Stockton News - Sept. 29, 2023
WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
Hemp Growing Class Tries to Dispel Stigma Of Cannabis
In the back of Stockton's 1.2-acre Sustainability Farm is some call “sin corner.”
Just a short distance from a row of 20-foot-tall hops vines and next to a line of tobacco plants is a 62-foot-long plot surrounded by a fence and a locked gate. Inside are about 150 cannabis hemp plants — believed to be the only ones grown outside by a New Jersey university.
“When it comes to universities, I would definitely say we stand out by doing what we are doing right now,” said Rob Mejia, a teaching specialist in Stockton’s Cannabis Studies program.
Hemp is a botanical class of cannabis sativa grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. The plants have little to almost no THC — the major psychoactive component of cannabis.
It’s the second year Stockton has grown the plants as part of its Cannabis and Hemp Research Initiative (CHRIS), which was created in 2021 to conduct agricultural and nonmedical cannabis and hemp research. This fall is also the second time Valentina Fiero, a 2021 Stockton graduate with a degree in Science and Environmental Science, has taught a class in hemp cultivation.
Student Research Finds Free Materials Could Replace Books
Replacing expensive textbooks with free educational resources could reduce high college costs, but more professors and administrators need to promote the option to have an impact, according to student research today by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton.
The National Center for Education Statistics estimated that college textbooks and materials for the 2021-22 academic year cost an average of $1,326 per student nationally. Over the last 50 years, prices increased at three times the rate of inflation, a research paper by Stockton senior Jessie Nash reported. Textbook costs have increased by 7 percent since 2020, outpacing increases in tuition, fees and housing, the report found.
“Textbook costs are a financial barrier to higher education that disproportionately affects minority, low-income, first-generation and food-insecure 91Ƶ,” said Nash, a Social Work major who produced her research as part of a Hughes Center internship.
📰 In the News: ,
Support in New Jersey for building wind turbines off the coast has plummeted over the past four years, especially in shore towns, according to a Stockton released on Sept. 28.
📰&Բ;In the News: , , , , ,
SPOTLIGHT ON: MARY LOU GALANTINO
Mary Lou Galantino, distinguished professor of Physical Therapy, her ongoing work and research in South Africa this summer through a six-week Fulbright
Specialist opportunity.
This trip focused mainly on cancer rehabilitation training for 91Ƶ, clinicians and interprofessional colleagues across the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits, host institution), at local hospitals and throughout three different rural provinces.
“This has been a long-standing relationship since my first Fulbright experience in 2014 and 2017. This next step required hands-on training, and we have established foundational education and research projects in areas that needed resources and implementation of the 2017-2024 National Strategic Plan for Palliative Care and the 2017-2022 National Strategic Plan for Cancer Care,” Galantino said. “While these policies exist, clinical training was lacking and resources sparse in rural areas our team visited.”
PHOTO: Galantino, right, with Dipuo Nasoro, after completing a cancer walk this summer in South Africa.
FRAME-WORTHY
Four Years of 'Glowing Up' at Stockton
The Glow Up Opportunity Fair, which represents for Stockton 91Ƶ to get involved, was originally created in 2018 to expose underrepresented 91Ƶ to different on-campus leadership roles and job opportunities with informational tabling.
Since then, the program has expanded to include Fred Talks (inspired by TED Talks) by fellow 91Ƶ, raffling for prizes with the use of “boarding passes” and more, as evidenced by Thursday, Sept. 21’s event.
Although Yesenia Pacheco, coordinator for Student Transitions, Access and Retention, didn’t create this event, she does consider it one of her passion projects that continues to grow and change.
📸 View more photos on .
WHAT'S TRENDING @ #STOCKTONU
: Sometimes, you just need to take a good physiological sigh to remind yourself of
the good times ahead. #StocktonU's chapter of Active Minds held their annual Out of
the Darkness Walk on Friday amidst a little bit of wind and rain and a lot of sunflowers! 🌻
: Feels like Fall here on campus 🍂🍃
FROM THE SIDELINES
Volleyball Team Cruises to Sweep of NJCU
The volleyball team cruised to a 25-18, 25-18, 25-12 of New Jersey City on Sept. 28 for its seventh win in the last eight matches. All 16 healthy Ospreys saw action in the victory.
Camille De La Torre and Nicole Palmer led Stockton with seven kills apiece, followed by Rileigh Wilson with five kills.
Stockton Blanks Etown for Eighth Straight Win
The field hockey team its winning streak to eight consecutive games with a 3-0 victory over Elizabethtown on Sept. 28 at the Stockton Turf Field. The eight-game win streak is the second longest in the program's 21 seasons.
Kirsten Bailey scored two goals for the second straight game. Allie Palumbo tallied one goal and one assist.
🗓️ View the full schedule of upcoming athletic events .
OSPREY NOTES
Reminder: New Wordmark System
University Relations and Marketing would like to kindly bring to the campus community's attention the implementation of a instituted at the beginning of last school year. This updated wordmark system aimed to address inconsistencies and offered a third tier of branding, allowing schools and departments to showcase specific programs and establish connections with institutes and centers.
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Tier 1 – the 91Ƶ official wordmark
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Tier 2 – Individual school, division, department, or office
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Tier 3 – Center, institute, or department within a school or division
The Stockton brand was consistently represented in tier 1 while a heavier font, caps formatting and increased size were used to establish between tiers 2 and 3.
These minor changes streamlined the design process by consolidating options and eliminating inconsistencies by keeping the tree icon in all wordmarks. Further, using a horizontal logo and the centering of type offered greater design consistency across multiple naming conventions.
The new wordmarks became effective on Sept. 1, 2022. At this point, all departments should have transitioned to the new wordmarks. If you haven't done so, please contact the Graphics Department to request an update for your wordmarks .
Changes to the 2024-25 FAFSA
The U.S. Department of Education is implementing a major overhaul of the processes and systems that offer federal student aid, starting with the 24-25 aid year.
As our faculty and staff work closely with our 91Ƶ, we want to make sure you’re aware of the updates being made to the FAFSA, not only to inform 91Ƶ but also because these updates could affect some of your processes.
📅 Join Financial Aid staff from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29, for a virtual presentation detailing the 24-25 FAFSA changes and how these changes may impact faculty and staff. During the presentation, questions faculty and staff may have after learning about the new changes to the FAFSA will be answered. All faculty and staff are invited to attend. For those unable to attend, the presentation will be recorded. Register for the event .
Visit to view a list of many of the changes you can expect to see on the 24-25 FAFSA.
Please note that the 24-25 FAFSA will not be available by Oct.1, 2023, due to the updates being made. Students and families can expect that the 24-25 FAFSA will be available on or before Dec. 31, 2023.
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Now-Oct. 15:
Oct. 1: 🦅
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Oct. 4-5:
Oct. 5-8: 🎉
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Oct. 6-20: 👟&Բ;
Oct. 6: ,&Բ;🏆&Բ;
Oct. 7: 🎨
Oct. 10:
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Oct. 14:
Oct. 15: 🪴
Oct. 17: 🤡
Oct. 19: 🎙️&Բ;
Oct. 27:
