On September 19, 2017 Stockton University hosted their annual “Get Involved Fair” where many of the clubs held at the university got a table to try to recruit new students to join their club. Most of the clubs made a poster or a trifold to show what their club was all about. The fair was located in the main campus building and covered almost every wing.

As I walked through the fair, many different clubs were calling out to me and my friends. Representatives would say that we looked like we’d be interested in their club, and some clubs even said that they’d be interested in us. The atmosphere was made to help students feel like they belonged somewhere, and it definitely worked. Many students would call us over to their tables, and some club members would wait for us to approach their tables before talking to us. Each table gave a quick synopsis about what their club was about, and if we were interested we could sign up with our emails to get notifications about meetings. It was truly a great experience because even if we didn’t sign up for the specific club the members were still excited to talk to us and understood that we weren’t interested.

The fair had many clubs that were aligned with specific majors, but also ones that were not. Personally, I tried to join the clubs that interested me, and as time goes on I will determine if I joined too many or not. I wanted to experience each club at least, to make sure I make the right decision if I decide that I joined too many. I signed up to join the biochemistry club, the animal friendly club, medical research club, and S.A.V.E. club. I plan to attend the first meetings of each and see how they go. I think I’ll stay in every club though, because they all seem really cool.

I have only one complaint about the fair, and it’s not even about the fair itself, but one specific club. I don’t want to mention the club’s name because I’m sure they’re a great organization, but the girl that worked the table was not too pleasant. A friend and I were interested in the specific club at the fair, mainly because it was about raising awareness and fundraising for a disease that had impacted both of our families. In our high school we had been leaders of a club similar to this one, so we wanted to continue doing our part in helping those affected by this disease. When we approached the table, the girl was not very inviting to begin with. She was sitting on her laptop doing her homework. So my friend and I read her poster ourselves and said hi to her. We asked if there was a sign-up sheet or anything, because there was not on the table. She responded by asking us what our majors were. After answering that I was majoring in biochemistry and my friend in health sciences and physical therapy, the girl at the table responded with “oh you won’t be interested in my club then.” She shook her head, and then returned to looking down at her homework. My friend and I were appalled. This fair was supposed to help us find where we belonged, and this club that we both felt passionately about had dismissed us because of our majors. On the contrary, we found other more accepting clubs and look forward to being a part of them.

After attending this fair, I was very pleased with my decision to attend. There were so many people reaching out to others and trying to help students find their place in school. Some clubs were giving out free stuff, and most of the time they didn’t even expect anything in return. The clubs didn’t care if someone signed up or was interested in their club, they were handing things out to make others happy. There were two that stuck out to me personally. First was the faculty run table. They weren’t promoting any clubs or anything. They were handing out free pretzels and drinks, free phone accessories, pens, and lanyards. They were just letting us know about fun events coming up within the next couple of weeks and giving us free stuff. Secondly, there was the chemistry club. They were making liquid nitrogen ice cream, and were offering it to everyone walking by. Some people didn’t even stop to see what the club was about, but members of the chemistry club were okay with it. They were just trying to give people some free ice cream. It was honestly a great experience, and made me realize how great the people of Stockton really are.

Last night I decided to switch up my normal Wednesday night routine and venture out to see the women’s soccer game. Ironically enough, it was against their South Jersey rival, the Rowan Profs. Rowan just so happens to be the school nearest to my hometown and even closer to my high school, being considered “the one that everyone goes to,” so this was the perfect game to go watch.

After dinner, I met up with my friend Olivia and we headed out to get a seat. It was an added bonus that the admission to get in was free; I hadn’t known that before going to this game. We sat about midfield but soon realized that we were much farther away from the players than we had initially expected.  Looking out across the field, each girl looked like a much tinier version of herself; we did not realize before we came that the field would seem so far away. As we sat, we also admired the vast size of the field. Olivia had played high school soccer, and I have watched soccer for a better part of eight years my sister now plays in high school but this field seems surprisingly large to both of us. I remember watching high school soccer games thinking “Wow, these girls have to play on a field bigger than what football players play on,” and this field seemed even larger than that.

