“GO OSPREYS!” I was so excited to finally be able to scream those words at the top of my lungs at Friday’s basketball game. It was my first game of the year, well, actually my first basketball game ever, and it was an exhilarating experience. I know many people are upset over the fact that Stockton does not have a football team, but seriously, who needs football? The other sport’s teams are just as wonderful and provide great college bonding, as well as entertainment.

My friends and I were lounging around the common room on a Friday night trying to think of interesting things to do. We went on Stockton’s website to scope out something different than our traditional weekend movie in the Campus Center Theater, when we came across the event: Men’s Basketball – Stockton vs. Penn State Abington.  I am not that into sports as much as I would like to be, but I do not mind observing a little competition now and then, so we decided to attend.

The event was free as long as our Stockton ID’s were presented. That was extremely convenient since we were all broke. We proceeded to enter Big Blue’s gymnasium and located a spot in the bleachers to watch the tall men on the team warm up. They all seemed to be very talented, so I knew this game was going to be exciting to spectate.

Once the game started, I found myself yelling along with the rest of the crowd. It seemed as though the goal was to make the opposing team uncomfortable and to get our team pumped up. I think it worked quite well. Stockton was on a roll, successfully performing with outstanding agility. They sure can move quickly. I was completely in awe at how well the team worked together and I would like to think that my yelling at them helped.

Halftime quickly approached and it was time for the cheerleaders to be showcased. The cheerleaders from my high school were absolutely terrible. They were more sluggish than peppy and put me to sleep rather than wake me up. From my experience with boring cheerleaders, I was not sure what to expect. But as soon as Stockton’s cheerleaders started to dance, I became flabbergasted. They all moved perfectly in sync with one another and all sorts of flips and neat tricks were happening on the court. They put on a great show and most definitely psyched up the audience for the rest of the game.

The remaining half of the basketball game was filled with high intensity. The teams were back and forth on scoring points as I continued to bite my nails. Stockton always seemed to be about 10 points ahead of Abington, but anything could have happened with three minutes remaining on the clock. The crowd was screaming at the players, trying to get them to focus on winning the game. The team must have been terribly worn down, but they did a great job at hiding their exhaustion. They continued to score points and prevent the other team from doing so. All the people in the audience were on their toes until the last seconds of the game. Finally 00:00 hit the clock and…… we won!

I think my friends and I will make basketball games a regular event to attend. It was so fun to see Stockton students come together and cheer for our school. I cannot wait until the next game and I hope everyone that reads this blog entry chooses to attend. You will not be disappointed. Once again, “GO OSPREYS!”

The 12th Annual Day of Scholarship is being held today, March 22, 2012, in the Campus Center Event Room and elsewhere around the college to showcase the projects of several students and faculty members.  This is done through the Grants Office.

Though there were several presentations going on, I could only attend the poster displays (for I had to run due to my trip).  There would even be a Disney presentation by Beverly Vaughn around 2pm, but I have to miss it!  Luckily for me, however, when I first walked into the event room and saw all the posters, a grad student I have been acquainted with through his dealings with Stockata caught my attention.  I was swept into the world of Doug Lykes’s project on ‘Investigation of Underwater Acoustics.’  Now I am no Computer Science major or grad student, but what he did have to say was very interesting, for there was a lot of it that I understood.

The main point of the project was to see if the human skull was rigid or flexible.  A way to do this was to see how the skull reacted to sound waves under water and above it.  Doug talked about doing research in Connecticut for this project with machines Woo and John the Baptist.  It was very interesting to see just the wacky names they gave the machines.  As he said, scientists are definitely a little strange.  Especially when they name things!

Doug also talked about bone vibrators that were used to see that when sound vibrated the the bone if the skull was rigid or flexible.  Interestingly enough, he said that when viewed from above, a low sound was able to make the head of a person contract forwards and backwards.  At a bit of a higher tone, it contracts and expands along the sides.  Then when a very high sound his heard, the skull contracts forwards and backwards, then contracts and expands along the sides.  However, this was only observed from the top looking down on a person’s head, so it’s also interesting to wonder if the skull contracts up and down as well.

Doug also had some interesting little fun facts besides those about the machines’ names.  For instance, he told me about how ants secret a little bubble of sugar on each of their feet in order to climb up walls.  He also told me how a gecko climbs up things by making a large amount of force between the hairs on its feet and a wall.  He even told me how when he and the scientists were in Connecticut, they made Da Vinci’s bridge in the middle of a Home Depot with two by fours.  Now while this does not relate to his project, it was all very interesting and taught me a few interesting facts.

