On October 19th, during the internet safety week at Stockton University, I attended a small group discussion and presentation with a few other freshman honors students. I heard of this discussion through friends within my honors seminar class, we wanted to attend an event together to get more involved around campus and take part in the overall theme of the week. We were expecting to be in a large group of people watching a presentation, but what we found were fellow students who wanted to share their research on Net Neutrality. The students told us at the beginning of the event that they hoped to open up a discussion of internet laws and guidelines that are going to shape the way we use technology as a whole in the future.

They first asked us about the topic of Net Neutrality and what it meant to us and as a whole. According to the information they provided us, Net Neutrality is the ability one company has over another to speed up, slow down, or block content. An example one of the students used was concerning Comcast and how they wanted to make a deal with Netflix. When the two companies did not agree, Comcast made the downloading speeds of shows on Netflix extremely slow. Once a deal was made, the speed of Comcast internet while using Netflix went from being the second slowest to the third fastest, with only two other companies downloading faster. We then discussed how these cable companies act as monopolies, buying and owning certain parts of land that they then sell to, not allowing other companies to steal their customers. Startups and other companies are overrun by these few giant companies that all have deals with each other to share resources such as satellites and cell towers.  Laws such as Net Neutrality hope to either counteract these monopolies or encourage them. We explored different benefits and downsides to each side of the law, but ultimately agreed as a group that these monopolies are in no way helping the actual consumer of the product. The customer is not only being given just two companies to choose from, they are also not receiving the customer support they deserve. The population of the United States pays more for the same amount or slower internet service than almost anyone else with an internet connection.

Having this small group discussion seemed intimidating at first, but having only a few people helped the conversation merge into more complicated and controversial opinions and topics. There was no exact layout for the presentation, as a group we were able to learn and discover our own opinions on the topic and ask any immediate questions we had without interrupting. I also learned many facts about America’s internet usage that I had not known before, such as America only being in 31st place for download speed in the world. This small and short presentation not only informed me about a worldly issue that will affect my everyday life, it helped introduce me into getting involved on campus and the many ways I can learn not only from my professors, but from my peers.

The Honors Class of 2021 took a trip to the American Revolution Museum in Philadelphia this past Saturday. My own personal experience started off rough. The bus picked us all up at 9:15 am, but I missed my alarm and woke up at 9:05 am. I threw my clothes on and ran to the bus luckily making it there at exactly 9:15! I slept the whole way to Philly, which was about an hour, and we arrived at the Museum. Inside was very impressive, as I expected given all the commercials I heard about the Museum the year prior. In the museum were maps of fighting routes of the British and America and many figurines depicting issues that you don’t always hear about in High School. There were also movies that really sealed the information. Another feature I appreciated about the American Revolution Museum was the interaction. In the Museum were areas where you could actually touch the history and open cabinets to see items from the times (I always find it interesting to see how items of day to day use developed from then to now). Another area of interaction was the dress up section that was equipped with children’s toys of the time, and ciphers for wartime code. I dressed up with my friends and also enjoyed some time playing with a Jacob’s Ladder and a toy where a ball attached to a string must be caught in a cup (this may sound simple but it is much harder than you think!) My favorite was the story of George Washington’s tent. There was a video that told the story of the man of George Washington: how he stayed on the battlefield with his soldiers and went through everything they did. He camped with the soldiers in tents like the soldiers. When needed, his tent was turned into a battle station. This tent is where some of the greatest moments in American history were planned out, and the most amazing thing was, I got to experience it! At the museum at the end of the video presentation, the projector screen rises and you see the actual tent of George Washington. I really felt like ending with this video was the best way to be able to look back at the Museum and be able to actually put myself in that time: that time of struggle where you are fighting for your life, where everyday is a battle, where there is no cell phone to distract you, where human deliberation and agreement of people of some of the nation’s smartest individuals put their minds together always for the greater of the people. I find it so fascinating to try and put myself in that time more than 200 years ago. I find myself so much more grateful and respectful of American history now than ever before. I went to school at Devon Prep which is right down the road from the Valley Forge Battlefield! I never quite appreciated where I was and the men who probably walked where I did! This trip really opened my eyes, I am excited to go back again and share the experience with my family!

