2 2 15 by The Anchor

REMEMBERING COREY RIC honors Corey Agin, a political science student who passed recently

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The Anchor Newspaper

Week of febuary 2, 2015 | Vol: 87 | Issue: #17

BRAVING the

STORM

College improves how it handles blizzards eliSha kay aldrich news editor @anchornews

t’s not uncommon for students to deal with blizzard conditions on campus this time of year. What is uncommon, however, is the change in opinion about how the college handled those conditions from last year, to this year.

“

Last year was a shitshow,” said Junior Youth Development major Harrie Salk. But what about this year? According to Salk, it was a definite improvement.

“I think the plowing could have been a lot better, the resident lot was still gross. But the Don did a very good job,” she said. Another Youth Development major, C’Sondra Brabham, was even more cheerful about the way RIC handled winter storm Juno. “I didn’t have any problems at all. I just drove my car right out of my spot,” said Brabham. “I think they did a really good job at the beginning. Just keeping up with it and putting salt down would be helpful.” According to Assistant Vice President Donald Tencher, the college began preparing for the storm the Saturday before.

He stated that it was decided early on Monday to bring in outside equipment for plowing the campus, due to the sheer amount of snow. Tencher also stated that work was done to ensure that the campus could remain functioning during the worst of the storm. “We made sure all of the generators everywhere, but especially in the residence halls, were working perfectly,” said Tencher. “We made sure that we had plenty of fuel. We required a maintenance person and an electrician stay on campus overnight “JUNO” to insure if there were any issues in the resident halls they would be readily see page 3 available to correct them”

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RIC Remembers Corey Agin to the class and the major,” said Brophy-Baermann. Dr. Thomas Schmeling, the head of the political science department, stated that it is saddening to lose someone so young. —Graphi By Kayshia Haughton

t is a tragedy to lose a fellow Anchorman, but perhaps a greater one to say goodbye to a student who was not given the chance to make his mark on Rhode Island College. Corey Agin, age 20, passed away Sunday, January 25, 2015. Corey had recently transferred to RIC from Drexel University in Philadelphia as a political science major. Dr. Michelle BrophyBaermann, a member of the political science faculty, stated that although she only had Corey in class one day, she saw potential in him. “I was so shocked and saddened to learn of the loss of someone I had only met. From our brief interaction, I could tell he was an excellent addition

Corey was an activist at the state level, supporting the legalization of marijuana. He ran the state chapters of Our America Initiative, and the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. He wrote several editorials on the subject, published on RIFuture. org and in the Providence Journal. In his Providence Journal editorial, Corey wrote about how the legalization of recreational marijuana would economically benefit Rhode Island, from taxation to jobs, and even a reduced law enforcement workload. Corey’s arrangements are held by O’Neill Funeral Home in Pawtucket, and they have set up an online guestbook for the grieving to send condolences to his family. Many have left messages, including RIC students who had just met him.

“I’m a student here at RIC and I just met Corey for the first time last Friday night outside of New Hall. We made light conversation about school and how things are going for us after the first week of classes. I cant believe this boy I met a few days ago is gone now. I wish the best for Corey’s friends and family, may he rest in peace,” wrote Vanessa Lameiro. He is survived by his parents, Gail Agin and Roger Watkins and his siblings; Rylee Rose Jackson, Asia Price, Ashton Price, Adrien Price, Andrew Watkins, Alexis Watkins, Andrea Watkins and Jerrel Upchurch. He is also survived by maternal and paternal grandmothers Sandra Wilcox and Charlotte Watkins. Corey graduated from East Providence High School in 2012, where he participated in football, wrestling, track and volleyball. He is laid to rest in the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Providence. ~Elisha Kay Aldrich

“JUNO”

Campus police was also available throughout the duration of the storm, as was Donovan Dining Center. “For almost a twenty four hour period the paths between the residence halls and DDC were kept open so students could get there in the safest way possible,” Tencher added. “We decided to close all parking lots except the ones the resident’s, restrict all road parking and close Library Road to support safe and effective cleaning.Thankfully the snow was light and we did not encounter any additional issues like outages or damage to roofs, etc. which left us to direct our attention to the snow.” Tuesday and Wednesday, after the worst of winter storm Juno had subsided, the college focused solely on cleaning up parking lots, walkways and stairs, but officials were still in contact throughout the entire week to make sure the campus was safe enough for students. “Throughout the storm college officials were

news either on campus or in the communication loop, college officials were in the communication loop with state officials, and though you’re only as good as your last storm, I think the college was in terrific shape considering the storm,” Tencher said. Donovan Dining Center also played a huge role in the state of the campus during the storm. Arthur Patrie, the Director of Donovan, stated that they, too, prepared in advance. “We would prepare in advance for the residents to take food back to the residence halls,” he said. “Which meant that staff really had to kick into gear because we were preparing two days worth of food in one day. They recognized that our priority was the safety of the resident students, and to recognize that they had food.” Patrie stated that in order to achieve this, six members of the Donovan staff stayed on campus overnight on Monday to open the dining center the next day. “Our objective was to make sure we had some

sort of hot item available for residents. We flourished in that regard because we were able to provide multiple hot options,” Patrie stated. He added that the work could not have been done without the exceptional motivation put forth by both the student and state employed Donovan staff. Most students agreed that this year’s blizzard conditions were handled much better than last year’s. “I thought it was a lot better than last year,” said sophomore Emily Castonguay. “This year, I think having us move [our cars] until the storm was over was better.” CIS major Jonathan Cooper agreed. “I think they did a decent job with the amount of snow we had. They can only do so much,” he said. With RIC’s first blizzard out of the way, students can hope that this trend of improvement continues, and the next storm will mean more preparation, but less snow.

