The Anchor Newspaper - April 20, 2020 by The Anchor

Volume 93/Issue XXIII

THE

April 20th, 2020

ANCHOR

Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928

Healthcare workers fighting for life

Abigail Nilsson Editor in Chief Danielle Dyman is a Lincoln, RI native and a registered nurse who is currently working at Morton Hospital, a COVID-19 only hospital in Taunton, MA. Her experience is similar to what many local healthcare workers are experiencing or will experience in the coming days. Dyman kindly shared with me what a typical night at the hospital is like for her and her coworkers. “Last night I arrived at work, got all geared up preparing to care for my patients in the “COVID exclusive” hospital I work at. I put on my gown, my N-95 mask, plus a surgical mask over that, a face shield, gloves and a surgical cap (ready to wear this for the next eight hours). Shortly after starting my shift one of our patients began to code (the patient’s oxygen level dropped and their heart stopped). The amazing team of nurses I

Inside this week:

work with began to work together, under pressure, to attempt to save a life, after all, that’s the natural thing to do if you are a healthcare worker. Each person took their place focused on their task at hand. Nurses lined up behind another nurse to take over chest compressions, for when exhaustion set in, to take over for the nurse in front of them. I’ve performed chest compressions so many times before, so it’s not scary to me. We are there to do a job and that is where my focus usually is. I don’t usually get emotional or scared or upset. I just do what I need to to help my team try and save a life” said Dyman. Healthcare workers around the globe are experiencing similar, yet different, situations when battling the novel coronavirus. There is a known shortage of personal protective equipment. During Gov. Gina Raimondo’s press conference on Friday, she said Rhode Island is still short on PPE but we are expecting more. Her goal is to have a 30 day supply of PPE on hand, all the time, at all hospitals in the state. Meanwhile, healthcare workers in RI and MA are wearing the same masks, gowns and face shields for

Pictured: Danielle Dyman (left) and her team at Morton Hospital. Photo courtesy of Dyman entire shifts, and then they I was trying to avoid tak- healthcare workers in fear are expected to recycle them ing too deep a breath just in for their safety and the safeso they can be cleaned to case the mask didn’t have ty of their families. Doing be reused. Many health- a good seal, yet my adren- the right thing and focusing care workers are only be- aline forced me to breathe on saving a patient’s life is ing provided with surgical deep and rapidly” she said. what these professionals are masks, not N-95 masks, When healthcare workers trained and their goal. But, which are not helping to are performing CPR and on many of these patients who protect them from the virus. are coding and dying are el“Tonight when I performed “We are there to do a derly and have comorbidities these compressions over and job and that is where such as asthma, dementia, over and over again until I end stage cancer and heart my focus usually is. was exhausted and out of disease among others. When I don’t usually get breath, I felt guilt because is it time to stop putting emotional or scared all that was going on in my healthcare workers at risk? or upset. I just do mind was fear of exposure. Most COVID-19 patients “Is my shield down enough, what I need to to help who are admitted to the Indoes my mask have a tight tensive Care Unit require my team try and enough seal?” questions mechanical ventilation, or save a life” Dyman. As the breathing a ventilator. In a study of tube disconnected top of a patient doing com- 18 Coronavirus positive pafrom the ventilator, pressions, they are expanding tients in Washington State blood was spewing and contracting the lungs of who were placed on ventiout into the room at the person, actively pushing lators 14 died. According to those assisting with air in and out of their lungs several studies in China and CPR. Droplets in the through their body. This also Europe a majority of patients air put all the health- expels droplets from the who are placed on ventilacare workers at a lungs into the air, which are tors due to the Coronavirus higher risk of con- highly communicable with do not survive. The longer tracting COVID-19. the Coronavirus. The ques- patients are on a breathing “I began trying to tions of properly fitting PPE, machine, the greater the turn my head away reusing the same mask for chance that they will die. to avoid droplets and eight plus hours at a time and At this point, it is hard to the new standard of care con- tell what the outcome will stantly changing as supplies be for COVID-19 patients in Graphic courtesy of Tauton Daily Gazette are dwindling are leaving Continued on pg. 3

