Volume 92/Issue 9
November 12th, 2018
THE
ANCHOR
Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928
happening on
campus this week:
Monday
11 / 12
Veterans Day Observed CAMPUS CLOSED
Tuesday
11 / 13
State Employee Benefits Open Enrollment Fair 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Student Union Ballroom
Wednesday
11 / 14
Cans Around the Quad 12:00 - 2:00 PM The Quad Open Books-Open Minds Film Screening: Human Flow 1:00-3:00 PM Gaige Auditorium Self-Defense Workshop 4:00 - 5:30 PM Student Union Ballroom
Thursday
11 / 15
Catch up on your studies, Finals begin December 12! 7:45 AM - 10:00 PM Adam’s Library
Friday
11 / 16
Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning: What is General Education? 10:00-11:30 AM Adams Library 406
Pride Alliance demands action
Britt Donahue Photo Editor
T
he Department of Health and Human Services, under the Trump Administration, is attempting to change the definitions of sex and gender, calling gender “a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth.” If the administration is successful, transgender and gender non-conforming individuals would lose the protections they gained under the Obama administration, which expanded Title IX protections against sex based discrimination to include people who do not identify with the sex or gender assigned to them at birth. Since this announcement, the LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Intersex Asexual) community and their allies have been vocal in their opposition to the new policy, with people around the country holding rallies and demonstrations to show their support for trans folks. RIC Pride Alliance decided the best way to express their feelings on the issue was to write directly to Rhode Island’s state represen-
The Pride Alliance executive board: Carley Loiselle, Becca Banner, Jess Fleming, Geovanni Velasquez, Jillian Sparaco tatives, and ask them what they planned on doing to protect the trans community, and invited RIC students, faculty and staff to sign letters as well. No one has replied to the letters, but the politicians re-elected in the 2018 midterms do have a history of supporting LGBTQIA+ people, so the Pride Alliance is hopeful that their support will continue. In 2017, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse added gender identity and sexual orientation to the list of protected classes under the Fair Housing Act. June 2018 saw the general assembly pass a
law repealing the use of gay/trans panic defense when prosecuting hate crimes, becoming one of only three states to do so. At that time, the assembly also mandated that trans people have their correct gender marked on their death certificates. Governor Raimondo signed both pieces of legislation into law in July and they took effect immediately. The Pride Alliance is disappointed that they have not heard back from their legislators, but promises to make any answers they may receive public as soon as possible.
Editor’s note: The writer of this piece is an active member of the Pride Alliance and played a substantial role in organizing this event.
Suspicious religious group attempts recruitment on campus Erica Clark Assistant News Editor
J
ust after 8 p.m.this Wednesday, a call was sent to Rhode Island College about a suspicious group of individuals attempting to recruit people for their bible study. Campus officers were unable to find the individuals matching the reported description Wednesday night, but have been keeping a lookout throughout campus perimeters. Dean of Students Dr. Tamika L. Wordlow-Williams, sent an
e-mail the following day at 11:41 a.m. to the entire RIC community addressing the occurrence. Dr. Wordlow’s statement went as follows, “Upon further investigation, there have been reports across the country and internationally about the “Mother of God” group being linked to a sex trafficking operation. These reports are unsubstantiated and appear to be something of an urban legend that has been spread online.” The statement is followed with two online links to summarize the claimed rumor of the religious cult.
As this door to door norm has been a vastly known occurrence since the 1990’s in relation with religious and cult related groups, there has been significantly more incidents in the past decade. This mishap was one out of dozens across the country that have been occurring in various libraries, grocery stores and public areas. The name of this church is known as, “God the Mother,” a religious cult that is formally known as The World Mission Society Church of God (WMSC). The WMSC community claims, See Recruitment, page 3
Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928
Organizational Information Editorial Board EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Samantha Scetta | editorinchief@anchorweb.org
MANAGING EDITOR
Jessica Gauthier | managing@anchorweb.org
BUSINESS MANAGER
Lucille DiNaro | business@anchorweb.org
ART DIRECTOR
Samantha Malley | artdirector@anchorweb.org
NEWS EDITOR
Tim Caplan | news@anchorweb.org
ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Erica Clark | asst_news@anchorweb.org
A&L EDITOR
Alec Ematrudo | lifestyles@anchorweb.org
ASST. A&L EDITOR
Jonathan Weaver | asst_lifestyles@anchorweb.org
OPINIONS EDITOR
Catherine Enos | opinions@anchorweb.org
ASST. OPINIONS EDITOR
Lauren Enos| asst_opinions@anchorweb.org
SPORTS EDITOR
Jake Elmslie | sports@anchorweb.org
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
NOW HIRING | asst_sports@anchorweb.org
PHOTO EDITOR
Brittany Donahue | photo@anchorweb.org
ASST. PHOTO EDITOR
Thomas Crudale | asst_photo@anchorweb.org
GRAPHICS EDITOR
Wiley Sadowski | graphics@anchorweb.org
ASST. GRAPHICS EDITOR
Enrique Castaneda-Pineda | asst_graphics@anchorweb.org
SENIOR COPY EDITOR
Charlotte Abotsi | senior_copy@anchorweb.org
ASST. COPY EDITOR
Ariella Jeter | copy@anchorweb.org
Staff Aaron Isaac Mike Dwyer Derek Sharlock Alison Macbeth Joshua Magnone Thomas Yakey Jr. Alison Darmetko Jake Deblois Sophia Guerria Kaitlin Dobson Alex Cogswell Joshua Percy Joseph A. Griswold
Contact Us: Advertising
(401)456-8544 ads@anchorweb.org
Editor-in-Chief
(401)456-8790 editorinchief@anchorweb.org
Angela DaSilva | copy@anchorweb.org SENIOR LAYOUT EDITOR
Jessamy LeBeau | layout@anchorweb.org
ASST. LAYOUT EDITOR
NOW HIRING | layout@anchorweb.org
ADS MANAGER
Lily Gallo | ads@anchorweb.org
TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR Victor Martelle | technology@anchorweb.org ASST. TECH DIRECTOR
NOW HIRING | asst_tech@anchorweb.org
ONLINE MEDIA MANAGER Marisa Lenardson | web@anchorweb.org CIRCULATION MANAGER Janelle Gomez | circulation@anchorweb.org
Professional Advisor Jim Hummel The Hummel Report
Faculty Advisor Michael Michaud mmichaud@ric.edu
The Anchor is student-run and published weekly during the academic year. Editorial decisions for The Anchor are made by a majority vote of its student editorial board. No form of censorship will be imposed by the college. Any material found to be unsuitable or unacceptable in the board’s opinion will not be published. The views expressed in The Anchor, unless otherwise noted, are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent those of The Anchor or of Rhode Island College’s faculty, administration or student body. The Anchor is not funded by and is independent from Rhode Island College. The first copy is free. Each additional copy is $2.25. Newspaper racks on the Rhode Island College campus are the property of The Anchor Newspaper. Only The Anchor Newspaper publication will be permitted on these racks. Any other publication or advertisement that is placed on the racks will be given one (1) warning for violating this policy. After two (2) violations, the business/publication will be billed at the rate of a full page advertisement. Copyright © 2016 The Anchor. All rights reserved.
Legalities:
News
Recruitment
Continued from cover page “The biggest difference between our church and other churches is that we believe in God the Mother as well as God the Father. According to the prophecies of the Bible, God the Mother is to appear in the last age of redemption.” This Church believes God is a real woman living in South Korea. They refer to her as “Mother God.” Surprisingly enough, this woman living in South Korea has been claimed to be real. WMSC was founded in 1964 by a man called Ahnsahnghong, whom members consider to be Christ. The church claims to have over two million members
worldwide. Spokesman Victor Lozada stated, “A malicious rumor has spread throughout the community via multiple media outlets stating that our church is a cult involved in human trafficking, suggesting that the public should immediately report members of the church of God to local authorities.” Former members say the group is anything but heavenly. Because it is difficult to determine the authenticity of WMSC, campus police are still advising the community to be careful of their surroundings and to not hesitate to report anything suspicious.
