September 12^th marked Stockton’s 12^th annual Day of Service, organized by the Office of Student Development.  Day of Service, an all-day event (8 to 4), offers both students and staff the rewarding opportunity to participate in service projects around the campus by exposing them to a wide variety of service projects and enlightening volunteers about the impacts they could make as opposed to simply jumping directly into work. Upon entering the event room, participants were asked to choose a team that they would be rotating with throughout the day.  About a half hour in, keynote speaker Todd Bernstein was introduced.  Bernstein explained how it is up to the citizens to bring about change, not the government.

Although there were four service projects, two in particular stood out to me.  The first service project I attended was in regards to the environment.  Richard Dovey, the CEO of Atlantic County Utilities Authority, discussed his company’s efforts to maintain a sustainable environment.  Stockton’s very own Water Watch organization and sustainable farm volunteers also spoke about their works in reducing pollution and properly utilizing land and water.

Another service project I attended was in regards to education.  An organization called Books Without Borders collects books ranging from children stories to chemistry textbooks for those who cannot afford books or simply do not have access to books.  Whereas other service projects were more so presentations, this one was more hands-on; volunteers helped put together boxes, organize hundreds of books based on topic, and carry particularly heavy boxes from the building to a storage container.  A lot of volunteers actually opted out of the final service project to continue their work with this organization.

Day of Service was an excellent way to work with peers and make a difference.  Learning should not be restricted to just the classroom, but integrated into our everyday lives as well.

The transition from high school to college can be a nerve-racking one.  In attempt to help incoming freshmen assimilate to college life, there is Welcome Week, an eventful orientation the days preceding the first day of classes.  Stockton’s Welcome Week began on August 28^th, the official Move-In Day for incoming freshmen, and continued until September 1^st.  The first mandatory event to kick off Welcome Week was a Residential Life Floor Meeting, where everyone met in the common room of their respective floor to meet other residents and their Resident Assistant.  During Welcome Week, students had to attend all mandatory events.  Although attendance at other events was not required, students could win a free Stockton stadium blanket by attending all passport events as well.

Most of the mandatory events were mandatory for important reasons.  Maximize Your Buzz was in regards to alcohol consumption in college; Let’s Talk About Sex discussed consent and being cautious about sex; and True Life 101 discussed campus safety and policies in both an entertaining and educational manner.  Something that was stressed during Welcome Week was the importance of socialization.  For instance, the Troy Stende Keynote Social was solely for the purpose of getting to know people.  RHA Building Community Battles was another event that allowed for the bonding of residents, as well as the Greek Council Dance Party.  Other events, although seemingly fun on the surface, held deeper messages – developing team building skills.  For instance, ThinkFast trivia night or the SET Amazing Race Treasure Hunt.  Although most activities were entertaining, a select few were taken to heart.  The Warrior Champions Movie recounted the stories of American heroes gravely injured during war; Sam Offer was about being cognizant and accepting of differences in our increasingly diverse and complex world; even the comedian’s stories had lessons.  On the whole, each event was helpful in assimilating to college life by teaching about how to deal with certain situations.

During my first few weeks at Stockton I signed up for the Day of Service so I could be active in the community. When I went into the Campus Center in the morning it was full of people who were all there to make a difference in a community. After breakfast my friends and I all went into the event room to choose where we wanted to go. I went to the PAL table and was told that we would be painting and I was sold. I started the day by scraping off the old paint with scrapers and brushes. When I finished I started painting the outlines by the trim with the brushes. I did that for the rest of the morning, then after lunch, we all went together and reflected on why we were doing this service.
After lunch I continued painting the trim and around the windows with the small brushes until we were finished. On the way back to Stockton I reflected on the difference I made during the time I spent helping the PAL. The police officer who showed us around and told us what needed to be done was ecstatic about the work done. It felt good to know that you had a positive impact on him. I am looking forward to the next day of service to provide more service to others and have the same positive impact on someone.

Although August 28^th marked the official Stockton Move-In Day, some 250 incoming freshmen moved in a few days early.  These freshmen arrived to campus on August 25^th, three days before the start of Welcome Week, to participate in Stockton’s Outdoor Adventure Retreat, or S.O.A.R.  S.O.A.R. is something of a camping trip that lasts three days and two nights.  First held in 2005, S.O.A.R. is a pre-orientation program that offers incoming students the opportunity to exercise both teamwork and leadership skills, as well as meet new people and begin their college journey with close friends.  This memorable experience takes place at Camp Ockanickon, about 45 minutes from campus.

