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January 22, 2008
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RIC Opens Up Studies on Addiction greater than 10 percent of the population. Many studies find that only one in eight of those found treatment. Tom Coderre, a former state senator from Pawtucket who now he serves as the national field director for the Faces and Voices of Recovery, is one of a seven-member steering committee for the Institute that will oversee its operation. “The Institute will be a central source for state and local government health and human service providers, and law enforcement officials, to obtain unbiased and insightful information,” Coderre said. The Institute will work collaboratively with academic departments on campus that offer degree programs and courses in addiction studies. RIC’s psychology department offers a bachelor’s of science degree in chemical dependency and addiction studies. About 10 other departments at RIC, including the Schools of Social Work and Nursing, also offer chemical dependency and addiction studies as part of their cur-
by Kameron Spaulding Anchor Editor The Institute for Addiction Recovery, a scholastic hub for the analysis of issues related to addiction, prevention, treatment and recovery, and to support individuals and families in recovery, has been formed at RIC using a $40,000 donation from the Del Prete Family Foundation. As a kick-off event they held there inaugural forum on Thursday, Jan. 17. Sandra Puerini Del Sesto has been named director of the Institute. Del Sesto is the co-founder of Initiatives for Human Development, Rhode Island’s only statewide prevention agency. She is also co-founder of CODAC, a statewide agency providing substance abuse treatment services, and the R.I. Teen Institute, a program that has trained and supported youth leadership in prevention since 1989. This great level of experience will be needed in her new position at RIC. “This is a personal and professional commitment,” she said of her position at the Institute. “I look forward to the challenge of establishing an Institute at Rhode Is-
land College and in the state that focuses on recovery.” In 2004, about 103,000 people in our state over the age of 12 were, or could have been, diagnosed with alcohol, drug dependence or abuse. This represents
riculums.
Primary Watch By Casey Gaul Anchor Editor Almost immediately after the start of the New Year, the U.S. launched itself into the 2008 Presidential Primaries. The Iowa caucuses led the wave on Jan. 3, awarding Barack Obama (D) and Mike Huckabee (R) their first wins. On Jan. 5, Mitt Romney (R) won Wyoming’s caucus vote. The New Hampshire primary was taken by Hillary Clinton (D) and John McCain (R) on Jan. 8, and the Michigan primary went to Clinton and Romney on Jan. 15. Four days later on Jan. 19, Clinton and Romney took another win at the Nevada caucuses, and McCain won the South Carolina republican primary. Hawaii and Florida will be holding both parties’ primaries within the next week. South Carolina will also be hosting the Democratic primary next week. As of this printing, several candidates in both major parties have already backed out of the race. Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson, and Tom Vilsack on the Democrat side and Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter, Sam Brownback, Tommy Thompson, Jim Gilmore, and John H. Cox on the Republican side have resigned from the running. Remaining on the Democratic ticket are Hillary Clinton in the lead with three states won, Barack Obama with one win, and John Edwards, Mike Gravel, and Dennis Kucinich bringing up the rear. The remaining Republican candidates are Mitt Romney in the lead with three states won, John McCain with two states won, Mike Huckabee with one win, and Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani, and Fred Thompson trailing behind. The US. Presidential Primaries are somewhat complicated and policy varies from state to state and party to party. Each party determines which candidate to nominate for president at a national convention. The delegates who attend this conference are determined by each state’s individual election and are either assigned a candidate to vote for or identified as non-committed. Each state chooses whether to hold a caucus or a primary. According to Vote-Smart.com, the caucus was the original method for conducting inter-party elections before the primary was introduced as an alternative in the
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early 1990’s. A caucus is essentially a meeting that generally allows any voter registered with the given party to attend. There is discussion and debate at the meeting after which delegates are chosen to send to the national conference, generally by their affiliation with a specific candidate. A primary is more like the general election in that registered voters place ballots for whichever candidate they choose to support. There are three different kinds of primaries, two more common than the third. An open primary is one in which a voter may vote in any primary he or she chooses regardless of which party they are registered with. A closed primary allows a voter to only vote in the primary of the party with which they have registered. Both of these types of primaries only allow you to participate in one party’s primary. The third and more uncommon type of primary is referred to as the blanket primary. This primary allows a voter to participate in any and all parties’ primaries. How delegates are assigned to candidates differs with each party. The Democratic Party always assigns delegates proportionally. For example, assume that State A has 20 delegates to allot. 60 percent of their voters vote for Candidate 1, and 40 percent vote for Candidate. So they will assign 12 delegates in Candidate 1’s name and 8 delegates in Candidate 2’s name. The Republican Party, however, allows each state to choose between the proportional method and the winner-takes-all method. The latter is where the candidate who won the majority gains the support of all of the party’s state delegates. According to the Rhode Island Board of Elections, Rhode Island holds a closed primary. This means that the voter may only vote in the primary of the party that he or she has registered with. However, should the voter register as “unaffiliated”, they may vote in any party’s primary they choose. Once they have voted in a party’s primary, they are considered affiliated with that party until they sign an affidavit of disaffiliation which may be done immediately after voting at the polling place. Resources for understanding and keeping up with
the elections include www.votesmart.com andhttp://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/.
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Staff Member Of The Week Adam Bram E D I T O R S Executive editor Managing editor News editor Editorial editor A & E editor Sports editor Photography editor Layout editors Copy editor Graphics editor Business editor Technology editor Public Relations Ads Manager Distribution Anchor Jr. Faculty advisor Professional advisors
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January 22, 2008
Ducey Student Media Center Student Union Plaza Rhode Island College 600 Mount Pleasant Avenue Providence, R.I. 02908
Tidbits Spring Semester Begins Tuesday, Jan, 22. The Anchor wishes you the best of luck Men’s and Women’s Basketball vs Eastern Connecticut State University Tuesday, Jan. 22. 5:30 p.m. in the Murray Center. Open to the general public. Anchor Meetings Every Wednesday, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Located in the Ducey Media Center. RIC SCG Student Parliament Meeting Wednesday, Jan. 23, 7 p.m. in SU 307. Regular Meeting of Rhode Island College Student Parliament; Open to the Public Mandatory Student Teacher Meeting Wednesday Jan. 30, 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. in Horace Mann 193 Attendance is required for all Spring 2009 student teachers.
contacts & fine print General ...............401.456.8280 Advertising...........401.456.8544 Fax.....................401.456.8792 Web ...........www.anchorweb.org General Info .info@anchorweb.org The Anchor is student-run and published weekly during the academic year. Editorial decisions for The Anchor are made by a majority vote of its student editorial board. No form of censorship will be imposed. Any material found to be unsuitable or unacceptable in the board’s opinion will not be published. The views expressed in The Anchor, unless otherwise noted, are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent those of The Anchor or of Rhode Island College’s faculty, administration or student body. The first copy is free. Each additional copy is $2.25. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2007, The Anchor. If you are a student organization and would like to have an event covered, please contact The Anchor at managing@anchorweb.org.
News
January 22, 2008
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THE ANCHOR
2007 By Adam D. Bram Anchor Staff Rhode Island College has an eventful 2007 along with the rest of the world. The following is a look back at many of the events that shaped the year as a whole. Special thanks are in order for http://www.cnn.com and http://www.anchorweb.org for information. January - The 2008 presidential campaign kicked off fairly early. Within the next few months, all serious candidates announced themselves. The addition of senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama made this the first campaign where a woman and an African American were viable presidential candidates since the illfated Victoria Woodhull/Frederick Douglass ticket of 1872. - The Democrats took control of Congress and Nancy Pelosi became the first female Speaker of the House. - RICfest, a proposed music concert on campus with a price tag topping $100,000, was born this month. Within the next few weeks, its huge estimated budget caused its demise despite multiple attempts by the head of SCG at the time to revive it. February - NASA Astronaut Lisa Nowak embarked on her road trip from Texas to Florida to confront a fellow astronaut and romantic rival. The fact that she implemented the use of adult diapers in order to make her trip non-stop made her fodder for late-night talk show monologues for the remainder of the year. - Rhode Island College made a tactical blunder in their legal battle with the ACLU and the campus’ Women’s Studies Organization that began at the end of 2005 (where signs for a demonstration entitled “Keep Your Rosaries Off Our Ovaries” were unfairly taken down by campus officials) by stating that RIC was not a government entity and that President Nazarian was not a government official. Given that RIC receives government funding, this argument was ignored. - RIC was also plagued by a series of car break-ins starting in February. April - An English Major at VirginiaTech gunned down 32
of his fellow students before turning the gun on himself. - Longtime RIC professors Helen and Albert Salzberg retired. July - The seventh and final installment of J.K. Rowling’s epic literary saga was released to fans everywhere. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” saw the deaths of many beloved characters, but an overall happy ending for the boy wizard who captured the hearts and imaginations of millions more than a decade ago. August - Mattel recalled large quantities of toys because of toxic levels of lead and other chemicals used by the Chinese manufacturers. Soon after, other “Made in China” items such as pet foods and toothpastes were recalled for the same reasons. - A bridge in Minneapolis collapsed during rush hour, killing 13 people and injuring many more. The sports world was rocked both by Barry Bonds’ breaking of Hank Aaron’s home run record amidst rumors and allegations of steroid use and by the revelation of Michael Vick’s involvement in a dog fighting ring. - Karl Rove, a longtime Bush political advisor, left the
Campus Improves Emergency System By Kameron Spaulding Anchor Editor Ever since the VirginiaTech shooting in April 2007 that claimed the lives of 32 students and faculty, college security has become a major issue. Here at Rhode Island College, President John Nazarian organized a 14-member committee to review the college’s emergency response policies and procedures just days after those shootings. RIC took another step to add more security on campus with a new 911 system. From now on, operators at the 911 call center receiving emergency calls from Rhode Island College will have a lot more information on where the call is coming from, including the actual mapped location of the building, floor, room number, and the phone number of the phone being used to make the call, as part of an enhanced calling system recently adopted by the college. Until this new system was employed, calls from the college would register under the college’s main address with no further information. Another added feature is that when 911 is called, the campus security office will
also be immediately notified. RIC has become one of the first public institutions in the state with its own private phone system to implement this detailed, no cost service. With it, the college is now able to maintain its campus phone numbers and their exact locations in the 911 emergency center’s database. “Redundancy is an essential element of emergency response effectiveness,” said Richard Prull, Assistant Vice President for Information Services at RIC. Prull said that the system is part of a larger campus plan to improve emergency communications with students, faculty and staff. This step follows the addition of a campus wide text message system in the fall. The ability to broadcast emergency messages to phones in each suite in the college’s new residence hall will be extended to all residence halls on campus this year. The college also sends emergency information through a global email distribution to students and college personnel, a recorded message on the college’s information hotline, regular college website updates, and on the campus radio and television stations.