Environmental justice activists speak out at Rhode Island College
Aaron Isaac Anchor Staff
GET MORE OUT OF YOUR CAREER Start with the advanced degree that’s right for you
LEARN MORE
qu.edu/grad graduate@qu.edu 800-462-1944
BUSINESS: MBA1 MBA–Finance1 MBA–Health Care Management1 MBA–Supply Chain Management1 JD/MBA Accounting Business Analytics2 Organizational Leadership2 EDUCATION: Elementary Secondary Educational Leadership Instructional Design2 Special Education2 Teacher Leadership2 ARTS & SCIENCES: Molecular & Cell Biology 1
COMMUNICATIONS: Interactive Media & Communications2 Journalism Sports Journalism Public Relations3 HEALTH SCIENCES: Advanced Medical Imaging & Leadership Biomedical Sciences Cardiovascular Perfusion Occupational Therapy (post-professional)2 Pathologists’ Assistant Physician Assistant Radiologist Assistant Social Work JD/MSW
NURSING: Adult Gerontology or Family Nurse Practitioner Care of Populations2 Nurse Anesthesia Nursing Leadership2 Operational Leadership2 ENGINEERING: Cyber Security2 LAW: JD–Juris Doctor JD/MBA JD/MELP JD/MSW LLM in Health Law MEDICINE: MD–Doctor of Medicine Anesthesiologist Assistant
Program offered on campus, online and hybrid 2 Program offered online only 3 Program offered on campus or online
The day after the midterm elections, on Wednesday, Nov. 7, Rhode Island College held an Environmental Justice event to discuss environmental health risks for people. The event featured a panel made of Cristina Cabrera, the Executive Director of the Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island, Daniel Faber, the Director of the Northeastern Environmental Justice Research Collaborative and Sociology Professor. The third person on the panel was also the keynote speaker, Mustafa Ali, a member of the Hip Hop Caucus and Senior Vice President of Climate, Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization. The panel, moderated by RIC Professor of Anthropology Peter Little, opened up with Ali talking about the environmental impact on disadvantaged communities. He presented a Native American hip hop video made to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline which received mass media attention in 2016. He emphasized how some Native American groups are still fighting the
Photo courtesy of Aaron Isaac
construction of the pipeline by tying themselves to construction equipment. Ali asked “How many people in this room, in the last sixty seconds, have taken a breath of air?” Ali admits that “it sounds like a silly question but we also know that far too many people in this country can’t take a breath of clean air.” Ali pointed to the Manchester community in Houston, Texas, “mainly a working class Latino community, which has suffered from air pollution.” Ali continued to talk about water quality, focusing on the Flint, Michigan crisis. Certain members of the community still suffer from lead poisoning as a result of drinking dirty water. “Lead does a whole lot of nasty things… it drops your IQ points, it messes with your kidneys and your liver.” Ali continued to criticize deregulation policies around lead and water, preferring instead to strengthen those government regulations. “What you find in many instances is that these things end up in our most vulnerable communities, sometimes they are struggling to have a voice and push back and fight
back against some of these impacts that are happening, we have to make a change.” On the panel, Faber told people to work together for the environment stating, “you have to become engaged in collective action, you do certain things as individuals to protect yourself, but to effect real change we have to become engaged in movements.” The key to enhancing the environment for Faber was to “reclaim our democracy” he says and to put power in the hands of the people who will be impacted by environmental damages. Cabrera wanted to emphasize that while technology is important in solving the problem, people are the key to solving the crisis. Cabrera said she believes the solution to environmental damages is “really need to be done by the people on the ground, they need to be the ones making the decisions.”
Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928 |
3
News What to take away from the Rhode Island Midterm Elections Erica Clark Assistant News Editor The Republican Party took a hard loss as Gina Raimondo won her second term as governor of Rhode Island this midterm election. This was Allan Fung’s second bid for governor, and his second race against Raimondo. Raimondo ended up taking almost 53 percent of the vote, beating Fung by nearly 15 points. There was an estimate of 373,000 votes Tuesday. This is the second-biggest midterm election turnout in the history of Rhode Island, and the Democrats repped the benefits. For more than 80 years the GOP has struggled in Rhode Island and it shows with the results of Allan Fung’s campaign. Fung managed to gain around 21,000 additional votes since last election, but Raimondo had three times as many. Fung’s share of the vote was a estimated 37.2 percent, just one percent higher than his election in 2013. A hindrance in Fung’s campaign for Rhode Island voters was Raimondo’s job
rates and his support for President Trump. Even though every Rhode Island ballot won the Democratic vote, the neighboring state of Massachusetts took the Republican Gubernatorial win in the form of incumbent Charlie Baker. Fung still remains the most highly ranked Republican in Rhode Island, he promised at his concession speech to “be the voice on issues statewide.” Sheldon Whitehouse, Democratic U.S. Senator, won the election to serve a third term. Whitehouse debarred Republican nominee Bob Flanders, a Rhode Island attorney who served as an Associate Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1996 to 2004. Rhode Island Republicans will continue to face the hard question of getting elected in the blue of Rhode Island. As both political parties fought hard, history was made in East Providence as former state representative Roberto DaSilva won the
Photo courtesy of fatherly.com midterm election on Tuesday as the first Mayor of East Providence. DaSilva, a Pawtucket police captain and one time state legislature, took 52.1 percent of the vote and his opponent, lawyer James Russo, took 47.1 percent. Residents voted in 2016 over the topic of the city’s government and it was clear the city wanted a “strong mayor” just like Providence, Warwick, and other main
cities in Rhode Island. Jorge Elorza, who was elected in 2014 as Mayor of Providence, was re-elected and will serve another four years. Elorza defeated Dianne “Dee Dee” Witman, whom Elorza said in an interview with WPRI 12, “the city should have more people like her.” Elorza and Witman disagreed over how best to improve Providence’s pension system. This system, which
was just 25 percent funded as of June 30, 2017, claims of revenue in the city’s water supply throughout a lease deal with a quasi-public agency he claims could generate more than $300 million for the fund. Elorza said in an interview with WPRI that “I would like to make Providence the best mid size city in the country by the end of my next four years in office.”
12 dead in California shooting tragedy Sean Richer Anchor Staff The latest tragedy amid the American mass-shooting epidemic happened at a country dance club and bar in Thousand Oaks, California this past Thursday night. The suspected gunman, identified as Ian David Long, opened fire on the crowd with a legally purchased Glock 21 .45 caliber handgun modified with an illegal extended magazine that changed the round capacity from 10 to 26. The rampage took the lives of 12 people and wounded 18 more.
4
Among the victims was Sheriff Sergeant Ron Helus, who gave his life defending the patrons as one of the first responders to the attack. The gunman was found dead in a back room of the venue by way of gunshot. It is suspected that he killed himself with the aforementioned handgun. Long was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Afghanistan and had run-ins with law enforcement officials in the past. After investigating a disturbance at his home where he was acting irrationally and aggressively, mental health officials
cleared him and deemed that he did not require counseling or other services. He was then residing with his mother who called the police after his breakdown. According to local sources, he used to frequent the Borderline Bar and Grill, the site where the calamity occured. Less than 24 hours after the attack, thousands of local residents raised their hands at a candlelight vigil dedicated to the victims and their families. There were over 2,000 attendees at the Borderline Bar and Grill, all singing “Amazing Grace”
as religious and community leaders consoled the mourning masses. Mayor Rob McCoy described it as, “The first step in a long healing process.” Among the attendees were survivors of the Las Vegas shooting, one of whom was Dani Merrill who said, “It’s hard to sleep after these things...You just don’t know how to feel.” A second vigil was held the night after. President Trump extended his condolences to the people of Thousand Oaks in a tweet that read, “Great bravery shown by police... God bless all the victims
and families of the victims. Thank you to law enforcement.” In the wake of this tragedy, several of the victims’ family members have spoken out for change. Susan-Schmidt Orfanos, the mother of a Las Vegas shooting survivor and later Borderline shooting victim called out for stricter gun control exclaiming, “I don’t want anymore prayers, I want gun control, no more guns.”
| Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928
News Big shake-ups across the nation as Democrats regain House, GOP strengthens lead in Senate Tim Caplan News Editor The 2018 United States midterms elections commenced last Tuesday, and marked one of the most expensive, highest voter turnout rated elections in American history. According to OpenSecrets.com, the Democrats and Republicans raised over $1.5 billion for their house congressional candidates’ races and $964 million for the Senate races. Texas progressive Democratic Senate candidate, Beto O’Rourke, alone raised over $70 million for his race against conservative Republican Senator Ted Cruz who has served as Senator from Texas since 2013. According to exit polls from NBC News, Fox News and CN, the primary issues that constituents voted for were as follows: immigration, healthcare, the economy, and approval or disapproval for President Trump.
