Ground-broken for RIC’s new Art Center
By: Katelyn Hurd
News Editor
Adorned in hard-hats, Rhode Island College President Nancy Carriuolo and Gov. Lincoln Chafee raised their sledge hammers at the ground-breaking ceremony last week to mark the start of construction of the college’s latest project – a new Art Center.
“There are few events that take place that are as joyful as a ground breaking,” Carriuolo said, pink sledgehammer in hand.
Carriuolo referred to Chafee as a “friend of the college,” because he visited and toured RIC prior to being elected in 2010 and saw how desperately the college’s facilities needed renovations.
“I knew [Carriuolo] had the best faculty and the best students,” said Chafee, explaining that the only thing missing was having good facilities. “With great pride I’m here to pick up the sledge hammer and change it.”
“We’re waiting for everyone to show up and speechify,” said Stephen Fisher, a printmaking professor and the project’s liaison, before the ceremony started. “I know the president was running around looking for a sledge hammer.”
In attendance for the pompous event included the RIC administration, Bill Martin, Art Department director, James Montford, Bannister Gallery director, and alumni, eager students and art professors involved in the project. The staff from Design Partnership of Cambridge – the architectural firm for the project – attended the ceremony, as well.
Also in attendance were Student Community Government, Inc. President-Elect Kyla Pecchia and Vice President-Elect Hillary Costa. SCG played a fundamental role in spreading the word about voting yes on the referendum back in 2010.
In November 2010 the project was approved by voters in Rhode Island. The $17 million project is the largest bond ever given to RIC.
“It will be a much better facility for what we do,” said Martin. “It will be really terrific to have classrooms and studios built for what we do in the building.”
The Art Center is more than deserving of a renovation, as it is one of the original six buildings on campus. Designed in 1956, the building was originally used as a library, student union and dining center. At the time, art classes were scattered around campus and students could only minor in art. The building was eventually “recycled” over a five-year period to become the Art Center that it is now.
In the 1970s RIC’s art program boomed, and in 1978 RIC became one of three colleges in the state to be accredited by the NESDAD (the others being Salve Regina University and the Rhode Island School of Design). Currently there are about 300 students in the art program.
“We have exceptional faculty,” said Carriuolo. “Unfortunately the same cannot be said about the building.”
John deMelim, one of the oldest alumni in attendance, was one of only three faculty members who taught art when the program was widely spread out across the campus. He explained that he taught ceramics in a maintenance shed. As he watched the program grow and move into the new Art Center that it is now, he was also responsible for creating the graphic design program that many students major in today.
“I’m delighted about the new building as it was a challenge teaching in the space that was randomly picked up,” said deMelim.“It was amazing to see how it grew.”
“In my first semester and my first art class, the building was in terrible condition and it was so cold,” said Esther Laflamme, junior graphic design major. “We would all wear our winter coats for a three-hour long class and still shiver. It got to the point where I would set my paints out and they would freeze so I actually couldn’t work in the art center.”
A television was also set up at the event and showed student artwork on a slide show.
“This is exciting and beautiful artwork,” said Chafee. “We look forward to seeing more artwork with the new building [constructed].”
“The students will benefit from up-to-date studios, it will be a much better work environment for what they do. The students have always made really good work in spite of what the building has been, and we look forward to more of that,” said Martin.
The first phase is expected to be completed by January 2013, with the second and final phase to be finished no later than January 2014. During the course of construction, classes will be held in Whipple Hall, in Building 2 on the East Campus and in the existing art building where work is not taking place. The state-of-the-art facility will include increased square footage with a second level, along with a newly designed interior and exterior.
“Everyone is working very hard to make that time frame because it is a two-phase construction,” said Martin. “They need to clear everyone out of the south end of the building by relocating them into the new north end, they have to move everyone out to continue phase 2 of project. Everyone is working hard to meet that deadline.”
According to Bill Gearheart, vice president for administration and finance, “the project is on schedule and the currently timeline to completion.”
Parliament chooses first female president since 2004
By: Jim Brady
News Staff Writer
Last week’s Student Community Government, Inc. elections yielded the most female-heavy Executive Council in years, with four of six positions filled by women. The four highest-ranking positions in SCG will all be held by females, which hasn’t happened in over a decade.
Kyla Pecchia, who had served as secretary this year, was elected the 43rd president of SCG. Pecchia is the first female president of SCG in eight years.
Joining Pecchia on the 2012-2013 SCG Executive Council is Hillary Costa, who will serve as vice president, Jordan Day, who kept her current position as treasurer, Gianna Auger, who was elected secretary, Travis Escobar, who was elected speaker, and Ryan Bettencourt, who was elected deputy speaker. The new board will be sworn in later this month and take office June 1.
