10-20-14

Page 1

HOMECOMING BBQ Read about the highlights of this year’s Homing Weekend. The campus was bustling with local creativity.

Week of October 20, 2014 | Vol: 87 | Issue: #8

06 The Anchor Newspaper

graphic by Liz Di Ruggiero, Art Director

Obama cancels RIC trip

Ferguson October RIC student travels to Ferguson for weekend of peaceful protests

Stays in Washington, DC to assess Ebola outbreak

ELISHA KAY ALDRICH ELISHA KAY ALDRICH news Editor @Anchornews

T

hursday afternoon painted a bleak picture on the Rhode Island College campus. Gray skies hung low as rain poured down over the quad, the Murray Center sitting completely empty, even though only 24 hours prior everyone assumed it would be filled with students and faculty ready to see President Barack Obama speak.

news Editor @Anchornews

But, Wednesday night, he was forced to cancel his trip to RIC in order to follow up with his cabinet to address how America will deal with Ebola.

L

Overall, reactions were those of disappointment. Even President Nancy Carriuolo expressed such emotions in an email to the student body late Wednesday night. “Our visit with President Obama

NOBAMA

see page 3

Peaceful protesters in Ferguson, MI. – Courtesy of Toby Riseborough

ast weekend, several RIC students traveled to Ferguson, MO to peacefully protest the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, as well as protest police brutality as a whole. The weekend was called Ferguson FERGUSON October and was meant

see page 2


2

week of october

20, 2014

news

to bring national attention to the struggles that people of color face every day. Students from both LIFE and Harambee went to Ferguson, as well as Student Community Government Chief of Staff Toby Riseborough.

FERGUSON from cover

Riseborough did not travel with the two student groups, but rather went with the Social Thought and Political Economy programs from UMass Amherst. Even still, he stated that when he arrived, he knew he was in an entirely different world from Providence.

Republican mayoral candidate, Dan Harrop. - Courtesy of WPRI

Can he heal Providence? Daniel Harrop’s newest run for mayor RYAn FOLEY Assistant Editor

Dr. Dan Harrop is a man with many jobs, but he wants to create many more for Providence residents. He is not just the Republican candidate for the mayor of Providence, but also the chairman of the RI Center for Freedom, the President of the Roosevelt Society and the Founding President of the RI GOP Liberty Caucus. But, even with this experience, can he heal Providence’s wounds? Born in West Warwick as a descendant of revolutionary war patriots, Harrop graduated from Brown University with a BA in Biology in 1976. He went on to earn his MD at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School in 1979. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Alpert Medical School. Harrop is a certified Psychiatrist with licenses to practice in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Tennessee. He is also on the Board of Directors for the Mother of Life Center on Atwells Ave. This is not Harrop’s first time running for mayor of Providence. He ran against (then incumbent) Democratic Mayor David Cicilline in 2006, and again in 2010, but dropped out of the race at the last minute. This led way to a two-way race between Democrat Angel Taveras and Independent Jonathan Scott. In order to see a gain in the city’s long-term residents, Harrop wants to freeze property taxes. He also wants to implement community policing, which is a program where the Providence Police Department works with the members of each individual community to make

sure that it is kept safe. In addition, Harrop wants to provide free, short term one-hour parking on each and every city block where there are businesses. Harrop also plans to put the city into receivership, which would be a declaration of bankruptcy at the state level. He says it is the only way to cure Providence’s unfunded pension liability and hefty tax rates. In terms of education, Harrop acknowledges that Providence is home to five of the seven worst performing high schools in the state, four of the five worst performing middle schools and all five of the worst performing elementary schools. As mayor, he would want teacher evaluations as opposed to seniority to be the key factor in promoting and retaining teachers. He also believes that it is important to support the establishment of more charter schools. Harrop has stated that he would like to extend the school year, allowing students to attend community college while they are still in high school. He also supports in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants. Unlike his opponents, Harrop only wants to serve for one term. Harrop will face Independent Vincent “Buddy” Cianci and Democrat Jorge Elorza in the general election. For more information on the Harrop campaign, visit his Facebook page “Dr. Daniel Harrop,” his twitter page @ DanHarrop, or contact him by phone at 401-390-2790 or email at HarropVictory@gmail.com. His campaign website is titled “harrop.org.”