News

Opinions

Arts & Entertainment

Sports

RIC enables emergency fund to help students pg. 3

The danger of four more years pg. 4

Fiona Apple’s “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” review pg. 7

A rough draft of thoughts

The Anchor Newspaper

@TheAnchorRIC

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pg. 9

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Editorial Board EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Abigail Nilsson | editorinchief@anchorweb.org

MANAGING EDITOR Lucille DiNaro | managing@anchorweb.org

BUSINESS MANAGER Janelle Gomez | business@anchorweb.org

ART DIRECTOR Thomas Crudale | artdirector@anchorweb.org

NEWS EDITOR Sean Richer | news@anchorweb.org

ASST. NEWS EDITOR NOW HIRING! | asst_news@anchorweb.org

A&E EDITOR Sophia Guerrier | lifestyles@anchorweb.org

ASST. A&E EDITOR Gregory Williams | asst_lifestyles@anchorweb.org

OPINIONS EDITOR Alexis Rapoza | opinions@anchorweb.org

ASST. OPINIONS EDITOR NOW HIRING! | asst_opinions@anchorweb.org

SPORTS EDITOR Jake Elmslie | sports@anchorweb.org

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR NOW HIRING! | asst_sports@anchorweb.org

PHOTO EDITOR Grace Kimmell | photo@anchorweb.org

ASST. PHOTO EDITOR Baeli Carrol | asst_photo@anchorweb.org

SENIOR LAYOUT EDITOR Ralston Najarro | layout@anchorweb.org

ASST. LAYOUT EDITOR NOW HIRING! | asst_layout@anchorweb.org

SENIOR COPY EDITOR Samantha Scetta | copy@anchorweb.org

ASST. COPY EDITOR Kiana Silva | asst_copy@anchorweb.org

GRAPHICS EDITOR Caitlyn Tiodor | graphics@anchorweb.org

ADS MANAGER Kai Schutte | ads@anchorweb.org

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Anchor Staff

Alison Darmetko Jake DeBlois Sh-ron Almeida Tayler Green David Blais Jenfrin Rodriguez

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Professional Advisor

Jim Hummel The Hummel Report

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(401) 456-8790 editorinchief@anchorweb.org

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The Anchor is student-run and published weekly during the academic year. Editorial decisions for The Anchor are made by a majority vote of its student editorial board. No form of censorship will be imposed by the college. Any material found to be unsuitable or unacceptable in the board’s opinion will not be published. The views expressed in The Anchor, unless otherwise noted, are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent those of The Anchor or of Rhode Island College’s faculty, administration or student body. The Anchor is not funded by and is independent from Rhode Island College. The first copy is free. Each additional copy is $2.25. Newspaper racks on the Rhode Island College campus are the property of The Anchor Newspaper. Only The Anchor Newspaper publication will be permitted on these racks. Any other publication or advertisement that is placed on the racks will be given one (1) warning for violating this policy. After two (2) violations, the business/publication will be billed at the rate of a full page advertisement. Copyright © 2016 The Anchor. All rights reserved.

Legalities:

News RIC enables emergency fund to help students during COVID-19 pandemic

Grace Kimmell Photography Editor The world is shut down. We’re isolated inside with our pantry and it seems like the only logical thing to do is eat lots of snacks (causing grocery expenses to become much higher) . Since we can’t leave our house, electric bills have gone up, heating bills have gone up and the need to have functioning technology such as a laptop or tablet is now essentialcausing you to spend that much more money. While all these costs are seemingly getting higher and higher, most of us are without jobs. RIC has an emergency fund that has been offered to help students during this crisis. On RICfoundation.org, it states,

“In response to the immediate needs of students amid this pandemic the Rhode Island College Foundation has established an Emergency Response Fund. The foundation has contributed $5,000 to seed the fund. But more financial support is needed.” So if you are a student in dire need for food or money for your housing, you can apply via the student emergency funds online form. You can also contribute to this fund if you are in the position to help your fellow Anchormen in need. The foundation stated that, “Students will be eligible to receive support in a variety of forms, including gift cards to grocery stories and gas stations (purchased by the Rhode Island College Foundation) and grants to address emergency needs, subject to state and federal policies and regulations.” Students may also be eligible for a housing grant for up to $500 from the Economic Crisis Team, which

you can apply via the student emergency funds online form. Since the switch to online was not what students have signed up for, it is likely some of us will not have access to technology or internet services to promote this type of learning. You may use this form to apply for an emergency technology grant, which can be up to $250. Again, this need is based upon the review of your application, and you may or may not be eligible for this aid. 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits in the last four weeks, along with applying to get the $1200 check from the new stimulus package. Many students are not eligible for this package given they are dependents of their parents for financial aid reasons, and their parents do not get a $500 rebate since

most college students are for Life services for support. over the age of 18. If you are You can find the services not eligible for this stimthat RIC supplies on ulus package, are out the Rhode Island of work, or are facCollege website. ing any economic hardship and are not eligible for enough or anything through the emergency fund, it is advised that you take advantage of Learning

Healthcare workers,

care providers are sacrificing their wellbeing and their family time to help others. “I have decided to isolate myself at home in my basement to protect my family. It wasn’t until the post mortem care when I was placing this patient in a body bag (that’s right, a bag) and zipping it up, that the emotions set in and I began to think about her family and her life. It was then that I finally saw her as a human being with a life-

continued from pg. 1

Graphic courtesy of Medium

the United States as healthcare workers are rapidly adapting to the changing conditions at hospitals. As healthcare professionals are trained from day one to never reuse the same PPE more than once, they now have to adapt to this rapidly changing environment. The best thing that people can do now is stay at home and social distance. Health-

time of friends, family and her memories, now at its end. I feel like this is just the beginning of a long road of many stories like this.” Dyman said, “I also wanted to share that even though these people may be listed in numbers of positives, admissions, deaths, recoveries, age, comorbidities, nursing home placement, they are people who have their own story that unfortunately is coming to a quick end.”

NEWS

NEED A BREAK

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

OPINIONS

FROM STUDYING?

SPORTS

READ THE ANCHOR.

Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928 | 3

Opinions The danger of four more years

Alexis Rapoza Opinions Editor Alexis is a Communications & Journalism major from Warwick, RI (Class of 2021). If you would have asked me two months ago how I would feel should Donald Trump be reelected in November, I probably would have told you that it would be unfortunate but not inherently dangerous. I would have probably said that as long as Congress remains

split down party lines then I would not necessarily be too concerned. And while I acknowledge that that might be a privileged opinion to have in the first place, the recent developments of the past several weeks have flipped my thoughts completely. Reelecting Donald Trump for a second term in November would be one of the greatest mistakes Americans have ever made. On February 26th, President Donald Trump told Americans that in a few days the coronavirus would completely disappear into thin air. He then repeated the same sentiment, assuring citizens that COVID-19 was nothing to be concerned by, on March 5th, 10th, and the 11th. It was not until March 16,

when the United States had 4,226 confirmed cases, did the Trump administration acknowledge the risk this novel virus was to Americans. At a press conference he claimed: “This is a pandemic. ... I felt it was a pandemic long before it was called a pandemic.” This is a complete lie. The White House knew about how dangerous this virus was long before March 16th. According to The Washington Post, Health and Human Service secretary Alex Azar, warned the administration about the virus on January 18th, almost two months before the Trump administration took any significant action to combat the virus. And if this was not enough to illustrate this president’s incompetence, Trump spent the months following that warning from Azar relaxing at his resort in Florida and hosting campaign events across the country. Furthermore, Trump to this day continues to spew misinformation and dishonesty in his press conferences and on his Twitter newsfeed. He spends his daily news conferences bullying reporters instead of answer-

ing questions and taking responsibility for his negligence. He has proudly stated to reporters that he demanded that Vice president Mike Pence withhold essential resources to states with governors who choose to publicly disagree with him and declared that he alone had the authority to reopen the country. In the past several weeks Donald Trump has done nothing but show that not only is he a narcissist but also a significant threat to our democracy. Throughout his presidency, Trump has shown complete disregard for science and facts. He’s threatened to use executive powers that he does not possess. Even just this week he threatened to delay stimulus checks because he wanted his signature to be on them

even though he had little to no impact on the passing of Coronavirus relief legislation. The Trump administration’s refusal to acknowledge the threat early encouraged the spread of misinformation. This weekend, Americans across the country marched on their statehouses to demand that they reopen their economies, something that they claim was inspired by the president. Trump’s actions have and continue to put American lives in danger and frankly I fear what another four years could mean for the country. Above: President Trump’s April 17 tweets showing his support of the protesters against the coronavirus lockdowns. Graphics courtesy of Mediaite (left) and The News-Press (above)

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.