On October 7, 2017 Stockton University hosted a parade and Street Fair, which took place behind the campus center on College Walk, as part of University Weekend. University Weekend was held to welcome families and friends to the Stockton community and the street fair was the perfect way to celebrate and display all of the clubs and organizations that make Stockton so diverse. As a member of S.A.V.E (Stockton Action Volunteers for the Environment), I volunteered to help set-up our table and promote our club and its cause. On a beautiful day in October, it seemed as though the Stockton community was entirely focused on celebrating what makes our school unique.

At 11:30, the parade of clubs and organizations, teams, sororities and fraternities sported their elaborately handcrafted floats as they drove through the campus. S.A.V.E’s float, in particular, celebrated Puerto Rico’s biodiversity and sustainability efforts. Students and their families stood on the side cheering them on and getting a taste of what Stockton is all about. As our club’s float passed, we returned to our table to finish any last-minute preparations. The club leaders were very enthusiastic and passionate about spreading the club’s message of promoting a more eco-friendly atmosphere around our school and in our lives and keeping our environment healthy and enjoyable for everyone.

Our table included a pledge for passersby to sign to petition clean energy to our governor, as well as honey sampling from Stockton farm’s very own bees and the fittingly named “smoothie bike”, which (as the name implies) requires pedaling to power a blender that creates a delicious homemade smoothie. Our table provided the perfect opportunity to demonstrate to the family and friends of the Stockton community how easy it is to get involved in taking action for our planet while incorporating a unique and fun experience to tie it all together.

The fair overall was a success. The center of the university was filled with music and conservation, unique vendors and a variety of delicious food. My hour of volunteer service led me to experience the happiness and contentment that comes along with communal events and provided an enjoyable way to spend my weekend at Stockton. It also highlighted the idea that getting involved in clubs and activities allows you to make the most out of your college experience. This fair served as a reminder that Stockton University is unique in its mission of promoting a positive and unified environment not only for its students but for the surrounding communities.

At 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 7th, I met my parents outside my dorm room for University Weekend. It was the first time I had seen my parents for a few weeks, so I was excited to spend some time with them and show them around campus now that I knew it pretty well, whereas last time none of us knew our way around very well. As we were walking around and I was explaining the different parts of campus center and the various parts of the freshman dorms, I realized that even though I had only been here for a month, I already knew the university so well and it hit me that Stockton was now my home.
First on the agenda was breakfast, where we ate a good meal and got ourselves ready for the day. We also used that time to catch up and they asked me how I was doing with college. Much to both of our delight, I could finally be excited about my schoolwork and be passionate about what I’m learning in the classroom.
After breakfast, the parade started and we stood on the side as we watched various groups and organizations pass by in their golf carts. Both my parents and I were impressed by how enthusiastic everyone was about their respective club. I enjoyed how the parade emphasized the true community that Stockton is. So many people were joining together and doing great things together, and I loved it.
The best part of the day happened after the parade, and that was walking around with my parents, browsing the diverse shops lining the walkways. As we walked around I continued to point out details about the campus and continued to amaze myself with how much I already knew about my new home. We pet some stingrays, pied some fraternity members, and shot on a hockey net. This part of University Weekend was very well executed and it did a great job of representing the diversity and community of Stockton. We finished the day off by watching the men’s soccer team face off against Rutgers-Newark. Although they couldn’t pull off a win, I could always appreciate sitting back and watching sports.
University Weekend was a fantastic opportunity to catch up with my parents and spend a meaningful day with them. I thought everything about the weekend was very well executed and my parents will definitely be back for the next one.

