When I think of Stockton events I think of loud excited college students covered in attire that bore the black and blue “S” of Stockton University.  As I walked into the Strike Zone bowling alley on Monday, September 26, I expected to see many of my fellow peers there showing off their bowling skills.  Alas, that is not what happened as I was not only the only Stockton student there, I was also the only customer there.  Of course I stayed for the designated 9-11 PM time slot for the $5 all-you-can-bowl Stockton bowling club special because I’ve learned to take all the deals I can get as a bowler.  The entire three-hour slot was filled with six adrenaline-filled games.  There were cheers, there were tears, there was everything in between.  Not really, it was just really fun.  The owner of the alley went out of his way to let me know that Stockton students are more than welcome to come Monday nights for as long as the special lasts, and he also hinted that he wouldn’t mind a Stockton bowling league either.  These Monday nights could be a very relaxing and fun way to end Mondays and they could be a good start to the rest of the week.  It’s also a cheap way to hang out with friends and unwind.  The bowling alley also has a small restaurant attached to it that sells pizzas, sodas, sandwiches, and more so you can have fun bowling and you can have fun eating.  The Stockton bowling club holds these specials every Monday night from 9-11 starting from September 19th to April 24th at the Strike Zone bowling alley about fifteen minutes away from the campus.  

On November 19, I volunteered in the very first Run Run Rudolph Run run by a fellow honors student.  The 5K run was held in order to raise money to give families in need a better Christmas by buying gifts to give to the children of those families.  There weren’t that many participants in the run, but there were many volunteers.  It was very heartwarming to see everyone come together to help families in need during the holidays.  We were unable to raise enough money to give an entire family presents, but we were still able to use the money we did raise to buy presents for families in need.  

The volunteers in the event helped run the event by passing out water, directing the runners, signing participants in, making posters, and selling holiday items.  I helped by making a poster to motivate the runners and I waited on the trail to direct the runners on where to go.  

Overall, it was a very fun time and it wasn’t very time-consuming.  It was nice to know that I helped in improving a family’s holiday.  Being able to be a part of something so wonderful was an amazing experience and I am glad I was able to help make the event go as smooth as possible.  I also admired the event coordinator’s passion for the cause and the effort and time she put into organizing the event and making it the best it could be.  The event will hopefully be held annually around the holidays and I am looking forward to seeing the event grow and improve into something even more amazing.  

As a member of the Women’s lacrosse team here at Stockton it is my job to make sure I am serving my community just as it is in the Honor’s Program. Since recently it was just Thanksgiving, those who are poor need to find a way to have the luxury of having a table full of food on Thanksgiving. I have always been able to take part in a food drive every year and was so excited to see that as an athletics program Stockton was having one too. A month before Thanksgiving I announced to my chemistry class that Stockton Athletics’ was hosting a food drive of nonperishable canned foods to donate to families who cannot afford the Thanksgiving dinner that every family deserves. Even though there were only 10 cans in the box by the time I had to return the box of cans, it was still a great turn out on my part. By myself I also donated 10 nonperishable food items. When I went to hand in my cans I was so glad to see how much was actually donated. I have never seen so many cans of food before even though I have done so many food drives before. It is a nice thing to see our community come together to help those in need during the Holiday Season.

On November 11, 2016, I attended the ceremonies held here at Stockton to honor our veterans and their service. I had entered the Warrior Champions essay contest—we had watched a documentary during Welcome Week about a small group’s journey to the Paralympics, which the contest was based on—and had been chosen as one of the top seven finalists. I did not know what to expect, really, as this is my first year at Stockton and I’ve never been to a ceremony particularly to honor veterans.

First, speeches were given on the steps to the school, where individuals of distinction discussed what lengths Stockton has gone or veterans, and the many lengths that veterans have gone for the freedom of our nation and its citizens. Afterwards, we walked to Veterans Park, where we listened to a stunning rendition of Taps by a student of ours, Brielle Lord. Following this, as well as some more remarks, we went to the Campus Center and were treated to lunch. It was there that the winners of the contest were announced. I tied for second with a fellow student, much to my joy and surprise. We were free to leave after winners were announced, or we had the option to stay and mingle. Overall, this event was one of peaceful solemnity; there was a note of gratefulness in the air that only comes when people think for a time about the sacrifices others willingly make. I think that it’s important that we have some sort of event honoring our veterans; it’s important to remember who exactly has to fight the battles that we may detest, who has to carry that weight and keep that flag standing, flying in the wind.