Opinions I hope we don’t go back to being busy

Alison Macbeth Staff Writer Alison is a double major in Communications & Public Relations and Political Science from Rehoboth, MA (Class of 2021).

It is heartbreaking to see the death counts rise every day. By no means do I take that lightly nor do I desire to communicate a lack of appreciation for health care workers who are so busy sacrificing their wellbeing to serve our nation. “Hi, I am alright. I am busy.” This was the standard response for college students and Americans before COVID-19. It was so

commonplace to hear “I am busy” or “I am tired” that we barely took a step back to examine why or if it should be different. We were all busy. But things have drastically changed the last few weeks as the government called for individuals to stay home and practice social distancing. We have time on our hands, and I hope that doesn’t change in the future. Americans are known to be hardworking individuals, maybe even workaholics. We invented

fast-food to keep up with our fast paced, corporate-ladder climbing, consumerist culture. We drink our coffees on the go. We have a conniption if the wifi is slow. We are like hamsters at a pet store running on a wheel of life. I am afraid that our once healthy, determined work ethic and bright-eyed hope for a better life has evolved into an obsession with business. But this time at home - or as I like to call it, the “Big Pause” - is asking us to stop, think, breathe and reconnect with the things that we love. Most of us don’t have to rush off to work or to our next class or to the gym or to the next activity. Our time is more than ever in our hands. We are not competing with traffic or crazy demands at

work. We have the freedom to rediscover what we want for our lifestyles. I believe it is an important time to pause as individuals and as a country and reevaluate. We can detox from our addiction to business. I hope that this time, more than ever, is a time for us to reset. To start new habits that care for our bodies, minds and spirits. I hope our lifestyles post the “Big Pause” value the ones we love and the things that make us feel the life that is rushing through our veins. I hope that we still bake bread and make creative meals with what we have in our refrigerators. I hope we still read books and stretch and watch long movies and notice the birds outside our windows. I hope that we make time pause, do nothing, think, smile at the wind and realize how it feels to be alive. I hope we don’t go back to being busy. Graphic courtesy of PNGio

FSHED needs to follow what they teach

Grace Kimmell Photography Editor Three sides. Each one was more terrible than the last. As I sat in what was supposed to be a college psychology class, I was confronted with what looked to be a nightmarish figure from my high school geometry days: the triangle. Was it intimidating isosceles? Sinister scalene? Evil equilateral? All I knew is that, as an aspiring English teacher, I wanted to get as far away from this geometric mess as possible. Of course, as I found out, this isn’t just any triangle. As new teachers, one of the very things you learn is about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: things that are necessary to sustaining life and becoming our best selves.

At the foundation of this triangle are our basic needs, such as physiological (food, water), and safety needs. We see that if those needs are not fulfilled, we can never graduate to the next level, which is our psychological needs, such as belongingness or our self-esteem. Without all of these components, we cannot actually reach our fullest potential. This is true for all students. For all students. So why, in our new Coronavirus reality, has a school like RIC -- one founded on those very same essential tenets of education that Maslow espoused -- seemingly lost its way? We hear a death toll each night as if we are back in the Vietnam war era. To be sure, this is a war: a war on a disease. We are all conscripted to the front lines, stressed financially, wondering when we will ever get toilet paper again, and dealing with the mental inability to cope with isolating ourselves for months on end. We cannot see our significant others, friends, or

