On Friday, October 4, Stockton Entertainment Team (S.E.T.) sponsored an event called One Night Stand-Up, a comedy show featuring Thomas Dale. My friends and I heard about the comedy show, which started promptly at 8:00, about 15 minutes prior to the event; needless to say, we quickly ran to the Performing Arts Center Box Office to purchase our tickets. We then settled into our balcony seats and waited for the show to begin.

Within the first five minutes of his act, Dale confessed his love for “straight boys.” He singled out a member of the audience named Nick and repeatedly made references such as, “Don’t put it on display if it’s not for sale,” to him throughout the course of the night. Dale’s material ranged from being a gay teenager and dating girls to fighting off mountain lions on hikes in Los Angeles. He certainly did not censor his material, which was somewhat awkward considering the event was part of homecoming and family weekend. Many college students were sitting with their parents, and I could sense their uneasiness when I occasionally scanned the room. Regardless, there was never a shortage of laughter in the room. By making fun of both male and female characteristics, he was relatable to everyone—even parents.

Dale’s underlying message was subtle but clear: embrace equality. He told an anecdote about pretending to want to marry a bug for his nephew’s amusement. His nephew said something along the lines of: You can’t marry that bug! He’s a boy. Dale replied, “You can marry whoever you want. Boys can marry boys. Boys can marry girls. Girls can marry girls. The real problem is that he’s a bug.” Dale’s tone and mannerisms were truly endearing, and I could not help but feel like we had a real connection by the end of the show.

After his performance, Thomas Dale stood by the entrance of the PAC and posed for pictures. My friends and I took a picture with him, followed him on twitter, and friended him on Facebook. Now, he is not just a comedian but a friend. So while the ticket may have cost two dollars, the experience was priceless.

On Tuesday, September 17, Stockton Entertainment Team (S.E.T.) sponsored an event called Silent Library. In accordance with the popular television show, the objective of the game remained the same: do not laugh, regardless of whatever ridiculous activity a teammate may undertake. When my best friend and I arrived at the event, we had no intention of actually playing the game—we consider ourselves viewers, not doers—however, we promptly learned all who attend must participate. In retrospect, I am thankful for this rule.

Lacking four more people to round off our team, I quickly called another friend I had made during Welcome Week. He was conveniently with three others, so I instructed them all to run like the wind down to the event room! Upon our entrance, we were greeted by the always friendly members of S.E.T., and they told us to help ourselves to frozen yogurt and fresh fruit. After loading up our bowls, we sat down and waited for the games to begin.

While our team anxiously anticipated our turn, we witnessed unlucky participants dancing in tutus and being subjected to pie-eating contests. Alas, it was our turn! We were the last team to go, and perhaps I am biased, but I believe we had the worst challenges. For one of the challenges, we had to play leap frog. This does not sound too embarrassing until factoring in being watched by a crowd and jumping over the heads of people met less than an hour ago. While we did laugh quite a bit during this challenge, our team was deemed successful and moved on to the next round. The final challenge was to have one person apply lipstick to each teammate’s face while blind-folded. Though I did not know the boy selected for this challenge before that night, we got acquainted pretty quickly as he stroked my face trying to find my lips. Despite his best efforts, he somehow always ended up drawing on either the chin or neck. Our team obviously lost this round.

In the end, all the humiliation was worth it because we were given prizes: a beach ball, lip balm, and a cell phone holder. A more important prize is the new friendships that were formed in the process of embarrassing ourselves. I applaud S.E.T. for helping people step out of their comfort zones. I certainly benefited from attending this event. I made new friends and was given the chance to let loose and be silly.

On Tuesday, November 20, Women’s, Gender, and Sexualities Studies (WGSS) sponsored a film screening and panel discussion of GirlRising, a feature film and global action campaign for girls’ education. I have always been passionate about women’s rights, so this event was obviously in my realm of interest. This is likely why I showed up thirty minutes early and claimed the first seat in an empty Alton Auditorium.

Little by little, more people trailed in until Alton was nearly three-fourths full. I was pleased to see that so many people were showing an interest in the issue of girls’ education—or rather the lack thereof. We all sat in silence as we watched a condensed version of the feature film GirlRising. From the film, I learned a few very startling facts:

1. There are 33 million fewer girls than boys in primary school.
2. In a single year, an estimated 150 million girls are victims of sexual violence.
3. The #1 cause of death for girls 15-19 is childbirth.

I also learned that modern slavery still exists in the form of debt bondage. In places such as Nepal, brave teachers seek to liberate young girls trapped in the kamlari system (which has been illegal since 2000). They seek to give these girls the education they deserve—the education their brothers are receiving. In other Sub-Saharan regions, families marry their daughters off because this is their only prospect of achieving better lives.

After the film, 5 female discussion panelists answered several questions from the audience. They also discussed their initiative to bring a Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Center to Stockton. There is currently a petition circulating to establish such a center, and it can be signed by going to http://tinyurl.com/stocktonwgsc. Overall, attending GirlRising was fulfilling in several ways. I learned about an issue that plagues girls and women in Sub-Saharans regions, and I am now in a position to educate others about the lack of education these girls receive. I also learned more about the objectives and goals of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality program, and I look forward to seeing progress with the center.