The big story coming out of Tuesday night was that the Democratic Party had taken a majority control of the House of Representatives. Every one of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives was up for election on Nov 6. As of Friday, Nov. 9, the Democrats have gained 30 seats. Some congressional districts that flipped parties this election were Texas 7, Texas 32, Pennsylvania 17, New York 19 and New York 11. The Democrats previously held the minority in the House with 193 representatives to the GOP’s (Grand Old Party) 235. Now the Democratic Party holds the majority with at least 226 representatives to the Republicans’ 200+ (at least 13 races are still too close to call). These elections produced historic results. Sharice Davids won Kansas’ 3rd
congressional district, the former MMA fighter will be the first Native American woman to serve in Congress. Rashida Tlaib from Michigan’s 13th district and Ilhan Omar from Minnesota’s 5th district were elected and will serve as the first ever Muslim women in congress. However, their wins have both been marred by accusations of antisemitism by several members of different Jewish communities across America. Tlaib’s endorsement by J Street (a Jewish-American PAC for peace in the middle-east) was withdrawn earlier this year stating “We cannot endorse candidates who conclude that they can no longer publicly express unequivocal support for a two-state solution and other core principles to which our organization is dedicated.” Tlaib supports the
BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement which has also been accused of antisemitism by numerous groups across the world. Steve King was re-elected to Iowa’s 4th district, but King has been accused by the Washington Post and the Anti-Defamation League of antisemitism as well. The 116th U.S. Congress marks the first congress since 2011 in which Democrats had majority. While the Democratic Party made strong gains in the House, the Republicans’ lead in the senate was only widened. The Republicans now have at least 51 seats in the Senate to the Democrats’ 46. The Arizona race between Kyrsten Senima and Martha McSally has been tightly contested, as it has still not been called, but Senima seems to be in the lead according to AZCentral.com.
The Florida race between incumbent Senator Bill Nelson and former Florida (FL) Governor Rick Scott has also not been called, as an unspecified number of ballots in Broward County and Palm Beach County had still not been counted by the end of election night. FL Senator Marco Rubio told the media that he believes something suspicious is going on, stating on Twitter that “ Last early votes had to be counted by Sunday and submitted by Tuesday, that’s the law.” He also stated his concern that Broward County election official Brenda Snipes refused to say how many votes had yet to be counted. Snipes has a history of controversy. According to the Sun-Sentinal in 2004, she had to send over 50 thousand ballots to absentee voters despite claiming that they had already been sent out. In 2016, a federal judge ruled that she had violated election law by destroying ballots too early that were in relation to a lawsuit against her at the time. Rubio said of the situation “Here we are, 72 hours from the end of voting, 5 days from the end of early voting, and we still have massive vote counts going on, apparently, in Palm Beach and Broward counties. To this point there’s been no public disclosure of how many votes are in their possession and how many do we have to count. It’s an outrage.” Despite the controversies, the big questions are clear. Republicans kept the Senate, the Democrats took the House, and Americans are just as politically divided as they were in the 2016 election.
Photo courtesy of BBC
Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928 |
5
News
Rhode Island College awards Antoinette Gomes with Presidential Medal Charlotte Abotsi Senior Copy Editor
Often enough, a college is tasked with the duty of saying thank you and farewell to a retiring member of its community. On Thursday, Nov. 8, 2018, Rhode Island College (RIC) did just that, expressing gratitude and goodbyes to a longtime member of the RIC community, The Unity Center director, Antoinette Gomes. Gomes was given the high honor of being a recipient of the Presidential Medal, given by RIC’s own President Frank Sanchez. The event was held in the Amica Lounge at Alex and Ani Hall, and it was full of people celebrating Gomes’ service and dedication to RIC. Antoinette Gomes announced her forthcoming retirement at the end of Spring semester this year. Gomes has been a presence in the RIC community over the span of 30 years. Her resume boasts many positions in Student Life. Gomes began her career at
RIC serving as an Upward Bound program counselor in 1987. She was also the Student Support Services Counselor for the Preparatory Enrollment Program. Later, she was the Interim Director of Student Life, which culminated in her appointment as the Unity Center Director in 2010. She has worn many hats here at RIC, and she takes pride in it. “I am most proud of the support that I have offered to some of the most vulnerable students in higher education. They are often the first in their families to attend college; they often have meager financial resources; some have been in state custody in some way or another; some are genderqueer. They are black and brown and white. They are a bunch of other stuff, like determined, sensitive, deserving, intelligent, awake, aware, valuable,” she said. During her time at RIC, she has cultivated conversations on diversity, equity,
accessibility, and inclusion. When asked of what fuels her to do this work she says “I didn’t really choose this work; this work chose me. I think part of that is just circumstantial. I’m born a woman in America, I am born a black woman in America and born into a family who valued education. It became clear to me really early in my life, that some folks had advantages and privileges that gave them a leg up in life, that other folks didn’t and I was one of those other folks. I feel passionate about equity.” At the start of the ceremony, Anna Cano Morales, the Associate Vice President
Community Equity and Diversity at RIC welcomed attendees. Chris Susi, RIC’s LGBTQIA Office Coordinator was a student on the search committee for Gomes’ position 10 years ago. Susi addressed the crowd, saying, “In her decades on this campus… her characteristics have driven her work to make RIC and the world a better place every day.” After Susi’s speech came a student staff testimonial from an eloquently weepy Emelia Orellana, ’20, who started off her speech with “if I start crying, I truly apologize.” She cried. Then the entire room joined her in tears as she recounted
“When I first walked into The Unity Center…I had no idea that I had walked into the office of a woman that was going to change my life… There are so many hearts that have been touched in the same way, and a lot of these hearts are in this room today.” Indeed, there were. Past Unity Center alums and current students filled the room and kept it lively cheering and snapping their fingers whenever someone said something in praise of Gomes. Orellana then introduced a tribute video in which students, past and present, recorded emotional messages of gratitude to the honoree of the evening.
Photos courtesy of Thomas Crudale
6
| Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928
News
These archived articles are from the November 27 and December 4, 1968, issues of The Anchor.
Catherine Enos Opinions editor
In 1968, the only forum rebuttal to a previous editorial, in which you could publicly in which he calls “most” peoargue with another person ple on campus “inconsiderate was the editorial section of a slobs.” newspaper. Imagine if your Professors calling students petty Facebook arguments “inconsiderate slobs” may be were printed out for every- funny in retrospect, but the one to see, and archived–– articles I decided to take a look this is exactly what it was at this week were maybe more like. And the evidence is in relevant. It provides for us a the Fall 1968 issues of The snapshot in time to see how Anchor. much has really changed in 50 There were not one, but years. Specifically, women’s two ongoing arguments rights. within the editorials. The For the RIC community (P. other pair of articles that Blodgett was a visitor to RIC), make up an argument (not the Blodgett article elicited the articles shown here) a collection of witty, borderwere really just a professor’sline-offensive editorials.
In a different editorial, author Paul Dulude responded, “Another reference made concerning a ‘hick barn dance’ leaves me wordless... judging by your letter, you seem to be the authority on the subject so I will refrain from further comment.” Another (and perhaps less offensive) response from Donald Puretz tells Blodgett that her opinion, like his own, is irrelevant, since what women wear is “irrelevant to this educational process.” It seems as if the RIC community was pretty progressive on letting women wear pants. For context, a few years earlier, the policy to allow women to wear Bermuda shorts was adopted. It’s interesting to follow in the archives what the “hot button” topic of the day was. It’s weird to think, however, that just 50 years ago, women wearing pants on campus was one of these “hot button” topics.