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How did Gina handle Juno ryan fOley assistant editor

othing is a better test for a newly inaugurated state official than a massive weather event, and Governor Gina Raimondo is no different. Last week, Rhode Island experienced its major blizzard under Raimondo’s leadership, and we want to know how she stacked up. The storm, nicknamed Juno by the Weather Channel, was forecast to be a major blizzard with up to three feet of snow possible in addition to high wind gusts and cold temperatures. Governor Raimondo responded to the impending snowstorm by declaring a State of Emergency. She ordered all Rhode Island state offices closed by 11:00 p.m. on Monday night, and they remained closed until further notice. Travel restrictions were put in place at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, forbidding motor vehicle travel on all roads statewide. The empty roads were to ensure minimal traffic accidents as a result of the storm, allowing National Grid to respond quickly to power outages. The Governors of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts also issued States of Emergency and travel bans, leading to about 300 miles of I-95, one of the northeast’s busiest highways, being closed throughout the blizzard. While the worst of the storm left southern New England last Tuesday night, there was much work in the way of cleanup and repairs. Schools were closed throughout the state Tuesday and Wednesday, including Rhode Island College, which cancelled its Monday evening classes as

Jennifer SancheZ anchor contributor

Student Activities offers fun events and trips RHODE ISLAND - Each semester, the ofﬁce of Student Activities (SA) offers a variety of off-campus and on-campus trips and events to make the college experience memorable and exciting. Marissa Weiss, the assistant coordinator, has been leading SA events for the past eight years, providing affordable trips off campus to locations such as Boston, Newport and Philadelphia. Open Mic Night, a popular RIC event, is held every ﬁrst Thursday of the month at the RIC Café for vocalist, musicians and poets to perform. Another great event on campus is Outrageous Bingo, where prizes range from Subway and Amazon gift cards to free money passes. For more information or interested to purchase tickets for RIC events, visit staff at the Student Union Welcome and Information Center or call 456-8148

well as all classes for Tuesday and Wednesday. Accumulations were most significant throughout northern Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Snow totals in Worcester reached a record-breaking 34.5 inches. Boston reached 26 inches, its largest January storm accumulation on record. Groton, Connecticut received two feet of snow. The highest snow totals in Rhode Island were in Burrilville, totaling 28.5 inches. Snow totals in Providence reached 15.5 inches, the city’s fourth highest snow total on record. Coastal flooding was reported in Scituate, Massachusetts.

Governer Gina Raimundo adresses the public~ wpri.com

Local media featured extensive coverage of the storm, including a press conference from Governor Raimondo, where she urged Rhode Islanders to stay indoors if possible. The storm led to a travel nightmare for Rhode Island residents, with RIPTA shut down, and TF Green canceling thousands of flights. All Amtrak service throughout the northeast was shut down in preparation for the storm. While Rhode Islanders were adequately prepared for this storm, there is much more ahead for the winter of 2015 and Gina Raimondo’s tenure as governor. One of the most challenging parts of being Governor is responding to severe weather. New York City residents received far less snow than expected.

RIC Writing Board holds 19th Annual Faculty Development RHODE ISLAND - David Jollife, the Brown Chair in English Literacy from the University of Arkansas led the RIC Writing Board’s 19th Annual Faculty Development Workshop. Faculty from all disciplines were involved in learning as well as sharing ideas and practices in hopes of engaging college students. He emphasized the importance to begin with S.Q.T or status quo thinking. Jollife shared, “It’s important [for students] to see themselves not as independent readers, but as readers of the world they are in.” This workshop was sponsored by RIC’s Writing Board, which provided materials, supplies and support for faculty development.

“School is closed! School is closed!” RHODE ISLAND - Last Tuesday all classes and activities were closed due to the severe blizzard that piled up 18-30 inches of snow. Moses Brown School in Providence told its students that school was

closed in a rather Disney-esque fashion. Matt Glendinning, Head of Moses Brown School, announced that classes were cancelled on Tuesday through a creative music video, which featured the instrumentals of Frozen’s movie song, “Let it go!” Moses Brown is a private Quaker school located on the Eastside of Providence with students from various parts of Rhode Island. The music video has received about 2.1 million views with 10 thousand likes in just a week since its debut on YouTube.

