Author Archives: Lisa Rosner

The Beginning of a New Adventure

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I arrived at Stockton unsure of what to expect. There were so many new faces in a place that felt so unfamiliar, a place that I had yet to explore. Although I was immensely excited to embark on a new journey and create a whole new world of experiences for myself, I was also anxious about the instability that comes along with change. Everyone received the key to their new dorm rooms as well as verbal confirmation of which tribe they would be part of during SOAR (Stockton Orientation Adventure Retreat). I was told that I would be part of purple tribe and although I didn’t know what this meant at the time, my first objective was to determine if anyone else I already knew was also on purple tribe. This seemed an impossible task considering that at this point in time I didn’t know many people here at Stockton, but one friend happened to also be on purple tribe. This gave me a comforting sense of security and I proceeded to move my things into my new dorm room.

It seemed like I had just arrived at Stockton and we were already preparing to leave. After being served lunch, we met with our tribes where our TALONS introduced themselves. They would be our tribe leaders for the next few days. They were wonderful at motivating everyone to engage with each other through the use of ice breakers and making new friends became an easy task. We loaded our luggage onto the buses, attended a few presentations regarding the trip, and finally advanced towards Camp Matollionequay where we would be staying from August 28th until August 30th, 2012.

There was so much to take part in at SOAR. Everyone participated in a variety of ice breakers as well as other fun games. Each tribe worked together to create a chant that would be used to express everyone’s pride in their own tribe throughout the trip. Everyone got very engaged and enthusiastic with this. A campfire was held where each tribe acted out a skit pertaining to their experiences at the camp. They were all quite humorous due to the inclusion of various imitations of TALONS and staff members of the camp. In terms of other activities there was swimming, archery, and boating. There were low ropes courses that were used as team building exercises and high rope courses that allowed everyone to test their abilities and face their fears in an effort to have fun. Interestingly enough, it was one of the low ropes courses that resulted in two TALONS falling into a dirty swamp and being covered head to toe in mud. Everyone had such a great time at SOAR and leaving only seemed easy due the desire to no longer sleep in the cabins or take showers with the spiders as well as the knowledge that all the new friends we’d acquired at SOAR were coming with us back to Stockton.

SOAR gave students a chance to connect and make plenty of friends before the start of classes. Stockton staff members as well as those who worked at the camp contributed greatly to the wonderful experience that SOAR continues to be. I would recommend to all incoming freshmen to spread their wings and SOAR right into the beginning of their college experience.

 

Project Linus- Paying it Forward

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I believe in paying it forward. I still remember my first trip to the Ronald McDonald House in the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. It was the first of many visits throughout my niece’s three week hospitalization. As fall approached, Evelyn began to bald, and became extremely self-conscious of her new appearance. Upon one of my visits, I discovered that a local church group had knitted hats for the oncology unit and left them in the Ronald McDonald House for children to choose. Evelyn chose a simple purple hat with a flower on the side. She wore her hat through the winter months and to this day still treasures the garment. This gesture, as simple as it was, will remain with Evelyn forever.
Circle K is the largest community service organization on our school’s campus. One of the many project opportunities sponsored by this group is known as “Project Linus”. At Project Linus, I was given the opportunity to hand-craft a teddy bear that will eventually find its way into the arms of a hospitalized child suffering from a terminal illness. The project was simple, fun, and meaningful.
I was never given the chance to thank the group responsible for Evelyn’s purple hat as she lost her hair to chemotherapy. Project Linus gave me the chance to express my gratitude and impact at least one life the same way Evelyn’s was impacted that day. I believe in paying it forward, whether through a knitted hat or a hand stuffed bear. Sometimes the smallest gestures make the most colossal difference.

By: Rachael Stieg

Day of Service

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            Day of Service is a community service opportunity run by the Office of Service-Learning here at Richard Stockton College.  The 9th annual Day of Service was held on Saturday, September 8th this year.  They had over 300 volunteers that day, which made it the largest Day of Service in Stockton’s history.  The day began with a light breakfast at 8:30am along with some speeches made by various staff and faculty members.  Afterwards, we were all divided up by which projects we participated in, which sent people both around Stockton and out into the community.