While the elections meeting was slated to run two hours, it ran longer than anticipated, eating well into the time allotted for the regularly scheduled Parliament Sine Die meeting that followed.
Of the six positions vied for, only the role of speaker was contested by more than one declared candidate. Current two-term SCG President Escobar was elected speaker over Rep. Robert Santurri Jr. in what surprisingly was a hard-fought battle. Escobar vowed to serve as a mentor for the newly elected administration.
“I wouldn’t be the person driving the administration, I’d be the person sending my advice,” said Escobar.
After more than an hour of voting on multiple ballots for the role of speaker, Escobar defeated Santurri on the fifth and final ballot with a vote of 17-11. While it was necessary for candidates to secure 18 votes for victory, the fifth round of balloting awards the candidate with the most votes the victor. A majority of Parliament’s voting membership is otherwise required to elect.
“I’ve never had to run; I’ve always been unopposed,” said Escobar, who also ran for freshmen representative and vice president during his first four years involved with SCG. “[Santurri] was a great opponent.”
After the first three rounds, the tally was 16-12 in favor of Escobar. Current SCG Vice President George Bissell, who as chairperson of the Elections Commission was running the meeting, opened a question-and-answer session for both candidates individually, where members of Parliament were each allowed one question for the two candidates.
After more than 30 minutes of Q&A, Parliament took up their ballots for a fourth time but still only came out with less than the number of votes needed to elect a new speaker. After Bissell revealed the results, he admitted to an error made in the voting process. The vice president noted that the Q&A was supposed to have occurred after the fourth round of balloting, not the third. The vote was then put to a “sudden death” final round in which the candidate with the most votes would become the new speaker.
The race for deputy speaker took an unexpected turn, as declared candidate Rep. Nathan Bissell met with surprise write-in candidate Rep. Ryan Bettencourt in a multiple-round vote. Both candidates are finishing their first semester at Rhode Island College.
The first round came in at 17-6 in favor of Bettencourt, with six invalid. The second round came in with 17 for Bettencourt, seven for Bissell, one for Rep. George Selwyn and three invalid.
“Thanks to everyone for voting for me, and if you didn’t, thanks for participating,” Bettencourt said during his victory remarks when he was announced the new deputy speaker. He was quick to mention that Bissell was one of his first friends here at RIC.
In less-contested races, Pecchia became the next president (25-0). Despite a few write-in votes for David Valerio, Hillary Costa was voted in as the new SCG Vice President (23-3). Gianna Auger became secretary for the 2012-13 academic year (25-1). The vote for treasurer, however, saw two rounds of balloting, as uncontested candidate Jordan Day (17) was dismayed when some members wrote-in former Treasurer Brendan Cardona (7) and Deputy Speaker Thomas Lima (1), neither of which were valid or declared candidates. Day took the victory after the second round (20-6-1).
During the SCG debate forum in a nearly empty Donovan Dining Center the night before, the same messages were echoed by the many candidates: SCG needs to be re-marketed and made more visible to the student body. Concerns were focused on an apathetic student body and what the best ways to reach them are.
Pecchia said she has a strong connection to RIC, as both her parents were RIC students. She also made clear her willingness to listen to concerns of the students and to make changes where needed.
Costa said she was honored to serve – and continue to serve – the corporation and the student body. Costa, a communications major, also noted how her position will help her achieve career goals and hone her skills (the vice president also chairs SCG’s Public Relations Committee and directly oversees the communications director Cabinet position).
Auger, a psychology major and three-year College Dining Services employee, expressed just how much she cares for RIC.
Escobar and Santurri both had messages of efficiency and the ability to remain unbiased in the role of speaker. Escobar’s approach was to plug his four years of experience in Parliament, while Santurri chose the “clean slate” approach, arguing that the Executive Council would do well with fresh faces in more elected positions.
Candidate for deputy speaker Bissell, a nursing major, admitted his motivation for running: “I want to make things a lot better here.”
– With additional reporting by News Editor Katelyn Hurd
Frugal involvement but wide discussion at “May Day General Strike”
By: Jim Brady
News Staff Writer
While last Tuesday’s “May Day General Strike” succumbed to the forces of Mother Nature, student activists weren’t so easily defeated. Commandeering Gaige Hall 211, the May Day coalition led an hour-and-a-half guerilla teach-in for a last-minute crowd of 17 participants.
