Beginning at midnight on Monday October 14th and continuing through Friday the 18th the Stockton Gaming Club hosted a week long game of tag with a twist. Humans versus Zombies is a campus-wide game open to all students. Zombies are distinguished by wearing a green band around their head, whereas humans have a band around their arms. Approximately 200 students registered online to play and out of those students one was chosen as the “original zombie.”  The original zombie wears his band around his arm like a human until he is discovered and then moves his band to his head like the other zombies. Once a human is tagged by a zombie, he too becomes a zombie. Humans carry nerf guns and balled up socks to protect themselves from the hordes of zombies. Once a zombie is hit he is considered frozen for ten minutes and cannot tag any humans. Every night there are missions for the humans which include a variety of tasks for them to complete. Prior to the mission on Monday night 17 people had been turned into zombies. Although 17 is a small number in comparison to 158 humans, panic had already set in on campus. The zombies move in packs in order to increase their chances of getting a tag. Humans also quickly develop allies in an effort to survive. The first mission which led the humans down Dark Path resulted in a terrifying chase around the lake. The campus filled with paranoia as the human numbers began to dwindle. Tuesday’s mission started the humans in F court and led them to the Unified Science Center. Zombies anxiously awaited their arrival and hid along Dark and Light Path. Wednesday’s mission sent humans to Housing 2, Housing 4, and Lake Pam with an optional trek to the observatory in search of puzzle pieces. The zombies divided themselves and went in groups to the four locations. My group was sent behind Housing 2 where we waited in the woods, for 45 minutes, for humans to arrive. After Wednesday’s mission the numbers changed in favor of the zombies. There are also vaccines hidden all of over campus that allow humans to recover after a zombie tags them. On Wednesday, a new element was incorporated into the game. Anyone wearing an orange band is considered military. The military is allowed to tag humans and to stun zombies. By Thursday afternoon the human numbers have dwindled to 57 with 158 zombies. Thursday’s mission has yet to be disclosed with multiple rumors going around, but one thing is for certain; it will be a blood bath. With the end of the week quickly approaching the only real question left is, will humanity survive or will the zombies overrun the campus?

Taylor Adams

On the weekend of November 15^th, several of the officers of Active Minds club attended the Tenth Annual National Active Minds Conference. The trip was open and free for all club members. The event took place at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Club members from all over the country were in attendance. The national organization represents over 400 chapters that share the common goal of raising awareness about mental health issues among college students. Attendees had their pick on a variety of activities from workshops to speakers to singers. On the first day, one fellow member and I attended an interactive leadership seminar. The speaker running the program was an incredibly humble and welcoming person. She radiated confidence and life. Later on, we discovered that she is currently recovering from an eating disorder and depression. Her story touched many and reminded us why we were carrying out this mission. We learned a myriad of skills and tips as well as life lessons.

The day was concluded with the annual Stomp Out Stigma Walk which represented putting an end to harmful titles attached to people because of their differences. We were given our choice of color glow stick. The color we chose was symbolic for the reasons we were participating in the walk: for a friend, for a family member, for yourself, to change the world. The following day consisted of more insightful workshops about club recruitment and retention and fundraising tactics to keep the clubs running strong. The third day we were introduced to the Strangers Project. The founder Brandon explained his global work of collecting strangers’ stories. It started with him simply sitting in a coffee shop with a large sign that read, “What’s your story?” He sparked people’s attention and has acquired over 7000 stories around the world. This inspired us to start something similar in the Stockton community. All in all, the trip was an incredible experience that opened our eyes to new opportunities and perspectives that we can utilize at Stockton in reaching our ultimate goal.

The air is cold and dark on Halloween night at Stockton. Many people went home but those who stayed are building anticipation for the Stockton Theatre Club’s performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show. As guests enter the room, there are many actors and actresses in costumes to greet them and guide the guests to their seats. The actors do not go about interacting with guests normally. There are conversations with crude humor and laughter. Each guests who has not seen Rocky Horror Picture Show before that night is labeled as a “virgin” with a large, red letter V on their foreheads. There is a prop table with an array of items in the corner, where audience members can grab one to two props to use during the show. Once everyone makes their way to their seats, the shenanigans of the night begin.

