Jennifer Ling

The Voice

On November 12, 2014, I attended Stockton’s event “The Voice,” sponsored by the Stockton Entertainment Team (SET). This event was based off the television singing competition The Voice. The competition began with ten singers, all of whom sang brief portions of their song of choice. The judges chose students based on their first song to be on their team. Each judge had approximately three students on their team and met with them privately to discuss their team “game plan.”

While the teams were meeting to discuss which songs would be sung next, pretzels and root beer floats were provided for the students who came to support the event. After about 10 minutes, each contestant sang a snippet from another song of their choosing. Subsequently, four finalists were chosen from the group. The four finalists sang one last song and finally a winner was chosen. Each of the four finalists was rewarded with a $25 gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings.

Overall, the event was fun to watch and be involved with; however, it was slightly unorganized. The judges were confused of what their role was and did not know they were choosing students to be on their team until the third contestant sang. It took a lot of time to sort out issues that should have been discussed before the event started. Despite the few organizational problems, the event was fun and interesting.

On Thursday, October 30, the SET club held a Lolla No Booza party in the event room at the Campus Center as a nonalcoholic Halloween party. It was a free party where one can dress up, dance, win prizes, eat, and just have fun without the assistance of alcohol. At the dance there were tables with drinks that were to represent alcoholic drinks minus the alcohol, made in fun and creative ways in order to send the message that parties can be enjoyable without alcohol. It was a huge success as many people, including me, arrived to the event. The DJ was very good, and next to the DJ were TVs that would play the music videos of the songs he played, which was interesting. I was very glad I went, and I even won a spa gift card.

I dressed up as Alice from Alice in Wonderland, and I loved dressing up in my costume, and also seeing what others were dressed up as for Halloween. We ate pizza, which SET made sure was well stocked with boxes stacked high of plain and pepperoni pizza pies. We were each given a round of tickets at the door, and then went to the back of the room to place our tickets on prizes we wished to win. A common theme in the prize baskets was definitely Ramen noodles and Easy-Mac; I think there was definitely a food theme involved. There was a chance to win spa gift cards, a free TV, tickets to amusement parks, gift cards to stores and shops, and many other options.

We danced for the rest of the time until the lights turned on and we were kicked out; we had so much fun dancing and singing to our favorite songs remixed to dance to. Later on, the dance ran a costume contest in which my friend, Becca, came in second place. Then, there was a dance contest in which my other friend, Brian, came in second place. We had a lot of fun, and I was very happy that I went to the event. The party was able to mix fun with a little education, which is a hard feat to overcome. Overall, the event was very successful and had a big turnout; it definitely persuaded me to go to Lolla No Booza next year.

Cassidy Troy

Professor McGovern

Life of the Mind

21 November 2014

It is a play that touches upon loss, sorrow, family issues, with a balance of comedy. Last week, I got the privilege of seeing the theatre play titled, Crumble, (Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake), directed by Kate Sparacio, a senior Theatre major with Visual Arts and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies minors. Sparacio displayed her understanding for the deeper undertones and meanings during the play itself, and during the “Talk Back” session after Thursday’s show on November 13^th, which I attended. The play had five characters in total, and they all had vital roles that the Stockton students accurately and realistically captured. Nicole Clark played the mother, John Wisienski played multiple roles as the father/Justin Timberlake/Harrison Ford, Madelaine Welch played Janice, the daughter, Phoebe Gruetter played Barbara, the aunt, and Evan Williamson played the role of the Apartment.

The show is mainly focused around the topic of loss and the death of the father and how the mother, Janice, and the Apartment are coping with the given situation. During the course of the play, the audience sees the frustration develop among all of the characters and how they each deal with their own losses separately. The mother is shown to neglect Janice and the Apartment, as she distracts herself from her woes through her occupation as a chef. The audience can feel empathy with this character as she is struggling to balance her job, the care she is supposed to be showing to both Janice and the Apartment, along with her sorrow. The character Janice is eleven years old, and mostly keeps to herself as she copes by hindering her feelings of the loss of her father from everyone except her dolls. She is a troubled child, who does not know how to appropriately react to her loss, (later in the play, Janice uses her resources as she tries to construct a bomb to end both her mother and her sufferings, but winds up losing her right hand in the process). During the play, Janice has more dialogue with her dolls and with the nonliving elements of the play compared to dialogue with any actual living character. Barbara, the aunt tries to give Janice advice, and acts as a mother figure to her mainly because Barbara is infertile and cannot have children. Barbara is dealing with the loss of fertility and copes with this loss by owning 57 cats, along with wanting to be a mother figure to Janice.