“Driving into Missouri, I saw that the landscape and economy and infrastructure is very, very different from the east coast. Coming into St. Louis, I was just shocked. Hundreds of people living in abandoned buildings, homeless people in abandoned buildings. The city of St. Louis overall has no upkeep to it, except for the areas that can afford it, or have some connection to the white majority.” Though there is a clear white majority, Riseborough said that the first march was incredibly diverse, filled with people of all races. Most St. Louis citizens are in support of the protests according to Riseborough, other than the police. “The police don’t know what’s going on, they don’t know what to do. They’ve armed themselves,

Peaceful protesters in Ferguson, MI. – Courtesy of Toby Riseborough they’ve brought in officers from around Missouri. You’ll see that sometimes people will side with the police, but ultimately, you see an agreement that things are not right.” Riseborough stated that police presence was peaceful for the most part, except during the march to Shaw, where Vonderrit Myers was shot a few weeks ago by another cop. “When it came to the Shaw protest, we marched to a Quick Mart, it was a gas station. That was really militant. The police came out completely armed, pepper spray, tons and tons of police vehicles, and helicopters. As we were leaving, they egged us on to do something, but we were forced out of the gas station onto the pavement, and then from the public pavement to across the street.” Now that he is home, Riseborough

believes that there is work to be done all over the nation to address racism. He also believes that he is now closer to the black community, something that has been difficult for him after growing up in Martha’s Vineyard. “Something that I learned is that currently, it’s a time where we need to open our eyes,” he said. “Understand, up here, [the] situation with the police, and with race and discrimination can be different, but in reality, we need to be aware, and we need to be active. We need to try and sympathize as well as put your place on the side of history. Whether or not you’ll be on a side that is constantly being discriminated against, or with a police force that echoes many of the same qualities as a military and protects private interests over the people’s.”


news has been cancelled. We are all disappointed that the president will not be visiting our college, but we recognize that more urgent matters demand his attention and must take precedence.”

NOBAMA from cover

She also urged students to be happy that he had chosen to come to RIC during his Rhode Island trip, as opposed to URI, or any of the private colleges such as Brown, Bryant or RISD. “Even though the visit has been cancelled, we should all be proud that a sitting president chose our college as the site for his RI visit.” Interim Vice President of Student

week of october Affairs Scott Kane also released a statement about the cancellation. “It was a great experience to see the student body come together and get excited about the visit, and I think everyone understands the priorities at the executive level,” he said. President Obama was scheduled to speak to Rhode Island College students about the economy on Thursday afternoon, after endorsing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Raimondo on Wednesday night. However, his time has instead been spent assessing how to combat Ebola, both in America and in West Africa. On Thursday, he issued an executive order which will allow the Pentagon to use reserve troops to help fight Ebola in Africa. He has

also appointed former chief of staff to Vice President Biden, Ron Klain to the position of Ebola “czar,’ which means that he will oversee any actions concerning health security in the United States and how to curb the outbreak overseas. Klain will report to National Security Advisor Susan Rice and to Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor Lisa Monaco. President Obama has also stated that although he has no “philosophical objections” to instituting a travel ban, he will continue to resist one for several reasons, including the fact that members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have continually said that it would only make the outbreak in Africa,

O — by Elisha Kay Aldrich, News Editor

T

ensions in Eastern Europe have cooled somewhat since April, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has now ordered 17,600 troops near the Ukrainian border to return to base. According to Russian media, training exercises in the Rostov region have ended, although many believe that this is not the case. These “training exercises” have

been interpreted as a threat to invade Ukraine. This withdrawal could mean that the threat is now void, but NATO has not confirmed if the troops have actually begun to withdraw. There has been fear that war could break out in this area since the spring, after separatists in Ukraine declared independence from Kiev, claiming that Ukraine should be a part of Russia. Violence within the Ukrainian regions that border Russia has claimed more than 2,500 lives, according to the United Nations.

20, 2014

n Saturday, Oct. 25, Rocky Point Park in Warwick will be open to the public for the first time in almost 20 years. The Department of Environmental Regulation will open the park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to give curious people the opportunity to see the progress that has been made in the site’s redevelopment, as well as explore what remains of the old amusement park. There will be music provided by Night Life Orchestra, as well as refreshments for purchase from food trucks offering seafood, hot dogs, coffee, cupcakes, and other delicacies. Demolition of Rocky Point began in July, when the Shore Dinner Hall and the Palladium/ Windjammer were officially torn down.

and subsequently States, worse.

3 the

United

“If we institute a travel ban instead of the protocols that we’ve put in place now, history shows that there is a likelihood of increased avoidance. People do not readily disclose their information. They may engage in something called broken travel - essentially breaking up their trip so they can hide the fact that they have been to one of these countries where there is a disease in place,” he said on Thursday. The results of broken travel can range from mild to severe, but they boil down to the fact that people are less likely to be treated, screened and quarantined. This could cause more cases in the United States, rather than less.