Catherine Enos has been the opinions editor for The Anchor Newspaper since fall 2017, and has been reporting on The Anchor Archives since then. She is a senior in college, majoring in both political science and psychology.
Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928 |
7
Health & Science
Cannabidiol and its health benefits Kaila Acheson Anchor Contributor
Cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD, is becoming an increasingly popular substance due to the medical purposes it serves. The effects of CBD can range anywhere from alleviating everyday anxieties to being a potential combatant of cancer. CBD oil is an extract from the cannabis plant, but unlike the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the most prevalent chemical in cannabis that is produced when smoking marijuana, it does not get you psychologically high. CBD has
been shown to have the same medicinal properties as marijuana, but since this substance does not get you high, it is legal in all 50 states. There are no laws stating that CBD cannot be used by the general population due to it being fairly new to the market. According to HealthLine. com, the health benefits of cannabidiol vary but include: relieving chronic pain, reducing anxiety and depression, diminishing acne and preventing seizures. CBD interacts with your reward centered
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia neurotransmitters as well as more complex areas of your brain to reduce anxiety in most users. Along with this myriad of health benefits, studies also show that CBD oil has anti-tumor effects and could also be beneficial to heart health. CBD oil can be taken in the
forms of oils, pills, edibles, drinks and vape juices. It can be found in local smoke shops and some online retailers. Although it is becoming increasingly prevalent, cannabidiol is not as well known, as the golden oil is often stigmatized by its cousin, THC.
As a result, it is either associated with the substance or left unknown by many. Organizations such as Project CBD have a mission to educate nationally about the medical uses of cannabidiol due to the great success that has been seen with it thus far in the medical field.
Many is more powerful than one when working to end pollution Victoria Stromberg Anchor Contributor
If everyone was to start doing small things every day to improve the environment, the world would be a healthier place. There is a growing problem with pollution in the environment and more specifically, oceans. But how big is this problem? The effects that plastic pollution alone has had on ecosystems and food chains in the ocean is astronomical. Seabirds across the globe are being discovered with plastic in their digestive systems, as they mistake the plastic for food on the ocean’s surface. Plastic has been found the digestive tract of not just birds, but in animals ranging from whales to sea turtles and even small crustaceans. Filter feeding animals such as Baleen whales, that use their large mouths to sift through plankton and krill, ingest plastic by mistake as well. In serious cases, ingestion of plastic can kill these animals. According to an environmental research letter by
8
Albert A Koelmans, 99.8 percent of plastic that has landed in the oceans since the 1950s has settled below the surface of the ocean. Since then it has accumulated to 8.5 million tons annually––that is a lot of plastic to be hanging out on the ocean floor. This is unsettling. Plastic, while being a main contributor, is not the only issue that is reducing populations and damaging marine life. Another problem is fishing nets being abandoned in the sea causing animals such as birds, sea turtles and even whales to get caught in them while they are swimming. According to The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), an estimated 640,000 metric tons of fishing gear are left in the oceans each year. This includes 25,000 nets that are recorded lost or discarded every year. Although there are non-profit organizations and businesses out there respon-
Photo courtesy of National Geographic sible for working to remove debris in the ocean, they can not fulfill this alone. There are things that everyone can do at home to reduce the amount of plastic build-up in not only the ocean, but all ecosystems both land and sea. These underlying factors of pollution can all be reduced if there was a focus on worldwide sustainability. As for what the average person can do from their own home, there are countless things that people do throughout their day that they don’t even think about.
The easiest things to do to preserve the environment are as follows: Reduce, reuse, recycle! Reduce your intake of plastic, get a reusable water bottle so there is never a need to buy copious amounts of plastic bottles. When shopping at the market, think about it, ask yourself if the supermarket has paper bags rather than plastic? If so, jackpot. The less plastic we use, the less plastic that mistakenly ends up where it does not belong. If you live near the coast, like us Rhode
Islanders, an important way to contribute is to go to local beach cleanups, or donate to these groups and organizations. As far as fishing gear goes, clean up after yourself. The most obvious solution is do not discard fishing gear and nets into the ocean when they are no longer used. Discard them the proper way, by finding local places near you that work to recycle fishing nets, or distribute them to places that do. A little can go a long way.
| Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928
Health & Science
Nowadays, facts come at you fast. News cycles and timelines are on overdrive. Fake news is common place. Clusterfackt is an ongoing series that asks readers to question everything. Think of it as an exercise in critical thinking. Each week readers will be given a giant clusterfackt of scientific findings meant to replicate the dizzying news loops that dominate our lives. However, there’s a catch. One statement within the clusterfackt is entirely false. Identify the falsehood and win a prize by emailing editorinchief@anchorweb.org and don’t repeat anything you read here without doing your research!
Mike Dwyer Anchor Staff In last week’s issue we cited a totally real study from Gordon Pennycook and David Rand which demonstrated that an ability to think analytically as measured by the Cognitive Reflection Test could predict the susceptibility of subjects to fake news. The CRT is designed to measure the ability of respondents to overcome “gut” reactions and come to the correct answer. The test was created by psychologist Shane Frederick, according to whom there are two systems of cognitive activity. System one is short shrifted and instinctual while system two is conscious and deliberate. The CRT presents three questions meant to provoke an incorrect response from system one that will then activate the deeper thinking of system two, that is, if respondents are able to recognize the error of their initial response. At the end of last week’s issue we left readers to ponder the three questions from the original CRT. As promised, here are the answers, including the reasoning behind each solution: A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? The response from system one might be that the ball costs 10 cents. Ideally, system two would then be activated and might analyze the problem as such: The
ball costs X and the bat costs $1 more than X. So we have bat + ball = X + (X + 1) = 1.1 because together they cost $1.10. This means X= X+(X+1) = 1.1. Therefore, 2X= X+1 = 0.1, which makes X equivalent to 0.05. This means the ball costs 5 cents and the bat costs $1.05. If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets? The “gut” reaction might be that it will take 100 minutes. However, if it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, then it takes 1 machine 5 minutes to make 1 widget (each machine is making a widget in 5 minutes). If we have 100 machines working together, then each can make a widget in 5 minutes. So there will be 100 widgets in 5 minutes. In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake? At first, respondents might be tempted by the quick thinking of system two and say it will take 24 days for half of the lake to be covered by the patch. However, read more carefully, the question stipulates that every day forward the patch doubles in size. So every day backwards means the patch is halved. So on day 47 the lake is half full and on day 48 it doubles once more, covering the
entire surface of the lake. If you answered one or even all of the questions incorrectly you are not alone. In a survey of 3,428 people an astonishing 33 percent missed all three questions while 83 percent missed at least one of the questions. Even very educated people made mistakes. Only 48 percent of MIT students sampled were able to answer all the questions correctly. While the CRT is not a measure of an individual’s intelligence quotient, correct answers on the CRT have been found to correlate with higher IQ. Now that our readers have had a bit of practice perhaps they will find the falsehood hiding in this week’s issue. As promised, somewhere during this article I have once again lied and given readers some bad information to root out. Was it that “totally real” study from Pennycook and Rand? Qualifying markers in speech often precede a lie to make it more believable, but in all fairness this is not a definitive hallmark of dishonesty.
Maybe it was the part about Shane Frederick- is that even a real person? Are these the actual questions from the CRT? Does the CRT actually exist? Any one of these things could be absolutely made up. Which begs the question, why are you still reading this series? Why trust or entertain an admitted liar? In the last month alone I’ve told readers that forensic otologists have theorized that Sir Isaac Newton suffered an inner ear imbalance, a lifelong condition which led to his discovery and study of gravity in 1492; that menacing pygmy clowns made Egyptian pharaoh Phak Tes-Falsiti laugh to death in 2500 BCE while the Ancient Roman senate kept a stock fool known as “stupidus” who took part in the assassination of Julius Caesar- mistaking it for a practical joke; that the mathematical model designed to test the viability of common conspiracies failed when attempting to calculate the
probability of lizard people running a vast globalist government because there was not enough data on the secret-keeping abilities of reptilian life forms; and last week I provided an incorrect date for the midterm elections not once, but twice. Forensic otologists, Pharoah Phak Tes-Falsiti, nefarious lizard people- all of these statements were absolute rubbish. Roman theatre did have a stock character known as “stupidus”, but there were no clowns present during the assassination of Caesar. Sometimes, falsehoods are just more convincing when they include a tinge of truth. Normally, Dwight Myers does our fact checking section but he was unavailable this week because he doesn’t exist. Next week, we’ll explore why it is that humans have an inherent desire to fool others and to be fooled themselves. Why do we engage in fantasy and what purpose does it serve?