White House. Rove was sometimes referred to as “The Architect” and “Bush’s Brain” and was at least partially responsible for many of the actions of the administration. September - RIC’s new Residence Hall opens. - Six African-American teenagers assaulted one of their Caucasian classmates in Jena, La. The victim was one of three who hung nooses on a tree on the high school grounds as a racially motivated threat. The fact that the “Jena 6” were dealt with harshly and that the noose-hangers didn’t face criminal charges was criticized nationwide. - A new text-message based emergency notification system was implemented at Rhode Island College. - The Anchor ran a comic strip featuring Jesus Christ which so offended one reader that a statewide controversy erupted, calling First Amendment rights into question and convincing former alumni into pulling funding from the college. October - For raising awareness of climate change with his film, An Inconvenient Truth, former Vice President Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize. - The Anchor exposed classes which were, against school policy, held during Free Period. - RIC finally settled the aforementioned WSO/ACLU lawsuit. November - RIC President John Nazarian announced his retirement at the conclusion of the Spring 2008 semester. December - Hollywood writers unions went on strike demanding, among other things, fees for material written for the Internet. The issue has yet to be settled and many populate television shows continue to suffer for it. - Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. Many other events occurred in 2007 that are beyond the scope of this article. Nevertheless, we should learn from our past and continue on into 2008 with optimism in mind. Happy 2008.
RIC Presidential Search Committee Announced By Marah Roach Anchor Editor The Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education announced their Rhode Island College presidential search committee on Dec. 14. The committee includes members of the college and state community including RIC student Ericka Atwell, deputy speaker of Student Parliament, Debra Johnson, Associate Director of Admissions here at RIC, and William Hurry, President of the Rhode Island College Foundation and the Rhode Island Higher Education Assistance Authority. They plan to publish advertisements for the position in publications such as the Chronicle of Higher Education as well as regional newspapers, minority publications, etc. beginning in January. The commissioner of Higher Education and his staff will screen applicants to ensure they meet the criteria for the position of President. A list of qualified candidates will be given to
the search committee in February for review. The interviewing will then begin, resulting in a group of finalists. Those finalists will be invited back for a round of extensive interviews and the top choice will be recommended to the RIBGHE’s Personnel Committee and to the full Board of Governors for their action, most likely at the Board’s May 2008 meeting. Board Member Michael Ryan said, “The next president of Rhode Island College will have a very tough act to follow. John Nazarian has devoted his entire professional life to the College and has served it in many ways and through many roles. Now, we need to find the right individual who can build on all that John has accomplished and bring the College forward as we move toward the 21st century’s second decade. ”
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Sports
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January 22, 2008
THE ANCHOR
Mad Mike’s Mind: Roger Clemens interview on 60 minutes By Mike Simeone Anchor Staff Over the winter break, Roger Clemens sat down with 60 Minutes reporter Mike Wallace to talk about the recent accusations placed on him for using steroids and other performance enhancing drugs in the 1998, 2000, and 2001 seasons. The Mitchell Report states that Clemens’ extrainer Brian McNamee injected him with steroids during the 1998 season when he played with Toronto Blue Jays. Looking at his stats from 1997, Clemens had 21 wins, 7 losses, and ERA of 2.05. In 1998, during the alleged years of his drug use, Clemens had 20 wins and 6 loses with and ERA of 2.65. That’s not much of difference. Yet, in 1999, Clemens had only 14 wins, 10 losses and an ERA of 4.60. There is a slight difference between the two years. Clemens had 13 wins and 8 loses with and ERA of 3.70, in 2000, another of the other alleged years of his drug use. It doesn’t look as if they worked with the stats he posted. However, in the 2001 season, Clemens had 20 wins and only 3 losses with an ERA of 3.51. That’s a big improvement. Yet if we are to look at Clemens’ stats on the whole, why not say he used steroids in 2003 and 2004 when in he had 17 wins, 9 losses and an ERA of 3.91 and 18 wins, 4 losses and an ERA of 2.98 in those seasons, respectively? Better yet, why not look at the seasons from 1986 to 1992 where Clemens didn’t have fewer than 15 wins or higher than 12 losses plus an ERA that didn’t break 3.20? Who is to say that he didn’t use performance-enhancing drugs then? Are we to speculate that whenever a player has a good season he’s on the “juice?” Clemens put it best in his interview with Mike Wallace; “Why didn’t I keep doing it if it was so good for me? Why didn’t I break down? Why didn’t my tendons turn to dust?” Clemens asks. “That’s all it’s good for. It’s a quick fix. I don’t believe in that. I don’t do it.” He has a point, why if it supposedly worked in those seasons did he not keep doing it? Why fix something if it isn’t broken? Why, if it worked for those seasons, did he stop? Roger Clemens said it best himself “We live in a country where you are guilty until proven innocent.” And if you think about it, he is absolutely right. Look at the O.J. Simpson trial; almost everyone thought that O.J. was
guilty. The trial went on and he was acquitted. Another famous case is the Michael Jackson child molestation trial. The majority of people thought that Jackson was guilty. He was found not guilty. So much for living in a country that once stated that you’re innocent until proven guilty. Clemens may have proven himself to be not guilty but only time will tell in the case of whether his name is ruined forever. Will people walk down the streets of New York, see a Clemens jersey, and say, “Hmm, The Rocket…He’s overrated. He was on the juice the whole time?” Could this affect his possibility of getting inducted into the Hall of Fame? Are we going to see asterisks next to 1 or maybe even 2 or 7 Cy Young Awards? Will this supposed slander affect his foundation; a foundation started to help the educational, charitable, literary, scientific and religious activities for children, with a special emphasis on underprivileged and atrisk children, and children with special needs? Investors may retract their money from his organization because he was supposedly taking performance-enhancing drugs. And this is all because one man may or may have not lied about another man. Who is to say McNamee wasn’t offered money to make statements about these alleged players? And for a little money, McNamee rats out a couple players, or says yes to a list of players that the people behind the Mitchell Report speculate where using steroids. Now ask yourself why he would take the money. McNamee’s son’s health is in poor condition. It is very possible that this could have all been a bribe. Investigators come to McNamee and propose a decent amount of money. He’s concerned about his child, so he takes the money and tells them what they want to hear, even if some of it is fictitious. We are always talking about corrupt players so who are we to say that the trainers or mangers aren’t corrupt themselves.? I live in Rhode Island, the most corrupt
Patriot Perfect By Katie Lorraine Anchor Contributor 16-0! Our New England Patriots have been working their way to the Super Bowl, one game at a time. With their incredible standings and superior skills, our home team is on a roll. But it all may come to a screeching halt as wide receiver, Randy Moss, has an alleged assault and battery claim against him. Moss has had many off-field problems in his past 9 years in the NFL. He has avoided any problems this season playing with the Pats, until now. A Florida woman reports that Moss supposedly committed a battery against her. She requested that a restraining order be p l a c e d against Randy Moss out of fear of this alleged battery happening again. As Moss is restricted by law to offer any details about this complaint against him, he has told reporters that the woman is a friend of his for 11 years and had threatened to make her allegations public if the NFL superstar did not give her “X” amount of money. Moss believes that it is wrong that he is being falsely accused. Surrounded by reporters, Moss admits, “In my whole entire life of living 30 years, I’ve never put my hand on one woman, physically or in an angry manner.” He continues saying that, “they’re false allegations, something I’ve been battling for like the last couple of days of threats going public if I didn’t pay X amount of dollars. So before people rush quick to judgment, I think you need to find out the facts about, really, what’s going on . . . This young lady by no means is hurt. I didn’t hurt her.” A temporary order has been given that Moss not be allowed within 500 feet of the supposed victim and is unable to use, carry or possess any type of firearm. As Moss has stated his innocence and completely denied having any part in hurting this woman, one wonders how this may affect the New England Patriots as the playoffs continue.
state in the union. Hell, even are dogs are corrupt. Anything is possible, McNamee could have injected Clemens with steroids since he is pressured to make sure his players win regardless of Clemens’ knowledge. It is clear from Clemens’ statements that he didn’t. We can’t say someone is guilty without the evidence to prove it and I believe that Clemens is quite innocent of any wrongdoing in the matter.