Before the production begins, the actors and actresses around the room gather audience members to play games on the stage. The first game is played with coconuts. Players must partner up with a person they do not know, and start by holding a coconut between their bodies at the stomach. The goal is to move the coconut, without using hands, up one another’s bodies so that it is held between the partners’ necks. Players wiggle awkwardly against one another to move their coconuts. Some succeed and others drop their coconuts, letting them roll onto the ground below. After everyone returns to their seats more crude comedy and laughter fills the room, and more games are played. Once 8:15 p.m. arrives, the actors reside to the corners of the room and the production begins.

The lights dim and a movie reel begins on the screen. As the movie plays, actors dressed like the characters on screen act out the scenes on stage. The actors mimic lines only by moving their lips, all of the singing and speaking comes from the sound in the film. It is an interesting way to portray the story, but very entertaining for the audience. Throughout the production, the audience is asked to use their different props in certain scenes to add interaction. The actors walk and dance through the audience as they perform, some sitting on laps and some pulling audience members up to dance. The whole room feels whimsical and fun. Each actor does an excellent job at portraying their characters and each audience member gets into the story enthusiastically.

When the show ends, the audience is in uproar. Cheers and laughter show how well of a job the actors have done on stage. When leaving, the actors continue to interact with guests, keeping the fun atmosphere alive. The Stockton Theatre Club has, yet again, put on a fabulous show. The audience leaves feeling happy and carefree, on their way o enjoy the remaining hours of Halloween night.

Stockton’s 10th annual day of service was a great turn out. There were lines stretched to the door in the campus center of students waiting in line to sign in for the day of service. We were provided with breakfast and were given boxed lunches. After breakfast the ambassadors of the day ushered the students into the event room which was filled with tables. On the website there was a very brief overview of what each service project was for. My friends and I were a few of the first people to arrive in the event room so we had a lot of options. A majority of the time we wandered around the room trying to decide which project to choose. The big screens with a description of each service project were helpful and in the end a couple of my friends and I chose the Shore Park Tenant Association.
It was a group of about five students and two service project leaders. The main point of our service project was to help prepare and serve the food for a party at the Shore Park Tenant Association, which is a home for the elderly and disabled. We sat around the table and introduced ourselves while waiting quite a long time to be dismissed. We were transported to the Tenant home by a van, except not everyone could fit so the professors took their own car. When we arrived at the place we were very unsure of whether we were even at the right place. We hadn’t obtained any of the professors’ phone numbers so we just walked in. Thankfully there were people expecting us and welcomed us. After getting there most of the tables were already set up so we really didn’t have much to do. We sat around and waited for instructions while the people of the tenant home prepared the food. For a while I helped in the kitchen and cut ribs but did not do much else afterwards. After about an hour of chit chat we finally started to help set up. Around noon the tenants started coming to the dining hall and we started serving food.
Many of the people there were very friendly and extremely excited to get all their food. We took turns at different stations serving food or bringing it to the tables. Some of the tenants had their grandchildren over so I had the chance to take a few kids to the garden in the backyard and play with them. We all were supposed to leave around 2:30, but left a little later. We really should have stayed longer because there were still many tenants that were coming down to eat. If the timing had been better we could have arrived later so that we would have been more involved in serving food. Then we could have left later so that we could have helped with the entire cleanup process, because that was probably the thing they would have needed the most help with.
Overall the entire experience was quite rewarding. I enjoyed being able to help people and interact with them. There were many things, however, that could have been better. First of all, there should be better organization in the event room so that everyone is fully informed of what they are volunteering for. Also the people running the volunteer place did not seem like they were prepared with tasks for the volunteers. If they were more prepared for us then we would have been much more helpful to them. At the end of the day we had a mini reflection session and everyone seemed to enjoy their day except for the waiting around. Next time I hope to feel that I was able to provide more of a service instead of feeling like I spent most of my time waiting around.

I was skeptical upon seeing students with bright orange Nerf guns, balled up socks, and neon green bands around their arms and heads running around chasing each other on Honors Scholars Day in the spring before I moved into Stockton. The whole notion of college students playing such a game as something called Humans Vs. Zombies (or HVZ, as it’s affectionately called) kind of surprised me. College, to me, was supposed to be a serious, pedantic place where you were not allowed to have time for seemingly childish activities. After moving into Stockton and making friends that were ecstatic to participate in this event, lasting from October 13-18, 2013, however, resulted in me apprehensively joining in and completely changing my opinion, while having tons of fun in the process.