The group compromised on a last-ditch teach-in just before noon, and quickly promoted the 12:30 p.m. event with numerous on-campus fliers, encouraging any and all interested parties to join.
A group of five student protesters marched their way across a rainy Quad, flying homemade flags (each representing an ideal of awareness) while leading an echoed call-and-answer: “Power! Power! Talkin’ ’bout student power!”
The procession made its way to Gaige, all the while answering the call.
Once the group occupied the room, an in-depth dialogue commenced. The topics included RIC’s alleged misrepresentation of the student body, lack of tolerance on campus, administration oversight of Student Community Government, Inc., administrative meddling and the abolishment of business as usual at RIC.
Student speaker and RIC Senior Kevin C. was adamant about the administration’s grasp on student affairs, especially in the realm of SCG.
“[SCG] is created and organized in a specific manner in which the final say passes through administrators,” he claimed. He said he advocated abolishing SCG’s current structure because it is something that is intrinsically tied to maintaining a status quo on campus.
“Administration, in a sense, is the umbrella that covers this campus and wants to control what happens here,” he said.
RIC Freshman Servio Gomez called out the college administration.
“It’s a matter of pointing the finger at those who call the shots,” Gomez said. “They’re overworking the students. The system is overworking the students. Administration oppresses the people who pay their salaries.”
However, administrative woes weren’t the whole of the issue. Alleged misrepresentation of the student body ran heavily in the discussion.
“Seventy percent of this campus is made up of a female-identifying student body,” said Jacki Carlson, a gender studies major. “Yet Parliament is not 70 percent diverse.”
Carlson continued the dialogue on representation, “SCG claims that they are the student body. You cannot represent the student body if it’s not a representative body. Go figure.”
Also in attendance was Parliament Rep. George Selwyn, who, when asked, mentioned the fact that there are ample opportunities for students to join SCG. “Right now we have close to 30 Parliament members,” he said, which means there are about 20 vacant seats open for students to join if they wished.
Gomez questioned how 30 students can attempt to accurately represent RIC’s 9,000-plus students.
Selwyn was quick to validate Gomez’ point of improper representation.
“I was the Parliament representative for New Hall,” he said. “I’ve never lived in New Hall.”
When the topic turned to tolerance, Carlson made sure to mention the college’s leniency with WXIN’s “notorious way of promoting events.” She cited last Thursday’s “Nautical or Nice” Ruffstone Tavern party, among others, which sometimes depicts scantily clad women in their advertising. Carlson regarded the events as sexist and unconscionable. While they protesters feel that administration was oppressing students, they nonetheless called out college administration for not censoring WXIN.
“If we are an institution of continuing education, why are we educating people the wrong way?” said Carlson.
Another senior, Katherine Wilson, touched on tolerance, as well as alleged administrative meddling. She said that in a private meeting with members of SCG, Wilson was allegedly told that particular administration officials sent people to remove May Day fliers because they were not authorized, nor were they posted in authorized areas of the campus. The reason given was that of a potential fire hazard.
Wilson, who also works at the Women’s Center on campus, mentioned that if someone comes to the Women’s Center to report a sexual assault on campus, the procedure is to tell an administrator and not Campus Police.
“[A report is] never filed. So when you look at crime on campus, you don’t see hate crimes, sexual assaults or assaults in general,” said Wilson.
She advocated that the administration should encourage a climate that doesn’t “tolerate intolerance.”
In addition to the alleged meddling, Wilson claimed the RIC administration to be misogynistic in its practices, despite the appointment of two-term President Nancy Carriuolo.
“Often when we see a woman in power, we don’t question how she got there,” Wilson said. “She’s only gonna represent that which is important: a patriarchal system. If she was a radical feminist, she would not be president of Rhode Island College.”
Present for a portion of the teach-in was Unity Center Director Antoinette Gomes, who “attended to listen to students’ concerns.” Gomes did, however, enter the conversation, positing the notion that the college’s system for assessing diversity and student needs on campus is outdated and insufficient.
In meeting with student organizers after the teach-in, they made their respective messages clear. Kevin Dwyre, an anthropology and political science double-major, commented on SCG and business as usual.
“SCG complains about student apathy yet does little to help create a culture of participation on campus, while the administration is hostile to students who wish to promote a dialogue outside of the traditional format,” said Dwyre.
Gomez took the straightforward approach in offering advice to what he said are overpaid administrators: “Take a pay cut.”
While the goals of the coalition were varied, Kevin C. tried to sum them up rather succinctly.
“I’d love to have a social revolution on this campus,” he said.
