Where should you eat this week? page 15
Week of September 27, 2010
Vol. 83, Issue #5
Official White House Photo/Pete Souza
President Barack Obama participates in a conference call with college and university student-journalists, including The Anchor, in the Oval Office on Monday.
Obama to RIC:
This November matters The Anchor interviewed President Obama on Monday, who touched on subjects ranging from tuition to the November elections. By Kameron Spaulding Editor-in-Chief
The rising cost of tuition is always an issue for college students, and as the mid-term elections approach, President Barack Obama began a tour of college campuses this week to use the issue to garner the youth vote. Mr. Obama warned that if Republicans win control of Congress after the Nov. 2
News
elections, they would look to undo much of what his administration has done, notably their improvements to the student loan system and other forms of college assistance. “That’s a big choice,” Obama said in a telephone interview with The Anchor. “That has big consequences.” Obama knows that young voters are key to his party’s base; he won 66 percent of the 18-30 age group vote in the 2008 election, according to CNN exit polls. “Democracy is never a ‘one and done’ proposition,” he said. “I want everyone to be well-
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informed and to participate” in the November elections. But for many college students, tuition is not just an issue to collect votes – it is the most important issue in their lives. At Rhode Island College, instate tuition has increased 107 percent in only 10 years, from $3,371 for the 2000-2001 year to $6,986 for this academic year. You don’t have to look far to find an affected student at RIC. “Seeing as I pay out of pocket myself, the rises seem to hit See OBAMA Page 7
Four-hour SCG debate ends in dissent By Rita Nerney News Editor
Student Parliament ended their third meeting of the year without sealing the Books for Community Involvement Program. Other issues on the agenda, including funding extended library hours and a Greek Ad-Hoc Committee, were never discussed. The meeting was held on Wednesday, Sept. 22 in Parliament Chambers, Student Union 307. Student Community Government, Inc. Treasurer Nicholas Bernardo spoke to Parliament members during his announcements at
A&E
“Death Trap” Page 20
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the beginning of the meeting. “As a constituent, you are representing a body of people, so remember that. Student voices need to be heard,” he said. SCG President Travis Escobar said he was bringing back for reconsideration the Books for Community Involvement Program, which had passed after brief discussion at Parliament’s second meeting. Commuter Reps. Michael Hartley and George Bissell were the only representatives to vote against it at that meeting. It was introduced at See DISSENT Page 4
Sports
Men’s soccer Page 32
What’s Inside
Week of September 27, 2010
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Lifestyles
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A&E, cont.
Sports, cont.
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Obama to RIC: start paying attention The Anchor’s Editor-in-Chief spoke with the nation’s Commander-in-Chief.
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Ask Ari Your answers in 30 words or less First dates, engagement and infidelity.
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Mike’s Movies Take a trip in the Imaginarium “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.”
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Choiniere leads Anchorwomen to fifth consecutive victory RIC defeats Bridgewater State, 3-1.
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Four-hour SCG debate ends in dissent Agenda derailed over stalled issue of book rental program.
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Dining in Providence Get your eat on at Ichie East Providence’s Japanese restaurant.
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“Blade Runner” still memorable 1982 sci-fi film starring Harrison Ford and directed by Ridley Scott.
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Cod Fish Bowl cross country Men and women’s cross-country rank 17th out of 25, 23.
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L.I.F.E. strives to be top organization again Club plans for another successful year of events.
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The fun facts of dating Seven tips for a successful dating life.
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Facebook owns the web, now the silver screen The partially-fictional story of one of the world’s most popular Websites.
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Women’s tennis still in search of first victory RIC falls to Western Connecticut State University, 8-1.
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RIC students battle cold for cheap tickets Weather weaker than students eager for cheaper Montreal tickets.
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Anchor Alemen Pumpkin pie? Good. Pumpkin beer? Great. Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale and Sierra Nevada’s Tumbler.
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The fat lady is getting ready to sing for “Smallville” A summary of the television show thus far as it enters its final season.
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RIC men’s tennis loses first-ever fall match to Eastern Nazarene Anchormen’s best efforts not enough to beat Lions.
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RIC plans to highlight its diversity next week Unity Center prepares for 6th annual event.
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Health Hype No sleep for the wicked The importanance of getting a solid night’s sleep.
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Rob’s Game Shelf Darling it’s better down where it’s wetter “Endless Ocean.”
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Rhody Rams fan is burning In defence of Michael Vick.
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One month of Donovan Gauging the success of the dining center renovation.
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An admission of alcoholic virginity Living a life of alcohol abstinence.
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Cleaning up campus Green-up, Clean-up project targets trash on campus.
The American Democracy Project presents The Politics of Anger.
How did The Anchor score an interview with President Barack Obama? The story behind the story.
Wednesday Cloudy High 76° Low 62°
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Dynamic duo Men’s soccer defeats Western Connecticut State University, 7-0.
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“Death Trap” here at RIC The hit Broadway play opens on the RIC Mainstage.
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Colonials end Anchorwomen unbeaten streak at five games Women’s soccer falls to Western Connecticut State University, 9-0.
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Sleigh Bells rock the MET for a cheap date Two-man group puts on a great live show, but with some shortcomings.
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Hector the Bear Tamer strikes again Men’s soccer tames Bears, 2-1.
Friday Partly Cloudy High 72° Low 51°
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Rob’s Album of the Week The Rice Cakes’ “Feel Like Human” A new EP by the RIC-studentfronted indie band.
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UMass sweeps RIC Women’s Volleyball, 3-0 Anchorwomen spiked by Beacons.
Saturday Mostly Sunny High 65° Low 45°
A&E
Editorial 10
Campus Climate
Sports
Thursday Showers High 72° Low 57°
Contact General Information 401.456.8280 info@anchorweb.org
Advertising 401.456.8544 ads@anchorweb.org
Editor-in-Chief 401.456.8790 editorinchief@anchorweb.org
Fax 401.456.8792
If you are a student organization and would like to have an event covered, please contact managing@anchorweb.org.
The Anchor is student-run and published weekly during the academic year. Editorial decisions for The Anchor are made by a majority vote of its student editorial board. No form of censorship will be imposed 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 first copy is free. Each additional copy is $2.25. Copyright © 2010 The Anchor. All rights reserved.
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Week of September 27, 2010
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L.I.F.E. strives to be top organization again By Rita Nerney News Editor
L.I.F.E. won Organization of the Year last year at the STORGY Awards. The organization had only been in existence for three semesters. This year, they plan to rally together once again and put on successful, informative events to keep their place on top. Last year, “we didn’t really have a strong membership,” President Mariama Kurbally said. “But the people we did have worked really hard to put on a lot of great programming. As a new and upcoming organization, we have definitely showed what we were capable in a very short amount of time.” Kurbally formed L.I.F.E., which stands for “Live, Inspire, Fight, Educate,” in the spring of 2009. “I started it because I didn’t really see any organizations on campus that were focused on diversity, leadership building and community service,” she said. There are about 22 active members, including the club’s officers. Four officers have been in their positions since last year: Kurbally, Secretary Sandra Chevalier, Special Coordinator Kristen Mitchell and Vice President Melinda Bridges. The other officers are prior members of the club, but were elected this term. Janick Eristee is the club’s treasurer. Morganna Mitchell coordinates events, and Tanille Louis is an additional special coordinator. L.I.F.E.’s main focus is to make sure that graduates of RIC have been exposed to diversity. The club “strives to create strong leaders by increasing awareness about societies issues and providing opportunities for intellectual, cultural and personal growth,” according to Chevalier. When it comes to time commitments, each member decides what he can offer the organization. “It is really up to
the individual how much time he can put into the club,” Chevalier said. “It is different for each person. Generally, though, we try to have meetings with everyone once a week.” Although some organizations on campus do pay their elected officials stipends, L.I.F.E. members are not paid. Student Community Government funds all the club’s programming. Chevalier said she is a part of L.I.F.E. “because I liked the mission behind this organization. I also think that we are really bringing awareness to campus on certain topics that are really important, such as AIDS issues and diversity.” L.I.F.E. members plan to stay on top, and keep the programming as good this year as it was last year. The club has a full list of events for this semester. On Sept. 29 they will host a Membership Luncheon. It is an opportunity for interested and current members to see what L.I.F.E. is all about and where they are headed this year. The club is an active participant in Diversity Week, and they are hosting the Cultural Food and International Attire Night on Thursday, Oct. 7. “This year we decided to partner up with local ethnic restaurants to offer students a food tasting day,” Kurbally said. “With every culture, there is a signature dish or dishes that identifies its people. The point is to bring together campus through food and entertainment.” Along the theme of diversity, the club will host the Locke Diversity Dinner on Nov. 18. Former Vice President of Finance and Administration Ivy Locke died last spring. She had served as a mentor to L.I.F.E. when the club was in its early stages, and members are commemorating her with the dinner. The night will be an opportunity for L.I.F.E. members and the community at large to discuss
Anchor File Photo
Former SCG President Joshua Laguerre presents the Best Club President Award to L.I.F.E. President Mariama Kurbally at the 2010 STORGY Awards last May. issues of diversity and the club’s place in the community. “Since diversity means different things to different people, it’s always an interesting topic to talk about,” Kurbally said of the November dinner. In December, L.I.F.E. will offer a number of informative health presentations on campus. World AIDS Day takes place on Dec. 1 this year, and the club will partner with AIDS Project RI and AIDS Quilt RI. Free
AIDS testing will be available. The following day, basic health information will be available, and students can get their blood pressure checked on campus. “Students don’t often think that serious diseases will affect them now,” Kurbally said. “But even though we’re still young, we need to think about disease risk factors and live a healthy lifestyle.” L.I.F.E. plans to bring health information to campus in a fun
and educational way. “We are not just a social or just a diversity organization,” Kurbally said. “We do focus on a more holistic person. We strive to make joint experiences and friendship that we can build on even after we graduate.” By keeping up their successful programming and bringing in their unique flavor, L.I.F.E. promises to offer another great year as they compete to stay on top.
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Week of September 27, 2010
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DISSENT from page
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Parliament’s first meeting of the year. “The main reason I’m against it,” Hartley explained, “is that $15,000 goes to only 150 of about 9,000 students. It’s not nearly enough percentage of the student body to spend $15,000 because it doesn’t affect enough people.” Other representatives began to voice their opinions. New Hall Rep. Robert Roy spoke of the unnecessary time Parliament was dedicating to discussion of the program. “We talked about it extensively during the first Parliament meeting and all our concerns were pretty much addressed. Not all students can utilize programs, for time reasons, etc., but that’s the deal with all things we do,” he said in response to the concerns Rep. Barry Nickerson (Management) had voiced. Escobar summed up the program for Parliament members who had missed prior meetings. “The program operates on a first-come, first-served basis. SCG will put a maximum of $100 toward one textbook for students who commit to attending ten organization meetings or events from three different organizations.” Bernardo commented on the excessive discussion of the program, defending Parliament: “This issue keeps coming back to Parliament not because we wanted to repeal it, just because there are some questions and it needed to be tweaked a little bit so it can be as successful as possible, which is what we’re striving for.” If it passed, Nickerson stressed, every student should hear about the program. RIC e-mail should be utilized, and everyone should have a fair chance at getting involved and getting a textbook. Bissell gave the floor to Kameron Spaulding, a former representative who is also editor-in-chief of The Anchor. The lobbyist spoke of how the program would actually play
Anchor Photo/David Okon
SCG Treasurer Nicholas Bernardo, Secretary Amanda Berno and Vice President Alexander Devers, shown here at a recent Parliament meeting, were key players in the debate. out. “My concern is logistics,” he said. “What do you do when 600 students show up for that textbook? What about kid number 151? We had kids lined up to save just $40 for the Montreal Trip. Is RIC going to have a textbook campout every semester? I just think the logistics of how this thing will actually work becomes much scarier than if it doesn’t.” Spaulding’s comments were heard, and then Roy voiced his disagreement with the extended discussion once again. “SCG spent $5,000 on jackets last year for about 50 people. Many of them didn’t even fit. If you want to talk about wasting money, look at that,” the representative said. “I think books are a lot more important,” he pointed out. “And is this going to be the Brett Favre of Parliament? Is this going to come up every week? Are we going to retire this, or not? We voted; we discussed it. This is why people hate Parliament: because we don’t get anything done.” Nickerson responded to Roy’s accusations: “I’m proud to be a member of Parliament,
and I love it here.” “But the people outside Parliament hate it,” Roy responded. Even though the program had been approved at the previous meeting, the motion to reconsider that passed at the beginning of the debate put it back up for approval, discussion and amendment, according to Parliament’s rules. As an alternative to the already tense Parliament voting body, Secretary Amanda Berno said, “We can put the program up for referendum for students to vote. Do we want to do that? How do you want to represent, as Parliament members – here, or by giving it to the students?” No Parliament members showed real interest in the option. As the debate continued to show no move towards resolution, Faculty Rep. Darek Niklas made a connection to socialism. “This program here,” he said, “has two main objectives: to help very few students cover book costs, and to modify behavior by encouraging people to participate in student organization events. The policy of taxing everyone to help a few people and modifying behavior is called socialism.” Students
did not respond to Niklas’ accusation. Escobar spoke to Parliament about the program’s logistics. “I think it’s worth trying. If it fails, we just won’t do it again,” he said. The prior Parliament meeting had ended at 8:30 p.m., even though the book program had been on that meeting’s agenda. “And everyone has a lot to say now,” Deputy Speaker Jennifer Albanese said. “That’s a problem. The executive board received feedback from students outside of Parliament that they were against the program, which means you are not speaking to your constituents, the people you’re representing. If the majority of the student body doesn’t like the program, then what’s the point?” The four-hour meeting was broken up by a 10-minute recess. Hartley offered five amendments to the proposal, none of which passed. Later, Bissell offered an amendment to strike letters “N” and “O” from the proposal. The segments of the proposal read: “N. Students who do not meet their commitment
with the “Books for Community Involvement” program will be charged a $125 penalty fee. O. Students must return the book to SCG by the end of the academic semester.” The amendment did not pass. SCG Vice President Alexander Devers offered Parliament an amendment, as well. He asked to change line “G” to read, “SCG will issue $100 RIC bookstore coupons to students instead of buying books and issuing them to students.” Rep. Nicholas Lima, who along with Nickerson had previously made unsuccessful attempts to refer the proposal back to committee, table it or adjourn, took the floor and asked Dean of Students Scott Kane to give his opinion on the time length of the debate. “You should all be commended for your dedication,” the SCG advisor said. “But everybody, it’s 11 p.m. Not too much is getting done. Now, I think this is a waste of time.” Lima then made a motion to change the actual name of Parliament to the “Books for Community Involvement Committee,” which was ruled out of order by Speaker Aaron Buckley. Devers’ motion then passed, and Escobar offered that “N” and “O” be stricken, as well. His suggestion, which had been Bissell’s moments earlier, passed. “With coupons to deal with instead of books, it will be significantly easier for SCG to do this program,” Escobar said. The logistics of carrying out such a complicated program had been one of the issues of concern throughout the night. Heeding Kane’s advice, a motion was again made to refer the program back to the SCG Executive Council for additional changes, which passed. Hartley then made a motion to adjourn the meeting after 11 p.m. The vote was tied, 6-6, and Speaker Buckley voted yes to break the tie and adjourn the meeting. The remainder of the agenda will be discussed at Parliament’s next meeting on Oct. 6.
