The Anchor Newspaper - 12/12/11

A symphony of pictures pg. 29

Week of December 12, 2011

Kappa Delta Phi temporarily inactive pg. 3

www.theanchoronline.org

RIC gymnastics packs the Murray Center pg. 35

Anchor Photo // Michael J. Larson Vol. 84, Issue #16

The Anchor

December 12, 2011

2

This week in Anchor History Staff Lawsuit filed against RIC

2006

Editor-in-Chief

By Candice Christiansen, Anchor Staff

Managing Editor

Business Manager

Edward Taylor content@anchorweb.org

Mandy Wray Dion business@anchorweb.org

Content

Providence to host 2001 Pan-Am Intercollegiate Chess Championships

By Senecca Nowland, Chess Club President

News Editor

The 2001 Pan-Am Intercollegiate Chess Championships will be held December 26-29, 2001 at the Providence Marriott in Providence, Rhode Island.

Nicole Leonard news@anchorweb.org

Lifestyles Editor

Campus Police web page wins several awards

1996

Alexandra Weston lifestyles@anchorweb.org

By Jessica D’Ambrosca, News Editor

Over the past five months, RIC Campus Police have been constructing a web page. Recently, the page has one three awards; The Gold Tin Award, AVS Top Service Award, and the DPS Hot Sites Award.

Photography Editor Michael J. Larson photography@anchorweb.org

Campus Climate Wednesday Thursday Showers Cloudy High 52° High 48° Low 47° Low 35°

Friday Cloudy High 49° Low 30°

Saturday Cloudy High 42° Low 26°

If you are in a student organization and would like to have an event covered, please contact managing@anchorweb.org.

Contact US General Information 401.456.8280 info@anchorweb.org Editor-in-Chief 401.456.8790 editorinchief@anchorweb.org Advertising 401.456.8544 ads@anchorweb.org Fax 401.456.8792

Legal Stuff

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 Any material found to be unsuitable or unacceptable in the board’s opinion will not be published.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 © 2011 The Anchor. All rights reserved.

A&E Editor Kyle Grant arts@anchorweb.org

Sports Editor Jack Adamo sports@anchorweb.org

Graphics Editor Tyler Williams graphics@anchorweb.org

Senior Copy Editor

Asst. Copy Editor

Nicholas J. Lima copy@anchorweb.org

Kerrin Arzoomanian copy@anchorweb.org

Layout Editor Tuesday Cloudy High 44° Low 31°

Personnel

George Bissell Samantha Mandeville editorinchief@anchorweb.org personnel@anchorweb.org

On Monday, December 4, the ACLU filed suit against Rhode Island College on behalf of the Women’s Studies Organization.

2001

Managing Editor

Katelyn Hurd layout@anchorweb.org

Circulation Manager Adam Chapasko distribution@anchorweb.org

Technology Director

Layout Editor Dennes Garcia layout@anchorweb.org

Advertising Manager Michael Simeone ads@anchorweb.org

Web Manager

Laura Horton Aaron Buckley technology@anchorweb.org webmaster@anchorweb.org

Contributors Samantha Allen, Jackie Carlson, Dan Charest, AJ Clark, Hillary Costa, Christia Decataldo, Hannah Duffy, Brian Fitzgerald, Sarah Gilpatrick, Amy Glidden, Justin Goslant, Deirdre Greene, Peter Hoey, Timothy Hordern, Hayden James, Stephanie Jobin, Sydney Katic, Mikaela Kennedy, Jonathan Lamantia, Rob Lefebvre, Matthew Leo, Ashley Massoti, Alex McCormick, David Okon, Arielle Rogers, Robert Santurri, Michelle Sarasin, Ashley St. Louis, Chalene Wong, Courtney Woods

Faculty Advisor Lloyd Matsumoto lmatsumoto@ric.edu

Professional Advisors Doug Hadden Jim Hummel Jim Vickers

News to you

December 12, 2011

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news@anchorweb.org

A Happy “Holiday” in the Rhode Island State House

Anchor Photo // Michael J. Larson

It was like the calm before the storm. At 5:30 p.m. on a mild, rainy December evening on Smith Hill in Providence, the Rhode Island Children’s Choir set the tone for the evening—peaceful, innocent and

By Hillary Costa mindful of the season. With Anchor News Writer the tree scheduled to be lit by Governor Lincoln Chafee for 6:15 p.m., the Rhode Island State House had close to four 400 people in attendance; the largest crowd by far in many years. This can be attributed to the debate that has been the talk of the state—Holiday vs. Christmas tree.

In previous articles of The Anchor, we have covered the issue editorially. Two weeks ago, Governor Chafee announced to the press that the annual Holiday Tree in the state house would be lit on Dec. 6 in the Rotunda. The name calling of the tree has proven to cause complications not only in the state of Rhode Island, but across the country for many years. This debate of political correctness was met by local talk radio personality, John DePetro. DePetro took it upon himself—being a celebrator of Christmas—that he and those who share his views, should flash mob the lighting of the holiday tree singing, “O Christmas Tree” to send a message to “Governor Grinch.” Using his daily radio program and social networking, DePetro built up a crowd to join him at the state house Tuesday evening.

Various people in attendance were passing around flyers with the lyrics that would be sung during the flash mob.

Many practiced their constitutional right of free speech waving signs in criticism of Governor Chafee’s naming of

the tree, “It’s a CHRISTMAS tree.”

The plan for the flash mob was to begin singing immediately when the tree was lit. The clock struck 6 p.m. and Governor Chafee and first lady Stephanie Chafee graced the crowd at a balcony of the Rotunda. With the Rhode Island Children’s choir still singing, Governor Chafee switched the lights on for the tree earlier than announced, in an effort to stop the mob, then waved and exited back into a private room.

Much to the Governor’s dismay, the room still erupted in “Oh Christmas Tree.” The flash mob of angered adult voices had begun to clash with the light, and the voices of the children’s choir still performing. The Rhode Island Children’s Choir finished, the children walked off upset and confused as the flash mob sang on. Many in attendance exclaimed the same justifications for participating that evening, “People want to reclaim Christmas,” one woman said, “I think thousands called Governor Chafee’s office; I hope he gets the message by now.”

As the evening developed, so did the extent of the flash mob. As Governor Chafee’s spokeswoman put down a microphone after introducing the Army band that would play next, a man who claimed to be with the DePetro flash mob picked it up and began to sing, “O Night Divine” over the Army band.

After the mob concluded, the Rotunda cleared out almost immediately, and then went over to another tree lighting in the state house.

Down the hall from the Rotunda on the first floor, Representative Doreen Costa had her own Christmas tree lighting in direct protest to Governor Chafee.

All eyes have watched this event unfold—as it has gained national attention from the media—in the search for what is politically correct at the holiday season.

Kappa Delta Phi suspended

by SCG Dangerous comments lead to turmoil for the fraternity The bonds of brotherhood were called into question last week when pledge members of the fraternity Kappa Delta Phi posted

By Kerrin Arzoomanian questionable and Anchor Editor disturbing content in a secret Facebook group to which only certain members of the organization were invited.

Posts within the group singled out members of the fraternity with abusive comments and threatening language. The comments gradually became more and more of a problem as they went on, causing there to be a real concern for the safety of those who were mentioned in the comments and posts. The comments consisted of racist, homophobic and slanderous content. One fraternity member in particular felt physically threatened by those who had been involved in the online group.

The threats were enough to cause the student to notify Campus Police with a formal complaint.

The situation was brought to the attention of SCG immediately leading to an emergency ByLaws/Adjudication meeting on Dec. 7 to discuss the situation. The meeting quickly went into executive session during which the campus media needed to vacate the room.

No official comments have been made concerning the situation. The students and faculty involved declined to comment on the incident.

This isn’t the first time there has been an issue since the fraternity was re-established. Just last year, the RIC chapter of the Kappa Delta Phi Fraternity was re-established after having been disbanded back in the 90s. Back in April, a disagreement between Kappa’s executive board members and its regular members occurred when there was a proposed amendment to enable the Greek community to be more self-sustaining. The members behaved inappropriately during the meeting, expressing vulgar language.

What will be done with the students is still being debated. It could take up to 42 days for the commission to decide upon what should be done.

The event could lead to possible expulsion or even disbandment of the fraternity all together. For now, the fraternity is remaining in suspended status until this is issue is settled.

– With additional reporting by Anchor Editor Katelyn Hurd.

The Holiday

tree on display in the

State House.

News to you

December 12, 2011

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Anchor Photos//Sarah Gilpatrick

news@anchorweb.org

The

two main entrances to

Donovan Dining Center.

Rising costs at Donovan Dining Center Donovan Dining Center has been the subject of criticism over the past couple of months due to an increase in their food prices.

Through various open forums, students have been able to express their concerns over

By Nicole Leonard not only high prices, but the News Editor quality of the food. At Student Government Inc’s town hall meeting, one student complained that they had to “pay a dollar for a bread stick.” At the NEASC open forum, some students felt that the food “was unhealthy and not viable for anyone with specific food allerand Hillary Costa gies or diets.”

Anchor News Writer With the new renovations Donovan has undergone, it has provided more diet specific options. They have created more vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options, and have made a grab and go section to appeal to students.

Vincent Flemming, director of College Dining Services, wants students to understand that they are aware of student grievances regarding variety and option of provisions offered.

What prohibits them from ordering all of “the brands of food that would satisfy the RIC population are Rhode Island regulations in purchasing certain products.”

Donovan is told what food to order and even what brands of certain kinds of food they can purchase for the institution; the staff doesn’t have a real choice in the matter.

The pricing of food has always been a grievance of students, but the dining center’s administration has offered justification for this.

One reason is the fact that student salaries at Donovan “are sometimes increased,” explained Mr. Flemming, “Like any other worker, they also receive pay raises after working with the organization for a certain length of time.”

They also employ the most students on campus out of any other student employer.

Another issue for students is the $60 fee added to the

tuition bill each semester. As RIC is predominately a commuter school, many students will go to classes and then home, or to their jobs.

Some of this criticism is understandable. Dr. Gary Penfield, vice president, says “Donovan Dining Center has a two percent margin in which it has to adhere to,” said Dr. Penfield, “in order to maintain the facility, it must accumulate a certain percentage of money to operate each year.”

Although Penfield also understands the grievances coming from students, as he had decided to try one of the new “Naked” drinks at Donovan on one occasion. When the cashier told him that it would cost $3.50, he didn’t understand why that would cost so much.

“One of the workers there told me I wouldn’t really like it, but I decided to give it a try anyways. I did enjoy the drink, but I wouldn’t say that I would keep paying $3.50 for it,” Penfield said.

But although this criticism is validated, students still have to take into account that Donovan is a self-financing business.

“As an auxiliary building, Donovan must pay for their own expenses,” explained Paul Forte, assistant vice president for finance, “They receive no money directly from the college.”

What this means is that if a table needs to be replaced, there is a malfunctioning air conditioner, or a broken hot water tank that needs to be fixed Donovan itself has to pay for it. That cost is handled by Flemming, who has a certain budget to maintain.

“We usually break even each year,” said Flemming. “We aren’t a corporation like a McDonalds, so we need to raise prices in order to keep the building running.”

There are also many other bills paid out of pocket by the Dining Center without any monetary assistance from the college. Donovan must pay for recycling and garbage pick-up, as well as any repairs and maintenance that the center may require.

Any time a repair needs to be made in the dining center, Café, or Galley, the Dining Center must pay the college for the service that their repairmen supply at an hourly rate. Flemming explained that even if it “only may take the college’s repairman 10 minutes to replace a light bulb, we still must pay the hourly rate.”

There is also a Donovan housekeeping service paid for solely out of the Donovan’s own budget . As an example, Flemming explained how the squeegees required for the floor cleaning machine “are not reusable and cost $60 dollars apiece.” These are only just a few of the regular costs that they have to compensate for.

It should also be noted that the actual kitchen and buffets in the dining center have recently been renovated. For about three years now, the public section of the kitchen in Donovan has been completely re-done and updated to be more efficient and aesthetically pleasing for students.

Donovan paid for this renovation in one installment out of their own revenue. That is a considerable amount of money which involves the cost of labor, material, and making sure these new renovations are up to code. It can cost thousands of dollars to make those kinds of serious improvements.

In an effort to please its customers, Flemming and staff have been taking many initiatives upon themselves to improve the facility’s service. Recently, a new generator was installed for the main dining center. This enabled Donovan to be the reliable fallback during the move- in this fall 2011 semester during Hurricane Irene, when power availability was questionable.

The dining center also prides itself on always having a comfortable and casual atmosphere. Wi-Fi is consistently available and heating and cooling is never an issue.

Recently, the dining center has been obtaining quotes in completely renovating the first floor restrooms. Flemming sympathized with those who utilize the facilities “That they were poorly laid out and lacked basic pleasantries like natural sunlight.”

In an effort to here feedback from RIC students, Flemming and other Donovan officials hold food advisory meetings each month. This gives students a chance to express any concerns or questions they have about the dining services.

The approaching spring semester will be Flemming’s last one as director, as he is set to retire after 25 years at Rhode Island College.

News to you

December 12, 2011

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“

Many items needed to be prepared ahead of time, including the Jell-O mold, which needed to be started three days ahead of time.

Patrie explained that the choices were made according to student preferences, such as requested vegan and glutten free items. A few items featured have never before been made at Donovan, such as the Chicken Caribbean.

Other food choices which differed from the normal day to day Donovan menu included ham, prime rib, and even tofu turkey.

This year, students could experience a pasta station in which staff members cooked the pasta right infront of them. It featured differents styles of pasta, including ravioli and three different styles of sauce, all homemade recipes.

To complete the meal, a variety of desserts were featured. Cheesecake, tiramisu, and an ice cream sundae bar

The Donovan Dining Center

The café will remain open until midnight Sunday, Dec. 11 – Thursday, Dec. 15 for cash or points sales Whole pizza orders must be placed by 11:30 p.m. accompanied the hand stuffed cannoli and Jell-O mold.

Patrie could not boast enough about the hard work his staff members put into the night to make the event possible.

“We don’t have any extra staff,” said Patrie, “so the extra effort and pride that they put in is amazing.”

annual holiday dinner featured a buffet style spread, attracting both resident and commuter students.

The

event was

“People are going to eat tonight either way, we were able to concentrate on the whole package.”

DJ’d

“

To commemorate the end of the semester and the festive holiday season to come, the Donavon Dining Center hosted their annual holiday dinner last Thursday. The dinner drew Rhode Island

By Katelyn Hurd College students to play Anchor Editor games and enjoy other various forms of entertainment, as well experiencing a buffet style dinner featuring items on the menu different from the average Donovan dinner.

On top of providing the students with the regular menu for the week, and catering five other student organizations events on the same night between 4 – 8:30 p.m., Donovan Dinning center hosted the dinner. Despite the hardships that accompanied the night, the event was successful, “people are going to eat tonight either way,” said Arthur Patrie, Associate Director of the Donovan Dinning Center, “we were able to concentrate on the whole package.” Students, faculty members, and families enjoyed an elaborate dinner, holiday movies, and cheerful decorations while WXIN filled the room with music.

“We are really proud of the input and performances of the Resident Student Association,” said Patrie. The RSA hosted bingo, in which winners received prizes ranging from $15 gift certificates to different items from the RIC bookstore. A photo booth was set up as well as a box accepting donations for toys and food, which will be given to the Deans Office to be donated.

Planning for the event typically starts in October. The dinner is planned at the end of the semester for students to take a break from studying. This year, Donovan teamed up with the RSA as well as WXIN to create the event.

“It’s nice for the college community to come together during finals,” said Patrie. He explained that he wants to expand the festive dinner. He hopes more organizations will get involved in the event in the future.

“Our organization as a whole came closer together through the planning,” said RSA member Brittany Pyscznski.

The festive theme for the dinner was titled “Candy Cane Forrest.” “We got as many decorations as we could that went with that,” said RSA member Maggie Keach. The theme was chosen to avoid someone feeling excluded because of what they celebrated during the holiday season.

RSA Members explained that the theme idea came from residents input.

The items on the menu were also influenced by residents input. “Creating meals that aren’t regularly on the food menu normally is a challenge,” Harry Canale, the Head Cook of the Donovan Dinning Center explained.

Preparation for cooking began at the start of the week, while trying to retain the regular meals.

“The challenge is we have regular food that goes out all week,” said Canale.

Your suggestions in action!

by

RIC Radio WXIN.

-Arthur Patrie, Associate Director of the Donovan Dining Center

Anchor Photo // Sarah Gilpartick

Holiday dinner does more than leaves stomachs satisfied

News to you

December 12, 2011

6

news@anchorweb.org

Student Union Road Trip showcases potential for RIC expansion

The RIC Student Union

$252 per year for the Student Union Fee, which funds most aspects of the building’s operation.

David DeQuattro from RGB estimated at the presentation that the Student Union Fee would increase by 75-125 percent, to approximately $300 to fund the project.

Construction is expected to be completed between 2014 and 2015.

The attempt to gain student support for the expanded Student Union culminated with the road trip, which highlighted changes made at student unions and centers around the area and showcased the potential for student life at RIC if similar changes to the student union were made.

The first, stop at Bryant University, was a major eye opener for students and staff on the trip because the student union was packed with students grabbing coffee from Dunkin Donuts, which is located on the ground level of Bryant’s Student Union, which was renovated in 2006.

The next stop, at the newly expanded Student Center at Eastern Connecticut State, was one of the most critical stops of the afternoon, because the renovations to the Student Center mirror those that could potentially take place at RIC. Eastern Connecticut State’s student union, which was renovated four years ago, drastically changed student life for the better on the campus.

The final stop on the road trip was at UCONN, whose brand-new Student Center services 10-12,000 students per day. While not comparable to RIC in terms of size, their Student Center has many smaller aspects that can be implemented at RIC. The efforts to expand the Student Union at RIC continue on Twitter. The twitter handle is @joinmyunion, and a Facebook page is being launched, as well.

could see its total square footage increase from nearly

40,000

to over

99,000

Anchor Photo // Michael J. Larson

The push for an expanded and renovated Student Union continued with students and Rhode Island College staff attending the Student Union Road Trip on Friday, Dec. 2. The trip included stops at the student unions on the campuses of Bryant University, Eastern Connecticut State University and the University of Connecticut.

The purpose of the trip was to highlight the student

By George Bissell unions at other New England-area institutions and Editor-in-Chief showcase to the students and staff on the trip the type of atmosphere the proposed renovations to the existing Student Union would create at RIC. On Oct. 5, Student Parliament voted to endorse a proposal as presented to Student Community Government, Inc. to encourage the RIC administration to move the project forward towards final approval and construction. Despite Parliament’s overwhelming 19-1 vote to approve the project, the RIC administration has yet to approve of the project, and is currently still investigating the finances of expanding the Student Union, a process expected to continue over winter break.

Robinson Green Berretta (RGB) and Foresite Facility Planners, LLC gave Student Community Government, Inc. representatives an in-depth overview of the Student Union Expansion and Renovation Project on Oct. 5. The proposed changes to the Student Union could increase the total space of the Union by 164 percent from 39,192 to 99,015 square feet. The cost of the project will be in excess of $25 million, which is expected to be funded by an increase in student fees. RIC students currently pay

if proposed renovations are approved by administration.

FROM THE CAMPUS POLICE LOGS Public Safety Incident Log ENTRIES FROM DEC. 4 TO DEC. 7 DECEMBER 4 ALARMS—Alarms Non Fire Related—8:11 a.m.

Location: BLD 22—JOHN E. FOGARTY Summary: Alarm goes off in FLS 050. Unit responds and reports lights are on, but the area is clear.

her friend is having an allergic reaction.

to be checking vehicles.

ADMINISTRATION—Miscellaneous Inci-

DISORDERLY—Disorderly Conduct—9:07 p.m.

Location: BLD 25—MURRAY CENTER Summary: RP reports fight broken out in front of Murray Center and requesting assistance.

dents—11:19 p.m.

Location: BLD 23—ADAMS LIBRARY Summary: Officer is out at Adams Library

with a

fourteen year old that was left at the building.

ADMINISTRATION—Maintenance for Campus Buildings—9:29 p.m.

Location: BLD 38 – HORACE MANN Summary: RP (reporting party) states that water is over the spillway in the Mann bathrooms.

DECEMBER 7

DECEMBER 6

DECEMBER 5

ALARMS—Fire Alarms—7:12 p.m.

Location: BLD 13—RECREATION CENTER Summary: Fire alarm into trouble mode at Rec. Center.

ASSAULTS—Simple Assault—1:29 a.m.

Location: PARKING LOT L Summary: Party injured—possible broken cue requested.

ASSISTS—Medical Assistance—7:40 p.m.

Location: MAIN CAMPUS MALL AREA Summary: RP to says she is on the way to her

OTHER INCIDENT—Suspicious Person—7:44 p.m.

Location: PARKING LOT L Summary: Officer advised that students in lot L appear

ASSISSTS—Medical Assistance—8:00 p.m.

Location: BLD 39—STUDENT UNION Summary: RP claims student cut finger with a

car and

the

noses—res-

knife.

December 12, 2011

7

What’s

funny? content@anchorweb.org

Your opinion matters content@anchorweb.org

A liberal perspective of the Obama presidency so far It’s been almost three years and over 1,000days since President Obama has taken office. The 2012 election is now less than a year away and it’s worth taking a look at the Obama presidency thus far. As President Obama himself has said: “The first hundred days is going to be important, but it’s probably going to be the first thousand days that makes the difference.”

By Robert Santurri Jr. The current unemployment rate is 8.6 percent seasonAnchor Columnist ally adjusted according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. This does not include those who have been out of work for a certain period of time and are no longer included in these statistics. The Obama Administration has undertaken a number of economic initiatives in order to help the economy since taking office.

The most famous example is the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, better known as the stimulus package. The bill had spending worth around $550 billion in order to help stimulate the economy and $275 billion in tax credits. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has stated that the stimulus package saved millions of jobs that would have been lost otherwise.

President Obama is also currently arguing in favor of extending a payroll-tax cut that benefits over 150 million Americans. The President also deserves a great deal of credit for the way he implemented the bailout of the auto industry passed under President Bush.

The Economist, one of the world’s most famous weekly news magazines, praised the President last August for not using General Motors as a political tool in an article entitled “Government Motors No More.”

The same article includes a quote that I feel sums up the President: “The lesson for American voters is that their president, for all his flaws, has no desire to own the commanding heights of industry. A gambler, yes. An interventionist, yes. A socialist, no.”

One of the President’s most successful areas since taking office has been with foreign policy. The President recently summed up his foreign policy approach when asked about being accused of appeasement. “Ask Osama Bin Laden and the 22 out of 30 top Al Qaeda leaders who’ve been taken off the field whether I engage in appeasement, or whoever’s left out there, ask them about that.”

The United States will also be withdrawing all 41,000 troops out of Iraq at the end of 2011. This is keeping in line with an agreement that the United States previously made with Iraq. I am personally happy to see this step being taken.

President Obama also said earlier this year that all troops will be leaving Afghanistan by 2014. If re-elected, it will be interesting to see whether the President will be able to fulfill this promise. However, some 43,000 troops will be coming home by the end of next summer.

I believe that the most important and enduring piece of legislation passed under the Obama Administration is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. This piece of legislation is also widely known as “Obamacare”. This is an area where many Liberals have criticized President Obama for not doing enough.

However, I will play the role of devil’s advocate and say that this bill does a lot of good.

One of the key things it does in my opinion is insurers are prohibited from discriminating against or charging higher rates for any individuals based on pre-existing medical conditions. Insurers will also be required to spend 85 percent of large-group and 80 percent of small-group and individual plan premiums (with certain adjustments) on healthcare or to improve healthcare quality, or return the difference to the customer as a rebate.

The bill itself is by no means perfect and certainly not the option I would have preferred. I would have liked to see a universal health care system that countries such as Germany, France, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and many other countries have to some degree. It is important to keep in mind that the President signed a law that not only passed through Congress but he also had to consider whether the Supreme Court would uphold it.

President Obama has also been arguably the most progressive president when it comes to gay rights despite not currently supporting same-sex marriage. The most famous example is the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” last year which previously barred openly gay, lesbian or bisexual people from military service. There is also the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which the President supported and signed into law in 2009.

This law expands the United States federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

The National Center for Transgender Equality noted that it’s the first federal law to extend legal protections to transgender persons. The Obama administration also no longer defends in court the infamous section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which

December 12, 2011

8

prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages as valid.

The President has also been a strong advocate of women’s rights. This includes the supporting the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, and fulfilling his promise of increasing funding for the Violence Against Women Act. As reported by Politifact about Obama’s budget request: “According to the Office of Management and Budget, the 2011 budget ‘includes $538 million, an increase of $120 million, to support female victims of violence, including domestic abuse and sexual assault victims’”.

The Obama Administration’s biggest missteps in my opinion come in the area of transparency and changing the culture of Washington as promised. I don’t expect the President to change how things are done by him personally in three years but I do believe that he can certainly do more.

The other big area where I feel that the Obama Administration has come up short is the lack of action in dealing with Wall Street after the financial crisis of 2008. The Dodd– Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act passed in 2010 was a step in the right direction. However, I feel that it did not go far enough in order to help prevent the same problems that occurred from happening down the road.

I will fully admit that there are times where I often find myself angry and or upset at some of the decisions of the Obama Administration. I have spoken to a number of liberal friends about this and have found they agree. However, I think it is certainly worth taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture.

I think that the problems that many liberals have with the President stem from the expectations about what his presidency was going to be and feeling that he doesn’t do enough at times. Partly perpetuated by the media and some activists, some people got the wrong idea about what exactly an Obama presidency was going to bring. For example, President Obama never promised to end the “War on Drugs” so it’s difficult to get mad at him for not doing that.

President Obama also promised to ramp up the War in Afghanistan. He did promise to bring the troops home from Iraq and will be doing so at the end of this year as pointed out. However, he did not promise to bring the troops home from Afghanistan right away.

As for his battles with the Republicans, Obama is one of those people who carefully picks and chooses his battles. As much as I feel sometimes that he compromises too much or doesn’t fight enough, there is only so much he can do in his position. He’s dealing with not only the Republicans in Congress but also many Democrats who side with Republicans on a number of issues.

Obama never had the mandate that FDR did to enact policies that can be considered liberal or progressive. The other thing to keep in mind is that Obama is no progressive or socialist. He’s a social liberal but not a hardcore one.

I think it will be extremely interesting to see what he accomplishes if given a second term by the people and what policies he would change if any. I also think at the moment for 2012 that President Obama is still the strongest choice for Liberals and Progressives to support to enact real change. Overall, I would give President Obama a B grade for the first three years of his presidency with the caveat that this next year will be important in defining his first term.

repapsweN rohcnA ehT

December 12, 2011

9

Our issues, Your issues editorinchief@anchorweb.org

Letter to the Editor I would first like to commend you on your recent article “Examining Campus Crime Part IV: Arming of Campus Police unlikely in near future,” [News, Dec. 5] regarding the possible arming of campus police officers at Rhode Island’s three state institutions of higher learning.

Unlike many of the past articles published by The Anchor related to campus police officers, it was surprisingly quite accurate and brought out the principal salient points of the issue where Rhode Island is concerned. And there is absolutely no doubt of the correctness of your statement that it is a polarizing and contentious issue.

I would, however, like to point out several inaccuracies and apparent misrepresentations of fact that appear in the accompanying editorial [“Arming campus cops a bad bet for RIC atmosphere,” Editorial, Dec. 5] authored by your editorial staff.

Recognizing your publication’s previous showings of animosity towards me personally, I do not expect that this will be published.

First, while a “see something, say something” campaign would clearly be constructive and beneficial, as well as stimulate student, faculty and staff involvement in the continued safety of the campus community on a more personal level, the principal default in this concept is who is it that will be expected to respond to investigate what is being reported. Unless you are considering contacting Providence, North Providence or the state police, these issues will be responded to by officers whom you apparently consider to be superfluous, a statement which provides a clear and distinct indication of the level of your perceived respect for those who provide for the safety of the campus, and is in direct contrast with your stated recognition of their work.

And your apparent reliance on those external police agencies quite obviously does not consider their levels of man-power and force availability. While the Campus Police Department can, and has, deployed their entire complement of on-duty officers to handle various situations, it is extremely unlikely that their municipal and state counterparts will do likewise.

While you indicate that an armed campus officer “can only shoot at the criminal after they commit a violent act,” this would be true even of their municipal and state counterparts. Yet it is an established fact that, like their counterparts, campus police across the country have been required, while less frequently, to react to armed intruders and other criminals with force. During the past twenty years, there have been approximately eight incidents, including the most recent at Elizabeth State College in North Carolina and the

University of California at Berkeley in November of this year, where campus officials fired their weapons at persons. In each of these incidents, they were confronted by armed assailants. All other instances of weapons fired by campus police, outside of the normal firearms qualification scheme, have been found to be for dispatching sick and wounded animals.

The editorial is correct in stating that violent crimes are random in nature and that Rhode Island College is certainly not immune, yet it is the very randomness of these issues that dictates that they may eventually occur.

These random occurrences have found their way to college campuses not less than 11 times in 2011 alone.

Your editorial is also correct in stating that Rhode Island College is a small school, unlike institutions such as UCONN, Ohio State or even the campuses making up the University of Massachusetts. Yet so are the majority of institutions across the country that have chosen this method to enhance the professionalism of their safety staffs. Schools such as Bentley, Wellesley, Central State University, Wilberforce University, Lincoln University and Edison State University are not much larger than Rhode Island College. In fact, of the 697 institutions nationwide that maintain sworn, armed campus law enforcement agencies, most have student populations under 5,000.

Consequently, your analogy and comparisons as it relates to the size of the school and arming is in serious error.

Again, your editorial states correctly that the mere presence of a weapon makes many individuals anxious and that students and faculty would always be in a situation where they are present. Yet it is from this exact same environment that many of RIC’s students hail from. High schools across this state have for years been infused with armed law enforcement officers serving as school resource officers. Consequently, for the vast majority of students, their presence on campus would, thus, be of no significant difference in the environment that they were used to prior to enrolling at Rhode Island College. As to the faculty, if one were to consider only the English department at Rhode Island College, where each and every professor matriculated from a school that employed armed officers, your initial concept appears, again, to be less credible. And this may be replicated across all departments, at all three institutions. Thus, again, there is no significant difference in their environment and replicates that which they experienced at home. And I would venture to say that not one of these instructors has lost any degree of professional stature or academic excellence because of their attendance at those schools.

As well, while I am not sure, I would seriously think that the administration might take issue with your reference to the residence halls as prison. Dr. Carriuolo and the various members of her administration and staff have taken great pain to insure that the residence halls are safe. As you may be aware, the police department has an officer specifically dedicated to issues which may arise in these areas.

Nor does either of your articles seem to provide recognition of the fact that most campus police officers at Rhode Island College are in fact legally carrying firearms once they leave the campus environs. Or that federal legislation allows them to carry concealed firearms anywhere in the country based on their prior police service. There are, in fact, several officers who continue to work for various municipalities throughout the state.

Neither of you articles seems to mention that, where

state legislation regarding campus police officers is concerned, Rhode Island is again found to be a singular minority, as it is the only state in the nation where legislative language specifically restricts campus officers from carrying firearms. In fact, several, including Florida and Louisiana, specifically require campus officers to be armed while on duty.

Where the established academic and professional research on this topic exists, all literature that speaks against weapons on campus speaks specifically, clearly, and solely against the concepts of allowing students and faculty to carry weapons. This is also borne out by legislative measures in most states. In fact, while the measure has failed in more than 17, the State of Utah is currently the only state in the nation that provides for concealed carry on campus, so long as the person has complied with state statutes. The reverse is shown, however, in nearly all literature which specifically or directly speaks to the arming of campus police, with such distinguished researchers as Dr. Max Bromley of the University of Southern Florida, Dr. Don Hummer of Penn State University, Brian Reaves of the U.S. Department of Justice, and Dr. John Sloan of the University of Alabama, to name only a few, speaking more specifically and clearly to the methodologies of implementing arming rather than opposing it.

Your initial article, however, is correct in stating that, currently, the decision rests with the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education. I would suggest to you, however, that their ultimate decision will likely be to arm only the University of Rhode Island Police Department, as based upon their continuing efforts to upgrade that agency at the detriment of RIC and CCRI, it would appear that is, and has been, their intent. A decision of this type, however, will also send a direct and specific message that RIC and CCRI are not important enough to them to be considered for this level of professional service, and that those schools do not deserve to have that level of protection.

At most institutions across the country, the decision to arm has been made not only in relation to enhancing campus and officer safety, but also for upgrading the levels of professional service that are expected to be provided.

And it is this latter concept that people at RIC seem to have issues with. What levels of professional service do you expect to be performed? If, as you seem to be saying, you are satisfied with something less than offices, regardless of their venue, than I would agree that campus officers should remain unarmed and that they should, in fact, have the responsibility and requirements for being first responders removed from their job descriptions and duties. They should not be called upon to investigate suspicious persons and vehicles, or respond to disturbances or other possible life-threatening issues on campus, as this is not what you appear to be saying you expect of them.

However, intelligent people on campuses across the country have demanded, and expect, the same level of professional service from their campus law enforcement agencies as they do from those who protect their homes.

Should Rhode Island be any different, or is it actually true that the levels of intelligence in this state are significantly lower than others?

Charles P. Wilson The author is a lieutenant in the RIC Campus Police force. the views expressed here are his own.

Our issues, Your issues

December 12, 2011

editorinchief@anchorweb.org

10

A not very merry Rick Perry right to his beliefs we feel the governor’s overly conservative values extend beyond the norm of Christian fundamentals and infringes upon the rights of others.

Gov. Perry must have forgotten about the Separation of Church and State that protects citizens from abuses from overwhelming Christian majority in this country. While homosexuality may be against many groups’ beliefs but the state has taken a different stance allowing for free expression which includes openly serving in our nation’s military.

Public schools do not formalize school prayer because these locations are state or city property that must respect all faiths. Even though there is no organized prayer in these schools, nothing stops students from practicing their faith. Many student groups gather for morning prayer before the start of classes, and at the collegiate level groups such as Rhode Island College’s Christian Inter Varsity are formed. Public schools do not entirely ban the use of prayer or personal religious expression; they just do not formulate group prayer themselves.

Rick Perry’s “Strong,” is simply unforgivable with even right wing Christians stepping out to condemn the governor’s statements, and has failed to sway Christian Evangelicals that the ad was clearly aimed towards. The Anchor waits on baited breath to see the next thing to come out of the controversial governor’s mouth, and expect to see him dropping out and working for his old pal Herman Cain making pizzas in the near future.

The Anchor Editorial Board

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?

(401) 456-8280

The Anchor Newspaper

Possible Republican presidential race candidate Rick Perry the 47th Governor of Texas has made waves following his anti-gay comments in his more recent campaign ads titled, “Strong.” Perry goes on to state that you do not need to be a regularly practicing Christian to see there is something wrong with the country. The possible presidential nominee then goes on to support his argument by stating that religious values have been cheapened with homosexuals being able to serve openly in the nation’s military while not allowing our nation’s children to pray in schools.

First things first, its slightly confusing to hear someone condemn homosexuals while wearing what looks like the exact same jacket that Heath Leger wore in the critically acclaimed film “Brokeback Mountain.”

Perry’s connection to the decline of religious values from openly gay soldiers and students not allowed to pray in public schools has no foundation to stand on since these topics are not at all related. Gay rights activists fought for years in order for the homosexual men and women who risk their lives for the benefit of the country to be allowed to serve openly. Our nation’s soldiers are already under so much strain having to serve in two wars as well as maintaining security at home.

However Perry feels that because homosexuality contradicts with his own personal religious values, that hundreds if not thousands of our nation’s soldiers must be forced to hide their sexuality.

Our nation was founded on a platform of religious tolerance that dates back to when the first pilgrims arrived on the continent when Puritan Roger Williams started his own colony of Providence that grew into the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

America welcomes all faiths equally, which includes each group’s right to freedom of expression. While The Anchor respects Rick Perry’s

December 12, 2011

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The Anchor

December 5, 2011

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December 5, 2011

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it's a way of life

lifestyles@anchorweb.org

lifestyles@anchorweb.org

Find out what Read T.I.L.T.

Upco min g St ude n t Act ivit es

you’re worth.

see page 19 see page

Manstruation or menstruation?

Check it out when the Man Cave takes on the Brutal Truth see see page 17 page

F i na l s s t u dy bre a k s Dec. 12 from 8–11 p.m. in the SU Ballroom Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Reinhardt Room Wind down from

Learn

the versatility of hot

glue in this week’s

Style RX

see page 18 see page

studying with waffles

Family Feud for Student Union Ballroom. Free

and

prizes in the

food will be available to students lucky to arrive early, before a mob of starving college students descend upon

Fore ns i c fi le s T V s e ri es s cre e ni n g Dec. 14 Student Union 307 8 – 10 p.m.

Free Free soda and café pizza provided.

Sponsored by the Sociology and Justice Studies Club. For more info contact club

President Jack Dorata at jdorota_9584@ ric.edu

Of f i c i a l e nd o f t h e s e m e s te r Dec.16 Rhode Island College Happy Holidays from everyone at The Anchor. We wish everyone a relaxing break and can’t wait to see everyone on campus again next semester.

Run for your lives

In the Zombie 5k obstacle course

Zombies have done a lot for me in terms of entertainment. I appreciate things more when I watch zombie-themed movies and television programs because of the hardships that the characters often face while sheltering themselves from the undead (the gore is also fun to watch). Never could I have imagined that zombies would be the reason that I finally decided to get

By Alexandra Weston myself into shape, and it’s all thanks to Lifestyles Editor the “Run for Your Lives zombie infested 5k obstacle course race.”

That’s right folks. Not only is it a three-mile obstacle course, but it’s a three mile obstacle course infested with the undead. The inaugural race took place in Baltimore this past October and the race schedule for 2012 is packed with locations around the country. I myself will be participating in the Boston race (which is actually located in Amesbury, Mass).

Now, contrary to what some of the promotional videos show, the zombies don’t actually tackle, bite or maul the runners. They’re merely spread across the obstacle course and attempt to grab the racers’ flags, which they wear on their waist like an undead game of flag football.

There are also health bonuses hidden throughout the course that can save a runner’s health if they happen to lose all of their flags. Runners survive the race if they keep at least one of their flags by the end. They can only be eligible for awards or prizes if they complete all 12 of the optional obstacles throughout the course.

There are various ways to get involved with this event other than

Courtesy//runforyourlives.com

the waffle bar.

registering as a runner participant. As the race website, www.runforyourlives.com, says, “What’s better than running from zombies? Being a zombie!” People who are interested can register to be a zombie three months before the date next to each location. After watching some of the promotional videos it’s clear that not all zombies have to be conventional. I’ve seen clowns, medical professionals and even nuns who have succumbed to the infection, so anything is possible. The undead participants do have the option to run the race as well, but they’re not eligible for prizes and must run in their zombie costume.

The registration price for the race seems expensive; however, participants including runners, spectators and zombies also get free entry to the “Apocalypse Party” after the race. The party itself features live music, food and drinks, an awards ceremony and celebrity appearances (among many other things). The package is definitely worth the price.

The website is also having various holiday packages that should help lighten the monetary load.

it's a way of life lifestyles@anchorweb.org

December 12, 2011

16

By Deirdre Greene

Courtesy//

en.wikipedia.org

The Simple Things

The other night I was babysitting and asked the boy I babysit for if he knew what cyber bullying was. He’s a very active 10 year-old yet if he had the choice to be on his Xbox Live every minute of every day, most likely that is where you would see him. His answer to my question was “Well, I think I know what bullying is,” and didn’t know the word cyber. So I used an example and said “Trent, think of cyber bullying as if two friends from school were playing with you on Xbox Live. One friend was being really mean to the other and saying really hurtful things. That’s cyber bullying.” I didn’t want to get too detailed in the definition because he cut me off and said “I never knew what that was called until now! Yeah, people call each other mean things all the time on Xbox Live! I just tell them to shut the hell up and play the game.”

I asked him if the teachers at school knew about him and his peers playing Xbox Live or having iPod Touches that they can message each other on.

He then said something that left me speechless. “Yeah, they know, but they never talk to us about it.”

Is cyber bullying something that’s being ignored or just something that teachers don’t feel they should talk about with kids that age? I grew up without any form of technology that’s available today; therefore the term “cyber bullying” was practically nonexistent in my little world. Once in a rare while we talked about bullying, but I

vaguely remember it.

Who would think that bullying would even be taking place in colleges?

The term cyber bullying is the latest form of bullying, a form that is sneaky and ugly. Social media such as Facebook and Twitter are great to network and meet new people; however, it can also have a very ugly side. Cyber bullying, seems like a better way for bullies to attack an individual or a group because they can remain anonymous.

It’s painful for the individual being harmed because it not only affects them in school knowing somebody on campus is doing this to them, but it’s affecting their life outside of school as well. Cyber bullying is the new form of bullying in the sense that it doesn’t happen in one place for one time.

It happens over the internet, w h e r e hundreds, s o m e t i m e s e v e n t h o u sands of others can see what is going on. Most of the time, it’s ignored by those who see it.

The reason why individuals like to harm others, I don’t think I’ll ever have completely clear in my head. What I do know is the word ignorance. I believe individuals act out of their own pain; which I know is no excuse for why they need to take it out on others. Until bullies can understand when they are clothed in their own ignorance, they will keep doing what they are doing until they wake up.

Wording and language is an obstacle in trying to describe what the act of bullying can really do to someone’s life. After learning about this form of bullying, I can say that I am more determined than ever to pay attention.

I wish I could tell this boy, Trenton that the world will get better as he grows up. I wish I could tell him social media will be better and he will always be safe. The only thing that can be done now is to teach him the importance of not ignoring what could potentially be a dangerous situation.

Courtesy/birthnavigators.wordpress.com

Keys and strokes

Anchor holiday party Last Thurs, Dec. 8, the Anchor had its annual staff holiday party. Many of the members got together for a night of food, fun and plenty of games. The night began with a game of “Baggage” modeled after the popular television game show hosted by Jerry Springer. One Anchor bachelor had to choose from three Anchor bachelorettes as they revealed some of their most ridiculous baggage on stage.

After the contestants left the stage, Samantha Mandeville and Mandy Wray Dion, two of the Anchor’s

By Alexandra Weston executive board members, handed out awards to all staff Lifestyles Editor members that included, “Most Creative Staff Member,” “Most Consistent Writer,” and nonsense awards like “Most Likely to Initiate a Joust.”

The night ended with a Yankee Swap with many interesting gifts, such as a kidnapping kit, two peppermint sticks and a pair of pink stockings that looked very flattering on staff writer, Tim Hordern.

All-in-all, after a month of planning by the Anchor editorial board, the night turned out to be a success. It left the Anchor’s members laughing, full and happy.

December 12, 2011

17

it's a way of life lifestyles@anchorweb.org

Takes on the apocalypse Nice Guy Wow really, this is our end of semester topic? I would have gone with something festive like our take on Christmas music starting too early. I guess Ponyboy is just in one of his ranting moods so I’ll go along with it.

By Nice Guy and Ponyboy A girl being on her period is just naThe Man Cave ture, granted it may not be one of nature’s more beautiful aspects, but there isn’t much that you can do when your girlfriend starts her cycle. The best that a boyfriend can do is to give her space when she becomes stressed or irritated. That doesn’t mean you have permission to ignore your girlfriend for a week, fellas. Perhaps you can tone down any excessive parts of your personality that may incur her wrath. Take her out to dinner and try to keep her laughing and just take away the physical stuff for a week, trust me it won’t fall off. If you have an overactive libido, that’s what the internet is for. Whatever you do, don’t ever make jokes that she looks bloated.

It’s not a good way to make light of the situation you’re just going to piss her off. Oh, and never ever buy her Midol or any other period symptom relief medication thinking that it will help. You’ll just be signing your own death warrant.

Ponyboy So, Lily Adams huh? After reading your booty call article last week I’d drunk dial you any time. I like my girls feisty. It’s good to get a feminist point of view in the paper, maybe

it will balance out my ignorance since I’m sure there are a few campus groups who want my head.

First of all I’m amazed that the editor would even let us touch this topic. I swear she just wants me to piss off the right people so she can stop running my filth. So let’s get it started then shall we? I have a tip for guys who have to face a girlfriend on the rag: Run. Trust me guys run far and run wide before you’re forced to suffer a week of hell. There’s plenty of ways to avoid the monthly apocalypse. The easiest would be to lie. Tell her that you have finals or school in general has bogged you down and you won’t be able to see her and that you’ll call her as much as possible. Do you both live on campus and can’t really avoid one another? Barricade yourself in your room and call her to tell her you’ve fallen deathly ill. Are you afraid to run into her on the quad? Do what I do, have that oversized hoody she’s never seen you wear and use it to blend into the other zombified students marching mindlessly towards their final exams.

Ok, so you love her and can’t live without her for a week. First of all, that’s your biggest mistake. There’s nothing more refreshing than hooking up with a new girl for a week every month while you wait for your girlfriend to open up shop again. Anyway just buy that chick some Midol if you’re still that much of a sap that somehow she’s talked you into putting up with her mood swings. Sure she’ll be pissed off for a few hours but that will blow over, especially if she actually takes it.

Having to face girls on the rag is one of the many reasons that I’m happily single. Still, just because one of your girlfriend’s most important parts is temporarily out of commission doesn’t mean you can’t find other stuff to do to keep both of you satisfied until her condition blows over. I’ll leave the rest up to you. Keep reading next semester for more of my pearls of wisdom.

We are all aware that women bleed out of their vaginas once a month. It’s a biological fact of life. Women become miserable for a few days each month, have epic mood swings and crave things like chocolate and Funions. Luckily for men, they don’t have to experience this misery, right?

Not so fast. Men also experience hormonal fluctuations and biochemical changes that cause their testosterone levels to drop and can induce what is known as “Irritable Male Syndrome” or IMS. When this occurs, males experience anger, mood swings and hypersensitivity. However, unlike women, men have a hard time coping with these bouts of emotions in a healthy manner.

By Lily Adams The Brutal Truth When experiencing their “man periods,” men are known to stab each other in the back, start “man drama,” cry for no reason or yell while throwing things around the room. There’s not really much you can do to get them under control besides ignoring it and letting the hormones run their course.

The worst part of IMS is that it can be contagious. When one man starts to become irritable, he can begin to stress out his companions and lead to setting off their mood swings as well. Imagine an entire fraternity having IMS at the same time. It’s not pretty.

Although it might be hard to overcome its symptoms, there are many ways that IMS can be prevented. Overall, if a man takes care of his body, he is less likely to experience it.

Limiting medications, eating well and consuming less alcohol are some examples. Also, men that don’t have sex on a regular basis are more likely to experience IMS. So yes, it might be true that when someone is cranky they just need to get laid.

Stress is one of the biggest triggers of the male period, so try to avoid stressful situations if at all possible. When stress becomes unavoidable, try to cope in healthy ways such as exercising, playing a couple rounds of Call of Duty, or taking a drive around the block.

If your man friend is down in the dumps or raging for no reason, make him a sandwich and tell him to cut it out. If he whines back, tell him to go to Walgreens and buy some man-pons and proceed to ignore him for the rest of the day. He’ll get over it.

Courtesy/birthnavigators.wordpress.com

Manstration

Sports

December 12, 2011

18

sports@anchorweb.org

Choice leads RIC to 57-47 victory over WPI

Anchormen improve to 9-0, best start since 1970-71

Senior forward those points coming at the charity stripe.

Mason Choice scored a RIC suffered their first defeat of the season on season-high 17 points in Saturday, Dec. 10 at the hands of Little East Conferhis first game back from ence opponent Eastern Connecticut State, 70-59. a slight concussion and the Rhode Island College men’s basketball team

By George Bissell improved to 9-0, the best Editor-in-Chief start in program history since 1970-71, after a 5747 victory over Worcester Polytechnic Institute at the Murray Center on Thursday, Dec. 8.

The Anchormen’s tenacious defense set the tone in a dominating victory, limiting WPI to a season-low 47 points on 34 percent (19-of-56) shooting from the floor and outrebounded the Engineers, 41-32.

WPI came into the game as the 15th ranked D-III team in the country, averaging 86 points per game.

Despite playing outstanding defense, the Anchormen struggled offensively, shooting 40 percent (20-of-50) from the floor and committed 15 turnovers.

In addition to a Choice’s efforts, which included 13 points in the second half, the Anchormen got contributions from senior center Mike Akinrola and junior guard Tahrike Carter who added 14 and 12 points respectively. Freshman guard Brandon Hill made an impact with a career-high eight points off the bench in 10 minutes off the bench.

WPI was led by senior guard David Brown, who Junior guard Tahrike Carter drives the lane scored a game-high 11 points in the first half and against WPI. Charter finished with 12 points. finished with a team-high 13 points. Freshman guard Marco Coppola, who entered the con- t e s t averaging a team-high 17 points per game this season, was limited to just 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting (including just 1-of-7 from 3-point range), thanks in large part to an outstanding individual defensive effort by Carter, who was matched up one-on-one with Coppola.

RIC jumped out to an early 11-3 lead with 15:40 remaining after a 3-pointer Senior forward Mason Choice gets to the rim in the second from Carter and extended its lead to 13 half. Choice finished with a team-high 17 points. points, 23-10, with just over 11 minutes to play. WPI responded by playing shutdown defense for the remainder of the half, going on a 14-4 run to close out the half. RIC took a 27-24 lead into the break.

(7-1, 0-0 (9-0, 1-0 WPI came back with a run to start NEWMAC) LEC) the second half, tying the game at 31-31 with 15:47 remaining after a Starters Starters 3-pointer from freshman guard Sam David Brown 13 Mason Choice 17 Longwell. A Coppola jumper gave M ike Akinrola M arco Coppola 11 14 WPI their largest lead of the game, Matt Carr 37-34, with 11:50 remaining.

6 Tahrike Carter 12 Akinrola connected on a layup Jameel Galloway 0 Ethan Gaye 2 with 11:23 remaining to pull RIC T om D e C iantis Jaime Shannon 0 2 within one and Choice splashed a Bench mid-range jumper with 10:39 remainBench ing to make it 38-37. A three-point 9 Brandon Hill 8 Domenick Mastascusa play from Choice put RIC up, 41-37, M ichael Palumbo 5 S am Longwell 2 with 9:01 on the clock and the Anchor1 Basheem Bennett Ryan Kolb 0 men never looked back, holding on to the lead for the remainder of the game.

0 0 Keith Hamilton Ricardo Bonhomme RIC outscored the Engineers, 19-10, Sophomore guard Tom DeCiantis takes a free throw in 0 Steven Roberts C had LaBove 0 over the final 10 minutes, with 13 of the first half.

Anchor Photos // David Okon

47 57

Sports

December 12, 2011

19

70 52

One giant letdown

Anchormen suffer first loss of the season at Eastern Connecticut State

By George Bissell Editor-in-Chief

The Rhode Island College men’s basketball team suffered its first loss of the season, 70-59, at the hands of Little East Conference opponent Eastern Connecticut State University on Satur-

day, Dec. 10.

Eastern Connecticut jumped out to the early lead and never looked back. Despite a furious comeback in the second half, the Anchormen were unable to pull out a victory in the late stages of the contest and saw their streak of nine consecutive victories to open the regular season snapped at the hands of their LEC rivals. The Anchormen had won 14 of the last 15 meetings between the two teams, including a 62-49 victory over the Warriors in the 2011 LEC Tournament championship game.

With the loss, RIC fell to 9-1 (1-1 LEC) on the season. The loss snapped the best start in a season for the program since the 1970-71 edition opened with a 13-0 mark. With the victory, Eastern Connecticut improved to 6-1 (2-0 LEC).

Eastern Connecticut was led by four players in double-digits including senior forward Hamilton Levy, who scored a season-high 18 points in a career-high 34 minutes. Senior guard Nick

Nedwick added 13 points, five rebounds and five assists, while senior forward Jamie Kohn scored 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Junior forward Chris Robitaille chipped in with 10 points and five rebounds.

The Anchormen were led by senior center Mike Akinirola, who scored a team-high 18 points and added eight rebounds. Junior guard Tahrike Carter added 14 points and six rebounds and sophomore guard Tom DeCiantis contributed 14 points. Senior forward Mason Choice was held to six points and four rebounds and fouled out of the contest with 2:45 remaining in the second half.

RIC trailed the Warriors 39-33 at the half and mounted a furious second half comeback highlighted by a 13-4 run that pulled the Anchormen to within a point, 51-50, with 5:30 remaining.

Eastern Connecticut responded with 10 consecutive points over the next three minutes to end any hopes of a RIC comeback victory.

RIC shot 46 percent (24-of-52) from the floor and out-rebounded the Warriors, 30-28, but committed 20 turnovers, which were a factor in the loss. Eastern Connecticut shot 51 percent (24of-47) from the field including a red hot 6-of-12 from 3-point range and was able to pull out the victory despite 16 turnovers of their own.

Rhode Island College will be off for finals and the holiday break before returning to action on Thursday, Jan. 5 against non-conference opponent Wheaton College.

(9-1, 1-1 LEC)

(6-1, 2-0 LEC)

Starters Mike Akinrola Tahrike Carter Tom DeCiantis Mason Choice Ethan Gaye

Starters 18 14 14 6 4

Hamilton Levy Nick Nedwick Jamie Kohn Chris Robitaille Joe Ives

Bench

Bench

Steven Roberts Avery King Jacob Page Chris Burton Basheem Bennett

Brian Salzillo Chae Philips Brandon Yarborough

3 0 0 0 0

Tyler Hundley

Junior

Junior

guard

Tahrike Carter

sets up the offense.

Carter

finished with

14

points.

sports@anchorweb.org

Junior

guard

center

18 13 12 10 3 7 5 2 0

Steven Roberts.

Ethan Gaye

drives the lane.

December 12, 2011

it's a way of life

20

lifestyles@anchorweb.org

Arm yourself with Your answers in 30 words or less: a hot glue gun Relationships

Courtesy//ditzyredhead44.blogspot.com

One of my friends is a talented costume designer.

Like me, she has a love for the gaudy and glittery. Her clothes look like they were plucked right out of Barbie’s closet. Even though she’s a whiz with a sewing machine, she swears by her hot glue. It’s quick, easy and works on just about everything.

What is hot glue and why is it such a versatile adhesive? Technically, hot glue is a combination of polypropylene and various other resins. In laymen’s terms, it’s plastic that’s solid at room temperature. Heat makes

By Courtney Woods it turn into a liquid, which dries quicker than most other Style RX glues.

Using a hot glue gun couldn’t be easier. Plug it in, load in a glue stick, wait for the glue stick to heat up, then ready, aim, fire! Be sure to let your glue stick heat up for several minutes. If it isn’t fully heated, the glue that comes out of your gun will not be fully melted and will not adhere optimally. If you want to avoid those pesky strings a glue gun leaves behind, store the glue sticks in the freezer. Although you are ultimately going to melt them, storing them in the freezer keeps them from heat and humidity, which can cause strings.

Go to Michael’s or JoAnn’s and you can pick up a mini hot glue gun for under $3.

Hot glue sticks are equally inexpensive… go to the dollar store and you can get 20 of them for $1. Of course, there are much nicer and more efficient glue guns that are a little more expensive. With those you can choose your heat settings and the glue sticks heat up much faster.

I’m not a skilled seamstress. Hot glue makes it possible for me to hem pants and skirts, make costumes and my favorite, bedazzle. I once used hot glue to bedazzle a nude bodysuit in the style of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” music video. I also used hot glue to attach a boa to a skirt to make a can-can girl costume. Hot glue is no match for sewing, but it can certainly get the job done. It’s also water-proof, so it holds up pretty well if you throw your hot glue-altered clothes in the wash.

The versatility of hot glue doesn’t stop with just clothes. Live in the dorms? Hot glue is an excellent adhesive for posters, bulletin boards and anything else you need to stick to the awful cinderblock walls. Hot glue doesn’t leave residue like tape does. Simply pick the glue off the wall at the end of the semester.

Hot glue may not be the strongest adhesive, but unlike many other strong types of glue, it’s non-toxic and has no odor. It works well on fabric, plastic, wood, metal and glass, making it a good choice for all types of arts and crafts. Its low price and simplicity to use makes hot glue a miracle adhesive.

Dear Ari, How do I get my man to dress the part without making him feel inferior of his own personal identity and style? I also don’t want to change him or mother him but I appreciate better clothing.

– Faye, RIC senior

Dear Ari, I have a great friend that’s also my “intercourse buddy.” The thing is I’m falling for her. She is amazing, but I don’t think she wants anything serious, so how can I tell if she does or not?

-Jim, RIC junior

Dear Jim, Dear Faye, TALK TO HER!!!! I

By Arielle Rogers Stylizing him can can’t stress that enough.

Ask Ari make him feel like he Be open and honest with isn’t good enough for her. You can’t help how you. Instead, tell him a certain pattern you feel so who knows! She may reciproor color looks really good on him, which cate the same feelings. for a healthy life. (secretly) will help his style choices. beliefs are interpreted is where the conflict happens. I agree, make love not war.

Dear Ari, My now fiancé and I are debating when to get married. I want to do it before we graduate and she wants it after. When should we tie the knot?

– Aaron, RIC senior Dear Aaron, I agree with your fiancé. Wait until you both graduate so you don’t have added wedding stress on top of educational/career stress.

Dear Ari, My boyfriend and I have been together for four months. It’s been lovely but he moves too fast and is already thinking of marriage etc. I, on the other hand see our relationship as a fun lighthearted one. How do I keep us from moving forward but not being tied down? I am too young to be married.

– XOXO Gossip Girl RIC sophomore Dear XOXO, Honesty is the best policy. Tell him that taking things slow is best for you both and the relationship. Just let things happen one day at a time.

Special Question of the Week

Dear Ari, My boyfriend is OBSESSED with making his penis bigger! I have tried everything to convince him that his size is perfect (which it honestly is) and that he is an amazing sexual partner/lover.

I’m getting really tired of his constant complaining and it’s starting to put a strain on our relationship. Is there any other way to make him stop?

– Ivy, RIC senior

Dear Ivy, One possibility is to go to the extreme and say two little words: “NO SEX.” Tell him he needs to stop his obsession, build his confidence up again and love his penis as much as you do.

Until he does, you physically can’t love his penis. It’s like putting him on a sex suspension. For many men, especially those in healthy emotional and sexual relationships, with holding sex can be

theworst punishment or ultimatum.

