The lecture I attended was part of a lecture series called “Globalization lecture series: Language and global culture.” It was hosted by Dr. Lois Spitzer and she talked about if making English a global language I a good idea and what the advantages and disadvantages are to having a global language. She talked about why English would be the best choice for a global language and not any other popular languages. She described what we may lose with a globalization of one language but also what we would gain. The main point in this presentation was the concern for culture around the world and the impact it would have on all these different cultures that exist.

The reason for wanting to make English the global language is not because of how many people speak it but because of how widely spoken it is. If it was decided by how many native speakers there are of the language we would all have to learn Chinese. But Chinese is not the native language of many countries. English is the native language of almost fifty countries in the world.

The main problem with a global language, and making other languages die off is the loss of cultures. In many languages across the world there are unique words that we do not have words for in English. So we would lose all those unique words which will then develop to a loss of culture. Losing all these cultures will be very bad for the future of the world. There will be nothing for kids to learn about other countries. If we all spoke the same language we will all eventually fall into the same culture. There will be no differences between countries so there will be nothing interesting to study anymore.

A global language does have some benefits though. It will help to communicate better in business markets and fields of research. If a German scientist discovers something he can easily share it with the rest of the world because everyone will have the same language. There will be no more confusion in business markets and no more miscommunications. But along with a global language should come a global currency if we are doing it to make things easier. We will not have to convert Dollars to Yen or Pounds anymore so there will be no mistakes in those conversions and no money lost.

On Tuesday November 17th, Kappa Sigma’s Xi-Rho chapter hosted their annual Wing Bowl event. The event was held at JD’s Pub and Grill in Smithville, which is approximately ten minutes away from campus. Although it was a fraternity sponsored event, it was open to everyone, whether or not they are involved in Greek life. Tickets for the Wing Bowl were sold in lower D Wing near the computer lab wing.

The night of the event was very exciting. Many people filtered through the pub enjoying wings and each other’s company. Kappa Sigma brothers were stationed throughout the cozy pub helping the night move smoothly. If students did not purchase tickets during tabling, which occurred on; Thursday, the twelfth, Monday, the sixteenth, and Tuesday, the seventeenth, they had the option to buy them at the door for the same prices, five dollars for six wings, or for ten dollars, students could participate in an exhilarating wing competition to win some cool prizes. The winner of this year’s Wing Bowl was Aaron Reader, a Kappa Sigma brother. The contest challenged anyone interested to eat ten chicken wings as fast as possible.

The money raised by the event went to Kappa Sigma’s philanthropy, the Military Heroes Campaign, and totalled $1,031. This charity works closely with organizations such as The Fisher House to help aid thousands of veterans and their families in America. I believe that this event can be considered a success. The fraternity gained positive exposure to possible rushes and towards the school and they were able to raise a decent amount of money to donate to a positive cause.

On Friday, September 11 the men’s soccer team went up against Rensselaer. Both teams entered this game with an undefeated record (Stockton 3-0 and Rensselaer 4-0) to begin the Stockton Seashore Classic.

The game started out slow, having the first goal coming at minute 41 with a penalty kick by Clevon McPherson giving Stockton a 1-0 lead heading into halftime. Unfortunately this would wind up being Stockton’s only goal of the game. As we entered the next half, McPherson received a red card so Stockton had to play down a man. Rensselaer was able to score on the following free kick. It took just a few more minutes for them to score their second goal, bringing the score to 2-1.

Even though the Ospreys were playing down a man, they still put up a good fight toward the end, with their total of 10 shots throughout the game, but Rensselaer’s goalkeeper Ryan Nealon did a great job protecting his goal. The last few minutes were full of suspense as Stockton consistently came closer and closer to making the game tying goal, but they were just unable to overcome the fact that they were down a man. The Osprey’s suffered their first loss of the season to start the Stockton Seashore Classic. They can only hope to be better prepared for their next game against Mary Washington.

The air is cold and dark on Halloween night at Stockton. Many people went home but those who stayed are building anticipation for the Stockton Theatre Club’s performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show. As guests enter the room, there are many actors and actresses in costumes to greet them and guide the guests to their seats. The actors do not go about interacting with guests normally. There are conversations with crude humor and laughter. Each guests who has not seen Rocky Horror Picture Show before that night is labeled as a “virgin” with a large, red letter V on their foreheads. There is a prop table with an array of items in the corner, where audience members can grab one to two props to use during the show. Once everyone makes their way to their seats, the shenanigans of the night begin.