PVD School District Chief Operating Ofﬁcer resigns PROVIDENCE - Bernard Luger, the Chief Operating Ofﬁcer for the Providence School District, resigned last Friday. According to media sources, he has been actively involved in the Providence Public School District since 2003. At the moment, Joseph Dipina, Chief Administrator for the Providence School District, will take his place until a new COO is hired. On Friday, the school department shared their thoughts, stating, “We thank Bernie for his service to the district, and wish him well in his future endeavors.” Governor’s orders respected during snowstorm

Governor Gina Raimondo issues travel ban on RI PROVIDENCE - On Tuesday, Gov. Gina Raimondo declared an ofﬁcial travel ban, which prohibited traveling on state

It is sometimes better to be over-prepared than underprepared. Many remember the December 13, 2007 snowstorm that began midday, leading to early dismissal from school for most students. No one was prepared for the storm, so I-95 was clogged with school buses unable to move due to slippery conditions. It is safe to say Rhode Island has since learned its lesson. With her first snowstorm out of the way, Governor Raimondo can thank all of the cities and towns for doing a good job keeping their roads clear and their residents safe. It is never too early to start preparing for the next storm.

highways. However, that didn’t stop one driver. RI State Police Col. Steven O’Donnell arrested a male driver for violating the governor’s orders. The male driver was riding a motorcycle going 80 miles per hour on I-95 in Warwick. Overall, the Governor’s orders were respected and no other violations were reported during the snowstorm.

Sgt. Bergdahl possibly charged with desertion UNITED STATES - It is still unclear whether or not Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will be charged with desertion. Bergdahl was charged with allegations of leaving his outpost in an important military combat zone in June 2009. Ofﬁcials say this disobeys the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or UCMJ. During his abandonment, he was held as a captive by the Hagani terrorists in Pakistan. He was later released after trade negotiations for ﬁve terrorist prisoners in Guatanamo Bay. If this accusation is true, Bergdahl will be denied a $300,000 in back pay and bonuses, reduced rank and permitted to leave the Army with a “less than honorable discharge.” However, according to the Army Times, the army has not made any decisions on Bergdahl’s case.

More ISIS ransom videos UNITED STATES - Last week, two ransom videos surfaced aiming to grab the attention of leaders in the U.S., Japan and Jordan. The

first video was posted last Tuesday morning on the YouTube account belonging to Gotto, a Japanese journalist. The video commanded Jordanian officials to release a convicted potential suicide bomber, in exchange for the release of Gotto and a Jordanian pilot, who were both held captive from ISIS. A more recent video, where ISIS leaders threaten Obama, and as well as officials of Japan and Jordan stating, “Know, oh Obama, that we’ll reach America.” Gotto was captured in Syria last year after traveling to help a private soldier who was held captive and now presumed beheaded after Japan refused to pay ransom. Mu’adh Safi Yusuf al-Kasasibah, the Jordanian pilot, was captured last December and based on Gotto’s audio message, he is presumed dead.

Boehner attempting to file lawsuit on Obama immigration reform UNITED STATES - Speaker of the House John Boehner has remained opposed to President Obama’s plan on the immigration reform, and announced Tuesday morning that he will find ways to sue the White House. Boehner, along with other GOP lawmakers, are suing Obama after his executive action last November, allowing immigration reform in granting work permits, and a three-years of “no deportation” for approximately 5 million undocumented immigrants. This is not the first time Boehner has tried to file a lawsuit against White House. His first attempt was against Obamacare. That case has rapidly stumbled through the judiciary while his current lawsuit is still in ongoing.

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Thank you to all the students who sent their pictures of the blizzard in for the cover! JOcivaell adaMeS Olivia briGGS kendra cabral Jack carrOll felicia cOlÓn Matthew cOOPer ian cOutO ranSel cruZ brian davidSOn erin duriGan dOMiniQue elliS leanna GOnZaleS katina GuStafSOn kelSi hOSler MeGhan kaMinSki SaMantha levine Macey MalO brianna McGilliS rachel Pace kelSey riOux ShiMOna rOMney ken Salhany Sierra SMith MOrGan Stewart JeSSica tOc kiM tOvar aShley verduchi Shaun viGeant and Many OtherS!

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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 © 2015 The Anchor. All rights reserved.

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Scrubs

The five best films of 2014

Zachary Mellin

RIC Life Editor @AnchorRICLife

Patrick Connolly

ike any good college student, I spend a less-than-reasonable amount of time watching Netflix, leading me to this bad habit of watching entire series in a few weeks. So I’m going to talk about some of them, and hopefully give you new ideas for what to watch next! I recently finished rewatching one of my favorite shows, the good old ‘dramedy’ “Scrubs.” “Scrubs” follows the lives of John Dorean (Zach Braff) and his friends and coworkers at Sacred Heart hospital, from his first day as an intern, to the day he moves and leaves the hospital for a new job. The series is shot single camera style, on-site in an old hospital that was renovated just for the show. The show has three extremely strong points. The first is the narrative style, told through Dorean’s thoughts, (narrated as a voiceover) with occasional cutaways owing to the character’s overactive imagination. The idea of Dorean always being in his head is lampshaded throughout the show, and in several episodes (about once per season) the narrative is passed briefly to a different character. The second is the character development. The show goes out of its way to be realistic. So much so, in fact, that a doctor worked with the show throughout its run, sharing stories and expertise to make the show credible. The writing over the eight seasons shows the character’s change and development in a realistic way, because nobody stays the same person over the course of eight years in one of the most stressful fields in the world. Finally, the show does an amazing job of juxtaposing zany comedy sequences with emotional, dramatic scenes. A single episode can jump from a vaguely

—Graphic by Tyler Vigeant; Art Director homoerotic scene of two best friends dancing together at the thought of a nice steak dinner, to a scene of those same two learning to face death in the eye when they spend a night with a man who is on his way out. It’s in scenes like these that the skilled writers of “Scrubs” really show through. Scrubs also features a downright amazing soundtrack over the course of its run, with musical guests that almost act like a timeline of popular music. There are also occasional high-production episodes, including an entire musical episode (justified by an actual medical condition that causes patients to hear everything as music) and a fairytale version of a day at the hospital, told by one of the main characters to his son. “Scrubs” very much stands out as a show that was much loved by its creator, crew and cast— and it shows. Season nine, however, was a semi-spinoff that shrunk the main cast and introduced a large number of new characters. While it isn’t the worst thing ever made, it lacks the quality of the previous eight seasons, due mainly to the fact that it was produced almost entirely due to executive meddling, and was cancelled after a season, meaning that the season on Netflix ends very suddenly and unsatisfyingly.