Men’s Basketball By Kam Spaulding Anchor Editor 2008 is off to a great start for the Anchormen. RIC basketball started the year with five straight wins. Team captain Tirrell Hill led the team as they not only won at home but grabbed two key league road wins. Now the team will get ready for a big game with UMASS Dartmouth on Tuesday night at the Murray Center. They started the streak with a win over cross-state rival Roger Williams. The Anchormen torched the Hawks defense, connecting on a season-high 15 threes. To go with that, RIC played a stifling defense to hold RWU to just 14 percent from long range (3-for-22). That was how the Anchormen would lead by as many as 26 points in the game before winning 76-57. The next game was a barn burner with Framingham State. The first half was a balanced affair yet RIC would go to the locker room with the lead. Framingham State came out of the gates smoking in the second half, embarking on a 20-7 run to take a 60-55 lead. That’s when RIC turned it on and got the 97-83 win. The Anchormen were led by forward Kaseem Johnson who logged his fourth double-double of the season, matching his season-high with 19 points and pulling in a season-best 16 rebounds. The next two games were road games for the Anchormen. The first was against Plymouth State. The game was never close as RIC held the
lead the whole way. The big story was the play of two freshman guards for the Anchormen. Antone Gray and Anthony Fortes were both in double figures in scoring. Then RIC would travel to Gorham, Maine for a game with Southern Maine. The big story was the power outage that delayed the game an hour but once tip-off came around, the Anchormen were certainly electric. Hill was the leading scorer with 19 points. RIC won the matchup by a score of 70-53. RIC returned home on Saturday to match up with Eastern Connecticut State. Bobby Bailey lead four Anchormen in double figures to power RIC to an 87-54 win. RIC came out strong getting an 8-0 lead right off the bat. After giving up a couple of baskets, they got back to work to gather a 20-4 lead with 12:19 left in the first half. From there on, it was all RIC.
Sports
January 22, 2008
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THE ANCHOR
Cup-o-Joe WHILE YOU WERE GONE (I WAS WATCHING TELEVISION) A WINTER BREAK SPORTS RECAP AND THRUST FORWARD By Joe Robillard Anchor Editor Since I’m sure that all of you don’t actually watch sports but instead depend on my sometimes-weekly column to digest what’s going on, you’re probably absolutely ravenous for information. Even though that’s a lie to both you the reader, and to myself, I’m going to continue on as if my word on sports is the word on sports from God (Tom Brady?). The Patriots kept winning. Then they won again. Unless the planets align in the next few days, I get to write a column about them being in the Superbowl next week (if they lose I’ll be writing about who knows what, but it’ll be written angrily). I actually figure the Chargers game to be close though; I feel confident in 27-16 Pats. Until you leave New England, it’s not really clear how absolutely feared this Patriots team is. I managed to make it to San Francisco for a week over break (and am broke as a result, buy my lunch if you laugh once
in this column). I bumped into a Chargers fan and a Giants fan in a bar Sunday night, after they pulled off their upsets. While they were still in the glow of their victory, I revealed to them I was from
RIC Women’s Sports By Bobby Kazarian Anchor Editor The Anchorwomen Basketball team resumed play on January 8 and posted an impressive road win against state rivals Roger Williams University. RIC, who was down 28-32 at the half, outscored RWU 40-30 in the second half and walked out of the arena victorious by a score of 68-62. Leading the scoring for RIC was Michelle McNamee with a team high 20 points, and Sarah Coughlin with 10 assists. RIC took their 7-4 record back to the road and opened up a 3 game slate this past week against LEC Rivals. It was a tough week for the Anchorwomen who dropped all 3 games, making them an even .500 on the season at 7-7 and just 1-3 in the LEC. RIC looks to regain some swagger this Tuesday, Jan. 22 against UMASS Dartmouth at the Murray Center at 5:30 p.m. Women’s Track traveled the US Coast Guard facility Sat, Jan. 19 to battle it out in a 5 team meet. The Anchorwoman came out conquering, scoring 157 points and outlasting second place Connecticut college (140.0). Rounding up the bottom three were Coast Guard (112.0), Eastern Connecticut (101.0), and Marine Academy (10.0, I don’t know how they scored so low either.) For RIC, Kayla Flemming took home first in 3 events, winning the 1,000 meters, the high jump, and the long jump.
Steina Flemming won 2 events, the 55 and 200 meter race, by posting times of 7.46 and 27.81 respectively. In the 4x4 relay events, the Anchorwoman took home first place in the 4x200 and 4x400 races. The relay team was made up of Steina Flemming, Kayla DiBlasi, Jamie Nunes, and Brokke Iby. Next up for Anchorwomen Track is Sat. Jan. 26 at 1 p.m. at Wesleyan University.
New England, separately mind you, and they both responded the same way. “Oh man, you guys are gonna KILL us,” as they’d laugh embarrassingly. I swear this to you on the trust we’ve built up over the course of this year. Now, granted that a Giants fan in San Francisco might be an unreliable source (he reeked of pickles and there were no pickles in sight…Maybe he was homeless?) but the Chargers fan seemed legitimate, and we were only a few hours from San Diego. Other noteworthy moments from the San Francisco trip was bypassing a tour of the AT&T Baseball Park for no other reason really than that I loathe Barry Bonds THAT much. I know he doesn’t play there
anymore, but still. Speaking of the last Sunday’s football games, I got to experience the Western Time Zone at its finest. I used to feel bad for the West Coast, catching the primetime games in the middle of the afternoon. I woke up at 9 a.m. to NFL pregame shows. At 9 a.m. Cris Colinsworth was giving me football analysis. It was A-Mazing. I hit up the continental breakfast (excellent banana nut muffins), and by 10:30 I was watching playoff football. This alone may force me to move to the West Coast when I’m done here. I really can’t beam enough about how amazing this was. It was a good thing that I got back when I did though. The Celtics lost 3 of 4 while I was gallivanting around in the Pacific Ocean. Let’s get one thing straight: I don’t trust Doc Rivers. I don’t think he’s doing an amazing job coaching this team. I think these veterans coach themselves. Honestly though, wouldn’t you love to have Pitino back to coach this team? Hell, I’d take Jim O’Brien back.
Wrestling Team Takes 5th at Budd Whitehill Duals By Marah Roach Anchor Editor The number 17-ranked Rhode Island College wrestling team placed fifth at the Budd Whitehill Duals, hosted by Lycoming College (Penn.), on Jan. 11 and 12. The first day, the Anchormen defeated the Rochester Institute of Technology 24-13, before falling to Loras College by a score of 20-19. They weren’t finished yet though as they came back to sweep the next 3 matches, downing No. 10 Ithaca, 21-20, No. 9 The College of New Jersey, 25-13 and No. 14 York College of Pennsylvania, 22-15. The Budd Whitehill Duals is a tradition that brings some of the nation’s top wrestling talent to Lycoming College for a two-day tournament. From as far west as Wis. and Iowa, teams travel the distance to prove themselves worthy of the NCAA’s
national title. The duals are named after longtime Lycoming coach, Budd Whitehill. Senior Mike Bonora shined as he continued to dominate at 141 lbs. He went a perfect 5-0 at the duals. He is currently 242 with 103 takedowns, eight reversals, 21 near-falls and 6 pins this season. Bonora is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation! Also, Freshman Brendan Guarino had a solid weekend at Lycoming, going 4-1 at 165 lbs. to up his record to 11-10 on the season. He was named the Pilgrim Wrestling League’s Rookie of the Week. RIC is currently ranked No. 1 in the New England Wrestling Association among Div. III institutions and No. 5 among Div. I, II and III schools. In upcoming action, the Anchormen will host Western New England College on Thu, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m.
January 22, 2008
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New Semester Horoscopes For The Mundane By Mystik Aqueerium Anchor Astrologer Having trouble picking those classes you need for your spring semester? Well, look no further than this issue’s Horoscopes for the Mundane, as I, Mystik, will hold your hand through this turbulent time. Even if you got a A- in Biology 499 and needed an A for admission to the Early Childhood program, or have 119.5 credits and two completed majors (but can’t graduate yet), I am here to help you. . Aries (March 21-April 20): Aries is a spontaneous sign and, as such, you like to do things spontaneously. Maybe a spontaneous change of major is in order for you. I understand you’re on track to graduate in four years, dear Aries, but this is Rhode Island College and that’s impossible. You should change your major to one that begins with the same letter as your name. If your name is something ugly and there’s no major with your initials, then drop out and go find a school that has one—or change your name, it’s probably ugly. Taurus (April 21-May 20): It wouldn’t be The Anchor without a joke about bullshit with Taurus; but this is a new semester so we should begin anew. Can’t decide how many classes you should take this semester? Well, try to aim for 15 credits— unless you’re a Music/Art Education major, where you have to take 25. If you love kids, sign up for Student Teaching! That’s a whopping 11 credits—imagine the look on your parents’ face when they see that on your transcript! Gemini (May 21-June 20): This is a leap year which means you should leap! Maybe a Physical Education elective would be right for you. Too bad Bowling isn’t being offered this semester. The Wheel of Awesome Classes is spinning your fate away, and we have landed this week on… Survey of French Literature! Now that would be an interesting addition to your schedule, and the times for the course are convenient. Cancer (June 21-July 22): My Crystal Ball is always hazy when it comes to writing horoscopes for my own zodiac sign, so maybe it’s time for a change of batteries or something… the stars say you will be feeling social around the time of class registration, so why don’t you add a seminar to your schedule? Like one in Justice Studies! Just don’t add the 8 am one because that time just plain sucks. Seriously. Leo (July 23-August 22): There is no such thing as a fun class. You have to make it fun. Atheist? Sign up for Christianity in Global Perspective! Wear lots of Abercrombie? Sign up for Ceramics! Do you spend an hour doing your hair every morning before school? Sign up for Swimming! Virgo (August 23-September 22): Are you obsessed with taking as many classes as humanly possible, filling up your schedule with up to 18 credits? Well, do I have news for you—Music 091 counts as zero credits! Maybe you should sign up for
that. You do have to perform in front of a bunch of music majors, but they’re all exhausted from their 140-hour weeks so they won’t notice if you just plain suck. That is, unless you really suck. Libra (September 23-October 23): Look at the days for the range of Libra. That’s 23! Have you ever noticed what page the Dance course listings are offered on? 23! It’s all a sign. It’s time to change your major to Dance. Maybe Early Childhood Education, even, but you are required to take 150 credit hours of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math and Political Science at the 300 level or above in order to be admitted to a program to teach three-year-olds. Oh, satire! Scorpio (October 24-November 21): Everyone knows Scorpios are all about the sexytime, and Human Sexuality is being offered this semester. I don’t know if you’ll learn much about 69ing it in this class, but just ask any upperclassmen Scorpio, who has probably taken this class, gotten an A-, and took it again for the A. If you are a non-sexual Scorpio, then something went cosmically awry (maybe Uranus was in the wrong position?) and you should take some Thursday night, 7-9:50 class like Advanced News Writing, while the rest of the Scorpios go out and get laid. More people would take these classes if they were offered at humane hours… Sagittarius (November 22-December 22): Intro. to Psychology is a good class for you, if only for the class accommodating up to 300 students. This gives you a good opportunity to spread your social wings and soar through the atmosphere… not to mention take a class with little old me! Or, if you want to be a fuddy-duddy, you could always take something lame like a Core 3. Nobody seems to like Core 3. Why can’t we just take two Core 4s? Capricorn (December 23-January 18): I could give the whole scientific shebang about why Capricorn is only 27 days while signs like Gemini and Cancer (the better ones, clearly) are around 32. But I’ll spare you the melodrama. Doesn’t it suck not having your birthday during the school year? Think of the trauma this causes! It leads to depression, alcoholism, and drug abuse, so maybe you should change your major to Chemical Dependency. Social Psychology is a good start. Now, when you tell people why you changed your major, you have a reason besides “History sucks”! Aquarius (January 19-February 17): Happy Birthday! Mercury will be in Aquarius at some point which draws you towards courses in German and Philosophy. (Someone has to take them, right?) I took an entire class on Hume last semester (it was called “Freedom”) and since Aquarius is all about the freedom, you should take Philosophy 356 and learn all about those philosophers that you just Kant stand! Pisces (February 18-March 20): Ah, the end of the list. Did you know, dear Pisces, that you can’t take Physics II without taking Physics I? I bet you didn’t! Now you know, and now you need another class. Honors Colloquium in Chemistry sound good? Hey, it’s Honors, you can flaunt that at grad school.
