RESPONSES TO THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES Two writers discus the event Feminists united hosted last week
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The Anchor Newspaper
Week of FEBRUARY 23, 2015 | Vol: 88 | Issue: #20
Our Town Comes to RIC alyiCia Zenga anchor staff
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n Thursday night the Nazarian Center was bustling with students, faculty, and the general public who had come to see the performance of Thornton Wilder’s play, Our Town, performed by the Rhode Island College Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance. The play was created in 1938, and won a Pulitzer Prize for drama that same year. As we walked in and took our seats, the theatre became packed with people of all ages. The play is known for its minimalistic set, and so there were few pieces on the center stage. Among them were some benches, tables, two ladders, and a few chairs. Almost exactly at 7:30, three students walked out and began speaking to the audience. They would be the narrators for the play, describing life in the town, Grover’s Corners, and the characters that inhabited it. They painted a beautiful picture for the audience, as they motioned around the set and told them where things around the town were, such as the church and the market. Then they had all the actors and actresses come out from the sides of the stage. All were smiling, happy, and very lively as they waved and greeted the audience members. Once that was over and the narrators had said their parts, the show began.
−Photo by Meg King
Roadblocks, pathways, and alleys: A series on transferring to RIC elisha Kay aldRiCh news editor @anchornews
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t’s well known across the state that students who attend CCRI have the opportunity to transfer to URI, and of course, RIC. But what might not be known, even to those transfer students, is the existence of the Joint Admissions Agreement, or JAA. The whole point of the JAA is to make it as easy as possible for students to transfer from CCRI to one of the other state institutions with ease, but how does it actually work? Phyllis Harnick is the Planning Specialist for the program, and she stated that the JAA is intended for students who complete their Associate’s degrees at the community college
level, and then will continue their education at the higher college level. Harnick also stated that students who join the JAA must complete their degree at CCRI and have less than 30 credits at the community college. “The transition plans are 60 credits,” Harnick said. “If they join any later, they are going to have excess credits.” The transition plans that Harnick mentioned are meant to be like yellow brick roads from CCRI going into RIC or URI. Academic advisors from the community college will show students who are part of the JAA what to take at CCRI and how those courses will transfer into their RIC program of choice. Harnick stated that when they were writing the plan, they decided to work
backwards, taking courses from RIC and URI and looking for their equivalents at CCRI. However, this plan can only come to fruition if students finish their CCRI degree. “Research shows they are more likely to persist in finishing the bachelor’s degree if they already have the associate’s degree,” Harnick said. She also stated that those who join the JAA have a fairly simple transfer process. “Students who sign up for JAA and dow what they’re required to do,” she said. “Like they’re supposed to meet every semester with a CCRI advisor and come to JAA days and meeting with a RIC or URI advisor. They have an easy time with it.” But what about those who want to transfer who have over 30 CCRI credits, or if they do not
jaa
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The play overall was fantastic. The actors and actresses were all amazing, each one seeming to really know their characters inside and out. They were able to really make the audience feel involved in their lives, especially with the narrators who would occasionally step in and speak directly to the audience. The play was full of character, with some parts that had the entire audience laughing. While the play takes place in a very different time period, at the start of the 20th century to be exact, it was interesting to see some of the same troubles they had back then that are still around today. For instance, right at the start there were the kids of the two main families dealing with nagging parents, who in turn were dealing with rowdy kids. Then there was talk of travelling, and dreams of seeing the world. Young love and romance was also prominent throughout the play, adding an extra depth to many of the characters. The set was used perfectly, even for not having many props. When night time came around one of the lights was gently brightened, making it appear like a moon. One thing that absolutely must also be mentioned is the sound effects. While going through the daily lives of the residents of Grover’s Corner, the audience got to hear chickens, cows, and several others four students against the wall provided. All in all the play was fantastic and left me personally feeling connected to this small town and its inhabitants.