Before students are moved in and bussed to Camp Ockanickon, they are assigned a tribe.  There are a total of eight tribes that make up S.O.A.R: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Navy, Sky, and Purple.  Each tribe is led by four or five T.A.L.O.N.S., or The Activity Leaders of New Students.  T.A.L.O.N.S. are upperclassmen who work to help new students assimilate to college life; they assist during both S.O.A.R. and Welcome Week.  Once students are assigned their tribe and bussed to camp, the real fun begins.

The first day of S.O.A.R. is an introduction day.  Students move into their living quarters, which are cabins containing bunk beds.  Students also get the opportunity to meet fellow tribe members and participate in a variety of recreational activities.  On the second day of S.O.A.R. students participate in low-ropes, which are trust building activities with members of their own tribe, as well as other tribes.  The third day is designated for high-ropes, which are more difficult and personal challenges.  Most of these challenges take place at least ten feet off of the ground and require the use of a harness.  Some challenges, for instance, include rock climbing and tightrope walking.  Students were encouraged to challenge themselves, but not to the extent of discomfort.

S.O.A.R. is an excellent way to meet other incoming freshmen.  Camp Ockanickon offers the perfect opportunity to participate in a thrilling camping experience where students can go canoeing or kayaking, swimming, hiking, practice archery, and socialize with fellow students.  Perhaps most important of all, S.O.A.R. teaches students to challenge themselves and to persevere in the face of difficulty, something that incoming college students may need to hear every now and then when they are discouraged or overwhelmed.

On September 17^th and 18^th, tables lined the halls of Stockton’s academic wings, each advertising a club or activity and beckoning passersby to join. It was the annual Get Involved Fair. Starting in J-Wing with the History Club, students, including myself, made their way through the line of displays until reaching A-Wing and the Math Club. There were so many choices, from Gaming Club’s table full of board games, card games, and video games that stretched into the middle of the hall, to Cooking Club’s free cookie decorating and SET’s lollipop giveaway.

At first, I only did a quick walk-through after my earliest class on Tuesday. I had a plan. I was going to join Math and Theatre Club, and that was all at the moment. However, right away I was drawn to History Club, then I passed by the ASA and could not stop myself from joining. At that time, there were not many clubs set up (it was only about a half hour into the first day of the event), so I left, satisfied with my four clubs. The next day, I returned with a couple friends who had not been to the Fair yet. I only meant to tag along, but the Gaming Club’s vibrant display looked like too much fun to pass up. By the end of the day, I had joined a total of nine clubs.

By attending the Get Involved Fair, it was easy to see how diverse and accommodating Stockton is. There are clubs for everyone, catering to every hobby, major, and service a person can imagine. The members who man the tables are all very charismatic and informative, eager to tell curious students about all their clubs have to offer. The Fair is an ideal opportunity to truly get involved in Stockton and get to know people with similar interests to you or even discover a new activity that you have never tried before. I would definitely recommend attending the next Fair if you missed this one, and if for some reason you are still hesitant, just think about all of the freebies you would be missing out on.

On Thursday September 10, 2015, I attended the panel discussion called Frozen Earth at The Noyes Museum of Art. The event was based around the issue of climate change. In attendance was a panel of 5 distinguished speakers. These panelists were each allotted a ten minute time block in which they could speak about the issues of climate change and how to combat it,  as well as their personal work.

Dr. Jeff Niemitz spoke first. His discussion focused on how the Earth’s environment has never changed as much as it is in this day and age. He also refuted a common misconception that the greenhouse effect is negative. He argued that this very effect was keeping the Earth at a moderate temperature and protecting its inhabitants. Next was Michael Lemonick who explained how the ozone layer is depleting and the positive feedback loop of climate change. Amy Lipton, an artist, spoke next. She described a work of art in which a chalk line was drawn at the ocean’s water line and explained how the water continued to rise closer and closer to the line of chalk. Andrew Revkin took the microphone next and spoke about how fixing climate change will be a long process. The last speaker was Aaron O’Connor. He spoke about the founding of his The Arctic Circle residency program.

This program was very informative and interesting. During this program visitors got the opportunity to view artwork related to the issue of climate change and listen to five distinguished panelists speak about their work in that field. This allowed the event to encompass many different aspects of the issue and show artistic and scientific views of climate change.

On Saturday, September 7^th, Stockton hosted its annual Day of Service. I have done a lot of community service in the past, and I was excited for a day specifically dedicated to helping others! One of my friends and I arrived at the event room in the campus center, and it was extremely packed with other students. There were so many people that were volunteering to help out!