Faculty Parking Debate An Anchor Editorial Members of the College community, the time has come to radically reform our parking practices – and we’re not referring to new lots. There is an extremely negative parking culture at Rhode Island College, and numerous incidents have been recorded of arguments between community members over petty parking problems. The root of these issues, we believe, is the issue of parking equality. As RIC President John Nazarian is fond of pointing out, there is no need for the entire infrastructure at RIC, from administration, to faculty, to staff, without the vibrant student body that they exist for. Why then, at a college composed primarily of commuters, low-income, and first generation higher education students, are the parking privileges of all others put ahead of the very students they are here for? The idea of eliminating most or all of the faculty/staff only parking on campus is not a new one. In fact, several high-level administrators and professors have gone on record as being in support of such an idea. There is a growing belief – and a near consensus among the Student Body – that RIC should employ an “open” parking policy, where all members of the college community would have an equal right to park anywhere. This concept, naturally, does not sit well with many faculty/staff members, and in the past spirited debates have publicized the arguments against such a radical, sweeping concept. These debates, however, have only served to expose the lack of logic behind the arguments against such a change. What follows is a detailed list of many of the arguments presented for the need for faculty/staff parking, and our reasons why these arguments, across all fronts, hold no merit: Argument: There is not enough Faculty/Staff parking on campus as it is. Counter-Argument: It is true that many faculty/staff lots are full at certain times of the day. However, they contain empty spots at a rate much higher than their adjacent student lots. Furthermore, and what is troubling to many students, is the fact that faculty/staff lots are often bypassed by faculty and staff in the rare instances on campus where a public lot is closer to their building, such as in K-Lot, (the Student Union Loop), Lots T and F, and much of Library Road, and the new C-Lot behind Whipple and Alger Halls. Faculty/Staff bypass their own designated lots, leaving spaces open, while taking up spaces that could be used by students, forcing the students to park at further and further distances away from their classes, on campus jobs, and activities–a major insult to students who pay to attend Rhode Island College. Argument: Reserved parking hours in faculty/staff
only lots should be extended from 2:30 to 4:30 because faculty/staff can’t find a spot when returning from lunch. Counter-Argument: This idea was actually proposed by faculty and staff just last semester. The few students who realize that faculty/staff lots open at 2:30 (the signs that say this are missing in most places) certainly do not take up all of the spots, as there are frequently open spots in those lots after 2:30. Also, the argument that faculty/staff must have their own spots in order to leave campus in the middle of the day and return is quite offensive. Everyone at RIC has the option to dine at Donovan, The Café, or order food to be delivered – no one has to leave campus as part of their job in order to get lunch. It is simply another option. As such, they should not have priority parking when returning if they do choose to leave. To further limit student parking for such a petty reason, as was proposed just last semester, is outrageous. Finally, it is unlikely that a significant number of faculty/staff members are returning from lunch after 2:30, when most lots presently open to everyone. Argument: Even students who work at jobs off campus are given staff spots at their places of employment, so faculty/staff need their own spots at RIC in order to do their jobs. Counter-Argument: The only employers who guarantee their employees parking are those that have adequate parking to do so. Customer parking is always closer, and if there is limited space for parking, employees are rarely guaranteed a space at all. Students are paying for a service, just like any other, while faculty/staff are employed by the College to provide that service. Since convenient parking is sparse everywhere at RIC, no one should have preferential parking. Without the students, there is no need for the faculty/staff, so why should they get preferential parking, in nearly every instance, at locations throughout campus? Argument: Faculty/Staff are on campus all day and teach classes and hold office hours. Counter-Argument: Large portions of faculty at this campus are adjunct, and may teach only one class in a given day and do not hold office hours, yet they receive the same parking privileges. If faculty/staff use this as an argument, it should apply to full time faculty/staff only, not every person who teaches as little as one class on campus per week. Argument: The Faculty/Staff that are here all day do not leave, while students who may be running on and off campus do not need preferential parking close to their buildings. Counter-Argument: This makes no sense at all. Students who get out of class and have a limited time to get to their off (or on) campus jobs, and students who have a limited amount of time to get to class coming from a long commute or off campus job, have more jus-
RIGHT: Diagram of parking lots, spaces, and areas designated as faculty/staff/assigned only, including:
Physical Plant Parking, Office Building 1, 2, and 3 Lots, Lot W, Lot J, Lot N, Lot R, Lot G, Lot Q, Lot U, Lot P, Lot M, New Residence Hall Spots, Hall Director Spots, Deans, Associate Deans, and Office of the Dean Spots, Robert’s Hall Assigned Parking, Vice-President Spots, President’s Spot, Lot X, Lot D, Lot E, Steam Plant Lot, Building 6 Lot, Kauffman Center, Lot E5, Admissions Staff Parking, and Information Services Parking. Faculty/Staff/Assigned only areas are shaded in RED.
tification for convenient parking than faculty/staff who “remain on campus all day” (despite their argument of not having adequate parking when returning from lunch). Argument: Faculty/Staff are older and as professionals, are entitled to their parking privileges. Counter-Argument: RIC, as a public College of Opportunity, has a significant population of older students, graduate students, and continuing education students who, in many cases, have credentials or needs similar to some faculty and staff. Also, as students should come first, this argument is in direct contradiction to the college’s mission, and only serves to divide the campus into factions, setting faculty/staff at a level of greater importance than the students. Argument: Faculty/Staff do not feel safe walking to their cars when they are far away, or in bad weather, and particularly at night. Counter-Argument: This argument, which is unfortunately frequently used by many faculty and staff on campus, is completely ignorant of the make-up of students on campus. The vast majority of students on campus are female; many students are the same age as faculty/staff members; many younger students may be naïve about the dangers of crossing campus alone at night and are more susceptible to such dangers. All members of the College have the ability to request an escort from Campus Police if they feel unsafe. Is a faculty/staff member’s safety more important than a
Cont. on page 12
Opinions
Page 12
January 22, 2008
THE ANCHOR
Staff Parking, from Center
student’s? That is what this argument suggests. Also, in the case of inclement weather, all of the above points apply, as well. Why is it alright for a student to walk halfway across campus after a 7:00 class on a dark, cold winter night, but when a faculty/staff member must do the same, there is a bigger safety issue? The argument should apply evenly to everyone. Argument: Many Faculty/Staff complain that they have to get to campus up to
thirty minutes early in order to find a parking spot. Counter-Argument: The Administration has frequently informed students that, outside the first two weeks of a semester, there is always enough parking on campus – this is true. However, the same applies to faculty and staff. If they are getting to campus that early to find a spot, it is because they want a convenient spot, or they want to give themselves the opportunity to circle a lot and find one if it opens up, not because they need one. If faculty and staff, who have as many as 20 of their own designated areas to park, have to get to campus a little earlier to get a good spot, then imagine what students, who have no specially designated areas, have to do to get a spot within even a ten minute walk from their building. Argument: All Faculty/Staff should be entitled to privileged parking just because they work here. Counter-Argument: There are students with on campus jobs who work many hours more per week than many adjunct faculty and part-time staff. Also, many of the students in these on campus jobs do as much, and in rare cases more, work than their parttime faculty/staff co-workers. The only thing that separates the two are, in many cases, the increased salary and benefits afforded to the adjunct or parttime faculty and staff, and the fact that the students are not allowed to park anywhere near the buildings of their employment.
