Rhode Island College Digital Commons @ RIC What's News? Newspapers 3-10-2008 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" (2008). What's News?. 87. https://digitalcommons.ric.edu/whats_news/87 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]. Photo: Gene St. Pierre Photo: Chris Giroux '08 Clinton, Obama rally at RIC Road to the White House runs through RIC By Robert P. Masse ’08 and Nick Lima ’10 Staff Writers Just days before the March 4 Rhode Island primary, senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Barack Obama (D-IL) held separate rallies with Rhode Island College as the backdrop. Clinton’s Feb. 23 “Solutions for America” event and Obama’s “Stand for Change Rally” on March 1 were held in the College’s Recreation Center Field House. Clinton joined by many of state’s leading Democrats Hillary Clinton supporters began fi ling Cont. p 12 into the Recreation Center hours before she Over the course of one week, Obama signifi cantly outdrew presidential contenders Clinton, with a capacity Hillary Clinton and “This was a rare crowd inside and an opportunity for our students Barack Obama overfl ow crowd and the RIC community to witness an held campaign important piece of political history,” outside, it was rallies at said Jane Fusco, RIC’s director of Clinton who RIC ahead News and Public Relations, who won the state’s of Rhode helped organize the two events. primary. Island’s March “Two presidential candidates, At top, the 4 primary. running neck-and-neck, holding candidates address Each event rallies in this state and at this their supporters; above was held at the College may never and at right, Clinton Recreation Center happen again.” and Obama supporters on the east campus; though fi ll the Recreation Center. Page 2 — WHAT’S NEWS @ Rhode Island College, March 10, 2008 “Public education increases community cohesion “I see this as a way of building WN Quotes… because neighborhoods are stronger when community among the honors children go to school together and neighbors students and between the students “Winning our second straight LEC share a common interest in the school.” and the honors faculty.” championship is really a special – Thomas Schmeling, associate professor of – Spencer Hall, RIC’s honors program accomplishment for this team.” political science at RIC and a member of East Side director and professor of English, on – Bob Walsh, head coach of the RIC men’s Public Education Coalition, which pushed for the the Honors Musicale held Feb. 15 that basketball team, which qualified for the re-opening of the Nathan Bishop Middle School showcased the musical talents of NCAA Div. III tournament. [P 7] on the East Side of Providence. [P 3] students in the program. [P 12] WHAT’S NEWS @ Rhode Island College Editor: Jane E. Fusco Managing Editor: Rob Martin Design Manager: Jennifer Twining ’92 Information Aide: Pauline McCartney Photographers: Gene St. Pierre ’77 Christopher Giroux ’08 Mike Shiel ’11 Carol Fluehr-Lobban and Graphic Designers: Charles Allsworth ’82, M ’86 The Anténor Firmin Primary School for Boys gather for Jacques Georges (left and right) with a special collections a Salute to Firmin. librarian at the National Library of Haiti. Lance Gorton ’09 Paul J. Silva ’03 This regular feature of What’s of Firmin – and in the nation’s Copy Editor: Ray Ragosta News looks at the links between capital city of Port-au-Prince. Staff Writers: the world and Rhode Island rld I spoke about the signifi cant, o a Gita Brown College. The story below was t yet still largely unrecognized Nick Lima ’10 written by Carolyn Fluehr- W R contributions, of Firmin Robert P. Masse ’08 Lobban, RIC professor e I as an anthropologist at Lauren Mesale ’06 of anthropology. C Notre Dame University Kerry McCartney h Last October, Dr. Jacques in Cap Haitien, while Peter Silveira ’08 Raphael Georges ’89 and T Georges addressed the Alison Strandberg I were invited by the U.S. continuing relevance of Public Relations Assistant: State Department for a Firmin’s ideas to the current Alicia Vanasse ’08 weeklong lecture tour in Haiti generation of Haitians at in recognition of our recovery FOKAL, a national academic at RIC of a major work of forum in Port-au-Prince. What’s News @ Rhode Island College scholarship by 19th-century Highlights of the tour (USPS 681-650) is published by: Haitian writer Anténor Firmin. included visits to the École Rhode Island College De l’égalité des races humaines, Offi ce of News and Public Relations Anténor Firmin Primary School anthropologie positive (orig. 1885) 600 Mt. Pleasant Ave. for Boys, the birthplace and family was brought to my attention by Providence, RI 02908 residence of the Firmin family Jacques in my Anthropology of Race in Cap Haitien, and a tour of the and Racism class in the late 1980s. It is published monthly from The rare book was located and National Library, where an original September to June. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, RI. translated by Asselin Charles as of the 1885 book was viewed by The Equality of the Human Races, Georges and me for the fi rst time. Printing: TCI Press, Seekonk, Mass. Positivist Anthropology in 2000 (paper The numbers of students from 2002), and introduced by me as a the Caribbean are increasing at RIC, both Dominican and founding work of anthropology. POSTMASTER: Since its publication in English, Haitian, whose different Spanish Send address changes to: two new French editions have been and French colonial heritages are What’s News @ published, including one introduced bridged by the island they share, Rhode Island College by Ghislaine Geloin, an associate Madame Pharlande Jean Felix is principal of known historically as Hispaniola. Offi ce of News and Public Relations professor in RIC’s Modern Languages the Anténor Firmin Primary School for Boys After our return, Dominican and 600 Mt. Pleasant Ave. Department, in Paris in time for the in Cap Haitien. Haitian students – both at RIC Providence, RI 02908 celebration of the 2004 bicentennial of and at the University of New Deadline: Haiti, the world’s fi rst black republic Hampshire, Manchester, where Deadline for submission of copy and and the second independent republic in photos is noon the Tuesday two weeks Georges teaches – expressed before publication date. the Western Hemisphere after the U.S. interest in our experiences. This A monument to the Haitian Revolution Telephone: (401) 456-8090 included a presentation I gave Fax: (401) 456-8887 was erected in 2005 in Providence’s at the celebration of Caribbean Roger Williams Park by the Rhode culture sponsored by RIC’s Latin Island Haitian American community. American Student Organization The new recognition garnered by (LASO), spearheaded by its the reception of the 19th-century president Priscilla Gonzalez, at work in English – by anthropologists, students of the Caribbean, and the end of the fall 2007 semester. most recently philosophers of The principal of the Anténor Africa and the Diaspora – caught Firmin Primary School in Cap the attention of James Ellickson- Haitien – Madame Pharlande The next issue of Brown, U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Jean Felix – has contacted me What’s News Offi cer, who invited Georges and to encourage RIC students and will be April 14, 2008 me for a visit and lecture tour. faculty to keep alive the memory The Public Affairs Offi ce of the U.S. of Firmin by helping out the Story ideas are welcome. Embassy organized the tour of major school with basic books and Call (401) 456-8090 cities and universities in the northern This monument to the Haitian Revolution is other educational materials that or email [email protected]. city of Cap Haitien – the birthplace located in Roger Williams Park in Providence. might be donated to the school. Page 3 — WHAT’S NEWS @ Rhode Island College, March 10, 2008 RIC professor helps reopen school on East Side By Lauren Mesale ’06 framework for the school’s Staff Writer academic program. The preliminary Thomas plan was approved in December Schmeling, of 2006, and in the last year a associate task force has continued the professor of work of educational planning. political science The renovated school has been at RIC, is an designed and approved by the the avid proponent Rhode Island Board of Regents of public for Elementary and Secondary education. It’s Education, and bonds have been THOMAS SCHMELING that belief that issued. Construction is scheduled led him to join to begin this spring, with a planned his fellow members of the East Side opening date of fall 2009. Public Education Coalition (ESPEC) Schmeling hopes that by and the Providence community NATHAN BISHOP MIDDLE SCHOOL getting more residents actively to push for the reopening of the involved in advocating for public schools. It is estimated that more not want to participate in public Nathan Bishop Middle School education, a greater demand for on the East Side of Providence. than 60 percent of East Side children education. The group began by currently attend private schools. organizing an email and letter- improvements in other Providence Schmeling has been a member of public schools will be generated. the steering committee of ESPEC “My motive in helping to writing campaign directed at the organize ESPEC is in a belief that school department and the city of “We now have over since it was fi rst organized in the 400 people on our mailing spring of 2006.