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Rhode Island College Digital Commons @ RIC What's News? Newspapers 12-3-2001 What's News At Rhode Island College Rhode Island College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.ric.edu/whats_news Recommended Citation Rhode Island College, "What's News At Rhode Island College" (2001). What's News?. 21. https://digitalcommons.ric.edu/whats_news/21 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Newspapers at Digital Commons @ RIC. It has been accepted for inclusion in What's News? by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ RIC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WHAT'S NEWS AT RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE Vol. 22 Issue 7 Circulation over 43,000 Dec. 3, 2001 Study abroad program still popular despite world events by Jane Fusco and immigration standards that have What's News Editor long been in place in other countries,” said Motte. However, some students are reluc- ark Motte, director of study tant to come into the United States abroad programs and asso- at this time. Four students scheduled ciate professor of geogra- to arrive at RIC from St. Martin’s M College in Lancaster, England, can- phy, anticipated a halt in interest and pursuit of international celled their plans after Sept. 11, post- study programs in the days following poning the annual student exchange the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on program until next year. the nation. To his surprise, the oppo- Ezra Stieglitz, professor of elemen- site has happened. Student interest tary education and coordinator of and willingness to participate has overseas programs for the Feinstein increased by more than a third com- School of Education and Human pared to previous years. Development, said that the St. “Our students continue to pursue Martin’s students were due to arrive their study abroad plans in record on Sept. 15, but British travel agents numbers despite the events of and cancelled the travel arrangements since Sept. 11,” said Motte. He attri- after the terrorist attacks forced the butes the increased popularity of the closing of many airports and halted program to students beginning to or re-routed flights. think globally. “The UK students were very disap- “The recent events have aroused pointed,” Stieglitz said. “They were intense curiosity on how the rest enthusiastic about the opportunity of the world sees Americans,” Motte to study in America and were really explained. “Students have told me looking forward to it.” that they want to show people in other “We decided to postpone the countries that Americans are an intel- exchange plans because travel plans ligent, caring and unselfish people, for a January trip would have to and not at all the way they are por- have been made in October and it trayed in some countries.” was all too fresh in everyone’s mind,” Motte said that no students can- Stieglitz said. He added that the stu- celled travel plans after the terrorist dents were eager to go, but not so attacks, though he had several con- soon after all that had happened. versations with anxious parents. “It Stieglitz is confident the program shows that students have an open will be intact for the spring semester. mindedness that many might not The student exchange program credit them with in this cynical age,” between St. Martin’s College and he added. RIC has been in effect since 1998. “Many countries have had terrorist Students from St. Martin’s College spend two weeks in Rhode Island at problems of their own in the past. PUNTING on the River Cam in Cambridge, England, is Ronald Volpe (stand- the College in September then host When our students arrive in a host ing), while Daniel Spero, Courtney Labbe, and Esther Gonzalez enjoy the the RIC students for two weeks at St. country, they immediately become ride. aware that immigration, security and Martin’s College in January. During customs checks are much more intru- lations than the United States. When United States is slowly coming up to sive and that they have stricter regu- they return, they realize that the speed and adapting to border control See Study Abroad, page 8 Where are they now…? Guided in his childhood by ily. Two brothers and a sister his grandparents Roberto and have degrees from the College. Assunta DiPadua and uncle, Richard ’78 is a neurologist aunt and cousins of the Di in Providence; Anthony ’84, Martino family, Rhode Island an attorney in Cranston, and College graduate Gary DiPadua Karen ’78 and ’99, a special edu- ’91 has grown into the kind of cation teacher in Coventry, who person that would make them recently retired. proud — a faith-based man Lynne, not to be outdone by intent on achievement. her