even our family we don’t live with. We can’t see our dying grandparents in nursing homes, or see our new niece or nephew that was just born. Is school our number one priority? No. Safety is. Our individual and collective safety that we’ve all been charged with. We are stuck trying to fulfill the bottom two tiers of our needs that there is no way that we can actually reach our full potential as students. RIC showed their sympathy for students, knowing that not only did we switch to online classes that we did not sign up for, but also knowing that right now is not the time when we will be doing our best. The college sent a campus-wide email on April 4, stating that classes can be chosen to go through onto your transcript as a pass/fail class. Wise, compassionate leadership at its finest, as this gives students credit for the courses that they have paid for without it reflecting poorly on their GPA. This is great news. Unless you’re an education major (which we

were not told of on April 4). On April 13, I, and many other students, heard from our advisors that because we are taking classes necessary to be admitted into the school of education in the fall, we cannot use the pass/ fail option for any courses in our plan of study. This includes general education courses, English courses, and education courses. So, this means that unless you have an elective course that doesn’t count towards your degree anyways, you cannot use the pass/fail method that was meant to show students the college understands. I guess the only place there’s room for compassion in education is in overpriced textbook on educational philosophy. To make matters worse, they have kept their admission standards at the exact same level as it was prior to this pandemic. This holds students who are trying to survive, protect themselves, and save family members who are infected with the

novel coronavirus to the same standard as a student last spring whose biggest concern was who they were going to go to the beach with on the weekend. That’s not to say life in 2019 didn’t have its share of hardships, but 2020 is historic, unprecedented, and terrifying. Chris Hoskins, an education student, argues, “Holding us to a different standard than the rest of the college isn’t only unfair, it’s unjust.” We should all be held to the same standard and expectations, and anything less than that is just cruel. I am not one that ever second-guesses this institution. I’d never push back against their infinite wisdom and the sheer amount of experience and expertise on this campus. But not everyone is so gentle, and a certain Mr. Maslow and his timeless triangle are here to remind the FSHED about what’s really important to students, all students, in times like these: compassion, safety, security. Maybe it’s time the school of ed learns to practice what they teach.

Arts & Entertainment Anime review: Carole and Tuesday

Sh-Ron Almeida Anchor staff In a future where Mars is a vibrant city, Tuesday Simmons has decided to take her Gibson guitar and leave a pampered life to start anew. On her travels, she meets Carole Stanley, an immigrant from Earth who struggles with maintaining jobs while playing her keyboard to uninterested bystanders. In less than a day, these two different girls become fast friends, passing the time writing songs and having fun. However, when a video of Carole and Tuesday’s performance blows up on social media, a washedup rock star named Gus is determined enough to become their official manager. When it comes to the music industry, which is conquered by pitch-perfect melodies manufactured by algorithms and artificial intelligence, these old-school performers stand out like a sore thumb. And so begins their journey to recognition, all while dealing with a variety of colorful rivals along the way.

Shinchiro Watanabe, the mastermind behind Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, played a large role as supervising director. Although quite subtle in some areas, you can see the Watanabe style throughout the show, from the direction, the editing of characters movements, and even some of the hairstyles too! This show is unbelievable in more ways than just having a diverse and fun soundtrack. The animation is striking, especially when animating mouths when

singing, and hands when playing instruments like piano and guitar. Although sometimes the vocals being sung don't perfectly match but you won’t care much since you are already invested in the music. The show easily has one of the most heartfelt and truly beautiful scores in all of anime. It also helps that our main heroines have completely angelic vocals and delivery in the songs that they sing. Whenever they sang together, they always had my full attention. Their voices are so different and unique, yet they

work together so perfectly. But Carole and Tuesday aren’t the only ones doing all the work. The show has multiple artists, who all have wonderfully written and performed songs, that elevate every element of the show. Also the main and supporting characters also keep the show fresh and fun. Everyone grows on you. Even characters you might really dislike, you end up smiling when you see them on screen, which is really saying something. The two main heroines are also incredibly lovable and fully realized. Despite their difference in background, Carole and Tuesday get along swimmingly, all because of their common love of music. A lot of the music throughout the show is said to be created entirely with AI. Basically put, nothing is ever done by the artists alone, and everything is done by computers. This displays a very important message. Anyone with the right technology could make music, but when the music isn't written by the person who performs it, or depends on the constant help of artificial intelligence, their music will feel hallow, manufactured, and soulless. And then you have Carole And Tuesday, who write and perform their own songs on their own, without needing any help through