Kate Sparacio pinpointed the reason she chose this play when I listened to the “Talk Back” session. Sparacio mentioned that all the male characters were not real. I was fascinated when she discussed how the father is just a formulated memory for the mother and Janice. The father is not actually real in the play; for Janice, her mind creates the memory of her father as Justin Timberlake, and the mother creates the memory of her husband as Harrison Ford. The roles of these two made-up characters, (Timberlake and Ford), act as displays of how the mother and Janice actually viewed the father. The play hints at a possibly sexually abusive relationship between Janice and her father, and also hints that the father was viewed as a hero, like Indiana Jones, for the mother. The Apartment was another character that was not real. He expressed the lack of care for him after the death of the father. He is neglected, and is crumbling every day more and more. The play is very symbolic and expresses many different topics throughout such as the different ways to cope with loss, the different views a person can have of a person who was lost, etc. The play showed the strength of having characters that were inanimate, yet they still expressed emotion through themselves as well as the other characters in the play.

I was so pleased that I found the time to go to the show, Crumble, (Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake), because it was completely worth my time. The “Talk Back” was also interesting mainly because by listening, I learned a lot of what the play was about beneath the surface. I learned about all the thought and consideration that went into costume design, especially the fact that the father wore his wedding ring throughout the entire show, a subtlety that I did not notice until it was pointed out by the costume designer, Chelsea Regan, was a very significant touch. The play was extraordinary and the discussion directly after further developed my understanding of all of its elements. I truly enjoyed this production very much.

Dana Fellerman

GEN 1033, Honors: Life of the Mind

Dr. McGovern

11.19.2014

On Sunday September 21^th, 2014 I volunteered to march in the People’s Climate March in New York City at Columbus Circle with S.A.V.E (Stockton Action Volunteers for the Environment) with approximately 35 other students and staff representing Stockton College. The People’s Climate March is an annual event that not only takes place in New York but also around the globe where people gather from far and wide to voice their position on issues regarding the environment. These issues include global warming, fossil fuels, renewable energy, water, and other environmental issues that deserve to be brought into the spotlight for the government to take into consideration to make laws for.

The day started at around 7:00 a.m. where potential marchers and I boarded a bus to be brought to Columbus Circle to start our march. This bus ride was about two hours to two and a half hours long as Stockton College is far from New York City but once we arrived we grouped up and waited to march. While the march started at 11:30 a.m. the group and I did not start moving right away as there were so many people in the streets. During the march many people were carrying either signs that were provided by the People’s Climate March community or even brought their own homemade signs with creative slogans about the issue they were marching for. People also cheered marchers on, chanted their slogans, sung and played musical instruments to encourage bystanders to watch and make a point that these issues should not be overlooked by the government.

It took approximately six hours to march five miles from Columbus Circle, to 59^th street, 6^th Ave. to 42^nd street and 11^th Ave. then finally down 34^th street to the end of the parade. While on the bus ride home I felt very accomplished that this march went well and that it was my very first serious march. It was then noted that about 400,000 people attended the march in New York City and I was astounded that so many people would take time out of their day, like the group and I, to come out and voice concerns over the environment. I find these marches very effective because a diverse amount of issues are being expressed by a variety of people and with an event as big as 400,000 people marching through the streets of New York it is hard to turn a blind eye to these issues.

Olivia Gorecke

Prof. L. Rosner

Life of the Mind

19 October 2014

One Night Stand Up

On Friday, October 10th, Stockton Entertainment Team hosted two notable comedians, Nicole Byer and Kevin Barnett, in a one-night comedy show held in the sports center.  This event brought out an immense crowd who visibly enjoyed themselves, making for an incredibly successful evening.

Capping off an eventful Spirit Day, SET’s One Night Stand Up concluded a day that included float decorating, spirit night, and the athletics hall of fame induction ceremony, to name a few.  Immediately following Stockton’s Spirit Night, the One Night Stand Up definitely drew the biggest crowd.