RATING: B+

5.) “Into the Woods” - Not since “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” have I been so excited about a great movie musical. The complexities of Sondheim’s brilliant music remain intact even as it’s toned down for a mass audience, and the songs are performed by a wonderful cast under the confident direction of Rob Marshall. Look out, folks, movie musicals are coming back in a big way, and if they are as good as this film, then I’m looking forward to a bright future. 4.) “Interstellar” - Seeing it in IMAX 70MM film was one of the most extraordinary moviegoing experiences I’ve ever had in my life. The film itself may divide many people in the long run (this film reaches for the stars, which may not sit well with some people) but personally, I consider this my favorite film from Christopher Nolan. Oh, and Hans Zimmer’s score makes me a bigger fan of organ (and minimalist) music than ever before. 3.) “Whiplash” - What starts off as a solid story about ambition transforms into a cinematic experience unlike anything I have ever seen. If you thought J.K. Simmons was monstrous enough as J. Jonah Jameson, wait ‘til you see him as Terrence Fletcher; he transfers chills up your spine just by asking “Were you rushing or were you dragging?” The film’s final scene represents some of the best filmmaking of this past year, demonstrating an energy and intensity that would inspire aspiring filmmakers to

Andrew O’ Niel

film about drumming generally doesn’t sound like a good concept. This is fortunately NOT the case when it comes to “Whiplash.” This is one of the best films of 2014. Starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons, the film is about a college drummer determined to win the recognition of the toughest teacher in the school. The amazing cast, wonderful music and constant tension throughout leaves you wondering and emotional. As far as the two main characters go, Simmons is superb throughout as the verbally, (and sometimes physically) abusive teacher, Fletcher. As you’re watching his teaching methods the one question that will constantly pop in your head is, “How the HELL did this dude become a teacher.” Some highlights of his methods including literally hurling a chair at aspiring drummer, Andrew (Teller) for not drumming on tempo and forcing him and two other drummers to drum for hours to the point of bleeding hands and exhaustion to determine who will be the core drummer of the band. There’s one point where you think he might’ve actually changed his ways and became a nicer person, but it was only an act, still proving to be an asshole.

Stars J.K Simmons and Miles Teller having a nice chat − Sony Pictures Classic

accomplish their dreams. “Whiplash” is a triumph of craft and performance.

Anchor Staff

Whiplash Anchor Staff

ric life

In Miles Teller’s case, he was great as the somewhat stereotypical determined

2.) “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” - It’s a wonder how something as silly as apes on horseback could turn out to be one of the most beautifully crafted films I’ve seen in recent memory. Andy Serkis is, once again, in his natural habitat, delivering a brilliant motion-captured performance that will make you forget you are watching a CG ape interact with a human being. The world Matt Reeves has created for this film is nothing short of transporting, filled with greens and purples that pop out of the screen with quality. It also helps that Michael Giacchino’s score adds on to the haunting atmosphere this film provides, particularly during its stunning final moments. 1.) “How to Train Your Dragon 2” - No other film in 2014 was as entertaining and powerful as “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” which not only works as an amazing sequel to an equally wonderful predecessor, but also as a modern animated classic that deserves to be ranked alongside the likes of “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King.” The animation is some of Dreamworks’ best, and the score by John Powell is somehow even better than what he worked on for the first Dragon fim. The story is emotionally resonant for anyone of any age. This is a wonderful film that will be remembered by yours truly for a very long time.

music student willing to go to any length to become the next Buddy Rich. He is borderline-obsessive sometimes, especially when his hands start bleeding from over drumming, and he simply bandages the wounds up and continues drumming. There are times though when he acts like a jerk, like when he breaks up with his girlfriend because he feels that she’d start resenting him for paying more attention to his music career than her, just assuming that she’d do that and not even giving her a chance to prove him wrong. If you’re a fan of jazz music, this is the movie for you. The film showcases some great songs like “Whiplash” by Hank Levy, obviously part of the inspiration for the film. The songs can provide some soothing emotions, especially given the tension the rest of the film presents. The drumming itself is phenomenal. Especially in the end, when the rest of the band is done performing the song and Andrew continues doing a drum solo, taking control until the rest of the band rejoins him. “Whiplash” is a phenomenal film and rightly deserves to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Great performances from everyone involved, especially Simmons, who is nominated for Best Supporting Actor. This is a film you have to see and can be very inspirational, especially if you’re a drummer. You may get some inspiration to pursue a career as a drummer, or you may find a reason to stay away if you don’t want a music teacher as terrifying as Fletcher. Nevertheless this is an amazing film that can be a great viewing for everyone.

RATING: A

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HEY! LISTEN!

