On Friday, November 6th, 2015 Stockton held their third annual Sleep-Out.  This event was sponsored by Covenant House, an organization in Atlantic City dedicated to providing food and shelter to the homeless youths who come to their doors.  By youths, I do not mean just children; people my age stay there as well.

I originally learned about this event from a representative from the Covenant House during Day of Service. My roommate constantly reminded me that she was going throughout the week.  I decided on the night of the event to sign up and go with her (I do not recommend that anyone wait that long if they can help it).  To sign up, I had to search for “Stockton Sleep-Out” on Facebook.  After scrolling through the related posts, I eventually found a link to the official website for the event.  From there I signed up for the event and set up a sponsor page so that my friends on Facebook could donate funds towards our goal.  Certain set amounts of money paid for clothes, food, heating, etc. for those living at Covenant House.

The event itself took place at the Lakeside Lodge near upperclassmen housing.  There we signed an attendance form and waited to be divided into tribes.  I was not placed in a tribe with any of my housemates, but it was easy to make friends with the people in my tribe.

The first challenge we went through was a “box hunt”, where we would search the upperclassmen housing area for cardboard boxes.  The tribe who collected the most boxes won.  We could only carry one box per person and there were not enough for everyone.  We would have to sleep on them later once the activities were through. Realistically, a person who is homeless does not always find a safe, comfortable place to sleep at night, so I feel like this is a parallel.

The second challenge was comprised of six little contests: an egg toss, three-legged race, a hula hooping contest, a scavenger hunt where the supervisors kept removing chairs as it progressed, undoing a human knot, and a crab-walking contest.  Not everybody got to participate in everything; each event only needed four to eight people.  I don’t know if I can draw any parallels between the games and homelessness.  Mostly, they were for our entertainment and to keep us awake.  I suppose that if I think about it, both involve limited resources and difficulty adjusting, but that is a very weak simile and I am not committed to it.

Probably the most important part of this event was the presentations brought to us by both the Covenant House and by the supervising staff. Before this event, I’d associated being homeless with being completely broke and having no place to stay at all. Then one man introduced me to the concept of “couch hopping”; his mother had been sick and it was difficult to pay her medical bills and eventually I think they lost the house. He would end up staying with different friends and constantly switching between. Another woman’s house had burnt down and her family had to stay at a hotel until they could either afford a new house or repairs to the old one. Though these people had a place to stay, both went a significant amount of time without a home.

I feel really bad now for having taken my home for granted. The Covenant House is still raising funds on their website, so people can still visit and donate money. As I said above, this money will go towards food and resources for the youths of Covenant House. I sincerely hope that too many more people will not have to go through such hardships in the years to come.

Kalyn Newbold

Professor Lisa Rosner

GEN 1033-003

18 October 2015

University Weekend at Stockton

            It may be safe to say that University Weekend is one of the liveliest times here at Stockton University. For four days, you can see family members buzzing about to and fro with the students, seeing everything that has changed since their last visit, which may have been anywhere from a few days to a few years ago. This week is especially big for freshman because all of the events going on here (unless they came previously with older siblings) will be brand new to them. After so much time spent working hard in class, this provided a much-needed break. On the other hand, if you are like myself in this sense, you may use the time between (or even during) events to review completed work or develop a study plan for the future while the buildings are quiet for the most part.

One of the events that stood out for me was the skit by “Girl Code’s” Carly Aquilino, which took place on Friday October 9^th at the Sports Center (aka “Big Blue”). She joked about many subjects (dating/drinking/embarrassing moments) that students may avoid even mentioning to friends because of the level of taboo associated with these things. She, however, seemed at least somewhat comfortable sharing her experiences with us and letting us get a good rise out of it. I do not believe that we laughed out of a “sucks to be you” sentiment, but because these subjects were relatable to us. We’ve all been oblivious to potentially embarrassing moments; we all have friends that unnerve us sometimes; we have all most likely had bad experiences on dates. Out of everything that Carly talked about, though, I must admit that it was a fart joke that got one of the biggest rises out of the audience, proving that even a mature comedian can inspire some immature humor. I truly wish I could see her return to Stockton in the near future.

