On October 29^th, Stockton held Lollanobooza, a Halloween dance party. Being held on a Thursday, which are notorious party days, it served as an alternative to partying in a safer, alcohol-free way. Students were encouraged to wear costumes, as there was a contest for the best costumes. The night was filled with games, dancing, prizes, and of course, free food.

One of the most popular games of the night was the bull riding. Though there was no actual bull, an electronic bull simulated a realistic experience of riding one. Some students managed to stay on for a few seconds, or even minutes, but most flew right off as soon as the ride started. Another popular feature was the photo booth. Students could take pictures with their friends, use fun props, and receive a two four-panel copies of their pictures. Fortunately, there was no limit to how many times students could use it, so those who came with a large group of friends could use it until everyone had their own picture to take home. A third feature that students enjoyed was the face/body painting and temporary tattoo station. Students who wanted to add a face to their costume could do so, or instead get small, festive Halloween-themed pictures, such as candy corn or ghosts, painted where they so choose. The temporary tattoos were colorful and metallic, and there were even Stockton tattoos.

All in all, Lollanobooza was a fun night that hopefully saved students from its alcohol filled counterpart(y).

On Wednesday, November 11, 2015, Stockton University held its Sixties Concert in the Campus Center Theatre. Starting at 6:00 PM and ending at 9:30 PM, the event featured the performances of first Barry Bender and Friends, featuring 1960s classics such as “The Times They Are a Changin’” by Bob Dylan, “Dear Prudence” by the Beatles, “The Tin Man” by Barry Bender, and “Friends of the Devil” by the Grateful Dead. Student performers then performed several songs, including “Yesterday” by the Beatles, performed by Marianna Alshay.  After the student performances, the Stockton Faculty Band played many highly-anticipated songs. One such song was “Land of 1000 Dances” by Chris Kenner. This particular song featured student dancers. Other songs performed by the faculty band included “In the Midnight Hour” by Wilson Pickett and “Mustang Sally” by Mack Rice. There were also special performances of The Temptations’ “My Girl” by Stockton’s American Sign Language Club and Mary Wells’ “My Guy” courtesy of Carol Pacentrilli.

Located around the periphery of the CC Theatre were many poster displays made by students in John O’Hara’s The Sixties class, highlighting many events and issues of the decade, such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the first lunar landing, and the start of the Vietnam War. There were also several posters portraying the lifestyles of hippies and beatniks and their role in the anti-Vietnam movement. I feel the poster that struck me the hardest was one concerning the Kennedy assassination and its impact on the American people. The poster showed Americans acting in response, showing their patriotism as well as their grief for their President. One statistic on the poster was that 175 million people tuned in to watch the heartbreaking event. Also pasted onto the poster was the classic photo showing John Jr. saluting his father while at St. Mathew’s Cathedral in Washington D.C. This image helped to portray the sadness facing the country in the days following Friday, November 22, 1963.

Stockton’s Sixties Concert was not only a success, but it was also informative and inspiring. It taught me a lot more about the societal issues facing the United States during the decade of the 1960s and how it affected the country at large. In particular, it taught me how the assassination of President Kennedy shook the nation.

On October 29^th, 2015, I attended the highly anticipated “Lolla No Booza” event in the Campus Center. Lolla No Booza is one of the most frequently talked-about events at Stockton (at least, that’s what my brief time here has led me to believe.) It’s essentially a large party that promotes abstinence from drugs and alcohol on Halloween night, which is regularly considered a night where many teenage and college students drink heavily. Hosted in the Campus Center event room, I rounded up a group of friends and left to arrive at 8 PM, about an hour after the event started at 7 PM.

The theme of the event was “Freak Show,” and the attractions outside the Event Hall really showed that. There were jugglers, people on unicycles, jugglers on unicycles, clowns, and so much more. Clubs were also tabled outside promoting their messages, handing out candy, and setting up small games. After acquiring a few lollipops and Tootsie Rolls, my friends and I got our hands stamped and entered the Campus Center.