A

panel met on Thursday, Oct. 16, in Alger 110, to speak about millennials, politics, and social media. Hosted by ABC6’s Chief Political Reporter Mark Curtis, the panel featured Ed Fitzpatrick from the Providence Journal, Erica Niedowski from the Associated Press, author Nicco Mele, Kate Nagle from GoLocalProv and Scott McKay from Rhode Island Public Radio. The panel explored how social media influences the way that millennials seek and gather political information, especially considering that 81% of millennials are on Facebook. When it comes to news, this dependency on social media can be dangerous; false information could go viral in seconds. This creates a

Currently, there have only been three confirmed cases of Ebola on U.S. soil. Thomas Eric Duncan, who traveled from Liberia to Dallas, was the first case diagnosed in the United States. He died on Wednesday, October 8. Shortly after that, it was learned that two healthcare workers that helped care for him had contracted the virus. Nina Pham, the first to be diagnosed, has been reported to be in stable condition. The second patient, Amber Vinson, was diagnosed after flying on a plane containing 132 people from Cleveland to Dallas. The risk of contraction from flying on the plane is low, as Vinson was not exhibiting symptoms at the time of the flight.

race among newsrooms to be the first to report a story, and sometimes speed can outweigh accuracy. This can lead to a damaged reputation for journalists and media outlets, which in turn tarnishes their credibility. However, social media does have the power to switch reporting from the institution to the individual, which means that politicians can no longer rely solely on traditional media outlets. Social media allows for diverse discussion of politics, as well as a diverse pool of information.

M

eanwhile in the residence halls, one of the New Hall elevator’s is now out of service until further notice. Returning from a game, RIC soccer players Tyler Kenyon and Steve Cataldo got stuck inside of the elevator for around forty five minutes until campus police and RI Firefighters were able to get them out.


4

week of october

20, 2014

Alternative Urban Country/Folk Metal Talk/Sports World

parties concerts

live djing rock hunt

Join us

Wednesdays @ 1pm horace mann 186 come by the station in the ducey media center gm@ricradio.org

pd@ricradio.org

(401) 456-8541


week of october

eDitoriAl

20, 2014

5

Is Buddy really a good choice? I am not a Rhode Island voter, so I usually do not pay attention to the things going on in the Rhode Island elections unless it has to do with Rhode Island College. I recently read an article about Buddy Cianci, and I can not keep this opinion to myself: Buddy is an accused rapist. Back in his younger years, Buddy was accused of raping not one, but multiple women. There was physical proof obtained by authorities that included bloody sheets and the gun included in one of the women’s descriptions. I am not trying to debate whether he is guilty or not, because, for me, the writing is on the wall–or the sheets. I want voters to be aware of what they are possibly electing into office. If Buddy is elected into office, the voters are supporting the acts he has made in his past. They are supporting the pay off he spent on getting these girls to keep quiet. It was reported by one of the girls that she received $3,000 as a bribe to keep quiet. The voters are

supporting this if he is elected. If Buddy is elected, then the voters are also turning their backs on all women that have been raped or sexually assaulted. Any woman who has been through this already has a hard time getting the help that is needed. I know this from experience. Getting help in this world is hard and judgmental. Standing up for yourself is not easy, and having a man who has been involved in such acts will only make this harder. I want to applaud the women who came forward and are no longer keeping quiet. They are putting their stories out there and including their names. They want people to know what is happening with this corrupt man. I also want to urge voters to please vote for someone else. Vote for someone who really wants to help all people and won’t just pay people to be quiet. Please learn the truth about Buddy Cianci.

EDITORS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR BUSINESS MANAGER ART DIRECTOR NEWS EDITOR RIC LIFE EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR PHOTO EDITOR GRAPHICS EDITOR COPY EDITOR LAYOUT EDITOR ADS MANAGER TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR CIRCULATION MANAGER

- Ashley Goldberg

Jim Brady | EDITORINCHIEF@ANCHORWEB.ORG Josh Estrella | MANAGING@ANCHORWEB.ORG Ashley Goldberg | BUSINESS@ANCHORWEB.ORG Liz Di Ruggiero | ARTDIRECTOR@ANCHORWEB.ORG Elisha Kay Aldrich | NEWS@ANCHORWEB.ORG Zach Mellin | RICLIFE@ANCHORWEB.ORG Victor Martelle | OPINIONS@ANCHORWEB.ORG Rashawn Vassell | SPORTS@ANCHORWEB.ORG Dannie Franciosi | PHOTO@ANCHORWEB.ORG Tyler Vigeant | GRAPHICS@ANCHORWEB.ORG Greg Maynard | COPY@ANCHORWEB.ORG Sam Mandeville | LAYOUT@ANCHORWEB.ORG Franklin Patton | ADS@ANCHORWEB.ORG Alex Palazzo | TECHNOLOGY@ANCHORWEB.ORG Patrick Carney | CIRCULATION@ANCHORWEB.ORG

STAFF Charlotte Abotsi Ashley Araby Jacob Bedard Janine Boiselle Everton Carter Colleen Cartwright Jonathan Carney Ryan Foley Victoria Hope

Have something to say? Don’t be shy, send us a Letter to the Editor! Email editorinchief@anchorweb.org. We accept letters up to 400 words. Please specify whether it is okay to print or not.

FACULTY ADVISOR Lloyd Matsumoto lmatsumoto@ric.edu

Jason Johnson Rebecca Kirtlink Jerzy Polak Nathan Silva Emilii Stein Ben Simpson Zachery Raso Nicholas Rose Alex Wall

PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS Jim Hummel The Hummel Report

CONTACT US HOW WOULD IT FEEL TO

GET UP TO 100% COLLEGE TUITION? As a member of the Air National Guard, you’ll receive up to 100% college tuition assistance. Plus, you’ll develop the real-world skills you need to compete in today’s economy.