On Thursday November 17^th, I had the opportunity to table for the first annual Run Run Rudolph 5k race.  Organized and planned by Kate Volpe, this race was taking place in order to raise money to support one or more families during the holiday season.  However, while not enough money was raised to completely support an entire family’s holiday needs, we were able to raise enough money to buy many gifts for several families’ gifts.  While this wasn’t our exact goal, it was a tremendous first step for the first ever Run Run Rudolph and is a joy to be able to help out those in need a little, even if we did not reach our goal.  During my shift we raised around $50 dollars in order to help people during the holiday season receive gifts and aid when it is often needed most.

There is a deeper meaning than just buying gifts for people though.  The holidays represent a time of helping others, and really extending the olive branch to those less fortunate or more in need.  Whenever given the chance to help, I’ve learned to jump on it.  The enriching nature of just knowing others are feeling joy they might not have felt without our help makes all the difference in the world to both them and us.  By helping out someone in need now, hopefully this inspires them to help others in need when they become able to.  If everyone just took the time to help just one person, the world would be a more thoughtful and caring place.  The world is so full of hate, disagreement, and hostility, that it is more important now than ever to lend a helping hand in making just one person’s life just that much better however you can.  It will reward not only yourself, but the entire population as the domino effect takes place in a positive and helping fashion

Paige Weisman

The Stockton Honors Program sponsored Pizza and Pong, a one-time music-filled event held in the Campus Center on October 24. I probably will not tell anyone outside of this blog that my first time playing (water) pong was with my college’s Honors Program; nonetheless, I will always treasure it as one of my first college memories. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to compete and reignite my team spirit. Because I was one of the first people there, me and a few other people started a game and, surprisingly, we were all equally-matched. It was only until after I chugged my first cup that somebody told me we do not have to drink the water. Even though I would have preferred to quench my thirst while playing, I did not mind.
As I sat in my night class before going to the event, I was looking forward to Primo’s pizza, a Stockton Honors staple. I enjoyed getting to know other students over a couple slices along with some cups of water that were not in play. I especially loved talking to some of the kids I recognized from the freshman honors seminar. After we ate and more people came, a small tournament began at one of the two tables. I did not do too badly on my own for having just started to play, but I enjoyed spectating since most people have more experience than me. The free-play table was a lot more competitive than the tournament table because proud friends were going against each other. There is no better feeling than bonding over water pong. I am excited to attend more honors events, as I feel fortunate to have a built-in community as a freshman.

On Monday, November 14, I attended a poetry reading by Dr. Akhil Katyal of India, Stockton’s International Writer-in-Residence. At 7 PM, I took a seat. However, the seat I took was not in the correct location. Apparently, the reading was in the Board Room, even though countless emails had told me it was in the Event Room. So at 7:15 I took a seat in the correct room.
Luckily, I was not too late. He had only just started speaking, and not even reading the poetry, by the time I got there. I am not going to lie, Dr. Katyal had a bit of an accent. His accent made it a tad hard to understand, but I still understood most of what he was saying. Since it had only been a few days since the election, everyone was still pretty sensitive about the results. It was all so raw. He wrote a poem about how he felt when he saw the results. In another one of his poems, he slipped in that he had a boyfriend, which made me understand even more why the election results had such an impact on him and his psyche. Between being a person of color and being gay, there is a lot at stake for him when it comes to the social justice area of politics. His thoughts and poetry were profound. He wrote about his identity and his travels, from India to Chicago to New York to Stockton. Listening to his poetry was a great experience.