The first thing one notices is the sound. It was ridiculously loud in the event hall, with a large dance floor in the middle. There is definitely a market for loud music and dancing to strobe lights in the dark, but I am not part of that market. There were refreshments on our immediate right, with pizza, chips, lemonade, and water, typical of a Stockton event. Even inside the event room, there were some games around to play, but for no prizes or anything similar. Around the dance floor on the opposite side of the event hall was vaguely the same thing. My friends and I got separated a few hundred times, naturally, and eventually regrouped on the other side of the hall. Many of them wanted to stay for a long time and dance and play games and do things like that, but my one friend and I weren’t so keen on doing so. We decided to enjoy some games, grab some refreshments, and leave. One game in particular we played for a bit was Angry Birds, in which I shot a ball from a large slingshot at a tower of blocks in hopes of knocking down the pig plush on top of it. After failing miserably for a good twenty minutes, we decided it was too loud for us, grabbed our drinks, pizza, and gift bags, and left.

The gift bags came with a number of coupons, cups, discounts, and other cool stuff that I didn’t particularly expect it to have. It was a nice surprise to end the night with. As my friend and I left the event, I came to the conclusion that Lolla No Booza is definitely a great event for many people to have a great time with their friends. I, however, am not one of those people.

As you walk into the cool dark room, the first thing you notice is the overwhelming smell of freshly popped popcorn. Next, is what you see. Rows of chairs fill half of the room, leaving a large space to lay out blankets and pillows for a picnic. You follow the line to the make-shift concession stand. You receive a bag of popcorn, a soda, and candy. Then you find your seat. Whether in one of the chairs, or on the floor with a group of friends, you settle in for the next 2 hours. Then it starts, the opening credits, followed by the feature of the night. For this particular night, Ant Man was playing. Most people were a little skeptical about a superhero the size of an ant. However, the audience was pleasantly surprised.

As the group watches this Marvel masterpiece, they are immersed into the world of Scott Lang. You rejoice when he defeats the villain, proving everyone who doubted him wrong. The action sequences were filled with thrills and humor. The awkward, yet cute, budding romance between the main leads, Scott Lang and Hope Pym, was something everyone could enjoy. The villain even had some great lines and was enjoyable to watch. However, he was no Loki. The character development of the main lead, from a criminal to a hero, was something that I feel everyone could relate to. To show that you don’t have to be born a hero, to be one.

When the movie was over, and the credits roll, you slowly get up, bringing all leftovers of your movie meal to the trash. Then you gather your things, and head back to the dorms. You think back to the movie, and how it made you feel. How good it felt to get a break from the stresses of school, and how nice it was to escape into a new world. How it feels to know that even though you are just a little college freshman, you can become great, just like Scott Lang. That even the ordinary can become extraordinary. As you depart your friends, you make promises to do this again next week.

Lolla-No-Booza 2015 was held on Thursday, October 29^th from 7-11pm. This date was chosen specifically because the night before Halloween is typically the biggest drinking night of the year. This event is a way for college students to have fun without drinking or going to a party. Lolla-No-Booza was run by the Wellness Center and Drug and Alcohol Peer Education. Everyone was encouraged to come out to this event; it was even free to attend! Along with free admission there was promise of a DJ, free food, lots of games, and tons of prizes.

This year’s theme was Freak show due to the overwhelming popularity of the American Horror Story Freak show. When people first walked into the campus center event room they were instantly greeted but the sound of fun music and cool lights. Then, once people started to look around, they could see the variety of carnival games that were set up all throughout the event room. The games ranged from playing pong to riding a mechanical bull. There was definitely something that everyone would like. Some of the games at the event where typical drinking games. The games had a twist though, to teach the dangers and consequences of drinking. If someone won one of the games, they got their name on a ticket that was entered into a raffle. There were drawings for the raffle every thirty minutes. If their name was drawn from the raffle, they got to select a prize from a large table with a variety of options.

Overall, this event was a blast for everyone who came and it was educational. People left with more knowledge about drinking and its dangers. Some lucky people even got to leave with some great prizes. The night was a great success, and was an event that no one would ever forget.