An essential part of HVZ is the Nerf gun, as it is a human’s only defense, save for balled up socks, against being tagged by a zombie, which turns you into a zombie yourself. Shooting a dart or throwing a sock at a zombie stuns them for ten minutes, allowing you ample time to run away and stay human. Soon after signing up, I went to buy myself my very own gun and dig for old socks and the bottom of my drawer. Then strapping on the green band around my arm the next day, I was officially ready for HVZ to begin.

Besides the constant paranoia of having to watch out for my headband wearing classmates lurking around outside (as weare not allowed to be tagged inside), most of my first day of HVZ was successful as a human. It wasn’t until later at the nightly mission that my back was turned and I was tagged by a zombie. I somewhat begrudgingly gave up my status as a human and joined the zombie ranks.

Being a zombie was even more fun than being a human, as I discovered throughout the week. I got to chase humans and scare them merely by walking by. Later that week, I even found myself hiding in bushes in anticipation of humans walking by. There was also a higher sense of comradery amongst the zombies. Humans tended to have the mentality of “better you than me”. Being a zombie, on the other hand, means watching your fellow zombies’ backs and helping each other obtain tags by turning more humans into zombies. I even got my own tag when I was walking out of the Unified Science Center and noticed a human with her back turned to me.

HVZ was ultimately an extremely amusing experience for me that resulted in many new friends. The unexpected teamwork and comradery involved helped improved how I work with others and banded the Stockton community together. I also realized that college does not always mean leaving behind childish ways, but embracing them with a new outlook. It is something distinctive that sets Stockton apart from many other colleges in the country. Not everyone gets to spend a week at college playing with Nerf guns and hunting and chasing fellow classmates while still attending class, as I like brag to my friends back home.

Saturday, October 10th, 2015, was the third day of Stockton University’s University Weekend. The day was a cool 64 degrees and the campus was abuzz with excitement for the evening’s main event, the Osprey Ball. The morning was started off with the Stockton Parent & Family Association breakfast in the campus center event center. Breakfast was followed shortly by the men’s alumni soccer game.

But the excitement didn’t stop there. After a good game of soccer, the parade began. Different student organizations had the opportunity to design golf carts to represent each of their groups. Groups such as Stockapella and the Disney Association had floats in the parade which were designed throughout the week by members of each organization. The parade flowed through the crowds of students, faculty, alumni, and families who came out to show support this university weekend.

After a plethora of sporting events and a carnival in the parking lot of Big Blue, the night was topped off with the 2015 Osprey Ball. Everyone in attendance was dressed to the nines in their best clothes and arrived with all of their friends in the Campus Center Event Room at 9 P.M. The DJ kept a steady stream of moderns hits such as Fetty Wap and classics like Respect by Aretha Franklin. The dance floor was packed as students Hit the Whip, Hit the Quan, and did the Cotton Eyed Joe. As the night moved on students were able to take photos in a photo booth and enjoy a large spread of desserts and sodas.

Overall the Osprey Ball just may have been the highlight of University Weekend. It was an awesome way to get everyone together to have a good time. This year’s University Weekend was clearly a massive success and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us next year.

For my first official weekend here at Stockton College, I chose to participate in the tenth Annual Day of Service. The day offered ample opportunity to research clubs, volunteer for good causes and meet a variety of new people. Eager to find the right club to participate in, I quickly ate my bagel and proceeded to find the best fit club to enjoy a fun-filled day of service. My friend and I chose to work with Circle K, a club dedicated to providing service for children, elders, animals and the homeless. The tasks for the day were to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the homeless shelter, sew teddy bears and blankets as well as make cards for the children in the hospital, and braid homemade dog toys for the animal shelter.

I spent a majority of my time making cards for terminally ill children. I was supplied with information of specific children with illnesses such as cancer. I found it slightly difficult coming up with what to say in the cards. For one boy’s card, I wrote “Thanks for being Awesome” with the word “awesome” written in 3-D with paper. I tried my best to personalize their cards with their names as well as their interests. At one point, I was running out of ideas: I drew a picture of a cat on the front of the card with the message “Here’s a kitten to brighten your day” inside of it. Although a card is a small, insignificant gesture in the grand scheme of things, it could potentially mean the world to a parent or the child (even if it is only for a moment). Overall, the experience was fun as well as helpful for others. Ever since I came to Stockton, my world has expanded immensely. Instead of simply completing a service project, the experience has opened my eyes to certain possibilities in terms of future volunteer work and even careers.