It is understood that, outside of the first two weeks of a semester, there is generally adequate parking at RIC, and that most complaints, from both students and faculty/staff, pertain to not having convenient parking for themselves, (whether they want to admit it or not). The fact is, as members of a larger College community that, in so many areas stresses the importance of students, faculty and staff are given a Among many reserved parking areas on campus, these vans behind the Murray Center privilege to park that sets them at a level of imporare assigned to park in the first row, taking up valuable spaces that could be used by stutance above their students. No faculty or staff memdents. The vans often remain parked for days at a time. ber should have to be late for a class that they teach because they can’t find close parking. At the same time, the same faculty and staff should not penalize students for being late for the same reasons, especially since students have no designated student-only areas. And yet a significant number of professors on campus provide harsh penalties for tardiness to class, particularly full-time faculty, when many adjunct professors are frequently late to class themselves for the reason of not having close parking to their class. There is no equity in parking at Rhode Island College and there absolutely should am not so anxious to get back to livBy Kimberly Puleo be. An elimination of assigned parking would generate complaints from faculty and ing on campus at the beginning of Anchor Staff staff, of course, but why, outside of the classroom, should faculty and staff members be the spring semester. I cannot bear to given priority over students? The students are often working multiple jobs to support even think of the moldy shower, the With the spring semester their lives, and are paying to come to RIC and earn a degree. The faculty and staff are only shower of the two that actually less than a week away, I am less charged with guiding them to that end. Nowhere in that relationship does said guidworks and having to actually take a eager to return to the bathroom in ance require faculty and staff to park their cars closer to do their job. shower in such a moldy one. It is dismy suite. I live in Weber Hall and If RIC were to change the policy to allow for open parking, it would justly serve to gusting to even walk on the carpet in because of that, we do have the reinforce the idea of students being put above all. Student Community Government’s the suite when it hasn’t been vacuadded benefit of having a cleaning Student Parliament passed a resolution, by a vote of 22 – 3, early last semester supporting the idea of open parking on campus. A response from the College Administration crew that comes in every day to clean umed in quite some time. has not yet been received… Due to this, our suite has our suite. When I first started college,
Starting Up Again
I lived in Weber as well. During my freshman year, the cleaning person came in and emptied the trash, cleaned the floors, and cleaned the bathroom- refilling the toilet paper when needed. However, now that it is my third year, this has dissipated to just emptying the trashcans and refilling the toilet paper every two days or so. Due to the cleaning person not being as attentive as they have been in the past, our toilet paper frequently runs out- sometimes twice a week we run out of toilet paper in at least one or both stalls. This, in my opinion, is unacceptable. I pay money to live on campus as does the rest of my suite, some having to pay out of state room and board fees. Yet we can not even count on the cleaning crews to clean our living quarters properly enough. During the fall semester, quite frequently our toilet paper would run out and we would then have to go to our RA Andrew to get more toilet paper. At times he was unable to get a roll or two because he did not have the keys to the cleaning crew’s closet. This to me is quite unacceptable. I expect that the cleaning crew be able to clean properly, when needed, and to refill our toilet paper. This is primarily why I
taken it upon ourselves to vacuum it and provide air fresheners in the bathroom. In the beginning of the fall semester, we even had to provide soap to wash our hands with as this wasn’t even provided either. It is utterly ridiculous to think that the money we pay to live on campus doesn’t even pay for adequate service to clean our suites with. I would like to be able to return to campus to a clean bathroom with toilet paper filled and our carpet actually cleaned. Yet with grim certainty I know that as the spring semester continues we will likely see a repeat of last semester. Even our RA Andrew can’t refill the toilet paper that has ran out because he doesn’t hold the key, nor does the Hall Director, for the cleaning crew’s closet. This is likely what will continue to happen when the spring semester begins on Tuesday of next week.
Written by Nick Lima
Parking Areas Designated as Faculty/Staff/Assigned Only Physical Plant Parking Office Building 1, 2, and 3 Lots Lot W Lot J Lot N Lot R Lot G Lot Q Lot U Lot P Lot M New Residence Hall Spots Various Hall Director Spots Deans, Associate Deans, and Office of the Dean Spots Robert’s Hall Assigned Parking Vice-President Spots President’s Spot Lot X Lot D Lot E Steam Plant Lot Kauffman Center and Lot E-5 Information Services Parking
All opinions in The Anchor are those of the individual writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Anchor. We urge all members of the RIC community to take advantage of The Anchor’s editorial pages and send us their opinions. We remain true to our motto “free access to ideas and full freedom of expression”. Submissions must be under or around 700 words. Since we receive so many letters each week, entries will be published based on relevancy and time sensitivity. All entries are considered and carefully read.
Opinions
January 22, 2008
Page 13
THE ANCHOR
All That Remains… By Beth Palmer Anchor Contributor Rhode Island is not known for much. Tell anyone who is not close to our tiny state where you are from and the response is typically “Is that in New York?” But
Rhode Island had one thing that no one else had: Rocky Point. Although a family theme park is not something that many states boast about, Rocky Point was different. Just ask anyone that was alive in the park’s prime. As a counter girl at Rocky Point Chowder House, the spin-off restaurant of the park, I was able to hear many stories from the elderly customers, whether I liked it or not. The customers came to our little restaurant for many years. They ventured there not for the mediocre seafood, not for the good chowder and clam cakes, but for the memories. Rocky Point was such a part of people’s lives. The parents could drop the kids off to spend the day. They could ride all the rides, eat at the dining hall, swim in the beach or the freshwater pool; they could relax with their friends. It was also a hot spot for teenagers at night. All the great times came to an end, as does everything, when the park closed forever in 1996. It did, however, leave a little piece on Post Road in Warwick. Opened in 1985, the Rocky Point
Chowder House was small, greasy and smelly. It was packed in the summer, dead in the winter, and never had heat or air conditioning in the appropriate season, but it held the memory of the park. The customers would come in with huge smiles on their faces, ask if this was the original chowder recipe, talk about the machine that made the bite-sized clam cakes, tell stories of the park, and end with badmouthing Iggy’s Chowder House, our competition. Everyone seemed cheery when they came in. On most days, even the staff was in a good mood. There were regulars that I could ring up before they ordered, devoted people making pilgrimages from Florida to have “good ol’ chowda and clam cakes,” and tourists who had never heard of a clam cake. The place
Stick to the Rules By Paula Richer Anchor Staff This has got to stop. You know STOP – that cherry red hexagon that most of us obey, yet some only selectively? It is interesting to me that traffic is one place where a few otherwise sensible, law-abiding citizens make unilateral decisions about compliance. Hey, here’s a tip for ya: the Department of Motor Vehicles has painstakingly laid out the rules of the road in exquisite detail. Why do you suppose that is? And why do some people think that when the moment of truth arrives, their superior intelligence should prevail? “After you.” “Oh, no. After you.” “Oh, no. I insist. After you.” (hand gesture) “ U h … w e l l , wait…are you gonna go? ‘Cause I…” (car moves slightly) “Look I’m sitting here bestowing my regal authority, deciding that you can have my right of way and I’m just being a nice person…” (car stubbornly remains motionless) “Thanks but I don’t want to go if you’re gonna go. Besides it’s not my turn…” (car moves again then hesitates) “Look, you jerk. I’m giving you the go-ahead. Are you going or not?” (car in stasis) “Fine. Then I’m going” (driver employs middle finger while angrily driving away). Alright, look. Everyone likes to feel powerful. And this is blatantly evident in traffic when certain people who have the right of way at an intersection decide to offer it to others. But make no mistake – this is a bad idea. The main reason is they’re breaking the law. Yeah, it’s true. During a very interesting conversation I had with a cop once (for reasons I’ll go to my death denying) I learned that if I take someone up on their “courteous” gesture to use their right of way and there was some sort of accident, I would be the one ticketed (or arrested) because I was the one who
went when it wasn’t my turn to go. It doesn’t matter that the driver whose turn it really was gave it away. The fact is that this right wasn’t his or hers to give. Get it? The rules of the road apply to everyone all of the time. Another reason this is a bad idea is that some drivers actually think that if they stay put all the other drivers will know instinctively that it means they’re relinquishing the right of way and that there would be no chance, for example, that he or she is just blanking out for a minute. It gets worse. Other drivers make hand gestures. Well, I’ve got news for you. Nobody is looking at you through your windshield. No, the rest of us sensible drivers are only looking at your car and wondering why it’s not moving, why you are delaying traffic, and what the bleep your problem is. What makes you think we can even see your hand? Oftentimes there is a blinding sun-induced glare across your windshield or (duh) it’s dark out. This finally leads to the biggest problem. So many people have been doing this “courtesy” thing for so long, that other drivers have come to expect it. So now they start inching their way into your space, essentially stealing your right of way (breaking the law of course, all the while) and turning your “option” to give it away into mandatory deference. Suddenly everyone’s going when it’s not their turn. Overall, the result is that most of us now are a bunch of confused, hesitant drivers who want to follow the rules but are afraid we’ll cause an accident if we do. Case in point: I recently exercised my right of way by going straight when my light turned green. But some cretin in a Mac truck with an overblown sense of entitlement thought I should have let him and his slow, imposing load turn left in front of me. As I passed him in the intersection, he flipped me off. What nerve. Do you see where this has gotten us? Look, if you want to be nice to someone today, be nice to your bank teller, or the cashier in the Campus Bookstore, or that nice janitor in Whipple Hall. Don’t be nice on the road. It’s not nice.
let everyone go back to being young again. Now this sounds like a great place, I am sure everyone agrees. I am sad to say that it is now closed; the doors were locked for the last time in late December 2007. The building was bought by Starbucks. The closing of the Rocky Point Chowder House also meant the end of an era. All those memories are laid to rest. There will be no more stories swapped between customers, smiles over a bowl of chowder. All that remains of Rocky Point is the greasestained work shirt somewhere in my basement. All I ask of you, readers, is to take a second and remember the good things, the things you will tell your children about, the places you associate to your childhood. Who knows, maybe one day Starbucks will buy that too. Beth Palmer is a freshman who thinks that Starbucks coffee tastes burnt. It’s the coffee for non-coffee drinkers. There, I said it, long live Dunkin Donuts!