Mike Dwyer is a 2013 graduate of CCRI’s school of nursing and has since worked as a registered nurse in and around his hometown of Newport, Rhode Island. Writing has been a life-long passion (Re: obsession) and in 2016 Mike enrolled at RIC to pursue a BA in English literature. He is a senior planning to graduate next Spring, after which he will stay local, stay weird, and pursue a graduate degree.
Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928 |
9
Brand New Lofts in North Providence
Say Hello to Lofts at Lyman Mill
Lofts at Lyman Mill has been meticulously preserved and reintroduced as modern apartments! The brand new loft style apartments will feature spacious studio, one and two bedroom apartment styles with an array of interior finishes to choose. From historic architectural details to cutting edge amenities, you’ll experience a loft lifestyle with access to the bustling Providence foodie scene and entertainment! Limited availability! Call or stop by today to reserve your new home!
www.lymanmill.com Lofts at Lyman Mill 184 Woonasquatucket Avenue North Providence, RI 02911 (401) 297-3566
10
| Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928
Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928 |
11
Arts&Entertainment Cute but deadly: Africa’s black-footed cat Britt Donahue Photo Editor
All throughout history, humans have been fascinated by cats. References to large, predatory felines such as the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar and many more can be found in myths, legends and art from all over the ancient world. These animals are adaptable and capable hunters, who have found ways to thrive everywhere from the cloud forests of South America, to the Indian Mangrove swamp, and everywhere in between. Cats, by their very nature are notoriously elusive and difficult to study, but recent improvements in camera and tracking technologies have allowed researches unprecedented access to information about species rarely seen by human eyes, and the BBC Nature miniseries, “Super Cats” brings this new information straight to your
living room. Episode two of the series, “Cats in Every Corner,” is particularly interesting; it highlights a black-footed cat called Gyra. Gyra weighs only two pounds, but each night she can travel up to 20 miles searching for food. This is more than any of the other so called “small cats”a category which includes species such as the Canadian lynx, the caracal, or the Chinese desert cat. The black-footed cat is an amazing hunter who successfully catches their prey 60 percent of the time! For comparison, a lion hunting alone will be successful about 17-19 percent of the time, or 30 percent if they hunt in pairs. Black-footed cats are the smallest cats on the continent of Africa where they make their home in the arid
Photo courtesy of BBC Nature deserts of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa. Some scientists speculate that they may be the smallest of all feline species, but are reluctant to say for sure while so many of the small cats remain poorly studied.
Perfectly adapted for life in the desert, they have earned a reputation as a “vampire cat” because they do not to seek out sources of water. Instead, they are able to obtain all their liquid
requirements via the bodily fluids of their prey. If you are interested in learning more about the 36 species of wild cats, tune into “Super Cats,” available for streaming on PBS.com.
The Cantina Be careful not to choke on your aspirations Jonathan Weaver Assistant A&E Editor Good news for fans of “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story!” Diego Luna will be reprising his role as Cassian in an upcoming live action series on Disney’s new streaming service. This comes following a wave of announcements pertaining to Star Wars projects on the service like “The Mandalorian,” “The Resistance,” and “The Clone Wars.” Rogue One bridges the gap between the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy by telling the story about how the rebel spies retrieved the plans to the empire’s superweapon, the Death Star. Considered by many to be one of Disney’s best
12 |
contributions to the canon, “Rogue One” is beloved by many and features many memorable characters, like Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor. That being said, Disney’s more recent ventures into the canon have seen less success and have felt too deconstructive (The Last Jedi) or derivative (Solo). Is expanding on a very self contained and well-told story, a good idea? We still don’t have any other concrete information on the series, but it is safe to assume that it was born from positive fan reactions to “Rogue One.” Many people consider “The Empire Strikes Back” to be their personal favorite movie in the series. However, “The Last Jedi” is believed
to have relied too heavily on recapturing that same movie magic and that is why it floundered. Could an attempt to recapture the spirit of “Rogue One” cause this series to feel uninspired? It is possible that after all the negative feedback received from the last two installments has resulted in Disney relying on what has worked already to rebuild good faith in the brand and expand for future storytelling. Personally, I look forward to this series as I thoroughly enjoyed “Rogue One.” And I hope they can tell another new story in the canon while retaining that child-like magic I got to experience when I was a fresh fan of the series. I also hope for more incredible Darth
Photo courtesy of Slideshow Collectables Vader scenes, because trust me when I say, having a director known for monster movies like Godzilla direct Vader the same way he directs a terrible mythical monster is pure childish delight, it really is. Regardless of the form
this new series takes, it is reassuring that Disney seems to be receptive and responding to what fans have resonated with within their contributions to the canon since their acquisition, and makes me excited for the future.
Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928
Arts&Entertainment
From “Francis of the Filth” to “Joji” with the jams
Antonio Rondinaro
Samantha Malley Art Director
Having received his undergraduate degree in history just last spring, and continued his studies as a graduate history student, one might ask Antonio Rondinaro why he takes photography classes. “I think it’s a little bit more than a hobby to me, I’ve always wanted to be an artist. However, I could never draw, ceramics required too much patience and space, so photography was my next best bet,” says Antonio. He started off with a disposable camera from CVS, moved on to a point-andshoot camera and eventually to a bulky DSLR camera. Once he learned about film and darkroom photography, Antonio says “it snowballed from there.” When asked about the inspiration behind his work, Antonio said “Well, it’s a pretty big world out there and there’s just a lot to see. I try to photograph that world through my vision and share it with other people.” Exploring different kinds of photography such as long
exposures or street photography has peaked Antonio’s interest throughout the years. In his Photo one class, he dealt with motion photography by photographing someone riding their motorcycle. In Photo two, he wondered about applying street photography to individuals in libraries. Pictured are Antonio’s favorite images from both classes. Currently in his Photo three class, Antonio is working on a project of people in space. “Not astronauts or anything like that,” he laughs by correcting himself. His core idea behind the photographs is showcasing his non-verbal disability which affects his spatial reasoning. He wants to be able to explore new concepts, photograph what he sees and then share it with his audience. Antonio hopes his final collection comes together in a collage full of different landscapes and portraits captivating his vision.
If you are a student apart of the Art Department at Rhode Island College and would like to be featured in The Anchor Newspaper, email Samantha at ArtDirector@anchorweb.org to schedule an interview!
Joji, Photo courtesy of Coub.com Enrique Castaneda-Pineda Assistant Graphics Editor George Miller, aka Joji, aka Filthy Frank, has had an evolution unlike any artist out there. From starting his own YouTube channel in 2008, making outlandish public pranks faking seizures, creating his own universe and cast of characters, and cooking rap videos, he has constantly evolved. Despite being king of the internet memeverse, it was time to move from the YouTube realm and do what he truly loved, which was music making. Hinting that he wanted to do more music, he created comedic music videos that garnered a lot of love. Before his departure, he created “Pink Season” under the alias Pink Guy/Omega, an album with several satirical songs and meme-worthy music. After starting to release videos more sparingly, he announced his departure from the character and world of Filthy Frank to focus on his music. Signing with 88 Rising, the first Asian-American record label to gain high
praise, he finally created his debut EP as “Joji.” Joji is also a nickname that George has had throughout the years, once having a vlog channel with the same name. In the past, he had made sad sounding, R&B/lofi hiphop music under this name, including songs like “You Suck Charlie” and “Thom” before officially focusing on music. Since then, Joji has released an EP and an album, titled “In Tongues” and “Ballads 1,” respectively. After releasing “In Tongues” in 2017, the short 16 minute EP left most fans wanting more, while gathering new ones. With the release of “Ballads 1,” Joji reached a new high at the top spot in the R&B Billboard chart. Most of his music is smooth and quiet, though his new album takes risks in attempting to break out of the same cycle. Despite its attempts, a couple songs can be repetitive, but the variation overall of the album keeps the listener engaged and enthralled with where
he’ll take a song next. From bass-boosting a song, to focusing on its quiet piano, or relying on guitar licks, the tracks always try to bring something new to the table. As he evolves, his music will continually evolve, as well as his risks. “Slow Dancing in the Dark” has Joji out of his vocal comfort zone, providing strong lyrics and an even stronger vocal performance of belted out intense, long notes. It is arguably one of the strongest songs on the record because of his ability to take his voice to a new place. Meanwhile, switching his pitches in “Can’t Get Over You” with its catchy beat leaves me always putting the song on repeat. Finally, “XNXX” has a beat that is similar, grabbing you and pulling you in, but it is so short that it forces you to play it again. Once Joji is fully comfortable with his voice, and takes more musical risks, there is no doubt that his music will only continue to get better.
Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928 |
13
Arts&Entertainment
Marisa Lenardson Online Media Manager
Thursday Nov. 15
Friday Nov. 16
Gallery Night Providence
Ending Racism and Injustice in the Food System
Slightly Stoopid
The Ballroom Thieves
Arcade Farmers & Artisans Market
Gallery Night Providence is an introduction to Providence's exciting art scene. Eighteen of the city's "art spots" open their doors for a visual arts party. One Regency Plaza FREE // 5-9 p.m.
Come Out, Speak Out!
Experience art in new ways through performances, conversations, hands-on artmaking, and encounters with contemporary artists. RISD Museum FREE// 5-9 p.m. Women of Color: Building Communities Through Entrepreneurship A panel and discussion featuring women of color who are shifting, innovating, and disrupting the dynamics of entrepreneurship and leadership all over the country. Alumnae Hall Brown University FREE // 4-5:30 p.m.
14 |
Sunday Nov. 18
Makers Market Learn how you can be part Self-described as a fusion of of the movement for food Shop from local artisans and folk, rock, reggae and blues sovereignty and help build a with hip-hop, funk, metal and merchants for clothes, food system based on punk.With special guest ceramics, flowers, and more. justice, dignity, and HIRIE. abundance for all members The Floral Reserve of the community. The Strand Ballroom & FREE // 10-4 p.m. Theatre Rhode Island Department of $33 // 6:30-11:30 p.m. Health Auditorium FREE // 2-3:30 p.m.
Hosted by the RI Department of Health - share ideas about With a vintage jazz-style, how safer, more inclusive and "The Ballroom Thieves" tour supportive spaces can be their 2018 EP, "Paper created for all young people Crown." in the state. Columbus Theatre Student Union Ballroom $16-$18 // 8-11 p.m. FREE // 5:30-7 p.m. Third Thursday
Saturday Nov. 17
Providence Bruins vs. Rochester Americans
Shop local and support small businesses, artisans, and The Providence Bruins take farmers. There will be art, on the Rochester Americans. local food, vintage, and apothecary goods. Dunkin Donuts Center $25-$35 // 7 p.m. The Arcade FREE // 11-3 p.m.
Friday Night Live
The Soldier's Tale
See some improv comedy featuring live music, interactive scenes, on-thespot musicals, improvised song, dance, and skits.
Haunting preludes by Brown University composers using poetry from World War I, while Stravinsky’s score comments on the war that destroyed his world.
9 Duncan Avenue, Providence $5 // 7 p.m.
List Arts Center FREE // 8 p.m.
Drag Brunch & Food Drive Unleash your inner diva and join Gia Devaroux, Viza D. Klein and Jealousy Jonz for Drag Brunch. The Black Sheep FREE // 11 a.m.
Quilters the Musical An Evening With Robyn Combining music, dance Hitchcock and drama, "Quilters" captures both the harsh Robyn Hitchcock is an challenges and the abiding English singer-songwriter and rewards of frontier life with guitarist. vivid dramatic intensity. Running all weekend long. Columbus Theatre $20 // 8-11 p.m. Forman Theatre $5 // 7:30-10 p.m.
Yoga with Kittens Stretch, interact, and play with adorable kittens while participating in a yoga class. Providence Animal Rescue League $25 // 1-2 p.m.
Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928
Arts&Entertainment RI Comic Con returns for its seventh year Enrique Castaneda-Pineda Assistant Graphics Editor The epitome of geek and media fandom returned to Providence for its seventh year with a bang. Starring headliners like Zachary Levi, David Harbour and Tom Felton, the convention was nothing less than extraordinary. In the past, the convention has faced problems due to the masses of people
Graphic courtesy of Rhode Island Comiccon attending, but this year was different. Along with using the Dunkin Donut Center and the Convention Center, the panels were moved to the Omni Hotel. This allowed there to be more panels, which helped cover everything that attendees wanted. Despite some issues
directing people to the panels, it was the best move to help ease the amount of people on the show floor. There wasn’t a time during the three days of the event that found people with nothing to do. Guests were the main feature, as you could take a picture, get
Red Dead Redemption 2 tutorial: a fistful of hours Jake Elmslie Sports Editor
Graphic courtesy of Rockstar Games In a game where you can spend a majority of your time ether murdering or robbing people, the most criminal thing in “Red Dead Redemption 2” may be the way the tutorial is handled. “ Red Dead Redemption 2,” the sequel to the highly acclaimed “Red Dead Redemption,” promises the player an open-world wild west adventure. One where you are free to roam and explore any cowboy fantasies you may have, be they
riding your horse at breakneck speeds to elude bounty hunters, stealing and driving a turn of the century steam engine or dominating a fist fight in the local saloon. Yet, the path Rockstar Games forces you to take to get to this level of freedom is bizarre. “Red Dead Redemption 2” insists on forcing the player through an arduous three to four hour tutorial, ripe with slow moving dull missions and admittedly beautiful but
overly long cinematics that cumulatively make the player feel like they are doing little more than watching a barely interactive movie. The intentions of this section of the game is to both familiarize the player with “Red Dead Redemption 2”’s controls and mechanics as well as to begin to invest the player in the story of the game’s protagonist Arthur Morgan and the various members of his gang. In execution, however, the
autographs or just say hi to some of your favorite TV/ movie stars. Along with “Stranger Things” stars, an abundance of “The Walking Dead” characters were there, including Steven Ogg, Laurie Holden and Cooper Andrews.
This has been the best run RI Comic Con so far, and hopefully it will keep this up in the years to come. My hope is that they include bigger stars from more current media, because a decent chunk of the stars that attend are from TV and movies from long ago.
tutorial holds the players hand in an iron death grip while repeatedly forcing story beats down the players throat in a fashion that starts to make one envy the members of the gang that were lost and left behind. All of this may be forgivable if the whole enterprise was at least entertaining, but alas, slowly following a non-playable character around a mountain side and, in a moment that feels like an actual joke, driving a horse drawn cart down an uneventful road are disappointing to the player that came in expecting an exhilarating sandbox from the get go. In the grand scheme, the issues with this tutorial are two-fold. First, the controls for these sorts of open world games have become fairly ubiquitous in recent times. The modern gamer will usually assume the bumpers are used to shoot in much the same way a platformer player understands that the A button is used to jump without being told so. Secondly, other open world games such as Bethesda’s “Fallout 4” or more recently, Nintendo’s “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” pull off what “Red Dead Redemption 2” attempted to do in its tutorial far better.
“Fallout 4” introduces the player to the basic controls of the game in a brief opening mission. After this is completed, the player is essentially given free reign to explore the game’s world with other mechanics being explained when they become important. “Breath of the Wild” meanwhile throws the player right into things from the get go with anything that resembles a tutorial coming naturally in the game’s opening missions in a way that feels seamless in its integration. Additionally, the player is given the option to learn more about the game’s world and story through various side quests in a fashion that makes finding out this information feel like a goal as opposed to required reading. It is important to note that after one completes the tutorial, “Red Dead Redemption 2” is the exciting, open-ended, detailed 19th century jaunt fans were expecting. However, while being forced to slog through a bloated tutorial, it’s easy to question if Rockstar Games should get off so easily for an opening act that would have made me walk out on a game I had lower expectations for.
Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928
| 15
Opinions Democracy is more than just a vote Alison Macbeth Anchor Staff
hardly captures the nuances of the political system. The talk of voting has Who introduces the ideas been ubiquitous this past that turn into ballot meaweek with midterm elections. sures? Who does the reAlthough voting is extremely search? Who organized important, it is not the only protests and interacts with way to be involved in creat- the public to change their ing change in our communities and government. As a democracy, the United States operates with popular sovereignty. This means that the power to make legislation lies with the people rather than one sovereign, such as a king. Voting is one way to determine the opinions of the majority. As we saw this past week, voting is an important part of democracy. Our structure would not work without people casting their ballots. thinking? However, voting is not the While Americans should only means of being an gladly vote, it is important involved citizens. In fact, to exercise the freedoms spending a few minutes at we have to raise awareness the poles to fill out a ballot on issues, contact our local
representatives, be aware of town and local elections, as well as become part of organizations that represent our causes.
paign, attend town halls, and volunteer with an organization that benefits your community. If you were disappointed nor thrilled with the results of the midterms this
CNN Politics noted 25 ways to be involved politically some of which included reading up on American history and civics, being part of a cam-
past week, remember that your vote is not the be-all end-all. Don’t get bogged down with your pessimism or optimism. Local and national is-
sues still need your involvement. And this exceeds just a post on Facebook that all your similarly-minded friends will like. Be a leader in your community and work hands on with the issues you are passionate about. So, yes, please vote. But also, recognize that a democracy not only rests on the freedom of voting but also the participation, the voice, the pressure and interaction of the people.
On the eve of an election Mike Dwyer Anchor Staff The sun had already set when I left home and drove up Broadway and out the main road past the humming lights of shopping plazas and car lots. I drove past the cathedral and economy motels, then hooked a left on Brown’s Lane where the road snakes its way down the hill. At the bottom I pass through the cemetery gates. My friends are already there. We’ve grown apart, but every year we gather here on Nov. 5-- to drink, to laugh, and to share with each other the memory of a man buried beneath our feet. This day marks nine years since he was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Every time I hook that
16 |
left and drive down the hill, I remember how emotional and painful it was to bury him and recall certain images that are seared into my memory-- the hundreds of people lining the road, the enormous wind-swept flag suspended between two ladder trucks from the local fire department, the backward-facing boots hung in the stirrups of a riderless horse, the meticulous folding of the flag and the way his widow clutched it as her knees buckled during the salute. I remember: at the bottom of that hill, a man I had never seen before standing outside his truck at the gates of the cemetery. He was holding a flag pole in one hand and at his feet, propped against the side of his pickup, was a hand written sign that read: “I try to be worth dying for”. When I saw this, I burst into
tears and felt a mix of sadness and anger-- sadness for a life cut short and for the children who would have to grow up without their father, and then anger over the war, at my own country and at the stranger with that sign. It’s been nine years and those memories are still vivid. I look out over the graveyard and can see the silhouettes of headstones. I join my circle of friends to catch up. We poke fun at each other and laugh and it feels like old times. The conversation is light and amicable. No one brings up the election. No one crosses that line here. Even though my friends and I have gotten older and drifted apart, now wasn’t the time to hash out our differences. We can’t agree on what it means to be American, the symbolic value of that flag, the meaning or reasons underlying our
friend’s death or the righteousness of the war that claimed his life-- a war his sons are now almost old enough to serve in. We can’t agree on what he died for, if anything. No one mentions the elephant in the room. For a time, it feels as though all those differences have melted away. We build a neutral ground from our frustrations, our powerlessness and vulnerability and the nagging feeling of loss and uncertainty. We can all agree on this: that things are not as they should be.
“On The Eve of An Election” is a personal account of the loss of a friend and the meaning of death as a result of war. Mike’s piece poses some interesting questions for our readers to ponder, such as the meaning of death resulting from a war, and what it means to be American. If anyone has any comments regarding the content of Mike’s sketch, or personal memoirs of theur own to share, please email Catherine at opinions@ anchorweb.org
“We build a neutral ground from our frustrations, our powerlessness and vulnerability and the nagging feeling of loss and uncertainty.”
The views expressed in The Anchor, unless otherwise noted, are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent those of The Anchor or of Rhode Island College’s faculty, administration or student body.
Opinions It’s time for America to treat veterans with reverence Catherine Enos Opinions Editor Military men and women volunteer knowing that, at the very least, serving our country will take its toll on them physically, emotionally, and financially. What they give us-- their life-- is not proportionate to what we, as a society, give to them. Whether you agree with military intervention or you don’t, it is important that we support veterans. We do a particularly bad job at this-in many ways. Arguably one of the most important dimensions of how we treat veterans is respect. Respect determines everything else-if we don’t have respect for them, will we give them the care they need? A clear example of how
we treat veterans is through the way public figures treat veterans. Earlier this month Pete Davidson, during the Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live, mocked GOP-candidate Dan Crenshaw (now representative-elect) for wearing an eye patch. Pete Davidson is obviously a comedian who jokes about controversial things, but this crossed a line. In addition, this joke was not only said by Davidson, but it presumably passed through some script-writing process, implying that others also thought it was okay to say. Pete Davidson is not the only person to say something controversial about veterans. A man with much more power, Donald Trump, famously said that the late senator John McCain was not a war hero because he was captured and that he
“like[s] people that weren’t captured.” The common thread between Davidson and Trump is that they’re criticizing men that have served based off of the veteran’s personal political ideals. In polarized times, we criticize the “other side”. But there’s no reason as to why either of them had to mock something that happened as a direct result of combat. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be able to criticize people that happen to be war vets but there’s a civil way to disagree with someone. The 2008 presidential election is a good example of civility. Though Barack Obama and John McCain clearly disagreed on many things, Obama never resorted to petty comments about McCain’s service to the country.
As we become more polarized as a country, it is important that we try not to politicize the military or veterans. And it’s import-
ant that we keep in mind the fact that veterans volunteered to keep all Americans safe-- even those that disagree with them.
Graphuc courtesy of nenaticket.org
What mass shootings teach us about divisiveness Angela DaSilva Assistant Copy Editor As mass shootings have become normalized in our country, so too have the people who continuously deny politics’ stake in gun violence. They have said that shootings can only be blamed on the shooter, which is true in the sense that no one tells a gunman to go out and murder innocent people in presumably safe places. I am not denying this. However, I am saying that it is convenient to suggest that politics are not responsible for these events. It is convenient because placing sole blame on the shooter lets us offer up our thoughts and prayers as means of pacifying the shock, because “it’s only the shooter’s fault and there’s nothing we can do about terrible people.” These thoughts and prayers
dismiss our country’s divisiveness. They forget that our daily rhetoric inspired by divisive politics fuels the violence in our culture. They forget that it is political when a man yells “All Jews must die!” before he kills 11 people in a synagogue, and that it is political when a homophobe kills 49 people in a gay nightclub. Even when there is no demographic in mind, these are all political events because they capitalize on the hatred that is boiling in our country. This country’s weapon of choice is the gun, because the gun itself is political. It is in our constitution under the second amendment and it is used as partisan selling points for campaigns. Removed from these violent acts, the gun still remains political because we talk about it in terms of politics. The result of our negligent refusals about political
involvement is this: 17 in Parkland, 10 in Santa Fe, 11 in Pittsburgh, and 12 in Thousand Oaks. These are just a few of the mass shootings with the greatest casualties that have occurred in the US this year. Thousand Oaks was our country’s latest tragedy, in which 12 people were murdered by a lone gunman at a popular country bar in California. These tragedies have occurred so frequently in the past year––307 times, to be specific––that “latest” is an appropriate term to use because it does not stand out the way it should in our newscycle. Rather, it adds to the scary reality that has become our culture. I do not distinguish culture from “gun culture,” because at this point there is no difference. As a product of incessant gun violence, our country has become one in which its citizens cannot
be sure that they won’t be shot in a school or a church or a bar. This is the culture we have grown into: a culture encased in normalized fear. We are wrong to think that this does not apply to us; that somehow the confined borders of our tiny little state protects us from what is occurring across the country. But hatred exists in Rhode Island, too. This past January, my friends and I were at the Providence Place Mall when a man pulled out a gun on another man in Nordstrom. We heard the evacuation announcement on the intercom and we went through the collective
motions of confusion, fear, and more confusion when we reached the exit and learned we still had to pay our parking fee at the kiosk. My friends and I had to wait in a line while a man was loose with a gun. There is violence in this state because there is hatred in this state. This can happen to us because it has happened to me, already. We are not immune to gun violence, and we are frighteningly not equipped to deal with it. Instead, we wait in lines to pay parking tickets because we believe it can’t happen to us, so we are never prepared.