artificial means. No auto tune, no separate band, just two girls playing their respective instruments, singing in perfect harmony. The only real gripe I have with the show revolves around a single character. The antagonist and rival, Angela, was irksome. She nothing to contribute in the show aside from being an obstacle in Carole and Tuesday’s path. And even by the end, when her motivations were put into question and her world was shaken up, I still wasn't totally invested. However, that wasn’t enough to tear down my enjoyment of the show. The show of Carole and Tuesday isn't just about music. It's a beautifully written story about two girls making a difference in their journey with music they create through their own hands. It’s optimistic and feel-good experience, with a brilliant message I won’t forget any time soon. Highly recommended. Carole and Tuesday is currently streaming on Netflix, with the English dubbed version premiered worldwide on August 30th 2019. The second season was released on December 24th, 2019.

Graphics courtesy of Slashfilm.com (above) and Genious.com (left)

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Arts & Entertainment Fiona Apple’s “Fetch the Bolt Cutters”: emotional, messy, unconventional brilliance

Lucille Di Naro Managing Editor Once again, Fiona Apple has shocked and rattled the music industry with the early release of her latest album, “Fetch the Bolt Cutters.” Apple’s fifth studio album, “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” is anything but a studio production. Recorded in her Venice Beach home using her iPhone and whatever objects her home had to offer, the album is a departure from the conventional, much like Fiona Apple herself. Moody piano and vibraphone tones, juxtaposed against Apple’s

homemade percussive beats and cutting lyrics akin to Regina Spektor’s “Soviet Kitsch” and Camille’s “Le Fil,” make “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” an instant classic. Fiona Apple, not new to isolation, has provided listeners with the emotional outlet none of us knew we needed. As we sit at home struggling not to feel, Fiona has been simmering in her emotions since recording began in 2015. The awkward, cringe-worthy, maddening anger and sorrow that come with self-evaluation manifest themselves in every line of “Fetch the Bolt Cutters.” This anxious intensity ebbs and flows, balanced only by the peaceful bliss that comes with the liberation of Apple’s most raw self. Unapologetic and innately Fiona, this album is hers and no one else’s. Right off the bat, Apple be-

gins with “I want you to love me,” taking the desires and dreams she’s wrapped in a box, ripping them open and baring her soul. From that point forward, no topic is off the table. Woman and self, woman and women, woman and society, and woman and m*n are evaluated in less than an hour. The album is a brave battle between Apple and herself. I could lay in the middle of my empty street and listen to it from dawn to dusk. It feeds me. “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” is a collective work of art, meant to be consumed in one sitting from start to finish. If you don’t have time for

that--but let’s be honest, you do--tracks you can’t miss include “Ladies,” “Heavy Balloon,” and “For Her.” The album has earned critical acclaim over the past three days, earning a perfect 10 from Pitchfork Magazine, the first since Kanye West’s

2010 masterpiece, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.” My favorite part about it all? Fiona Apple likely does not give one single fuck. “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” is available to stream on Apple Music and Spotify. Graphic courtesy of NYT

Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928

Sports

A rough draft of thoughts

Jake Elmslie Sports Editor In just three days the sports world will enjoy a brief return to something resembling normalcy when the NFL draft begins. The annual college player selection meeting stands as one of the few sports related events still slated to occur on schedule in the wake of COVID-19 and could be the reprieve the sports landscape desperately needs. Fans who have been de-

prived of basketball, hockey, baseball and even upstart spring football all clamour for a distraction from the monotony that has consumed many of our lives. Writers, broadcasters and analysts all desperate for something to sink their teeth into ether to finally get a chance to return to work or just to escape returning to the same dry wells. Athletes and coaches who are due for a spark of hope, be it college prospects achieving their life long dreams or professional players and coaches being given new teammates to look forward to. There are those who mock certain factions obsession with the draft with comedian Bill Burr once describ-

ing watching the event as the equivalent of “going to a graduation ceremony where you

arms an event that moves something, even if it is completely off their personal radar, forward.

don’t know For the 255 anybody who’s individuals who graduating and will be selected by just f***ing sitting Saturday afternoon, there.” However we stand from Joe Burrow to whatat a juncture where everyone ever nameless, lower division should welcome with open backup who is picked at the

end of the seventh round, the future will hold something to look forward to. With all of that in mind it feels insignificant in comparison to parse out the decisions individual teams face on particular players, picks, personal etc. so instead I will end with this. Drafting a running back in the first round is one of the dumbest things you can do, Jordan Love is going to be bad and the Patriots should not draft. I have had a blast being the Sports Editor for this publication over the last two years and I wish all of its readers, staff and future members the very best.