New systems, new “Grand Theft Auto” alycia ZenGa anchor Staﬀ

f you picked up “Grand Theft Auto V” for the Playstation 3 or the Xbox 360 you were more than likely blown away with the impressive changes Rockstar had implemented from past installments in the series. The graphics were awesome, the story mode was interesting and the online mode was badass. Rockstar had managed to keep all the things that made the series great from the series’ previous games, also adding new activities, new content and creating a game that one could enjoy for hundreds of hours and never be bored. Yet when they released the revamped versions for the Playstation and the Xbox One, this already incredible game got taken to a whole new level. So what’s different that makes it worth purchasing again for the new systems? First of all, the addition of first-person mode is pretty much the biggest update. Now, if the player desires, they can walk around in first person mode, drive vehicles in the first-person and even shoot in first-person. Stylistically, this is very similar to “Call of Duty.” Players can even customize their view to match whatever they’re doing. For example, perhaps you

dannie franciOSi Photo editor

prefer first-person mode when you take out your guns and go into combat, but prefer to walk around in third-person. The game allows for that customization to happen. Along with this new firstperson mode, the graphics have been totally revamped from the ground up, so that if you do choose to play in firstperson mode, everything will look natural. Rockstar even went so far as to redo all the interiors of the vehicles, including making all the dials work, so driving in GTA has never been more realistic. Brand new content has been added as well, like the animals scattered across Los Santos. There has also been a huge addition of new songs and radio tidbits, as well as new conversations and lines that pedestrians and NPC’s will say as they go about their daily life. Another new feature is that the police radio and phone calls will now play through the Dualshock 4’s speakers, causing a deeper level of immersion for players. The new and improved “Grand Theft Auto V” is already available on the Xbox One and the Playstation 4, and will be arriving to the PC on March 24.

If this happens to your gaming system, you should probably stop playing~ hashtagnegswag.com

Don’t patch games, finish them JeSSe yiP

anchor contributor

et’s be honest, 2014 will probably be remembered in gaming history as the year of the broken game. That’s pretty sad because there were definitely some amazing games that came out that were not broken, such as “Super Smash Bros.” for Wii U, “Far Cry 4” and “Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor.” But it felt like throughout the fall, every good game that was released was overshadowed by games that were undercooked and broken. The ones that come to mind right away would be Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed Unity” and Microsoft’s “Halo: The Master Chief Collection.” Both of these titles hit retail outlets and it became very clear that they were rushed into the hands of consumers before they were ready. I remember not being sure whether to laugh or be afraid of the glitch in “Assassin’s Creed Unity” wherein some of the character’s faces would melt off. “The Master Chief Collection” went weeks without having online multiplayer functionality—an important pillar of any “Halo” game. In the weeks following their release, both games were given patch after patch to try and correct the numerous problems. In some cases though, the process of trying to develop the games on the fly caused more problems than they solved. It is here that we see the problem that plagued gaming in 2014. Developers rushed their games to completion and consumers received video games with gamebreaking bugs. It was certainly frustrating to

gamers to spend sixty dollars on a game only for it to be crippled. I fear that because we live in an internet connected world, developers are going to get more and more comfortable with the idea of shipping a game that is half-baked and then patch it later on. But this will just lead to games that will not come close to living up to their expectations. However, there are plenty of studios that are doing the opposite and taking their time with the games they produce. Turtle Rock Studios held off from shipping their 4 versus 1 online shooter, “Evolve” this past fall so that they could better test their servers and launch their game without a hitch. Nintendo takes a lot of time to develop their games, as well, and rarely ever needs to release patches for them. For me, a very notable delay that occurred last December was CD Projeckt RED’s decision to delay the biggest game in their studio’s history, “The Witcher 3.” The game was delayed twice by the studio so that players could boot up the game with no problems from day one. While I know it must be tempting for developers to aim for a quick turnaround with development, I hope they opt to follow studios such as CD Projeckt, taking the necessary time to deliver the most fun and problem free experience.

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opinions

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

Connecting with U.S. history assistant editor

uring our lives, we always need someone to take care of us, even if it’s just for a little while. For most of us, we relied and still rely on our mothers. As Jesus was dying on the cross, His mother Mary waited beneath His feet. Jesus appointed His Mother as the Mother of humanity— Mother of us all. Just as our moms have many titles, (spouse, cousin, niece, granddaughter, mom, aunt, friend) Mary also has many titles according to the guidance she provides to people. Mary is called Mother of Mankind, Mother of Good Counsel, Comforter of the Afflicted, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes and more. Each of these titles carries a story about how Mary reached out and continues to help people. This month Crusade magazine featured a story of The Battle of New Orleans and Our Lady of Prompt Succor. In 1810, Ursuline nuns came to America from France and brought a statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor since one of the nuns prayed to Mary under this title to get to America. “Prompt succor” means “quick help.” In 1812, a fire occurred at what is now the French Quarter. The nuns left their convent to the locality of the fire, but one of the sisters ran back upstairs to place a statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor on the windowsill facing the fire, according to an eyewitness account. She “… then knelt and prayed with great confidence, ‘Our Lady of Prompt Succor, save us or we are lost’ At that very instant the wind veered and the flames were blown back over their path of destruction and soon died out.” After this, Mary’s intercession became well known throughout New Orleans. By the way, when people pray in front of a statue of a saint, Jesus or Mary, they aren’t praying to the statue, but rather to the person that the statue represents. Like when we look at pictures, we are admiring the person in them, not the piece of paper the picture is printed on. Meanwhile, during the War of 1812 between France and England, America got involved. In 1814, Britain planned to invade New Orleans. Andrew Jackson went to the city to lead the militia. A biographer wrote: “There was neither money nor credit in the city. All kinds of arms and munitions of war were scarce. Indeed, never was a city so defenseless as New Orleans in