I went to the show with a few friends, most of whom are commuters like myself.  It was great that something we all wanted to attend was at such a convenient time, one that worked for all of us.  Nicole Byer, who is my favorite comedian on Girl Code, opened the night.  She easily transferred her notorious MTV humor to relatable college troubles.  While Byer was great and received a lot of laughs, she touched on a few issues that are particularly sensitive to college students, such as weight and suicide.  Overall though, she was a wonderful performer and I look forward to seeing her appearances on Girl Code.  While Byer was a wonderful portion of the evening, Kevin Barnett absolutely stole the show.  A regular on MTV’s Guy Code, Barnett was absolutely hysterical.  Overall, the night was an incredible success.  I hope Stockton continues to feature events like this at such convenient times, as it makes it much more accessible to commuters like myself who still wish to participate in campus life.

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey hosted its 2014 homecoming festivities the weekend of October 9^th through 12^th.  “Heroic Homecoming and Family Weekend”, as it was titled, was sponsored by the office of student development in an effort to enhance school spirit amongst students, family, and alumni.  Sports events, art galleries, performances, formal dances, comedians, and guest speakers were scheduled to fill the weekend with excitement.  The main family event, however, took place the morning of Saturday, October 10^th, in the Big Blue gymnasium.  Families and students were invited to watch clubs and organizations drive their decorated golf carts around the gym, and then welcomed to stay after for a barbeque and carnival.

Though the parade and carnival were originally scheduled to be held outside in parking lot five, inclement weather forced the event indoors.  Families and spectators sat along the bleachers while each club prepared the final touches on the golf carts.  Organizations represented at the parade included the Student Entertain Team, Greek Life, Theater club, Cooking club, Physics club, and many others.  Each one was decorated in accordance with the superhero theme; for example, the American Sign Language club’s cart featured ‘The Blue Ear’, a deaf super hero.  Each club selected a driver, and the carts were led around the gymnasium twice to the enjoyment of all, including judges.

After the parade, students and visitors were entertained by Stockton’s Faculty Band. Bounce houses and games were available for the young and young-at-heart, and barbeque meals were sold.  Despite the inclement weather outside, the party was lively inside Big Blue.  I enjoyed seeing the creativity of each student organization’s golf cart, and I also enjoyed the school spirit that flowed into each person, young or old, who walked into the gym.  The 2014 Heroic Homecoming parade and carnival was a success.

I never thought that I would go to a college that has a farm. I did not know that Stockton had a farm until we were told in class that we were making a trip to the farm one day. To be honest, I was apprehensive about going because I do not like doing activities, such as farming. Although I was unsure about the trip to begin with, taking a field trip to the Stockton Farm was a great experience that I will never forget.

We were told that we had to plant garlic and I was not sure how I felt about it because I do not care for garlic. When the manager asked who wanted to plant the garlic, I made sure that I did not volunteer for that job because I cannot stand the smell. Instead, I raked the dirt so the ground was flat for the other students in my class to plant the garlic. Although my job was simple, it was still a lot of fun to work on the farm with my friends.

As the hour came to an end and we were finishing up our job, the managers asked us if we wanted to take a pepper with us, so everyone did. Some people decided to take a hot pepper and watching them eat the hot pepper was extremely funny because they did not realize how hot the pepper was going to be until it touched their tongue. Their facial expression after they ate the hot pepper was probably my favorite part of the whole trip to the farm. I decided not to put myself through that much pain, so instead I took a mild pepper which was surprisingly tasty.

Even though we were only on the farm for about an hour, it was an enjoyable experience and I learned a lot about farming. It is awesome that Stockton students can volunteer their time and work on the farm. Hopefully I will be able to make time in the future to visit the farm again and volunteer my time. It is always pleasurable volunteering my time for the better. I find joy in helping others and that is why I had fun at the farm with my class. Being on the farm changed my opinion of farming and I hope to someday revisit the Stockton Farm.

Elizabeth Schmidt

Second Blog Post

On October 18, 2014, I completed my second volunteer activity as required by the Honors Program. The activity I participated in was ‘An Afternoon of Service’ hosted by McKenzie. It began at 12pm and ended a little past 3pm, and it took place in Meeting Room 5 in the Campus Center.