Kevin said his desire is to see the college reflect the type of society students want to create. As for the administration, “It’s time administration takes a cut. It’s time that austerity doesn’t simply exist in the realm of the working-class students, but that austerity, instead, hits the top where true spending is habit.”
May Day is recognized in numerous countries as International Workers Day. The international holiday spawned from the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago, which saw dozens of demonstrators killed during a general strike for the eight-hour work day. In 1894 in Cleveland, Ohio, a high rate of unemployment led to what is now known as the May Day riots. In the U.S., however, the official workers holiday is observed as Labor Day on the first Monday in September; May 1 observes Law Day.
Cicilline comes to RIC : Congressman vows to stop alarming interest rates from doubling
By: Katelyn Hurd
News Editor
Unless Congress acts to change it, Rhode Island students will see a 3.4 to 6.8 percent change in the interest rates of Stafford Student Loans this July. This financial burden, causing the interest rates to double will affect more than 7 million students, without congressional action.
As a result, Rhode Island Democratic Rep. David Cicilline visited Rhode Island College to speak with the community about his concerns that increasing rates will make higher education unaffordable.
“To allow the interest rate to double for so many families is inconceivable to me” said Cicilline, who vowed to prevent that from happening. “We can’t afford as a country to allow this to happen.”
As cosponsor of H.R. 3826, which would prevent student interest rates from doubling, Cicilline has been speaking to students, parents, stakeholders and business to leaders in Rhode Island about their views on the issue. His stop at RIC last Tuesday was to do just that.
“Personalizing this is really important to Congress,” Cicilline said, “the voices of young people can really make a difference.”
Students from other colleges throughout the state as well as area business leaders were in attendance at the event. Among the RIC students there were Student Community Government, Inc. President Travis Escobar, Speaker of Parliament Hillary Costa and SCG Treasurer Jordan Day.
Escobar, who said he was the first in his family to go to college, hopes that his 13-year-old niece will get the opportunity to follow in his footsteps.
“We need to be the ones to carry the future of our family,” he said. “Will my niece be able to do what she loves or will she have to take a job to pay off loans?”
Day explained that if the rates were to change, it would feel as though students were being punished.
Kevin Manel, who transferred from Providence College to Roger Williams University, attended the event to voice his opinion to the Congressman.
“I felt comfortable [switching colleges] but tuition is still rising,” he said.
“We want to be part of the solution to serving you and students to come,” said Lorne Adrain, chair of the R.I. Board of Governors for Higher Education. “We need to find ways to do more with less and serve the students with the assets that we have.”
“Providing incentives to do more with less to making lower cost education become available,” he explained, could be done by offering more online courses and saving colleges and students money through the use of technology.
“It’s clear from all the stories it’s important to keep [the rates] low,” said Cicilline. “The question is – how are we going to pay for it?”
The Republican solution, which was passed with a $5.9 billion bill in the House last month, is implying that financial burden can be paid for by taking money from a preventive health-care fund in President Obama’s health-care law to keep the interest rates from doubling. The Republican Party’s decision ignored a White House veto threat when they passed the bill, according to The Boston Globe’s Boston.com.
Cicilline also told the news source that he supports reducing oil subsidies and corporate tax loopholes to raise the money instead.
“From my perspective we have to prevent these from doubling,” said Cicilline. “It’s outrageous we have to pick between the health of women and children and keeping student loans low.”
Kathy Sheilds, who is the director of the business Tech Collective and the parent of a high-school senior who is college-bound, says the rising cost of higher education will change the way Rhode Island will get out of the recession. She said many students who can’t afford education here will have to leave the state, taking their skills with them.
“I think that’s really important to emphasize to Washington,” she said.
Gerldine McPhee, representing the R.I. Parent Information Network, said she is currently $10,000 in student debt.
“It’s a lot of money,” she said. “I could have started a business. I could have helped my family pay off their house.”
“I’d like to take all of your comments with me today,” said Cicilline, who will be sharing these stories with Congress this week, hoping to change the course of the bill.
Upcoming Alumni Awards honors past graduates
By: Kyla Pecchia
Anchor Contributor
As some RIC students begin preparing for graduation this May, many others are waiting eagerly in anticipation for the day they can walk the stage and receive their hard-earned degrees. The big question, however, is what to do after leaving Rhode Island College and beginning a new chapter in life. The moment students receive that diploma, they are no longer students – they are alumni.
Located in the lower level of Roberts Hall, the Office of College Advancement is working to reach out to Rhode Island College’s current alumni network, which is not an easy undertaking. With approximately 61, 000 listed alumni, it may seem impossible.