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Week of September 27, 2010
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RIC students battle cold for cheap tickets By Eddie Taylor Anchor Editor
RIC students struggled with the late September cold for their chance at discounted tickets for Programming’s annual Montreal Trip. The trip takes place Nov. 19-21, and it is a big hit with both commuting and residential students. The turnout for the all-night campout was impressive, with every early-bird ticket being sold the next morning. Tickets for the Montreal Trip sell out quickly every year, and the first select number of students receives tickets for a discounted price. On Sept. 20, the first 25 students received tickets for $100, rather than the regular price of $140. Tickets for the event include transportation and lodging, along with other coupons discounts. Students who hoped to save
$40 camped out in front of the locked Student Union doors, but many questioned whether the cold and the wait were worth it. The line for the tickets began to form around 11 p.m. Several members of The Anchor newspaper had planned to camp out for a week in advance, and staff members got in line as soon people began to show. The line formed slowly with new students arriving every hour or so, but most came prepared for a long, cold night. Several students brought air mattresses along with blankets and pillows, while others simply brought cushions or nothing at all. Bethany L’Etoile was quick to use her laptop as a makeshift TV. Students spent the better part of several hours watching “SpongeBob” and “Family Guy.” Some Anchor members
brought out a large, leather sofa from the newspaper office. When added to the collection of folding chairs, air mattresses and cushions, it transformed the outside of the Student Union into a lounge. Anchor TV made an appearance and recorded the event, getting interviews and embarrassing footage of some students who had fallen asleep despite the cold. “At 5:40 a.m., some nice man went into Donovan and brought out boxes of Nutri-Grain bars,” sophomore Christiana Guglietti said. “That was very kind of him, and that was what we ate.” She also commented on staying up all night. “Just to save $40? That’s pretty ridiculous,” she laughed. “It just shows how cheap my friends and I are.” The doors to the Student Union were opened around 6 a.m. in order to get students out of the cold. Students moved
inside hoping to warm up, and filled the lobby – some bringing their sleeping bags (and the couch) with them. Many students who had camped out joked that the group of them must have looked like a bunch of refugees. Tickets went on sale around 8 a.m. In order to avoid cuts in line, Nicholas Lima, an Anchor editor who said he is going on the trip for the fifth time, created a sign-in sheet for students entering the line. Lima called out roll call before the tickets were sold, to keep order. Several students who had showed up only moments before tickets were sold were then kicked to the back of the line after attempting to cut, by both a Programming staffer and annoyed first-comers in line. The night was long and unforgiving, but junior Kimberly Blanchet, who was first in line,
said it was “cold, fun, but worth it.” Students said the Montreal Trip is a good time, and it is looked at as one of the highlights of Programming’s annual events. Many younger students attend because the legal drinking age there is 18, though some say they go just to check out the historic city on the St. Lawrence River. Another student who waiting all night, Jon Kmieciak, said, “It was the best and worst night just to get a ticket for what will be a best and worst weekend.” All 150 available tickets for the Montreal Trip have sold out, according to the Student Union Welcome and Information Center, where they were on sale since last Tuesday.
RIC plans to highlight its diversity By Rita Nerney News Editor
Next week, the Unity Center will host its 6th Annual Diversity Week, from Oct. 4 through Oct. 8. The calendar of events offers attendees various options, from LGBT awareness presentations to cultural food tastings. Antoinette Gomes, Unity Center coordinator, believes there is certainly a need for such an event at RIC. “I think on every campus there is a need to bring all of the constituents together for a teaching and learning exchange,” she said. “And it is important for people to know about the diversity of the population here at RIC.” Gomes started working at RIC in October 2008, so she was not a part of organizing the week until last year. The former director of the Unity Center, Aaron Bruce, started the event at RIC. The idea came from a professional organization he
and Gomes belong to, the Multicultural College Administrators Association. Bruce tailored the event for RIC, and the campus enjoyed it. The number of events that takes place is different each year. “Sometimes we have ten events, sometimes 20,” Gomes said. “This year, there is a lot of really great faculty and staff involved in the programming. We have received great support from [the Department of] Music, Theatre, and Dance, the Autism Project of RI, Feinstein School of Education and Development and student organizations.” There are events that get repeated each year because they are relevant to the population at RIC and its surrounding community. Youth Pride RI will be repeating its successful “That’s So Gay” presentation again this year. For next week’s programming, organizations and speakers have decided what their presentations will offer to
attendees. “We used to request certain topics and issues to be covered, but our contributors understand diversity, and they did a great job of creating their own events,” Gomes said. Some of the student organizations that are involved include L.I.F.E., Rainbow Alliance, Intervarsity, LASO, NBLSA and Advocacy and Beyond. Some outside speakers get honorariums for their participation in the event. “But we don’t host $10,000 speakers,” Gomes said. “We get a lot of donated things, and help with funding from Student Activities and other campus participants in the event.” The goal of Diversity Week is to provide programming that is as diverse as possible. “People think that race, ethnicity and sexual orientation define diversity, but those are merely three example of the differences among us,” Gomes explained. “Our presenters come from diverse areas of interest, and
Anchor File Photo
Students participate in diversity celebrations last year. our attendees are diverse, too. Diversity simply means difference – in learning styles, geographic locations, physical ability and so on.” The events next week are hosted throughout campus at
various times. You can view the calendar of events online at www.ric.edu/unitycenter/ events.php – or in this issue of The Anchor – to plan your attendance.
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OBAMA from page
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my wallet pretty hard,” said junior Dan Wroblewski. “It really hurts to have to write that check.” When asked about rising tuition costs and cuts to funding in states like Rhode Island, Mr. Obama said, “I talked about what we’re doing to increase financial aid to students and obviously that’s important. But there’s another part of the equation and that is just the cost of college. “It [the rising cost] has to do with the fact that state budgets are being so hard pressed that they’re having to make severe cutbacks in the support they provide to public education,” the president told The Anchor. Rhode Island College has had to get creative with its budget in recent years, suffering from a more than 22 percent decrease in state funding since 2007. The appropriation from the state for 2010 only covered 36 percent of the budget for the college this year. In an article RIC President Nancy Carriuolo wrote for The
Chronicle of Higher Education published in April 2010, Carriuolo credited RIC’s faculty, staff and students for coming up with measures, many of which were submitted through the RIC Web site, that helped save the college three-quarters of a million dollars. Trying to tap into creative ideas like the ones used at RIC, Mr. Obama said, “One of the things that we’re going to be doing is working with college presidents to figure out how can we get control of costs and refocus our priorities and our attention on what the primary function of a university is, to give students the knowledge and skills that they need.” Carriuolo agreed, “I would tell him [Mr. Obama] that the campus community is a great source of suggestions for ways to control costs by working more efficiently.” She added, “The best and brightest minds are right here on college campuses.” Another area that Mr. Obama said needed to be addressed was expenditures on buildings and athletics. “And part of what I think we’ve got to examine is are we designing our universities in
a way that focuses on the primary thing, which is education. You’re not going to a university to join a spa; you’re going there to learn so that you can have a fulfilling career. “And I’ll just give one example, which people may not want to hear, but when I go to some colleges and I look at the athletic facilities that exist these days, or the food courts, it’s sure a lot nicer than it was when I was going to college. Somebody has to pay for that,” he said. “Like I said, when I was going to college, food at the cafeteria was notoriously bad. I didn’t have a lot of options. We used to joke about what was for lunch that day, and there would be a bunch of non-descript stuff that wasn’t particularly edible,” Mr. Obama said. RIC is in the middle of a massive overhaul of both the college’s athletic facilities and dining center. The renovations to Donovan Dining Center came in around $2 million, and the new Recreation Center is set to cost $12.5 million. In response to Mr. Obama’s concern about spending on these kinds of facilities, Carriuolo said, “The ancient Greeks
Week of September 27, 2010
Page 7 believed in the importance of a strong body and a strong mind. The new Recreation Center and a renovated dining center are important to the health of our students.” She added, “We are not being lavish in our renovations; we are simply providing modern, efficient facilities.” Most of the costs for the renovations to Donovan were paid for with retained earnings from College Dining Services on campus. Meanwhile, the Recreation Center is being paid for largely by an increase in student fees. This increase has received the full support of Student Community Government, Inc., with a unanimous vote of Parliament in support of the project last year. Mr. Obama expressed how important voting in this year’s midterm election was, and the effect the results will have on higher education. “We’re going to have to have vigorous debates, and we’re going to have to hammer out consensus on these issues,” the president said. “And the energy that you were able to bring to our politics in 2008, that’s needed not less now, it’s needed more.
“And so I hope that everybody starts paying attention these last five weeks. We’ve got an election coming up. I want everybody to be well informed and to participate,” said President Obama. President Carriuolo agreed, “Voters need to make wise, informed choices of persons who can lead our state and nation.” The future of Rhode Island College will be decided on the ballot this Nov. 2. With elections for Congress and Governor hotly contested, the leaders that will set Rhode Island’s higher education policy will depend on the outcome. Along with these elections on the ballot will be Question 2, a bond issue to renovate and expand the Art Center on campus. This is the first in a series of stories outlining the effects of tuition increases in Rhode Island. Anchor Editor-in-Chief Kameron Spaulding interviewed President Barack Obama in an invitation-only teleconference on Sept. 27, and material gathered from that press conference was used in this piece.
Anchor Photo/Kameron Spaulding
Then-presidential canidate Barack Obama speaks to a crowd of thousands at the Rhode Island College Recreation Center in 2008.