Though I did not go to a scheduled presentation, I did get one.  I found it very interesting, especially when we started talking about the ear and vibrations of sound on the bone to make someone hear.  I actually knew a little about that from Psychology.  I would definitely recommend this to anyone, for even though it may seem dull at first, you will actually come out with some interesting knowledge under your belt!

Over the weekend I went to the Pets Smart in Mays Landing and helped out with a Beagle Rescue. There were all sorts of personalities of dogs up for adoption. Each beagle was a sweetheart in their very own way. I truly enjoyed helping them out and playing and petting all of the dogs. Each dog had their own little story of how they got there, but those didn’t even matter because each dog was such a sweetie. I wanted to take each dog home with me and just cuddle with them all the time.

This was community service, and it was probably my favorite community service ever. I got to play with physically disabled dogs and see how they were some of the prettiest and sweetest dogs I’ve ever met, and that the fully functional dogs were crazy hyperactive. I realized that no matter what a dog will love you if you give them attention, and if you don’t give them your attention they’ll try to get a hold of it. I am a dog owner myself, but my dog is an Irish Setter so seeing Beagles were very different. I was covered in dog hair at the end of the day but it was really worth it.

There was a dog that had three legs and bowel problems, her name was Trinity. When my friends and I first got there she was crying a lot and having a lot of problems. As soon as she was put into her wheelchair she was so much happier and ran about happily, if she could skip, she would have. There was also another dog named Bonnie. I have no idea what was fully wrong with her legs but she would army crawl over to you and then lay her head down in your lap and gave this look begging to be petted. I gave into her each time, her puppy dog eyes were just killer, I personally loved her. Each and every dog up for adoption just wanted a little of your time and attention to feel loved for just a moment. I wish I could have been there all day because each and every Beagle was sweet as can be and are all more than worthy of a good forever home.

On March 21, Stockton’s Entertainment Team aka S.E.T. hosted a local food competition.  The event was very successful because there were students hanging out outside of the campus center event room patiently waiting for the food’s arrival. If there is free food at an event it is almost guaranteed that the host will have a good turnout because most college students are tired of eating N-Wing, Primo’s, Johnny Rockets, and Mondo’s. The local competitors all brought food in order for Stockton’s students to judge. Chartwells brought pieces of hoagie like turkey and Italian, and Papa John’s pizzas. Jo-Jo’s pizza brought chicken wings, buffalo chicken pizza and barbeque chicken pizza. Napoli Pizza Grill brought pieces of their Napoli chicken sandwich, mild chicken wings and tomato pie. The Napoli chicken sandwich was delicious it had juicy grilled chicken breast strips, red bell peppers, ripe tomatoes, all under a blanket of melted cheese. After the students were allowed to sample all of these various food groups they had to vote on a slip of paper and nominate best pizza, best signature sandwich and best wings. Once all the votes were in there were plaques for the winners in order to give them some recognition for their efforts at the event. It was a really nice atmosphere and a nice night for a little change in your daily routine. If S.E.T. ever hosts another one I would strongly recommend going, you won’t regret it.

March 20, 2012 was Wellness Day, a day to promote health and wellness put on by the Wellness Center in the Campus Center!  Various events and vendors were present to promote health and wellness for students, faculty, and anyone else who wanted to come!

There were various ‘fun’ vendors to draw students, like jewelry, clothes, purses, etc. However, there were also some interesting places.  There was a place to try vitamin C to get students to get their vitamins and show them they weren’t to bad to eat either.  Another station showed how much sugar was in some drinks (which I’ll never drink a certain one ever again), and another even gave blood pressure readings.  Mine was a little low, and that’s when it finally hit me that I had forgotten breakfast.

There were healthy snacks to eat while there.  Fruit salad, grilled chicken, cucumber sandwiches, pita chips with salsa, and spinach dip with bread were some of the healthy snacks to eat while there.  Of course, however, there was more to it than food and vendors. What better way to sooth the soul and cheer you up than listening to some music?

One man played happy tunes on the piano.  I was asked by Gospel Choir to sing an uplifting solo, so I sand Lost Get Found, a song about being yourself, standing out, and helping others through showing your faith.  Then a few members of Gospel Choir, including myself, sang a selection of three songs, one of which I was fortunate enough to have another solo in. We sang Hallelujah Anyhow, a song about praising God even when times were rough, Peace Like A River, a song about having peace because we have God, and God is Great, a song about God’s wonderful love for us.  Being able to participate in this event by doing one of my favorite things, singing, was really a great experience!

I definitely learned a little bit from Wellness Day.  Some of it was a little gross, but it was very informative.  I do feel, however, that if this had been publicized to the students more (many I spoke to did not know it was happening but came to support Gospel Choir and myself), the turnout would have been even better!