On the morning of September 19th I was lucky enough to be involved in Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s roadside cleanup. SAE is a fraternity that is recognized on the Stockton campus as the Rho Sigma chapter, since 2012. Their philosophy is the Children’s Miracle Network and they pride themselves as being “true gentlemen”.  Since SAE is the fraternity that I would like to be a part of second semester I decided that going to this rush event would be very beneficial to me, especially since it was community service based. A rush event is an event held by a fraternity (or a sorority) and is used as a way for current brothers and sisters to get to know future members.

The morning of the event was beautiful. The sun was shining and it could not have been a better day to go make the community better. We met together at the Dunkin Donuts in the Campus Center. This is where they explained to us the basis of what will be going on that day. They told us how it will be a good time and how beneficial of an experience it will be. They got me all ready to help out the community. The brothers and other potential rushes like myself were able to bond over picking up trash on the side of the road. Each of us were given a job, my first job was to hold the garbage bag to make picking up trash easier for someone else. Later we switched jobs and we were able to have fun out of the whole thing. At the end of the day though, most importantly, the streets were now a lot cleaner thanks to the brothers of SAE.

Just as students are beginning to feel a little homesick, Stockton’s family weekend comes! Not only does this four-day event take care of homesickness; it provides endless activities for students to reunite with their families in the most enjoyable way possible.

“Stocktonopoly” begins the Thursday night before homecoming weekend by showing “Monsters University” in the campus center, just in case any young children and their parents decide to visit a little early. Then, a parade goes through the campus, allowing the various clubs here at Stockton to recruit more members and impress the judges. Then, a bonfire and the S.E.T. comedy show end the night with lots of fun and laughs. To start the next day, parents were welcome to enjoy a brunch with their Stockton student.

The fun goes on from here. With a carnival taking place in the parking lot of “Big Blue,” the commotion increases as the day goes on. A twisting ladder game, trampoline, and blow-up obstacle course are sure to take up the day in the sun. Students find that after being active for so long, the water balloons cool things off a little, and then it’s time for some basketball and getting to know different clubs at Stockton. For my family, the blow-up games and obstacle courses were a perfect fit for five cousins under the age of ten. After we squeezed a total of fifteen people into the dorm room to see the pictures on the wall, my cousins couldn’t wait to see what the carnival was all about! This provided a way to reunite with them in a unique way.

Finally the Osprey Ball comes, where students hang out and dance the night away with friends. Homecoming weekend concludes with an Alumni Walk and baseball games on Sunday, which prove to be a perfect way to close a hectic weekend. All in all, Stocktonopoly definitely succeeded in providing fun activities for students and their families to enjoy together.

Excitement was in the air on a chilly Friday afternoon as the students and their parents come together at Stockton for the start of University Weekend. The weekend began with a pep rally in “Big Blue”, the school’s main gymnasium. During the event, I had the pleasure of performing with the All Starz Dance Team. The hustle and bustle backstage before the ceremonies began was both fun and hectic. Everyone took their seats as the enthusiastic announcer told his audience about everything they should expect this weekend. Several clubs performed, including the Cheerleaders, All Starz Dancers, and Stockton’s Stocktones. At the end, everyone received a complimentary tee shirt to wear.

Early next morning, different clubs and teams around Stockton gathered to parade decorated golf carts around campus. I walked the parade with the All Starz dancers, with our cart decorated in different colors, celebrating Stockton throughout the years. We placed signs on the cart with the various names Stockton University had and the years they held these names. The parade was cold and windy, but fun nonetheless. People cheered and admired every group’s cart. At the end, each cart was presented to a panel of judges who selected the best decorated cart. The judges loved our cart and at the end of the parade, we won second place in the contest. The whole team felt excited and proud of our hard work.

The parade was only the kickoff event for Saturday morning. From twelve o’clock to four o’clock, there was a grand carnival in one of the school’s parking lots. People set up tables with games, food, and there were inflatable obstacle courses for those who liked to be adventurous. Loud music and laughter filled the air. It was impossible to find anyone with a frown on their face at the carnival. Once the excitement settled down, students said farewell to their parents and started to prepare for the 20^th Annual Osprey Ball. The ball was the final hurrah for students, and kept going until one o’clock in the morning. There was loud music, a photo booth, buffet food, cake, and thrilled guests. People dressed to impress and danced the night away. It was an event to remember, and my personal favorite of the entire weekend. As a whole, University Weekend was fun for all, and students are excited to see what it will hold next year.