victOr Martelle Opinions editor @anchorOpinions

aShley araby

Good without God

the fall of 1814.” Jackson had over 1,000 men versus the British with 8,000. The people of New Orleans prayed for protection of their city from the British, especially since persecution for the Catholic faith existed. After the battle “according to the numbers verified by General Jackson, more than 2,600 British soldiers lay dead or dying on the battlefield, while the Americans counted only 13. Numerous soldiers on both sides testified to the defenders firing with deadly accuracy…” The people in New Orleans put up a statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor in thanksgiving and appreciation for protecting the city. A parade also followed two weeks later in front of Saint Louis Cathedral with a mass as a thank you. Also according to Crusade magazine, after that, the United States considered January 8 a national holiday until the civil war. Mary is there for her children— us. Just as a dedicated mother wouldn’t abandon her kids no matter how good or bad they are. Sometimes it may seem like we are alone, but if we have faith in Mary we will not be disappointed. All it takes is a simple silent thought in your heart, or said aloud, as a prayer to Mary. Even saying a rosary, which is a prayer that reflects on the life of Jesus, will do. No matter how big or how small the situation is, our mother Mary will always be there as our guide.

ruth be told, I don’t want to go shoot my neighbor in the face with a shotgun. A Letter to the Editor that was written last week described atheists as having no morals, and questioned where we get our values from since we do not recognize a divine authority. This “New Age Question” is more like a botched way of looking at life.

Despite the wild claims made in the letter, it seems to be at least somewhat common thinking. Speaking from personal experience, I took a class last year at RIC called “The Idea of God.” In this class, we each had to do presentations on a relig ion and different world views. I did mine on atheism, and while the presentation went smoothly, the questions that I was peppered with by the students were eyebrow raising: “If you are atheist, where do you get your morals from? Who is stopping you from

committing acts of violence?” To answer this, we must listen to the old saying, if you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. The shortest answer is that we simply like helping each other because it could accompany benefits. It’s in our biological nature, even many other species demonstrate the basic elements of cohesion, mutual aid and peacemaking. The benefits of doing this will ultimately give a much higher chance of advancing and keeping the species alive. The human race would not have evolved and gotten this far without this basic etiquette. With all this in mind, morals seem to go farther back than the origins of religion. Not to mention, something we as humans have is a strong sense of empathy, so much that we have people who dedicate their entire life to serving others. Even looking around, you will see people doing good things all the time just for the sake of it. No God required! Remember that guy who was walking in front of you and dropped his notebook? Why did you help him? You probably didn’t think it at the

time, but I am sure that if you ever dropped your notebook, you’d want someone to offer you help too. I want to sum this up by strongly encouraging those who actually believe that non-believers have no morals to rethink their position. Belief in a divine authority is not a prerequisite to being good. There is no evidence to support this in any way. To conclude, I want to turn this question back around. Are you not more genuine when you live to do good without a God, and not by what your religion dictates you to do with assurance of a divine reward? And despite the mix of both positive and negative teachings in the Abrahamic religions, how does a follower derive the appropriate morals?

Why #BlackLivesMatter rOnald lewiS anchor contributor

ver the past year or so the murder of black people in the United States by law enforcement and “security” agents has become a part of mainstream dialogue. These conversations have been surrounded by direct actions and protests throughout the fifty states and around the world. The trending hashtag #BlackLivesMatter has become a linking thread between protests/actions and online forums. It has appeared on news articles, and picket signs. It has become the symbol of a war that has been ongoing since Portuguese and British sailors surveyed the coast of Africa looking for new trade routes to Asia in the 15th century. This symbol of resistance, however, has been under assault largely by white individuals or individuals who believe they have some stake in whiteness (a culture, not a skin tone), who exclaim #AllLivesMatter. This is not only insulting to black life in the United States, but is a statement tinged with psychological violence. The disproportionate levels of poverty, and incarceration, hegemonic educational standards, discriminatory labor and housing practices that black people are collectively experiencing and witnessing are related to six centuries of european industrialism and colonialism. Many scholars would argue that if it were not for the six centuries of slavery which

occurred in the west, both Europe and The United States would not be the world “leaders” that they are today. The very infrastructure of cities in the United States; its roads, antique homes and buildings were often built by black slaves. The food of the 15th through the end of the 19th centuries, from sugar to rice to the cotton that was spun into fabrics at Slater Mill in Pawtucket started out as raw goods harvested by slaves. After 1865, states made it difficult for free black people to participate in civil-political discourses where they could most affect change for their communities. Have you seen Oprah’s scene in Selma? Heartbreaking! Black people faced a host of barriers in regards to voting until the Voter Right’s Act of 1965. This means black people in the United States have collectively had a secure right to vote for about as long as our parents have been alive. For some of us it’s maybe our grandparents, but either way we’re talking 50 years. This is important to recognize because it means out of 239 years of the United States’ existence, Black people have been granted some of the rights White people have for only about 25% of the country’s official existence. From this vantage point it’s easy to see the United States is a country built by white people for white people. This is significant to acknowledge if we say we truly believe in and are working towards equality. The very history of this country says black lives don’t matter. There are policies,

both cultural and political, that are working to annihilate black life. Make no mistake. We are at war. #BlackLivesMatter is not only a symbol, but a bold radical declaration to a system built and sustained on the exploitation of yes, human life, but disproportionately black and brown life. We can turn on the tv, watch a movie, open any newspaper, go to many secondary school history classrooms, and find that whiteness is something that is of import, that “in effect matters.” But how is that helping to fix the problems created by whiteness, (colonialism, slavery, sexism, apartheid, segregation, capitalism, abuse of natural resources) and its influence of life in the West, and as the 21st century moves forward, the world?