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Week of September 27, 2010
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One month of Donovan By Nicholas J. Lima Managing Editor
Frozen foods, gourmet sandwiches and sushi were never synonymous with the old Donovan. But now those menu changes – and a whole host of others – are working their way into every day student life at Rhode Island College. It’s been over four weeks since the newly renovated Donovan Dining Center reopened its doors to students. For College Dining Services Director Vincent Flemming and his staff, nearly every day brings something new. “There’s been a curiosity effect the first couple of weeks,” Flemming said. “But now that people have settled into their routines, lines are getting smaller” and students are getting used to the new Donovan. Associate Director Arthur Patrie said the feedback has been “overwhelmingly positive” since Donovan opened for business on move-in weekend in August, though he still hears complaints and criticisms – which are always welcome. “The entire program is in its infancy – it hasn’t taken off yet,” Flemming said. “We want to provide the types of service that people want.” At Donovan, Flemming, Patrie and their staff often have trouble balancing the needs of the diverse student body that RIC offers – though they say they welcome the challenge. A lot of the food they have brought in so far has been experimental, Patrie said, as they try to gauge what students like. “The menu is by and large a product of students’ purchasing trends,” Patrie said. The menu now includes gourmet sandwiches from Georgio’s and a wide variety of frozen foods. Even these new items have been adjusted as the semester has gone on, Patrie said. When students complained about the selection of breads, they brought in more varieties, like wheat, pita and marble rye. Nearly every day,
students can find Caesar salad, chicken fajita, corned beef, seafood salad, Italian grinders and ham and Swiss sandwiches – among many other varieties – in a grab-and-go case designed to meet the needs of students on the run. Travis Escobar, Student Community Government, Inc. president, said, “There are a lot of students who don’t have time and might want to take graband-go items to their dorm or to work. Not all students have time to eat in Donovan. It’s a great section.” Escobar, who last year worked with College Dining Services in establishing new meal plan options, said he remains supportive of the changes at Donovan. He especially likes the frozen-food section, established only recently. “You might not be hungry for dinnertime, so you can bring food back to your dorm to microwave later,” Escobar said. The frozen-food section is growing, and includes items ranging from vegetable lasagna and Hot Pockets to Ian’s fish sticks, chicken nuggets, Lean Cuisine and Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches. And what does RIC’s student body president like most about the new Donovan? “I really like the new breads in the deli section, along with the suggested sandwich ideas they have now,” Escobar said. He continued, “Aesthetically, [Donovan] is pleasing now. It looks like a real college.” Patrie said some of the suggestions he receives are small, or even contradictory. One group of students may complain about there being too many fried foods, while another group wants more grease in their diet. Even the milk options have expanded. Donovan offers both Garelick Farms milk and locally produced Rhody Fresh varieties, which share shelf space with Lactaid and soybased Silk. While not everyone is happy with the new Donovan, many of the detractors are freshmen who
did not experience the dining center’s last iteration. Joan Vallejo, a freshman who lives in Sweet Hall, said that he was not a big fan of the rice at Donovan. “It needs more flavor,” he said. Another freshman from Sweet, Saira Valentin, said she would like to see more of a selection. “It seems like there’s pizza and pasta every day. I feel like I’m back in high school. There are options, but they are like the same options every day,” she said. Patrie said much of the menu – including a variety of rotating pasta selections – comes from student feedback. For lunch, the dining center often features items like pizza and chicken tenders because that’s what students ask for at that time of day. Frances Diaz, a sophomore who lives in New Hall, is happy with Donovan’s new look and menu. “I think people should appreciate what we have. There are so many options – salads, the grill, sandwiches, hot food – what more could you want?” she said. Nick Pratt, a junior, also said he feels that Donovan has made an improvement: “I think it’s pretty good so far. I love the bistro sauce [in the sandwich line],” he said. While one common concern is about pricing, Flemming said that, unlike a convenience store, for example, prices include the costs of labor, condiments, utensils and running such a large facility. Patrie added that prices for many items, such as coffee, have rarely been increased over the years, and that students can still get gourmet items like sirloin steak for $3.75. While Flemming and Patrie were hesitant to talk about more food that will be experimented with this semester, they did say that an organic, free-trade coffee will be added to the menus at RIC’s cafés in the coming months. They will also be introducing new dessert varieties,
Anchor Photo/Devin Noll
Students flow into Donovan’s new entrance. hot foods in the grab-and-go section and they plan to eventually offer toasted sandwiches. “We want to provide the type of service that people want,” said Patrie. Also on the way will be a variety of additional cosmetic changes. Ceiling fans are yet to be installed in the main dining room, the condiment stand will be expanded, more lighting is going into the service area and there will be more signage around exits, entrances and service lines. “We’re trying to make it more convenient for our customers,” Flemming said. “We are always readily available to answer questions and assist any students with questions about food allergies or product information.” Flemming also said that the Food Service Advisory Committee will be back, and invited students to attend its first meeting on Oct. 14 in the Faculty Center. “For those people who want to be constructive and give us ideas,” the committee is for you, he said. “We are going to satisfy the customer’s concerns. We aren’t at 100 percent yet but we are moving in the right direction.” He said the committee meeting is really important because that is the dining center’s link to future changes. “If people want to be part of the solution, we’re all for it,” he said. Patrie said customers
may never notice some of the improvements made to the building. For instance, the newly installed generator outside will provide electricity during outages. “We are now well-provided for during inclement weather of any kind to maintain all of our services for students with minimum interruption,” Flemming said. Before the installation, he said the dining center could only be about 50 percent operational on emergency power. Patrie added that they are also looking at dining room usage, and while they expect a drop off after the initial curiosity factor of a new facility, he noted there are more students utilizing the space during off times. As far as the new meal plans, President Escobar said he still feels that students get more for the value. “I was always a proponent of [them]. It will take time for students to get used to the change,” he said. The new plans expand the time available to students for meals and allow the usage of points – now called bonus dollars – all over the campus at any time. “It’s new and it takes time to adjust,” Flemming said about the meal plans. “It’s the best of both worlds and addresses many of the concerns that students have expressed over the years.” The same could be said for every aspect of the new Donovan Dining Center.
Editorial
Week of September 27, 2010
Page 10
How did The Anchor score an interview with President Obama?
The Anchor Editor-in-Chief Kameron Spaulding editorinchief@anchorweb.org
Managing Editors Zach Serowik Nicholas J. Lima managing@anchorweb.org
Business Manager Andrew Augustus business@anchorweb.org
News Editor Rita Nerney news@anchorweb.org
Lifestyles Editor Jon Kmieciak lifestyles@anchorweb.org
A&E Editor Eddie Taylor arts@anchorweb.org
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Layout Editors Sam Mandeville Daniel Jordan layout@anchorweb.org
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Web Editor Alex Tirrell Advertising Manager Thomas Terry ads@anchorweb.org
Circulation Manager Adam Chapasko
When you’re the editor-in-chief of a newspaper like this one, you get a lot of e-mails. Today alone, I received 85. Sometimes I just hit delete until they all go away. Last week, I was in the process of doing just that when I got an e-mail from the White House Media Affairs Office. We get a lot of these, too, but I always open them. Ninetynine times out of a 100, it is just another piece of literature the White House wants us to run. But on Sept. 23, it was a different e-mail all together. It was an e-mail welcoming me to an invitation-only conference call with President Barack Obama. The call was scheduled for Sept. 27 at noon, and I RSVPed as quickly as possible. So there I sat at noon on Monday, dialing the 1-800 number I was told to call, a mix of nerves and excitement. I still don’t know which filled me more. I was making the same call close to 100 other college journalists would be making, and like me, they had been waiting all day for this opportunity. What’s more, only a handful of this elite group of college journalists would even get to ask a question. After several rings, a teller greeted each of us, asking which teleconference we were calling for. I asked, not believing what I was saying, that “I need to be connected to the president.” Several minutes of waiting passed, and then the president took the line. “Hey, everybody. Thanks for joining me today,” he said. After that he talked tuition, he talked jobs and yes, he talked a lot about the election. That’s when I pressed *1 on my phone line. Minutes later, I had my chance to ask a question directly to the leader of the Free World. The White House Press Office transcript follows, with most of President Obama’s answer omitted for space reasons (though you can find much more of his answer to my question in our story on Page 1): MR. SPAULDING: Hi, Mr. President. I hope things are going well for you. THE PRESIDENT: Hello Kameron, they’re going great. MR. SPAULDING: Rhode Island has had the cost of college skyrocket in recent years, mainly due to huge cuts in state funding. How will you work with states to increase this funding, and the colleges to control cost? THE PRESIDENT: Well, I talked about what we’re doing to increase financial aid to students and obviously that’s important. But there’s another part of the equation and that is just the cost of college generally, both at the public and private institutions. If I keep on increasing Pell Grants and increasing student loan programs and making it more affordable, but
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Anchor Editor-in-Chief Kameron Spaulding speaks with President Barack Obama while at his desk on Monday. health care – or higher education inflation keeps on going up at the pace that it’s going up right now, then we’re going to be right back where we started, putting more money in, but it’s all being absorbed by these higher costs. Was it an interview we all had to share? Yes. Was it a calculated plan to get printed in college papers like ours all across the country? Yes. But what all those of us on the phone were asking ourselves was this: Am I really going to talk to the President of the United States? And for at least this one day, the answer was: Yes.
Kameron Spaulding Editor-in-Chief
Staff Andrew Cavanaugh, Dave Chery, Zack Dalton, Rob Duguay, Laura Horton, Ethan James, Rob Lefebvre, Michael Martins, Luisa Murillo, Devin Noll, Veronica Pacheco, Arielle Rogers, Mike Simeone, Mandy Wray Dion
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Clean up ‘til you green up By Luisa Murillo Anchor Staff Writer
The Green-Up, Clean-Up project was held on a perfect sunny day to pick up trash. The Green Team, a RIC organization, rallied over 100 students and members of the faculty and staff together to spend a morning cleaning up around campus. Last Saturday, the GreenUp, Clean-Up crew kicked off the day at the Student Union Café. Participants were given coffee, muffins and donuts as they checked in. Gloves and plastic bags were handed out, along with notepads, pens and a cleanup check list. Members of the Green Team were in charge of getting all the volunteers checked in and assigning them areas of the campus to clean up. Raffle tickets were also handed out. This was not the first time a campus-wide clean up was organized. Twenty years ago,
Dan Smith put together the first Green-Up, Clean-Up RIC had ever seen. With the help of the college staff in charge of cleaning up, the Green Team targeted certain areas of the college in dire need of a cleanup. President Nancy Carriuolo said, “Since all of us spend so much time here, I think it’s important for us to have a campus that is as clean and as attractive as it can possibly be.” Before heading outside to make the RIC campus a little bit greener, Carriuolo spoke to the group and thanked them for being there. Stop & Shop and Lowes aided in sponsoring the cleanup. North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi and members of the North Providence Town Council were also in attendance at the event, as well as the RIC wrestling team and women’s lacrosse team. During the opening ceremony, the members of the Green Team awarded President
Carriuolo with a Green Team T-shirt for her support of the organization and helping to make RIC a more bike-friendly campus. She has also been praised for the introduction of the Fruit Hill Farmer’s Market on Friday afternoons at RIC. The groups then headed out and began collecting garbage in the parking lots, as well as other areas of the campus. They were asked to clean up and tally the items collected for the Henry Barnard students, who are doing a project. The bags were left at the clean-up sites, and other members of the organization drove by picking up the trash bags. The item checklists were then handed back to the registration desk, and the volunteers checked the raffle boards to see if they were winners. Carriuolo concluded by commending the volunteers for spending a Saturday morning helping make the RIC campus a cleaner learning environment.
The American Democracy Project presents: “The Politics of Anger” By Bethany L’Etoile Anchor Editor
On Sept. 21, a panel of six speakers was invited to come to Rhode Island College to discuss “The Politics of Anger in the 2010 Election.” This forum was just one part of the American Democracy Project, a campus and state-wide movement held in order to encourage political involvement across Rhode Island. RIC Professors Valerie Endress and Kay Israel, and Jane Fusco, director of News and Public Relations, joined forces with NBC-10 to “present a series of debates and forums to inform voters, support the election process, and encourage citizens to learn about the issues that shape the political agendas of the 2010 election
season,” according to What’s News Online. The panelists present at the forum in Alger Hall included former R.I. Attorney General Arlene Violet, R.I. House Speaker Gordon Fox, University of R.I. political science Prof. Maureen Moakley and ABC-6 reporter and anchor Mark Curtis. Jim Taricani of NBC-10 was also present, and served as the moderator of the discussion. Colleen Conley, founder of the R.I. Tea Party was also invited to the panel, but did not show up at the forum. Taricani asked questions of the panelists, keeping it as a flowing conversation among them, and asked their opinions on the subject before turning to the students and professors present, encouraging them to
share their thoughts, as well. Speaker Fox described anger as a cycle that appears in politics – it is a tool that is used to get people passionate about things, and to help in-state politicians into office. However, he said anger is a double-edged sword that cuts both ways, and it must be used carefully. Curtis discussed how many citizens of the United States have also felt anger towards Obama because they feel that he has pushed things like the health-care reform through too quickly. The reality of this situation was that they knew they had enough votes to pass it right then, and there was no guarantee that they would in the future. “Politics is as much about math as it is about ideology,” said Curtis.
Week of September 27, 2010
Page 11
Letters to the Editor RIC should reinstate reduced-fare RIPTA bus pass program It appears that RIC no longer offers half-price RIPTA bus passes to its students. When RIPTA continues to hike its rates and cut its service, it seems to me that offering this reduced rate for students was a great idea, both for students and for the RIPTA. Some schools in Providence even give free bus passes to all their students. While offering students a free or reduced price bus pass may hike tuition for all students, this would place the burden on those who drive while saving money for those who try to
take the bus. Students should be encouraged by their institution to exemplify sustainable living habits (though the opposite philosophy may be indicated by observing the hundreds of thousands of Styrofoam plates used by Donovan). Additionally, we should ask ourselves – how can we provide opportunity for public education without providing access to public transportation? Ben Fischer
Letters to the Editor Policy The Anchor welcomes letters of up to 450 words. The editor reserves the right to reject letters or edit for clarity, brevity, good taste, accuracy and to prevent libel. No poetry, attacks on private individuals, or letter-writing campaigns, please. Due to the volume of letters, writers are asked to limit submissions to one per week. Include a phone number where you can be reached during the day.
E-mail letters to:
editorinchief@anchorweb.org
Questions? Call: (401) 456-8280
Corrections If you have any corrections for The Anchor, contact Kameron Spaulding, editor-in-chief, at kspaulding@ anchorweb.org.
Week of September 27, 2010
Page 12
28
TUESDAY
Blood Drive
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WEDNESDAY
Biology Seminar
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THURSDAY
Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet
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FRIDAY
Fruit Hill Farmers Market
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Big Ideas
Comics
“Forsooth”
Week of September 27, 2010
Page 13
Zachary Serowik
Week of September 27, 2010
Page 14
Lifestyles
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Your answers in 30 words or less some and grow as a person. Ask Ari Dear Ari, I was wondering: How much Dear Ari, I’ve seen is too much for a first date? I am that there seeing this girl in a week and are rather want to know how much I should awkward and do for the date. – Dante, RIC junior giant pieces of “art” placed all around campus. Who’s idea Dear Dante, Keep it low key and fun. was that? And why? Don’t spend a ton of money; it’ll – Tacky Art, RIC senior be too much and you’ll break the bank. Suggestions: bowling and Dear Tacky Art, It was PFAC. And I agree, pizza or coffee and a movie. the piece next to the library, I feel we could do without, but Dear Ari, I’m an avid smoker and want everything else is manageable. to quit. Help? – KTG, RIC sophomore Dear Ari, Which do you feel is worse: Dear KTG, failing or never trying? There are lots of differ– Peter, RIC senior ent ways to quit. But do your research on a good plan for Dear Peter, Never trying. If you don’t weaning yourself off. Make try, you don’t have the chance to sure you take the healthiest apsucceed or fail. Failing is also proach for yourself. a learning opportunity, so fail By Arielle Rogers
Dear Ari, I am a 52-year-old student here at RIC and I was wondering if there are any ways for even an elder to get involved in campus? – Fran, RIC student Dear Fran, I believe there is a club for Slightly Older Students. Joining or getting info on the club can be a great start. Dear Ari, My girlfriend has cheated before in past relationships, she swears she isn’t now but I don’t trust her. How can I talk to her about the way I feel? – Bexler, RIC junior Dear Bexler, If it’s truly bothering you, then don’t beat around the bush and talk to her. If you’re upfront with her, then maybe she will be honest and upfront with you.