I always knew that I wanted to try and be super involved in college. In high school, I only stuck to what I was comfortable with doing; I never really joined clubs or played sports that I was had no prior experience with. So, coming into college, I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to experience something new. This is actually why I joined the Stockton Action Volunteers for the Environment club, or S.A.V.E for short. This club is centered around helping the environment, and is actually the first and oldest environmental organization on the Pine Lands Reserve. S.A.VE has also been an advocate for environmental awareness, environmental consciousness, and environmental action.

On October 11, 2017, I attended S.A.V.E’s Climate Change Rally, which was hosted in Stockton University’s coffee house. During the start of the event, we all created posters that had to do with the environment. I painted a poster to raise awareness about sea pollution. Across my poster read, “Save The Sea.” After we created a few posters, we listened to speakers while eating free pizza. The speakers spoke of different ways to get involved in protecting the environment and how climate change needs to be an everyday topic that is talked about, we can not continue to ignore the situation.

An important part of the event was that we all grouped together with our posters and marched around campus, chanting about climate change. I believe that this event was important to inform people of climate change and how it is a problem that will not just go away by itself; it is something that we need to act fast to resolve.

On September 14, 2017 I attended the Meet the Greeks event with my roommate and another friend. I have never had an interest in Greek life, but I decided to go anyway because my roommate really wanted to go. I was just hoping that I would get some free food out of it, which I did not end up getting. My plan was to just follow my roommate and friend around the room silently while trying not to get too close to any over-excited sorority member. I did not think Greek life was taken so seriously at Stockton, but all of the sorority and fraternity members seem to be very dedicated to their chapters. I was bored at first, but I decided to actually participate instead of watching and had a lot better of a time.

The first sorority we walked up to was Sigma Sigma Sigma because my roommate’s friend is in the sorority, so it was one of her top choices. The girl we talked to bombarded us with tons of overwhelming information that was not well explained, so we walked away feeling pretty confused and my friends were unsure about whether they still wanted to join a sorority. We decided to move on a talk to a few more sororities and actually ended up learning a lot about pledging, rushing, and just information about sorority life in general. After attending Meet the Greeks my opinion on Greek life has changed. I no longer think of sorority girls as brain-washed party girls, but rather involved students that are passionate and willing to help. Although I respect Greek life now, I still do not want to join one because they take up a lot of time and dedication.

All in all, I would recommend going out of your comfort zone to witness something you may not know a lot about. I was able to learn about Greek life, which I previously had no clue about. If my friends never dragged me there, then I would still be ignorant and judgmental towards sororities.

This weekend I traveled to Philadelphia on a trip with the Honors Program to visit the Museum of the American Revolution. When we arrived at the museum, we started our self-guided tour by watching the orientation video. The video gave us a great quick history of before, during and after the revolutionary war in America. This set us up for the more detailed experience waiting for us in the upstairs galleries. As we walked through the Becoming Revolutionaries exhibit, it painted a picture of the lifestyle in America and the tension that built up to the shot heard round the world. My favorite room in this part of the exhibit was the one with a liberty tree in the center of it, which was a gathering place for daughters and sons of liberty and were symbols of resistance to Great Britain. Surrounding this tree, with a piece of the first liberty tree available to touch, was an interactive screen to learn more about events during this time and a large exhibit on the stamp act. As we continued to walk through, another part I enjoyed were the scenes they had reenacted from the war with life size figures. It truly made you feel like you were walking through history. Another part I enjoyed was the part of The Darkest Hour exhibit where it discussed the battles that took place in New Jersey. There was a large map, and if you clicked on a specific battle, lights would show up and move which demonstrated the movement of each battle. There was truly so much detail put in to this very modern museum. With every new walk through I’m sure you would be able to witness something new. From the maps on the floors, to all the interactive things to open and read, it kept one captivated the entire experience. There were also many details added that didn’t necessarily directly pertain to the war, but helped us gain a good understanding of that time. For example, some I enjoyed were pieces of their money, journals from school kids at that time and the buckles they used on their shoes. There was something for all ages, from the dress up room and large boat in the War at Sea exhibit for the kids, and even videos throughout the entire journey if you needed to sit and rest for a few minutes.