True Tales of Today’s Youth By Adam D. Bram Anchor Staff There is something terribly wrong with the youth of America. Someone very close in my family is a substitute art teacher, and she constantly comes home with these horror stories. Though nobody will be named or identified beyond their actions in this article, rest assured that this is all true. We are living in an age where kids as young as second grade are cursing like sailors, spreading rumors of a highergrader’s promiscuity, and gabbing about the latest Saw movie. There was even a kindergartener all excited because their Christmas present was the Child’s Play, as in Chucky the killer doll, DVD collection. There was another second grader who did nothing but badmouth and try to start fights in class, and when the teacher glared at her and waited until she was silent to start the lesson, the kid didn’t take the hint. Instead, she yelled at the teacher something to the effect of “Let’s go already! Don’t you speak English?!” Keep in mind that this is a second grade girl saying this. And it doesn’t get better when they get older. You get fights breaking out for no reason. A fifth grade girl can be seen pole-dancing with a broom. These kids shouldn’t know what pole-dancing even is. And when a girl starts provoking one of the boys and taunts that he can’t hit her because he’ll go to jail, the boy nonchalantly say that he doesn’t care if he goes to jail because that’s where his father is for doing exactly that: hitting a woman- his wife. Speaking of parents, you have to wonder what their deal is if these children are like this. So you ask, and you get these kinds of answers. Mom has too many kids. Mom doesn’t pay attention. Dad got sent to jail/deported for drug trafficking/murder, etc. The problem becomes evident. People are having children at younger and younger ages all the time. This is including, but not limited to, people who don’t have genes worth passing on in the first place. And before anyone tries to read between lines that aren’t there, I will state flatout that I believe this is a problem that stretches across all races, colors, creeds and religions. People try to blame the schools for this problem. Education funding and programs are slashed and burned all the time. Yet teachers really are, as the saying goes, a Band-Aid on a cancer. I have written before in these pages about how parents need to be much more responsible nowadays. Consider this living proof. I do not mind telling you how frightened this makes me.
Opinions
Page 14
January 22, 2008
THE ANCHOR
My Voting Strategy By Andrew Massey Anchor Editor This year is the year, the year we have all been waiting for. This year is George W. Bush’s last year in office, and hopefully the end of a dark era. However, there is bad news along with the good. This year is the year we have to choose which slimy and evil person gets to replace them. I realize that many of my readers are now thinking “Hey, that’s not true Barack/Hilary/Huckabee/Ron Paul/other politician is not so bad. I agree with their views.” Trust me when I say this, all politicians are evil, and I do not care what party they belong to. They all have special interests and certain benefactors to their cause who will drop $500,000 on their campaign so long as they support their cause when they become president, or pass a certain bill for them. In a sense, the most powerful person in the country actually has less power than you would think. Many of them, at least in the beginning, are bound by the obligations they made to the people that put them in office.
So how does this factor into my voting strategy? Well, like many Americans, I vote for the lesser of two evils. How do I tell who is less evil? The answer is simple: their negative ads. I like to see how rotten the candidates are
willing to get before I make any decision. I pretty much ignore what else they have to say as politicians lie, and frequently at that. I will instead watch to see how desperate they are to get into office, and how low they are willing to go to get there.
I am not a complete pessimist when it comes to politics. I do hope that the new president will be better than the last one; that they will increase the value of a dollar, pull us out of Iraq, etc, but those hopes always tend to be crushed by the big heavy boot of reality. Now, I wish I could say “No one could possibly be worse than Bush,” But I know I will say that and the next president will be worse. While this will give me plenty of fodder for my opinions articles, I would rather be lacking material than to live in a world with an even more incompetent leader. Regardless, it will be interesting to see who wins this year, and I hope it is someone who can put this country back on its feet and get it back to where it used to be. May the best man, or woman, win. Andrew Massey is a third year Psychology major and the current Opinions and Lifestyles editor of the Anchor. He knows that the presidential race is not meant to determine who will come out on top, but to see who will come in second, after Chuck Norris and his VP, Stephen Colbert.
ROVING REPORTER By: Kellye Martin
:
How does it feel to be back at school? What are the best and worst things about being back? What are you looking forward to this semester?
Pat Wyllie Pre-Law 2010 It feels awesome to be back at school. The best thing about being back is seeing my friends again. I am looking forward to wrestling.
Casey Belisle Undecided 2010 I’m pretty stoked to be back, bro! No bad things to say about good ol’ RIC!
Thomas Ricci Communications 2011 It feels great to be back and out of the house. I am looking forward to all the fun, and the new people I am going to meet this semester. Fernanda Furtado Social Work 2009 It feels great to be back! I’m looking forward to having a great time and a great new year. The best thing about being back is the fact that I’m graduating next year and I can’t wait for that. The worst thing about being back is the fact that I’ll miss my home and family.
Do you have a question you want answered? Send your question to photography@anchorweb.org
Lifestyles
January 22, 2008
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THE ANCHOR
MacBook Air A New Page in the Wireless Age By Casey Gaul Anchor Editor Just last week, Apple introduced the MacBook Air, the thinnest and lightest laptop ever. The MacBook Air is a mere 0.76 inches thin, weighs only three pounds, and was made beautifully for wireless life. The MacBook Air is available in two separate packages. Both of these feature the 13.3 inch screen, 2GB of RAM, and built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi2 and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR as well as coming installed with Mac OS 10.5 Leopard and the iLife ‘08 Suite. The Air sports a number of nifty features, the first of which is the 13.3 inch LED-lit display. The LED lighting allows for the screen to be thin without sacrificing brightness or clarity. Also, whereas some compact laptops are constricted to smaller keyboards, the MacBook air features a full-sized keyboard that, like the MacBook Pro, has backlighting that activates when lower ambient lighting is detected. Additionally, the MacBook Air’s track pad has taken a few cues from the iPod touch and includes several finger commands that were once unique to it’s smaller cousin (pinch, swipe, and rotate, just to name a few). These easy finger commands allow you to adjust the size of fonts, images, and windows, go backward and forward through pages in a browser or iPhoto, and rotate images, all with the trackpad. The laptop also has a built-in iSight and microphones over the display that may be used for video and audio conferencing as well as for playing around with PhotoBooth. There are a few downsides to the MacBook Air, one of which is the dock. Due to the compact nature of the Air, the dock
only contains only one USB port. It also contains a headphone jack and a micro-dvi port (a cool enough feature on its own), but the loss of multiple USB ports may make using peripherals that require two ports (such as a portable HD) more difficult. Another almost instantly obvious downside to the Air is its complete lack of an optical drive (CD/DVD drive). Apple, in an attempt to make up for this for users on the move, released a companion optical drive that will plug into the USB port. This companion drive does not require an alternate power source as it is powered by the Air through the USB port. Apple’s choice to exclude the optical drive was not without reason. The MacBook Air’s primary design objective was to be perfect for wireless life. Thus, due to its amazing wireless capacities, the Air can connect to any other computer and access their optical drives. By this method, all you need to do to install an operating system or application, listen to or upload music from a CD, or watch a DVD is to pop the disc into a nearby computer with wireless capabilities, and the Air can instantly access and upload from that computer. As mentioned before, the MacBook Air comes in two different packages. What sets the two apart, and makes the difference in price, are the processors and the type of memory. The lower line Air gives you a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor and an 80GB 4200rpm PATA hard drive
for $1,799; $1,699 with the standard education discount. The upper line Air will get you a 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor and a 64GB solid-state drive for $3,098 ($1,299 more than the lower line Air); $2,868 with the education discount ($1,169 more than the lower line Air). This information begs the immediate question: Why am I paying almost $1,200 more for 16GB less memory? The answer requires a little tech information. The PATA hard drive that comes with the lower line MacBook Air is the same sort of HD that we see in pretty much every laptop and desktop computer. The solid-state drive (SSD) that comes in the upper line Air is based on the same technology that puts a GB of memory in the little USB stick that is either sitting in your pocket or attached to your keychain. The next question is: What’s so great about that? What sets the SSD physically apart from the traditional hard drive is (according to About.com) that, while the latter works via magnetic media, its primary storage medium is through semi-conductors. The major advantage to this kind of drive is that it requires no power to store and maintain the information that it holds. This translates into many perks for the MacBook Air, among which are lower power usage, better reliability, and faster access to data. The reason this newer, faster, and more reliable technology is not being used in every new computer is quite simply, and unfortunately, because it costs more. Thus the sharp price increases from the 1.6GHz Air to the 1.8GHz model. However, this new technology may very well be worth the extra cash. But even without the optional SSD, the MacBook Air is a formidable machine. While it cannot compare in power to the workhorse MacBook Pros, even its lower line features and versatility may very well compete with the upper line black MacBook. They sell for the same price of $1,799: the Air championing the MacBook in terms of RAM if not in processor power and hard drive memory. Light and compact as it is, this notebook is just as useful and stylish as all of its cousins and lends itself as another source of pride to the Apple family.
The State of Gay Rights
Save A Life, or Three By Danielle Dunn Anchor Contributor Imagine having the ability to save an entire community the size of West Warwick, Newport or Westerly. In 28 years, that’s exactly what the students and faculty of Rhode Island College have done. By supporting blood drives at the college, some 8,747 pints of blood have been collected since the college’s first blood drive in 1979. Since each pint of blood has the potential to save three lives, that means that more than 26,000 people have been helped by the blood products donated at the drives. Blood drives at the college continue to improve, with this year’s totals being the best ever. In September, we collected 88 pints and another 89 pints in November, totaling 177 pints to date this year. Blood drives in the past at RIC have averaged about 65 pints. Mary Olenn, who coordinates the RIC blood drives, enlisted the support of different departments to help promote the drives. The Physical Education and Health Club sponsored the last drive in November. Additionally, the “official pizza of Rhode Island College,” LaSalle Pizzeria, donates a slice of pizza and soda to each donor at all drives. The next blood drive is scheduled for January 31, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom. January is National Volunteer Blood Donor Month, and each donor will receive a pound of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.