In registering for the event, the participant has the chance to pick what type of service he/she would prefer to take part in.  Later, a service project is chosen for you based on your preferred area of service.  I chose to work in something that would benefit the environment and I was placed in the cleanup of Lake Fred.  For this project, the participants split up into groups of three or four and picked up garbage and recyclables along the many trails around Lake Fred.   

This specific project was partially led by members of Edible, which is an entomology club.  They were very knowledgeable of the native flora and fauna.  I had a fun time walking through the beautiful Stockton trails and conversing with the Edible members about different types of plant and bug species in the area.  We picked up bottles, food wrappers and other pieces of garbage along the way.  I was dismayed about the amount of trash that was in the lake or marshy areas that we could not reach.  But in reality, we tried our best. 

In the end, I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to participate in the day’s events.  Not only did I help clean our campus, but also I gained a renewed appreciation for nature itself.  Truthfully, the clean up was a good deed, but I feel that I should do more to help.  In the future I would like to help the environment on a larger scale although I have yet to figure out how.

I am definitely going to take part in the next Day of Service which is on January 16th 2012 to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  The event is a great chance to converse with people of similar interests while doing something to benefit others and I encourage people to attend.

A Night to Remember

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When you hear an event’s name is Tap Dogs, automatically one thinks it will involve tap dancing. At least that’s what I thought.  I was right, but however, I was also wrong.  Going to the show on September 22, I thought I was going to be watching a show similar to a ballet, except involving tap dancing.  Because I do not have a strong interest in theater or the arts, I initially believed that Tap Dogs would be a good show but boring nonetheless.  I could not have been more wrong.  This show was amazing, and if you were not able to attend, you really missed out on something extremely unique.

At the beginning, I felt as if I could do what the dancers were doing.  However, I soon realized how very wrong I was.  The only reason I had the slight inclination that maybe I could dance like them is because of the way the dancers were able to make it look so effortless.  As the show went on, I saw this degree of effortlessness continue as their performances got harder and harder as they incorporated more obstacles and variables in the way of their dancing.   One element incorporated into their performance was different kind of elevation changes.  They went from extreme to extremer.  Basketballs were also incorporated into the performance with each dancer being able to perform in sync with his fellow dancers and the basketballs.  Every time I thought one of their performances was the most amazing I had seen, they proved me wrong in the next performance that they did.  One of these was when four dancers were using some kind of power tool on a metal ladder, creating sparks that would fly into the center of the stage.  While they were doing this they were dancing, and the sparks were being created in sync with the dancer’s steps that was performing in center stage.  It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen.  However, my favorite event was when one of the dancers was put into a harness and flipped upside down to dance.  The fact that he was able to be upside down and dance the way he was blew my mind.

Along with having phenomenal performances throughout the show, the dancers were also extremely personable; you could get a feeling of each of their personalities even though no words were being spoken.  Some were very humorous, and some were more serious.  I really enjoyed this aspect and that they got the audience involved with what they were doing onstage.  For example, at one point, the audience was needed to snap its fingers to keep a rhythm for the dancers.

Overall, this show was great.  It kept you on the edge of your seat the whole time, which I was happily surprised about.  Not being a dancer myself, it made me realize a new appreciation for it by seeing the lengths you can go to during performances and how difficult it must be to perform.  I’m extremely happy that I went and would highly recommend it for anyone who gets the opportunity to go see Taps Dogs.  You’ll be glad that you did.

Helping Others

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Alexis Lawless

Day of Service

September 8, 2012

Circle K

I attended the Stockton Day of Service on Saturday, September 8, 2012. It was my first time actually doing community service at Stockton. I stayed with Circle K at the campus center. I really wanted to go off campus somewhere, but in the end I found it was very worthwhile doing what I did on campus with Circle K.

While I was there, one of the things I did was make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the Salvation Army. I’ve never made so many sandwiches before! It was sticky and got all over the place, but in the midst of spreading that jelly, I realized why I was doing this certain task. I was preparing food for people, although it was so much more than just that. I was feeding the people in this world who are hungry and some days have nothing to eat at all. That thought was so satisfying to me and actually made me a little emotional. I know I’d feel very appreciative if students took their time on a Saturday afternoon to make me a meal if I was in need of one.

Another activity I did on this day was write letters to children who were, for lack of a better word, “sick” or “challenged” in some way. As hard as it was, we weren’t allowed to write things like “Get better soon!” or “Keep looking towards a brighter tomorrow.” Instead, we were asked to write about things they enjoyed (we were given a list for each child), and from that form a letter that would just put a smile on their faces for a couple minutes. Again, if I was a child with a disability, I know something like this would make my day. We weren’t showing sympathy or giving a helping hand; we were simply being friendly and treating them as our equal. I think this was a very good idea for Circle K to do, and while reading the children’s stories made me heartbroken, they showed me how lucky I truly am, and how strong these young people are.

Circle K is a very special group and I’m glad I was a apart of it on this day. I was so glad that I actually decided to join the club after this event. I’ve gone to two meetings so far and I can’t wait to start doing more service in my community! There’s something about community service like this that really touches my heart. Helping others less fortunate than me is probably the most rewarding thing I could do with my life. I will definitely do another Stockton Day of Service. I might even join a different group to learn about what they do to help others. All in all, I learned that the littlest things can help your community, ranging from feeding the hunger to writing a friendly card to a strong kid living a life most of us couldn’t even dream of.

Reaching Reality

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I strolled over to the Campus Center on the evening of September 10th for a Stockton Neighborhood Watch sponsored event called “Generation Text.”  I didn’t know what to expect from this program and I didn’t care very much because I was just going to get some extra credit in one of my classes.  I brought a friend along to keep me company and merely intended on just signing in at the event, sitting there, and possibly leaving early.  However, when 7:30pm arrived, I found out what this event was all about and didn’t miss a minute of it.

Jill Brown, CEO of Generation Text Online, has dedicated a large part of her life to educating students on the do’s and don’ts of social media and texting.  It is known that cyber bullying is a big issue today but this presentation went farther then telling us to not harass people via the Internet.  Mrs. Brown pointed out that since our generation grew up with phones and social media, we were never taught the proper way to utilize them where it won’t hurt others or ourselves.  As social media was forming, our parents and other adults in our lives didn’t understand it or know that serious problems could occur because of it.  Therefore, Mrs. Brown was teaching and convincing her audience to stay safe and stay smart when it comes to social media and texting.

In the “Generation Text” presentation, we were shown a variety of different sites to demonstrate how they can me harmful.  Mrs. Brown showed us real Facebook posts that teens and adults posted.  These posts ranged from statuses that said hurtful things about a classmate, negative comments on their job, to inappropriate pictures, and full pages dedicated to making fun of someone.  Many of these posts have led to tragic suicides, job firings, or being denied a job or school acceptance.

Many times users post or upload things that aren’t even meant to be hurtful; they’re meant to be funny.  Mrs. Brown reminded us of Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers student who committed suicide after his roommate videotaped him with another man and posted it on YouTube.  Clementi’s roommate didn’t mean for him to commit suicide.  Someone who puts up a picture of a turtle climbing a fence making fun of Mexicans and immigrants is trying to crack a joke but they don’t see the big picture.  It doesn’t matter what context it is in, it can be extremely hurtful and cause a tragedy like it did for Tyler Clementi.  There are tons of cases where something on the Internet had been taken too far.  It doesn’t matter who you were, how old you were, or what your intentions were.

Jill Brown was definitely persuasive and convincing.  She showed us the reality of social media and texting that we didn’t really know before.  Media can be a good thing, but it can just as easily be a horrible thing.  We need to think hard before we post or send things because they can harm other people and ourselves.

 

