Stockton hosted the 3^rd Annual Celebration of Service on April 17, 2014 from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM in F wing on campus.  During the event, I also noticed a few tables set up in lower C wing with service projects on display.

There were not many tables set up.  A majority of the tables had posters but there was very little explanation as to the projects presented.  One of the tables in F wing was hosted by the Wellness Center where they were discussing sex and safety.

In C wing, Kappa Sigma and Delta Delta Delta had a table where they were taking donations to help children with Leukemia.  They had a poster on the column in the middle of the hallway advertising their cause as well as a brief description of the disease that they were raising money for.

Also, there were few people walking around and actually stopping at the tables to speak with the representatives seated there.  As it was also Honors Scholars Day, I was walking around with a high school senior, and the tables did not seem to really catch her attention as we wandered around the halls.

At the end of the day, as I walked outside the Campus Center, I noticed a cluster of purple flags placed by the UBSS club on campus.  There was a sign that dictated that the flags were in representation of the 3000 people who commit suicide every day.  This project touched me the most out of everything I had seen.  Rather than just set up a table, they made a statement.

In the future, I hope that the Celebration of Service will grow and that more organizations will actively participate in the event.  There are many service projects that occur on campus, and a lot of classes join their requirements with Service Learning.  By having a greater turnout at the Celebration of Service, more students would know about and attend the various service projects offered on campus.

On April 12, 2014, the Stockton Honors Program attended the Atlantic County Animal Shelter to do volunteer work.  From cleaning up the yard to doing laundry, the Honors students in attendance had a lot of work to do.

The event began at 9:00 AM, so everyone had to meet up at the Arts and Sciences building at 8:30 so everyone could arrange for rides and get to the event on time.  Once at the animal shelter, everyone was given a brief tour of the facilities, and then they were assigned their tasks.

The group was split in half:  some going outside to clean up litter and doggie doo doo while the other half remained inside to clean the windows and the lobby.  Once everyone had completed their assigned tasks, they met up inside to be assigned the next ask:  emptying out the garbage.  After this, it was time to help take care of the cats.

Students cleaned litter boxes and cages, helping the workers move the cats around to allow for cleaning.  They also brought food and water to the cages as a worker filled up the bowls and passed them along.  Those who were allergic to cats were allowed to go into the back room to do the laundry.  They filled and emptied both the washer and dryer as well as folded and sorted the pile of dry clothes that had yet to be put away.  These students went back and forth from the laundry room to the lobby to lend a hand where needed.

At 1:00, everyone gathered outside for a group picture then headed back to the cars to return to Stockton.  Once back at the school, everyone met up at Primo’s in the campus center to enjoy a meal together and talk about the service project.  There was no reflection session attached to this particular project.

In the end, the only regret voiced by students was that they were unable to take care of the dogs and help out more during their time at the shelter.

On April 8, 2014, Stockton Christian Fellowship hosted a Messianic Seder.  Keith Kendrex, advisor for the club, invited Ron, a Messianic Jew from Keith’s church, to lead the group in the discussion of the meal.  Throughout the meal, Ron also shared his testimony on how he found Jesus through the Seder.

A Messianic Seder is a Passover meal in which the items presented and the food eaten represent something related to the story of Jesus and his death.  One example of this is the matzah bread which is broken and fed to all.  This bread is the middle piece taken from a group of three within a white bag called a “matzah tosh.”  During the meal, this piece of bread had been hidden away until the family drank the third cup of wine.  This piece of matzah is symbolic of Jesus Christ, a part of the trinity.  The matzah is full of holes, symbolic of Jesus’ hands, feet, and side being pierced.  In the Bible, when Jesus performs the Passover meal, he tells his disciples that the bread is to be seen as his body.

Before the meeting, the leadership council got together to talk with Ron.  They discussed reasoning for Christianity’s truth as well as everyone’s testimonies as to why they became a Christian.  Ron shared his bout with depression during his time as a Jew and how he was prepared to commit suicide.  It wasn’t until a friend showed him that Jesus existed that he changed his mind and became a different person.

At the group meeting, both Christians and Jews attended.  Ron showed videos explaining the connection between the Passover meal and Christianity.  He paused them from time to time to allow the group to discuss what they had seen and to show them the meanings from his own Passover table which he set up in the middle of the room.

SCF meets every Tuesday night from 8:30 until 10:00 in the TRLC’s meeting room.

Day of Scholarship was held at Stockton on March 19 and 20 in the Campus Center as well as in a few of the academic classrooms.  Various faculty and students presented works and research pertaining to a vast array of subjects from service to fitness and science to literature.  One of the events held was Nathan Long’s “Fifteen Two-Minute Stories.”  This event was on March 19 at 3:00.

At this presentation, Professor Long’s Flash Fiction class got together and each presented one of their two-minute or shorter stories.  There were very few in attendance, the majority of the crowd being part of the presenting class.  Due to such small attendance, the event was moved from one meeting room to another so an event with a larger crowd could fit everyone in attendance while Professor Long’s group was moved to a smaller room, giving the presentation a classroom-like feel.

Every student from the class that was in attendance presented their stories.  Some of the stories were comical while others were of a much more serious matter.  Each person wrote with a different degree of skill and all had a unique voice which they brought into their story.  This presentation of literature work was as varied as the group that presented it.

The audience was respectful of the readers with little to no discussion or texting going on during presentations.  After everyone read their stories, there was only a few minutes left, so Professor Long went up to the front of the room and shared his own piece of fiction with his class and guests.

In the end, everyone was left with the ideas based in the stories:  from seeking perfection, to seeking answers, to looking for a good time.  For a literature student, it was like an open mic, learning what does and doesn’t work when presenting in front of an audience and gaining confidence to share a story, no matter how personal it may be.

On Thursday, March 6, 2014, the N-Wing Student Restaurant hosted the Osprey’s Nest for one night only.  The event started at 7:30 PM and ran until 11:00 PM.  For some students, it was their first time experiencing the Osprey’s Nest.  For other students, it was a blast from the past, bringing them back to dining at Stockton a few years back.

The menu contained various items one might expect to find at a restaurant or small diner.  Students could select from various appetizers ranging from French fries to mozzarella sticks.  The menu also featured a variety of both hot and cold sandwiches as well as pizza.  Gluten free pizza was also served for people with gluten allergies. Drinks were served complimentary.  Paper cups were placed beside the soda machines in N-Wing so students could help themselves to whatever drink they wanted without a limitation on the amount.

When students entered into the restaurant, the cashier gave them a copy of the menu displaying the various foods and prices.  Students then picked the items on the list that they wanted and were charged accordingly.  Meals ranged in price from only a few dollars to upwards of ten or fifteen dollars depending on what the student ordered and how much they ordered.  Everything was charged separately.  There were no discounted prices for combination meals such as a sub with fries.

From there, the students went over to the grill and supplied the chef with the carbon copy of their receipt.  Food was made fresh to order.  The chef called out the ticket numbers and students would exchange the written copy of their receipt for the food served in traditional red and white checkered paper baskets.

While students ate, they listened to a live performance of local students.  Sometimes, the musicians would ask the crowd for music selections.  The volume was turned up loud and students instantly became immersed in the guitar riffs and the beating of the drums.