Contact us to learn more.

GENERAL INFORMATION 401.456.8280 info@anchorweb.org EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 401.456.8790 editorinchief@anchorweb.org ADVERTISING 401.456.8544 ads@anchorweb.org

Legal stuff

WE’RE ONLINE WEBSITE www.theanchoronline.org FACEBOOK facebook.com/theanchoronline TWITTER @TheAnchor_RIC

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 by the college. 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 Anchor is not funded by and is independent from Rhode Island College. The first copy is free. Each additional copy is $2.25. Newspaper racks on the Rhode Island College campus are the property of The Anchor Newspaper. Only The Anchor Newspaper publication will be permitted on these racks. Any other publication or advertisement that is placed on the racks will be given one (1) warning for violating this policy. After two (2) violations, the business/publication will be billed at the rate of a full page advertisement. Copyright © 2014 The Anchor. All rights reserved.


6

week of october

20, 2014

Homecoming barbecue showcases local creativity JACOB BEDARD Assistant Editor

What do dog-sized sweaters, hand-made jewelry and Robert Healey have in common? They all appeared at Rhode Island College’s Homecoming Barbecue this past Saturday! From the morning into the late afternoon, the quad was abuzz with activity beneath large white tents. The turnout was massive and the plethora of different activities provided a very festive atmosphere for the participants. The morning kicked off with a very successful 5k at the RIC track that was put on by the wrestling team before the festivities moved to the quad and the barbeque. Amongst the crowd was a mix of RIC students, alumni and their families. One section of tents was full of booths that housed the sale of honey, art, decorative soaps, homemade jam and yes, even sweaters that are made for dogs. Another tent housed over a dozen booths, each of which belonged to a different Rhode Island-based author. These authors, some of which were RIC alumni, were set

RIC Life Editor

I

Nominate them for a spotlight! Email Zach at

RICLife@anchorweb.org

t’s that wonderful time of year where professors have begun, at the very least, preparing for midterms. More than likely, most people reading this have had some of their exams already. For many, this is the first big wake up of the semester: this is, in fact, college. You

Tucker Talks Nutrition BETHAnY TUCKER

Licensed Dietary nutritionist ating away from home can be fun and exciting. It can also be challenging and nerve wracking depending on how you look at it. With all of the food options out there, there is something for everyone. No, it may not be mom’s home cooking, but you wouldn’t be able to have your choice of sandwiches, cereals, hot entrees, fruits, vegetables and yummy desserts all at one time, would you?

C ra n s t o n ’s Po rt u g u e s e C l u b e n t e rt a i n e d s t u d e n t s a n d a l u m n i w i t h s e v e ra l d a n c e s . — Dannie Franciosi, Photo Editor

style.

The day also featured tours of both the new Alex & Ani art building and RIC’s campus as a whole, as well as a book sale at the James P. Adams library. As the festivities carried on, an unannounced guest was seen walking around and enjoying his share of barbecue food: it was the Cool Moose Party founder himself, Robert J. Healey, who is representing the Moderate Party in the race in the race for governor. Featuring some interesting twists and turns, Saturday’s highly populated Homecoming Barbecue truly rang in the new semester with

Midterm fun ZACHARY MELLIn

Welcome to healthy E

up to discuss and sign their books for anyone willing to buy them. In the central tent laid rows of tables for those who decided to partake in the buffet-style barbecue (which was provided by our very own Donovan Dining Center, of course.) The tent also housed a raised runway between the tables, which was used for a fashion show. This fashion show featured RIC student-made jewelry. After the fashion show, there was a parade that circled the quad, which featured several different on and off campus organizations. A few organizations included special music and dance numbers. For instance, Cranston’s Portuguese Club performed a selection of dance routines set to a live band that played traditional Portuguese folk songs. Unfortunately, it began to rain during this part of the parade, but the club carried on through their piece before quickly moving their musical instruments out of the rain. Briefly after, however, the rain cleared up and the rest of the day continued without hindrance from the elements.

ric life

do actually have to try to succeed here. And so begins the mass cram sessions. My first tip: calm down. Midterms are important, don’t get me wrong, but they almost always count less than