Special Question of the Week Dear Ari, I got engaged on July 25 of this year and we’re planning on having our wedding on July 25, 2011. His family gave us a hard time because they felt they should’ve known he was going to propose first. Now they want us to change the date because his grandmother died that day two years ago. Is this fair? –Anonymous, RIC senior Dear Anonymous, I think if it really bothers his family that much you ALL should sit down and talk about why in detail. Also keep in mind that his family might want to keep the anniversary of his grandmother’s death memorable and a wedding on the same day will take away from that. Weddings are, of course, just as memorable as any other major milestones in life, so why not make some kind of compromise and have it so your anniversary has its own day. For example, someone talking about your wedding day doesn’t have to be reminded of losing a loved one also. Make it your own and hopefully it will work out for the best. Congratulations to you both on your engagement.
Send all of your questions and problems to lifestyles@anchorweb.org
Lifestyles
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Week of September 27, 2010
Page 15
Get your eat on at Ichie By Mandy Wray Dion Dining in Providence
If you’re willing to hop on the highway for five minutes, right over the I-Way rests the most fabulous Japanese restaurant that you’ll encounter in our little state. Ichigo Ichie is located off of Exit 8 on I-195 in East Providence, and it’s definitely worth the trip out of the city. Right when you walk in the restaurant, you know you’re in for a treat. The waterfall in the foyer sets the tone for the whole experience. The entire atmosphere of the interior is so calming and aesthetically charming; deep blue and bright orange lighting create a stunning contrast along with the bamboo and stone decor. Ichigo Ichie means “one chance, one encounter,” which definitely reflects their hospitality. You are guaranteed to have excellent service from the moment you walk in the door. The host will greet you with a big grin and lead you to your table with giant, tablet-like menus that resemble the Ten Commandments. I visited the restaurant with a large group of friends for my birthday. No one was left disappointed in the slightest.
We started with a large round of drinks. My pick was the Scorpion-Tini ($16), which was enough for two to three people to share. It was a giant fruity fusion of different types of brandy and juices that no one could refuse. Nearly five of them surrounded the table by the end of the night. Their sake menu is pretty extensive with a lot to choose from. I got to try the Moonstone Coconut Lemongrass Sake ($10), which was the most affordable and definitely tasty. It comes in a bottle that has plenty for two to share. I started off my meal with a miso soup ($3), which was very flavorful, not too salty and had plenty of seaweed – just how I like it. Another great starter is the seaweed salad ($5), which was seasoned just right with sesame seeds and red pepper. Choosing an appetizer is a challenge because everything sounds so good. I decided to go with my all-time favorite, the yellowtail jalapeño ($12). The yellowtail is rolled up into tiny, bite-sized pieces with a slice of jalapeno and tampico on top. The rectangular plate is covered in olive oil and a sweet sauce that brings out the fresh, juicy flavor of the raw yellowtail. For my entrée I ordered the Angel Roll ($12), which had such a generous portion I could hardly finish. Inside the roll was black pepper tuna,
cucumber and kaiware and was surrounded by tuna, salmon, white fish, yellow tail and avocado on the outside. The roll was topped with eel, spicy mayo and mint sauce with some tempura crumbs. I was a little worried about the combination of flavors, but it was indeed angelic. The tempura crumbs added the perfect bit of crunch to all of the fish and avocado, and I couldn’t get enough of the eel sauce. I always grew up with a heavy seafood diet, but never had a taste of raw fish until I worked up the courage in college. I am now entirely convinced that fish is the most flavorful when it’s left uncooked. It also keeps some of the vitamins and nutrients (such as Vitamin B6) that you would otherwise burn off when cooking the fish. If raw fish still isn’t your thing, Ichigo Ichie has a great menu of hibachi selections. Most of the party ordered the chicken hibachi ($16), which came in very generous portions with rice and vegetables on the side. For my birthday dessert, I was presented with a red bean ice cream ($4.50) and a rendition of the happy birthday song, which involved a very large (and loud) gong that scared me out of my chair. The ice cream had a similar taste to vanilla, but was much more flavorful
Photos courtesy of ichigoichieus.com
and creamy. I was pretty sad when I was too stuffed to finish the dessert. I would highly recommend Ichigo Ichie for any special occasion, or when you’re looking to make an excellent impression on a first date or business lunch.
Make sure you call ahead for reservations, especially on the weekends. Ichigo Ichie is located at 5 Catamore Blvd. in East Providence. For the full menu, visit www.ichigoichie.com.
Anchor TV Line-Up
TIME
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Rock Hunt 2010
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Lifestyles
Week of September 27, 2010
Page 18
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The fun facts of dating By Alexandra Weston Anchor Contributor
Who hasn’t been getting ready for a first date or even a 40th and had questions running through their head. But the real key to a good date is just not thinking about any of that that and focusing on being honest and having fun. Was that too simple for ya? Well let me explain some of the absolute keys in more detail. Don’t beat around the bush. Do you sometimes find yourself staring at your crush from across the room and thinking, “If only he/she knew how much I like them”? Well, they’re not mind readers! It’s best to just get it over with and tell the person how you feel. Sure, it’ll hurt if they say they aren’t interested, but at least you’ll be aware of how they feel and you can move on with your life. If they feel the same and agree to go out on a date with you, it’ll be the best feeling
in the world. So go for it, and no matter the answer, just stay optimistic. There are other fish in the sea. Be yourself. It’s one thing to want to impress the person you like on a first date, but most people take it a step too far and turn into someone they’re not. This strategy may work out for the first few weeks, but eventually the real you will come out, and it can seriously confuse the person you’re dating. It’s best to just be yourself from the very beginning to avoid the confusion.
It’s also good to make sure you’re prepared. Ladies, you can’t always expect that your man is going to pay for everything on a date. You have to realize that we’re all college students and many of us can’t afford to dish out $50 for dinner and a movie, so make sure to bring some cash with you to help him out a bit. Men – anything can happen on a date, and you have to realize that your lady might not be carrying a form of protection on her. So, tuck that condom in your wallet, just in case and please wrap it before you tap it.
Dress nicely and be prepared. First impressions mean everything on a first date, so please dress nicely. Now, when I say “nicely,” I don’t mean formal wear like a suit and tie for a movie date. What I do mean is, shower, avoid dressing like a bum and try on some of the perfume and cologne that you never use, but be careful not to put on too much.
Location, location, location. Dinner and a movie is so cliché these days, and I don’t think it’s the best idea for a first date. A first date is supposed to be the time where you get to know your significant other and it’s difficult to talk about yourself while you’re chewing your food (without looking like an idiot). A movie is fun, but it doesn’t leave any room for
discussion, unless of course you want to make everyone sitting near you angry. My suggestion: try going out for coffee. It’s simple, inexpensive and it’s an easy situation to hold a conversation. Be a good listener. One thing that I find the most annoying during a first date is when the person I’m out with will not stop talking about themselves. It’s great that you’re such an amazing person, but sometimes it’d be nice to let the other person get a word in. I’m not saying that you should sit in silence while the other person chats away, but just be conscious of how much you’re saying and whether the other person is actually interested or not. Be honest, but not too honest. Honesty is a great policy, however there is such a thing as being way too honest. It’s nice that you have an incurable medical condition, or that
you’re proud of your masturbation habits, but these things are most likely something that the person you’re with doesn’t want to hear, so do yourself and your date a favor and please keep it to yourself. Another thing to be aware of is, it’s not a good idea to confess your undying love for a person when you’re on the first date. “Love” is too strong of a word to just be thrown around that early in a relationship. Whether you mean it or not, you’re most likely going to scare the person away. If it’s not working out, end things respectfully. If you go on a few dates with a person and you realize that you don’t have any feelings for them, it’s best to let them know. If you drag things out, then it’s just going to hurt the person more. Don’t lead people on – it only makes things worse for the both of you.
Pumpkin pie? Good. Pumpkin beer? Great. By Mike Simeone Anchor Alemen
This week I’m going to start my reviews on the seasonal beers that are coming out. First I would like to go more in-depth with my rating system, as I’ve been getting some feedback that there is a little confusion on how it works. Let me begin by first explaining the numbers I assign to the categories of head, aroma, taste and color. These numbers are just a small part of the total grade of the beer. Each number is based on how well those beers meet these categories, while the letter grade stands for the overall ratings. It grades the
beer as a whole and how well the beer fits to its style. With that said, let us start the review. If you love the fall season as much as I do, then chances are that you love the taste of pumpkin and all of the interesting brews that companies come out with around this time of year. One of these unique brews that I am going to review first is one that I had previewed in the first week, and is a personal favorite of mine – that is, Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale is one of the best pumpkin- inspired beers out there. The guys at Southern Tier have ingeniously taken grandma’s pumpkin pie and turned it into an unbelievable mixture of holy goodness. When you pour this brew
Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale Color Head Aroma Taste Overall
5 5 5 5 A+
into the cup, it dances across the side of the glass to form a great off-white, orange head and reveals ale that is almost a dark orange in color. As you lift the glass, you get a semi-strong aroma of pumpkin pie, and when you drink the brew you experience an amazing pumpkin pie taste with a slightly bitter finish. The only bad thing about this beer is that it comes around
once a year and sells quickly, so grab a bottle while you still can. Overall I give this beer an A+, making this brew one you don’t want to miss. This next beer is quickly becoming a favorite beverage of mine, and is known as Sierra Nevada’s Tumbler. Sierra Nevada, most famously known for their Pale Ale, makes some wonderful seasonal crafts. As you sit back, sipping this beer and watching the color on the leaves change, a magical feeling will feel you, one that just screams “fall.” This beauty of a brew pours into the glass and quickly forms a thick, light-tan head, revealing a brown ale that matches the bottle in its color. You instantly can taste the rustic and earthy flavors of this beer, as the malts are strong with its flavor.
Sierra Nevada uses four different types of malts in this craft: two-row pale, crystal, chocolate and smoked. The chocolate and smoked malts come through the strongest, with a slightly bitter aftertaste. I also found that this beer does not have a very strong aroma, other than the slight smell of the malts in the brew. Overall I give this beer a B rating.
Sierra Nevada Tumbler
Color Head Aroma Taste Overall
5 2 4 3 B
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Week of September 27, 2010
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No sleep for the wicked By Casey Gaul Health Hype
Sleep is one of the many things that college students just don’t get enough of, whether it is because we are always up late studying, partying, goofing off or just can’t fall asleep. Getting enough sleep is a giant step on the road to becoming a healthier individual, not to mention being essential to functioning properly in school. So how much is enough? The amount of sleep a person requires to be fully rested mostly depends on their
age. College-aged adults (from about 17 years of age to the early 20s) need about seven to nine hours of sleep each night to be well-rested. Stages of sleep. What is restful sleep? The term REM sleep has been tossed around a lot lately on the subject without too much explanation. According to WebMD, there are five stages of sleep based on the types of brainwave activity. The first four stages fall under the category of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. These stages range from the transition between waking and sleeping (stage I), to light sleep (stage II) and to deep sleep (stages III and IV). As these stages progress, the brain emits
progressively slower and slower waves occasionally interspersed with rapid waves. The last stage falls under the category of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. During REM sleep, the stage most often identified with dreaming, the brain shows increased activity almost equal at times to the amount of activity normal during waking hours. In a typical seven to nine hour sleep period, the brain may cycle through these stages about three times. Tips for better sleep. There are a few ways that MayoClinic.com suggests in order to improve your sleeping experience and quite a few require disciplined changes in a
person’s overall lifestyle. One of the hardest things to do, especially for the busy college student, is create a standard routine for your body. Set a bedtime and a wakeup time and keep to it each day, even on the weekend. This will help your body develop a natural sleep cycle and make it easier to fall asleep at night. Other good habits to get into would be applying a cut off time for eating (usually about an hour before you’re going to go to bed), staying away from caffeine and alcohol before bed, abstaining from taking long, afternoon naps, exercising during the day so that you’re tired and get to sleep more easily and creating a comfortable sleeping environment in your bedroom
(dark, cool, comfortable). Another way a person could possibly improve their quality of sleep is proper sleeping positions, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you tend to sleep on your side, try placing a small pillow between your thighs and lying with your knees drawn up partway to your chest. If you tend to sleep on your back, try placing a small pillow or rolled up towel under the small of your back. If you tend to sleep on your stomach, try placing a pillow under your pelvis to lessen the strain on your back. For more information on sleep, you can visit www. MayoClinic.com or www. WebMD.com
My name is Rob, and I’m NOT an alcoholic By Rob Lefebvre Anchor Staff Writer
Okay, I have a confession to make. I’m 22 years old, I’m in my fifth year of school and I have never had so much as a sip of alcohol – and I don’t ever intend to. That’s right, I don’t drink. Now I know what some of you might be thinking. “Oh God, he must be that buzz-kill guy who’s going to preach to us about how drinking is bad and how we shouldn’t do it.” Well, no, that’s not what I’m about to do. I’d like to think I’m not that lame. It’s just that in all the time that I’ve been legally allowed to drink, and in the time I’ve not been, drinking has just held no appeal for me. Why? To be honest, I can’t really say with solidarity why. I’ve just always said no when it came to being offered an alcoholic beverage. I don’t have anything against other people who drink, provided that they don’t go overboard. But I suppose that leads me into my first influence. I have seen people who get drunk
and I know people who have a tendency to have one too many when we’re on some kind of outing. I’ve seen people I care about become drunk and I suddenly don’t know them. They turn into these mindless, malfunctioning androids. I’ve seen one person who had trouble walking, could not hold up food they were trying to eat, kept bending over and spoke all his words like they were trying to come out at once. The things he did say manage to say made no sense – and this was a person I’ve never seen drunk. I have friends who get drunk regularly and they’ve scared the crap out of me with the things they do. I had one friend I was on a camping trip with and he kept throwing wood on a campfire until it was nearly 10 feet high. Everybody who was sober kept telling him to stop but he wouldn’t have it. Then when the gasoline tank came out, that’s when it was definitely time to physically interfere. I kept thinking this guy was going to hurt someone if not himself, and then we’d get banned from this campground forever. The point I’m trying to
make here is that I don’t want to be like this. I can’t imagine what I’d be like drunk and I don’t think I want to. I know the stress of dealing with someone who’s drunk and I wouldn’t want to inflict that on anyone else. It also helps that beer has never really smelled that good to me. It just comes off as really strong to me, and if it doesn’t smell good, it may not taste that good to me. I don’t even really drink that much soda. I only drink root beer and Sprite, and only occasionally. I hate Pepsi. It tastes like sludge watered down with gym sock sweat. But what really gets to me is the social taboo it is to not drink. Whenever I say I don’t want to drink, people around me are like “Oh, c’mon,” or “You’re legal age, go for it.” And before I was legal age it was, “C’mon, we won’t tell anyone,” which made me slightly concerned. Thankfully, I do have some people who respect my decision and only ask me once and leave it at that. Or they don’t ask me at all knowing what my answer is.
