On September 16 and 17, the Offices of Student Development and Service Learning sponsored Stockton University’s Get Involved Fair. Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, the event spread out through the galleries of A Wing to J Wing. For the unprepared morning visitor, the festive atmosphere was as energizing as a cup of coffee – and nearly as good-smelling, what with the baked goods and soft pretzels.

The hallways, so thronged with students it was impossible to walk in a straight line, were bordered with club tables. In addition to displaying interesting posters, many organizations offered bowls of candy and free t-shirts which, as I can personally attest, were quite effective at luring in prospective members. Most impressive was the sheer variety of school groups, ranging from sororities to sports teams. Whether a student came with the hopes of playing the guitar or playing videogames, learning leadership skills or learning about neuroscience, the fair covered it all. There were clubs of art, dance, and theatre. There were societies celebrating culture and societies celebrating religion. There was even a life sized cut-out of the Pope that startled me every time I walked by. A good percentage of the programs were oriented towards service work, including Water Watch, Circle K. International, and the Animal Friendly Organization. Others, such as Campus Philly and the Education Society, served as an outlet for students to experience and connect with jobs. Still others existed for the sole purpose of enabling like-minded individuals to cut loose. Quidditch, anyone?

Then came the hard part: making a decision. With only 24 hours in each day and mounting piles of homework, participating in over 100 clubs is highly impractical. I therefore limited to myself to a handful of tables – The Argo, Stockpot, and a few community service groups. The Get Involved Fair, true to its name, was a fun way to get involved and peruse the endless opportunities offered by Stockton University.

The first event of the 2015 Constitution Day Series took place at Stockton University, on the night of September 16. Sponsored by the Office of Service-Learning, the Office of the Provost, the Political Engagement Project, and the American Democracy Project, the Keynote Address featured Bryan Stevenson. A renowned lawyer, professor, author, activist, and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, Stevenson has saved the lives of countless prisoners on death row.

Unsurprisingly, the Campus Center Event Room soon filled beyond maximum capacity, and overflow audience was redirected to the Campus Center Theater to watch the speech simulcast. On the big screen, Stevenson was literally and figuratively larger than life. Beginning his speech, “Racial Justice and the Constitution,” with an anecdote of his college days, Stevenson explained that he ended up in law school because he wanted to make a difference, and because he clearly did not need to know anything in order to go there.

Throughout his speech, Stevenson focused on four points that we, as citizens, must adopt in order to implement lasting change. We must hold onto hope, change the societal narrative we tell ourselves, get closer to the problem areas of our communities, and finally, learn to be uncomfortable. Drawing off of personal experience, he recounted memories of a child incarcerated and abused in an adult prison, of a man condemned to die in spite of mental illness, and of innumerable prisoners targeted due to age and race. We live in a society where 1 out of every 3 African American males is predicted to serve jail time, and in the backdrop of Alabama, Stevenson was often forced to overcome prejudice himself. He managed to deliver heavy subject matter in a light yet powerful manner, and wove his stories into a cohesive rally for ridding the justice system of injustice. When Stevenson finished, both the event room and theater erupted into applause.

Poignant and funny by turns, the Constitution Day Address was always gripping, and left listeners with a sense of determination to fight for liberty and true justice for all.

At the crack of mid-morning on September 12, Stockton University opened its doors for the 2015 Fall Day of Service. The event, sponsored by the Office of Service Learning, kicked off with rousing speeches by President Kesselman and Todd Bernstein, as well as free doughnuts that seemed to be the main attraction for some volunteers. Then, divided into teams, everyone headed off for scheduled sessions.

Session 1, titled “Health and Wellness,” had a variety of options, ranging from suicide awareness to CPR training. I chose “Prescription Drugs,” which took place in a meeting room that completely ran out of chairs and almost ran out of floor space. Here a professor and a policeman delivered a presentation on drug abuse, focusing especially on heroin, which, due to its purity, accessibility, and cheapness, is spreading across New Jersey like a rash.

Session 2 focused on “Hunger and Homelessness.” In the CC Theatre, we learned about charitable organizations such as Covenant House, which provides shelter for homeless teenagers, and Books Without Borders, which provides donated volumes to impoverished countries. We were then instructed to organize leaning towers of paperbacks stacked at random on stage, and the assembly dissolved into a flurry of chaos, with dozens of students carrying, sorting, and packaging hundreds of novels, magazines, and textbooks.

Session 3, called “Civics,” took place in the C/D Atrium, and to my relief, the first order of business was devouring sandwiches. Smaller groups subsequently rotated through a dizzying assortment of activities which included discussing the rights of police, learning about a program that tutors prisoners, and taking a survey designed to expose how little I know about the Supreme Court/ Judicial Branch/ Government in general.

The final session, “Circle K & BWB,” took us back to the event room. Here we picked from a variety of crafts stations, and I spent the time making cards for terminally ill children with cancer. Decorating folded construction paper for a toddler who might not see next month was heartbreaking, but knowing that this simple gesture could spread a bit of sunshine into the life of someone who needs it was beyond rewarding. The day finished with a period of reflection.

Admittedly, I had been reluctant to roll out of bed on a rainy Saturday, but I left the Day of Service with new friends, an altered perspective, and a free t-shirt. That, to my mind, constitutes a day well spent.

On the evening of September 10, students and the general public alike funneled into the Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University for “Climate Change: A Panel Discussion.” Why would an art museum host a discussion of science? The display “Frozen Earth: Images from the Arctic Circle” inspired the talk, and Laura Petrovich-Cheney arranged for award-winning environmental activists to do the talking.

As the gallery grew crowded and the windows sweated condensation, an event coordinator joked that the broken air conditioner would simulate the conditions of global warming. Then, the room quieted and the dialogue opened with a short introduction by Diane Burko, a landscape artist whose work incorporates the effects of a warming climate. She thanked the audience for coming, and set the tone for a thought-provoking discourse.

Each panelist proceeded to wedge a unique presentation on global warming into the space of 10 minutes. Dr. Jeff Niemitz displayed a series of graphs depicting rising sea levels which, for coastal cities especially (ahem, much of New Jersey) could be devastating. Michael Lemonick discussed articles he has published in TIME magazine dealing with the greenhouse effect. Next was Amy Lipton, who presented a slideshow of artwork from the organization Eco Art Space, and spoke of its mission to promote awareness and create solutions. Former reporter for The New York Times Andrew Revkin brought the issue to life with a video of Arctic ice shifting, creaking, and melting during his visit to the North Pole. The discussion wrapped up with Aaron T. O’Connor, director of a program that sends artists into the Arctic aboard a sailing ship. He emphasized the importance of cooperation in striving towards a cleaner planet, not only among professionals in different fields of study, but also between community members.

The speakers spent an additional 40 minutes or so answering questions, comments, and above all, concerns. I left feeling certain that I would never look at the ocean quite the same way again.