By Barry Nickerson Anchor Editor No matter how long we may wait, there will always be people who harbor prejudices against quite possibly everyone. The story of the past two centuries has been, seemingly, the equalization of the rights for all peoples. However, today in 2008, there are still several groups of people around the world that are openly persecuted for being who they were born to be. One of these groups includes those who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender/Transsexual (LGBT). Of course, there is a great variety of different ways you can write “LGBT,” most commonly seen with a Q at the end of it to include the definition of Queer. However, for this article, we shall assume that LGBT encompasses everyone who does not identify as explicitly heterosexual. On a global scale, things have greatly improved this past year for LGBT persons who are fortunate enough to live in more tolerant nations. Many countries, including Switzerland, Uruguay and Hungary, made steps towards the legalization of gay marriages and partnerships. States in other countries made similar steps, including Coahuila in Mexico and South Australia. In the United States, a group called Soulforce, which consists of primarily young people who are for support LGBT equality in the military and college admission policies, went on tour around the country to various schools to talk to the students about equality. At three different colleges, the peaceful protestors were arrested for their efforts. Surprisingly, only 20 states in the U.S. consider it il-
legal for private companies to discriminate against LGBT persons when hiring, and only 13 states—Rhode Island among them—have modified these laws to include transsexuals. Civil unions were legalized in 2007 in just one state: New Hampshire. On February 20, it was finally decided that gay marriages performed in Massachusetts would be recognized in Rhode Island. There are still various propositions to legalize gay marriage in Rhode Island and we should be glad that it is still being in debated in RI. In many other states, there is a very strong opposition to gay marriage. This is, however, only the case because marriages were never defined as being explicitly between a man and a woman in Rhode Island law. In this coming year, it is more important now than ever that everybody get out and vote in the 2008 election. If you want to see change for the better for LGBT people living in this country, you have to, first and foremost, select a candidate that is for equal rights for everyone in the United States. (This means, Huckabee is a no-no.) Do your own research on the candidates and draw your own conclusions; I won’t tell you who to vote for. Just think of your LGBT friends and family members who would love to have equal rights and the right to marry when you select your candidate. While this article primarily highlighted how several small victories for LGBT persons were scored around the world, this should not be the end. In 2008, push your local senators and governments to consider the legalization of gay marriage and put a stop to the discrimination that many people face across the country. You all have a voice—use it!
January 22, 2008
Arts + Entertainment
Page 17
THE ANCHOR
The Water Horse By Casey Gaul Anchor Editor The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, brought to us by director Jay Russell, is based on a novel by Dick King-Smith, the author of the famous Babe. The film starts out in potentially present day Scotland as an old man settles down to tell one college-aged couple the story behind the Loch Ness Monster. His story, and the narrative of the film, is set in Scotland during World War II. A young boy named Angus, son to the housekeeper of a c o u n t r y manor, is missing his father and impatiently awaiting the end of the latter’s tour of duty. While searching the beach for interesting rocks and shells, Angus stumbles upon a strangely large, barnacle covered rock which later reveals itself to be an egg. The egg hatches to reveal a creature that, until then, could only exist in stories. The boy affectionately names the creature Crusoe. Angus, with the help of his sister and Lewis Mobray, the hired handy man who suggests that Crusoe must be the ‘water horse’ from legend, seeks to hide and protect his new aquatic friend. With a concerned mother and an entire regiment
Calling on Sylvia by Mery Vieira
quartered at the manor, this proves itself a great task indeed, especially since Crusoe is growing faster than the protagonists can keep up with. It is eventually decided upon that he should be released into Loch Ness. Unfortunately, an amazingly accurate cannon, the pride of the regiment, makes the loch a dangerous haven for the Water Horse. To know the rest, you’ll have to go see the movie. The plot, while heartwarming and even tear evoking to the t e n d e r hearted, was not terribly complex or engaging. The film expressed a variety of themes, including the trials of a mother-son relationship and a boy’s pining for his absent father. It also gave an unexpected view of Scotland during WWII. T h e graphics, animations, and special effects were all beautiful with only minor yet obvious seams in a few places. All in all, the film was definitely appropriate for children despite some potentially frightening and upsetting scenes. Anyone with a soft spot for adorable mythical creatures would also enjoy the movie fairly well. This would probably make a good date movie.
Sylvia, I hear you. She suffers as you do. Potential never peaked As her rage sought to seek. Sometimes low, lower than The bottom of the sea – Sometimes high, higher Than the flight of an eagle Once set free. Helpless is she, Yet she thinks the helplessness Is in me. Sometimes her eyes Questions my gaze. Other times she Catches herself and Acts as if it’s a Phase. She is… North pole, South pole, In a hole, Not quite whole.
Preprinted Inserts... Inserts are accepted at the rate of $70.00 per thousand. Please mail the inserts to: Mass Web Printing Co, Inc. 314 Washington Street Auburn, MA 01501 Inserts must reach Mass Web Printing at least two weeks prior to publication.
Student Organizations on campus will get their first ad free each academic year. After that they will pay the same rates as everybody else, without any discounts. RIC departments get a 50% discount.
Her life is… Bills over books, Pills over looks, And deep rooted Pain at the sight Of her smiling hooks. I’m calling on you Sylvia – That your woes, May speak to her woes, That she knows, What I know, And admits that she knows, Before it all goes to complete And utter blows.
Any student or faculty is welcomed to submit any form of creative writing to Writer’s Block. Please send all submissions in .DOC format with size ten Times New Roman font attached to an e-mail to arts@anchorweb.org with the subject line “WRITER’S BLOCK”.
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Sometimes death Appeals to her. Other times tulips Positive feelings do stir.
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Fall 2007 Spring 2008
Arts + Entertainment
Page 18
January 22, 2008
THE ANCHOR
Performances at RIC in February
Art Installation Donated to AS220 By Jessica Albaum Anchor Editor
By Jessica Albaum Anchor Editor
AS220, a non-profit performance space and art gallery located in downtown Providence, recently had an art installation donated to them by JWT. JWT is the largest and oldest ad agency in the U.S. AS220 recently added a print room to their studio which makes this art installation even more appropriate. Glen Michaels created panels that have wood slates, letterpress equipment and type in many different languages. These panels range in size between 3’x8’ and 4’x9’. The panels, made in 1964, represent JWT’s offices around the world. Michaels’ panels are currently on display in the lobby of the Dreyfus building, the home of the new public print studio at AS220. Glen Michaels started his career as a musician but went on to graduate from Eastern Washington University with a degree in Art Education in 1957. Over the following years, his interest shifted from painting to pop art. That is when he started creating panels. AS220 is trying to raise funds to restore the
panels to their original glory. The artistic director of AS220 remarked that “everyone who sees the panel in the lobby remarks on how beautiful and impressive they are. We want to be sure to maintain their aesthetic integrity.” Donations for restoring and maintaining these panels are now being accepted from people both in New York and Providence. After Michaels’ panels are restored, AS220 hopes to have a public unveiling. If the restoration is completed on schedule, they will be completed sometime in the spring. AS220 always has amazing events going on. Stop by for a performance, visit the art gallery, or learn how to use a printing press. No matter what you do, make sure to visit them on Empire Street in downtown Providence and check out the Glen Michaels art installation. You will not be disappointed.
Help Wanted Data Management Specialist ON-CAMPUS STUDENT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Pay Range:
$9.40 – 10.60/hour
Where to Apply: OASIS (Craig-Lee 154) Start date: Immediately Contact: Tricia Ziroli Phone Number: (401)456-8071 Duties: Provide data management support for Rhode Island College new student orientation programs; support data collection and statistical reporting; other data management duties as assigned by OASIS staff. If you are a CIS or CSCI major, or have very strong data management skills, you are encouraged to apply. Prefer freshmen and sophomores.
YEAR ROUND: Part time during school year; full time summers.
There are many music, theatre, and dance performances on campus, but I have found that most people are not aware of them. It may be due to a lack of advertising, so here is a list of all the talented performances that will be occurring at the Nazarian Center during February. The Music Department, besides having a student recital every Tuesday at 12:30, usually in Sapinsley Hall or Nazarian 198, also has other performances almost weekly. The first show is part of the Wednesday Chamber music series. It is called FatherDaughter Duo and will feature Judith Stillman on piano. The performance is on Feb. 6 at 1 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall and is free to the public. On Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall, the RIC Praise Ensemble Gospel Choir will perform. The admission charge is $5. Next in the Wednesday Chamber Music Series is a Saxophone Quartet entitled Sax in the City. This performance is also free and takes place on Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall. On Feb. 29, the RIC Wind Ensemble will be performing pieces from Gunther Schuller and Friends at 8 pm in Sapinsley Hall. The general admission is $7. This will end the music performances for the month of February. There are two major theatre performances for this coming month. The first one, The Vagina Monologues, is sponsored by the Unity Center. The Vagina Monologues will be performed on Feb. 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. in Sapinsley Hall. There is no admission fee but donations are greatly appreciated. RIC’s Mainstage will be putting on a modernized version of Antigone by Jean Anouilh Feb. 20-23 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 23-24 at 2 p.m. in the Helen Forman Theatre in the Nazarian Center. General admission is $14 and $5 for RIC students. The RIC Dance Company will begin its 49th Annual Spring Concert Series this coming month as well. The performance will be in Roberts Hall Auditorium Feb. 28 and 29 at 8 p.m. The series continues on March 1 at 8 p.m. and March 2 at 2 p.m. General admission for these performances is $10. All of these performances are worth seeing. Support the arts at RIC and come experience some amazing art. For more information, visit the RIC Department of Music Theatre and Dance website at http://www.ric.edu/pfa/mtdevents.php or contact the box office at 456-8144.
