Mike Heine

Professor Rodriguez

Freshman Convocation

    Stockton University held its freshman convocation on September 29th in the Performing Arts Center. The event was organized by the university and Dr. GT Lenard, the director of freshman seminars. The purpose of convocation was to discuss the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Ellen Forney, the book’s illustrator, was the speaker. Ms. Forney discussed the process of illustrating for Sherman Alexie’s book, highlighting the challenge of getting inside Arnold Spirit’s head in order to make the drawings as relevant as possible. She told us how she would pause at certain points as she read the draft and place an illustration at that point. After that, Forney discussed her own book, Marbles. Marbles is an autobiographical book discussing her experiences with bipolar disorder. In the book, she wrote about her feelings and how she dealt with mental illness on a day to day basis. Forney’s book also contained illustrations and she showed us several of them. At the end of convocation, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions. I did not ask her anything, but someone asked her if it was easier to illustrate for her own book or for someone else’s. I enjoyed this question and the ensuing discussion because she eventually started talking about her bipolar disorder. I don’t know many people affected by mental illness, but it is an interesting topic that I enjoy learning about. Overall, freshman convocation was an interesting experience with meaningful discussions and topics.

The event that I attended was the freshman convocation that occurred on September 29^th, 2016. This event was organized by the honors program freshman seminars, with special thanks to Georgeann Lenard. The convocation was a one-time performance that occurred in the PAC. This event hosted the lovely Ellen Forney, whom is the illustrator of The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. To begin, Ellen Forney went into detail of how she created her illustrations, and would show her illustrations on the screen to give examples. At one point, Ellen talked about how she would use facial expressions and words at the same time to confuse people and make an illustration seem more like a joke than something to be taken seriously. When she finished, Ellen Forney then discussed her illustrations that she created in her own personal memoir Marbles. Ellen Forney was able to share her personal experiences with bipolar disorder and how she was able to overcome her hardships a lot of times through drawing. She told the audience what it felt like to have others feel that you have one or more personalities that could come out at any time. Forney then discussed and answered questions from the audience, such as how she came to know Sherman Alexie and have the privilege of illustrating for him. Afterwards, she even signed her books for those that wanted a signed copy. This event was very enjoyable and useful if you really loved the summer reading book; however, it could be a little dry if the book did not have a personal meaning to you as much as it did for her, so you may not understand the significance of the illustrations. It definitely was a worthwhile experience, and in the end, no matter how I felt about it, it was still noteworthy to be able to meet an accomplished, and hard-working modern artist.

Kate Doherty

I can’t say that I have ever been an avid patron of the arts. I have seen high school plays, a few concerts, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, but other than that, my attendance at performances has been scarce. On October 21, 2016, this changed. At Stockton each year, a dance company does a residency at the school. This year’s company was Lehrer Dance, a company from Buffalo, New York. At the end of their residency, my Writing from Experience class got the opportunity to work with the company. After interacting with them and hearing how passionate the dancers and choreographer were, I knew I had to go see them perform live in the Performing Arts Center. All performances at the PAC are funded by outside businesses and sponsors like the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation for example. This gives students the opportunity to see such worth-while performances at a very discounted price.

I bought my ticket alone so entering the theater, I was a little intimidated not sitting with people I knew. However, as strange as it sounds, I was so glad that I was sitting by myself. I could wholeheartedly pay attention and appreciate the performance. The company performed a sequence of modern style pieces and I was enthralled during the entire show. Each dance inspired a story in me as I watched the dancers interact. During one piece performed by three of the male dancers, I could understand the symbolism. The men were competing for power, moving in front of one another to take center stage; however, by the end of the piece, they were working together instead. Their interdependence and weight sharing at the end of the piece showed that as much as they want to be the only one in control, they rely on one another for support. I teared up as this dance ended feeling so moved by their performance.

I enjoyed the entire performance so much. In the programs that were handed out, there was a list of other performances that will be happening later in the year. I plan to attend as many of them as I can. I also have decided to take a dance class this upcoming semester to break up my course load and express myself while trying something new!

       Saturday, October 8th, was Stockton University’s 21st annual Osprey Ball.  Located in the event room of the campus center, the Osprey Ball was a semi-formal event from 9 p.m. – 1 a.m. that entailed food, loud music, a photo booth, and lots of dancing.  It was the final event of University Weekend, a weekend of events designed to give college students a chance to show their friends and families what Stockton is all about: good, clean, fun.   

       I brought my boyfriend, Jake, to the Osprey Ball.  It was really nice to have a chance to spend time with him, since he lives in Delaware and I don’t get to see him often.  I wore a sharp black dress, and he adorned himself in a matching black dress shirt and tie.  We both like to dress up fancy, so we took advantage of the occasion.  The only downside to the whole thing was that I saw a girl in the same dress as me…and my dress was three years old.  Good thing I don’t get embarrassed easily.  

       Although Jake and I aren’t very skilled at dancing, we still had a good time.  There was plenty of food for us to stuff our faces with: chicken tenders, veggie rolls, fruit, and more.  One thing I’ve learned in the short few months that I’ve been here: Stockton never lets anyone go hungry!

       The music was also really good at the dance.  The DJ played more than cheesy country songs (unlike my high school); the variety of genres was refreshing.  I heard old school rap, modern pop, EDM, and even some reggae.  Stockton really knows how to party.  

       What I really enjoyed the most about the dance was that it had such a different vibe to it: a happy, carefree one.  Stockton is so different than high school, and any other college campus I’ve stepped foot on.  Everyone was out on the dance floor, getting their groove on (whether they were rhythmically inclined or not).  Nobody seemed to care about anything but the music.  In high school, there was always drama on the floor: girls fighting over some irrelevant guy, friends feeling left out of a dance circle, or some other pointless event of frustration, but at the Osprey Ball, there was none of that.  I saw one guy performing moves akin to ones from Beyoncé music videos…hair flips and all.  It was pretty awesome; everyone was having such a good time.  The vibes were great.

       To conclude, I will most definitely attend next year’s Osprey Ball.  It was a good time with good friends, good food, and good music.  I’d suggest anyone that likes to dance and have a good time go.  The tickets were only $5 each (I took advantage of the pre-sale).  It’s a really fun, really cheap way to spend a Saturday night with your significant other or group of friends!  It’s also a really fun way to feel like an Osprey, and get into the Stockton spirit.  You only get four years, so enjoy them!             

Jessica Bolich

On October 13, 2016, Commuters on the Go sponsored the Afternoon of Service. Located in the Board of Trustees room, the service event appeared to be a smaller version of the Day of Service that was hosted towards the beginning of the semester. The Afternoon of Service began at 4:30 and lasted until about 6:00. It consisted of two parts: attendees working at service stations and a reflection session afterwards.

The Afternoon had three service stations; however, because of the turnout, some of the stations were spread across multiple tables. The first station consisted of making heart shaped baskets to give to elders living in nursing homes. The contents of some of the baskets included some small Mother’s day cards that were hand crafted by some of the students who came to the Afternoon of Service. At the second station, students sewed and stuffed teddy bears and heart-shaped pillows from pieces of colorful fabric. These gifts were created for young children afflicted with cancer. Students at the final station drew birthday cards for homeless families who could not afford to purchase cards or gifts for their children. The insides of the cards were left blank so the families could personalize the cards for their children.

The reflection session that followed the service was very powerful. The attendees were given three post-it notes and were instructed to write one thing on each of the notes: a person who was important to them, a thing that was important to them, and a trait that was important to them. After writing these things down, the participants were told to switch their post-it notes with somebody they did not know. They were then told to throw away one of the post-it notes before returning them to their original owners. This exercise was done to demonstrate the kinds of feelings people have when their important things are taken away from them, as with the groups for which the gifts were created. Although this service activity was not a part of a series of events, the participants were still able to help many people in need within a short span of time.

Jessica Bolich

Once again, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump dueled in a battle of words during the second presidential debate. This time, the debate was a town hall style where undecided voters selected by the Gallup organization asked the candidates questions and other voters submitted questions through social media. Like the previous presidential debate, the moderators requested that the live audience remain silent and not use electronic devices for the duration of the debate, but the audience still required reminding throughout the course of the night.

When the debate began, each candidate was given a time limit of two minutes which both exceeded on occasion. Right from the first question, both candidates wasted no time inserting their campaign slogans into their answers. Not long after the debate had started, the footage of Donald Trump speaking about women in lewd ways, which has come to be referred to as the Trump Tapes, became the subject of the debate, and both of the candidates began to lash out at each other. Trump claimed that his words were just “locker room talk” and Clinton told the audience that she did not believe Trump was fit to serve as president. However, their words were not limited to the Trump Tapes. They also argued about each other going over the time limit and about who was interrupting whom. The debate ended with a question that shocked audiences: the candidates were asked to name one thing that they respected in the other. Clinton responded first by saying that as a mother and grandmother, she respected how Trump held the devotion of his children, and Trump replied that he respected Clinton’s determination.