Make A Difference Day was held on October 24th this year from 8am to 5pm. This was a national day of service. This year Stockton conducted three different service projects on make a difference day. The first was an indirect service off-campus event co-sponsored by Student Development & Political Engagement Project. Volunteers met at 8:00am in the Campus Center to make the trip to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The second  was a direct service off-campus co-sponsored by Stockton Water Watch and Clean Ocean Action. Volunteers for this service conducted a beach clean up in Atlantic City from 8:00am to 2pm. The third was a direct service on campus co-sponsored by Books Without Borders. Volunteers for this service met from 9:00am to 1pm to collect and organize donated books.

I personally volunteered for the third activity with Books Without Borders because I regularly attend their club meetings. Books Without Borders meets every Tuesday at 5pm in C103. Books Without Borders was created to address the concern for the lack of educational materials in third world countries. The club is composed of students, professors, and concerned citizens who believe in the power of education and equal opportunity for all. Over the past few years Books Without Borders has received many donations allowing us to nearly fill up our shipping container. On Make A Difference Day volunteers unloaded, organized, and repacked the donated books. The donated books are organized into general categories such as, biology, history, mathematics, non-fiction, fiction, etc. The books are then repackaged into new boxes which are then labeled with the category and number of books. After the books are repackaged, they are loaded into the shipping container. On Make a difference day volunteers made an assembly line to shuttle the books into the container.

This volunteer activity really encouraged collaboration and teamwork. We all had to work together to get the job done effectively. This activity also allowed volunteers to become better acquainted with the service learning office as their employees were present on campus and worked with us. Service learning workers helped drive the busses to and from the shipping container as well as helped us unload and reload the books. What I loved about this volunteer activity is that it was an on campus activity with an on campus organization which will allow volunteers and students to get involved in a long lasting service opportunity. On campus activities such as this will help build Stockton’s community and encourage them to continually engage in service.

On September 27, 2015, Humans vs. Zombies came to Stockton University. The week-long game was organized by the Live Action Gaming Club (LAG) and is held each semester. In this game, there were two teams, humans and zombies. Players were randomly selected to take on the role of “original zombie”. Their mission was to tag as many players as possible and add to the zombie team. The human team’s goal was to avoid being tagged. Players could do so by hitting a zombie with a Nerf gun dart or even a sock. This event took place everywhere on campus except for inside or in dangerous areas, such as stairs on in the parking lot. In order to avoid confusion, anyone playing had to wear a yellow band at all times. A band around a player’s arm meant he or she was a human, while a band worn as a headband identified a zombie.

On Sunday evening, there seemed to be a pretty good amount of people in attendance. About 70 students met in the Campus Center with Nerf guns and plenty of spare darts. After a brief explanation of the rules, the group headed towards the Lakeside Lodge. Along the way, half of the party became lost before the game even started. When it did, however, many people became zombies quickly. Throughout the week, there were many missions for supplies to prolong human survival. Many paid attention to their surroundings for the chance of a zombie attack. During the day, many humans opted to walk to class indoors and out of the refreshing weather. On Friday, the zombies’ victory brought the game to an end.

As a whole, I thought the game was pretty enjoyable but could have had a few improvements. Many did not play fairly. If someone was tagged, he or she wouldn’t admit to it. A program used to keep track of the teams often took days to be in effect. Most of all, I believe zombie team worked more than anyone. Since I was tagged early on, I could say that the zombies played by the rules. These people continued to play after being tagged and were good sports when stopped by a human. The humans made up excuses for why they weren’t playing, even if they were wearing armbands.

Despite these setbacks, I believe that I will play again next semester. I felt that I have an better idea of what to expect.

November 11, 2015 Stockton held a sixties concert at the campus center theater from 6:30 to 9:30. Upon arrival, students and visitors were led to the hallway on the right of the theater to view a sixties exhibit. Strewn along the walls were miniature exhibits representing significant events and people from the sixties. There was an ebony magazine section, a Muhammad Ali quote, protest posters, Woodstock festival music, and books on war that gave visitors a look into artworks and artifacts that simulated the sixties. Several posters were plastered on the walls to depict the sixties through common logos and students who helped organize the event were present in sixties outfits. The exhibit handed out rainbow dyed cake.