The next day, Saturday October 10^th, marked the official day for families to visit and have breakfast with the students and get tours of the campus and dorms. On my way back to my dorm from breakfast, I saw a bunch of golf carts crossing ahead of me, which could only mean that the annual parade was in session and I was running late. Thankfully, I managed to sprint ahead and catch a glimpse of each of the carts as they cruised by. Many of the school’s clubs, sports teams and organizations had decorated golf carts and banners to celebrate the official kickoff of University Weekend. It was such a joy to see so many smiling faces and to hear the participants singing and cheering on their way through.

That night marked what one may call the “homecoming dance” and what we here at Stockton call the “Osprey Ball”. The turnout seemed good as far as I could tell. The DJ remixed songs in such a way that that the music seemed everlasting; the dance floor was constantly filled with lively students dancing to some extent, from a simple sway to the beat to a full-on break dance. And in case you were wondering, yes, there were line dances every now and again to break the blocks of selective genres. I found this to be highly amusing: the longest running song of the night was a mashup LMFAO’s hardcore party song “Shots” and Aretha Franklin’s classic “Respect”. In addition to dancing, there was abundant food and a photo booth with plenty of fun props.

That’s all I have to report for this year, but I assure you that there was plenty else to see and do; I just couldn’t do everything. The next time that University Weekend rolls around, I’m certainly going to immerse myself more deeply in the events. I look forward to seeing everyone out there as well. I highly recommend that you also make your way out there when you can.

On Thursday September 24th, Dr. Valerie Purdie-Vaughns came to visit the school for a Convocation*.  The event was held in the M-Wing Theater, free of charge to participants.  Students could in fact receive “ULTRA Credit” for attending provided they bring their identification cards to swipe in with designated staff.  As expected, the theater was filled to capacity and those remaining were provided seating in the  designated “overflow room” in L112 and watched from a live-feed camera.  Admittedly, I was in the overflow room during the Convocation and the camera failed for a short period of time, so part of the information about the event will have to be obtained by asking someone who was in the theater at the time.  I am confident that I can still give those of you reading this the gist of it.

Dr. Purdie-Vaughns had at one point been a colleague of Dr. Claude M. Steele, author of a collaborative thesis on stereotype threat and social identity, Whistling Vivaldi.  In fact, part of the former’s work was featured in the thesis**.  Instead of just talking at the audience, so to speak, she attempted to bring them through the mindsets explored in the thesis.  For example, she asks the audience to consider the phenomenon of two people almost instantly bonding with each other upon learning that they have the same birthday, even when there are few other things in common between them.  I recall hearing a few cheers when it was revealed that two audience members shared the same birthday.

In addition, she stresses the fact that most effects of stereotype threat occur subconsciously, meaning that people do not always realize that they are carrying extra pressure. She does make it a point, however, to mention that many are also consciously aware of stereotypes and constantly feel pressured to represent the entire group with which they identify. I am aware that it may be impossible to prevent someone from being aware of stereotypes and thus being affected, but upon leaving the Convocation I feel more compelled to avoid using stereotypes as an excuse for shortcomings, both for my own and for others.

*convocation: (n) a large formal assembly of people; a formal ceremony at a college or university, as for the conferring of awards (Oxford Dictionaries)

**“Essentially, as long as a negative stereotype exists for a particular group and this negative stereotype is present in a given social setting, that group’s members will likely feel a measure of anxiety which can prevent them from performing at their optimal level. Stereotype threat is most vividly observed in individuals who identify strongly with the negatively stereotyped social group, who identify with the intellectual domain in which they are being tested and who expect discrimination – perhaps due to past experiences in their personal lives (Steele, Spencer & Aronson, 2002).” (“What Is Stereotype Threat?”, http://www.whatispsychology.biz/about-stereotype-threat-define)

***Steele, Claude M. Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print.