On September 12, 2015, Stockton University hosted its annual Day of Service. Students, faculty, and staff members filed into the Campus Center Event Room, eagerly awaiting the beginning of the day. The university was trying a new format for the Day of Service this year. In past Days of Service, participants would choose which project they would like to volunteer with, and would board a bus to be transported to the off campus location. This year, off campus bussing was unnecessary. All of the service projects would be located on campus and students, split into colored teams, would have the opportunity to rotate through them evenly.

The morning began with opening statements by President Harvey Kesselman and keynote speaker Todd Bernstein. They both emphasized the importance of service, making a difference and giving back to the community on a regular basis. After the speeches were finished, volunteer Day of Service Project Leaders ushered their respective teams to the destined locations. I was on the Blue Team, so our first service project took place in the C/D Atrium of the main campus building.

This session focused on civic engagement. The project leaders had us at different stations within the atrium, enhancing our awareness of various topics. Firstly, we learned about the issue of search and seizure. As a group, we discussed the details of the Fourth Amendment and how the Supreme Court determined it protected us citizens from police searching our phones or belongings after an arrest. Next, we listened to a representative speak from the Petey Greene Project, an organization dedicated to tutoring prisoners in correction facilities. Then, we had the option of writing a letter to different politicians like Governor Christie or Senator Booker and submitting our opinion of the search and seizure issue and capital punishment in a mock voting booth. Once our group was done at those stations, we entered a computer lab where we took a survey about civic preparedness and our knowledge of current government affairs. It was shocking to realize that a majority of people do not understand the government process, are not involved regularly with government affairs, and have not been properly educated on the stances of politicians and the importance of voting.

The second service project was located in the Campus Center, led by the club Circle K. The two speakers focused on homelessness and listed different statistics and facts to emphasize its ubiquity in our area and state.  After the short presentation, we were allowed to choose what we wanted to do. We could either make bags for homeless people, create birthday cards, or make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I chose to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; it was really nice to know that these sandwiches were going to be given to people who suffer from hunger. The second session was definitely the most hands-on session of the day and I really enjoyed that aspect. Even though making sandwiches was a small difference, it still felt good to affect people’s lives.

The third service project accentuated environmentalism. The president and CEO of Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA), Richard Dovey, spoke about his company and what they do for Atlantic County. ACUA deals about his company and what they do for Atlantic County. eople’er make bags for homeless people, with waste management, recycling, pollution prevention, and water distribution. Dovey also talked about the green initiatives that ACUA strives to uphold in its everyday operation. The Stockton club Waterwatch took over afterwards, discussing the origin of plastic water bottles, how water bottles are made, and their true danger. It was a very informative session that taught me to be more aware of environmental impact and the hazards of plastic water bottles.

The final service project of the day involved health and wellness. At the beginning of the day, we had the option of choosing which session to participate in. The topic options were CPR, Green Dot Training, Suicide Awareness, and Prescription Drugs. I chose to learn about prescription drug addiction and the frequent usage of Narcan for overdoses. A representative from the organization Join Together Atlantic County (JTAC) and a Stockton police officer gave a presentation in a small conference room at the Campus Center. They talked about the presence of drugs in Atlantic County and New Jersey overall, the realities of overdoses and injecting Narcan, and the steps we can take to make a difference. It was very eye-opening to see how prevalent substance abuse is in the community. Even compared to Ocean County, Atlantic County has one of the highest percentages of heroin addiction and other drug abuse.

The end of the 2015 Day of Service wrapped up with a closing ceremony in the Campus Center Event Room. The Office of Service Learning led reflection sessions throughout the room, sending Service Project Leaders to the multiple tables. The project leaders sat down at each table with a pen and notepad. The reflection questions were shown on slides on the giant wall-sized screens and the entire room went through the reflection process together. It was designed to make us think about what we had learned and done that day. Most importantly, it was essential to reflect upon how the Day of Service impacted our perspective and future outlook. The Day of Service had a brand new format this year that encouraged more continuous service and overall awareness and less sporadic volunteering.  I enjoyed the different Day of Service because its intention was to inspire us students to be more involved in the community. This new format contributes to the element of service learning that Stockton desires all students to acquire.

For the last event of Welcome Week 2015, comedian Kevin Wanzer presented his college orientation program in the Performing Arts Center (PAC). All of the seats in the theater were filled with students, waiting for him to come on stage. The second his opening statement started and we heard his unique laugh and his positive personality, I was confident this was going to be a great show. Wanzer’s hilariousness and relatable anecdotes combined to make the show entertaining and valuable. His ALOHA philosophy focused on embracing diversity, being positive, loving one another, and merging the community into a family.