Afterward, we were allowed into the theater. We took our seats and were able to enjoy different performances made by Stockton students, Barry Bender and Friends, and the Stockton Faculty Band. Barry Bender and Friends played songs like 40,000 Headmen by Traffic, Willin’ by Lowell George, Get together by Chet Powers, and more. Then, student performers took the stage and performed songs like Yesterday by The Beatles, Stand By Me by Ben E King, and You’re All I Need To Get By by Marvin Gaye.  The Stockton Faculty Band played a set of songs including songs like Mustang Sally, Hit The Road Jack, Teach Your Children, and more. The concert even had special performances for a couple a songs. The American Sign Language Club participated by signing the lyrics to My Girl. In another special performance, a group of students performed a dance number on stage that led to them dancing in the isles.

The sixties concert was enjoyable for both students and supportive families. It was especially enjoyable being able to immerse myself in sixties culture with my friends. The decorations were an accurate portrayal, the small exhibit full of historical artifacts brought in by students was moving and interesting. Aside from all the fun, visitors were able to both learn about the sixties and reminisce, it was an enriching experience.

Lolla No Booza was another event run by the Stockton Entertainment Team that was a blast. At this event there were educational games, prizes, and lots of fun. The event was around Halloween and everyone was encouraged to dress up for the event. My roommate and I went as Minnie and Mickey, which there were a lot of but some people got really creative with theirs. One costume was a social butterfly in which she dressed up as a butterfly and taped the logos of many different forms of social media onto her costume.

The activities at Lolla No Booza were almost all educational. Most of the games made you answer questions about alcohol and the effects it has on the brain and body. Another game involved the players to wear goggles that made it feel like you were drunk and throw a ball to try to hit the target to give players the sense of what it feels like to be drunk. Playing this game was a lot harder than most people expected because you thought you were throwing the ball straight at the target but you turned out to be very far off from the target.

Some of the activities were just for fun though. For example there was a stand for face painting and temporary tattoos. There were also two people making balloon animals for a little while too. There was also a photobooth with lots of props to use for the pictures. Another thing that was there was a spot to make music videos with a green screen behind you. I did not get a chance to do this because the line was very long so I chose to participate in the other activities instead. The best thing in my opinion that was there was a mechanical bull. The group of friends that I was with decided we were going to have a competition of who could last the longest on the bull. In case you were wondering I came in third out of five of us… (It was a lot harder than I expected).

Of course since it was a SET run event, there were prizes. For each game you won, you received a ticket and that ticket was placed in a wheel like the ones used in a bingo game and a certain amount of tickets were drawn from it. Each time names were drawn, they were posted on the projectors and then those people got to go over to the table and pick a prize. At the end of the night, more names were drawn for grand prizes. One of the grand prizes was a trip to Cancun.

As you can see, this was probably one of the best events SET has run thus far. Lolla No Booza makes me excited to attend more SET events throughout my career at Stockton.

On September 10^th the Noyes Museum of Art hosted a panel about climate change. On this panel were reporters, scientists, and artists. The artists here represented those who created the works being displayed in the exhibit Frozen Earth: Images from the Arctic Circle at the museum. Each panelist was given a ten minute time frame to talk about climate change, or his or her own experiences.

Jeff Niemitz began by giving a background on climate change. Niemitz explained how climate change is a continuous process of the Earth and water becoming warmer. Since the water is becoming warmer the snow and ice melts which limits the amount of radiation being reflected. This in turn makes the water absorb more radiation and become warmer which starts the process over again. The next speaker was Michael Lemonick, who was the editor at Time. He spoke about how he has been writing about the greenhouse effect and ozone hole since 1988.

Amy Lipton was the next panelist. As an artist she had a unique perspective on climate change and showed examples of her own work. Lipton explained how portraying climate change is sometimes difficult saying something along the lines of “climate change is hard for artists to deal with because it is an abstract concept.” Lipton was a participant in The Arctic Circle Foundation which Aaron O’Connor spoke about next. O’Connor explained that The Arctic Circle Foundation is a program that allows people of any profession to go to the Arctic Circle.

Overall, the climate change panel was extremely informative and entertaining. The panelists were from different professions which allowed for many perspectives to be heard concerning the complex issue of climate change.