Olivia Gorecke

Prof. L. Rosner

Life of the Mind

21 November 2014

The Trial of the Catonsville Nine

On Monday, November 3^rd, members of Professor O’Hara’s Dissent in America course performed scenes from Daniel Berrigan’s play, The Trial of the Catonsville Nine. As a member of the class, I was able to participate in this performance.

The play itself was adapted from court transcripts, and turned into a form of free verse by defendant and priest Daniel Berrigan. He and nine others, during the height of the Vietnam War, took over three hundred draft files from the Catonsville, Maryland draft board and publicly burned them with homemade napalm. While the files were burning, the nine held hands and prayed over them, waiting for the authorities to come. The play chronicles the trial in an almost poetic way, ultimately leading to the guilty verdict for all nine defendants.

The class and myself worked on this play for months. Professor O’Hara explained that this was much more than simply putting on a show, and that the themes of civil disobedience and resistance displayed by the nine are more relevant now than ever.   I was extremely happy that I was present for and participated in the retelling of such a key moment of American dissent.

Olivia Gorecke

Prof. L. Rosner

Life of the Mind

19 October 2014

One Night Stand Up

On Friday, October 10th, Stockton Entertainment Team hosted two notable comedians, Nicole Byer and Kevin Barnett, in a one-night comedy show held in the sports center.  This event brought out an immense crowd who visibly enjoyed themselves, making for an incredibly successful evening.

Capping off an eventful Spirit Day, SET’s One Night Stand Up concluded a day that included float decorating, spirit night, and the athletics hall of fame induction ceremony, to name a few.  Immediately following Stockton’s Spirit Night, the One Night Stand Up definitely drew the biggest crowd.

I went to the show with a few friends, most of whom are commuters like myself.  It was great that something we all wanted to attend was at such a convenient time, one that worked for all of us.  Nicole Byer, who is my favorite comedian on Girl Code, opened the night.  She easily transferred her notorious MTV humor to relatable college troubles.  While Byer was great and received a lot of laughs, she touched on a few issues that are particularly sensitive to college students, such as weight and suicide.  Overall though, she was a wonderful performer and I look forward to seeing her appearances on Girl Code.  While Byer was a wonderful portion of the evening, Kevin Barnett absolutely stole the show.  A regular on MTV’s Guy Code, Barnett was absolutely hysterical.  Overall, the night was an incredible success.  I hope Stockton continues to feature events like this at such convenient times, as it makes it much more accessible to commuters like myself who still wish to participate in campus life.

Olivia Gorecke

Professor L. Rosner

Life of the Mind – GEN 1033

23 September 2014

Get Involved Fair

On September 16^th and 17^th, Stockton held their annual get involved fair, spanning the entirety of A-J Wings. As a commuter student with a somewhat hefty drive, I originally did not plan on attending either day. I was under the impression that I would merely attend classes each day without truly committing to any organization. Needless to say however, this was not the case.

While perusing the nearly one hundred and fifty various organizations with some friends, I thought it nearly impossible to not find one area of interest. The hallways overflowed with student organizations, sororities, fraternities, volunteer opportunities, and a myriad of others, all present for the express purpose of getting people to participate.  Throughout the day, the Student Development table also hosted refreshments and giveaways. The largest Get Involved Fair yet also featured many community partners, all there to assist Stockton students outside of the classroom and make their college experience a memorable one.

As mentioned previously, I had devoted little thought to actually joining any organizations. However, after talking with a number of organizations that piqued my interest and explaining my predicament as a commuter, members were more than understanding and extremely willing to work with my schedule to allow me to participate. I walked away from this event with a completely different perspective on getting involved, no longer feeling as if I could not participate because I do not live on campus.