Monthly Archives: March 2016

Snow Storm: Jonas!

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This weekend, snowstorm Jonas turned Stockton into a winter wonderland! Although the school had our safety in mind when recommending our evacuation from the campus, those of us who remained on campus had a great time enjoying the long-awaited winter weather. My friends and I built snowmen, trekked to Lake Pam to see the water, and of course drank plenty of hot chocolate to keep warm! I was so thankful that my mom reminded me to get a new winter coat; however, I couldn’t help but think of our homeless population that isn’t as fortunate. For most, the snow is a time of play and fun.

The Honors Program encourages service throughout the year and the winter weather is among the greatest hardship that the homeless population has to face. The Covenant House –an organization which deals with displaced youths– and the Red Cross –which often runs coat-drives to support the veterans– both contribute massively to alleviating the burden of the cold for those less fortunate. When I get home, I’ll certainly be sorting through my jackets and donating as many as I can.

Group Service Learning Meeting at GC

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Today, during my Honors: The Global Community class, Dr. Rosner came and did a group service learning meeting. I know that there will be semesters ahead in which I have private meetings to set up my service goals; however, I do look forward to the future classes I’ll have in which the group service learning initial meeting will act as a substitute. I really loved hearing what everyone was dedicating their time to this semester and I got to hear about a lot of different service projects for the first time.

Some organizations weren’t so unfamiliar, such as Circle K. I worked with this group at Stockton’s Day of Service and loved the various projects that they had going on! Now that I know I have a classmate who works regularly with Circle K, I know who I can contact when my class-work lightens and I find more time to volunteer. I thought today’s group initial service meeting was a great way for me to learn more about my fellow Honors students while additionally providing me with more resources to access in my future service endeavors.

Get Involved Fair

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While I loved attending the “Get Involved” fair in the fall, I was really looking forward to the Spring fair to see if I had missed any organizations that I could be a part of. A lot of the clubs I noticed this time were culturally-oriented, which didn’t really open up any new clubs to me; however, I did see the tables for the organizations that I worked with in the Fall semester which encouraged me to reach out and continue my efforts on the Argo staff and Stockton’s student-run organic farm.

Regardless of how many classes you’re taking or how many challenges you plan to overcome this semester, there’s no harm in signing up for the email lists for Stockton’s clubs during the “Get Involved” fair because the influx of updates on your Stockton email help you stay connected to the club’s activities that are usually open to the whole community. Meaning even if you didn’t become an active member like you anticipated, you can still know about upcoming events that are about your topic of interest and that are still available to you!

 

Blood Drive Tabling

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Tabling for the blood drive was my second service fulfillment. I decided to table because I don’t fit the physical requirement to donate blood. Many people –most commonly females– under the necessary height and weight requirement cannot donate blood to the organization; however, I viewed this as a challenge to find other ways that I could get involved with helping the organization. Monetary donations are always a little hard to produce on the broke college lifestyle so volunteering my time to the tabling process and encouraging those who are eligible to donate seemed to be a perfect fit for me.

When someone donates blood, they are essentially donating life. Just a single blood donation has the power to save someone, or even several people. One person’s blood can be separated into components of red cells, platelets and plasma, all of which, have individual uses. Patients with specific conditions sometimes only need certain components of the cells and are saved daily by the donations of everyone throughout the world who gives. The Red Cross supplies 40% of the nation’s blood supply and I’m proud to know that fellow Stockton students are a part of that amazing percentage!

Another Great Day of Service !

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At the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, me and fellow Honors students attended to join the day’s events and contribute to our community. Because I attended the Day of Service in the Fall, I was excited to see what activities would be at the Spring’s Day of Service. Among the many organizations, each with their own service-based projects, my friends and I decided to partake in the projects organized by Circle K because we heard about the activities they had scheduled for the day.

There were two different sewing projects going on, each heading to their own destination. Heart surgery is very trying process that leaves the patient emotionally and physically drained. One of the projects was to make pillows for those recovering with fabric and stuffing. We loved making something that we knew would facilitate the recovery for someone suffering.

The second project was another sewing activity; however, this time, the recipients were newborn babies! These small baby toys were for newborns to facilitate the parent-baby bonding process were the two we took part in. As I was sewing the details onto the baby’s toy, I realized that I was becoming part of another life. When the baby’s box of earliest things are gathered together, encased with love and sentiment, their first toy would be one that I made. Forming a connection with a family I would otherwise have no relation to, I sewed as many baby toys as I could and will hopefully be making more in my own time that I can donate!