I went and saw the play Private Eyes on October 11th performed by students here at Stockton. I personally thought the show was magnificent. I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters and the twists and turns that the plot took. There weren’t many people there, but the actors were still very enthusiastic and put their all into it.

I went and saw this with two of my friends and they also really enjoyed it. We all didn’t see a whole bunch of the surprises coming and we didn’t even want to leave during the intermission. They play was hilarious too, we laughed at all the jokes, even some of the unintentional mistakes, like when the match box bounced out of the tray. The best part about any of the mistakes were that the actors remained professional through and through and were not even phased by anything slightly out of place.

Not only was the script well written and performed, the stage and costumes were amazing. They all looked the part and the stage was brilliantly set up. I’ve seen many plays and the Experimental Theater looks like a professional stage and they certainly treated it like one. They had limited props on the stage and that just brought the focus back onto the cast members much more. Especially at the end, where it’s just the two of them on stage without any props what so ever.

As convoluted and confusing as the plot was, there were the ever so slight indicators that brought forward the true plot. I won’t spoil anything for anyone in case they get the opportunity to see this play elsewhere, but you won’t get such a great cast or performance as I did here. Next chance you get to go see a play performed here, take it. The actors here are well work the few dollars they charge to go see them in their prime.

On the night of March 19, 2012, the magical story of Cinderella began to unfold as only a ballet can tell it.  This occurred at the PAC, and the Russian National Ballet Theatre performed the stunning ballet in three acts.

The ballet begins with what seems to be the two ugly stepsisters fighting over a piece of fabric that they get dirty and blame on Cinderella.  The Stepmother believes them and brings out her wrath on Cinderella while the Father is passive.  Because she is in rags and her Stepmother really only cares for the stepsisters, Cinderella cannot go to the ball at the Prince’s castle.  However, the Fairy Godmother comes with the Fairies of the Seasons to cheer up Cinderella, and then she gives her glass slippers and a gown.  After catching the Prince’s eye at the ball, she must leave at midnight and leaves behind a glass slipper.  The Prince comes to her home to find who fits int he glass slipper, and the stepsisters try to fit into it with no avail.  The Prince sees that Cinderella fits and loves her despite her rags.  They than get married and live happily ever after.

This ballet was even more beautifully done than Dracula had been.  The costumes were brilliant, many covered in sparkles and shine.  The Prince and Cinderella were easily distinguishable in their sparkling white outfits.  The Fairies of the Seasons each had colors that matched their seasons, and the Fairy Godmother stole attention with her dark purple attire and glitter.

The set was just as wonderfully done.  When the seasons did, the lights changed with it.  The chandeliers flashed in time with the chimes of the clock for midnight, and there were just enough props to add realism to it.

The dancing and characters were of course phenomenal.  The Stepmother was played by a man to make the character even more hysterical and obnoxious.  The man who played the Jester could easily make anyone laugh, and the woman who was Cinderella danced and played her part gracefully.

All in all, this was my favorite PAC performance so far.  As a dancer for 15 years, watching things like this really excite me, and I thoroughly enjoy them!  For any ballets next semester, I will be the first one signed up to go!

As a member of Gospel Choir, I have come to know many people and support them however I can.  I did this when I went to NAACP’s Open Mic night on February 15th and participated to support my Gospel Choir brother.  Practice was canceled, so all of Gospel Choir could go out and show their support for NAACP, for our own David is the president.  The Open Mic was at the Coffee House by Dunkin Donuts in the Campus Center.

At Open Mic night, everything was welcome.  There were rappers, interpretive dancers, singers, piano and ukulele players, a capella singers, poets, etc.  All of the acts were very well done, and some people even went up a few times!  One guy sang and played the ukulele, something I thought I’d never see.  Several members of Gospel Choir also sang a selection while another played the piano for them.

I also sang, after needing lots of encouragement from my Gospel Choir people, for I really do not like singing alone in front of people.  I sang Shark in the Water by VV Brown a capella. It was very nerve racking at first, but I eventually got very into.  People were clapping along to the beat, hooting and hollering, and really just getting into the performance.  The applause I got was huge, and everyone really think I sounded amazing.  I really supported NAACP then!  Gospel Choir also said welcome home.  They were definitely glad to have me.  I was so loud that my one friend at Gamer’s Club on the second floor could hear me.  That was definitely interesting.

All in all, going to events and participating yourself is the most fun, for it builds the most memories and friendships.  Next Open Mic night, I’m there.  Will you be?