But there are still some friends and family of mine who repetitively ask me if I want to drink. I understand that drinking is a social norm, but people seem to react so shocked when someone decides not to drink. I can only imagine what it must be like in older people. People probably think they’re recovering alcoholics or think they have some other problems with alcohol. But when I keep getting hounded about not drinking, I feel like my decision is not being respected and when I’m asked why I don’t, I can’t give a definitive answer. I guess I just don’t have the nerve to tell someone to their face that I’ve seen what they’re like or what our friends are like drunk and I don’t want to end up like that. Am I telling people to follow my example? No. Am I saying that drinking is bad? No. I have absolutely no problem with people who drink. When someone drinks, I respect their decision and I have to trust that they will be responsible enough to not go overboard. Unfortunately, there are those
who do. But I will admit that when alcohol gets involved at any social gathering I’m at, I get a little edgy. I even went to a friend’s 21st birthday party and saw a lot of beer games being set up. They did not start until much later, so I was able to stay to eat cake, give my gift to my friend and wish them happy birthday before I headed home. That’s one thing I’ve never understood about 21st birthday parties. A lot of them usually end up being dedicated to the person’s legal right to drink and taking full advantage of it. It should be celebrating the person’s entry into adulthood. If they want to have a couple drinks, that’s fine, but the party should not be about drinking. So I’ve managed to resist the social call of drinking. I don’t think drinking is bad. I just choose not to, and everyone else should never feel pressured either way. The decision to drink should never have any influence. It is yours and yours alone. So have fun, be safe, be responsible and don’t call me for a ride home.
Week of September 27, 2010
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Arts & Entertainment
“Death Trap” plays at RIC By Eddie Taylor A&E Editor
Rhode Island College’s Mainstage Theater opens with their take on the hit Broadway play, “Death Trap.” This murder mystery with a comedic twist blew up Broadway, winning over fans with its dark humor and standout plot from most shows debuting at the time. The show is essentially a play within a play and revolves around character Sidney Bruhl, a writer struggling to finish his second play. When Bruhl gets his hand on a play created by budding writer Clifford Anderson, Bruhl decides to go to drastic measures to get credit for Anderson’s brilliant play. The show’s tag line, “A thriller in Two Acts,” describes the play perfectly, with this murder mystery taking twists and turns that will leave audiences’ eyes glued to the stage and not wanting to get out of their seats until the conclusion. The play was written by Ira Levin in 1978 and is known as one of Broadway’s longestrunning comedy-thrillers. “Death Trap” was also adapted into a movie with actors Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve starring in the film in 1982. It soon became a boxoffice hit. The Mainstage Theater opening play brings with it some difficulties with the show’s director, Jamie Taylor,
a RIC professor of theater, describing that the murder scenes are difficult to portray and stated in an article on the school’s official Website, “If you’re not careful, they could come off cheesy or campy, but the actors are doing a great job making the murders convincing.” “We haven’t done a murder mystery here in years, and I believe our theater patrons will enjoy it,” Taylor went on to say. “Death Trap” is shaping up to be a great show, and with Taylor raving on the talents of his cast it is sure to be a fun night for theater lovers. So, pull yourself away from your textbook, or for most of us Face Book, and spend an evening watching RIC’s Mainstage Theater Presentation of “Death Trap.” Filled with humor, suspense and mystery there’s something in this play for everyone. “Death Trap” will be performed in Forman Theater in the Nazarian Center beginning Sept. 29 – Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. each night, with additional shows on Oct. 2 and 3 at 2 p.m. General admission is $15 for non students, but students with a RIC ID can buy tickets for only $5. So, be sure to check out RIC’s Mainstage Theater opening show, “Death Trap.” I promise it will be better than watching “CSI” in your dorm.
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Sleigh Bells rock the MET for a Cheap Date By Tim Hordern Anchor Contributor
On Sept. 15, WBRU once again put on a fully promoted Cheap Date, costing a mere $9.95. Where, you might ask? It was hosted at an old Rhode Island icon – the MET, now located in Pawtucket. I had the personal privilege to witness the spectacle that was about to happen inside this poorly lit and strangely roomy venue. The MET opened its doors at 8 p.m., with the music to start at somewhere around 9 or 9:30 p.m. (so the crowd could liquor up). The concert pulled in a surprisingly large amount of people and was packed, considering the lineup of two bands. The warm-up band, Triangle Forest (WBRU Rock Hunt Winner in 2007), was a hometown favorite hailing from Providence itself. This threemember band had made me feel like I had thrown on tight, shiny spandex and stepped into a 80’s dance party. The band members played their hearts out and had the crowd dancing to the retro beats.
Like a classic retro band, its driving force was the synthesizers and vocoder which, in my opinion, was overused and there was no difference between the songs it was used in. Brendon Britton was the lead singer and the main synthesizer in the band. Martin O’Connor anchored the band with the bass synthesizer and the keytar (yes that is a real instrument, apparently) and Ben Britton lead the beat on drums. As this band performed, I noticed more and more how the songs seemed to blend in as the same one. At one point I turned to my buddy and asked if they had played the song already. I was surprised when I could understand the vocoder as the lyrics were slightly different. Despite the fact that I am not fond of 80’s retro, I did enjoy the band for they do have some catchy songs. After Triangle Forest, the highlight of the night came out to play – Sleigh Bells. The band formed by chance when guitarist Derek Miller met Alexis Krauss after waiting on her table at a Brazilian restaurant.
Courtesy of crvdmag.com
What followed their entrance on stage was a group with great guitar riffs, premixed beats and enough amps used on the stage to make the entire crowd go deaf. Guitarist, songwriter and producer Derek Miller lead the show with his power-heavy guitar licks while Alexis Krauss followed behind with vocals. The background music was a blend of pre-recorded beats, even in one song going as far as recording lyrics and having Krauss playing backup singer. Through all this, you get the impression that the guitar playing was well done and the singing
spot on. A big turnoff to me was the fact that I felt that the band was about Miller wanting to showcase his guitar playing talent and his musical beat mixes than the actual band. Don’t get me wrong, Sleigh Bells are amazing in studio and put on a hell of an energetic show, but the entire set seemed to be cheesy with its strobe lights and predicable stage presence. I think the over-the-top production shields the fact that Krauss needs some serious live practice. Some of the vocals were off and the backups (done
by Miller) were not even heard. Overall, the band seems to be better suited in a night club than doing a live rock concert, but the crowd seemed to enjoy their set jamming out and dancing to the music. In retrospect, the show was worth my time because I had a great time hanging out and listening to music. I feel these guys may not be worth a steeper price of admission, and I recommend you listen to them for a while first to make sure they are really your style before going to one of their shows.
Week of September 27, 2010
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Arts & Entertainment
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The Rice Cakes’ “Feel Like Human” By Rob Duguay Rob’s Album of the Week
E v e r since their electrifying, sold-out performance at Firehouse 13 in Providence in August 2009 to celebrate the release of their first record, “The Friend Ship,” The Rice Cakes have been on the road to musical success. After that late-summer night which had them headlining a show that was packed full of local scene superstars like Formal Action, Math The Band and Prayers for Atheists, the band from “The Creative Capital” has been rocking audiences at spots all over New England, including the 2010 Kahbang Music and Arts Festival in Bangor, Maine and the Freedom Festival in Sandwich, Mass. last August. They’ve also been on two extensive tours so far this year,
which had them play shows in Bowling Green, Ohio, Ashville, N.C., Wilmington, Del., and Philadelphia, Pa. As if 2010 wasn’t a good enough year for them, The Rice Cakes also were named the Best Local Act and performed at the 2010 Providence Phoenix Local Music Awards last May at Lupo’s. The indie-pop power trio is led by Roz Raskin’s amazing abilities on the keyboard and glockenspiel that are accented by her angelic-yet-powerful voice, Casey Belisle’s rhythmic storm of drums and Justin Foster’s near-perfect skills on the bass and guitar. See them live next time they roll through Providence and I guarantee they will not disappoint. Before you see them live though, make sure to talk to Raskin or Belisle on the Quad at RIC (both of them are students), log on to the band’s MySpace at www.myspace.com/rozraskin or e-mail them at rozyfromoz@ gmail.com and ask for a copy of the brand-new, three-song EP
from The Rice Cakes that came out earlier this month, which is titled “Feel Like Human.” The new EP is the first recording the band has done that includes musical input from all three members of the group, with all the songs from “The Friend Ship” being written by Raskin herself. Each song just shows how much the band has progressed in their sound for the better, taking that rhythmic, jazzy, indie-pop sound to a whole new level that just puts you into a dreamy, cosmic trance. With every drum beat from Belisle, every string that’s plucked by Foster, every key struck and note sung by Raskin, “Feel Like Human” makes you feel like you’re in another state of being as your feet move from side to side and your arms wave in the air. Usually I try to pick at least one song from a recording of music that I like the most, but it’s just way too hard to pick one from a three-song EP that
The Rice Cakes “Feel Like Human” Moose Proof Records
Courtesy of BigCartel.com
packs such a vibrant punch. The three songs on “Feel Like Human” are “Zabudabudee,” “Yellow Fields” and the epic, nine-minute jam titled “Humans.” Each song is bound to make you act funky and crazy when you blast it through your headphones. If you want to check The Rice Cakes out live and in person, they are playing a show at the New Wave Cafe in beautiful and friendly New Bedford, Mass. on Oct. 15 and at Bay Path College in Longmeadow, Mass. on Nov. 2. If you can’t make it to either one of those
shows, they’re bound to have another show in the Providence area and maybe even a performance on the RIC Quad so definitely try to keep yourself posted. While you’re waiting for your next chance to see The Rice Cakes live, try to contact them and pick up a copy of the new EP titled “Feel Like Human.” It’s a great, three-song record that will make you boogie like there is no tomorrow and its from an awesome band from the Ocean State. What could be better than that?
Take a trip in the Imaginarium By Michael Martins Mike’s Movies
We l c o m e back readers to this week’s edition of “ M i k e ’s Movies.” This week we are looking at a contemporary film that is probably going to become a classic. The film is “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” directed by Terry Gilliam. Many of you may know this film for the tragedy that occurred during its filming – this was Heath Ledger’s last film. The film tells the story of Doctor Parnassus, played by Christopher Plummer. He is an immortal monk whose mission
in life is to tell great stories in order to keep the imagination alive. After the Devil himself (played by Tom Waits) comes to the Doctor’s temple, the Doctor develops a gambling addiction that puts many of the things he loves in harm’s way. This leads to where the movie really begins. The Doctor, his daughter Valentina (played by Lily Cole) and their small band of street performers in London try to get people to enter the Doctor’s Imaginarium, which is a magical alternate universe that allows people to either purify themselves or give their souls to the devil. This is what the Doctor and Mr. Nick (a.k.a. the Devil) gamble with – people’s souls in the Imaginarium. After a bad performance
the band is on their way back home when they discover a man hanging by his neck from a bridge. The stranger is Tony, played by Heath Ledger. The story quickly takes a wild ride as we learn about Tony’s dark past and take long trips inside the Imaginarium. It is at this point that Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell step in to take over for Ledger. It seems he passed before the filming inside the Imaginarium was completed. Over all, this film is a stunning visual symphony that takes us into what the Imagination can do for a person. It shows how it can blind you with love or fill you with greed and bad ambition. Most of all it can release you from the darkness of the real world.
Courtesy of listal.com
Ledger gives a stunning performance as a lovable sleaze with the aid of a supporting cast that is amazing in its own right. I suggest this film for anyone who enjoys films that blow their mind on multiple levels. You will find yourself engrossed in
the story as well as the lives of the characters. Last week I mentioned that I’m not into a rating system; however I will continue with social conventions and give it four and a half stars out of five.