Before the production begins, the actors and actresses around the room gather audience members to play games on the stage. The first game is played with coconuts. Players must partner up with a person they do not know, and start by holding a coconut between their bodies at the stomach. The goal is to move the coconut, without using hands, up one another’s bodies so that it is held between the partners’ necks. Players wiggle awkwardly against one another to move their coconuts. Some succeed and others drop their coconuts, letting them roll onto the ground below. After everyone returns to their seats more crude comedy and laughter fills the room, and more games are played. Once 8:15 p.m. arrives, the actors reside to the corners of the room and the production begins.

The lights dim and a movie reel begins on the screen. As the movie plays, actors dressed like the characters on screen act out the scenes on stage. The actors mimic lines only by moving their lips, all of the singing and speaking comes from the sound in the film. It is an interesting way to portray the story, but very entertaining for the audience. Throughout the production, the audience is asked to use their different props in certain scenes to add interaction. The actors walk and dance through the audience as they perform, some sitting on laps and some pulling audience members up to dance. The whole room feels whimsical and fun. Each actor does an excellent job at portraying their characters and each audience member gets into the story enthusiastically.

When the show ends, the audience is in uproar. Cheers and laughter show how well of a job the actors have done on stage. When leaving, the actors continue to interact with guests, keeping the fun atmosphere alive. The Stockton Theatre Club has, yet again, put on a fabulous show. The audience leaves feeling happy and carefree, on their way o enjoy the remaining hours of Halloween night.

Saturday, October 10th, 2015, was the third day of Stockton University’s University Weekend. The day was a cool 64 degrees and the campus was abuzz with excitement for the evening’s main event, the Osprey Ball. The morning was started off with the Stockton Parent & Family Association breakfast in the campus center event center. Breakfast was followed shortly by the men’s alumni soccer game.

But the excitement didn’t stop there. After a good game of soccer, the parade began. Different student organizations had the opportunity to design golf carts to represent each of their groups. Groups such as Stockapella and the Disney Association had floats in the parade which were designed throughout the week by members of each organization. The parade flowed through the crowds of students, faculty, alumni, and families who came out to show support this university weekend.

After a plethora of sporting events and a carnival in the parking lot of Big Blue, the night was topped off with the 2015 Osprey Ball. Everyone in attendance was dressed to the nines in their best clothes and arrived with all of their friends in the Campus Center Event Room at 9 P.M. The DJ kept a steady stream of moderns hits such as Fetty Wap and classics like Respect by Aretha Franklin. The dance floor was packed as students Hit the Whip, Hit the Quan, and did the Cotton Eyed Joe. As the night moved on students were able to take photos in a photo booth and enjoy a large spread of desserts and sodas.

Overall the Osprey Ball just may have been the highlight of University Weekend. It was an awesome way to get everyone together to have a good time. This year’s University Weekend was clearly a massive success and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us next year.

On the morning of September 19th I was lucky enough to be involved in Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s roadside cleanup. SAE is a fraternity that is recognized on the Stockton campus as the Rho Sigma chapter, since 2012. Their philosophy is the Children’s Miracle Network and they pride themselves as being “true gentlemen”.  Since SAE is the fraternity that I would like to be a part of second semester I decided that going to this rush event would be very beneficial to me, especially since it was community service based. A rush event is an event held by a fraternity (or a sorority) and is used as a way for current brothers and sisters to get to know future members.

The morning of the event was beautiful. The sun was shining and it could not have been a better day to go make the community better. We met together at the Dunkin Donuts in the Campus Center. This is where they explained to us the basis of what will be going on that day. They told us how it will be a good time and how beneficial of an experience it will be. They got me all ready to help out the community. The brothers and other potential rushes like myself were able to bond over picking up trash on the side of the road. Each of us were given a job, my first job was to hold the garbage bag to make picking up trash easier for someone else. Later we switched jobs and we were able to have fun out of the whole thing. At the end of the day though, most importantly, the streets were now a lot cleaner thanks to the brothers of SAE.

Excitement was in the air on a chilly Friday afternoon as the students and their parents come together at Stockton for the start of University Weekend. The weekend began with a pep rally in “Big Blue”, the school’s main gymnasium. During the event, I had the pleasure of performing with the All Starz Dance Team. The hustle and bustle backstage before the ceremonies began was both fun and hectic. Everyone took their seats as the enthusiastic announcer told his audience about everything they should expect this weekend. Several clubs performed, including the Cheerleaders, All Starz Dancers, and Stockton’s Stocktones. At the end, everyone received a complimentary tee shirt to wear.

Early next morning, different clubs and teams around Stockton gathered to parade decorated golf carts around campus. I walked the parade with the All Starz dancers, with our cart decorated in different colors, celebrating Stockton throughout the years. We placed signs on the cart with the various names Stockton University had and the years they held these names. The parade was cold and windy, but fun nonetheless. People cheered and admired every group’s cart. At the end, each cart was presented to a panel of judges who selected the best decorated cart. The judges loved our cart and at the end of the parade, we won second place in the contest. The whole team felt excited and proud of our hard work.

