Adam Smith

Dr. Rosner

GEN 1033-003

10/16/15

Freshman Blogging Project: Sherlock Holmes

On Friday, October 2nd, at 7:30 p.m., I sprinted through the dark parking lot in the pouring rain towards Stockton University’s Performing Arts Center. As I neared the building I noticed a crowd of people standing inside. Contrary to my prior beliefs, I soon realized that the Sherlock Holmes play that I was about to watch was for more than just Stockton students, but also for those around the community who enjoy the arts. I entered the theatre in my rain-soaked clothes, took my seat amongst the audience and waited for the show to begin.

As the play commenced, I was shocked to see that the main character, Sherlock Holmes was played by a woman. Whispers murmured around the audience as soon as Holmes stepped on stage. The play continued on and it soon became apparent that not only was Holmes played by an actress, but the character was actually referred to as a “she”! Various characters, including Watson, who was played by a male, would refer to Holmes as a woman. The show went on and Holmes did as Holmes usually does, and used his or her heightened intelligence and analytical thinking process to solve an “unsolvable mystery”. In this case, the play actually focused on three simultaneous mysteries.

Due to the sex-change of the main character and the already confusing plot, I found myself struggling to keep along with the play’s storyline. Out of the three mysteries present in the play, I was only able to really follow one of them. This particular mystery revolved around a white husband and wife. The wife would often sneak out in the dead of night, long after her husband is asleep, and would venture off to an old abandoned house nearby. One night, her husband is awakened by her leaving and waits for her return. It is revealed to the audience, with the help of Holmes, that the woman was visiting the child of her previous husband. The child was African American and lived in the abandoned house, where the woman’s new husband would not see her.  

All ends well for the couple and the child, but I still found myself wondering why the director of the play chose to do what he did. Why did he or she change Holme’s sexuality, and not that of any other characters? Why did the director not inform the audience why he or she did this? I found that this took away from the play, not because Holmes was a woman, but because it was not explained. I found myself pondering this idea more so than the actual play’s  plot.

Sherlock Holmes is a world-renowned fictional character that has made appearances in all forms of media. In the Sherlock Holmes play hosted by Stockton University on October 2nd, the director of the performance made the decision to change the sexuality of the main character without explaining why. I would argue that this change had a negative impact on the play because it added to the confusion of the already perplexing plot. After discussing this topic with my peers, various conspiracies arose to why this happened. These explanations varied widely. Some believed that the director was trying to prove a point that women can play a role just as well as men, while others thought it was just because this particular actor could play the violin. A way to clear this confusion would be a simple explanation as to why the director chose to do this before or after the performance, rather than leaving the audience to attempt to guess for themselves. The play was an entertaining experience, but could have been easily enhanced with little effort.

Adam Smith

Dr. Rosner

GEN 1033: Life of the Mind

11/17/15

Stockton University vs. Montclair State University Volleyball Game

As I swiped my Stockton ID and walked into the gymnasium in Big Blue at 2:00 pm on the 7th of November, I looked eagerly at the volleyball nets as this would be the first college level volleyball game I would watch. I took my seat next to my friends and waited for the National Anthem to play. Everyone removed their hats and faced the flag as the song played over the sound system. I glanced towards the players they all seemed to glow with excitement. As the song finished, Stockton’s women’s volleyball team walked towards center court to meet their opponents, Montclair State University. After shaking hands, the referees told the players to take their positions. The match was about to begin.

The referee blew his whistle to start the match and immediately cheers from the stands commenced. “Go Stockton!”, “Let’s go Ospreys!”, “Beat Montclair!”, all rang throughout the stands as the Stockton served the ball. After a short rally, Stockton’s Stephanie Kovacs spiked the ball down to win the point. It became clear that Stockton would lead this match. As the match progressed on, I soon learned that a college level game of volley is won by the team who wins best three out of five matches. A match is won by whichever team wins 25 points first. Stockton quickly accumulated 25 points, beating MSU, with 16 points.

Although the attendance was only 233, the enthusiasm of the Stockton fan base made up for the lack of people. Everyone was wearing their osprey apparel as they cheered their team on. The second match soon began and MSU ran on to the court with more excitement than before. MSU took the lead with two aces and a spike. An ace is a term used for when the player serves the ball and wins the point without the opposing team returning it. Stockton took a timeout and rotated in new players. They stepped back on the court with confidence and started the clock again. The new players quickly regained the lead and won the set. The MSU players bowed their heads as they lost the second set 18 to 25 and walked toward the bench to receive a pep talk.

After a five minute break filled with osprey cheer and support, the two teams took their places on the court and began the match. It was evident that MSU’s defense was slowly crumbling as Stockton continuously scored point after point. “Choke! Choke!” screamed a few Stockton fans to the right of me. MSU served the ball only to be spiked back down by Stockton’s Macy Schwartz. It was 24 to 10. Stockton was in the lead and only needed one point to win the final match. Lindsay Schuele served the ball, but MSU took possession and set themselves up for a spike. The audience stared at the ball, eager for the match to end as a MSU player smacked the ball down towards the ground, but just as it was about to hit the floor Kovacs saved the ball and gently bumped it over the net. MSU stared in disbelief as the ball fell into their court and hit the ground. “We won!” cheered the crowded as the women’s team rushed the court and hugged each other. After a few minutes of celebration, the stands cleared and I walked outside with my friends. The women’s team’s win over MSU invigorated me and left me wanting to attend more athletic events at Stockton to support the Ospreys.

Adam Smith

Dr. Rosner

GEN 1033-003

9/22/15

Freshman Blogging Project: Day of Service

Service is a vital part of becoming a competent citizen. By providing service to others, one may learn new things, not only about those being served, but about oneself. On September 12th, I attended Stockton University’s 12th Annual Day of Service. The purpose of this event was to enlighten students about the benefits of community service and provide them with opportunities in which to donate their time and effort. The Day of Service started at eight o’clock in the morning, where students ate breakfast and registered for the day. Like most students attending the event, I was eager to dive into “hands on” community service that would hopefully fulfill one of my requirements for service learning, but as I began talking to my peers, I realized that not many students knew what the itinerary entailed. We shrugged our shoulders, finished breakfast, and waited for the first lecture to begin.

What struck me as odd, when I first sat down in the event room, was that it seemed as if the day was not going to revolve around physical community service at all. It became evident, however, that the student body would be lectured for a majority of the day about the benefits of service. Although this may have seemed disappointing at the time, I believe it was a smart decision on behalf of the planning board. Without the information sessions about organizations such as“Books Without Borders”, students would not know where to volunteer, let alone how. For a short while, I assisted a few members of the “Books Without Borders” organization in the packing and arranging of books that would be sent to the less fortunate. This was the extent of the physical service that many students took part in. What I realize now is that this Day of Service, in particular, served as stepping stone for students, and provided them with the necessary information to take part in community service in the future.

Another aspect about the Day of Service that I am impressed with is the wide variety of opportunities that the students were presented with. While I was sitting in the information sessions, listening to the speakers, I could not help but wonder, “What do these lectures have to do with each other.” I am now aware, looking back at the event, that the planning board used varying organizations as a means to show students that they can volunteer in many aspects of society, whether it be homeless shelters or  book organizations.

Although I may not have been enthusiastic about how the Day of Service played out while I was there, I now realize the importance of the event. It was more of an informational service to us, than a community service interaction. I now feel more knowledgeable about the various community service opportunities in the area and would not hesitate to sign up again for the next Day of Service. I believe that Stockton University’s 12th Annual Day of Service prepared students to take action in the community, while also providing them with information that will further benefit their time at the university.