Spring break forever? A way back for the MLB Ray Olivier Anchor Staff Sports are currently at a halt in North America. As for the rest of the World, on Saturday, April. 11 the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) began its season. Being the first professional sports league to begin or re-open their season was a huge first step in a direction athletes and sports fans want to go, towards getting back to normalcy. Taiwan, a small island nation off of the east coast of China, was a key factor when deciding whether the CPBL should begin play or not.

Although Taiwan has a large population of twenty-four million people it was a clever idea for the CPBL to hold all their games in a controlled environment. Keeping the players isolated from fans is one of a few ideas the MLB could adopt and implement to begin their own season. There have been quite a few ideas being debated about how to start the MLB season. Having all the players in one location, like the CPBL is doing, and keeping them isolated from their families and fans is a possibility. The most logical idea, for both the players, their families, and fans, would be to play this

season in Spring Training locations. The Cactus League and the Grapefruit League are how teams are divided up in February and March before they return to their home cities and start the regular season. Due to the times we are all living in now the MLB and MLBPA have decided it is wise to practice social distancing and not allow each team to play in their own respective stadiums nor allow fans to attend. This does not change the fact that fans are hungry to watch a sport they love, nor does it change how much players want to suit up and take the field. The Cactus League is in

Arizona and the Grapefruit League in Florida so it’s possible to split the league in half and have each team play in either Florida or Arizona. During Spring Training each organization has their own facility in the location they play. Most facilities have living arrangements, food services and workout centers for players and staff. The facilities that do not have living quarters for the players are in areas where they can easily access other room and board options. The main concern for both the players and staff members is how isolated they would have to be. Players like Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale have gone on record with saying that if the MLB asks them to resume play, but isolate themselves from their families, then they would not go. Not every player in the MLB has this luxury. Kershaw and Sale can both easily say they would not go because they are each making $30 million a year. But for players like David Bote and Ketel Marte, who make $500,000 a year, they cannot make

the decision to not play as cavalierly as Sale and Kershaw. Now, $500,000 a year is nothing to scoff at but in comparison to the Sales and Kershaws of the world, the Botes and the Martes must put more thought into not playing and not receiving a salary. As David Sampson of CBS Sports previously said, “If the season goes on this is a salary advance, if the season is cancelled, they get to keep this money in return for not suing to collect anymore of their salary.” In other words, if baseball in America begins and players refuse to play, then they will not receive pay for this season. There is no blueprint for the MLB to follow. The CPBL is doing their own thing in China but the contrast in lifestyles between the two countries is vast and everything that the Chinese are doing to get back to normalcy are just options for the United States, whether they work for Americans or not just because they are working for the Chinese is unknown. Graphic courtesy of Action Network. Pictured: Rakuten Monkeys CPBL team

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Sports The Trophy Case: the ‘Bad Boys’ to know before the Bull’s last dance David Blais Anchor Staff