As we were getting to the end of the of the exhibits I expected there to be some grand finale of the end of the American Revolution. However, just as the exhibit showed me, the end of the revolutionary war was not the end of the American Revolution. In fact, it was just the beginning. The American Revolution is still alive today, as we are constantly striving to become a stronger, better and more equal country for everyone. The exhibit ended with a bunch of mirrors and in the middle, it stated, “The Future of the American Revolution”. I think it is important to remember that while our founding fathers got us off on the right track, it is our duty as citizens to continue their work to make America the land of the free and home of the brave.

On October 19th, this past Thursday, I attended the Stockton Democrats vs. Stockton Republicans Debate. I would like to applaud the efforts of both the Democrats and the Republicans who got up and argued for their party’s ideals. I know from personal experience that debating is hard, as it requires a broad knowledge of many topics and the ability to efficiently get your point across in the time given. Both sides did a good job in eliciting their side of the argument and made some very interesting points concerning the topics at hand.  

The issues I had with this debate stemmed largely from my involvement in the debate team at my high school, where I was given a resolution a few weeks before a debate, but not a position. My position I would receive the day of the debate, so I was forced to understand both the affirmative and the negative sides of the argument, and the strengths and weaknesses they had. I understand that this was not a competitive debate, but my point is that those rules forced me to do research in a nonbiased way, without opinion clouding the big picture of the argument.

Coming to this debate, I had expected the same of both the Republicans and the Democrats, but as it progressed, I became increasingly aware that both sides had an underlying and deep-rooted I’m-right-you’re-wrong attitude that prevented them from understanding the weaknesses in their own arguments. At which point, I felt like I was watching the 2016 Presidential Debates all over again.

Towards the end, there was some campaigning for the upcoming election, which I didn’t think was the point of this debate, nor was it very appropriate. Debates are for unbiased discussion, rallies are for campaigning.

The takeaway from this debate, I think, is a tragic one. Tensions rise and tempers steam in politics all around us. It’s everywhere—in the news, on our Facebook feeds, in dialogue between our friends, and yes, in our very own Stockton debate. From what I saw, neither side displayed a bipartisan understanding of the topics and neither were fully aware of the validity of their opponent’s argument and the fallibility of their own. In their emotionality, aggression, and campaigning irrelevant to the resolution, I see a microcosm of American politics. Americans have become so adherent to their own beliefs that those in disagreement are no longer valid, and there is no longer an in-between. It is tragic that at our own Stockton University, we have come to portray this very polarization of American politics.

I was looking for a quote by a founding father to conclude this blog post and found something else instead: a quote from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. In the words of the character, Judge John Taylor, “People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for” (Lee 232). Maybe the way to reunite our divided sides is to see more than what immediately agrees with our opinion and to listen to people with opposing views through an informed and objective lens.

On Tuesday, October 17 an event known as Food For Thought was held for the first time by a group of Stockton Faculty and Students. While the meeting was open to the public few students chose to attend, which is unfortunate because the meeting itself and the topics it covered were quite interesting. The purpose of Food For Thought, an event which going forward will be held every other Tuesday in J 202, is to gather together students and faculty of Stockton with differing opinions and values to encourage intelligent debate and find solutions for the events occurring not just in our University but in our society as a whole (and, as the name implies, there is food present). While I may have been one of the only students in attendance at this first meeting, it really was a shame because those who did not attend missed out on a wonderful opportunity.

Some of the events we discussed at this meeting included how both students and staff felt about the diversity and inclusivity at Stockton University, what issues we found with the culture and structure of the university, and ways in which the university could potentially improve its flaws. Before this meeting, I felt that Stockton offered a fairly diverse cultural society, as it tends to host many events and discussions where different cultural viewpoints are introduced. However, the longer the discussion went on the more I realized that this was not, in fact, the case. In reality there is far less racial diversity in the Stockton student body and in the Stockton tenured staff than in many universities of comparable size, which came as a bit of a shock. 

