Organizers Hoping Asian Film Series Keeps Stockton Commuters on Campus

Instead of hastily embracing the weekend on Friday afternoon, many students at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey remained on campus to attend the first event of the Asian Film Series (ASF), which featured a screening of the documentary film, Born into Brothels.

As students and faculty members at Stockton await the opening of the new Campus Center, programs like the ASF have been created to not only generate interest in Asian studies, but also heighten global awareness and facilitate a more diverse and vibrant campus environment.

While many students admitted they were attending the screening for extra credit, many others said they genuinely enjoyed the film and wished to see similar activities take place more regularly on campus.

Several lingered afterwards for refreshments and a discussion about issues regarding gender in Asia.

One such student was senior Stephanie Bell, a Galloway resident and mother of two. She said she felt very moved by the film and hopes to gain more global perspective through programs like the AFS.

“It’s expanding how [students] view things,” she said.

Bell also said that Stockton generally doesn’t offer enough opportunities or “incentives” for commuter students to become fully integrated into the campus culture.

According to the event’s organizers, Bell’s comments reflect some of the goals of the AFS.

Co-organizer Robert Nichols, professor of historical studies at Stockton, said he sees the ASF as a way to engage students beyond the classroom and help internationalize their perspectives.

“The last few semesters, the school has been self-conscious about engaging commuter students with different initiatives,” Nichols wrote in an e-mail. “The hope is that our different developments and programs, including the AFS, offer more opportunities for students, especially those wishing to take advantage of the college’s focus on developing global perspectives.”

Co-organizer, Adeline Koh, assistant professor of literature, said the opening of the New Campus Center will also improve the “dynamic” of the campus and encourage more students to “hang out” and attend events like the ASF screenings.

“Eventually we hope that more students will become interested in getting involved in the series, so that it can become more of a student-run than a professor-driven event,” she wrote.