The chances are that he will erase the mental negativity that has been placed upon his penis, whether it’s from the social hype about men and big penises or from a past relationship judging his most valued organ. Once you establish the new “law of the land,” give him some time to adjust, realize and take action on fixing his own unfortunate self-esteem problems. I suppose this just goes to show that self-esteem issues are something that both men and women deal with.

Wherever our societal pressures began doesn’t matter. What matters now is how to deal with them, and stop them for the future generations, because clearly it’s affecting us (even our men) pretty badly. I wish you and your boyfriend success in breaking his negative mental ways.

December 12, 2011

it's a way of life

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Things I learn from television

with someone close to me. I know I probably don’t think about it as often as I should, but as I watched the two brothers struggle to save their sister from her fate, I thought that I too have a brother that would do anything to save me from dying. I don’t see him as much anymore, he’s off in Mass. studying psychology, but knowing I have him, my parents and my family I know I’m not unwanted or worthless. I may feel down occasionally and worthlessness may cross my mind but I’d never find myself in the Child Broiler, my brother wouldn’t let me. I can only hope that I also show how the people I care for are wanted, that no one in this world is born merely to suffer. Just like one should take the chance to learn something new every day, wouldn’t it be nice if people went out of their way to make someone smile?

To tie everything up in a nice little bow, I’ll leave you with a quote that sums up what I learned from “Mawaru Penguindrum” quite nicely. “To the world you are one person, but to one person you are the world.”

Courtesy // Matryoshkaa.wordpress.com

Many infamous people are known to say that the people of this world are separated into two groups, those who are special and those who are not. It’s a bit sad to think that from the moment of our birth we are shoved into either one box or the other and it’s that sadness that drives many people to believe that their life holds no worth. They feel as if they are merely pawns held under the thumb of an angry god. After all, as its said by one of our main protagonists this week, “Why are people born if they are only meant to suffer the hard life? Is it meant as some type of punishment? A cynical joke?” Is life really set in

By Ashley St. Louis T.I.L.T. stone? Are we born worthless, stuck under the weight of the word fate? To find the answer I turned to a show called “Mawaru Penguindrum.”

“Mawaru Penguindrum” tells the story of three siblings, two twin boys and their younger sister. They’re an all-around normal family. Yet the sister suffers from a mysterious disease that leaves her stranded at home. One day after a spontaneous trip to the aquarium, she collapses and is rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, the doctors are unable to come up with the best course of action and as a result she dies. The brothers are grief stricken, but suddenly their sister rises from the dead, possessed by a mysterious hat (which just so happens to resemble a penguin). This mad hatter declares she has decided to extend the life of their sister but she demands that the boys find what is known as the “Penguindrum” as payment for extending their sister’s life. It’s here that the two brothers’ journey to deny fate begins.

Despite its somewhat eccentric plot, “Mawaru Penguindrum” deals heavily with the idea of being wanted and longing for a place to belong, making the importance of family during hard times a reoccurring theme. Family importance is something that all of these characters struggle with, the sickly sister in particular, who suffers from lack of self-confidence and sense of worth. We also come to learn of an entity known as the Child Broiler, which is a place where unwanted and abandoned children wander to disappear because they feel they have no worth.

I’ve always wondered why people feel the need to belong somewhere, but really, when I look at myself I see the answer as clear as day. Yes, I would consider myself an independent person, but nothing makes me happier than sharing a conversation, a moment,

Finding one’s worth

Q & Anchor Anchor Photo//Sarah Gilpatrick

What are your plans for Winter Break?

Name: Joel Motta Major: Music Education Year: Senior

Name: Pamela Price Major: Graphic Design Year: 20XX

Name: Mikaela Kennedy Major: History Education Year: Senior

Name: Huong Duong Major: Undecided Year: 20XX

Name: Nate Lee Major: Film Studies and Theater Year: Junior

Name: Arthur D. Parise Jr. Major: Elementary and Special Education Year: Senior

“What? We get a break?”

“Ice skating, maybe a seasonal job, practicing my artwork.

Who am I kidding? I’m doing nothing.”

“Hibernating until they tell me it’s the day before the new term.”

“I don’t really have any “Going home to Maine “Relax, play some upcoming plans, but and having a real video games and catch with Christmas and up with friends.”

New Year’s coming up winter.”

I’m sure I won’t have a moment’s peace.”

For your entertainment

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Arts

Interview with

“Leahy Family

New Politics

Christmas” brings joy to Roberts Hall

see page 22

see page 23

WXIN goes big in the spring

ByPeter Hoey

Anchor Photos // Michael J. Larson

A&E Staff Writer

It is the holiday season and we all know what that entails: the end of this year, and the start of a new.

This also means the conclusion of Rhode Island College’s fall semester. That does not mean you should completely forget about this college while you return home; especially since people are still pouring their hearts out over vacation to bring students and faculty an electrifying spring semester.

One of group of these people is the organization known as WXIN. This on-campus radio station has provided entertainment for the college since 1979, and they do not intend to stop anytime soon. “We have a lot lined up for the spring, and I think everyone will be able to find something they’re interested in attending throughout the semester,” said Andrew Augustus, Program Director for WXIN. “As for dates, though, we aren’t exactly sure when these are taking place.

However, we’re constantly meeting to discuss that. As the semester nears we’ll promote exactly when and where these events will be.”

The first event Augustus talked about was “Battle of the Bands.”

From his description, this event will appeal to all fans of the rock ‘n roll genre. “We started this event this past fall and it was very successful, so we want to bring it back in the spring. It’s a different show than WBRU’s because we focus on the local talent. There’s great music in our area and this is what we want to focus on. The local band Vulgarity, who won both this and WBRU’s show, proves the talent RI has,” Augustus commented.

Rock ‘n roll enthusiasts also

have another event to look forward.

Augustus continued on to describe “Rock Hunt;” a WXIN annual event featuring bands competing against one another. Consisting of sixteen bands, the winner will receive a $1000 prize. If you have a band and wish to participate, you can email WXIN at alternative@ricradio.org.

The entry fee to take part is $25.

If you’re someone who prefers the party atmosphere rather than rocking out, then attending WXIN’s events at the Ruff Stone Tavern in North Providence. WXIN have held many different types of costume parties and hope to continue the tradition next semester. “These parties will have a theme. We noticed many people really liked the 90s theme we had this semester so we want to be sure to choose something people will enjoy,” Augustus added.

The last event Augustus mentioned was the end of the year concert, which will be featuring a well-known artist. “We can’t give out too much information now, but what I can say is that it will be on campus and people will like who and what we are preparing,” said Augustus.

WXIN do not want to concentrate on the aforementioned events, however. The organization is a radio station, after all. WXIN is pushing towards strengthening their listenership, adding much variety into their radio shows from news and sports talk shows to country and hip hop music. “We want to expand and give something to everyone. If there’s a genre you like that you don’t hear, become a DJ. The more, the better,” Augustus concluded. If you are interested in becoming a DJ, as well as helping plan when and where these events take place, WXIN holds their meetings on Wednesdays during free period at 1p.m. You can also email Augustus at pd@ricradio.org.

There will be much to do next semester besides class and work.

Whether you wish to be the one planning or simply attending, the New Year promises an entertaining agenda thus far.

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Theater grads make it big time

Anchor

file photo

Providence is perhaps one of the most creative centers in New England.

The city deserves its title of “The Creative Capital” Rich in artistic expression and performing spectacle, the several colleges of Rhode Island are geared for the performing arts, and one

By Kyle Grant field the state stands out A&E Editor in is theater. Providence College, the University of Rhode Island and Brown all have had significant success in their theater programs, but no area college can quite match the Rhode Island College theater program in success after graduating.

Whether on the local, regional, or national level, graduates from the RIC theater graduates have no problem finding jobs in the real world. Theater program from Rhode Island College have gone on to be award-winning actors on the big screen, silver screen and the Broadway stage.

Viola Davis, who gradated from RIC in 1988, has forged a career from her education that has gone on to dazzle countless audiences. In 2001, Davis won a Tony Award for her role in “King Hedley II,” and was nominated in 1997 Viola Davis for her role in “Seven Guitars.” Davis also starred alongside with Meryl Streep in “Doubt,” and has most recently starred in the film “The Help.”

While Viola Davis may be the most famous actress to come out of RIC, she is not the only graduate to find success in the theater field. Jennifer Mudge graduated from RIC in 1995, and has starred along Al Pacino in the 2010 film “You Don’t Know Jack.” Mudge now stars alongside Kelsey Grammer in the HBO Drama “BOSS.”

Other names on the massive list of star RIC Graduates include Michael Roderick, Broadway producer and artistic director of Small Pond Entertainment, Lenny Schwartz, a nationally renowned screenwriter with productions in California and New York, and Laura Brigham, who is the casting director of Festival 56 in Illinois.

“The RIC theatre program was very helpful in the real world...I wouldn’t be doing what I am today without having graduated from it,” said Schwartz.

“RIC really taught me to stand on my own two feet, and to trust myself.

They have all the elements you need Michael Roderick in a theatre career right there, but you have to be responsible for seeking those elements,” said Brigham. “Too many programs these days hand you everything on a platter. RIC makes you work for what you want, which is what a theatrical career in the performing arts requires.”

“The environment there was competitive but without malice. Students Laura Brigham work together as a team which is what theatre is all about,” Brigham added.

For years, Providence has been one of the creative epicenters of New England, which can be seen in the ‘Creative Capital’s’ theater atmosphere. Many colleges in the area boast a wonderful theater program, but none have been quite as successful as the Rhode Island College program.

Whether it’s on the national level or the local, the RIC theatre program’s unique style of preparing its students has shown in the success of those who leave the program.

Lenny Schwartz

Spring semester to bring more show stoppers By: Alex McCormick Anchor Contributor

As the fall semester comes to a close, Roberts Hall and the Nazarian Center are just warming up for an even exciting spring semester season.

After welcoming performers from all over, including China and Spain, Roberts Hall will once again be opening its doors to national and international performers alike with their very successful Performing Arts Series. Kicking off the Performing Arts Series in February is “The Muir String Quartet,” performing their second concert in the Beethoven Cycle. The performance will include astonishing performances of string quartet including “E-Flat Major, Op. 74,” and “C-sharp minor, Op. 131.”

In March, pianist Fredrick Chiu takes the Sapinsley stage. Chiu’s piano-playing springs from his backgrounds in multiple continents, including Asia and Europe. His musical training and an exploration of artificial intelligence and the body-mind-heart connection have a special effect on his musicianship.

Later that month, a Russian dance and music ensemble called ‘Barynya’ will be performing a spectacle of singing, dancing and live music.

American pianist Simone Dinnerstein has been called “a throwback to such high priestesses of music as Wanda Landowska and Myra Hess” by Slate magazine, and praised by TIME for her “arresting freshness and subtlety.” and will be bringing this talent to RIC in April.

Ending the Performing Arts Series is the exciting “Vox Lumiere: Metropolis.” A tale of the future forged in the early 20th century, “Metropolis” is a story filled with diabolical robots, flying cars and other sci-fi wonders.

The Performing Arts Series won’t be the only thing keeping the Nazarian Center busy this semester. Mainstage will be putting on Hugh Whitemore’s “Breaking the Code,” directed by Michael Ducharme in February. A biography of British mathematician Alan Turing the nature of the play reveals connections between his cracking of the Nazi’s “unbreakable” Enigma code and his refusal to live a life closeting his homosexuality. Turing imagined a modern world of technology, but a homosexuality conviction ravaged and desecrated his life. Turing died alone and raped of his identity, but “Breaking the Code” puts honor and humanity back into his life.

Who could forget the spring musical? This year, William Wilson will be directing the “Drowsy Chaperone.” Original and creative, the “Drowsy Chaperone” tells the story of all human beings desire to be entertained with our lives.

The fall semester definitely has been outstanding as far as performing arts are concerned. Sold-out shows and amazing displays have been abound, and the Nazarian Center is dedicated in continuing the brilliance into next semester. For more information of these and other performances this Semester check out the Performing Arts section on the RIC Website, or visit the Roberts Hall Box Office.

– With additional reporting by Anchor Editor Kyle Grant.

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“Leahy Family Christmas” brings holiday cheer to RIC Maple syrup, hockey and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World;” these are just a few of the exports our friendly northern neighbors have provided the world that has made it a better place. One more gift Canada has given the world is the Leahy Family, a family blessed with a masterful talent in music.

An astounding family of

By Kyle Grant eleven brothers and sisters born A&E Editor and raised in Ontario, The Leahy Family is an award-winning music group that has amazed the world for decades. Last Sunday, The Leahy family brought their brilliant performance to Rhode Island College with a few tricks up their sleeve in “Leahy Family Christmas.”

After a warm introduction from President Carriuolo, the Leahy Family took the stage with a rendition of “Joy to the World.”

Afterward, the family took off playing an original song displaying each family members’ talents. Fiddles, drums, guitar, bass and tapdancing were abundant in the Leahy family performance.

Watching the Leahy brothers, it was clear why the Devil went down to Georgia instead of Ontario; he certainly would have lost a bet if he ran into these talented brothers at fiddle. The playing of these fiddle players were incendiary; it’s a shock that Roberts Hall didn’t burn down with these musicians on the stage.

Fiddlers were not the only family members owning the stage, however. The entire Leahy family showed talent in any instrument

they touched and their was plenty of instrument swapping.

“Growing up, we didn’t have enough instruments for all of us, but that made us all want to play that much more,” said Donnell Leahy, the oldest of the Leahy Family. “My sister knew I wasn’t allowed to play piano until she was done, so she would take her time. I would want to play so badly that when it was finally my turn I wouldn’t stop playing. ‘Donnell time for dinner’ my mom would say. ‘Mom I’m playing piano’ I would answer.”

The Leahy Family had a few tricks up their sleeve besides their own fantastic musicianship. For the first time while on tour, the family also brought their children on tour to perform. Emily Leahy provided an amazing performance of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and five children aging from ages for to nine gave a fantastic tap-dancing performance that warranted a standing ovation from the crowd.

This show was spectacular, but it was not without imperfections. The biggest problem had to be timing. The eve of finals is not exactly the best time for a festive holiday show, and that was shown by the fact that I was literally the only college student in Roberts Hall. Burnt out and overworked with the last push of the semester, I honestly would not have attended the event if it wasn’t what I’m paid to do. Which is a shame, because it truly was a great show that warmed the biggest scrooge in the room.

All in all, “The Leahy Family Christmas” was a brilliant performance that could not be properly enjoyed due to finals. However, those lucky enough to attend the performance witness a dazzling display of festive folk and holiday joy. This was the last Performing Arts Series event of the semester; enjoy your holiday season and good luck with finals!

Basking in “Bastion”

By Robert Lefebvre Rob’s Game Shelf

The weather’s getting colder, people are getting crazier and stores are packed to the brim. I guess it must be Christmas. And I guess it’s that time on the Game Shelf where I make my Christmas recommendation. One great gift to give to your gamer friend is Microsoft points, Nintendo points, or Playstation Network Cards.

And one great downloadable title to buy is “Bastion.”

“Bastion” was released in July of this year by newcomer developer Supergiant Games on Xbox Live Arcade and later the Playstation Network.

“Bastion” tells the story of a silent hero referred to as The Kid who awakens to discover his world has been destroyed by an event called the Calamity. He heads to the Bastion, a place where people are to evacuate to in case of trouble. There he finds an old man named Rucks who instructs him on how the Bastion can be used to start rebuilding the world. The Kid embarks on a journey across what is left of the world to find cores that can restore the Bastion as well as survivors, but slowly uncovers the hidden truth behind the Calamity.

While the story is not particularly deep, it does actually keep you interested throughout the game. What’s also interesting is that there is no dialogue or cut scenes. The entire story is told through gameplay and narration by Rucks, who has a voice I would give a leg for. While the narration can be a little distracting, I liked it

because it was well written and kept me wondering what was going to happen next.

The gameplay is great fun. You control the Kid as he traverses the world and takes on monsters that have infested the world’s remains. You can hold two weapons at a time from a choice of many, each with their own unique powers, as well as a special item that gives you a special attack. There are many options for upgrading your weapons as well. There are also places called Proving Grounds where you can practice your skills with each weapon.

Each time you level up, you have a choice from many to pick a special ability that can help you in battle, all very unique from each other. There are even places called Shrines which allow you to make the gameplay harder for you, and allow you greater rewards.

The one downside to the gameplay however is that due to the linearity of the level design, there isn’t much room for exploration.

Normally I don’t mind linearity too much, but the gameplay and the story base itself around exploring this world and trying to recover what’s left. I would think that there would be more to the world you would get to see.

To wrap it up, “Bastion” is not only well worth the download, but it could indeed be one of the best games of the year. With its incredible production value, simple yet compelling story, easy yet very layered gameplay, this is a must have for any gamer out there.

If you get Microsoft points or Playstation cards for the holidays, download this game.

Merry Christmas, and happy gaming.

Local Events Studying for Finals!

Dec. 12-Dec. 15 Everywhere Keep calm and carry on, my fellow collegians! The end is near, but first you must slay the vile beast of final exams. Remember not to waste yourself on all nighters, however; manage your time wisely, sleep and eat well, and keep motivated to ace those finals!

“A Christmas Carol” Nov. 18-Dec. 30 Trinity Repertoire Company $15-$68 The heartwarming tale of holiday cheer finds itself being retold on stage with Trinity Rep’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol.”

Already sold out for November, this wonderful Christmas tradition is sure to warm the audience during these cold winter nights.

For your entertainment

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“The Vision of Escaflowne” and why you should watch it

don’t know what a Gundam is then, well, it’s high time you reevaluated your life). The Guymelefs are enormous robotic suits of medieval style armor that pilots use to fight battles in, basically they are the definition of epic.

Anyway, Hitomi is a normal high school girl living a normal life until a young prince, Van Fanel, appears at her school fighting a dragon. After killing the dragon both Van and Hitomi are transported to Gaea where Van shows Hitomi his small, peaceful kingdom and prepares for his coming of age ceremony. During the ceremony the kingdom is attacked by a group of invisible Guymelefs from the Zaibach Empire.

Despite fierce resistance Van’s kingdom is destroyed but Van and Hitomi escape with the Guymelef Escaflowne. Once safe, Van swears to avenge his people and the two set off, picking up allies and friends as they go in an effort to destroy the Evil that is Zaibach.

The series concludes with the best sword battle I’ve ever seen in an anime. Van’s Guymelef Escaflowne fights the Guymelef of a friend he’d made during his journey.

The battle doesn’t consist of big waves of energy or powers or blasters of some kind to make increase the spectacle however, oh no, “The Vision of Escaflowne” doesn’t sink to such petty tricks to try and impress its audience. The final battle of “Escaflowne” is a sword fight through and through, a dual between the most talented blade masters in all of Gaea. Escaflowne is an anime worth watching for this battle alone but I’d recommend it regardless.

Long story short, you should watch “A Vision of Escaflowne.” Now go watch it, I mean what else would you do for winter break?

Records on the rise

Stornoway 4AD

Common

“The Dreamer/the Believer” Release Date: Dec. 20 Inspirational American rapper and poet Common is preparing to release his ninth studio album just in time for Christmas. Featuring artists Nas, John Legend and Maya Angelou, “The Dreamer/the Believer” is said to be an album based on the inspirations of Common, such as the hip-hop style of artists KRS-One or N.W.A. So far, two singles have been released off the album.

Tracks to download: “Ghetto Dreams,” “Blue Sky”

Young Jeezy

“Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition” Release Date: Dec. 20 The fourth studio album by rapper Young Jeezy is going to feature a lot of the Southern artist’s hip-hop friends. Released by Def Jam Records, “Thug Motivation 103” is the next class in the school of hip-hop after Jeezy’s “Thug Motivation 101,” released in 2005. Artists Ne-Yo, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Andre 3000, Jadakiss, and more will be featured on the album.

Tracks to download: “F.A.M.E,” “I Do”

Release Date: Jan. 17, 2012 The second album of English electro-rock band The Big Pink is taking a more hip-hop influence in their sound. Gaining its title from a 1980’s skateboard slogan, The Big Pink has released two albums off the record. Many songs can be heard on their band’s website, and remixes are also available.

Tracks to Download: “Stay Gold,” “Hit the Ground”

Courtesy //

“Future This”

billions.com

The Big Pink

Oxford-Based indie quartet Stornoway features a relaxing yet upbeat sound that makes one reminisce of adolescent days adventuring in the woods without a care in the world.

Formed in 2006, Stornoway is made up of singer and guitarist Brian Briggs, multi-instrumentalists Jo Ouin and Oli Steadman, and Rob Steadman on drums. The name of the band came from the Scottish town of Stornoway, which is used for most weather reports.

Mellow yet cheerful, Stornoway has a unique sound all their own. Songs such as “Zorbing” and “I Saw You Blink” has an exploratory feel, warmly haunting and addictive to the airs. While listening to Stornoway, one can’t help but get the feeling of childhood days and the curious carefree adventurous lifestyle.

Stornoway has a passionate following in the United Kingdom, ranking high on alternative charts and appearing in shows such as “Later…With Jools Holland.” However, this popularity is yet to translate in the United States. Nonetheless, Stornoway is a haunting yet incredible band filled with contradictions, but guaranteed to be a good listening. Their debut album “Beachbomber Windowsill” is a perfect listen for winter break, for calm cold days that take you back to younger days.

Under the Radar

Well, since this is going to be my last anime article of the semester I figure I should take a look at an old favorite, “The Vision of Escaflowne.”

“Escaflowne” isn’t just an old favorite; it’s probably my first favorite. Sure, there was “Dragon Ball Z,” “Pokémon,” and “Sailor Moon” but “Escaflowne” was an anime that slipped below the popular radar during my childhood so I was the only person I knew who had ever even heard of it. “I think that’s more due to your lack of friends because Escaflowne was quite popular in the USA for a while.” Oh shut it. Anyways, here it is:

By Christian DeCataldo My review of “The Vision of Escaflowne.”

Christian’s Anime Corner First things first; this is an article about the anime series “Escaflowne,” not the movie. “The Vision of Escaflowne” is a story about a girl named Hitomi who lives in present day Tokyo. One day, Hitomi is transported to a fantasy world called Gaea where she embarks on an epic journey to save Gaea from an evil Zaibach Empire. Now this may sound a little cliché a plot, especially in the anime world and I suppose it is, I mean “normal girl gets transported to mystical land” isn’t exactly number one on the list of original ideas anywhere. However, “Escaflowne” has an ace up its sleeve. You see, the land of Gaea most resembles the medieval period of Europe. There are kingdoms with stone castles, knights with swords and armor, kings and other nobility but the most notable aspect of Gaea is the Guymelefs. Guymelefs are like the big brothers of Gundams (if you

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Courtesy //

mt.search.bipmedia.com

Coming soon to Theaters: Dec. 16-23

The effect of love on “Pride and Prejudice”

By Matthew Leo Matt’s Movies

In 1995, something happened that the Englishspeaking world had been waiting to happen for almost 200 years. A version of “Pride and Prejudice” was filmed that actually managed to capture the wit and spirit of the original novel by Jane Austen.

Mr. Bennet has 5 daughters; Jane, Elizabeth, Lydia, Mary and Kitty. His wife, Mrs. Bennet, is desperate to marry them off as soon as possible to eligible and rich young men. Mr. Bennet’s estate has been entailed away to a cousin; they will not inherit it upon his death. Coincidentally Mr. Bingley, a rich single man, has just moved into the manor next door, and has brought with him his even richer, and also single best friend Mr. Darcy.

So begins Mrs. Bennet’s relentless attempts at getting her daughters married off.

The action follows Elizabeth as she gets to know Darcy, even though she took an immediate dislike to his attitude and snobbery. With her mother being one of the biggest drama queens in English literature and her sisters either in love or foolish, Elizabeth and her very sarcastic father are the only voices of reason in the household.

Soon, it is apparent that Jane and Bingley have feelings for each other, and that Darcy and Elizabeth may in fact harbor secret feelings for each other as well. Now if only their pride and prejudices didn’t get in the way. How it turns out is something you’ll have to watch to find out.

“Pride and Prejudice” is possibly the best known and best loved romance novel of all time, but usually, it fails to film well. Tendency seems to be either to romanticize it into a gothic, soap-opera

style film, or to play it too conservatively to the point of making the development unbelievable.

The 1995 version of “Pride and Prejudice” does not fall into this trap however, and it proudly delivers as close an adaption as one will ever see.

The biting sarcasm is present in Mr. Bennet’s speech, as is his wife’s over-dramatization.

Elizabeth and Darcy’s stand-offish attitude is in full force, as is the obvious compatibility of Jane and Bingley. The cast was fantastic, and produced a level of quality rarely seen on television.

Before I go on, I want to give a word of warning.

As this version was originally a miniseries, the entire piece clocks in at around 5 ½ hours (six episodes approximately 55 minutes each). It is the length of three or four normal movies, and can be hard to fit into a schedule. Luckily, winter break starts next week, and though it is not a completely free time for many, it opens up some nice time where people might sit down under a blanket, possibly with their significant other, and watch the greatest romance of all time being acted out by the best cast I could have hoped for.

As Jane Austin stated in the opening of Pride and Prejudice, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Even though it may be over 200 years old, “Pride and Prejudice” is one of the most beloved romances in the English language, and the 1995 adaptation does a wonderful job portraying it. With that in mind, I’ll rate it solely as what it is, an adaptation of a classic and much loved novel, and keep that 5-star rating.

Enjoy this selection, and until next time, enjoy the show!

Upcoming Concerts Lee McAdams & The Cosmic Factory

Badfish This is a

Thursday, Dec. 22

Preveiw Friday, Dec. of 23

The Met

Lupo’s Heartbreak

$8

Hotel $15

The Music of ABBA

This is a Friday, Jan. 6 Preveiw of The Veterans Memorial Auditorium $30-$36

“Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked” Starring: Jason Lee, Justin Long, Jesse McCartney The third installment of the “Alvin and the Chipmunks” series takes the lovably CGI-based chipmunks out to sea… and crashes them on a deserted island. The chipmunks cause chaotic shenanigans on a cruise ship with their manager/father figure Dave Seville, and when their ship crashes into a series of deserted islands, the chipmunks must find their way back to safety and sanity.

Rated: G Courtesy of media.theiapolis.com

“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law The sequel to the modern telling of the Victorian detective legend Sherlock Holmes, “A Game of Shadows” puts Holmes in a position where the brilliant detective is no longer the “smartest man of the room” as he chases a criminal mastermind not only intelligent but capable of massive evil. The chase goes through several European countries, but evil mastermind always stays one step ahead in a race which, if Holmes doesn’t win, can lead to total destruction.

Rated: PG-13 (Intense sequences, violence and action, drug material) Courtesy of soonmovie.com Starring: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis A retelling of the famous Belgian comics by George Remi which ran consecutively for 71 years, “The Adventures of Tintin” tells the story of an intrepid reporter named Tintin and his outrageous adventures. In the film, Tintin and the illustrious Captian Haddock set out on a trasure hunt, only to lean that they aren’t alone. Stephen Spielberg directs this CGI film, and I mean he has made some pretty good films in the past…

Rated: PG

“The Adventures of Tintin” Courtesy of camuii.wordpress.com

For your entertainment

December 12, 2011

arts@anchorweb.org

28

Its good to be dragonborn

digitaltrends.com

Local Events

Courtesy //

Studying for finals

There’s only one question plaguing my mind as I begin to type this review. Nope it has nothing to do with finals slowly beginning to breathe down my neck as they inch closer by the second.

I am wondering why I am not playing Bethesda’s

By Edward Taylor newest installment of Managing Editor their “Elder Scrolls” series ,“Skyrim.”

Nov. 11 marked the date that many will be their excuse as to their parents as to why their GPA took a steeper nosedive than their weird uncle’s sobriety after drinking out of the wrong bowl of eggnog at the family Christmas party. “Skyrim” is the fifth installment to the “Elder Scrolls” series and can easily be considered one of the series strongest games if not the best the decade long franchise has produced.

The story begins as the player is brought to a small village to be executed, but is saved when a dragon attack plunges the town into chaos. The player learns they are the fabled dragonborn, an individual who can harness the power of the dragons they slay. The player then sets out to discover the mysteries of their abilities, and has the choice to join either the Imperial Legion which has taken over Skyrim or join the freedom-fighting Stormcloaks sworn to fight for liberty of the their land.

Bethesda takes no chances with the newest installment into their most popular game franchise. Those who have played an “Elder Scrolls” game will feel right at home with “Skyrim.” Despite a few minor tweaks from 2007’s

Dec. 12-Dec. 15 Everywhere “Oblivion,” such as being able to dual cast spells, the combat and overall controls remain the same. The game even sports the guilds that the player can choose to join in previous installments such as the Dark Brotherhood or the Thieves Guild. Just like in previous installments of the series, players have the ability to complete hundreds of side quests that range that stray away from the games epic storyline. The game also features a sprawling mountainous landscape that the player can easily spend a ridiculous amount of time exploring.

The issue with “Skyrim” is that while the game is nearly flawless it really doesn’t take any risks from previous games. Everything seems vaguely familiar after the honeymoon period of the game wears off. Besides the epic feeling of battling a dragon that spawns randomly and attacks from above, there’s nothing new here except an upgrade in graphics and a new realm to explore.