Last Saturday, I woke up at 5 PM. I had somehow managed to sleep through being texted by about a dozen different people and called by a few as well. I quickly downed the pills I had missed taking that morning, and began to accept that it would be nothing but an unproductive day in my dorm. That is, until I checked my text messages. My friends Mike, Kelsey, and Alex, all in the Honors Program as well, had texted me an invitation to come out with them to the Campus Center Theatre to see a movie. Little did I know, this would not be just any movie. This would be Sausage Party. Ah, but I get ahead of myself. I would first, before diving into the movie, like to state how much I appreciate that Stockton University has movie screenings like this. As all of us residential students know, campus gets very dead on the weekends, and it can be depressing. The fact that people go out of their way to screen these movies for us really says something about Stockton University, and the way it takes care of its students. I am truly grateful.
I’m sure every reader is wondering by now about Sausage Party. I assume most people at least saw commercials for it, but if you haven’t, I recommend you do so that you understand the nature of this movie. If there was one word to sum it up: raunchy. This movie pushed boundaries. Yes, I was brought up in a conservative Christian home, so any raunchy movie would have been a culture shock for me – but this was different. This movie was at the very end of the spectrum, or at least as far as you can go without getting pornographic. There was no lack of purposefully-poorly-hidden innuendos, especially at the end. There was uncensored cursing – even the F word – and I was fairly shocked that a public university was allowing this to be screened. Maybe the people in charge aren’t aware of how wild this movie is! Don’t tell them.
Yes, this movie is raunchy and absolutely not something to show the kids, but believe it or not, it was more than that. Behind the 4th-wall-breaking, naughty, and dark humor, there was a deep message – a social commentary. No, I’m not crazy. If I were next door in Atlantic City, I’d bet on a lot of money that this was a commentary on the somewhat pointless divisions we draw between ourselves based on religion. Specifically, the commentary is on the extent of how pointless they are in the opinion of the movie’s producers and writers. To fully experience how this is played out: watch the movie. I warn you, it’s very dirty, but if you can take it, watch it. However, I can tell you, the movie’s thrilling conclusion is reached when the characters unite together and reject the ideas of blindly following their religions and of allowing themselves to be divided by them. Overall, ask anyone who saw this movie: it was a wild ride.

My lacrosse team makes it a priority to participate in several activities that give back to the community. They’re excellent for team bonding and allow the team to do something productive for youth and surrounding neighborhoods. Recently our team, along with every other sports team at Stockton and in our conference, took part in an effort to raise donations in the form of cans and other food donations for families who cannot always have the most luxurious Thanksgiving. Each of us asked our friends and family to donate cans of corn, instant mashed potatoes, and other thanksgiving staples. The response we got was overwhelming, raising over 100 items as a team. We were so happy with our ability to aid local families who wanted to have a nice thanksgiving meal but couldn’t afford it. Thanksgiving is a holiday that’s about giving back to people without expecting something in return; it’s about the joy of helping and being thankful for whatever we might have. It’s important to realize that however much one might have, there is always someone that has less. Participating in community service activities has given me a new perspective on volunteering, and has given me way less to complain about. I now seek out opportunities to volunteer on my own, because it’s an excellent feeling when people give thanks for donating time and resources to their cause. I’m sure the families we were able to help were thankful and joyful, but really it is the team and I that are thankful for the opportunity to give back.

Kristen Russo

On November seventeenth `at 4:35pm I attended the Winter Extravaganza event, hosted by the Commuters on the Go Club. This was a service event, which involved making holiday themed ornaments and decorations for a nursing home. There were suitable supplies for the crafts, including glitter, snowflakes, glue, and other arts and crafts materials. In addition, the club provided snacks such as cookies and lemonade and played holiday music to set the mood for the activity. The leaders of the club were kind and helpful throughout the event and took most of the responsibility afterwards for cleaning up the spilled crafts and glitter. Moreover, the snacks combined with the creative aspect of the project created a lighthearted atmosphere that made community service, something many students resent, into a fun and stress-relieving activity.  Overall, the Commuters on the Go Winter Extravaganza was a fun way to spend time with friends while simultaneously making a difference in the community, and it provided a way for students to harness their creativity while also making a positive impact.