Alpha Lambda Delta Induction Ceremony

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Alpha Lambda Delta is the academic honors society at Stockton that freshman students can join after their first semester. In order to be eligible for the honor society they must meet a 3.5 minimum GPA requirement and pay a $50 membership fee. Benefits of joining include scholarship and leadership opportunities as well as it just looking really good on your resume. The induction itself took place on February 19, 2016 at 5 pm at the Campus Center event room. There would be an induction portion and then an honorary dinner.

Inductees were supposed to wear business casual attire. This is where I went wrong. I had the most major wardrobe malfunction and ended up wearing a camo baseball cap, a tshirt, leggings and running shoes. I was mortified when I saw my classmates dressed in the gorgeous and professional outfits, the men wearing suits and dress shirts, girls in dresses skirts and heels. To say the least, I felt like an elephant. Granted, I showed up to the dinner still frantic from rushing to hand in my TALONS application so I did not have the opportunity to change because I am a commuter. I remember sitting at the table and everyone saying it’s okay, that they’re not judging me. But I was judging me. Even reassurance from Dr. Rosner, the faculty advisor of the honor society and the head of the honors program, didn’t erase my uneasiness. Thankfully, I have awesome friends who rushed me a change of clothes so I could feel less out of place.

Moving on to the actual ceremony, the induction featured a few speakers including Dr. Rosner and the President of the university, Harvey Kesselman. Then came calling everyone’s name. Since there were so many inductees, what happened was when your name was called you stood up. All applause was meant to be saved until the end. It was actually really funny, hearing the speaker either butcher or eloquently say the person’s name and then looking around the large room for a body to pop up. Although the honor society is incredibly selective, I felt proud to see so many of us that were being inducted. The name calling took an extensive amount of time, especially since the dinnertime food was glaring at us from the other side of the room. Slowly but surely, however, every name was called and person was standing. There was a huge round of applause and the inductees were directed to pick up their certificates and get food.

So all in all, please learn from my mistake and dress to impress. Even if you don’t, people will not judge you because everyone is so nice… but you will feel out of place. Work hard and make sure to get the 3.5 GPA your freshman semester so you can be part of such a wonderful national honor society such as Alpha Lambda Delta.

MLK Day of Service

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Bright and early at 8 am on January 18, 2016, the Stockton community joined with local volunteers to celebrate the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Being a commuter that lives in Galloway, I have attended the MLK Day of Service four consecutive years prior but I was excited to take part in it this time as a student of Stockton. I went with a few of my girlfriends. Once we signed in we headed towards breakfast at the food court. Stockton provided a delicious breakfast with an awesome array of options from donuts to various breakfast sandwiches to coffee, orange juice, and tea. I always like to comment on food (if you have read my previous blogs) because the food at Stockton is unmatchable to some other universities I have visited and I always want to pay tribute and show appreciation towards the staff.

After breakfast we were directed to go to the campus center event room. I was actually taken aback by how good of a turnout there was; there were so many people that the chairs were not enough and many had to stand to the side or towards the back. It is always very encouraging seeing people, especially my peers, show up eager for a cause, this one being to spread service and pay tribute to the life and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The events that followed included: several speakers, honoring members of the community for their service, singing, and informing people of the different projects and locations. I loved the singing which was led by Mrs. Beverly. She always brings an outburst of energy that spreads throughout the entire room. Along with at least 200 other people, I sang “We Shall Overcome” and really took in the words, using them as motivation and energy fuel to get through the rest of the long day ahead.

There was en extremely wide range of projects to choose from, both on campus and off-campus. I don’t quite remember them at the moment but they were all awesome. I decided to stay on campus and work with Circle K creating some cool crafts for people at Atlanticare Hospital. I spent most of my time sewing large heart shaped pillows for older patients and those who are going into same day surgery. I made sure to put as much care into the pillows because I know they definitely make a difference and have calming powers. Other people worked on creating little sock babies for infants in the hospital. The idea behind them is that parents carry the sock babies around with them and when they leave the child will have the sock baby and be able to smell their parents and be comforted. Valentines day cards were also being made and I think they were dedicated to the troops.

After making crafts, we all received a lunch package then moved on to an informative portion of the day. The lesson we learned was on the being a bystander. The bystander effect is a psych term that describes what happens when people in passing see something bad happening to someone but do not help because they assume someone else will help or that is not their responsibility. This little workshop was designed to make people aware of the bystander effect and to stand up in situations where a victim needs help. Something I remember from the lesson was “The 5 Step Decision Making Model” which goes as such:

  1. Notice the Event
  2. Interpret it as a Problem
  3. Assume Personal Responsibility
  4. Know How to Help
  5. Step Up!