The game began, and it was good competition from the start. Coming from Cumberland county and going to school in Pittsgrove in Salem county, I have always heard the news about Rowan sports and how well they are faring for the season. It was interesting to watch them in action, especially against my new school’s team. I knew a few girls on the Rowan team from different parts of my life and had heard about a few of the Stockton girls, but had yet to come into contact with them. For most of the first half it was equally matched, both teams battling it out to see who would score first. Unfortunately, much to Stockton’s dismay, the game ended in a 2-0 loss for the Ospreys. They held their own and contended throughout the entire game. It was a lively and exciting experience for my first college soccer game, and I will most definitely be attending more Stockton sporting events in the future.

On this rainy, dreary Tuesday, I was able to attend the fall Get Involved Fair. Being the unaware, naive freshmen that I am, my eyes were opened to all the possibilities here at Stockton University. Walking around the fair, touring all the clubs, organizations, and volunteer opportunities that Stockton has to offer was very heartwarming to me. It really is true that if you can dream up a club, you can make it a reality.

There was buzz around each table I passed by. Students were engaged in conversation with the leaders of organizations, acquiring information about all the amenities from said club. The C-D atrium was definitely the fullest with students, given that this area had the majority of on-campus clubs who also may participate in service activities. I particularly liked the setups and giveaways that some tables offered: everything from popcorn and snacks to wheels to spin to win free prizes. Nonetheless, my favorite table that I stopped at was the Stockton Christian Fellowship table. I was very much looking forward to meeting the students who are involved in and run this club so that I could also become a part of it.

As I was looking around, I realized just how apparent “club creating” is. From the Garden Club to the Chemical Society, anything is possible if a student has the right group of people and a plan of action. Getting the word out is the next step to making the club a productive, well-liked group that students want to attend. Having a core set of people who will run events and appreciate the topic the club discusses would also be valuable to the success and longevity of its legacy.

From all the information I gathered today, I am very excited to begin my journey as an involved Stockton student. That will be fairly easy given the vast opportunities and new clubs I saw that are offered. After today, I have decided to join the Stockton Christian Fellowship, Roteract Club, and the Spanish Club, and possibly a few more down the line. The Get Involved Fair was well worth my time, even if it was a bit overwhelming having to step outside my comfort zone to find out about the clubs.

Saturday September 9^th, was the 14^th annual day of service at Stockton University. I was able to participate, and partook in four different activities during the course of the morning and afternoon, all around campus.

The first activity was helping the students understand and participate in local and country wide political conversations and topics. We voiced our opinions on six topics that are prevalent today in the large group and compared them to national surveys of different age groups. Then, the group broke, and was given the rest of the time to make buttons in support of causes personally important to us, resister for voting and discuss the coming primary vote, and make posters to voice or opinions and share with our peers. This activity was less service and more becoming politically active and allowed us to be able to be active students in our country’s affairs and educated us so we can be politically active for years to come.

The second activity was constructing and decorating the exterior of coloring books to be distributed to children in local hospitals to brighten up their stays. During the time, I was able to construct two books, and decorate another three. My group also started a conversation about ways to support people in the community who are suffering, or on long-term medical stays in hospital.

The third activity was in league with the campus Active Minds Club, and I helped to paint large rocks that are going to be decorating the campus for an awareness scavenger hunt and make buttons to distribute and raise awareness for suicide awareness month. This activity was very close to my heart, as I have family and friends that struggle with their mental health, and to be able to give back to support those on campus who may be having similar struggles, or if not, just put a smile on someone’s face meant a lot to me.

The final activity was packing the last ten thousand meals for the Rise Against Hunger Volunteers, packing Rice-Soy meals for families and individuals in developing countries. Meals were packed in teams of four, with a bag and funnel manner, and one person apiece scooping out soy, rice, and dried vegetables. Vitamin packages were also included in the bag, to provide the recipients with sufficient nutrition.  What I appreciated the most was the fact that the next person to touch the meals will be the families in developing countries who will have a meal, for perhaps the first time in a long time. Thinking of that makes me feel like I am actually connecting with the people that I am serving.

I really enjoyed this Day of Service. It gave me a sense of accomplishment, reassured me about my place in the world, and allowed me to give back to my new community. I also made new memories with new friends, and was able to be an active member of my university community in the first week of residence, an experience I will cherish, and I look forward to the next opportunity I have to give back.