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AFFORDABLE APARTMENT TO SHARE LOOKING FOR MALE, OLDER STUDENT, CLEAN LIVING ROOMMATE. $425/MONTH INCLUDES HEAT ELECTRIC AND HOT WATER. ONE MILE FROM RIC. ADDRESS IS 136 POMONA AVE, PROVIDENCE, OFF OF MOUNT PLEASANT AVE. PARKING AVAILABLE. PLEASE CALL 243-3237. A FEMALE OWNER WILL ANSWER, YOUR ROOMMATE WILL BE MALE.
January 22, 2008
Arts + Entertainment
Page 19
THE ANCHOR
Rental Raves: Real Genius
Winter In Review
By Adam D. Bram Anchor Staff For the first Rental Raves of 2008, we have a wonderful comedy from 1985 entitled Real Genius. Mitch Taylor (Gabriel Jarret, The American President) is 15 years old, but is so brilliant that television personality and local college professor Jerry Hathaway (William Atherton, Ghostbusters) enrolls him into his college in order to work on a top secret project with other resident geniuses. Mitch has to share a room with the project’s leader, one Chris Knight (Val Kilmer, Batman Forever). The story goes that Knight was once the smartest and geekiest person at the university, but there’s little trace of that now as he no longer takes anything seriously and looks like a refugee from a surfer camp. Still, with his graduation on the line, he takes Mitch under his wing and they complete the project together while learning a thing or two about the real world on the way. However, when former alumni and biggest brain in town Lazlo Hollyfeld (Jon Greis, Napoleon Dynamite), who had been lurking in the college’s steam tunnels after working on a similar project in the 1970’s, informs them that the only practical application was weaponization, the team has to stop Hathaway from giving their invention to the military, lest bigger and bloodier wars come to pass. Despite the somewhat serious tone of the plot, this movie is a laugh-a-minute. This is mostly due to Kilmer and his almost never-ending one-liners and goofy schemes for the sake of fun. The supporting cast also holds their end up with some wonderful characters. It would be diffi-
By Ashley Dalton Anchor Staff
cult to explain further just what makes this film such a classic without ruining it for you, dear readers, so I recommend that you instantly secure a copy. My last word is that, in addition to everything else, this film is living proof of something that this reviewer has been insisting for years: The best non-instrumental endcredits song ever is Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” Enough said. Also starring Robert Prescott (Bachelor Party) and Michelle Meyrink (Revenge of the Nerds). PG Rating: 4.5/5
When it’s cold outside, what’s there to do except freeze, freeze and did I mention freeze? When it wasn’t precipitating outside, the cold winds made it unbearable to even walk out the door. Going ice skating was fun until my fingers nearly fell off. Sledding was a blast until I broke my sled and quite possibly my dignity. Going to the movies got old fast. There’s only so many times you can see the same plot lines unfold, not to mention getting let down by crappy endings. I Am Legend is just one to name off hand. Sure my friend screamed a few times and parts made me jump, but the ending was by far the biggest let down of the entire break (and that’s even counting the whole month my stupid car took to die. From my personal experience, Jeeps suck.) Not only was the ending rushed, it was a huge disappointment, especially following the overwhelming climax. Had the ending matched the drama it pursued, the movie would have been a hit. Anyways, the one movie that made the theater worth visiting several times was P.S. I Love You. Avid “chick flick”
fans have been waiting for something like this movie to come along since The Titanic or even yet, dare I say, The Notebook. Not only was the story unlike any other I’ve seen, but the tears that fell as the story progressed were unstoppable. It made the viewers yearn for an undying, timeless romance that could even withstand the separation of mortality. I think most in the audience left the theater wanting to take a trip to Ireland. This movie has reshaped the standards men will be held accountable to in the dating world from now on, quite possibly forever. And you thought Leo was a hard act to follow, just wait until you meet Mr. Ireland. For those who haven’t seen it yet, please do. For those who have, “Isn’t it the best?” Don’t fret about the start of classes. Spring is coming, and with it comes all new possibilities. For those searching, your answers may be right around the corner, so look no further. Embrace 2008 with a winning attitude and only good things will follow.
Arts
Entertainment Art Makes the Grade: An Interview with a Bannister Gallery Student Intern By Paula Richer Anchor Staff
The winter break afforded me an opportunity to enjoy a Rhode Island College treat at a leisurely pace this month. It was the bright and colorful display of Japanese kimonos at our own Bannister Gallery located in the Nazarian Center. What beauty…what fascinating history…the Japanese kimono is a mystical tradition that dates back to the Heian period over twelve centuries ago. As I studied the intricate designs woven into silky fabrics, my imagination strolled down a rickety street in ancient Japan. I peered into a candle-lit window and saw an elderly seamstress working painstakingly on
a lavish garment, no doubt intended for a well-to-do maiden anxiously awaiting a beautiful kimono to wear on her wedding day…But wait, I was here for an interview, one with student intern Jen Richmond, a Rhode Island College senior who was about to shed light on what was just happening to me. I soon found out this sort of thing happens to her all the time. Richmond is an English major who loves to write. When I asked her about her two year internship at the Gallery, she explained that in addition to the obvious benefits of interning she actually enjoys another surprising advantage – being surrounded by art enhances her other studies, especially those in her major,
RIC EVENTS “The Kimono” Tuesday, January 22 – Thursday, January 31 Gallery Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesda y & Friday, 11:00 am 5:00 pm Bannister Gallery in Roberts Hall Title: Performin g Arts Series: Jeanne Stark Iochmans, pianist Sunday, January 27, 2008 2:30 p.m. Sapinsley Hall, Nazarian Center for the Performin g Arts
literature and writing. “What I’ve discovered working here is how much art actually affects the other things I’m interested in, such as writing”, she said. “Seeing how it fits together, how people come up with ideas, how color and everything seem to melt together, I’m able to transfer what I’m learning about art to writing, and vice-versa. I just took a class and learned about the modern British novel and modernism in writing. We were to think about what other aspects of society fit into these writings. I came to realize that modernist and post-modernist art, which have been around for the last century, are partly about breaking boundaries and going off into different directions. So I saw parallels between what I was doing in class and what I was seeing in here.” The Gallery has graced us with exhibits of sculpture, photography, paintings, and even memorabilia from a green city project that some RIC students attended in Arizona so far this season. I asked Richmond about other noteworthy shows they’ve had in the past. “Last year we had an artist who did an installation with various fabrics arranged in different ways,” she said. “On opening night, there was performance art and the woman used one of the fabric pieces as part of her dance. It was
really interesting.” When asked to elaborate on the gallery’s value, Richmond went on to say that she thinks that “students tend to be very focused on their studies and areas of interest and not on much else.” “I’d like for them to think of the Gallery as somewhere they can go to learn more. In this kimono show for example, we’re learning about another culture. It’s also a fun excursion. We have receptions every month – they could come in and mingle and learn a little more about what’s available. They’re paying for the Gallery out of their tuition anyway so they should make use of it and tell their friends to come, too! A lot of teachers bring students here as part of an assignment for class. I’d like to see more teachers do that. It would be great. They could get extra credit if they do a review or something. I would love to get the word out there to come on in – it’s a great experience.” Richmond gives credit to the Gallery’s Director, James Montford, for having procured many wonderful shows as well as for being open to his staff’s suggestions for future exhibits. The Gallery always opens its season with a faculty show and offers a student art show in May. The kimono exhibit will run through January 31. Can viewing art enhance your studies? Stop by the Bannister Gallery and find out! Visit www.ric.edu/bannister. For a free guided tour (groups of 10 or more) contact James Montford at 401-4569765.
Sweeney Todd: A Cut Above the Rest By Adam D. Bram Anchor Staff Last December, director Tim Burton (Beetlejuice) and actor Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean) combined their talents once more for an adaptation of Steven Sondheim’s (West Side Story) award-winning Broadway musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. When Sweeney Todd (Depp), formerly barber Benjamin Barker, arrives in London after spending years in a far-off prison colony, all that is on his mind is revenge against the man who put him there. The dishonorable Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman, Die Hard) and put him away on false charges just to get a shot at the barber’s wife, Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly, who played the same role on stage). Upon returning to his former home on Fleet Street, his entrepreneurial neighbor Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter, Mighty Aphrodite) informs him that the Judge drove Lucy to an inglorious end, and adopted their infant daughter, Johanna, now a lovely young woman (Jayne Wisener, in her first film role). Sharpening his straight-razors, he plans and plots to get the Judge in his chair. However, in a fit of rage after some unsuccessful tries, he decides to practice on “less honorable throats,” which gives Mrs. Lovett an “eminently practical and yet appropriate as always” idea on how to revive her struggling meat pie shop. The combination of Burton and
Depp has always created magic since their first collaboration, 1990’s Edward Scissorhands (which launched Depp to movie stardom from the depths of TV hell). Sweeney Todd is no exception. It draws you into its dark world from the opening credits. The muted colors and stylized bloodiness resemble another Burton/Depp alliance, 1999’s Sleepy Hollow, but it never gets stale. The violence is, as stated, stylized for the most part, the blood being actually some kind of orange goo (the muted color effect makes it appear a shade of red). However, the themes and some graphic images towards the film’s climax earn it the R rating, so leave the kids at home.
The most impressive part is the singing ability of the cast whom, with a few notable exceptions, Burton himself states that singing “isn’t even their fourth or fifth jobs.” Depp shined, though since he had originally wanted to become a musician before getting bitten by the acting bug I wasn’t too surprised. It was the same with Carter, who proved her chops in Burton’s animated Corpse Bride. The real surprise to this reviewer was Rickman, whose silky, almost supercilious vocals carried his one tune amazingly well, and his voice went beautifully with Depp’s for that duet. Like most movie musicals, a few of the songs from the show
were either cut completely or pared down for the film. However, again like most movie musicals, this doesn’t hurt the film whatsoever, except perhaps in the minds of purists. You will almost definitely be shilling out the seventeen dollars or so for the soundtrack CD the second the ending credits roll. Also starring Timothy Spall (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) and Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan). R. Rating: 5/5