Donovan Dining Services wants to help make it easy for you. DDS offer lots of healthy options to help keep you feeling your best. So take advantage of healthy offerings on campus, such as fresh produce, lean grilled meats and whole grains in the dining hall. There are a lot of fabulous food choices, so don’t just stick to the old standby of pizza, burgers and fries. Try new things–be brave! What do you have to lose? You just may find a new favorite. College Dining Services offers nutrition services free of charge to RIC students. Bethany Tucker RD, LDN is available for appointment on Mondays and Wednesdays. Please feel free to call or email with any questions. (401) 456-8477; btucker@ric.edu

finals. What’s important with midterms, besides, you know, doing well, is to understand if your current method of handling that class is working. Did your notes cover what was on the exam, or do they need to be thorough? Did you even take notes? I bet you didn’t. Tsk, tsk. Use the knowledge you gain from the midterm. From the midterm, you should be able to guess what the final is going to look like. Keep this in mind as you write notes for the rest of the

semester. As for actually preparing for exams, the same tips apply, as always. Don’t cram the night before. Intersperse studying with breaks to snack or relax. Get plenty of sleep the night before. The morning before, I prefer to relax and have a nice meal before the class instead of desperately trying to review my notes one final time. Fear is the mind killer. On the day of the exam, bring back up utensils, (you haven’t lived until you’ve written an exam with a broken pencil) and something to drink throughout the exam. Use your time right, don’t rush. After the exam, if you bombed, don’t panic. Talk to your professor after class, or go to office hours, and discuss what they think and what your options are for the rest of the semester. You should get your grade back before the end of the withdrawal period, (Oct. 31) and maybe discuss with your professor or advisor if that may the the right option for you. Exam time shouldn’t be a time of stress and sleep deprivation. Just go at it from the right way.


week of october

ric life

20, 2014

7

Q&Anchor: Obama cancelled his trip to better monitor ebola. What are your thoughts on the ebola scare?

Kevin Hernando, Physical Education, 2018

I’m sad he couldn’t come, especially with such a quick cancellation. I feel bad for the people in that line, who cut class and wasted their morning. He talks about education, but then gets classes cancelled for nothing.

Mireille Adotevi, Biology/Pre-Med, 2018 I’m mad about him getting everyone’s hopes up, even if it was a good reason. But it’s not like he didn’t know about this before he made the plans in the first place.

Derek Labrie, Secondary Education Math, 2017

I don’t know much about it, but I think it’s getting overhyped. It isn’t that contagious, and we have a good health system. I don’t think it’s as much of a concern as we’re treating it.

Steve Smith, Theater, 2015

It doesn’t affect me that much, and I haven’t read that much into it. Just keep your hands washed.

Caitlin Mariorenzi, Education, 2017

I’m pretty bummed that Obama cancelled, but I do think ebola is a good reason. It’s definitely a huge issue right now, that needs to be addressed.

WRITE ARTICLES ........................... DRAW COMICS ........................... SHOOT PHOTOS MEETINGS

Get Paid.

WEDNESDAYS

@12:30

The Anchor | Media Center | 401.456.8280 | editorinchief@anchorweb.org


week of october

20, 2014

SUDOKU

8

comics

Fill in the blanks so that each row, column and each of the 9 3x3 grids contain one instance of the numbers 1–9.

Answers in next week’s issue.

Literally nothing happened simply didn’t take place.

Readers beware, faux news dwells here.

“We had expected a high turnout for campus activities last week. I guess we were wrong. Come to think of it, I couldn’t even tell you if anyone actually showed up. I know I didn’t,” Cringeworth said.

Joe King

In trying to follow the breadcrumbs regarding the lack of anything, student emails help verify last week’s stagnant atmosphere: there were none. No emails. Not even spam.

Given the recent campus car chase, missing student funds, and coup of the former student governing body, nothing happened last week. Literally.

Vice President for Student Interactions via Electronic Communications, Twitter and Instagram Scott Kane released a statement earlier today regarding the campus’ electronic blackout.

Mediocre Investigative Journalist

Students may have sat around campus last week, mouths agape and staring off into the distance as campus life as we knew it came to a grinding halt. But we simply won’t know. According to Programming spokesperson, Julia Cringeworth, group events on campus weren’t cancelled–they

“Nothing happened.” Even the Campus Police blotter for last week was blank. According to RIC’s automated Campo-bot 4k, last week was a good reflection of falling campus crime rates.

“Crime statistics for last week: ZERO

theft, ZERO assault, ZERO vandalism. The campus is secure. Beep-boop-beep.” So, what does the college plan to do about the nothingness that may or may not have occurred last week? President Nancy “Fancy Pants Nance” Carriuolo had announced that she would address the campus this Thursday in the Murray Center, but has cancelled the assembly due to contracting food poisoning from a bowl’a clam chowder. In her stead, Student Committee of the Communist Party Commissar Jim Brady has addressed the RIC community via email. “People, my people, your beloved commissar has ensured that nothing will never happen again. My record clearly shows my experience with nothing, and as your SCCP commissar, nothing will stop me,” Brady proclaimed. While RIC administration continues to do nothing about nothing, hopefully there will be much ado about something sometime soon.


week of october

20, 2014

9


10

week of october

20, 2014

opinions

disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Anchor.