The event that was held on September 19, 2017 was Constitution Day. Here, a man named Julian Zelizer, a historian featured on shows and in articles from sources such as CNN, talked to us about history of US presidents, the constitution, and what this all means for today’s generation. He talked to the audience about Donald Trump, his supporters, his rejecters, as well as his use of Twitter and things he posts to here. He also made reference of Donald Trump to relating former presidents like Richard Nixon (who left office before impeached.) Julian Zelizer also discussed how Donald Trump has a loaded House of Representatives of Republicans. This can be unfair for a bias of Republican beliefs are set in place because they support Trump. However, Zelizer said, just because there is a bias, he can still be removed from office. What Zelizer discussed related to points in the book Trust Me I’m Lying. Trump utilizes media manipulation. His tweets often stir anger, hence getting his word out there and have it be spread as Ryan Holiday suggests. Another topic that Trump rejecters believe is that Trump is leading us to bad things. Zelizer also touched on this. Some see it negative that since he became president, he has tried to rid of healthcare and create barriers whether for the good or for the bad. Many believe America should be about building bridges not walls. Also since his rise to power, war with North Korea is closer than ever before. Testing nuclear missiles to reach America has become a common practice of North Korea, and Trump has already threatened, if North Korea does not stop practicing these techniques, he will match them with “”They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen”. Many see this as a scary thought. As Einstein once said, “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” Whether it’s Trump, who is a possibility, or Kim Jong Un, who fires the first nuclear missile, the world will be demolished. Because of NATO and other such treaties, once one nuclear bomb goes off, everyone starts firing their nukes at everyone else until the world is destroyed. If one has seen the movie, “War Games”, you will know what this issue expressed. Trump also remarked that there are no peaceful agreements between us and North Korea. There is only physical war left as an option, while Trump’s advisers say there is always a diplomatic solution. Trump rejecters do not favor the lack of agreement in the White House. Julian Zelizer however provides some relief to this topic for those who do not support Trump, and those questioning their beliefs. If Trump gets out of hand, we can take care of it and relieve him of his duties. Also, many bills and more can’t just be passed by the president alone. They can also be protested, so Trump isn’t 100% in power of the United States. This is why we love the Constitution! What the whole speech relates to. The Constitution helps regulate people of power for the betterment of the people. Whether you love or hate Trump, he is regulated thanks to our Founding Fathers. So no matter the case, whether through Trump’s beliefs alone or group agreement, the best will happen for this great Country!

On Tuesday, September 15^th, 2017, Stockton students, staff, faculty, and alumni packed into the Campus Center event room to hear Julian Zelizer speech for the annual Constitution Day keynote address. Zelizer is a CNN political analyst and has written many books and op-ed columns, as well as appearing on television and radio shows. According to his biography on the Princeton University website, Zelizer is a pioneer in the resurgence of the discipline of American political history. Zelizer’s topic for his speech was “Constitution Democracy in the Age of Donald Trump”. Each audience member was given a pocket constitution for reference, as well as a notecard to write down questions for Mr. Zelizer. As Zelizer began his speech, the audience expected him to speak about the current happenings in our country, and possibly make predictions for the future. However, Zelizer chose to give his speech from a historical perspective, and instead mainly spoke about the past. Specifically, Zelizer compared Donald Trump’s presidency to that of his predecessors. Because of some of Trump’s outlandish claims, some Republicans have reason not to stand with him. Zelizer, the historian, compared Trump to Lynden B. Johnson, who gave strong political and war talk to not seem weak on the matter of national security. Similarly, Trump has made controversial tweets about war and foreign policy on social media, specifically threats to destroy North Korea, all in the name of not appearing weak. In his speech, Zelizer noted that Trump is only as strong as the Republicans in Congress who stand by him and pass legislation for him, and although they have been supportive so far, some of Trump’s claims have tested the Congress’s loyalty. According to Zelizer, the Republican party does not want another scandal like the Watergate Scandal in 1973, and Trump’s tweets and other claims could cause some to falter from their party loyalty. Overall, Zelizer seemed hopeful about the outcome of Trump’s presidency. He mentioned that although Trump has been quite aggressive with his executive orders and his words, his legislation is not as aggressive because his Republican Congress is wary of blindly voting for the party and trusting the president, so Trump is vulnerable. Overall, the takeaway from Zelizer’s keynote address seemed to be that the Trump presidency is not as bad as the media make it seem, which nicely tied into the freshman common reading, Trust Me I’m Lying. The media sensationalizes Donald Trump’s tweets and his words, when what is truly important and powerful is the legislation he passes. Zelizer argued that Trump seemed to be just about average in terms of the amount of legislation he has passed so far in his presidency; he has not signed a significant amount more bills into law than other presidents during the same time frame. Zelizer’s address left the audience with the impression that some of the drama surrounding Trump’s presidency is just media speculation, because bloggers will do anything to generate revenue. However, even when Trump is making eccentric claims on Twitter or in a speech, it is up to the people to remember that his words don’t count; we must look at what the president signs into law. With his actions, Trump’s Congress is hesitant to support him, and the future lies uncertain.