Kate Brezina, executive director of alumni affairs, and her staff work diligently all year to do just that. In her capacity as executive director, Brezina is charged with working with the Alumni Association in planning the annual Alumni Awards Dinner.
The dinner celebrates accomplishments of RIC’s alumni with six alumni awards that are presented annually to graduates and community leaders for their personal and professional attainment and service to the college and the community.
The top honor, Alumna of the Year, will be going to Deloris Davis Grant; ’88,’94 MAT, Viola Davis’s sister. In her tenure at Central Falls High School, Davis has touched the lives of countless students and colleagues. Davis co-founded the Upward Bound Scholarship, a program of which she was a graduate at RIC, as well as a tutor and mentor. Davis joins the ranks of several other well-established members of the RIC community who are also receiving awards, such as head men’s basketball coach Bob Walsh, District 7 State Rep. Maria Cimini and Jason Blank, associate professor and president of RIC/AFT – just to name a few.
In a second award category, Honor Roll recipients are recognized for their achievements in their chosen fields and their distinction as role models whose success demonstrates the value of a RIC degree. Each department selects the top achievers in their respected fields and will honor those achievements at the ceremony. In addition to the Honor Roll recipients, seven students have been awarded scholarships as rising stars in their departments. This is an element of the alumni awards that has never been done in the past.
“The college would like to draw a connection between the alumni and our current students,” said Brezina, “so the Alumni Association has worked with the Office of Alumni and College Relations, along with the five college schools, to recognize seven outstanding students with the scholarship.”
Each scholarship is for $1,000, and each student will accompany their respective alumni award winner the night of the event and hopefully make connections that will last a lifetime. These rising stars may one day win an alumni award themselves.
Michael Gravel, Philip Johnston, Jennifer Petracca, Brittany Richer, Robert Santurri, Karen Smith and Michele Tenaglia are the seven students who have been recognized for their achievements. All seven student recipients are members of the Class of 2013.
“It is really difficult to balance everything, but it is our duty and our obligation to represent ourselves and Rhode Island College,” English department award recipient Philip Johnston said in a phone interview.
He added that it is the duty of this year’s student recipients to let other struggling students know that they, too, can achieve what the successful seven have achieved during their time here.
“You can do it,” said Johnston.
This year’s banquet is taking place this Thursday, May 10 in Donovan Dining Center.
Tensions run high during final SCG meeting of the year
By: Justin Gostlant
News Staff Writer
The final Parliament meeting of the academic year began an hour and 20 minutes late, as the previous election meeting ran well over its budgeted time. When the elections were completed, SCG members took a recess to reenergize themselves and reconvene at 9:20 p.m.
While approving the agenda, Rep. Jose de Andrade motioned to add six items to the list, all of which failed except two – one concerning the roll-over of unused printing services, and one suggesting that Parliament members receive class credit for their service. The unapproved items concerned matters related to treating student clubs equally, adjusting the Budget Hearings, and the privileges of SCG members.
President Travis Escobar expressed his disapproval of denying de Andrade the chance to put issues on the floor for debate.
“Maybe because we had the long election meeting that’s how you want to end this meeting: quickly so we can get on with ourselves, but I think I disagree with that,” Escobar said.
He finished his announcements by thanking all SCG members for a great year and urged everyone to join again next year.
The other officer announcements moved quickly and expressed similar sentiments about SCG’s year.
They moved on to calling in members from the student organization Active Minds, which seeks to promote understanding and the removal of stigma attached to metal health disorders, who had been waiting since 7:15. There had been a miscommunication between the two organizations, as the meeting was supposed to begin at 8. A sympathetic Parliament then moved quickly to approve the amendments to the Active Minds constitution requested by its members. The amendments will allow graduate students who pay the Student Activity Fee to participate and lend their expertise, and loosened the club’s attendance policy.
Rep. Kevin Martin put forward a resolution to make SCG elected officers ineligible to receive the Beverly McGinnis Scholarship Award. According to Martin, the cash scholarship, which is selected by a committee headed by the SCG president, has gone to officers the last two years and students have become discouraged.
“SCG, Inc. has suffered an inability to reach out to the college community and has been viewed as a clique by outsiders, whereas the goal of SCG is to increase student involvement in Student Parliament and the college community as a whole, therefore it be resolved that the six SCG elected officers… shall be ineligible to receive the [scholarship],” Martin said.
“I don’t think I necessarily oppose the sentiments… especially considering our most recent criticism,” Treasurer Jordan Day said.
In defense, the selection committee added “…I think this accuses the four people who made the decision of bias.” An amendment was added to make all SCG members ineligible as opposed to just its elected officers.