Blaming St. Louis police for shooting back vICTOR MARTELLE Opinions Editor @AnchorOpinions

Sandwiches don’t fire bullets. On Wednesday, October 8, a black male was killed by a white St. Louis police officer. While some minor details in the situation are still being investigated, it was reported that this man took off running when he saw an off duty cop who was still in uniform. Following the foot chase, some altercation may have happened, then shots were fired at the police officer. The officer responded with shooting back, which killed the offender, Vonderrit Myers. Immediately following this, protests cropped up in response, claiming that this shooting was

because of racism, and the victim of the shooting didn’t even have a gun, but a sandwich. While the outcry is understandable due to the questionable situation in Ferguson, it doesn’t mean we can immediately play the race card and start making assumptions. Playing the race card demeans the entire situation and forces us to ignore the real racism that may occur in the justice system. This young man was killed because he shot at the officer, not because he was black. We must recognize that police are trained to look for suspicious people and situations. If you see a police officer, and you suddenly start to take off running, do you think the officer is just going to sit there? To say the least, he isn’t going to not notice, and if you dare shoot at him, expect

him to fire back. There are also claims going around about this situation which are meant to enforce the notion that he was shot because of racism. One of the main claims is that the officer used excessive force because he shot 17 times while the offender only shot three bullets. If you put anyone in a situation like that, it becomes a life or death situation, one person probably isn’t going to be walking away, so his reaction is quite normal, we would all have done the same thing. Only three shots were fired by the offender before his weapon jammed, who knows what would have happened if this didn’t occur. I would wager that no one would have cared if the officer was killed instead.

I think we should put our energy and resources into something that will be more effective and productive. By this I mean, we don’t know if this was a discrimination based incident and, to put it bluntly, it probably wasn’t, so instead of assuming it was, let’s move onto circumstances and issues where we know for a fact that racism has occurred. Not every circumstance where a nonwhite individual is harmed is an indication of racism, and we can’t always exempt white individuals because they may face racism as well.

What are your thoughts? Do you Agree, Disagree? Feel free to email opinions@anchorweb.org with your thoughts! Don’t forget, you can also write a letter to the editor!

Kappa Sigma, not right now! nICHOLAS ROSE Anchor Contributor

I would like to start off on my response article to “Fraternity Friction” by saying that in the student’s best interest and the Greek community’s best interest, we cannot afford to bring Kappa Sigma to Rhode Island College right now. One of the reasons I say this is because we can’t afford to have another fraternity on campus right now, especially Kappa Sigma. I have to agree with Michael Giacalone on his statements regarding Kappa Sigma about stopping the recruitment of students and that with the addition of another fraternity might damage the other Greek organizations here at Rhode Island College. I’m not a member of a fraternity, but I do support Greek Life here at Rhode

Island College. I also have to agree with Michael Giacolone that it took a lot of time and resources to reach out to Phi Mu Delta to have a representative from that fraternity on the ground here at Rhode Island College. Say a student wants to bring a new sorority here to campus, chances are that one or all of the current sororities here on campus can be damaged when it comes to

Anchor Staff

“The church will burn down if I walk in there.” Of course, the church really won’t, but why do people say this? Really, the person means I haven’t been good and therefore, don’t belong in church. Actually, the contrary is true. People have a lot of misconceptions for what going to church really is. Really, church is for sinners, which means everybody. God wants us to be close to Him. We all sin, but that doesn’t mean that God will refuse us His love. We are alive because we all are destined for Heaven to be with God. Plus, He

This is not a personal attack against you. This is only my opinion. As you, Jerzy Polak, may know, there are over 80 recognized student groups and organizations that students would be interested in joining on campus, such as; WXIN, The Anchor, Chess Club, Programming, Anchor TV, GAMER, Otaku, etc. If Kappa Sigma were to come to campus, chances are that other recognized groups can be damaged as well. I tried to start up a new local fraternity a few years ago and it ended up going bust because the membership

as a student of Rhode Island College, I plead to you ... to listen recruiting potential new members. So as a student of Rhode Island College, I plead to you and the other people you recruited to listen to what Student Activities says, “Stop recruiting new members”, because you can get into trouble with Student Activities, and especially with the college itself. You don’t need to bring a new fraternity to

What church really is ASHLEY ARABY

campus to make friends because you can actually make friends by joining any existing organizations just like I did when I started here at Rhode Island College back in 2006.

blood “giving life to souls,” as Jesus said. It is in the sacraments found within the Church where Christ’s mercy is present.

wants to help us while we live on earth. Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt. 11-28). Jesus created the church so people could go to it and receive the sacraments, learn His teachings and be a reflection of God’s love in the world. First, God’s life comes into our souls in the sacrament of Baptism. “The cross gives us hope,” as priests say. We all can relate to the image of Jesus on the Cross. He suffered for each of our sins so we all can go to Heaven. The blood and water that came out of the wound on His side symbolizes His mercy: the Divine Mercy and the church. Water washes away our sins and the

