On November 11, 2015, students and visitors gathered outside of the Campus Center Theater to enjoy a Sixties Concert. Professor John O’ Hara’s Sixties Class put together the concert in honor of the 60s. Along with live music, O’ Hara’s class put together a “Peace and Love” museum along the side of the theater. Artifacts and artwork from the 60s were featured, along with displays created by the students. The displays featured research done by the students based on different aspects of the 60s. Some displays had information on the Black Panther Party and the assassination of John F. Kennedy. There were refreshments available in the gallery for all attendees.

Inside the theater, there was artwork placed along the walls. Students filed into rows to take their seats while Barry Bender and Friends set up before their performance. They performed first, singing covers of songs by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead, etc. “The Tin Man” and “Gettysburg” were original songs they shared with us. Before every song cover, a brief explanation was given as to the song choice.

After Barry Bender and Friends, Stockton students performed. Most students were from the a capella group here at Stockton. After the performances by the students, the Stockton Faculty Band performed multiple covers of songs until the end of the concert. These songs seemed to be more known among the final audience members of the concert. The remaining audience members cherished the music while it lasted. In the end, the remaining listeners cheered for the performers and retired to their housing.

All in all, the concert was amazing, and it definitely took the audience back in time to the 60s.

On Saturday, October 10, 2015, students, family, and faculty gathered in the K-Wing viewing area with noisemakers in hand. They awaited the arrival of the golf carts decorated by numerous clubs and organizations on campus. Bystanders made more noise as they grew anxious before the parade began. Some fellow freshman looked on with hopeful eyes, as they would be experiencing their first ever “University Weekend” celebration. After waiting for the parade to begin, groups of people shifted closer towards the center of the sidewalk; the parade was starting.

Cheering and clapping erupted from the crowd as the carts drove onto the sidewalk. A large number of clubs had skillfully decorated carts, not only for the amusement of the crowd, but for the cart decorating contest as well. Veteran members of said clubs drove the carts while other members walked behind cheering on their club. The carts drove through the viewing area, down to the tennis courts, to Lot 6, and finally, to Big Blue, where they parked the carts in Lot 5.

The crowd followed or walked alongside the carts towards the carnival. Tents with carnival games were set up in the center, while moon bounces, rock climbing, and tents with food surrounded the center tent. Clubs hosted several attractions in the center tent. I helped out at the game that Rotaract hosted, which was called birthday block. For the hour I volunteered, several people played and others seemed interested enough to come back and play. When my hour was up, I spent time with my family and friends. University Weekend was a very fun and relaxing event for all, and many attendees seemed to enjoy the time spent at Stockton.

On Wednesday, September 24, 2015, the Stockton Entertainment Team worked together to set up black light mini golf in the Campus Center Event Room. Students gathered in the campus center and talked amongst each other. When S.E.T was finished setting up, they announced that there needed to be at least five people to a team. There almost seemed to be a comical panic amongst my fellow ospreys who had to find a few extra people to complete their team. Having to find more teammates (as my team had to do) gave us a chance to meet more people.

More than 15 teams signed up to participate. They called teams into the event room two at a time to play a series of nine holes. While waiting to go inside, the other teams sat around and socialized. I was on team 10 and we were finally called inside.

Inside the event room, the lights were completely off and there were UV lights strategically placed where each section was glowing. The setup wasn’t what I had expected. The courses were fairly small and not complicated in any way. Out of our team, we were given two golf clubs. We split up into groups of two and three because we had to share the golf clubs. Some courses had a straight path to the hole and others had hills, ramps, and bridges as obstacles. Up to two or three teams all rotated between the courses. Occasionally, a golfer would hit the ball too hard and it would roll across the room. The teams moved through the courses fairly quick, and turned in the golf clubs and golf balls when finished.

It was a fun event for all. Friends enjoyed each other’s company and it was definitely a peaceful break from classwork.