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February 26, 2008
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Vol. 80 Issue #22
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Photos courtesy of Barry Nickerson and Kellye Martin
By Barry Nickerson Anchor Editor On Sunday, the Rec. Center on East Campus was filled with thousands of voters who came to watch Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) as she visited Rhode Island College to speak about her campaign. Clinton, who was First Lady from 1993-2001, visited RI nine days before the March 4 primary, in which RI voters will decide which candidates their state will support in the presidential nomination process. In the caucus, citizens nominate the candidate they support based on their declared political party. As such, a state cannot nominate more than one candidate. “This little state has a big voice on March the fourth in helping choose the next president,” said Clinton. The event began with the “Star-Spangled Banner”, sung by RIC alumna Michelle Passarelli, ’92, at 1:30 p.m. She was met with rowdy applause as the crowd waved signs in support of Clinton, chanting “Yes she can!” Several of Clinton’s local supporters then delivered brief speeches in her favor. State Representative Grace Diaz (D-Providence) said that even though RI is the smallest state, we will show the entire country that we can make history. “We need to have a strong democratic party,” said Diaz. She characterized Clinton as a woman with a straight head who cares about the public.
Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis said that the Clintons have been friends of RI for many years. “Are you ready to be there for Hillary Clinton as she will be there for us for the next four years?” he asked the audience. “Let’s deliver RI for Hillary Clinton in a way she can never imagine.” RI’s General Treasurer Frank Caprio began his introduction by saying, “Hillary Clinton knows…She doesn’t pull that ladder up when she is done. She leaves that ladder down for all of us to climb up.” Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts said that Clinton “will get our country moving.” At 1:48 p.m, it was announced that over 5,000 people were in attendance. The crowd erupted with chants of “Hillary” and “Yes she can” as “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” by The Police played over the intercom. At 2:15 pm, campaign co-chairs Congressman Jim Langevin and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse introduced Clinton. “Each and every one of you is so important to this effort,” said Langevin. “We need to turn America around… we need real leadership to get it right.” “They’re both [the Clintons] honorary Rhode Islanders by now,” said Langevin. “Wouldn’t it be great to make history and have a woman in the White House as our president?” Whitehouse said it would be great to “tell our daughters in 2008 that we made a woman a president of the US
for the first time in history.” “We love Hillary Clinton in RI,” was Whitehouse’s closing remark before Clinton began her speech. “I don’t know if I’ve seen an election as critical… as this one,” said Clinton. “The next president of the United States will walk into the Oval Office and waiting there will be a stack of problems. This is the hardest job in the world. I’m asking you to consider hiring me.” “There is so much we have to do as well as undo,” said Clinton. She said we have “a war to end in Iraq; a war to end in Afghanistan” and that we have “an economy that is… in trouble.” Clinton mentioned problems such as the discounting of the effects of global warming, oil prices at $100 a barrel, and the education system that is “breaking” under No Child Left Behind. “I’m running for president because I believe I have the strength and experience to make…changes,” she said. “We have work to do in America to set it right.” “You are not going to wave a magic wand and have the special interest disappear,” Clinton said of the Bush administration. “We need a president who gets up every day and figures out how to navigate this complex system of ours,” she said of the process of initiating and carrying out plans in the US political system. Clinton said that on day one, she will ask the Secre-
Cont. in Centerspread
A&E SPECIAL: Professoriate Spotlight By Larry O’Brien Anchor Contributor Over the past several months, professors from Rhode Island College’s English Department have produced a spate of new books reflecting the talents and interests of those who penned them. Among them are Dr. Grund’s translation from the Latin of early Renaissance Italian Dramas, Dr. Zornado’s grim description of the centuries to come, Dr. Kalinak’s airing of the music in John Ford’s Westerns, Dr. Abbotson’s exploration of the life and work of Arthur Miller, Dr. Calbert’s slim volume of poetry, Dr. Potter’s treks to the Poles, and Dr. Cobb’s historical novel of his native American West. The strength and versatility of the English faculty are on display at a book purveyor near you. Our journey of exploration of this newly discovered material begins with Dr. Thomas Cobb’s, Shavetail. The affable, bespectacled, and trim bearded Dr. Cobb is celebrating his twentieth anniversary as a professor at RIC. I visited him in his fourth floor office in Craig–Lee, an office that combines the ambiance of the registry of motor vehicles with the charm of a used bookstore—reflecting the dual nature of his positions as Director of the Fine Arts Commission at the college and a professor of creative writing. This is his third novel and fourth published book. When asked about Shavetail, he admitted that it took 12 years to write, at least four of which the book sat fermenting in a closed drawer. The novel combines his interest in the history of his native Arizona, his research into military history in the late nineteenth century, and his appreciation of letter and diary writing skills observed in that century. It is a novel of redemption. His characters, each in their own way and for their own reasons, seek to block out some dark chapter in their past.
It is also a novel about novels; at one point the central character sits engrossed reading as Cobb’s reader sits engrossed reading over his shoulder. The RIC reader will notice some local references including the fair, but unforgiving Trooper Triggs who is named after the fair but unforgiving golf course next door, and the purveyor of substandard and overpriced provisions and delights named “Donovan.” (Cobb denies that he made the connection, but how could it be otherwise?). In his earlier works, the search for redemption was in vain. In Shavetail, some characters actually seem to get there. Cobb’s mellowing over time is something he credits to his wife of 22 years, Randy. In teaching creative writing, Dr. Cobb maintains that “he can show you how to write a good sentence, or a good paragraph,” but the real trick in writing is to develop empathy for characters. He says that, for him, the process is akin to acting; he hears his characters talking in his head. “It’s really a form of psychosis,” he once told a woman in a bar just before she had to leave (smooth). In his novel, he created real characters that both he and his readers can feel with and for and who will not easily be forgotten. When asked how sales were going, Dr. Cobb suggested that it was important that “every person on earth buy a copy.” Toward that end, he is attempting to get the novel into the syllabus of every course on the RIC campus. “We’re encountering some resistance from the Math department,” he deadpanned. His book is published by Scribner and, at only $25 for 396 pages, comes in at a little over six cents per page. You can find it online or in the campus book store. There are far worse ways to spend $25 or the time it takes to read this book.