Week of October 25, 2010
U.S. college retention highest in Rhode Island By Soren Sorensen Anchor Contributor
According to a recent study, students who dropped out before their sophomore year wasted $9 billion of public support between 2004 and 2009 alone. However, something positive was discovered in these statistics. Rhode Island, during the five years the study examined, had the highest second year college retention rate in the nation at 83 percent. New Mexico, at 58.3 percent, had the lowest. Director of Student Financial Aid James Hanbury said that “the high retention rate in Rhode Island is due to the high proportion of quality four-year institutions in the state.” But while private institutions such as Brown University or Providence College might have a rate of 90 percent, a school like RIC can have a significantly lower rate. President Carriuolo said that she is “very concerned about retention.” She added, “Last year we named Holly Shadoian the assistant academic vice president for enrollment management. She has been developing strategies for increasing RIC’s retention.” Citing specific retenSee RETENTION Page 7
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First annual Writing Week a success By Kyle Grant Anchor News Writer
It does not matter if one majors in math, education or physics. This October, all Rhode Island College students had the chance to be writers. From Oct. 18-22, RIC held its first annual Writing Week, a whole five days dedicated to the art of writing. The event was supported by the R.I. Writing Project, the Writing Center and the First Year Writing Program. It kicked off last Tuesday with a workshop on how to respond effectively to student writing. The workshop focused on providing constructive feedback to writing, and was geared toward education majors. Wednesday was National
Writing Day, a nationally recognized day focusing on writing simply for enjoyment. Packs of children from Henry Bernard roamed the campus with pencils and notebooks, along with groups of RIC students doing the same thing. For a day, students from Henry Barnard and RIC became writers, and participated in a writing marathon. RIC students began in the Alumni Lounge in Roberts Hall. There, they were greeted by refreshments and debriefed by the director of the Writing Center, Claudine Grace, and English Prof. Jen Cook. The purpose of this writing marathon was to wander around campus and simply write, without it being judged or graded,
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but simply for enjoyment. “In college, the only time students write is for some sort of judgment – it’s nice for students to write for themselves for once,” said Grace. “I usually spend all my time focusing on academic writing. To me, National Writing Week is like a vacation, a day spent writing for enjoyment, and I hope the students feel the same way,” said Cook. After Grace and Cook told
the students about the goals of Writing Day, the writers were let loose on campus. Groups of students travelled across RIC, from the Student Union to East Campus, learning about the campus along the way. The adventure began with a stunning autumn view from the bleachers of the soccer field, and groups of students met with Prof. Pierre Morenon, who told See WRITING Page 7
Students explore options at grad fair By Luisa Murillo Anchor News Writer
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Students peruse graduate school choices in the Student Union Ballroom.
The process of choosing a graduate school to attend can be a mind-boggling affair. With so many options and factors to consider, it can be very confusing to pursue further education. This year, Rhode Island College hosted its annual graduate school fair in the Student Union Ballroom in order to help make the process easier on its graduates. Over 150 students and 40 schools attended the fair. Director of the Career Develop-
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ment Center Linda Kent Davis said she was satisfied with the number of schools interested in admitting RIC graduates into their programs. “We were especially excited about this year’s fair because of the variety of options available for students to explore,” Davis said. The number of schools was up 28 from last year. Director for Counseling and Experiential Opportunities Kathy Sasso coordinated this year’s fair, along with the help of other members of the Career
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