Rep. Brendan Cardona said that the most qualified person should get the award even if that person is also a Parliament member. The debate continued with both sides of the argument having merit. With so much to debate, a motion passed to table the resolution until it could be discussed in more depth, effectively killing it for the session.
The next item was a resolution which would ask the administration to grant Parliament members one half credit per semester of service with a limit of two credits. Parliament members differed on their views on the resolution. Some said they spend as much, or more, time in meetings than classes and deserve a half credit. Supporters of the resolution said it would be an incentive to get students more involved and may enable more people to join. Dissidents believed a member receiving a monthly stipend is too much, which brings up the concern that adding academic credit could be considered double dipping.
There was also the issue that people would begin joining Parliament because it was an “easy class.”
“I just don’t want someone looking through the course catalog, seeing SCG for half a credit,” said Rep. Robert Santurri. “It takes seats away from those who actually want to make a difference.”
The discussion showed no sign of cooling down and a motion was carried to table the resolution to the newly formed Academic Affairs Committee. From there it would then be brought to the administration for consideration; although the motion must be brought up in Parliament again during the next session to be considered as all committees were dissolved at the conclusion of the Sine Die meeting.
The printer carry-over resolution, which would recommend the college allow students to carry over unused pages of printing from one semester to the next, was the next bill on the table. Some members had concerns that excessive carry-over may lead to waste. With a brief debate, the resolution passed.
The meeting came to a close with words of gratitude between members for having a great year and a round of applause for President and Speaker-Elect Escobar, who served in the top job on SCG for two years and said as part of his closing statements: “I’ve always encouraged people to run, even when they’re unsure.”
What May Day General Strike?
By: Jonathan C. Lamanthia
Opinions Editor
Last Tuesday, May the First, I expected to enter the Quad to the sounds of angry protesters – maybe not hundreds of them, but at least a couple. If you pay attention to signs and announcements posted about campus, you too may have expected such a scene.
After all, a group of fed-up students had plastered high-traffic zones with signs imploring students to join in a “May Day General Strike.” The group even posted a huge sign at the entrance of Gaige Hall which was readable from at least 200 feet all around.
But alas, the demonstration I envisioned never materialized. What exactly did become of the general strike?
That’s a good question – a question that The Anchor actually tried, as any good school newspaper could, to answer.
Now here’s where things get a bit weird. One would think that a protest group with the intent of toppling some of the most powerful institutions on campus would crave media attention. This is one of the ways a social movement can grow. Look at the help the Tea Party received when Fox News, among others, began reporting on the group day after day. And it’s not as though the group was hiding – they had a Facebook presence and, as mentioned above, a strong “paper presence” around campus. But despite their efforts to get out the word, they seemed to have no problem kicking one of this newspaper’s editors out of their meeting.
When I heard this, I was floored. I couldn’t believe it.
Because the May Day group and Occupy share a great many similarities, I tried to imagine Occupiers chasing a team of genuinely interested reporters, which without question our report was, away from their encampments, but for the life of me, I couldn’t. You probably can’t, either, because Occupy was so starved for media attention.
That being the case, one would think that the May Day group would have welcomed in our reporter with open arms. The fact that they didn’t, though, reveals something of greater importance.
It seems that the approach taken by the group was not visible enough. On the whole, the group is far too closed off and averse to risk. But without risk and interaction with the greater public, their message will die.
So what are they doing wrong?
They were not visible enough.
Why a group seeking to shut down campus would hold themselves up in an inconspicuous room is a mystery to me. It’s not as though they couldn’t have brought their message to the Quad, or the Mt. Pleasant and Fruit Hill Ave. gates. They could have created loud signs and colorful protest cries. It’s not as though we haven’t had other groups take similar approaches.
Or, if their intent was to actually shut down the campus, as is the purpose of a student strike, maybe they should have created picket lines at the entrances to buildings like the Student Union or Adams Library. Civil rights activists staged sit-ins at lunch counters and broke practically every societal convention in the book, and in many cases, this was done at a great price. They disturbed people. They made people think by making them feel uncomfortable.
This is not something the strike group accomplished.
Now to be honest, I didn’t really think the protest would go anywhere. I don’t think RIC has the civic capital in its student population to support the type of protest the group was saying they wanted.
But I did expect a little more gusto on part of the organizers. Frankly, I was a bit disappointed.
The U.N: not very effective in promoting World Peace
By: Meredith Cruz
Opinions Staff Writer
The United Nations is an international governing group that has been around since the end of WWII. It was modeled after the League on Nations, which was formed after WWI. The U.N. is a good idea, but it is ineffective in its peace keeping ability.