Another issue that we discussed in detail is how disjointed the Stockton University campus truly is. While Stockton University campus offers a wide range of clubs and activities to participate in, a major difficulty for students with interests in a wide range of activities is that most of these clubs occur at the same time, with the majority occurring at 4:30 pm on Thursdays. Club leaders who were present explained how the university often made it extremely difficult to schedule club meetings outside this narrow window, and will generally resist when a club attempts to do so. While this makes sense in that they are trying to insure that clubs do not schedule events during class times so as to insure the opportunity of inclusivity for the entire student body, they are in many ways doing the exact opposite by forcing students to make decision between, say, an academic versus a cultural organization.

The last thing we discussed was probably the most important area to improve, and that was the poor organization and communication of information at this university. While sites such as OspreyHub and the weekly email convey some information they generally do not contain all of the events and clubs active around campus, and so prevents proper communication between organizations and clubs that would massively benefit from it. Everyone seemed to agree that a solution to a of these major issues would be to put all information on one single source where it can be easily found, and possibly the creation of a monthly meeting where various club members could gather to share information, thus creating a sense of university. Hopefully attendance rates will increase as time progresses.

For someone who knows nothing about fraternities and sororities, I was extremely overwhelmed at the Meet the Greeks event on September 14th. I should have expected a massive amount of students but for some reason, I didn’t. I swiped into the event at the event room doors and only took two steps forward before stopping again. Where was I even supposed to begin?

I looked around and saw groups of guys dressed very formally in ties and suits. I saw other guys in big varsity jackets with Greek letters on the chest and sleeves. Girls walked around in matching outfits and high heels, wearing v-neck shirts with Greek letters across the front. I recognized these people as the current fraternity and sorority members and everyone else, wearing their everyday clothing, to be the other students. I did not expect this to be such a planned event in terms of preparation. Tables lined the walls of the room with posters, big Greek letters with sparkles and paint and groups of students surrounding these tables. The fraternities and sororities that were represented at the Meet the Greek event were really trying to grab people’s attention with the flashy decorations and big Greek letters decked out in paint.

The current Greek life members tried their best to make their way around to the other students around their tables but I noticed, and experienced, that they failed at that task. The amount of students not involved in a fraternity/sorority versus the amount of current Greek life students was overwhelming and made it nearly impossible for some students to get information on the fraternities and sororities that they were interested in. Personally, I did not enter college with the mindset that I would seek out a sorority, so this event was not one I was dying to go to. I just personally do not feel that I have the time and passion for such a commitment, but I figured it would not hurt to see what Greek life was about and maybe get some information about it and find that desire to join a sorority.

I walked around with my roommate after we observed the busy room and began walking towards the back where more of the sorority tables were located. Just as I had observed, there were not enough current Greek life members to accommodate to the amount of other students. I was rather disappointed with the Meet the Greeks event but I also did not have every high expectations for this event in the first place, considering I wasn’t real interested. I would have preferred if there were more current Greek life students to accommodate for the number of new students who were interested in joining. I think that I would have found a better connection if they maybe had fraternities one night and sororities another night so there was more room to spread out the tables and more room for the students to roam. I also felt that when I was getting more information about the different sororities, I was getting information about things I did not understand. They talked about dues and philanthropies which I did had a hard time wrapping my head around.

Overall, I think that the Meet the Greeks event would have been more efficient in recruiting interested students if the room was not as packed and if the current Greek life members were better at recognizing students standing at their tables and took the initiative to talk to them. I would suggest that the fraternities met in one room and the sororities met in another room or maybe they met on different nights. There was just too big of a turnout of interested students for the current Greek life members to efficiently speak to the interested students about their organization.