God’s forgiveness and love are always there, and shown precisely in Jesus’s statement: “I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.” (Luke 15:7). If you’ve said “church will burn down if I walk in,” go to church and see how close God really is. In the sacrament of Confession, you will not be rejected, but rather welcomed and reassured. It takes away all of our mortal and venial sins through God’s grace. Jesus said: “Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though his sins be as scarlet… When you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the blood and water which came forth from

numbers collapsed as my fraternity’s constitution was going to go to Student Parliament to get ratified. So a few days after that, I went to Student Activities and SCG to ask that they erase all of the records of the fraternity’s intent to form on campus here at Rhode Island College. I did the right thing, and I quit while I was ahead and didn’t go back to push for the fraternity’s existence again because I didn’t want to dwell on my failure to start up a new local fraternity. That brings me to my next point that bringing Kappa Sigma to campus may not work out in the end. I say that because there is a risk that the fraternity may run into many difficulties resulting in their disbandment. Also, because if a student doesn’t wish to join Kappa Sigma, that student doesn’t have to. If too many members leave Kappa Sigma at Rhode Island College because of other commitments like school, work or other extra-curricular activities, there’s a chance that Kappa Sigma at Rhode Island College can go bust as well and be non-existent.

My heart always flows down upon your soul.” (Diary of Saint Faustina Kowalska 699, 1725). Then you can receive Jesus in the sacrament of Holy Eucharist. In church people go to mass, which revolves around the Holy Eucharist where Jesus is present: His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. He instituted It in order to remain with us; so we receive His grace to strengthen us in life and gain merits for Heaven. His Holy Spirit also helps us make decisions in life. God constantly supplies us with graces. It is our job to accept and use them. God’s grace settles in our hearts and then flows out to our families, in our workplaces and with our friends in the simplest things. You will experience it and it will reflect in your daily life, especially when you trust in God’s mercy and have the faith that Jesus will always be there to help you.

Epidemic COLLEEn CARTWRIgHT Anchor Contributor

In West Africa it is said that an approximately 7,100 people have been diagnosed with the Ebola virus. Out of those 7,100 people, 3,300 have perished. This virus epidemic started in Guinea in December 2013. The virus then spread among Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal. In my opinion this virus is spreading quickly through the surrounding areas of Africa. What’s to say that can’t happen here in states? One day it’s Texas and the next, it’s Florida. It takes only one person to kill a population. So why take it so lightly? A Liberian native, Thomas Eric Duncan was on a visa and traveled to the U.S. to visit family, bringing back with him the Ebola virus. This man has come into contact with 10 people including children. He complained of stomach pain five days after being here in the states and went to the emergency room and was sent home. Eight days later he returned to the hospital and was quarantined. Dr. Pham was his caretaker for most of the time he spent in that hospital. She has now been diagnosed with the deadly virus. Pham treated Duncan in her protective gear the whole time but somehow still contracted the Ebola virus. This virus is said to have an incubation period of 21 days! So I ask the question, how can we properly check everyone coming into this country? Are they actually taking blood tests to see if travelers are infected? People with flu like symptoms are being removed from airplanes. According to some details, the CDC is rethinking their way to stop the spread of Ebola. With all that being said I wonder to myself why on Earth the country, or even Africa for that matter, would allow anyone coming from Africa into or out of the U.S. This person from Houston is the first they say to be diagnosed with the virus in the U.S. This carelessness is how epidemics start and how many lives are lost unnecessarily. If I had any control over this virus I would certainly stop incoming and outgoing flights from Africa. Liberia is currently out of beds for the sick and it’s said that it’s becoming a situation that is uncontrollable. Granted, Africa does not have all the resources we have in America but why start a worldwide issue when it could be stopped where it started? I care and worry for my child and loved ones. However, is America really doing everything they can or are we in serious danger?


week of october

opinions

20, 2014

disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Anchor.

Should you come out? Musing about National Coming Out Day victor martelle own. I know that this could be Opinions Editor @AnchorOpinions

T

hink before coming out. Oct. 11 was national coming out day. A day to spread awareness on LGBTQ issues and also in hopes that more people might express their sexuality freely. But before you run to your parents and tell them the news about yourself, I urge you to be careful. We all want to be able to express how we feel to our parents or guardians who are supposed to love and take care of us, but you first need to assess the situation. We don’t live in a perfect world, and many of us do not live under perfect households. If you are dependent on your parents or guardians, be sure to know how they feel about LGBTQ related issues. If they are constantly bickering about how it’s such a problem, or maybe if you simply have a bad gut feeling, maybe you should hold off on coming out until you are able to live on your

seen as ignoring the issue at hand, but getting kicked out of your own house by people who are supposed to love you is simply not worth the risk. The good news however, is that we are winning. By that I mean gay marriage is quickly becoming legal in many states across America. It seems like it was just yesterday I was sitting in the Rhode Island State House, watching the testimonials for and against the gay marriage law, which lasted through the night into the early morning hours. I was in tears when it passed, I couldn’t contain my happiness for those who have suffered for so long. We all deserve to marry the person we love. What’s wrong with that? What frustrates me the most however, are those who ask me, “Why are you supporting that, Victor, and why did you go to that weird gay pride parade? You are straight!” To which I say, so what if I am straight? All the better to give my support, and gay pride parades are hella fun, so it’s your own loss for not going. We are all humans,

who cares how we have sex or who we love. I urge those who may not identify as LGBTQ to support your friends and family in this, as the process of coming out may be difficult for them. If they wish to even remain quiet for the time being, let them.