The messages he portrayed in his program summarized what incoming freshmen were being told by different programs throughout the week. The previous programs encouraged students to broaden their horizons, involve themselves in college socially, and empower one another to thrive. Overall, the tones reflected the control students have over their education and their personal success in life. While Wanzer’s routine discussed serious topics, it also had comedic parts to amuse the audience. He did an amazing job of linking an enthusiastic, humorful performance with an enlightening dialogue about inclusiveness and diversity.

One of Wanzer’s anecdotes included a story about him and his son Scout at Disney World. Wanzer attempted to take his son to see all of the Disney characters and wait in line to receive their autographs. Scout, who Wanzer described as being obsessed with vacuum cleaners, preferred to skip the wait and eat in Cinderella’s castle. As Wanzer and Scout sat at their table, Scout began to talk to the waitress. The waitress interacted wonderfully with Scout, engaging in conversation with him about vacuum cleaners. After talking for a while, the waitress took Scout to a back room to show him something. A few minutes later, Scout came out with the waitress, gripping a vacuum cleaner in his hand. She allowed him to vacuum the entire dining area! When Scout was finished, he was so happy and sat back down. At the end of the meal, Scout told his dad that the only autograph he wanted was an autograph from the waitress. When Wanzer asked why, Scout explained it was because she was nice to him, she listened to him, and she allowed him to vacuum Cinderella’s castle. Wanzer used this adorable narrative to establish how important it is for us to take time out to get to know people. Anecdotes like those showed us how we can make a difference in people’s lives and how we can positively embrace our differences and similarities.

Wanzer has an energetic stage presence and utilized it to keep us students laughing. His routine was amazing and it allowed new freshmen to have an upbeat mindset going into college life. It was a very inspirational program that showed students how to promote a tolerant college community. Wanzer repeated the ALOHA philosophy multiple times throughout his performance, wisely demonstrating how students can choose to love. His charisma is infectious and it has helped me see how I can be a more valuable member of Stockton’s community.

On Saturday, August 29^th, 2015, I attended the Osprey Kickoff in the quad at the Residential Life Center (TRLC). The Stockton Entertainment Team (SET) and the United Black Students Society (UBSS) co-hosted the event during the second day of Stockton University’s Welcome Week.  The event began at 3:00 pm, shortly after the mandatory/passport events earlier in the afternoon. The quad was quickly crowded with both incoming freshmen and T.A.L.O.N upperclassmen. Music boomed from the DJ’s giant speakers and there were people everywhere. Accompanied by two friends, I eagerly wandered around to see everything.

On one side of the quad, there were rows of tables and scattered boxes, where students were browsing through posters that were for sale. On the other side, there were booths offering free items; they already had lines forming besides them. We first grabbed some Dippin’ Dots and walked around to see the rest of the vendors. There was a Tiki Bar, a photo booth, a caricaturist, a Make-Your-Own-Sign stand, and a Make-Your-Own-Bear table. The longest line was for the teddy bear table, so my friends and I decided to do that first. The wait was long but definitely worth it. The bears were very cute and it was fun to stuff them ourselves. They even came with little birth certificates!

After we made our bears, we noticed there were some tables on the far right of the quad. Walking past the ongoing volleyball game, we saw that SET and UBSS had set up an area where they could offer more information about their clubs and tell new freshmen about what they do. SET was giving out blue Stockton foam fingers so my friends and I each took one. Then, we stood in line to wait for the caricaturist, however by then, the line was relatively large. People that had finished up at the teddy bear table were in the line for the caricaturist. While my friends and I were waiting, the people at the teddy bear table had to put everything away because they had run out of bears. We were definitely glad we chose to make the bears first!

We ended up leaving before getting our caricatures done, because the wait would have been another hour and a half. However, we had a lot of fun together. It was a great event that SET and UBSS had hosted and there was a huge turnout. The Osprey Kickoff was an excellent way for both residential and commuter freshmen to socialize, get acclimated to the campus, and adjust themselves to life at Stockton. It was like the college version of a neighborhood block party. SET and UBSS did an excellent job of helping Stockton students make that transition into college life. Four years from now, I can look back at my first time at college as a freshman and have amazing memories to remember that day.