This debate was broadcast live on October 9, in the Campus Center like the previous debates and sponsored by the Stockton Political Engagement Program. The third and final presidential debate will be viewed on October 19 in the Campus Center Board of Trustees room.

On September 10, 2016, Stockton University hosted its annual Day of Service. Over 500 students and faculty, representing a variety of different university programs, gathered in the event room to kick start the day of giving back to the community. The Office of Student Development, along with Circle K and local organizations, organized the service activities that were to take place throughout the day. Each station worked diligently to fight global hunger, provide arts and crafts for children in the hospital, and pack books for disadvantaged countries, as well as offered education programs for suicide prevention, CPR, and voting registration. Following the activities, students were involved in a dialogue session to reflect on the work they had done and the lives that had benefitted from their work, including their own.

Two of my friends and I participated in the Day of Service for the first time, and we were amazed by the dedication and commitment that Stockton has towards giving back. There were hundreds of students and staff who, through collaboration and teamwork, worked towards something bigger than themselves.  My favorite station of the day, personally, was the Stop Hunger Now station that provided meals for underprivileged cities across the world. Students were asked to pack pre-sectioned meals of rice, soy, dried vegetables, and vitamins. Latoya Gillyard, representative of Stop Hunger Now movement, encouraged students to work as hard and effectively as they could; ultimately, setting a goal of making 48,000 meals in the allotted four hours of time. Every time the group made 1,000 meals, students would ring a bell to mark the effectiveness of their efforts.

Following the events, each group separated into mini breakout sessions, led by members of Circle K, to discuss the events of the day and the impact the Day of Service had on everyone in attendance. Not only had we helped those struggling both locally and globally, we learned the value of putting others before ourselves. I find great pleasure when making a difference in the world around me. Service has always been a big part of my life, and it was cool to bring that with me as I started my college experience.

On September twenty-third the Stockton Pride Alliance held their first event, a Bi Visibility Cafe, at eight p.m. in the campus center to celebrate Bisexual Awareness Day. In general, the concept of the event, a forum specifically for multisexuals (an umbrella term referring to anyone attracted to more than one gender, including bisexuals, polysexuals, pansexuals, and individuals who prefer not to use labels), was a satisfying change, when most LGBT spaces tend to center around monosexual gay people, and bisexuals are rarely given a loud voice in the community. Furthermore, the atmosphere was immediately welcoming. I initially sat by myself far from the stage and was quickly approached by the club’s vice president, who explained the event and invited me to move closer, where luckily I ran into some friends. The event primarily centered around an open mic night for multisexuals to share personal stories, songs, and poetry, and several tables were set up with snacks and drinks such as cookies, fruit, soda, and coffee. The board members put significant effort into keeping the event moving, frequently making announcements or doing improvised acts whenever there was a break in performances, as well as encouraging audience members to come up and share their experiences. About halfway through, the vice president of the Pride Alliance went around to every table and spent several minutes chatting with each person who had attended, looking for feedback and trying to make sure the event was successful. Overall, the performances were insightful, often entertaining, and the audience was welcoming and respectful. Moreover, the event provided some much-needed visibility to a part of the community that so frequently struggles with erasure.

The other day I attended a meeting for the Stockton Theatre Club. Since it was one of their first meetings and there were many new faces, we played a games and afterwards went around introducing ourselves. There were many members who major in a part of theatre, including aspects related to backstage work, but there were also many other majors. The club is great for anyone interested in theatre, on stage or behind the scenes, and it seems like people can get a lot of experience with it at the club, with their many events and workshops.

Some of the upcoming events include Whose Line Is It Anyway? shows, workshops and a performance of monologues. The Whose Line shows are improvisation shows where actors do skits and the audience comes up with the characters or scenario. I have been to a few and they were very funny and entertaining. I definitely recommend going to one. The next one, I believe, is in late October, but there will also be more after that. They also do workshops on different things in theatre run by the seniors and professors, so that people can improve their skills and learn. I know there will be many performances that people can go see as well if they are not interested in the actual acting or behind the scenes work such as the performance of monologues which is coming up soon, plays, musicals and many others.

            I am very excited to be a part of the club this year and am looking forward to being involved in these events. They seem like they will be a lot of fun and I would recommend going to at least some of these events. The theatre club meets on Thursdays at 4:30 pm in the experimental theatre lobby, which is downstairs from the PAC, so come and check out the club!