Remember to vote! Check for an email on November 30 with a link to the ballot. You will have until December 4, 12 noon to vote. Only one ballot per Honors student, please!

Student Director

William Goodheart

Hey guys! I am Bill Goodheart and I am your current Student Director. This is the end of my second year on the Executive Board and I am hoping that it is not my last. As you all may know, I work well with others and I am not one to make decisions without taking into account the thoughts of my peers. I try to keep myself involved in planning the events and helping out with the projects in Honors.  Please vote for me for Student Director!

Student Assistant Director

Matthew Widjaja

As we move forward, we must begin to transition this program to our Freshmen & Sophomores. Yes, we made headway by finally updating the constitution so everybody knows what we’re responsible for, but this moment is greater than describing how this weird pirate ship is run. We need to think differently and make the eBoard more accessible. Upperclassmen, we must begin working with our underclassmen, so they have the same ambition & confidence we have and so that one day, our underclassmen can be their own captains of this pirate ship and lead this program forward. I’m running for a second term because I want to improve this collaboration so that our future students can move this program forward. I need your help to finish what we began. Thanks.

Events Co-Directors

Jessa Hernandez and Sage Mitchell

Hello, my name is Jessa Hernandez, I am a freshman and I am running for the position of director of events. I am organized, able to plan out events, and am willing to create and plan fun times. Currently I am treasurer of the Residence Housing Association and work toward creating and initiating events that the entire community can get involved in, like building battles and a holiday movie night in the TRLC. I am also involved on the special events committee of the Stockton Entertainment Team and have helped organize events there as well. I have had numerous learning experiences and am ready to apply what I’ve learned to this position as well. I wanted to run for this position because I believe I can put a new spin on the position by keeping the events upbeat and advertising the events more throughout our honors community. So I hope you vote for who you think is best for the position, whether that is me or my opponents. Thank you for your consideration and I hope you vote for us.

To me, being the Director of Events is about being organized and proactive while also thinking creatively about fun events. I know I am qualified for this position because I am organized and I can plan ahead to book rooms for events, plan reasonable dates and times for different events. More importantly, I know I would be able to collaborate with the rest of the executive board to come up with fun and engaging events that will bring the Honors Program closer together as an academic family. I am proud to be a part of this program, and I think being Director of Events and planning new activities for the program would be a good way to give back to the program.

Public Outreach

Nicole Vancil

Hello my name is Nicole (Nikki) Vancil and I am applying for the Out Reach position.  I was co-captain of my color guard my senior year where we placed third overall at Championships.  I was also the head of my school’s wardrobe department for the school play where my costumes got first place at the South New Jersey Theater Awards.  In these two positions I had to know how to keep people professional and in line, how to manage time and keep organized, delegate tasks, and be able to adapt when something goes wrong (which it always does) without missing a beat.  With experience in these positions and the abilities that I learned from them I believe that I will be perfect for the Out Reach position.  Thank you for your time.

Community Service

Cherise Edwards

Hey fellow Honors students, my name is Cherise Edwards and I am currently running for the community service executive director position on the Executive Board. I am a sophomore and an Accounting major, Economics minor. I am also currently an Honors LLC Resident Assistant in E-Court. I want to listen to what the Honors program as a whole would like to see as far as community service opportunities are concerned. I know many of you have the Service Learning component and I want to try to help everyone achieve their goals of two service projects per semester. These service projects will still be beneficial to the Honors students who have to reach certain goals with hours of volunteer work. I want to create better opportunities for the Honors program. I plan on advertising the community services events in a way that they will be successful. I just want to give the Honors program opportunities to continue their community service, doing projects that they love.

Peer Mentoring

Zahara Ayub

My name is Zahara Ayub and I am rerunning for the position of Peer Mentoring Director. During my term, the position was recreated. There were a lot more responsibilities incorporated into the job and success was shown through  dedication. Last semester,  I worked very hard on making sure that Honors Scholars Day was an excellent experience for the freshmen.  I’m proud to say that we had the most participation in the history of this event! A lot of people may not realize, but there is a lot of detail work that must  go  into the  planning of this  event to ensure that it runs smoothly.  Also, throughout the summer, I worked very tirelessly to follow through with my new event, “Mentor-Mentee Move-in Day”. I ran into a lot of roadblocks when coordinating this event, but in the end, it was successfully carried out. Mentors were able to move in early and help the freshmen move into their dorms. I am happy to say that since this event was such a success, it will now be a permanent event recognized annually by housing. Mentors and mentees have each benefited from participating in the events sponsored by this position. Every position on the e-board has its specific focus, and for this position, the focus is to make sure our freshmen integrate into our program, and ultimately the Stockton community.  The purpose of having mentors is to give each freshman a designated helping hand when making the transition to college life. This relationship between underclassmen and upperclassmen is detrimental to the structure of the Honors Program, and this position is a key factor in making that possible.  If you would reelect me, I will promise to continue working hard for this program.