My friend and I walked up to one of the tables that were not filled and signed up for helping out at the art show at the boardwalk. The event was called “Do Art,” and we were tasked with handing out ballots to the customers so they could choose who their favorite artists were. However, handing out ballots proved more difficult than we thought. Most of the people we talked to did not want to take the ballots, so we only ended up giving out a few.

Though we were not able to do much with our original job, we were able to help out in other ways. At one point there was a wind that knocked down some of the art pieces at one of the artist’s stands, so my friend and I helped set the masterpieces back up. We also brought more ballots up to one of the artist’s stands, who had run out of them.

After helping out at the art show, we held a short reflection session and boarded the buses to head back to Stockton. Volunteering at the boardwalk was not only beneficial to the artists, but it was also a lot of fun! We saw so many different pieces of art, including paintings, sculptures, and even body paint! It felt good to be giving back to the community of artists. It was a great volunteering experience, and I’ll be sure to attend the next Day of Service in October!

On Thursday November 12, I attended rehearsal for Stockton University’s basketball pep band. This was my first time attending, as I have just recently joined the group. The rehearsal was led by the director, Mr. Keith Hodgson. He started the meeting by announcing that our quickly-approaching debut performance will be on Wednesday December 2, at Stockton University’s basketball game against The College of New Jersey. Mr. Hodgson then informed the student members about where they will be seated throughout the event in Big Blue, the school’s gymnasium. He expressed the excitement of the coaches and the student body regarding this first basketball game and the band’s presence. The director then handed out decorative bumper stickers bearing the logo and name of the group, and announced that we will soon be receiving our uniforms, which will be blue and white rugby shirts, also bearing the same logo.

After that, the band began rehearsing the Star Spangled Banner, which they will play at the start of the game on Wednesday. Director Hodgson explained that this song is one of the most important songs that we will play, and that much time must be devoted to its perfection. After rehearsing the national anthem for a sufficient amount of time, the band then moved on to practice many of the other songs that may be played throughout the game to excite and rally the crowd and the players. Director Hodgson then closed the rehearsal by explaining that the pep band is creating quite an exciting positive buzz here on campus, and that he looks forward to our next meeting, and our debut performance.

            For my first Stockton event I chose to help with the Red Cross Blood Drive on campus. I volunteered to work the sign-up tables in the Campus Center for a few hours one afternoon, and also decided to donate blood at the drive. During high school I participated in campaigns for an annual Blood Drive; I signed fellow classmates up to donate and helped organize the post-donation snacks. Having enjoyed my previous experience, I decided that Stockton’s Blood Drive would be an appropriate entrance into the service-learning requirement.

The first day of sign-ups was fairly successful during the time I was there. Tables were set up around the lower floor of the Campus Center food court and a sign-up sheet with a multitude of time slots was provided for students. I tried to answer any questions that potential donors had and gave out paper reminders with the date and time of their scheduled appointment. Unfortunately, appointments did not keep to the schedule on the actual day.

On Thursday, I had a 12:45 appointment; as courtesy, I arrived fifteen minutes early. After waiting in the staging area for approximately an hour, I moved on to the computer questionnaire and eventually began giving blood an hour and thirty minutes after the appointment time dictated. Every Red Cross employee I encountered was friendly and professional; and, despite the minor inconvenience, it was rewarding to help “save up to three lives,” as the slogan says. For subsequent blood drives, I would strongly recommend a punctual scheduling and donating process; but otherwise, I would like to commend all of the Stockton students and Red Cross volunteers for donating their time and effort to successfully complete the drive!

The Barnes Museum Trip

One of the events that took place within the honors program, that was one of my favorites, was the trip to the Barnes Museum in Philadelphia. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip because of my love and deep appreciation for art. I had never been to the Barnes Museum so I was sure it was going to be an enjoyable and new experience.

The museum included two main exhibits, one on the lower level and one above. The exhibits were a series of rooms with paintings hung in an orderly fashion, sometimes completely covering the walls. Also, around the the paintings were various strange metal objects and pieces that somehow brought the whole exhibit together. Every painting was as beautiful as the last and what fascinated me the most was the age of some of them. If I looked closely at the frames they were hung in, I could see the year from which that particular piece was produced. Some of the paintings I saw dated back to the 15^th century. It was amazing to be that close to something that had survived for so many centuries.

I am glad I made the decision to come on this trip with the honors program. The experience in the Barnes Museum was definitely one I will remember. Not only was I able to see some incredible art, I got to spend the day in the wonderful city of Philadelphia with my friends.