The large room was made up of four round tables and some folding chairs at each one. Every table was a station, and at each station there was a different service project that I and the rest of the volunteers would be completing during the three hours of our ‘Afternoon of Service’ with the Honors Program. We each started out at a certain project and were allowed to switch tables whenever we felt like we needed a change in crafts. Some of the activities included teddy bear making for children in hospitals, wreath making for families’ homes in the Ronald McDonald House organization, and making pumpkin decorations out of construction paper.

I began at a table that was making dog toys out of old t-shirts for animal shelters, an activity that I have experience with since I did it once before at the Honors Overnight Experience back in June of this year. This was fairly easy, as we merely had to cut strips of material and then braid three pieces together to create a rope toy. When my friends and I had exhausted the bag of donated clothes at the dog toy station, we moved on to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich making activity. Here we helped bag up the sandwiches and clean up the station once all of the bread slices had been used. Since we had run out of supplies at this station, we all moved onto the coloring book station, where we spent the rest of our afternoon coloring pictures for soldiers and creating coloring books for children in hospitals.

This service project was very rewarding, as I was able to spend time with my friends on a Saturday afternoon while doing crafts and helping to make someone else’s day a little brighter. If there is ever another ‘Afternoon of Service’ available, I will definitely make a point to join in on the volunteering and help out again.

Georgette Delos Santos
October 13, 2014
Blog 2
Professor Rosner

On October 10th, the Stockton Entertainment Team (SET) held One Night Stand Up event in the Sports Center for Homecoming Weekend. The event included a comedy show featuring Nicole Byer, a star on MTV’s Girl Code and Kevin Barnett, a series regular on MTV2’s Guy Code. That night, my friend and I decided to go because we have watched these two comedians on television and they were one of our favorites from their respected shows. When I saw Nicole arrive on stage, I was shocked by what came out of her mouth. Needless to say, her jokes were wild from start to finish. There appeared to be no topic of conversation she was willing to censor out of her jokes. There were times when she tried to make people laugh with the racism and self-hatred she had for herself that made everyone in audience uncomfortable, especially when she jokes about suicide when, ironically, the college was having a suicide prevention week.
When Kevin Barnett came up, he lightened the tense mood Nicole Byer had left behind. Instead of touching on topics that would make people feel extremely uncomfortable laughing at, he made jokes that were somehow able to embrace people of different sexualities. Instead of making fun of men who were gay, he managed to create a message saying that gays can be powerful, etc. He was a bit inspiring, and he was able to joke about his life in way that felt relatable. As I watched him and listened to his stories, he made me feel as though I was actually there; it felt almost as if I was part of his life. I have not laughed so hard in such a long time, and his humor made me miss home a little. As strange as this may sound, I miss being a school of predominantly African Americans, Hispanics, etc. Sometimes, I can feel a strong racial barrier at Stockton; it feels as though you cannot simply be friends with everyone because of race, and that is never a problem where I am from. Kevin reminded me of the guys back home, and he joked about how he noticed there was some sort of divide amongst races in the South, and even though this is only South Jersey, I can feel it too.

Earlier this month, on Wednesday, October 1, I had the pleasure of attending the MARS Club barbeque, a chance to meet with and greet new and returning MARS Club members. The MARS Club is sponsored by the Marine Science department, and is an outlet for MARS students and those interested in marine biology alike to get together and discuss important topics, observe research, and find new ways to get involved with the environment we have fallen in love with.

The event, originally scheduled to be hosted outside behind the Campus Center, was forced to move indoors due to inclement weather. The downpour, though, had no impact on the meeting. A great time was had by all, as we were able to meet new and familiar faces. Another great opportunity arose to meet our future professors of different aspects of marine science. It was great to see the families of our professors, as well as those who we would have in semesters to come.

The MARS barbeque was a great way to re-learn everyone’s names and majors, as we had only held one interest meeting before the event. It definitely helped me get acclimated with the club, and was an awesome outlet for me after a long day of labs and classes. I look forward to more MARS meetings and events, and I am grateful for the opportunities it provides for MARS students.