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

Don’t hate my snake Rebecca Pitzer Anchor Staff

love snakes. I’ve always loved them. As a child I would watch Animal Planet constantly, and Steve Irwin was my favorite because he always seemed to be chasing after something scaly. Now, as an adult, I own a snake. He’s really cool. Literally. He’s cold blooded. I get a lot of different responses when I tell people about him. Sometimes people are surprised, sometimes they think it’s awesome, and often people are horrified. Something that I discovered early on as a snake owner is that people who don’t like snakes are really rude about it when they find out you have one. This is always really frustrating for me. I mean, how would you feel if you told me you own a cat and I said, “Ew, why would you want to own a cat? They’re so creepy!” I never know what to say to people when they respond poorly to learning that I own a snake. They insult something that I really love a lot right in front of me. I stare into their judgmental faces and just cannot find the words to convince them that, no, my snake really isn’t that gross or scary. It’s just an animal that lives and breathes and eats like all other animals. In America, around 4.5-4.7 million people are bitten by dogs per year. Of that number, about 2030 people actually die from the attacks. I can’t even find a solid statistic for how many people per year are bitten by pet snakes. One website I went to said that pet snakes cause .4 deaths of humans per year. That’s not even a half a person! How ludicrous would I sound if the next time someone

tells me that they own a dog, I said “What! What if it bites you! That’s so scary!” and relayed those statistics to them? This is how I feel when people express to me that owning a snake is dangerous. My four-foot-long ball python isn’t going to bother or hurt anybody. Even larger snakes can be safe if they are handled responsibly, just like every other pet. So why all the judgement? I understand that some people have an actual phobia of snakes, I’m not necessarily talking about serious phobias here. I’m talking about the fear that affects the general public due to growing up in and around our culture. I feel like a lot of how our society sees reptiles is based on our media and culture. Culturally, we’re taught that snakes are to be seen as villains. In the Bible, Eve is tempted by a serpent. We have horror movies about snakes. Voldemort was in Slytherin house. Our cultural experience is not one that favors legless reptiles. I think that’s where a lot of this uninformed fear comes from: a culture that shows us what to be afraid of and a society that fears that subject without much consideration. I don’t think that our society questions what we consider normal enough. I don’t think we give enough of a chance to things that we decide are not normal. It’s ‘not normal’ t o l i k e snakes.

Well, from my experience, normalcy is highly overrated and I’m much too stubborn to do and think what this society tells me to.

SNAKES. Violent killers or dudes just trying to do their own thing?

THEN TELL US.

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sports

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Men and Womens track compete at the Wesleyan Invitational oth the men’s and women’s track team competed individually in the Wesleyan Invitational.

fourth in the 800 m. at 2:34.32 and Abigail Dandurand placed 13th in the same competition with a time of 2:49.32. Freshman Alicia Holloway, who was named Rookie of the Week last week, placed first in the 60 m. 9.77 and in the high jump 1.47 m.

Senior Daria Braboy placed first in the Triple Jump 11.14 m. and in the 600 m. with a time of 1:44.34. She also placed third in the 60 m. with a time of 8.14. Junior Autumn Wosencraft placed first in the 60 m. at 8.09. She also received Top Honors in the long jump 5.07 m. Sophomore Allison Lomas placed

Senior Jarrell Forbes placed first in the 60 m. hurdles 8.52, second in the 400 m. 52.11 and fourth in the high jump 1.87 m. Junior Edward Cummins placed first in the weight throw with 16.82 m. and placed third in the shot competition with 12.32 m. Sophomore Steven Vazquez placed second in the high

alex wall Assistant Editor

Anchorwomen four game winning streak snapped, Hill scores careerhigh 27 in loss

jump 2.02. He also placed sixth in the 200 m. and eighth in the 60 m. Freshman Akiel Legall placed first in the long jump 6.55 m., first in the 200 m. and second in the 60 m.

Curran shines for RIC swim team alex wall Assistant Editor

he RIC swim team lost to the Western Connecticut Colonials 101-119 on Sunday January 25. Freshman Sydney Curran was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Rookie Swimmer of the Week based on her accomplishments at the meet. She won the 50 yard butterfly, 100 yard breaststroke and the 200 yard breaststroke.

Rashawn vassell Sports Editor @TheAnchorSports

unior forward Devin Hill scored a career-high 27 points to lead all scorers, but the Rhode Island College Women’s Basketball team saw their four-game winning streak snapped with an 83-65 loss at UMass Dartmouth at the Tripp Athletic Center.