Within the first week of classes, there were signs and posters hanging informing students of the Get Involved Fair. It was talked highly about by different professors and students encouraging freshmen to get involved in their new community. I took their advice and planned to go.

Immediately, I thought it was great that it was two days long. My class schedule stopped me from going by and checking out the different tables on the first day. When I went to look at the tables, I walked in the center and glanced to the left and right for things that peaked my interest. One of the first things that came to my mind was that all the tables looked like students in a science fair trying to prove their experiment was worthy of something. It was funny to me that for some tables, this was true; they were trying to prove their club was worthy enough for people to sign up. The people who are already in the club or organization were prominent because they just stood around most of the tables. Some tables had extremely nice signs and were trying to recruit members, while others just sat back and watched.

The purpose in going to the Get Involved Fair is to kind of find a place here at Stockton University. I didn’t go up to a table with a club that I wasn’t interested in because there was no point in doing that. There were a few clubs that had caught my eye as I walked in between the tables. When I went up to the clubs table I wanted to join, there were a few things I looked for: personality of the individuals, what their club stood for, and the type of activities they participate in. I went into the Get Involved Fair looking for something that would help me branch out. So far, attending the Get Involved Fair has proven to be successful in finding my place at Stockton University. Females, one of the clubs I signed up for, has already had a meeting and it is a great place for me.

On September 19^th and 20^th, the halls of A through I wing were packed with student clubs and organizations of Stockton University. The Get Involved Fair was hosted by hundreds of representatives of different groups that were spreading the word about their ideas, projects, services, and more. The organizations participating in the Get Involved Fair were clubs based on hobbies, specific majors, culture and ethnicity, intramurals, fraternities and sororities, art and dance, and more. Since I am already a part of the men’s soccer team here at Stockton, I do not have such an open schedule like most of the students who participated in attending the fair; however, I loved the welcoming vibe and atmosphere that the Get Involved Fair brought to the community of Stockton.

As I walked back from my 8:30 a.m. Aging and Health class in F-wing, I noticed something peculiar about each wing I passed through: I saw tables all over the main floor of the hallways, demonstrating to me that there may be an event going on later in the day (this week I didn’t check the Student Digest that Stockton emails to residents every Monday and Thursday, so I was understandably confused). When I tried to muscle my way through each wing at 11:15 a.m to arrive to my 11:20 a.m. Freshman Seminar on time, it became clear that it was the week of the Get Involved Fair. The crowds of people flocked table to table to discover more information about campus life and how to get involved at Stockton. When I returned to the Get Involved Fair after my seminar, I perused each wing to see what I considered interesting. Although there were many groups I wouldn’t join, I found that members of groups that were avid about their organization, whether fraternities or fishing, seriously intrigued me. I found myself examining what I am passionate about because at this Get Involved Fair, I am was given the absolute freedom to be a part of anything that I want. It was a freeing experience to see the energy of Stockton become so positive to new students who want to find a future with an organization. On the contrary, there were some groups who showed no enthusiasm at all, but I enjoyed seeing the real passions of group leaders sharing their love with visitors at their respective tables.

I am committed to the collegiate men’s soccer team at Stockton, which implies that I cannot join any groups that may conflict with my school or athletic schedule; however, in the upcoming spring semester, I will be looking to be a part of some clubs. I am striving to play an intramural sport in the off-season with some of my friends and I will be looking to be joining an organization for my belief in Christianity. If I have the time, I may try to sign up for the sign language club here at Stockton.

No matter how crowded the hallways may be, I feel that the Get Involved Fair is a great first step for new students to lodge their foot in the door at Stockton. The Fair is here for transfers and freshman like myself to experiment and find a home with people, and that is why the welcoming atmosphere was so essential. Sometimes people will join a group and not like it, sometimes people will join a group and love it, but it is up to us to make the brave first step in interacting with our community at Stockton.