The parade was only the kickoff event for Saturday morning. From twelve o’clock to four o’clock, there was a grand carnival in one of the school’s parking lots. People set up tables with games, food, and there were inflatable obstacle courses for those who liked to be adventurous. Loud music and laughter filled the air. It was impossible to find anyone with a frown on their face at the carnival. Once the excitement settled down, students said farewell to their parents and started to prepare for the 20^th Annual Osprey Ball. The ball was the final hurrah for students, and kept going until one o’clock in the morning. There was loud music, a photo booth, buffet food, cake, and thrilled guests. People dressed to impress and danced the night away. It was an event to remember, and my personal favorite of the entire weekend. As a whole, University Weekend was fun for all, and students are excited to see what it will hold next year.

On Friday, November 6th, 2015 Stockton held their third annual Sleep-Out.  This event was sponsored by Covenant House, an organization in Atlantic City dedicated to providing food and shelter to the homeless youths who come to their doors.  By youths, I do not mean just children; people my age stay there as well.

I originally learned about this event from a representative from the Covenant House during Day of Service. My roommate constantly reminded me that she was going throughout the week.  I decided on the night of the event to sign up and go with her (I do not recommend that anyone wait that long if they can help it).  To sign up, I had to search for “Stockton Sleep-Out” on Facebook.  After scrolling through the related posts, I eventually found a link to the official website for the event.  From there I signed up for the event and set up a sponsor page so that my friends on Facebook could donate funds towards our goal.  Certain set amounts of money paid for clothes, food, heating, etc. for those living at Covenant House.

The event itself took place at the Lakeside Lodge near upperclassmen housing.  There we signed an attendance form and waited to be divided into tribes.  I was not placed in a tribe with any of my housemates, but it was easy to make friends with the people in my tribe.

The first challenge we went through was a “box hunt”, where we would search the upperclassmen housing area for cardboard boxes.  The tribe who collected the most boxes won.  We could only carry one box per person and there were not enough for everyone.  We would have to sleep on them later once the activities were through. Realistically, a person who is homeless does not always find a safe, comfortable place to sleep at night, so I feel like this is a parallel.

The second challenge was comprised of six little contests: an egg toss, three-legged race, a hula hooping contest, a scavenger hunt where the supervisors kept removing chairs as it progressed, undoing a human knot, and a crab-walking contest.  Not everybody got to participate in everything; each event only needed four to eight people.  I don’t know if I can draw any parallels between the games and homelessness.  Mostly, they were for our entertainment and to keep us awake.  I suppose that if I think about it, both involve limited resources and difficulty adjusting, but that is a very weak simile and I am not committed to it.

Probably the most important part of this event was the presentations brought to us by both the Covenant House and by the supervising staff. Before this event, I’d associated being homeless with being completely broke and having no place to stay at all. Then one man introduced me to the concept of “couch hopping”; his mother had been sick and it was difficult to pay her medical bills and eventually I think they lost the house. He would end up staying with different friends and constantly switching between. Another woman’s house had burnt down and her family had to stay at a hotel until they could either afford a new house or repairs to the old one. Though these people had a place to stay, both went a significant amount of time without a home.

I feel really bad now for having taken my home for granted. The Covenant House is still raising funds on their website, so people can still visit and donate money. As I said above, this money will go towards food and resources for the youths of Covenant House. I sincerely hope that too many more people will not have to go through such hardships in the years to come.

On the bright morning of Saturday, September 12^th, I rose from my cozy grave to start a lengthy day of Service with Stockton. The day began with loud hustle and bustle in the campus center. Pick your team, get some breakfast, find a seat and get started. I was eager to get up and go for the day, but the Day of Service turned out to be very different than I anticipated. Much of the day included information sessions on different organizations that the university works with. They discussed different ways for us to make a larger impact on our community through extensive service projects, and not just picking up trash around campus.

The purple team started their day learning about environmental impacts, conserving water and avoiding plastic bottles, and how to get involved at the Stockton farm. After that, we continued to different areas in the campus center that discussed suicide awareness, gave information about drugs, and gave training on good programs like Green Dot. The day was only half over and already, many people were well educated in different methods to make a difference around the University and other communities. The purple team continued to sort books with Books without Borders, and ended the day with learning about Civic Engagement in the C-D Atrium.

As a whole, the Day of Service was very insightful. Though some feel that more hands-on service would have been better, everyone who attended the Day of Service gained knowledge on how to make a greater impact. For next year, I would argue that it would be more efficient to combine physical activities with the discussion sessions. That way participants can get their toes wet in the different areas and become more motivated to continue projects in the future.