Junior Marykate McCutcheon competed in and won the 200 yard freestyle 2:11.36 and the 100 yard freestyle 1:01.24. Freshman Taylor Ryan came in second place in the 200 yard freestyle with a time of 2:12.12. She placed first in the 500 yard freestyle 6;04.63 and the 100 yard butterfly 1:08.47. Unfortunately, this was not enough to give the Anchorwomen the win. The team is now practicing for the NEISDA Championships hosted by the University of Rhode Island.

Hill’s career night was impressive. She scored 27 points on 11-20 shooting from the floor and 5-8 from the free throw line. She also added seven rebounds (five offensive) but it wasn’t enough to the keep the score close.

Anchormen sunk by Wildcats in inaugural Providence Cup Samual Comfort Anchor Contributor

fter much hard work and preparation, the Rhode Island College wrestling team lost to JWU by a score of 31-10. Without a full lineup, the Anchormen gave it their all but came up short. Team Captain Ricondo “Mooney” Cole was unable to make weight by a mere .2 of a pound which was a hard hit for the Anchormen. The first match of the night and what may have been the loudest match

of the night was wrestled by junior Brandon Conrad. With a hard fought match Conrad unfortunately lost to a score of 3-2. Freshman Imran Gholizadeh wrestled an incredibly tough match to give the Anchormen their first win of the night with a score of 3-1. Wrestling at 285 lbs. with the headline match of the night was Terrence “T-Bone” Jean-Jaques. T-Bone was able to pull through with a 9-1 win, yet there was much controversy over the officiating of this particular match. “I felt like the referees were being bias in their officiating, because JWU was the home team.”

There were many points during T-Bone’s match and a few other matches where the officiating was more than questionable. The Anchormen will grapple against the number one team in New England, Roger Williams this Friday, February 6 at 7 p.m. in the Recreation Center.

—Courtesy of GoAnchormen

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RIC Hockey loses to Bridgewater State alex wall

in Saturday’s game.

assistant editor

t was a tough night for the Anchormen hockey team as they lost 6-3. The bears took the lead in the beginning of the scoring two goals. The second goal was scored on a power play when Norman Vickers was sent to the box and eventually DQed. RIC was able to score when sophomore Ben Deluca scored assisted by junior Nick McGuirl. Bridgewater was able to score one more goal at the end of the first period to make the score 3-1. The bears were only able to score one goal in the second period thanks to the defense and goalie Vinny Tudino. The third period started off slow for the Anchormen when the bears scored 2 consecutive goals. Hope came again when Senior captain Alex Murray scored two goals at the end of the period. The first was at 6:03 assisted by Max Johnson and Tyler Duffy. The second goal was at 1:40 and was assisted by junior Ryan Huber and Ben Deluca. Trevor Medeiros and Nick McGuirl were also thrown out of Friday’s game. Only Vickers and McGuirl were ineligible to play

According to Deluca, “It was another tough game, but we came a long way from getting shut out by BSU in the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, we lost 3 players from our top two lines early in the game so we had to battle back. We proved a lot to ourselves about our abilities as a team in the third period against a top team in the league. It felt good to find the back of the net again but we would have liked to piece together a win against BSU.”

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sports

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK Samantha LeMire / Freshman / Gymnastics Samantha LeMire was named the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) East Region All-Around Gymnast of the Week for her performance at a quad meet hosted by Brown. LeMire continued her stellar freshman campaign with a third place ﬁnish in the all-around to lead the Rhode Island College women’s gymnastics team to their highest score in nine seasons, a 177.925.

Saturday’s game was less than satisfying. The Anchormen took a tough loss against Merrimack College 9-0. Junior Chris Pedchenko started in goal and played all three periods. The Green line started consisting of Ryan Huber, Alex Murray and Trevor Medeiros. Michael Martinelli and GianCarlo Pannone were the starting defensemen for tonight. Colby Sawyer forfeited the game that was supposed to be played on Sunday. The Anchormen will continue play on February 2, when they take on University of New Hampshire at the Dennis Lynch Arena at 8pm.

17 RIC fall athletes named to conference All-Academic team raShawn vaSSell Sports editor @theanchorSports

Student-athletes earned recognition on the all-academic teams based on the following criteria: at least a sophomore in academic and athletic standing and a minimum cumulative grade point average of a 3.3.

Women’s Volleyball Junior Michelle Malboeuf (Cumberland, RI), Junior Morgan Stewart (Willington, CT) and Sophomore Nicole Thibodeau (Loxahatchee, FL). Senior Jenna Pare (Tiverton, RI) and Sophomore Abigail Dandurand (Hope Valley, RI).

Men’s Soccer Senior Emmanuel Asiedu (Lincoln, RI), Senior David Ricci (Smithfield, RI), Senior Brian Sujecki (Pawcatuck, CT) and Sophomore Tyler Kenyon (Exeter, RI).

Women’s Soccer: Senior Audrey Maia (Norton, MA) and Senior Sam Nolte (Cranston, RI).

Women’s Tennis: Senior Chelsea Brown (Wallingford, CT), Junior Sadie Campanella (Chepachet, RI), Junior Tressa Cannata (Cranston,RI), Sophomore Ashley Fochler (Coventry, RI), Sophomore Jorgie Martin (Greenville, RI) and Sophomore Noelle Tiberi (Smithfield, RI).

—Courtesy of GoAnchormen