The U.N. is composed of a large majority of world states, representing 98% of the world’s nations. In order to be a member, according to the UN Charter, each nation must agree to “settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.” If almost every nation follows this charter, then why is there no peace?
The U.N. Charter states “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.” This means that members of the UN are prohibited from being aggressive towards other nations. So what’s the matter? We certainly don’t see the results of such actions.
A big reason for the ineffectiveness of the U.N. is its structural biases. For example, there are five nations that control the Security Council, which is in charge of maintaining peace and security. If there is a perceived threat, it is the Council’s decision whether or not to take action. These countries, called the “Big Five” include: the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom. They are given permanent seats in the U.N.’s Security Council, among many other perks.
The influences from the Big Five do not lie solely in their permanent residence in the Council. Each of these five nations is allowed to veto any substantial issues brought to the Council. According to Stephen C Schlesinger, a substantial issue pertains to issues relating to enforcing measures, investigations, and imposition of settlements. This can be assumed to be anything brought to the Security Council. These five nations are also very powerful. The Federation of American Scientists reported in 2012 that these five nations also lead the world in nuclear forces.
They can and have used their power to destroy or aid their opposition or allies. The power and influence delegated by the Big Five helps them to make decisions based on what best benefits their nation. Self-importance, economic ties, among other reasons can override what is right. This has been proven throughout the U.N.s history.
According to Schlesinger, an instance of abusing veto power came from France after WWII. Syria and Lebanon were independent countries and France wanted to restore colonization. When plans for investigations and enforcements came to the Council on behalf of Syria and Lebanon, France was able to veto the proposal for its own purposes.
Another instance of veto abuse was by the Soviet Union. During the first ten years of U.N., the Soviet Union used its veto power 79 times. According to Robert Gorman, most of the vetoes denied nations acceptance into the U.N. who supported westernized policies. The conflict between the political ideologies of two of the Big Five caused the U.N. to spitefully veto those who sided with democracy. These vetoes escalated into the Cold War.
In the past sixty years, since the birth of the U.N., there has not been enough worldwide peace to say that the U.N. is effective. One can argue that there is less war then in previous years. This could be true. A lot of things have changed. The world population has grown considerably, and world domination is not as strong of a threat as it was in the past. We no longer have to live off of survival instincts as much as we had in the past centuries. Technology has brought us a long way. Nuclear weapons are a major reason for the decrease in conflicts. Nuclear weapons can destroy a nation from thousands of miles away without the aggressor having to get its hands dirty. All it takes to win is a click of a button from a computer, and the opposition is eliminated.
For an international peace organization to be effective, it must be objective, similarly to our judicial system. Capitalism is a mainstream ideology that promotes self-advancement. The United Nations is exhibiting capitalistic ideals. There needs to be an equal distribution of power, such as the check and balances system. World peace will never happen until we, as a world, can look to benefit “ourselves” instead of our “self.” Either that, or aliens attack the Earth and then we have to work together to fight them. Personally, I would not hold my breath waiting for either scenario.
The Nanotech World IV: Consequences of Nanotech
By: Yosef Martin
Opinions Staff Writer
A few weeks ago, I began my series on nanotechnology and its future impact on human society. I know many have been confused by my articles, but some have also been enlightened, and it is with pleasure that I report more people are thinking about nanotechnology now than when I started writing. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about but are curious, I suggest that next time you see me in the halls or sitting in Donovan (hint: look for a chess set), come over and ask. I’m always happy to answer questions. For those who have read every article and are eager for one last hurrah, let’s get down to business.
To begin, modern environmentalism ends with the birth of the nanotech world, since many of the realities the environmentalist of today confronts will no longer apply with the new technology. Thanks to the capabilities of 100% perfect recycling thanks to these little nanobots, there will be no litter, smog, pollution or trash produced. Anything can be converted into other objects that require the same materials, and thus waste becomes obsolete since someone else will doubtless use any material you leave lying about. Non-functional items will be converted to useful items without the middleman of industry or little green plastic bins, which are extremely inefficient compared to nanotechnology.
Another strange concept worth grappling with is the health benefits of nanotechnology. Disease goes the way of the dodo, as there is no virus or bacteria known to man capable of resisting a horde of nanobots intent on disassembling the intruder atom by atom. However, the potential applications go far beyond merely curing all disease, including cancer, since nanotech can isolate and fix malfunctioning cells using the principles brought forward in the environmental discussion. Just as man could create a plant or creature at any stage of life, man could also keep him/herself perpetually young using this technology by ordering his nanobots to find any cells that were reproducing poor copies and fixing the cause of the errors.