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Week of September 27, 2010
Page 23
“Blade Runner” still memorable By Nathanael Lee Anchor Contributor
When people think of science fiction films, they typically think of “Star Wars” or “Star Trek.” Sadly, one that is often passed over is the film “Blade Runner,” a science fiction film that still manages to hold its own against the modern special effects of today. “Blade Runner” is based on Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” It came out in 1982, and is directed by the great Ridley Scott (“Alien,” “Gladiator” and “American Gangster”). It stars Harrison Ford, who plays a much different role then we are accustomed to seeing him in. This isn’t Han Solo or Indiana Jones, this is Rick Deckard. The film takes place in a future version of Los Angeles. Deckard is what is known as a
Blade Runner and his job is to track down a group of runaways called replicants. Replicants are robots who are designed to look like human beings, and have life-spans of four years. This particular group of fugitives that Deckard is hunting down isn’t too happy about dying in four years. The Dutch actor Rutger Hauer plays the leader of this group, and delivers one of best speeches in cinematic history – at least in my opinion. At the time of its release, the film received mixed reviews. Many people just didn’t get the point of it all and were so used to seeing Harrison Ford portrayed as the likable, heroic figure. Now the film is recognized as being ahead of its time, which really is just as bad as being behind the times. Scott had to battle with the studio on how he wanted the
film to end. Sadly, the studio won out and the theatrical release has a much different tone then what was intended. Thankfully though after numerous editions, Directors Cut, and now the “Final Cut,” we can view the film as Scott originally intended it to be seen. As already mentioned, the effects are top notch, especially considering they used no CGI and just models. This gives the film a much more realistic quality, and isn’t like watching the CGI fests that audiences are used to today. You become immersed in the world that Scott has created – which I might add is very, very wet. Nearly every scene takes place in the rain. This film is a must see for any science fiction fan, and anyone who just enjoys a wellcrafted film. Courtesy of impawards.com
Facebook owns the web, now the silver screen By Andrew Cavanaugh Anchor Staff
What started as a prank after a break-up turns into a multibillion dollar Website that just about everyone uses. It’s hard to believe but it’s the truth. That’s what “The Social Network” is all about: the truth and the hard details of life, the choices we make on a whim, the choices that define our lives and the ones that change us forever. A lot of those choices are made in this film, which focuses on what just might be one of the most interesting real-life characters ever displayed on film. Jesse Eisenberg, who you probably know from “Zombieland,” stars as Mark Zuckerberg. As the film opens, he’s a Harvard student, and by the end of it he’s a billionaire. Zuckerberg’s idea for a social network website is started after a darkly-hilarious break-up, where in a drunken state; he
hacks into every network on the Harvard campus, takes every single picture of every single girl off of each sorority house network and then makes a joke Website. That Website becomes quite literally an instant sensation. After 22,000 hits in a couple hours, the Harvard network crashes and Zuckerberg lands hip deep in hot water. He also gains campus notoriety and not always in a good way. After being approached by two Harvard athletes (Josh Pence and Armie Hammer), Zuckerberg is asked to start up a website that would combine all sorority Websites to make a kind of dating site. That just wasn’t good enough for him; Zuckerberg had a much bigger plans. That’s all I’m going to spoil for you and all I can say is that it only gets better from there. Eisenberg’s portrayal of Zuckerberg is fun to watch. He
plays him as a twitchy, impatient and sometimes downright rude genius. He’s a punk in every sense of the word except for the fact that the man is brilliant. In almost every scene in the movie, there seems to be a million different thoughts circulating in that head of his and almost none of them make it out of his mouth correctly. As much of a jerk he comes off to be and the cocky way he carries himself, I couldn’t help but like him. I don’t know if I would actually want to meet the guy and shake his hand, but I respect him in a perverted sort of way. As the film goes on, there are many accusations that numerous characters make relating to not only if Mark stole the Facebook idea, but what the motivation was for some certain cold, calculating decisions he made along the way. Almost none of them are resolved, leaving the audience to answer them
for themselves. Aaron Sorkin of “The West Wing” provides what is the wittiest script of the year so far. At times, I was wondering if anyone on the planet could actually say some of the things that come out of the character’s mouths (especially Eisenberg’s). Some lines evoked audible snickers from the audience and even an “Oh!” or two. David Fincher (“Fight Club,” “Seven”) directs the movie with an eerie preciseness. No big sweeping shots are found here – he keeps it simple. There’s really no need to go overboard, as the story is so good all he has to do is put what’s important in frame. Fincher takes it a step further by filming the movie with a warm digital filter, making the film even more interesting to watch. With this film, Fincher proves that not only can he make a movie where there are a million special effects like
“Benjamin Button,” but he can make one that has none and make it twice as interesting. The music by Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails) and Atticus Ross is a strange mix of orchestra, techno and rock, which somehow fits the movie to a T. Overall, “The Social Network” is the biggest contender for Best Picture I’ve seen thus far this year. In terms of true event-based films, it’s the “All the President’s Men” for our generation. This dawned on me when after leaving the theater and I opened the Facebook app on my phone. Mark Zuckerberg created something that not only half a billion people use, it’s become a part of our lives. Just remember that no matter how many friends you have on Facebook, it’s only the real ones that matter.
Week of September 27, 2010
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Arts & Entertainment
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The fat lady is getting ready to sing for “Smallville” By Devin Noll Anchor Staff Writer
Nine years ago this October, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar began the truly epic quest of answering the question: “Who was Superman before he became Superman?” The answer to that question was the television show “Smallville.” “Smallville” stars a host of actors, including Tom Welling as Clark Kent, Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor, Kristen Kreuk as Lana Lang and Jon Schnider (of “Dukes of Hazard” fame) as Jonathan Kent, Clark’s father. “Smallville” is not only the journey of Clark from an insecure boy into the world’s greatest superhero, but also of Lex from a young man with the best of intentions who transforms into Clark’s arch enemy and one of the most infamous men in the world. Sept. 24 marked the beginning of the end for “Smallville,” as the 10th – and final – season gets started on the CW at 8 p.m. You read that correctly – the longest running Superman-related media show is at an end (that’s including 10 movies, five radio shows, three theater performances and 30 T.V. shows, both live action and animation). It is incredible for any show to make it to 10 years, even more so when it is a show about Superman. So, in honor of “Smallville” making it to 10 years, I will be reviewing each episode. Before I do that, I will give a (not so) brief summary of the past nine years. Keep in mind, these are going to be short and sweet, therefore a lot will be left out. The episodes are available online, on iTunes and on DVD or Blu-Ray. Season one is all about Clark finding out he is not of this earth as well as his relationships with the main characters. In this season: Clark is a freshman in high school as he discovers that he has a new ability to see through
anything (with the exception of lead); Clark meets Lex, saves his life and becomes his closest friend. We also meet Lana, the love of Clark’s life, and we see the major differences between Lex and his father, Lionel, and Clark and his dad. One of the big things this season is that we see how kryptonite (which at this point in time is called meteor rock) affects people, other than just Clark – changing them and giving them different sorts of powers. From being a human bug or a protein vampire to a shape shifter or a bee queen, everyone who spends too much time around meteor rock is changed. The main point of this (other than Clark having a villain to fight every week) is to show Clark that many people can’t handle gaining super human powers overnight. As we enter the second season, Clark enters his sophomore year of high school and finds out more about whom he is and where he came from as Christopher Reeve (of the Superman movies fame). Dr. Swann, an astronomer, comes to fill in a lot of the gaps, explaining what happened. Clark also gets a brand new power: heat vision. A new type of red kryptonite (excuse me, meteor rock), is also discovered. Red kryptonite affects Clark differently than the classic green kryptonite; instead of killing him, it lowers his inhibitions, making him more careless about how he uses his powers. This season also introduces the Kawatche Caves, underground caverns that are filled with prophesies hinting to Clark becoming Superman. Season three sees Clark going into his junior year of high school; he learns more about his biological father (Jor-El), gains yet another power (super hearing) and meets Perry White (future editor of The Daily Planet). The biggest event that happened this season would
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have to be the fact that Jonathan gets superpowers for a short time. These powers end up causing massive problems for him and his heart as time goes on. Lex finds out that Lionel killed his parents, a fact that Lionel tries to cover up by making it seem as though Lex has gone insane (very convincingly so). Despite his efforts and thanks to Chloe’s help, Lionel is arrested for the murder. Season four, also Clark’s senior year of high school takes it to the next level with the introduction of Lois Lane and her family. There is also Bart Allen, the hero known as Impulse and the first of many superheroes to enter the “Smallville” world, Clark’s dog Shelby, Chloe’s discovery of Clark’s secret, Lionel being released from prison and the introduction of black kryptonite. Black krypton has the power to split a being into two, one good and the other evil. The black kryptonite also gives us a major look into the future of Lex. This season marks the end
of “Smallville” being a teenage drama with superpowers and the beginning of its transformation into a live action comic book. The fifth season shows the entrance of many more DC Comics characters, such as the hero Aquaman and the evil robot from Clark’s home planet, Brainiac. It also marks the end of the rocky friendship between Lex and Clark. The Fortress of Solitude – Clark’s safe haven from the world – is seen for the first time and silver kryptonite (with the power to make Clark paranoid) makes its first and only showing. This season also marks a T.V. show milestone with the 100th episode, known as “Reckoning.” Many things happen in this episode, but the two biggest events would have to be Jonathan Kent’s appointment to the State Senate and an ending where, in one of the most touching moments in the show, Jonathan dies of a heart attack in the arms of Martha and Clark. As “Smallville” roles
around to its sixth season, the character Jimmy Olsen (or Henry James Olsen, as we will find out further down the road) is established, as well as two more DC Comics heroes, Green Arrow and The Martian Man hunter. Lex and Lana shock the world as they get married, and on their wedding day Lana discovers Clark’s powers. Lana then becomes pregnant with Lex’s baby, but discovers that Lex faked the whole thing in order to get her to agree to the marriage. Lex begins to work heavily in a project known as 33.1, where he tries to give humans the powers and abilities of those he has encountered over the past six years. Luckily, due to the efforts of Clark, Green Arrow and the other heroes, that never happens. Chloe also learns that she has a meteor power; the power to heal others. The season ends with the introduction to the super villain, Bizzaro. Season seven dives deeper to focus on the myth that is Clark Kent as we meet Kara Zor-El, the hero who will be known as Supergirl and Clark’s cousin. Lex learns of a secret group that his father Lionel was a part of, known as Veritas. In search of its secrets, Lex ends up murdering his dad by pushing him out of the window of his office building. The evil Brainiac comes back to torture Lana (with her leaving the show and Clark afterwards) and informing Lex who Clark truly is. The season ends with the fall of the Fortress of Solitude as Lex tries to control Clark. This season also marks the end of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (“Smallville”‘s creators) and Michael Rosenbaum (Lex Luthor) being with the show. The eighth season brings about two new villains: Tess Mercer, Lex’s protégé and Davis Bloom, also known as the monstrous Doomsday. It is
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in this season where Clark becomes known as the “Red Blue Blur” (due to some people getting pictures of him at super speed wearing red and blue). We also get more introductions in the form of the hero/magician, Zatanna and the villain known as Toyman. As the season ends, Green Arrow is found responsible for the official death of Lex Luthor (he had gone into hiding after the seventh season), and Davis Bloom is responsible for the death of Henry James Olsen. Clark also turns his back on his humanity, believing it was that part of him that caused him to be weak. Season nine enters on a very high note as we get to see Clark in somewhat of a uniform for the first time. He even goes so far as to wear the iconic Superman “S” on his chest. Now known as “The Blur,” he has been leaving his mark all over the city. This season also marks the introduction of a few new villains and heroes, with the biggest baddies being that of the Kryptonian and Major Zod, while the heroes are Hawkman, Dr. Fate and Stargirl. This season also has the only two-hour episode of the series (known as “Absolute Justice”). By the season’s end, Clark has almost completely embraced his destiny as Superman (he even got the suit). Chloe, going by Watchtower, has become the eyes and ears of the heroes, Tess has been killed by Zod and Zod and his men have been sent away to a different plane of existence. Now I fully recognize that one paragraph per season is not enough to say what needs to be said. That is why I will be trying to come out with full articles dedicated to one season at a time. If you don’t want to wait, you can also watch the DVDs or go onto the “Smallville” Wiki (smallville.wikia.com/ wiki/Smallville_Wiki) as it is a great source for in-depth information.