“This country’s weapon of choice is the gun, because the gun itself is political.”
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.
17
Sports
Point, Counterpoint: is Baseball still America’s sport? Jake: Baseball was at one point the most popular sport in America, however over the last decade or so the people who manage the game at it’s highest level have done nothing to help it stay on top and the numbers show it. The average sports fan simply does not have the same sort of fervor for baseball that existed in decades past. Take this years world series for example, you had two of the most popular franchise in Major League Baseball history, the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers. There are two teams with enormous fan bases, from two of the biggest markets in sports, two teams that should carry coast to coast interest. Despite all of this however the MLB saw a 23 percent drop off in average world series game viewership from 2017 and a 38 percent drop off in average viewership from
18 |
2016. One could argue that it is unfair to compare 2018 to 2017 or 2016 as both those series lasted seven games as opposed to this year’s world series five. However even when compared to the last five game world series, 2015’s clash between the New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals, two teams with considerably smaller fan bases and less storied histories, 2018 still saw lower ratings. Now as mentioned previously television ratings are down across the board, however baseball has seen a far greater dip in ratings than it’s competitors, namely the National Football League. While game five of this years world series did manage to outdo the concurrently airing Monday Night Football broadcast, these sorts of occurrences are the exception to the rule. Even less significant NFL games regularly outperform MLB games of higher importance.
Jake Elmslie Sports Editor “The average sports fan simply does not have the same sort of fervor for baseball that existed in decades past.”
Versus Joshua Percy Anchor Staff “Baseball teams still bring out an enourmously large crowd to the field to watch games.”
Joshua: Baseball is one of America’s favorite sports, some dare say it is America’s sport. While some will argue that the issues with pace of play and decreasing viewership have caused Baseball to secede the title of America’s sports to the Football and the NFL in actuality baseball is still America’s sport, and here is why. While tv viewership for Baseball is in a decline, all tv viewership is declining, no one watches tv anymore, they prefer streaming services such as netflix and hulu. The argument of TV views droppings is not a solid one, while it is a good point. However, Baseball teams still bring out an enourmously large crowd to the field to watch games. While people might not have four hours to watch a baseball game at home, a large amount of people do have 5-6 hours to enjoy
a live baseball game and the atmosphere it creates. Baseball is still more of a competitive sport than football, in baseball you have a good 10-15 competitive teams while Football is more predictable and has less competition. The largest argument is that there are still more people around America that wants to play baseball than any other sport. How can we prove that? Well every baseball team has 3 minor league teams they have to fill, if there were not enough players, then they wouldn’t need those teams. The want to play baseball is greater than any other sport in America, and with that reason Baseball is still America’s Sport.
Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928
Sports Super Bowl LIII: The New England Patriots V.S. Joseph A. Griswold Anchor Staff As we pass the halfway point of the National Football League season, Super Bowl picks are starting to come fast and furious. For over a decade now, the New England Patriots have dominated the American Football Conference and have represented the AFC in eight of the last 20 Super Bowls, winning five of them. This year seems to be no different. Although the Kansas City Chiefs look formidable, Tom Brady has already proven he can beat the chiefs. Furthermore, with New England just one game behind the Chiefs and having the head-to-head tiebreaker, odds are that the path to the Super Bowl in the AFC will go through New England. In the National Football Conference; however, the path is much more unclear with the sole undefeated Los Angeles Rams falling to the New Orleans Saints and leveling out what is a highly competitive conference. In the NFC, there are
Photo courtesy of Profootball Hall of Fame seven legitimate Super Bowl contenders with several teams that are quickly materializing into serious contenders. So, what separates the contenders from the pretenders in NFC; and most importantly who are the Patriots going to meet in the Super bowl? The most formidable contenders and favorites to come out of the NFC are either the Saints or the Rams who faced
off in week eight with the rams falling 45-35. Both of these teams have one loss on the season and have the makings of teams that can challenge for and win the Super Bowl. The Rams are led by the league’s best offense and the NFL offensive MVP in Todd Gurley. The Saints boast a top five offense and just improved their
depth with the addition of talented young cornerback Eli Apple. However, both of these teams lack stout defenses. If either of the defenses fail to be opportunistic, these teams can fall short of Super Bowl glory. The next tier of teams in the NFC that are contenders, but not favorites include the Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings. Of these teams the Panthers have the best opportunity to advance to the Super Bowl due to the success of quarterback Cam Newton in his first year under offensive coordinator Norv Turner. In addition, the Panthers boast an attacking defense, but have shown at times this season to be inconsistent. The Bears, Redskins, Eagles and Vikings are all tremendously talented teams that have been characterized by extreme highs
and disastrous lows. The key to one of these teams contending is the ability to get hot at the right time and ride the momentum through the playoffs. The last set of teams in the NFC are the dark horse teams, who, as of right now do not even seem to be in playoff contention, but if all goes right can make some noise. These two teams are the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers. Both of these teams have struggled to start the season. However, led by two of the league’s best quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers both of these teams have the ability to make a late-season run towards Super Bowl glory. Super Bowl LIII in Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta will end in a 38-35 New Orleans Saints victory over the New England Patriots giving Drew Brees his second Super Bowl title.
Tom Brady, Photo courtesy of successstory.com
Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928 |
19
Sports Men’s Basketball reborn in season opener Jake Elmslie Sports Editor Rhode Island College men’s basketball illuminated the Murray Center Thursday night in their season opener and gave RIC fans something to be excited about. The Anchormen dominated wire to wire in the 87-64 victory, the teams first game under new head coach Tom Glynn. The Anchormen have entered the 2018-2019 season with the goal of exorcising the demons of years past. The RIC Basketball program has been on a downslide the last few years, only winning a cumulative 14 games over the past three seasons. Based on Thursday night’s performance, the Anchormen may very well be on their way to shedding the futility of years past. RIC asserted their dominance almost immediately over the Fitchburg State Falcons. Within the first 10
minutes of the game the Anchormen racked up a 15 point lead, and by the end of the first half RIC lead 45-28. The retooled Anchormen roster received production from some new faces throughout the opening half, in particular from two upperclassmen starting their first season with the team. Junior Benjamin Vezele muscled his way to 10 points, oftentimes laying the ball in over multiple defenders while simultaneously playing violent defense in the post. Senior Bernard Broaster scored nine first half point off the bench and sent his team sprinting into the locker room following a buzzer beater three pointer. The second half only spelled further dominance for RIC, with the Anchormen leading by as much as 27 at various points. Coach Glynn refused to allow his team to become complacent
however and was often visibly berating his players for mistakes made even when the team held a massive lead. One strength for the Anchormen was their free throw shooting. The team’s aggressive post play led to RIC players getting many opportunities at the line. The Anchormen capitalized on said opportunities going 31-38 as a team with no RIC player missing more than two free throws. By the time the game’s waning minutes came along the Anchormen had the victory well in hand and began attempting to impress the Murray Center crowd with various flashy dunk attempts before Coach Glynn pulled his starters. The Anchormen were lead in the game by Vezele who tallied 21 points to go alongside nine rebounds. Right behind him was Senior captain Justin Campbell who managed a hyper efficient 19 point 11 rebound double-double off of 7-10 shooting. Coach Glynn leaned
heavily on his starters with four players being on the court for 36 plus minutes. The Anchormen will follow this victory up with a three game road trip. RIC students’ next chance to see the team on campus
will come on Tuesday, Nov. 20th when they face off against the Bridgewater State University Bears, tip off for that game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Justin Campbell, Photo courtesy of Thomas Crudale
Bernard Broaster, Photo courtesy of Thomas Crudale
20 |
Benjamin Vezele, Photo courtesy of Kaitlin Dobson
Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928