We are here at Stockton not just to receive an education, but also to make friendships and be a part of something that we are passionate about.

Ryan Holiday, author of Trust Me I’m Lying, visited Stockton this Thursday to talk about his former life as a media manipulator for the freshman convocation. After warm opening statements from the president of the Student Senate Victoria Dambroski, Holiday took to the stage and began.

Ryan Holiday signing books after his “Trust Me I’m Lying Talk”

 He started off with a brief recall of his first month of college where he, similar to us, was given a book to read over the summer and had to attend a talk from the author. Holiday described how this was the first time he had met a writer and how awed he was to see firsthand that she was just another person. It gave helped him realize the freedoms he had in the sense that he was not confined to any one role or profession, he could buy and large be as creative as he wanted in finding ways to finance his mortgage.

After a segue into how he met his longtime friend Tucker Max and an overview of his work as a publicist at American Apparel, Holiday broke into his three main points. First was the understanding that the public’s outrage is being taken advantage of. He pointed out at two examples of the same “Kellyanne Conway being fired” story from left and right perspectives, and then divulged that the articles were written from the same source as a way to keep the political dichotomy hot. The second point was about understanding the digital divide, and knowing that internet literacy is a very real skill that a very real portion of the population does not have. In this portion, he explained how 44% of Americans get their news from Facebook. His third and last idea was to unsubscribe from the news. So much of the breaking news today is speculation or has no direct impact on your life, and Holiday proposes just… not listening to what isn’t pertinent. Stop the push notifications. Stop the noise. Simple as that. He ended the presentation with pictures of his pet donkeys. Not a total loss.

After the convocation, I had a chance to meet Holiday and ask him a question while he signed my book. Everything he discussed about the news culture was centralized to America, so I wanted to hear his view internationally. I essentially asked how or if his tactics of manipulating the media are applied in areas without the freedom of the press we experience her in the US, places  like Syria, Ukraine, and Russia.

Holiday explained that it was often the government executing these techniques. In order to appear as if the country does have a free press space, the regimes will bombard citizens with so much information that they cannot discern what is truth from what is fact. He described this as a “top-down” technique and commented on its irregularity, and he used North Korea in his explanation.

When he returned my copy of Trust Me I’m Lying, there was a small note above his signature. It simply read “Use this book for good and not evil.”

On Saturday September 9^th, 2017, I participated in my first Stockton Day of Service. Being perfecting honest, I didn’t want to go. The only reason I originally signed up and went was because it was a service event that counted towards my requirements to remain in the Honors Program this fall. I really wasn’t a happy camper that I was going to go, but from 9am until sometime later that afternoon, what I found was pleasantly surprising.

No doubt, I walked in with a bad attitude, just looking for reasons to get pissed off about having to go. To my surprise though, I had a really hard time doing so. The first event I was part of, I was tasked with assembling and binding children’s coloring books with string. However, once I got into the rhythm of what I was doing and music was playing, I found I was starting to have a good time. I thought I would have enjoyed spending my morning in bed, but the positive environment of the first event made me feel good to do good, and I really enjoyed participating.

The second event I went to was a seminar about the heroin epidemic in Atlantic County and across the state of New Jersey. Heroin has indirectly affected parts of my life in the past, so learning and listening to these people talk about the problem felt down to earth, and very real, but was really insightful into the issues our society faces today. I walked away with a different perception about the problem, and gained some valuable insight I can carry with me.

Then I moved on and assisted in packaging rice meals for third world countries. Again, what could have been a long hour and ten minutes of scooping rice into bags, was not. Music was blasting, everyone was singing, people were in a good mood, and I could feel the energy in the room. The time just flew by. By the end of it all, I didn’t want to stop, and looking at all the boxes of food I just packaged was a sincerely proud moment to look at what my peers and I at Stockton can do in such a short period of time.

Lastly, all the groups met up back in the campus center event room, for Kevin Wanzer, a speaker and comedian, who gave not only a heartfelt story about raising his adopted transgender child, but made the stories hilarious. His presentation was a great ending to a great day. And while I walked into Day of Service that morning miserable that I am using my Saturday to do this work, I walked out that afternoon in an awesome mood and feeling accomplished. I look forward to participating in another Day of Service soon.