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Week of September 27, 2010
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Darling, it’s better down where it’s wetter By Robert Lefebvre Rob’s Game Shelf
Pardon the Disney reference, but now that I have your attention I need to tell you something. I found something I thought I’d never find: a Wii game that was good. Weird, right? I know that I just made some of the Wii fans a little upset, but anyone who knows me is aware that I like to harp on the Wii. It’s just not that great a system. The hardware only works when it feels like it and doesn’t really appeal to core gamers like me. It mostly has casual games that just aren’t that challenging. But since I won a Wii in a contest roughly a year ago I figured I might as well get some games for it that looked appealing. So, I did and one that caught my attention was a game called “Endless Ocean.” “Endless Ocean” was released in America in January 2008 by Arika and Nintendo. The game is considered a spiritual sequel to Arika’s previous “Everblue” series. The gameplay centers around ocean exploration, and that’s pretty much it. The only things you do in this game are go scuba-diving and explore the deep ocean – there’s not even a real story to be had. You play a scuba diver going on an expedition to explore the fictional Manoa Lai Sea. Joining you is a girl named Katherine, who becomes somewhat of a love interest to you. She wants to continue her father’s work after he was lost at sea during a diving expedition. That is pretty much as deep as the story gets. The real draw with “Endless Ocean” is the beautiful underwater environments that you get to explore, and how you get to observe and interact with all kinds of marine life. Marine
biology has always been a bit of a secret love of mine, so I got pulled in pretty quickly. As you explore, you can find and interact with the marine life with fairly simple controls. When you find such life, they are documented in a log that describes the animal in detail. The more you interact, the more you’ll learn about it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the game stays scientifically accurate, for the most part. Once in a great while, I found an inaccuracy with the facts or portrayal of the animal, but nothing that hindered my enjoyment of the game. There are even a couple of underwater creatures you can find that are of fictional origins. When it comes to traveling around, the game doesn’t require precise movements so the Wii remote doesn’t really get in the way. However, there are times when you need to get to a certain point and suddenly the controller lets you go everywhere except for that specific point. There are also points in the game where you can find and train dolphins and seals to accompany you on dives. The more you train them, the more they’ll be able to help you find hidden items and hidden marine life. However, the training segment is a total bust as the dolphin doesn’t respond to the controls because the motions you’re supposed to do to train them don’t work. So, once again the hardest part about a Wii game is the hardware. Although it’s not even what you could really call a game – because there is nothing to win or lose and the goals are focused on more exploration – it never gets old as there is so much to discover. The atmosphere is also really amazing and quite relaxing. The soundtrack really adds to the mood of the game as well, and most of the music is performed by Hayley Westenra,
Courtesy of primotechnology.com
whose voice is proof that angels exist. As I played this game, I couldn’t help but think I was having the wrong mindset. Being a core gamer, I like good stories and challenging gameplay in my games – the gameplay in “Endless Ocean” was incredibly easy and didn’t really have any challenge, yet I was very satisfied with what I was presented. The story, what little there was of one, wasn’t weak but it wasn’t very strong either. The only thing holding it up is the character Katherine since your character only responds in deadpan positive or negative answers. Speaking of the story, I noticed that there were a lot of missed opportunities for furthering the plot line. For example, there’s a scene when
you have a mission to explore a dark, deep-water trench. As you enter it, really creepy music starts to play, indicating that we might be entering a tense and possibly scary area. But nothing happens. It’s just more exploration. Nothing jumps out to scare you. The scene was set up to be scary, but nothing comes of it. Another example is when you accidentally find some lost ruins and decide to explore them. Some weird stuff happens in them like strange currents or finding pieces of an idol resulting in a strange voice telling you to beware, but nothing ever comes of it. Seriously, there are no real consequences for invading these ruins, except for the possibility of turning your hair white. This is supposed to be a casual game so story development may not have been top priority
in the developers’ minds. These types of games aren’t meant to be very challenging, but are designed to be entertaining enough so that it stimulates a player’s mind. The focus is more on that of gameplay rather than the story, but if you’re going to set up a storyline, follow through with it. Give it closure; don’t let it hang out there dangling its feet. Ultimately, I really did like “Endless Ocean.” It was fun, relaxing and it reunited me with one of my favorite subjects. If you’re looking for a casual game that’s a little more than “Prince Bland solves the puzzle to rescue Princess No-Put-Out,” then this may be the game for you. Either that or you could go roughly 15 miles east and remember to hold your breath.
Page 27 Sports Hector the Bear tamer strikes again Week of September 27, 2010
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Hector Espildora Fortuno hands Bridgewater State first loss of season By Zack Dalton Anchor Staff Writer
The Rhode Island College men’s soccer team extended its winning streak to a season high four games, knocking off previously undefeated Bridgewater State University, 2-1, on Sept. 21. RIC junior midfielder Hector Espildora Fortuno scored a pair of goals, slicing through the defense and blasting the ball past the Bridgewater State goalkeeper DJ Siewierski in the 68th and 85th minutes, respectively. The first half was filled with great defensive stands combating flurries of offensive aggression from both sides. Neither team was able to establish a dominant offensive attack, as Bridgewater State held a slight 7-6 advantage in shots on goal in the first half. RIC head coach John Mello has continued to find a way to motivate his team in the second half over the course of their current winning streak, and their performance in the second stanza against Bridgewater State was no exception to that trend. The Anchormen stormed out of the gate early in the
second half, inspired by a great save from junior goalkeeper Nic Clark. The Bears nearly got on the board in the 51st minute when Bridgewater State sophomore Simao Mendes was stopped on a penalty kick by Clark. Four minutes later, sophomore Tucker Fairbanks nearly gave Bridgewater State the lead, as his shot from the right on the offensive rush glanced off the far post and out. In the 68th minute senior midfielder Louis Tavares intercepted a cross field pass in the Bears defensive end and set an open Espildora Fortuno up with a beautiful pass that Hector put past Siewierski for his first goal of the contest. Just two minutes later, Bridgewater State junior Mike Fraser, who entered the game as a substitute, slid into a pass on the goal line that deflected off a RIC defender and into the net to put the Bears on the scoreboard. It would be the final time the ball found the back of the Anchormen’s net thanks to Clark’s solid performance. After losing the lead, the Anchormen weren’t content to let this game end in a tie. Senior midfielder Jose Ruiz set Espildora Fortuno up for the
game-winning goal in the 86th minute. Espildora Fortuno’s shot was nearly instantaneous as he received the ball, mustered up all of his strength and let the ball rip. Siewierski did manage to get a hand on the ball and, had it been any softer of a shot, maybe he saves the ball and keep the score tied, but Hector’s powerful shot had enough on it to send it off the keeper’s glove and into the back of the net. The lead remained intact as the Bears made one final push on the offensive end. A nice save by Clark preserved the Anchormen’s fourth consecutive victory. Not only did Clark play well in net, but the RIC offense was the beneficiary of 60 percent of the corner kicks and had twice the amount of shots on goal as the Bears. The Anchormen also held a heavy advantage in the foul category as well, as they committed nine and the Bears committed 16. The Anchormen have turned their season around since a 1-2 start. The main catalyst in that turnaround has been the performance of their net-minder, Clark. Since replacing sophomore goalkeeper Andrew Hogan, who suffered a significant injury during the Anchormen’s season opener on
Anchor Photo/Dave Chery
RIC junior midfielder Hector Espildora Fortuno. Sept. 1, Clark has allowed just five goals in seven games, with two shutouts. Clark turned aside three shots to pick up the win in goal for the Anchormen, while Siewierski made six saves in the loss for Bridgewater State. RIC raised their record to 5-2, while
Bridgewater State fell to 5-1. RIC picked up their fifth consecutive victory, blowing out Little East Conference opponent Western Connecticut State University, 7-0, at home on Saturday.
UMass sweeps RIC women’s volleyball, 3-0 By Zack Dalton Anchor Staff Writer
The Rhode Island College women’s volleyball team has been looking for some type of a spark in recent games, but hasn’t been able to end their struggles, which continued as they fell 3-0 against University of Massachusetts Boston on Saturday, Sept. 25. RIC sophomore outside
hitter Breanna Boyer led the team with 10 kills and six digs, but the Anchorwomen slipped to 6-10 overall and 0-2 in the Little East Conference in a 3-0 (25-9, 25-21, 25-1) loss. UMass Boston improved to 12-1 overall and 2-0 in LEC play, which is the best start in their program’s history. The Anchorwomen struggled out of the gate in the first set, which showcased their
struggles in terms of a lack of experience. The Anchorwomen never found their groove, and the result was their fourth straight loss at the hands of a far more experienced squad. In the first set, UMass Boston stormed into action and soon it was too much for the Anchorwomen to handle, as they lost, 25-9. The communications with the girls on defense has been a problem in recent games, but
they looked much better in this outing, which is promising for the future. In the second set, RIC came alive as the Anchorwomen took their first lead of the day, overcoming a 5-1 deficit with an 8-3 run. Their efforts were derailed when the Beacons reeled off five straight points, and went on to close out the second set. After winning the first two sets, UMass Boston completely
dominated the third and final set of the match, winning 25-1. RIC freshman outside hitter Amanda Cabral chipped in with six kills, five digs and a block for the Anchorwomen. Sophomore setter Jessica Ho racked up 17 assists and a pair of digs, while also recording a block. The Anchorwomen will be back in action hosting Emmanuel College on Sept. 28 at the Murray Center.
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Choiniere leads Anchorwomen to fifth consecutive victory By George Bissell Sports Editor
For the first time in over a decade, the Rhode Island College women’s soccer team is 5-0, thanks to a 3-1 victory over non-conference opponent Bridgewater State at home on Tuesday, Sept. 14. The Anchorwomen equaled their win total from the entire 2008 and 2009 seasons combined with the victory over Bridgewater State and are off to the best start in program history since 1999. “There were five freshmen in our starting lineup tonight. It was all about our young players stepping up in this game,” said RIC head coach Mike Koperda after the game. “Their performance tonight speaks volumes to not only their level of maturity, but also about our potential, not only this season but going down the road.” RIC junior forward Ashley Choiniere led the way with two goals in the first 10 minutes of the contest to give the Anchorwomen a lead they would never relinquish. In the third minute of the contest, Choiniere broke loose from the Bears defense along the right sideline. She fired a shot towards the middle of the Bridgewater State box, where it bounded past both RIC junior forward Alexis Smith and Bridgewater State senior goalkeeper Kayla Grover and inside the left post to put the Anchorwomen on the scoreboard. In the 11th minute, Smith drove towards the Bridgewater State net down the left sideline and lofted a pass over the head of Grover to a wide open Choiniere who scored her second goal of the game with ease. For the remainder of the first half, the Bears wrested control of the game’s pace and field position away from the
Anchorwomen. After several close calls, Bridgewater State got on the board in the game’s 34th minute. The ball entered the Anchorwomen’s box after a throw in, but RIC freshman defender Theolinda Augustin’s attempted clear was deflected off a teammate and ended up on the foot of Bridgewater State sophomore Molly Copeland, who blasted a shot inside the left post to cut the Bears deficit in half. The Anchorwomen continued to weather the Bears offensive storm thanks to the outstanding play of their three captains Alicia Lardaro, Jenna Childs and Maddie Pirri on the defensive end. The key cog on the defensive end that prevented a number of scoring chances with her stellar play was Augustin. “Theo is what I call silent but deadly. She is just steady. She’s money in the bank and she makes you feel good that you have her back there as the last line of defense before Maddie,” Koperda said. RIC extended their lead to two goals in the 44th minute when their offensive catalyst Choiniere went to work with her signature flip throw-in from the right sideline. Choiniere’s throw in came directly on net, and deflected off the hands of the goalkeeper and onto the foot of her teammate, Smith, for an easy marker. Smith’s goal put the Anchorwomen up 3-1 going into the half. Smith’s goal marked her team-high seventh goal of the season. Smith raised her team-leading point total to 17 for the season with an assist in the victory, as well. Choiniere is now second on the team in goals and points with four and 15, respectively. In the second half, the Anchorwomen’s solid defense allowed them to hold the Bears
Anchor Photo/Kameron Spaulding
RIC senior captain Alicia Lardaro. at bay. Bridgewater State fired eleven shots and forced senior goalkeeper Maddie Pirri to make five second half saves in order to preserve the two-goal lead. The Bears outshot the Anchorwomen by an 11-3 margin in the second half and held a 21-10 advantage for the game. Pirri allowed just one goal, and made seven saves, picking up her fifth victory of the season. Glover allowed three goals and made six saves in the loss for Bridgewater State. The Anchorwomen’s Cinderella undefeated start to the season came to an abrupt end on Saturday. when they were blown out, 9-0, on the road against Little East Conference rival Western Connecticut State University.
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Cod Fish Bowl cross country By Ethan James Anchor Staff Writer
The Rhode Island College men’s cross country team placed 17th out of 25 teams, while the women’s cross country team also finished 17th out of a field of 23 teams in the 43rd annual Cod Fish Bowl, held at Franklin Park in Boston on Saturday. With racing conditions less than ideal for both the men and women runners, RIC held their own on a very hot and humid day. Senior standout Mike Macedo led the Anchormen with a time of 27:18 and finishing 30th out of a field of 287 runners. Leading the way for the Anchorwomen was senior Katie Desrosiers who finished with a time of 21:36 placing 60th out of 243 competitors. The Anchormen also got several strong performances from the younger runners on the squad. Sophomore Conor McCloskey placed 101st with a time of 29:15 and freshman standout Cameron Richer finished shortly after with a completion time of 29:44 placing him 122nd in the event. Also finishing in the top 200 was sophomore Shawn Stadnick in a time of 31:42 placing him 182nd. Freshman Tom DiCristofaro (203rd) and Ian McCord (229th) finished with times of 32:17 and 33:22
respectively. Wrapping up the team was Sophomore Austin Pena (236th) completing the event in 33:46. The team has been building up its endurance through extensive strength workouts in recent weeks and will look to build on the last meets grueling conditions, in their next event, the Pop Crowell Invitational at Gordon on Oct. 2. The Anchorwomen had three other members place within the top 130 along with their senior standout, Desrosiers. Freshman Chelsea Marshall also had a great performance, placing 91st with a time of 22:22 and junior Brittany Richer came in 109th in 22:59. Following her was a trio of senior runners, Jamie Nunes (130th), Kaitlin Geagan (174th), and Nicole Poirier (179th) with times of 23:28, 24:45, and 25:02 respectively. Kayleigh Smith, a junior, finished one spot over 200 with a time of 25:43. Wrapping up the team was freshman Meghan McMullen (213th) with a completion time of 26:33, and junior Justyna Barlow (214th) right behind McMullen with a time of 26:37. The Anchorwomen’s next event will also be at the Pop Crowell Invitational along with the men’s team. The meet is sponsored by Gordon College and will take place Oct. 2.