Still despite the game not really being anything new “Skyrim,” like every recent “Elder Scrolls” game, provides one hell of a bang for your buck with well over a hundred hours of gameplay. In fact most players will actually not fully complete the game when factoring in side missions and quests from the main story. So, if you can only afford one video game this holiday season, “Skyrim” may just be your best bet.

The game may not break new ground but with its stunning graphics, immersive first person gameplay and the weight of content and exploration the game provides “Skyrim” can easily contend to be one of the standout games of 2011. Plus I personally dig the whole Viking vibe that the game gives off.

Now that that’s done I’m off to chug some mead and slay a dragon before I even begin think about studying for that Bio final tomorrow.

Keep calm and carry on, my fellow collegians!

The end is near, but first you must slay the vile beast of final exams. Remember not to waste yourself on all nighters, however; manage your time wisely, sleep, eat properly and keep motivated to ace those finals!

“A Christmas Carol” Nov. 18-Dec. 30 Trinity Repertoire Company $15-$68 The heartwarming tale of holiday cheer finds itself being retold on stage with Trinity Rep’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol.”

Already sold out for November, this wonderful Christmas tradition is sure to warm the audience during these cold winter nights.

December 12, 2011

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For your entertainment arts@anchorweb.org

A symphony of pictures

RIC symphony orchestra

plays it’s final performance of the semester.

By Kyle Grant A&E Editor

The crescendo of the orchestra, the hammering of the percussion, the chill down the spine caused by a rhythmic blend of numerous instruments; a night at the RIC Symphony Orchestra is definitely an experience for the ears, and last Monday’s performance was no exception.

Taking the stage on a cozy December night, the RIC Symphony Orchestra provided an audio masterpiece for all those who attended. With performances by internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Mary Phillips from the Metropolitan Opera Company, and conducted by revered conduc-

tor Edward Markward, the season-ending performance of the RIC Symphony Orchestra was a great way to end the semester.

Performances of “Marche Ecossaise,” “Neruda Songs” and “Gymnopedies” awed the audience.

Words can never truly express the awe of music, but a picture is worth at least a thousand words. These photos of the event reveal the essence of the performance, and though The Anchor cannot deliver the music of the event, the visuals show the concentration and dedication of the Symphony.

Left: Mezzo-Soprano Mary Phillips Above: A

sings along with the orchestra. full shot of the

RIC Symphony.

Anchor Photos // Sarah Gilpatrick

RIC Orchestra

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sports@anchorweb.org

ANCHORMEN SCOREBOARD sport

date

vs.

results

Men’s Basketball

12/6 12/8 12/10

Salve Regina WPI Eastern Connecticut

W 69-55 W 57-47 L 59-70

Women’s Basketball

12/6 12/10

Salve Regina Eastern Connecticut

W 61-52 W 78-52

Ice Hockey

12/9 12/10 12/11

Sacred Heart WPI Bridgewater State

W 6-5 W 5-4 @ 2-1 W

Wrestling

12/7 12/10

Western N.E. Wesleyan

L 14-25 W 24-19

Gymnastics

12/9

Maroon vs. Gold Intrasquad

Maroon

Conor McCloskey Junior, Track

McCloskey ran the mile in just 4:19.03 at the Harvard Winter Invitational, good enough to place fourth in a field of over 70 runners. McCloskey finished right in the middle of a group of Division I runners, ahead of a majority of them. His time also sets the Rhode Island College program record for the mile run.

“It was cool, real cool to see my name up on the top of that list. I think the best part about it was I wasn’t in the fast heat, I had to break into it so that time was unexpected. It’s also great to see all the hard work in practices pay off like that.”

Gauthier, Trasso, Barrucci to lead team to Desert Duals Invitational Team gets much needed win over Wesleyan after dropping mid-week match to WNEU

By Michelle Sarasin

Anchor Sports Writer

In preparation for the Desert Duels Contest in Las Vegas, the Rhode Island College wresting team first needed to focus on defeating two marquee opponents in Western New England University and Wesleyan University on the road. The Anchormen suffered a loss against the WNEU Golden Bears by a final score of 25-19 however, they were able to earn an impressive victory against NEWA rival the Wesleyan.

With both matches on the road, it was a chance for the team to prepare for what is sure to be a tough test in the heat of

the desert.

The Anchormen could not pull off a win on Wednesday, Dec. 7, with only four of their wrestlers earning match victories. That evening, the Golden Bears opened dual completion and junior Robby Ferrante and sophomore Daniel Beck recorded pins for their team. The matchup between Ferrante and RIC junior Mike Sugermeyer was the most stirring match-up of the evening as Ferrante rallied from a 7-5 deficit in the final minute of action to pin Sugermeyer at 6:26 in the 133lbs. weight class. Beck defeating freshman Paul Cafone secured the win for the Golden Bears with a pin in only 1:07 into the match at the weight of 174lbs. and brought the Bears to a 25-11 advantage.

Western New England wrestler Jamison Sacco made a successful comeback to mat after not competing since the 2009-10 season after winning the New England heavyweight title as a freshman.

He defeated sophomore Brian Nicoll, who also took last year off, by a close final of 4-2 when Sacco notched a takedown with 10 seconds remaining to close out the match. RIC’s All-American senior Brandon Gauthier won a 12-4 decision over freshman Sean McAllister at 125lbs. while teammate junior

19

25

Kevin Barrucci won 16-5 at 157lbs. and freshman Humphries compiled a 6-2 win over senior David Baldyga in the opening match at 197lbs. and sophomore Adam Lynch won 10-3 the closing match in the 184lbs. weight class. The Anchormen, however, could not stave off the WNE Golden Bears suffering the 25-14 loss.

On Saturday, Dec. 10, RIC would make a terrific comeback against NEWA rival Wesleyan University. Two of their top wrestlers who did not compete in the previous contest, senior Mike Trasso and sophomore Shawn Giblin, were back in action. Trasso was able to forward the Anchormen to victory by notching a 9-7 win over Cardinals wrestler Howard Tobochnik and Giblin managed to stave off Nick Scotto for a marginal one-point lead 20-19. A technical fall helped Barrucci defeat Tom Oddo to open the match and give the Anchormen a 5-0 advantage.

The Cardinals notched three straight wins including one pin and a major decision which helped them seize the lead from the Anchormen making the score 13-11. Brandon Gauthier gained a 3-1 victory at 125lbs. and Nicoll recorded an 8-2 win at 285lbs. to help the Anchormen. Trasso finished off the NEWA rival on the way to picking up his ninth win of the year and ensured the 24-19 victory for the Anchormen.

In upcoming action for the Anchormen, they will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada in the hopes of bringing home an impressive performance just before the holiday season on Sunday, Dec. 18. There they will be matching up against four schools; Wartburg College, Coe College, Alma College, and Simpson College at the beautiful Flamingo Resort Hotel in downtown Vegas. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, usually; however the Anchormen hope to bring home a great performance and a few wins before continuing the season and improving their 3-1 NEWA record, and their 3-2 overall record.

20

19

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Records fall at Harvard Invitational The Rhode Island College’s men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in individual meets on Saturday, Dec. 11 at Harvard University. Each squad had runners and fielders who broke multiple records during the meet.

By AJ Clark Anchor Sports Writer Junior Conor McCloskey set a program record in the mile with an outstanding time of 4:19.03 and placed fourth overall in the event. McClosky finished only behind two Harvard athletes and one runner from American International, both Division I schools and finished before countless other Division I athletes Freshman Ian LaPlume also set a program record as he broke his own pole vault record and finished 11th overall. The last record set for the men’s team came when the 4x440 yard relay team placed 6th with a time of 3:30.32.

LaPlume also ran in the 500m dash, where he finished with a time of 1:10.92 and placed 19th. Also running in the 500m were Marcus Sandoval (1:08.03), Austin Pena (1:08.62), and Kevin Carey (1:10.54) who placed in 5th, 10th and 17th respectively. Sandoval also placed 14th in the long jump with 6.21m.

CKS I P K QUICQUESTIONS

In the 3,000m event Cameron Richer placed 38th with a time of 9:47.16 and Tom DeCristofaro finished 39th with a time of 9:51.57. Jarell Forbes placed seventh in the high jump event after jumping 1.90m and 11th in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.73. Shawn Stadnick finished in sixth in the 800m run with a time of 2:00.25.

Also competing for the Anchormen were Aleno Gomes, who finished 14th in the 400m with a time of 51.99 and Michael Swift who placed 61st in the 200m after running a time of 24.49.

For the Anchorwomen, freshmen Daria Braboy and Kadijah Johnson both set new program records during the meet.

Braboy set the 400m record after she finished third with a time 59.00. She also placed fourth in the triple jump with an impressive 11.02 meters score.

Johnson set her record in the weight throw and she finished ninth with 15.11m. Fellow freshman Kayla Cataldo finished in fourth in the 500m event with a time of 1:24.84.

Joining Johnson in the weight throw was Jeannette Leo, who placed 25th with a distance of 10.48m. The Anchorwomen’s 4x440 yard relay team also set a program record with a time of 4:21.03.

Both teams are now done for the semester, and will have their next meets will be on Saturday, Jan. 7 at the University of Southern Maine Invitational.

O ADAM JACK Editor s Sport

LL BISSE E G R GEO in-Chief

Former

track athlete

Jessica Graham.

Courtesy//goanchormen.org

Conor McClosky sets school record for the mile posting D1 caliber time

Edito

st iter an Chare iter AM ALLEN iter ark s Wr s Wr t t AJ Cl Sports Wr D S r r o o p p S S chor chor chor An

An

An

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OVER/UNDER- 9 Goals RIC vs. Bryant Ice Hockey

OVER Bryant will put up big numbers

OVER Rob Reall leads Bryant offense

OVER More offense on Bryant than RIC

OVER Bryant is too good offensively

OVER Bryant wins big, sadly

Who wins the NBA Christmas Day showdown? Boston Celtics or New York Knicks?

KNICKS Celtics are as old as Santa

CELTICS #thingsnotbetterthanDooling

CELTICS Ray Allen comes up big

CELTICS Boston wins by nine

CELTICS Boston steals one at MSG

NHL Winter Classic: Philadelphia Flyers or New York Rangers

RANGERS Lundqvist stones Philly

FLYERS Not even close, love Philly

RANGERS Flyers fall in Winter Classic

FLYERS Giroux with a shootout winner

RANGERS Blueshirts win a close one

OVER/UNDER- 28 total points in the LSU vs. Alabama National Title Game

UNDER Too much defense

UNDER Did you watch the first game?

OVER 21-17 FINAL

OVER 22-14 LSU

OVER Offense shines in title game

8-5

10-3

8-5

6-7

7-6

Career Record

Sports

December 12, 2011

32

sports@anchorweb.org

Seniors pave way for Anchorwomen with big win at East Conn

Anchor Photos // Michael J. Larson

Gaudet and Riley nearly out score the Warriors by themselves, Improve LEC record to 2-0

In keeping with their goal of winning the Little East Conference the Rhode Island College women’s basketball team (6-2, 2-0) capped off an undefeated week

By Dan Charest by handling Eastern Anchor Sports Writer Connecticut State (4-4, 1-1) 78-52 Saturday afternoon. Leading the way, as usual, for the Anchorwomen was Rachel Riley with 25 points and 11 rebounds and Cynthia Gaudet with 26 points and 6 assists.

The woman’s team had not won on the road at Eastern Connecticut during the Marcus Reilly era, so getting a positive start was key to a positive afternoon. RIC came out and Cynthia Gaudet buried a trey. Gaudet then stole the ball away from East Conn’s Lauren Kelliher before Nicole Girard scored on an easy layup. On RIC’s ensuing possessions Rachel Riley completed the old-fashioned three-point playwith the lay in and the foul and Steph Coro knocked down her first of two threes on the day. It was 11-0 RIC less than three minutes into the game.

Rhode Island College held their largest lead of the first half when Nicole Girard hit a two-point bucket putting them up 21 with 9:01 remaining. The lead stood at 46-26, leaving RIC when the opening twenty minutes ran out.

The second half began with both teams trading buckets and RIC holding its significant lead. With the score at 57-38 and 12:43 left on the game clock, the Anchorwomen went on to miss their next five shots, opening a hole for the Warriors. Jessica Blodgett led an 11-0 East Conn run over the next 4:08 by scoring four points and dishing out three assists. RIC’s lead now stood at eight, 57-49, and would stay at only eight points with 6:30 to go.

East Conn however was gassed and would not score again against the Anchorwomen defense. The girls turned it on during the last 6:30 going on an 18-0 rally, behind nine points from Gaudet and winning by the final of 78-52.Until that point in half, the RIC offense, which shot 60 percent in the first half, only made three field goals in the second.

Riley’s 25 points in her 37 minutes gives her 999 on her RIC career and Gaudet ended the day with 26 points, one shy of her season high. RIC also got good efforts out of Steph Coro, with 12 points playing the full forty minutes, and Nicole Girard with nine points and four assists. The team defense was as solid as you could expect, holding the Warriors to 31.5 percent shooting on the day and forcing 21 turnovers.

The significant win over East Conn is the final game for the Anchorwomen in 2011, setting themselves up for a solid last two months of the season.

After the winter break, Rhode Island College will be back in action at Stevens Tech (2-5), 2011’s Empire eight Conference champions, on Jan. 4 and CUNYYork (0-8) the very next night. Both games will be in New York. Riley is most likely to record her 1,000th point most likely against Stevens Tech. LEC play resumes on Jan. 7 at 1 p.m. home versus UMass Boston (2-6, 0-2).

RIC

junior guard

Ashley O’Dell

drives the lane against

Salve Regina.

52 78 (4-4, 1-1 LEC)

(6-2, 2-0 LEC) Starters Cynthia Gaudet Rachel Riley Stephanie Coro Nicole Girard Courtney Burns

26 25 12 9 4

Bench

RIC

senior guard

Cynthia Gaudet.

Rachael Armstrong Brittany Saccoccio Melanie Cline Stephanie Prusko Ashley O’Dell

Starters Lauren Kelleher Piper Chapman Kristina Forsman Taylor McBride Jessica Blodgett

14 9 9 9 9

Bench 2 0 0 0 0

Danyelle Rodriguez Rachael Armstrong Samantha Riccio

2 0 0

Sports

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33

sports@anchorweb.org

Anchorwomen take flight out of Seahawks Gaudet, Coro lead offence in Ocean-State rivalry win

Coming off a Little East Conference win at Plymouth State, the Rhode Island College women’s basketball team (5-2) kept the ball rolling with a 61-52 win over Salve Regina University (3-4). Senior point guard Cynthia Gaudet led the way with 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the win. The nine-point victory marks the fourth time the Anchorwomen have taken down the Lady Seahawks

By Jack Adamo in as many years.

Sports Editor Sloppy performance plagued the first few minutes for both as there were as many turnovers as points scored during the first five minutes.