lockdown defense led Detroit to be deemed as the Bad Boys. They would With last night’s airing of end up defeating the the first two parts of the 1998 Indiana Pacers in Chicago Bulls documenta- three games and the ry “The Last Dance” people New York Knicks saw the team, and most im- in five games in the portantly Michael Jordan, in first two rounds of a way they have never seen the playoffs. The before. The footage showed Pistons were headbackstage clips, meetings, ing to the semifiinterviews, and even heat- nals for the fourth ed confrontations with ev- year in a row facing eryone who was around the up against the third Bulls organization at that seed Chicago Bulls. time. The point of this doc- The Bulls were led umentary is to show how the by league MVP MiBulls reign of dominance chalel Jordan and and dynasty ended after a de- lockdown defendcade of just that. What many er Scottie Pippen. people do not know is what The Detroit Pistons had the happened before the Bull’s mindset to defeat the Bulls reign of terror that shaped quickly and then move on the future of basketball for- to the finals. The Bulls knew ever. This is how a team with what was at stake with Demultiple future basketball troit possibly being able to hall of famers would delay repeat which is why they put the Chicago Bulls dynasty. up one hell of a fight in the It is the 1989-1990 NBA series. The first two games basketball season.The De- were in Detroit, giving them troit Pistons were coming off the advantage. However, this their first championship win did not stop Michael Jordan’s looking to defend it. They abilities to score on the court. would end up being the one In game one he dropped 34 seed heading into the play- points, but it would be Denoffs with a 59-23 regular nis Rodman’s 13 rebounds season record. They were led that would prove to be more by Defensive Player of The crucial with the Bulls falling Year Dennis Rodman and short to the Pistons 77-86. allstar Isiah Thomas, whose In game two, Joe Dumars

would score 31 points to give the Piston the edge needed to win with the final score being 93-102. Games three and four were in Chicago with Detroit looking to win the series on the road after two dominant performances. Chicago knew they needed to win these two games in order to have any chance of winning. With Jordan being in Chicago, he had much needed momentum in order to lead his team to victory. He would drop 47 points in game three, winning a closely contested game 103-107. In game four he dropped 42 points which fueled his team to secure an-

other win at home with the final score being 101-108. The Pistons had lost momentum and needed a game five win at home to gain it back. They did just that, only limiting Michael Jordan to 22 points and great defensive play with a 83-97 victory. Jordan was back in Chicago looking for a game seven if they won this game. Game 6 saw his airness score 29 points against the Pistons winning 91-109. So far, every home team has won at home in the series which made Detroit the favorites in game 7 and to stop the MVP of the league from going to his first NBA

championship. Michael Jordan would end up scoring 31 points in game seven, which was about half of his team’s total points. With Detroit being at home they clamped the Bulls and would move onto their second NBA Championship series in a row. The final score was 74-93. The Piston Bad Boys would repeat and win their second NBA championship against the Portland Trailblazers in the finals. The 1991 eastern conference finals however saw Chicago get their revenge on Detroit sweeping them and leading to winning the NBA championship, which was the Bull’s first of six titles to come in the 90’s. And as they say, the rest is history. The Chicago Bulls dynasty of the 1990’s will never be touched due to their dominance and player’s abilities. The dynasty would have had one more title added to it, but it was the “Bad Boys” who prevented Michael Jordan from winning seven titles. This is a footnote in basketball history many people forget. Dennis Rodman would be a key factor why the Bulls didn’t win another championship, and why they would win multiple championships.

Graphics courtesy of IndieWire (above) and Discrete News (left)

Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928

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Feature From the busy campus we knew to tent city

Abigail Nilsson Editor in Chief The RIC campus remains eerily quiet on the Fruit Hill side, but on the Mount Pleasant side is tent city,

a coronavirus testing site. The National Guard spreads out in stations allowing cars to pass through for testing. Donovan Dining Center remains open for students residing on campus, and Director of Dining and Retail Food Services, Arthur Petrie can be seen strolling along the side of the building. Flowers are in full bloom along the quad, as doors remain locked to the rest of the buildings on campus.

The semester is quickly coming to an end and there are many questions that remain unanswered. Will there be a commencement? When will we return to in person classes? What will become of RIC over the next few months? Gov. Gina Raimondo mentioned in her press briefing on Friday that he is hoping to make use of the unoccupied dorms, and make them available for quarantine housing for frontline workers. In a

follow-up on Saturday she said, “If you are living in a dorm, we will obviously not displace you, so you need not worry about that. I would love to have an announcement next week about whether we will use dorms as a free living arrangement.” John Taraborelli, assistant Director of College Communications and Marketing said, “we are remaining in constant contact with the Governor’s Office and other state agen-

cies about how the college can continue contributing to the state’s crisis response.” Many colleges, including Boston University, have a coronavirus plan in place stretching into 2021. At the moment, Gov. Raimondo feels that whether RIC will resume in person classes in the fall remains an open question. All photographs by Abigail Nilsson

| Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928