Stockton News - Jan. 19, 2024
WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
Stockton Celebrates 20 Years of Service to the Community
For 20 years, students, faculty and staff of Stockton have come together and spent Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day honoring the civil rights and social justice icon by committing to various projects that serve the communities they live in.
Students on the Galloway, Atlantic City, Hammonton and Woodbine campuses had the opportunity to explore over 30 projects that ranged from smaller-scale craft-based creations – such as making positive affirmation buttons and decorating pencil cases for local schoolchildren – to deeper interactions with community members like Stories of Atlantic City’s storytelling stations.
Inspired by Zakat, an Islamic principle that encourages charity, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) hosted a peanut butter and jelly sandwich-making party for their day of service project. Around 30 volunteers made over 100 bags of sandwiches, which will benefit the Atlantic City Rescue Mission.
“It's always an honor and humbling to be able to do these sorts of events, and to be able to help the community come together by hosting an event is even more meaningful to us,” Ahnjeles Maldonado, Health Science major and public relations chair for MSA, said.
📸 View more photos on Flickr.
📰 In the News: The Press of Atlantic City, Downbeach.com, BreakingAC
Cold has Maple Syrup Project Primed for Strong Season 🍁
Judy Vogel may be one of the few people who hopes the famous Pennsylvania groundhog sees his shadow on Feb. 2.
Extending this frigid winter six more weeks would be great for Vogel and the rest of the Stockon Maple Project team.
“We are really excited that this year we have great weather conditions. The number of people who have complained about how cold it is outside to me, I’m just smiling,” said the Stockton Mathematics professor who’s the director of the project. “I just put on an extra layer and walk outside with a big grin on my face.”
The project officially kicked off its fourth season of tapping trees on the Galloway campus the second week of January. It's funded by two United States Department of Agriculture grants totaling more than $900,000 to promote maple sugaring in southern New Jersey.
The cold weather has contributed to a great start. The best way to pull sap from the trees is to have freezing nights followed by above-freezing days. Vogel said about 730 gallons of sap have already been collected, which will eventually turn into seven to 10 gallons of syrup.
“This is just the start of a very sweet season of tapping,” she said.
📸 View more photos on Flickr.
FRAME-WORTHY
Welcome back, Ospreys! 🦅❄️
Ospreys have landed back on campus, with a snowy start to their spring semester.
WHAT'S TRENDING @ #STOCKTONU
Instagram: President Joe surprised students with cookies 🍪 for the first day of classes. Thanks, @ospreyprez🦅!
Facebook: We heard there might be more snow ❄️ this Friday!
X: Ospreys, here's what's IN vs. OUT in 2024.
FROM THE SIDELINES
Men’s, Women’s Basketball Teams Beat Rowan
The men’s basketball team shot an outstanding 55.6% (35-63) from the field in a high-scoring game on Jan. 17 and downed Rowan University 109-99. Tayvon Gaither scored a career and game-high 36 points to lead five Ospreys in double figures. The win extended the Ospreys' winning streak to six straight games.
As expected, the teams pushed the pace during the first 20 minutes, with neither team gaining a lead of more than six points. The first half featured five ties and five lead changes.
The squads shot extremely well, with the Ospreys hitting 17-31 (54.8%) from the field, while taking a slim 49-45 margin into the locker room. Rowan also shot well, especially from behind the arc, hitting 7-14 (50%).
The women’s team useda dominant 19-5 fourth period to pull away from Rowan 59-48 the same evening. Grace Speer continued her outstanding play with a game and career-high 19 points.
Stockton opened the contest scoring the first five points before the Profs answered with a 7-0 run, all by Kate Herlihy. Though the Ospreys shot 50% (6-12) during the first frame, they trailed by two at 16-14 after one quarter.
Women's Track & Field Returns to Action at TCNJ Invitational
The women’s track & field team resumedthe 2023-24 indoor season by competing in the TCNJ Indoor Invitational at New York Armory on Jan. 12. The meet, Stockton's first since Dec. 8, featured a mixture of NCAA Division II and III teams plus a couple of Division I squads.
Khristina Washington and Ashanae Morrison had strong days for the Ospreys. Washington finished fifth out of 29 in the triple jump (11.05m) and 10th out of 28 in the long jump (4.96m). Morrison kept busy as she placed eighth out of 28 competitors in the long jump (5.09m), 13th out of 40 sprinters in the 60m (8.13 seconds) and 17th out of 52 in the 200m (27.03 seconds).
OSPREY NOTES
Time to Confirm Your Ospreys
Welcome back, faculty! As the spring semester has begun, it's almost time to Confirm your Ospreys!
New name, same process! Faculty are reminded to complete the Academic Engagement (formerly Roster Verification) process by confirming student attendance/academic activity beginning after the add/drop period on Tuesday, Jan. 23. The Academic Engagement process is to be completed by Tuesday, Jan. 30. The Office of Financial Aid will use this information to make adjustments to student financial aid disbursements based upon each student's confirmed number of credits.
Each instructor will be responsible for confirming student attendance or participation in an academic activity. For online courses, faculty are reminded to include an assignment or discussion activity during the add/drop period so that the student's attendance can be confirmed.
The link to complete the Academic Engagement process can be found under the faculty tab within the goStockton portal.
For more information and a list of frequently asked questions, visit stockton.edu/academicengagement.
'Soft Launch' of the 24-25 FAFSA
The FAFSA has changed! On Dec. 30, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education started a “soft launch” of the 2024-2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
During the “soft launch,” the 24-25 FAFSA will be available for students and contributors to complete for short periods of time each day.
At this time, the Department of Education recommends that students and families do not rush to complete the 24-25 FAFSA immediately, especially since they will not send FAFSA data to schools and the State of N.J. until later in January/early February.
If students do attempt to complete the FAFSA now, please note that they could experience technical issues or glitches with the form.
Students and families don’t need to file today, but be sure to file before you miss any deadlines! Stockton’s Priority Filing Deadline for programs with limited funding is April 1 (extended!). Anyone who received TAG in the 23-24 academic year must file their 24-25 FAFSA by May 15 (extended)!
We’re in this together, and it’s our goal to make the financial aid process as stress-free as possible! We appreciate your support and assistance in reaching our students. Feel free to contact our office at stockton.edu/contactfinaid with any questions you may have!
❄️Show Us Your Snow Day!
Share a photo or two of how you're spending your snow day to universityrelations@stockton.edu for a chance to be featured in next week's issue of Stockton News! Stay safe and warm, Ospreys!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Spring 2024 Professional Development Opportunities
🎭 Spring Programming at the PAC
🎨🖼️ Spring 2024 Art Gallery exhibits
Now-March 31:"Ducktown: An Atlantic City Immigration Story"
Jan. 21: Bay Atlantic Symphony - Carnival Season Serenade
Jan. 23-24: Get Involved Fair
Feb. 2:Putty Dance Project- Glimpse
Feb. 4: CelloGayageum
Feb. 5:OspreyHub Training for Faculty/Staff (1-2 p.m.)
Feb. 7:Forced to Flee - Dalia Ziada’s Story of Courage
Feb. 9: The Barber of Seville
Feb. 16: BREAK! The Urban Funk Spectacular
Feb. 22: Pathways to Peace - Discussing Israeli-Palestinian Relations