“We just didn’t execute our plays early on,” said junior Ashley O’Dell.

The Anchorwomen responded to the slow start with a 15-0 run in next four minutes to make it 19-6. O’Dell sparked the offensive charge with a quick pair of three’s.

“We rushed through some of our sets instead of being more patient. When we did not take the first shot we scored easily,” O’Dell noted.

O’Dell has been a quiet, yet effective force off the bench for the Anchorwomen, putting up double digit points in five of the six games so far this season. She also recorded six boards, four assists and three steals on the night. “When I get into the game I try to give us a boost and play hard for the time I’m in there” said the junior, “Honestly as long as we get the win that is all I’m worried about out there.”

finished with a team-high

61 52 (2-4, 0-1 CCC)

Starters Marissa Pendergast Kaitlyn Birrell Lindsay Shorey Kira Murphy Laura Anne Dinan

16 11 6 6 4

Allison Pigoga Taylor Windwer

points.

(5-2, 0-0 LEC) Starters Cynthia Gaudet Stephanie Coro Courtney Burnes Rachel Riley Nicole Girard

16 12 8 8 2

Bench

Bench Brianna DelValle Lisa Bucci Cortney Rosenlund

16

4

Ashley O’Dell 3 Melanie Cline 2 Alexia Vega 0 Katie Donovan 0 Stephanie Prusko

10 5 0 0 0

RIC

junior forward

Courtney Burns

has her shot blocked in the first half against

Salve Regina.

Anchor Photos // Michael J. Larson

Gaudet

The Seahawks would answer with a big run of their own and cut the lead all the way down to four. However, that would be as close as they would get, as junior forward Melanie Cline drained a 3-pointer to put RIC up seven. The Anchorwomen locked in on defense and finished the half on an 8-2 run, leaving them up 10 at half.

Coming out of the half, both teams kept the pace as they exchanged baskets for the first eight minutes before RIC bumped up the lead to a game-high 16 points. Rachel Riley, who was held scoreless in the first half, added 8 second half points. Salve Regina would pull close late in the half, but ran out of time as the Anchorwomen sank the visiting Seahawks 61-52.

Defense proved to win another one for the Anchorwomen, who held an opponent to under 55 points for the fourth time this season. The Anchorwomen finished with 18 steals as a team, while holding their opponent to 34 percent from the floor. However, RIC’s offence was far from pretty. The Anchorwomen dissed out 29 turn overs to the Seahawks while posting a team season-low 14 assists.

“We must improve our offensive efficiency and execution,” said head coach Marcus Reilly on the team’s lack of offensive production on a team that gave up.

The win lifts women’s basketball to 5-2, going into a huge Little East Conference match-up on the road at Eastern Connecticut State. Eastern Connecticut will come into the game at 4-3 coming off a tough loss to the country’s top-ranked women’s D-III team, Amherst College. Currently, no Little East teams sit in the top 25 poll.

Sports

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Eight in a row for RIC Hockey

Dicomitis carries hockey over Sacred Heart, while team effort trumps WPI and Bridgewater State Bears of Bridgewater State for the first time in three years.

Like Sacred Heart, BSU is in a higher conference than RIC, and the Anchormen had never taken them down in program history. Bridgewater jumped out to a quick lead in the first, sneaking a puck past Tudino who got the start after Bushy got the nod the previous two nights. Dicomitis answered the Bears goal with one of his own when he toe-draged a Bridgewater defenseman and picked the top corner over BSU goalie Robert Campbell tying the game at a goal apiece.

In the second both teams came out flying, but it was the Anchormen who capitalized off the energy when junior Brad Conway let go of a slap shot from the point that Campbell never saw. The one-goal lead would prove to be enough, as Tudino stood on his head for the Anchormen with 39 saves in the victory.

The Anchormen have one game remaining before they take two-and-a-half weeks off for winter break. They will host former Anchorman Rob Real and the Bryant University Bulldogs on Friday, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. The team hopes to continue their winning streak and go into the second half of the season looking strong.

Anchormen Notes…

Senior co-captain Seth Tobias is out for the remainder of the semester after taking a puck off the foot in practice last week resulting in a fractured bone… Senior defensemen Michael Nadiger, who injured his ankle the previous weekend, sat out Friday night but returned on Saturday against WPI, but was out again Sunday at BSU…Senior defensemen Jack Adamo missed Sunday’s game at Bridgewater State with a slight concussion… Dicomitis scored a season-high five goals on Friday, tying his career-high for goals in a single game in the process…Robert Isabella tallied his 100th point on Saturday after assisting Brad Conway’s goal…The Anchormen had never beaten Sacred Heart or Bridgewater State before this weekend.

RIC

senior forward

Rick Enos

RIC

RIC

junior forward

senior forward

Brad Conway.

Robert Isabella.

chases after a loose puck in the first period.

Anchor Photos // David Okon

The Rhode Island College club Hockey team advanced to an 11-5 record after picking up a pair of wins over the weekend.

With the two big wins, the Anchormen bring their winning streak to seven games in a row.

By Sam Allen They took down the Sacred Anchor Sports Writer Heart Pioneers 6-5 on Friday, Dec. 9 at home, and then defeated the Worcester Polytech Goats 5-4 the following night on the road, before finishing the weekend at Bridgewater State, defeating the Bears, 2-1.

The Anchormen hosted a team that they had never beaten before in Sacred Heart University on Friday night.

RIC had a couple of key players out against the Pioneers, but brought returned sophomore goal-tender Mark Bushy to home ice for the first time in a month. Sacred Heart opened the game with a pair of goals just three minutes in, but shortly after the Anchormen were able to answer back with a goal from Robert Isabella to give him his 99th career point. The Pioneers sc,ored at 14:26 into the period and 19 seconds later, captain Greg Dicomitis got his first of five goals. The first period ended with a score of 3-2 in favor of the Pioneers.

Dicomitis started off the scoring with a pair of goals within 30 seconds of each other. Sacred Heart would score again to tie it up before heading into the final period. All three goals in the final period, one for the Pioneers and Dicomitis’ last two for the Anchormen, were in the first four minutes. Bushy was ejected from the game with 7:24 left in the period following an after the whistle altercation. Freshman Vinny Tudino took his spot and shut out the Pioneers to give the Anchormen the 6-5 win.

“It’s not every game you score, so when you score five and help the team with a win it means a lot,” Dicomitis said about his effort in the win.

In the hope of bringing home another win, the Anchormen headed on the road to take on the Goats of Worcester Polytech. RIC got on the board first with a goal from junior winger Brad Conway. Sophomore Brett Mora then put the Anchormen up two when he let a shot go on their first power play. The Goats answered just minutes later, and reached the back of the net on a power play with Anthony Sawia in the box.

Freshmen defenseman Nick Bruno opened the scoring in the second period to make the score 3-1. Dicomitis left the ice mid-way through the second with an undisclosed ankle injury. He did return for the third period. Spencer Rose had the Anchormen’s fourth goal with a rocket from the slot.

The goats answered with back-to-back goals to finish out the period, leaving the Anchormen up one.

The Anchormen battled though the opening minutes of the third period, but didn’t break though until the 12th minute. Senior defenseman Jack Adamo had the gamewinning goal for RIC on a power play midway through the third period. The Goats were able to net another goal before the end of the game, but the Anchormen shut them down in the final minutes, including fighting off a 1:04 session of playing down two men to end the game and seal the 5-4 win.

“I could definitely feel the pressure. We all knew how important those two conference points were,” said Bruno “But we executed the game plan well.”

On the road once again, the Anchormen visited the

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The Rhode Island College community packed the Murray Center last Friday evening to catch an early glimpse of the Anchorwomen gymnastics squad during the inaugural Maroon and Gold meet. After nearly losing their program and opportunity

By Jack Adamo to compete last semester, the ladies Sports Editor came out with spirit and energy to compete in front hundreds of spectators in attendance. The support for the squad was overwhelming.

“It was the first time RIC’s held a gymnastics event like this,” said one of the captains, senior Sarah Chrane. It also was the first collegiate meet for the Anchorwomen’s six talented freshmen. It also marked the official beginning of head coach Bob Nannig’s second stint at the helm of the team. “This is a great event and the team was really excited to compete in front of a crowd,” said the head coach about the meet.

The Anchorwomen have been practicing as a team since midNovember, and even before that as individuals working on their routines. However there is a fine line between practice and meets, “Being in front of a live crowd like this helps create the same atmosphere as a meet,” said sophomore Cait Elliot. “We need the experience to help let us know what we should work on for real competitions.”

Getting into competition form was certainly a goal of the event. “The team performed well, but we still have plenty of work to do before we face Springfield,” said a determined Chrane.

The Maroon and Gold meet was more than a gymnastics meet.

It established a unique event that highlighted a lot of the good qualities in the Rhode Island College athletics community. Athletes here at RIC are known to look out for one another and when gymnastics was on the chopping block, many of the supporters were other athletes. In the same retrospect other athletes were quick to jump on the chance to participate in the meet. Members from both the men’s basketball team and the wrestling team helped judge the competition.

“I like getting involved with other sports,” said junior Tahrike

Carter, the starting point guard on the men’s basketball team. “It was definitely an interesting experience but I really enjoyed being a part of their event.”

Many other athletes were among those who filled the stands.

Also in attendance were many former gymnasts including Alexa DeCanio who was on the team last season. “Seeing how much the all the girls improved their skills and start values of their routines was awesome,” said DeCanio. “I was just really happy for all of them.”

“The support was great,” said a joyful Elliott “It was nice to know that many people were willing to come out and spend their Friday night cheering us on.”

“We were pleased to have such a good turn out and such an enthusiastic crowd,” said Chrane about the crowd at the meet.

Support is something the team has thrived off in the past eight months or so since the athletic department announced they would be cut as of last April.

After the announcement the team rallied behind Chrane, the mastermind in the resurrection of the team, and went on a campaign to get their program back. The girls gathered over 2,300 virtual signatures on an online petition, countless letters of encouragement and immeasurable moral support. The end result was the reinstatement of RIC gymnastics, at least for two years, but with events as successful as this, we would like to think the team is here to stay.

The event was scored as a team meet, which left Maroon on top by a slight margin but it’s safe to say the girls will forget the score and remember the importance of the event as the unofficial rebirth of RIC gymnastics as a program a lifestyle, and a family.

“The event was an overall great success and I hope it will become a tradition for years to come,” said Chrane.

The Anchorwomen are off for the remainder of the semester and will resume their competitive season with a home match in the Murray Center on Jan. 8 against the Springfield College Pride at 1 p.m.

-With additional reporting from Anchor sports writer Brian Fitzgerald

A RIC

gymnast on the balance beam.

Anchor Photos // Michael J. Larson

Gymnastics’ first ever Maroon/Gold packs Murray Center

Redefining the modern student athlete

December 12, 2011

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Gaudet’s success on and off the court is unparalleled transferred to RIC from Division II powerhouse Franklin Pierce, where she was not only the class valedictorian, but she was also the starting point guard on the women’s basketball team that advanced to the Final Four of the Division II NCAA Tournament in each of the past two years.

“I put just as much effort into school work as I do into basketball,” said Gaudet, who is a math and biology double major who hopes to attend medical school upon graduation.

Gaudet sat out the 2010-2011 season, taking time away from the hardwood to refocus on her career off the court.

“After red shirting the 2010-11 season, I started to rethink my priorities and began to investigate what was best for my future,” said Gaudet. She took a paid summer internship at Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, getting her foot in the door in the medical field, before winding up at RIC for her final season of collegiate basketball.

“It was tough to leave Franklin Pierce, but I made a decision based on my career not just basketball. I felt like it was necessary as hard as it was. However, I was really excited to come back home to RIC,” said Gaudet, a Coventry native who played her high school basketball at LaSalle Academy. “It is very meaningful to play here, especially with many teammates from around Rhode Island. I am proud to represent the state against regional and national competition and have watched the program grow since Marcus Reilly took over. I was really excited to get in here and help. It’s like our last hoorah for all the seniors.”

The women’s basketball program has made tremendous strides in the Reilly era thanks to the production of a pair of seniors,

Stephanie Coro and Rachel Riley, who helped lead the squad to the first 20-win season in program history last year. With such an established veteran core group, it seemed like a challenge for the Anchorwomen to be able to add a player of Gaudet’s caliber without a sizeable adjustment period.

“Coming here has definitely had its challenges, but it tells a lot about this team’s character that they were so welcoming to me. It is such a huge reflection of the team because there are not a lot of schools that would’ve allowed me to do what I’m doing. My teammates have made it such an easy transition. We have a nice sense of family, but know when to focus,” said Gaudet.

The Anchorwomen have won three straight contests and are 6-2 on the regular season, including a 2-0 record in the Little East Conference. Gaudet is leading the Anchorwomen in scoring, averaging 18 points per game this season.

“Cynthia has made an impact since the day she decided to transfer and play at RIC,” said Reilly. “Her impact on the court added depth to an already good back court. Playing with two point guards on the floor has strengthened our offensive execution, plus, Cynthia’s work ethic and championship background are going to help us out.”

While keeping her goal of getting into medical school on track, Gaudet is also using her experiences at Franklin Pierce to help lead the Anchorwomen to their first NCAA Tournament in program history this season.

“The experience of being at Franklin Pierce and being in the NCAA Tournament can really help my teammates out, just knowing how exciting it is it’s just incredible,” said Gaudet.

“We know we have to maintain composure as we have a target on our backs this season as the favorites to win the Little East Conference.”

While Gaudet is leading her team on the court, her 3.96 GPA and 19 credits this semester are a tribute to her stellar work ethic off the court.

Anchor Photo // Michael J. Larson

Senior guard Cynthia Gaudet drove the lane and finished at the rim with an acrobatic left-handed layup in the final minute of the game, putting a cherry on top of an impressive 78-55 Little East Conference victory for the

By Dan Charest Rhode Island College women’s Anchor Sports Writer basketball team on the road at Eastern Connecticut State University last weekend. Gaudet finished with a team-high 26 points, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

The term student-athlete often gets tossed around with little emphasis in the current landscape of high profile Division I college athletics that are raking in millions of dollars, all the while being associated with allegations, scandals, schools on probation, and a number of “one-and-done” superstar talents in college basketball. At Division III Rhode Island College, most student athletes are not here for their athletics, they are here for their academics. Gaudet is a shining example of a stellar athlete who is also putting up big numbers in the classroom. Gaudet transferred to RIC for her final year of eligibility with academics in mind, but has also become the ultimate X-factor for the women’s basketball program that is the favorite to win the Little East for the first time in program history.

“We prioritize character in recruiting and Cynthia is nothing short of a role model, prioritizing academics,” said RIC head coach Marcus Reilly, now in his fourth season at the helm. “The way she represents our program and our school is outstanding.”

Gaudet