the unique spirit of friendship” (Stockton). Overall, the event was a great success and will no doubt return next semester, taking into account all the feedback volunteers gave.

Waking up early on a Saturday morning is never easy, but my excitement for Day of Service made that a little easier. When I arrived at Day of Service, there were so many faces I did not know but everyone had the same look of excitement to start serving the community. We were put into teams to help organize where we would all be going. My team, the blue team, first went to a session about different areas of the government. There, we learned about the fourth amendment of the constitution which is states our right to privacy. We also discussed the death penalty and afterwards I was given the opportunity to register to vote.

Next, my team was brought into the campus center event room. We were able to meet with Circle K members while they gave a presentation about the ways they have been diminishing the amount of people in the Atlantic County who are homeless. We were then given the opportunity to make sandwiches for the homeless shelter. With all of us working together, we were able to make over 200 sandwiches.

The next session was a presentation done by the Water Watch club. They discussed with us the consequences of drinking bottled water and how tap is better for us and the environment. I, personally, learned more than I thought in that session because I never knew bottled water could be so harmful.

Day of Service was a memorable experience. I was able to learn many things that I could use in the future to become involved and to serve my community. One thing that I wish was different about Day of Service was the balance between lectures and actual service projects. I felt there needed to be more service projects because that is what really makes a difference and it would make it more true to it’s name, “Day of Service”. I do think it was very important to learn about the different organizations and I am glad I involved myself with Stockton’s Day of Service.

On Thursday September 24th, Dr. Valerie Purdie-Vaughns came to visit the school for a Convocation*.  The event was held in the M-Wing Theater, free of charge to participants.  Students could in fact receive “ULTRA Credit” for attending provided they bring their identification cards to swipe in with designated staff.  As expected, the theater was filled to capacity and those remaining were provided seating in the  designated “overflow room” in L112 and watched from a live-feed camera.  Admittedly, I was in the overflow room during the Convocation and the camera failed for a short period of time, so part of the information about the event will have to be obtained by asking someone who was in the theater at the time.  I am confident that I can still give those of you reading this the gist of it.

Dr. Purdie-Vaughns had at one point been a colleague of Dr. Claude M. Steele, author of a collaborative thesis on stereotype threat and social identity, Whistling Vivaldi.  In fact, part of the former’s work was featured in the thesis**.  Instead of just talking at the audience, so to speak, she attempted to bring them through the mindsets explored in the thesis.  For example, she asks the audience to consider the phenomenon of two people almost instantly bonding with each other upon learning that they have the same birthday, even when there are few other things in common between them.  I recall hearing a few cheers when it was revealed that two audience members shared the same birthday.

In addition, she stresses the fact that most effects of stereotype threat occur subconsciously, meaning that people do not always realize that they are carrying extra pressure. She does make it a point, however, to mention that many are also consciously aware of stereotypes and constantly feel pressured to represent the entire group with which they identify. I am aware that it may be impossible to prevent someone from being aware of stereotypes and thus being affected, but upon leaving the Convocation I feel more compelled to avoid using stereotypes as an excuse for shortcomings, both for my own and for others.

*convocation: (n) a large formal assembly of people; a formal ceremony at a college or university, as for the conferring of awards (Oxford Dictionaries)

**“Essentially, as long as a negative stereotype exists for a particular group and this negative stereotype is present in a given social setting, that group’s members will likely feel a measure of anxiety which can prevent them from performing at their optimal level. Stereotype threat is most vividly observed in individuals who identify strongly with the negatively stereotyped social group, who identify with the intellectual domain in which they are being tested and who expect discrimination – perhaps due to past experiences in their personal lives (Steele, Spencer & Aronson, 2002).” (“What Is Stereotype Threat?”, http://www.whatispsychology.biz/about-stereotype-threat-define)

***Steele, Claude M. Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print.

          The Day of Service is just as it sounds in its name: it is a day where the Stockton University joins together to serve our community. This day is sponsored by the Office of Student Development annually to gather students, staff, alumni, and plenty of more people from the community to help out and give back. Walking into the Day of Service with an open mind, not knowing anyone, I was pleasantly surprised on how the day turned out. Each person was divided into different groups according to color (Go Green Team!) and each team throughout the day was assigned to a certain lecture to listen to or activity to complete. There were four service projects through the day, and each taught of something different then the other. My personal favorite was hearing Circle-K talk about what they do for our Stockton Community and then, making cards for cancer patients in the local hospital to brighten their days.

          After a long day of serving the community, we were able as groups to reflect on what we experienced throughout the day and how it affected us. Many of my fellow group members and myself explained to each other how well we thought the day was put together and how it affected us on personal levels. The Day of Service taught me that giving back to the community should not just be one day of service, it should be weekly, monthly, or even annually. Before coming to Stockton University, volunteering was always something I was passionate about. Now after the Day of Service, students including myself are aware of the many different clubs and events here on campus that one can volunteer at. Helping others in anyway possible is good for not only the person being helped, but the helper as well. Volunteering is emotionally rewarding, and the Day of Service proved this.

Graciously, at the end of a very long day of serving, we were given t-shirts commemorating the day our whole Stockton Community had just completed. I am already filled with excitement for next years Day of Service, and hope to become involved in some of the organizations that attended this day.