Photo Courtesy of goanchormen.com
Senior Mike Macedo finished 30th in the Cod Fish Bowl.
Decision time. “I’m taking my talents to the Media Center.” The Anchor newspaper is looking for sports writers.
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Women’s tennis still in search of first victory By George Bissell Sports Editor
Western Connecticut State University seniors Lauren Post and Alyssa Hoynack teamed for a victory at No. 1 doubles, and each won their respective singles matches at the top of the lineup, to lead the Colonials to an 8-1 win over the Rhode Island College women’s tennis team at the RIC Tennis Courts on Tuesday, Sept. 21. The Colonials improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the Little
East Conference, while the Anchorwomen fell to 0-7 overall and 0-3 in LEC competition. Post and Hoynack earned an 8-2 decision in doubles before embarking on singles action. Post picked up a straight set (60, 6-3) victory at No. 1 singles with Hoynack doing the same (6-3, 6-1) at No. 2 singles. The Colonials won all six singles matches in straight-set fashion. RIC junior Suzanne Healy Wurzburg and freshman Kassandra Lima picked up the only win of the contest for the
Anchorwomen with a 9-8 (7-4) win at No. 3 doubles. The Anchorwomen, still in search of their first victory of the season, hit the road for their second LEC matchup of the week, traveling to the University of Southern Maine on Saturday, Sept. 25. RIC’s Lima won a straight set (6-1, 6-4) match at No. 6 singles, but it was the only win in the match for the Anchorwomen, who slipped to 0-8 overall and 0-4 in the Little East Conference as they defeated
by the University of Southern Maine, 8-1. With the win, Southern Maine ends a three-match slide and improves to 3-4 overall and 1-4 in the conference. Junior Katelyn Ouellette and sophomore Tegan Talbot started the Huskies at the top of the order with an 8-3 win over Rhode Island College junior Gabriela Batek and sophomore Doris Belanger at first doubles. The Huskies freshmen tandem of Rachel Miller and Emily Boutin earned an 8-2 win
at second doubles, while senior captain Erica Robertson and freshman Sarah Moody took an 8-1 win at third doubles. In singles action, Miller downed Batek 7-6 (3) and 6-0 in No. 1 singles to pace Southern Maine, who won five of six singles matches in a dominating LEC victory. RIC will search for their first victory of the season when they face Endicott College in a non-conference matchup on Sept. 28.
RIC men’s tennis loses first-ever fall match to Eastern Nazarene By George Bissell Sports Editor
Rhode Island College senior Nate Rebello earned a straight set (6-1, 6-0) win at No. 1 singles and paired with classmate Mike Aiello for an
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portunities,” said Ruiz after the contest. “God blessed us in all our efforts today.” Ruiz started the Anchormen’s display of offensive firepower, and it was continued by junior forward Mike Patriarca who netted his third goal of the season in the 18th minute. Patriarca’s marker was set up by an excellent through pass from classmate Hector Espildora Fortuno. Patriarca broke away from the Colonials’ defense and easily beat WCSU freshman goalkeeper Jack Holub. It was a
8-6 win at the top double spot, but it wasn’t enough as Eastern Nazarene College spoiled RIC’s first-ever fall men’s tennis match by handing the Anchormen a 7-2 loss at the RIC Tennis Courts on Sept. 22. In previous years, RIC only
scrimmaged in the fall and opened up competition in the spring. Their showdown versus Eastern Nazarene marked the first ever fall match in program history, and the loss will count as part of the club’s overall 2010 – 2011 record.
Eastern Nazarene senior Jim Rich, along with sophomores Tim Luz, Eric Johnson and Nick Thompson swept No. 3-6 singles and paired up for victories at No. 2 and 3 doubles to power the Lions to their first victory of the 2010 – 2011
campaign. RIC will continue practicing in the fall and resume match action in March. Eastern Nazarene resumed their fall season schedule, hosting the ENC Invitational Tournament last weekend.
rough afternoon for Holub, who allowed five goals in just over 66 minutes between the pipes. Espildora Fortuno has quickly burst onto the scene and onto the stat sheet as well for the Anchormen this fall. Espildora Fortuno, a key offensive catalyst during the team’s five-game winning streak, netted two goals including the game winner in the teams’ 2-1 victory over Bridgewater State University earlier in the week. “Hector is just a flat out hustler,” said RIC junior goalkeeper Nic Clark after the win. “He showed that today and he helps the team’s offense start to click.” Espildora Fortuno was awarded a free kick from just
outside the Colonials box after being tripped up in the 42nd minute. He bent his shot around a wall of five Colonials defenders and past a diving Holub inside the right post for his fourth goal of the season. His marker put the Anchormen up 3-0, with the first half winding down. Espildora Fortuno would later strike for his second goal of the game on another free kick in the 67th minute. “I got lucky with the free kicks,” said Espildora Fortuno after the game. Espildora Fortuno, a native of Spain, has developed into a force to be reckoned with on the offensive end, and when he isn’t scoring goals himself,
he has no problem setting his teammates up either. He fed the Anchormen’s second leading scorer coming into the game, junior forward Bruno Costa, who netted his third goal of the season in the 64th minute. After Ruiz closed out the scoring with a pair of goals, the last few minutes of the game passed by with multiple opportunities that weren’t capitalized on by either side before the final horn sounded. Clark turned aside three shots to pick up the win in net for the Anchormen. The shutout is Clark’s third in his last four games. Holub made five saves in the loss for WCSU. The Anchormen are averaging 2.5 goals per game on the
season, while Clark has been spectacular on the back end, allowing less than a goal per game (0.65) with three shutouts this season. “I don’t do much,” said the modest keeper after the game. “The ball just doesn’t come to me, I don’t need to be a star because of the stellar defense in front of me which includes last year’s LEC defensemen of the year, Corey Carvalho.” RIC will put their five game winning streak on the line against Framingham State (7-1 on the season) on Sept. 29. -With reporting by Anchor Staff Writer Zack Dalton
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Tina Dias crossing pass deflected off a RIC defender and into the goal for an own goal. Dias scored one minute later when she beat the left side of the RIC defense and blasted a shot past Pirri from 15 yards out. WestConn junior Lauren Francisco gave WestConn a commanding 6-0 lead in the final minute of the first half. The second half started the same way the first half ended, with the Colonials in complete control. WestConn senior Lauren Matthews broke through the middle of the RIC defense and scored on her second attempt after her first shot rebounded
Week of September 27, 2010
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off Pirri. Sieber scored from a seemingly impossible angle on the left side of the box near the end-line to put WestConn up 8-0, and Duran finished the scoring for the Colonials in the 72nd minute to finish off the hat trick. Pirri allowed nine goals, but made 18 saves for the Anchorwomen. Pirri has been outstanding this fall, and suffered just her first loss of the season. WestConn sophomore Caitlin Avery was only called upon to make one save to earn the win as the ball rarely entered the WestConn half of the field. RIC will be looking to start a new win streak as they host Springfield College at home on Sept. 28. Anchor Photo/Kameron Spaulding
RIC sophomore midfielder Libby Lazar clears the ball out of the defensive zone.
Rams fan is burning By Tara Laford Anchor Staff Writer
Everyone in life deserves a second chance. This cliché is way overused due to all the shenanigans that go on with professional athletes possessing more money than they know what to do with. Maybe the athlete will make it rain on a stripper and then shoot a bouncer, (Pacman), or maybe they will decide they want to waste their talent and be stoned with Lenny Kravitz, (Ricky Williams). One thing remains true though, it’s that while everyone may deserve a second chance, they don’t always get it; I’m talking to you JaMarcus Russell. One man received this chance to all animal activists’ chagrin, old number 7. That’s right I’m talking about Michael Vick. He blew his first chance after being the human highlight reel right out of Virginia Tech. He was a fleet-footed quarterback with a rocket arm, who ran in the 4.30s at the NFL Combine. Atlanta’s hero showed that
he wasn’t the man everyone thought he was when he was arrested for dog fighting. He was then put in jail for two years and suspended from the NFL indefinitely after going through the Roger Goodell house of pain. I think that a two year jail sentence is a bit harsh after seeing that Donte Stallworth spent only 30 days in jail after killing a man in his Bentley Continental while under the influence of alcohol. But hey apparently people (mostly PETA) value a dog’s life more than a person’s. So after Vick does his time, the PETA people are crying that he shouldn’t be allowed to play in the NFL ever again. Andy Reid, head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, disagreed. He felt that Vick would fit perfectly into a Wildcat scheme. Reid and the Eagles organization took a chance on Vick when it wasn’t the popular thing to do, and for the past three weeks that decision has been paying off in spades. Vick has put up gaudy numbers so far after having a pedestrian 2009 season in which he was only involved in gimmick plays.
After Kevin Kolb got his bell rung by Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, Vick stepped right in and actually made the Eagles watchable. The Eagles line is a rag-tag bunch that makes the Packer’s line from last year look good, this suits Vick more than Kolb because Kolb stands in the pocket for an hour and a half and can’t get out of his own way, whereas Vick can scramble if he’s flushed out of the pocket. Vick has sparked some much-needed life into a stagnant Eagle’s offense that was non-existent with Kolb under center. The Eagles actually made their Week 1 contest close in the end although they took a loss to the Packers. Then, I watched in amazement when after the game Andy Reid said that Kolb would remain the team’s starting quarterback. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! Kolb looked like crap throughout the entire preseason and everyone was touting him as the next big-time quarterback because he had two 300-yard passing games. Big deal, one
of those games was against the Chiefs. A secondary consisting of Stephen Hawking, Helen Keller, Roy Williams, and Christopher Reeve, could’ve done a better job. Vick is 1,000 times more fun to watch, possessing freakish ability that could lead to him breaking off a touchdown every play. Vick stomped the Detroit Lions in Week 2, which isn’t a big deal. Then this week he went all Baha Men on the Jaguars letting the dogs out (pun intended) for more than 280 yards and three touchdowns adding 30 yards and an additional touchdown on the ground. Also if Maclin didn’t have hands like feet he could have gotten another touchdown pass. Andy Reid remains adamant that corn-on-the-Kolb is still
his QB of the future. The way I saw him play against a good team in the Green Bay Packers, I have my doubts. But hey, a certain Aaron Rodgers looked terrible in his first few starts after the 40 year old Viking left. As of now Michael Vick gives the Eagles the best chance to win, and with no speed bumps in the foreseeable future as far as the schedule goes, I’m going to be driving this bandwagon all the way until Nov. 7th, where the Eagles meet up against Peyton Manning and the Colts, where you will be sure to see D-Jax turned loose on a terrible Colt’s secondary that made Brandon Lloyd look good. So all in all, good luck Vick, and as always go RHODY RAMS.
Sports
Week of September 27, 2010
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sports@anchorweb.org
Anchor Photo/Dave Chery
RIC junior Hector Espildora Fortuno slices through the Colonials defence en route to his second goal of the game.
Dynamic duo
Ruiz and Espildora Fortuno lead Anchormen to fifth consecutive win By George Bissell Sports Editor
Rhode Island College senior midfielder Jose Ruiz collected a hat trick, recording his first three goals of the season, and junior midfielder Hector Espildora Fortuno scored twice on free kicks as the RIC men’s soccer team defeated the Western Connecticut State University Colonials, 7-0, in a Little East Conference match on Saturday. The victory for RIC at home extended their current winning streak to five games, which is the program’s longest streak since 2003. RIC raises its overall record to 6-2, while WCSU falls to 1-4-1. The Anchormen remain
undefeated in conference play at 2-0, while the Colonials fall to 0-2. WCSU has been shutout in five consecutive contests this season. “We are a work in progress,” said RIC head coach John Mello after the game. “The effort and intensity we played with today was excellent. We are really starting to play together as a team out there.” It is truly rare to see a statistical line better than the one that Ruiz produced in the Anchormen’s victory. He opened the scoring in the 10th minute, capitalizing on a loose ball in front of the Colonials’ net that was deflected by RIC freshman midfielder Ryan Rasieleski.
With everything decided except the final score, Ruiz tacked on additional goals in the 72nd and 76th minutes respectively, to give the Anchormen a 7-0 advantage. Ruiz produced the highlight of the game on his third and final goal when he went coast to coast, slicing through the heart of the Colonials’ defense before blasting a shot past WCSU sophomore backup goalkeeper Angelo Tsingerliotis. Ruiz totaled a season-high seven points in the contest, and was named LEC offensive player of the week for his efforts. “It wasn’t just me, it was a total team effort and my teammates set me up with opSee BEARS Page 30
Colonials end Anchorwomen’s unbeaten streak at five games By George Bissell Sports Editor
Western Connecticut State University senior Jennifer Duran netted a hat trick, as the Colonials snapped Rhode Island College women’s soccer undefeated start to the 2010 season, dominating the Anchorwomen, 9-0, on Saturday. The Anchorwomen (5-1, 1-1 LEC) are still off to the program’s best start in 11 years despite the setback on the road at WestConn. The Colonials (4-4, 1-1 LEC), a traditional LEC powerhouse, outshot RIC, 48-2, and evened their overall and league marks at .500.
Duran got WestConn on the board early, scoring on a header just over four minutes into the game. WestConn sophomore Alana Fitzpatrick picked up the assist when she headed the ball high across the face of the goal to Duran. Duran also scored the Colonials’ second goal when she collected a rebound from a shot taken by senior Nicole Sieber and punched it past RIC senior goalkeeper Maddie Pirri. Sieber scored the game’s third goal four minutes later, and WestConn jumped out to a quick 4-0 advantage when a See CONN Page 31