With this, I feel more equip to provide help in times of need.

Following the lesson on the bystander effect as a reflection session pertaining to the MLK Day of Service. There were questions to be answered with people are your table as well as an online  survey.

Stockton Stand Up- Justice March

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The March on Stockton took place on November 19, 2015 promptly at 4:30pm. Participants met at the Campus Center and were encouraged to bring posters or signs to display while marching for racial equality. The flyer for the event challenged, “Will you stand if we walk for justice?” Following the march was a panel discussion which geared toward conversing about racial issues on campus and worldwide, highlighting equality and diversity. This march was monumental because as a student body we collectively took a stand on an issue that has been pressing American culture since the formation of this country.

Arriving at the event, I was struck by how many people were actually present. There was a wide assortment of participants, with students from various racial backgrounds and even some faculty and staff members who wanted to be part of the statement march. The sign I carried stated, “RacISm Wrong #StocktonStandUp” and a friend of mine’s sign stated “Black Lives Matter #HandsUpStandUp”. Something I remember from the event that I am having trouble putting into words is the overwhelming feeling of importance and purpose I felt being a part of something like this. I am confident the other participants felt it too.

The march was something out of a movie. Almost as if the sky knew we were coming, it started violently pouring rain outside. That did not stop us from standing up. As any other march, crowd mentality took over and my fellow participants and I started chanting civil rights mottos at the top of our lungs. Leaders immerged from the crowd initiating new chants or prolonging the current one. My favorite was, “No Justice No Peace, Know Justice Know Peace”. As a group we had a lot of fun, it was very exciting. I remember at one point I turned to my right and realized I was marching next to my argument and persuasion teacher, Professor Damon Smith, who is extremely vocal about his beliefs on civil rights issues such as the War on Drugs. It was then, walking with my professor as equals, that it hit me that hey, I am a civil rights activist. Like me, a lot of activists were born that day, or at least were exposed to the world of purposeful action.

After the march, participants were given pizza and invited to stick around for the panel discussion on race. I did not get the chance to attend the panel as I was rushing to the Annual Student Faculty and Staff Dinner but I am more than positive it was very enlightening. Reflecting back on the event, I am very grateful and proud to attend a university that allows justice marches to take place, whose faculty and students can walk side by side, united because of common unavoidable issues. Little steps like this make a difference and impact the bigger picture and scheme of things. The Stockton Stand Up march was definitely one for the books and I would do it again in a heart beat.

Casino Night

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Casino Night was one of the events freshman students were encouraged to attend during welcome week. We were promised food, games, entertainment, and most importantly prizes. It took place in I-wing gym from 9pm to 11pm. Upon arrival, each student was given $50,000 of fake ticket money they could use at different tables to jump start their gambling. There was a really good turn out and the line to enter was ridiculously long. The pinnacle reason for this was the prizes which were handed out raffle style with winners announced I think every thirty minutes. One raffle ticket was equivalent to either $5,000 or $10,000 (I’m sorry its been a really long time). The prizes increased in coolness as the night progress, providing further incentive for people to stay the entire length of the event. The really big ones everyone wanted were the beats headphones and the television but there were other notable prizes.

Since I am not a big casino, card game, gambler person I did not really play any games. However, I watched and people who knew what they were doing looked like they were having a really good time. All the lights were off in the gym and fluorescence was provided by flashing colorful lights and glow in the dark elements of the game tables. There was a lava lamp colorful light display in the back along with a projector displaying music videos corresponding to the music that was blasting our eardrums. People who weren’t playing games or waiting for their turn just kinda loitered and took laps around the room starting at the food table. Some people even starting dancing which was interesting. Just kidding.

If anything, casino night was the perfect opportunity for everyone to socialize and create new friendships being that it was still the very beginning of the semester. I remember my now super close friend and I decided to entertain ourselves by collecting fake money from people who were headed out and no longer had use for their $50,000. Our master plan was that we would collect as much money from voluntary donors and use our newfound wealth to buy a surplus amount of raffle tickets. We would then put all our raffle tickets toward one prize we would share. This strategy made for a really interesting night and completely defeated the purpose of casino night and working for an honest living. Together we hustled our way around the room and “earned” more than $700,000. We were really proud of ourselves. The joke was on us though because by the end of the night we won, nothing. It’s been months and I’m still upset.

All in all, casino night was a success, despite my tragic situation. I encourage all incoming freshman to attend and even upperclassman that are looking for a good time and free food. I certainly will consider attending next fall and hopefully I’ll do casino night right that time around.