It was a humid, rainy day at Stockton University on Wednesday, September 17; with students having completed two weeks of classes, some are facing excitement and wonder, others stress and anxiety. President Joe and the Office of Student Affairs hosted a “Fall Fling” carnival in the Event Room at the conclusion of the Get Involved Fair to relieve some of that stress.

The event, sponsored by the Office of the President and the Division of Student Affairs, was an engaging way for students to get free food and make memories. Likewise, stress was relieved for student leaders and organizations, tired after a long day of tabling, decorating, and carrying heavy loads of accessories and poster boards to and from campus. The event gave those leaders a great opportunity to show off their club swag and spend time with new students looking for clubs to connect with.

The Event Room was packed with students during the first half-hour of opening. There were classic carnival games, including popping balloons with darts, foosball, mini pool, mini golf, Connect 4, and more. Popcorn, cotton candy, ice cream, pretzels, and funnel cakes were free for attending students. The DJ played classic, nostalgic tunes for students to enjoy, which brought a lot of attention from passersby to join in the fun.

Aside from the games, there was a Stuff-A-Plush station that gave attendees a cute, fuzzy memento to remember the event. A frisbee painting station was set up for students to get a custom-painted frisbee to take home—in the machine, the frisbee would spin at a high speed while volunteers squeezed paint to make pretty patterns and combinations. There was also a professional artist making humorous and awesome caricature drawings of students. The whole event had the classic makings of a carnival, and it brightened up the gloomy, rainy day for everyone, students and staff alike.

“I’m super excited so many people came,” said Laurie Griscom, the Executive Director of Event Services and Campus Engagement. “Even though we got rained out and had to go to the inclement weather plan, which brought us indoors. It still feels like a fun Fall vibe, which is what we were trying to accomplish. We wanted an event where we would bring the whole community—students, faculty, and staff—to celebrate kicking off the new year and enjoying one another as part of the Stockton community.”

Outside, in D/F Wing Plaza, there was a shaded petting zoo available for students to hang out with adorable farm animals such as ducks, goats, and bunnies offering cuddles and comforting pets. There was also a dunk tank for students to partake in, making the volunteers potentially fall into a vat of water as the tennis balls narrowly missed the target. It brought a lot of humor to the participants and the passing visitors coming to check out the big event.

President Bertolino himself manned the ice cream cart, driving it all around campus to give students fudge bars and strawberry ice cream bars. Dressed in a pink-striped apron and a soda jerk cap, he rung bells and shouted, “Free ice cream!” to everyone in earshot.

“Fall Fling [is] just an opportunity for the community to come together, to celebrate, and starting the academic year,” Bertolino said. He was very pleased to hear that the Event Room became packed within the first half hour of the event starting.

“It’s wonderful. We’ve got all kinds of treats in the Event Room, the petting zoo, and I’m walking around giving out ice cream. It’s all good!” The president concluded.