Fundraising and Finance

Kristen Valenti

Hey guys. I’m Kristen Valenti and I’m running for Fundraising and Finance Director. While looking over all the possible eBoard positions, I felt my skills were best suited to take on the responsibilities of this position.  When I was in high school, I managed the band I played in for three years. Managing included keeping a close eye on the finances and publicizing via social networking sites and school various gigs and merch we had, in a sense the overall fundraising for the band. I thoroughly looked for the best options for each investment made and allotted money evenly so we were never in the red. In addition to this, I organized gigs with people to fundraise for charities, which were successful in their goals.   I believe with my experience I can effectively be Fundraising and Finance Director for the Honors Program.  If elected, I plan to take into account everyone’s suggestions for what to do with the money we have for our program. Thank you for your time.

Junior Class Representative

Chris McManus

Sophomore Class Representative

Mary Kate Fitzpatrick

Hello, I’m Mary-Kate and I am running for Sophomore class Representative. I feel that it is very important that everyone has an equal say in the decisions made for the program. With this said, each class should have the ability to have their opinions voiced. I am willing to listening and convey the issues and concerns of others in the sophomore class. I have experience in leading a large group from coaching; thus, I am able to balance multiple opinions so that almost everyone is satisfied. I am approachable, and anyone can express their opinions openly to me. This is why I would like to be Sophomore class representative.

Randy Weible

Good afternoon, fellow Honors Students! My name is Randy P. Weible, and I am running for the position of Sophomore class representative on the 2013 Honors Program Executive Board. For the past year, I have served as Freshman class representative on the E-board, representing the Honors Class of 2015 at Honors meetings, Faculty Advisory Board meetings, and executive board meetings, voicing the issues specifically related to our class in an attempt to seek resolution. The matriculation of our class in 2011 came during a time of many changes to the Honors Program at Stockton. Specifically, the implementation of the new Service-Learning system brought about a great deal of confusion early on in the Fall 2011 semester. Communicating these issues directly to Dr. Rosner and my peers on the executive board, I was able to bring these issues to light, and hopefully, work towards a resolution and aide in a smooth transition into this new system. To this day, members of my class still approach me with questions and concerns, and I continue to serve as a medium between members of our class and the Honors Program and as a source of information about the daily happenings of the Stockton College Honors Program. If reelected, I will continue to serve my class on the 2013 Executive Board, ensuring that our voices are heard, and that every member of our sophomore class continues to the enjoy the benefits associated with being a member of The Honors Program at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. Thank You.

Freshman Class Representative

Matthew Zivi

I enjoyed my high school years.  I had a tight group of friends, and spent my time with them, doing hw, and sometimes even working out.  But my main regret is that I didn’t get involved: didn’t do any clubs, didn’t go to any sporting events, and maybe went to a pep rally or two.  I was interested, but always had an excuse: freshman year, I was too new.  Sophomore year: a new job and a harder course load.  Junior year I worried about SAT’s and colleges, and senior year I wanted to take it easy.  But I now realize how much I missed, and don’t want to put myself through that again.   So I joined the honors program, not knowing what to expect; I’m glad I did.  The people are amazing, and I am constantly pushed and challenged.  I plan to contribute my time now to make up for all the years I missed in high school, and hope to make significant improvements to an already spectacular program.

On February 2, the Honors Program sponsored a Pizza and Pong night in the Campus Center for any Honors student to come hang out, have fun, and get to better know their fellow Honors comrades.

Free pizza and soda was provided to get some time to get a free meal, relax, and socialize with fellow honors students.  While that was all good and fun, team brackets were made up.  Everyone chose a partner, and the water pong was set up.  6 cups were arranged in a pyramid at each end of the table, filled with water, and each team was given 2 ping pong balls.  Eventually, the pong began!

Christina and I had never played before, and it was a blast!  Everybody was getting wet, and we were doing really well.  Of course, the upperclassman beat us, since they’ve probably done several of these pizza and pong events already.  Even so, it was a lot of fun trying to win.  Even when we were out of the bracket, we still tried to have a one on one match.  We never finished, but it was glorious nonetheless.

All in all, I found this to be a really nice Honors get together.  I would love to do more events like this, for it’s a great way to hang out with all the Honors kids.  This is way more fun than just being in the same classes.  Honors kids hanging out with Honors kids.  What could be more awesome than that?