An Undoubtedly Stimulating Sport

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Attended event on 9/20/12

Event run by: Fencing Club

Fencing is something that I had
been curious about. I have friends who fenced and the idea of it was always
appealing, though I could never really find a reason to get involved in it or
for that matter, find the time. Fencing Club meets every Monday and Thursday at
8 and the typical meeting runs until 10. This was easy enough to incorporate
into my busy schedule and so I jumped at the chance to finally engage myself in
a gentleman’s duel. As one arrives at big blue, you are directed to the area
behind the far bleachers which I realize, sounds quite odd indeed. However, I
made my way across the gym and was greeted by an unusual lot. They ranged in
body size and type and it seemed humorous to me to compare them to a band of
merry men or something or other. Curious as I was, I stayed and I can say that
I do not regret doing so. As I was completely new to the sport, I was eager to
learn what it would take to become a fencer. There is a man who one could call
the leader of the club, although his name escapes me. Regardless, he is a
pleasant fellow and I enjoyed his demonstrations on footwork, among other
fencing basics. He instructed the group for the following few minutes and
taught us how to advance and retreat with ease. Then the lunge, which I must
say is the most exciting part of the exercise, was displayed as well. It
involves a deeper squat in relation to one’s stance and then the thrusting of
the sword-arm and an explosion forward which occurs as a result of extension in
the rear leg. Once all the demonstrating is complete, all club members decide
what event they are interested in. I had not known that fencing involved
multiple weapons but, it does in fact have three events. Epee, which is a
thrusting type weapon, involves smaller movements of the wrist and a tactile
mind that knows when to strike. Saber, which is slashing weapon, is interesting
in that once a fencer makes an attack, he or she must subsequently defend and
wait for the opponent to make a move, and then re-gain the right of way in
order to attack once more. Then there is foil, which is only a shorter version
of the epee blade. In regards to the skill in which the weapons and
techniques are demonstrated they are quite excellent. There are experts in all
three categories, almost all of which are students here at Stockton. They offer
wonderful advice which can be immediately applied to ones combat techniques and
undoubtedly will result in great improvement. After careful consideration, I
decided to join the epee group because of how I admire the skill and fluidity
with which they duel. I fully enjoyed myself and have made plans to continue
attendance of this thrilling club which in my mind, teaches more than just
gentlemanly fighting ability, but also how to be a gentleman.

Cars 2

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I am a commuter. I am a movie lover. I did not know that Stockton had movie nights on Thursdays and Saturdays and when I found out, I sure freaked out. I think for anyone who doesn’t know about this, I hope you read this blog, or some other blog that tells you about it because its just such a fun thing to do (for movie lovers) that I just decided to write this blog as another way to get the word out to those of you who didn’t know.
I took my brother Ilia; he’s nine, to the Cars 2 movie night. He had a great time. I don’t think you are limited to just taking Stockton students. I think its open to the public but only Stockton students get the raffle tickets. Now not only is the movie free, they give you a snack, they give you a drink, they give you a free raffle ticket, then they raffle off more free stuff, and they even had cookies. It doesn’t get better than this. Now they show the same movie on Thursday and Saturday so if you have a busy day on Friday then you have that Saturday option. Or if you just want something to do, on a boring Saturday night then head on over to the Campus Center theatre at around 8 cause the movie starts at 8:30 and you want to get good seats.
I just want to thank who ever that came up with this cause I’m personally going to try and go to as many as I can. I hope at least one person benefited from this by learning about the movie night on Thursdays and Saturdays. If you go online and write “movie night” in the search box on Stockton.edu you can find a list of movies that they are showing on each date. I’m pretty sure Harry Potter is going to be shown really soon, just letting you Harry Potter fans know.

The Osprey’s Ball

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Let me begin by saying, I personally love all types of social gatherings. That does include dances. The Osprey’s ball overall was very nice. I feel like more people could have gone out of their way to match the 70’s theme, but its alright that they didn’t.
I’m going to try and recreate the night for those of you who did not go, or for those of you who did not know what to expect and want to know for next year. It took place in the Campus Center Event Room, so having it be a nice location was a given. The tickets were very cheap, even for someone spontaneous like me who had to buy it at the door for double the regular price. But if you are a planner, they were only 5 dollars! I think for those of us straight out of high school, and having the memory of prom in our minds: Five dollars is nothing. They were taking free photos and printing them out for us. You could pick from multiple frame designs and pose with your friends or your date. There was only one person taking pictures so the line for it did move slow, but since it was something fun to do, most of us didn’t mind.
The food was good. I personally enjoyed the chicken. I heard a hot dog spontaneously caught on fire. I kind of wish I could have witnessed that in person, but we cant get everything we want. The DJ wasn’t my favorite because he switched up the songs too fast, but that was a minor detail. The important thing was that you were surrounded by your friends and just having fun.
As for my favorite parts: The decorations were adorable and we could all take a little key chain home. The Cake, well the tiramisu was absolutely amazing. My one regret is not going back and getting more of it, because it was just divine. Overall, I think this is a great experience and a fun opportunity to get dressed up and have some fun with your friends.