11


12

week of october

20, 2014

sports

Anchorwomen 1-1 road record on week Freshman Abigayl White finished the match with a high of 21 assists.

JERZY POLAK Anchor Staff

In a two game road trip on Saturday afternoon, the volleyball team split with a win against CCNY and a loss to Emerson. Michelle Malboeuf scored a team-high of 20 kills along with sophomore middle hitter Sierra Smith registering 15 winners and three digs.

Junior Michelle Malbeouf scored a team-high of 20 kills on Saturday afternoon, while sophomore Seirra Smith registered 15 winners. – GoAnchormen

Rhode Island College opened with CCNY, easily putting them away 3-0. Smith registered nine kills in the match with Malboeuf recording eight kills and nine digs.

In their second match, RIC fell to the hosts. It was a tough loss, as two of the three sets the Anchorwomen had a 24-22 lead, but fell 26-24 on both of those occasions. Malboeuf finished with 20 kills, 22 digs, one assist and four blocks. Palazzini finished with 14 kills and 16 digs. White offered 49 assists for the Anchorwomen between both games. RIC will play JWU on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.

Congrats to the seven inducted into the Rhode Island College Athletic Hall of Fame

Sophomore Julie Reddy won her single and double matches against Salem State. – GoAnchormen

Tennis pick up another win against Salem State ALEX WALL Anchor Staff

I

t was a great day for the tennis team as they picked up another win against Salem State 5-4. Their current overall record is 12-1 with a LEC record of 6-1. Sophomore Julie Reddy won both her Number four singles (7-6, 6-4) and her number two doubles match with partner Sadie Campanella (8-4). Freshman Kim Daigle won her Number two singles match (6-1 6-1) but lost their number one doubles match with partner Chelsea Brown (5-4 4-3). Junior Tressa Cannata won her number five singles match (6-3 6-5).

William C. Cotter (91-94) Kamari B. Williams (03-07) Christie Lotti-Proctor (05-08) Kari J. Geisler (03-07)

Erin M. Miga (03-06) Nicole C. Riley (04-07) Maria B. Morin (95-11)

The Anchorwomen finish their match against Bridgewater State on Monday, Oct. 20.

Ultimate Frisbee shines in season opening tournament ZACHERY RASO

Anchor Contributor This past weekend the Rhode Island College Men’s Ultimate Frisbee team took the field for the first time this season at UMass Dartmouth’s annual tournament. The team came out firing on all cylinders in their first game of the season posting their first win against the Umass Dartmouth (B) team, (RIC 13- UMASS 6). Following that game, the team was faced with two tough teams back to back: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Maine. Unfortunately RICdiculous

struggled in both games, losing both meetings. (MIT 13 – RIC 5) (U. Maine 13 – RIC 1). After dropping two of the first three games, RIC faced University of Rhode Island for the first time on the Ultimate Frisbee field. Having never met on the field, both teams were unsure of what the other was capable of. In a slow start for RIC, URI took halftime with a score of 7 to 3. During the halftime break, RIC adopted a new strategy of play for the remainder of the game. Since the offense in the previous two games had struggled, Coach Peter Gibb decided to focus on hard defense. With the

mindset of throwing the disc deep and then playing an unrelenting defense if the disc happened to be turned over to the other team, RIC began to claw their way back into the game. Allowing URI only one point out of the next six RIC closed the gap and tied the game at 8 points. Due to time restrictions, this game would be played first team to 11 points. At that moment URI began to surge back scoring the next two points to put them up 10 to 8. With the game on the line, RIC stuck to the same strategy and scored back to back points, tying the game at 10. The final point of

the game was hard fought by both teams and lasted for well over ten minutes, with both teams turning the disc over on several occasions. The final play of the game began with a long throw downfield by Senior Zachery Raso to Junior Joseph Barbagallo in the end zone. Barbagallo attempted to catch the disc but was only able to get a fingertip on it. This slight touch allowed for Junior Dennis Poirier to get both hands on the disc on the back line of the end zone, securing the game for RICdiculous bringing their record 2-2. With this record, Rhode Island College seeded first in the B Bracket

on day two of the tournament. The first game of the day was against Franklin Pierce University, who had just won their first game against UMass Dartmouth B. RICdiculous won with a score of 15-6, though FPU showed great resilience as a young team. With this win, RIC was set to face Union College in the finals matchup of the B bracket. The RIC team fought their hardest but fell to Union 15-2, ending their tournament with a runner up record of 3-3.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.