husband, was also inducted Starting what he calls his into the Marshal Arts Hall of “marshal arts journey” in 1970, Fame last March. he is today the holder of Black Gary explains that she was Belts in Tae Kwon Do, Kenpo inducted into the Hall of Fame Karate and Tai Jutsu, and a sec- in a different classification from ond-degree in Vee Arnis Jitsu his, and adds the induction is a and third degree in Kunato Ju feat “quite rare for a woman.” Jitus. “As you can see, we both com- He was inducted into the pliment each other because of World Martial Arts Hall of Fame the burning desire to learn mar- TOYS FOR TOTS: Kristine Di Nicola, in March of last year. tial arts,” says Gary. His wife, the former Lynne a junior, chooses a card from “The Both are effusive in their Giving Tree” sponsored by the Cervone, a junior at RIC major- praise of the various instructors ing in psychology, is also a mar- Chaplains’ Office and set up in (masters or above of the mar- Donovan Dining Center. Each card shal arts practitioner, holding shal arts) who brought them a second degree rank in Kuntao describes a child for whom a volun- along to this point in their lives. teer gives a new toy for the holiday Jiu Jitsu and currently awaits They carefully and respectfully testing for her Black Belt in Tae season. For more on the Chaplains’ Kwon Do. STRIKING A COMBATIVE POSE are Gary and Office activities for the holidays, Lynne DiPadua at their martial arts school in Lynne comes from a RIC fam- See Where are they? page 4 see page 7. (What’s News Photo by Johnston. Gordon E. Rowley) Page 2– What’s News, Monday, Dec. 3, 2001 The Way We Were… Focus on Faculty and Staff Faculty and staff are encouraged to submit items of information about This popular item in What’s News continues so you can revisit your their professional endeavors to What’s News, Office of News and Public alma mater with a selection of photos from the College’s past, whether the Relations, 300 Roberts Hall or e-mail them to [email protected]. current era (Rhode Island College) or past eras (Rhode Island College of Education or Rhode Island State Normal School). We invite your contri- Karen S. Castagno, associate pro- Science Assistant Professors Chris bution of old photos, along with sufficient information about each, such fessor in the Department of Health Teixeira and Rebecca Sparks are as who’s in the photo and what they are doing, the year it was taken and and Physical members of the development team for place (if possible). In the meantime, we’ll continue searching our files for Education, the grant project involving RIC and interesting pictures of past College life. received the URI, “Pro-Calc: A Key Step toward S p e c i a l Web-Based Learning.” Funding for Recognition the project was awarded by the Award for Rhode Island Board of Governors Outstanding for Higher Education Incentive Fund C o m m i t t e e for Excellence Service from in Technology. S p e c i a l In addition to Olympics Rhode creating and Island (SORI) at piloting tech- its Annual Awards Banquet on Oct. nology-based 25. She has been involved with the assignments in Rhode Island Special Olympics pro- precalculus, gram since her arrival at Rhode with help for Island College in 1995. She has been completion cited “as having made significant con- available via tributions toward empowering per- video clips that sons with mental retardation to real- are being devel- D. ABRAHAMSON ize their full potential and to become oped, both fac- productive members of their commu- ulty members are using materials nities.” from an earlier portion of the project Castagno, and her students major- in their courses at RIC. Dave ing in physical education, have pro- Abrahamson, professor of mathe- vided sports opportunities for individ- matics, was involved in the earlier ual with mental retardation by con- project, also a grant sponsored by the ducting the Motor Activities Training Rhode Island Board of Governors for Program and volunteering for numer- Higher Education, in which Maple ous SORI events. worksheets were developed for the THEATRE HISTORY: For this issue we travel back to May 1969 and a Mathematics and Computer same population. publicity photo for the College’s production of “Major Barbara” by George Bernard Shaw. From left are Justine Boluch; the director, P. William Hutchinson, professor of theatre; Anita Cipolla; and Eileen Regoli. Hutchinson, who is still a professor at the College, informs us that this was the first play he directed at RIC. (File photo) Human Rights dinner Dec. 10 The staff of the Office of News and Public Relations Amnesty International and the College and a leader of the Social- wishes its readers Rainbow Alliance are sponsoring a Democratic Party in Afghanistan.