I must bow to K. Eric Draxler (an influential author on the subject) for being more farsighted on the subject, as he brilliantly pointed out that people dying today should be cryogenically frozen for revival when nanotech was mature, as both the original cause of death and the effects of the freezing would be reversible by the nanobots. Even if that is somehow impractical, humanity may find itself a race of immortals, contemplating what to do now that death itself has been conquered.
Moving past these issues, we must also consider that both government and crime may be drastically reduced thanks to these mighty little devices. So much of government today is based on redistributing resources or regulating the distribution of resources, it seems inevitable that a huge chunk of the government would disappear overnight as economics becomes obsolete, taking the role of the government as an economic agent with it. In addition, a large proportion of crimes involve economic motives and incentives, which would disappear taking robbery, theft, economically-motivated murder, economic fraud, and a host of other resource based illegal actions with it.
The final issue I would like to bring forth for your summertime consideration is whether or not we have a choice about pursuing nanotechnology. The world is facing an imminent crisis of resource depletion that cannot be fixed by “going green” or reducing consumption by some marginal amount. To put it bluntly, earth’s golden years of mining and producing are reaching their end, as more and more of our resources have been consumed. For example, we have only about twenty years of mining left before there are no more convenient gold or silver deposits in the earth.
Other statistics on resource consumption are equally sobering. A famous article published by MIT in the 1970’s predicted that the global economy could only last until 2030 before resource depletion crashed the system. The article was widely debated at the time but independently confirmed this year by a renowned Australian research team. Facing such issues, the question isn’t whether we should pursue nanotechnology, but if we can afford not to do so. When the current model gives us only diminishing returns, but a new technology can turn back the clock and give us a chance to create a system of perpetual prosperity, can we really say no?
Massachusetts witnesses zombie outbreak
By: Alexandra Weston
Lifestyles Editor
People have several different ways of celebrating Cinco de Mayo. Some ate Mexican-themed food with their family. Some drank and partied with their friends. And then there were those 10,000 people who chose to spend their May 5 being chased down a grueling five-kilometer obstacle course by bloodthirsty zombies.
“Run for your Lives,” a zombie-infested 5k, sponsored by War Wear and Subaru, kicked off its national tour last Saturday in Amesbury, Mass. with over 10,000 race participants, zombies, and spectators in attendance.
Starting with the first wave of runners at 8 a.m. and ending with the conclusion of the “Apocalypse Party” at 11:30 p.m., the event was an overall success. Each runner had two “health-tags,” or flags attached to their hips. While running, zombies would grab at these flags, and those who had at least on health-tag left would receive a medallion. Out of the hundreds of runners participating in each wave, however, 10-15 would survive to the end with at least one flag intact.
Many runners waiting for their wave seemed anxious, like Jackie Diaz who said she hoped not to fail at all the obstacles; and for good reason. The race track started off on a steep hill and was landscaped with mud all the way around, which definitely proved a challenge for even the more athletic runners in each wave. Not to mention it was infested with screaming, growling and brain-thirsty zombies as well as a surprise at the finish line that won’t be spoiled for anyone interested in running it in the future.
With boarded up obstacles, many runners had no idea what was in store both inside and out of each one, and the zombies had a ball with it. Hiding in bushes or just off to the side of an obstacle exit, many of the zombies had their own style, objectives and scaring tactics in store for the runners. Andrea Dollet, a zombie standing at the top of the first obstacle, said, “I like staying close to [the runners] and chasing them down. I’m trying to get them running.” Other zombies, often times wearing ridiculous costumes, would either try to grab the runners’ health tags, try to get them to scream or make them slip and fall in the sloppy mud.
However, the event wasn’t all just mud and zombies. Each participant received a free beer, plenty of food, and 12 live bands for entertainment. Runners, zombies, spectators, and volunteers came from a long way for the event, with some hailing as far away as Quebec, Haiti, and England.
Many people need motivation for exercise, and there’s no better motivator than zombies trying to fest upon one’s brains. “Run for your Lives” was a fantastic combination of fun and exercise, and there is no better way to test your cardiovascular skills than putting it to the test against hordes of zombies. Do you think you’re fit enough to take the pressure? “Run for Your Lives” will be making two more appearances in the Northeast, one in Butler, PA on Sept. 1 and another in Darlington, MD on Oct. 27.
Could you survive the zombie apocalypse? Register for the zombie-infested 5k to find out; but don’t be surprised if you end up being dinner (www.runforyourlives.com).
