Volume 78, Issue 11 Smithfield, RI February 11, 2011 Sophomore International Spring festival welcomes Experience: See the world Golden Rabbit around you By Ashley Fullard Staff Writer By Fira Zainal Staff Writer February 3rd 2011 marked the start of the "The real voyage of discovery Spring Festival, more com- consists not in seeking new land- monly known as the Chi- scapes but in having new eyes." nese New Year. The Year of These are the wise words the Rabbit is upon us by well-known French novel- bringing with it serenity ist, Marcel Proust. This writer and good fortune. The U.S. believes that a change in China Institute here at scenery definitely encourages Bryant hosted one of the the voyage of discovery – and biggest celebrations of the one of the many ways to do Chinese New Year that this would be through travel- Rhode Island has ever ing. seen. Even though our univer- The event was held in sity offers excellent opportu- the main gym and all the nities for students to travel stops were pulled out for abroad and seek global per- this celebration. In the hall- spectives that are crucial in way the walls were lined their areas of study, not all with tables for guest to Bryant students take advan- learn more about the Chi- tage of this chance. The Soph- nese culture. One of the omore International most popular a6ractions Experience (SIE) program of- was the Calligraphy table. fers the perfect opportunity Parents and children lined for students to travel in the up to have their names in- company of their peers and scribed in the ancient Chi- professors. Students who nese art. Calligraphy was have participated in the Soph- At the Chinese New Year celebration, there was a demonstration of caligraphy, shown omore International Experi- See “Golden Rabbit” above, as well as other Chinese traditions. (Kelsey Nowak) ence find the program to be on page 3 one of the most eye-opening and fun experiences in their time studying at Bryant. So what exactly is the dif- Recycle this newspaper ference between Sophomore International Experience (SIE) By Lauren Jensen Friday, February 11th: Kick-Off Event: Rotunda from 10 – 2 and Semester Abroad? Staff Writer Simply put, only sopho- • Students can participate in Recycling Trivia to test their more students are eligible to For the third year in a row, Bryant University will be par- knowledge of Recycling Facts and be entered into a raffle to sign up for the SIE program, ticipating in the nationwide RecycleMania Competition! The win an InspireGreen Waterbo6le! whereas any Bryant student RecycleMania Competition runs from February 6th to April • We will also be conducting a water tasting experiment to 2nd and represents 630 colleges, 6 million students and over see if students can tell the difference between Brita filtered (second-semester sophomore water and tap water. and above) may apply to 1.5 million staff and faculty. This friendly competition started • February 14th – March 2nd: Art Project Fair other study abroad programs in 2001 with just two schools: Ohio State University and Student Organizations and Faculty Office Suites are encour- offered by Bryant University. Miami University, seeing which of the two could collect the aged to create their own unique work of art using recyclable Assistant Director of the most recyclables. items to be displayed in the Rotunda on March 2nd from 10 – Study Abroad office Beth Eng- The competition has now expanded to schools reporting 2 wall explains. ”Every year, the recycling and trash data, which are then ranked according to • There will also be recyclable cra5 projects for students to locations change, so under- who collects the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the do, including Tissue Box picture frames and tips on how to standably the top choices will largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash turn old t-shirts into new fun clothing items! vary with the program selec- per capita, or have the highest recycling rate. Each college tions. For example, this year tracks and reports online the weights of items recycled during Please keep an eye out for more events in the coming in 2011 we had winter pro- the weeks of the competition. All of the statistics from this weeks and continue recycling all bo6les, cans, paper and grams going to three destina- year and previous years can be found on the official Recycle- cardboard! If students have any questions on the proper re- tions: China; Costa Rica and Mania website: www.recyclemania.org cycling methods at Bryant University, please visit Panama; as well as Germany h6p://bryantsife.org/green or email [email protected]. Here is a calendar of how Bryant plans to participate and en- See “Sophomore” on gage students: page 2 In this week’s Archway Bus iness - High speed trains (pg 6) Spor ts - Rally cry to Bulldog Nation (pg 8) Opinion - World passes US students (pg 11) Vari ety - 5 best meals under $10 (pg 13) page 2 february 11, 2011 Sophomore Continued from page 1 and Greece. This coming summer we have one going to London and Paris as well as Italy. We’ll be advertising for the 2012 programs so the current freshman class will be able to sign up for their Sophomore International Experience by the end of their first year, keeping in mind that the pro- grams may change as the university faculty are cur- rently designing the course curriculum for the upcoming year.” The SIE program offers students the opportunity to explore a country and view it in a different per- spective than that if they took a trip by themselves or with their family. It’s not unusual for students who participate in SIE to make the decision to spend a semester abroad in the country they went to their sophomore year or even to other countries offered by the Study Abroad office. Senior Cristine Cox says “My SIE experience in Italy inspired me to spend my semester abroad in London, Spring 2010. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had to travel to another country where I didn’t know a soul and had to depend on only myself. I learned so much from my semester in London.” Other students echo Cox’s sentiments as well. “Since I'm an International Business major and Spanish minor, it was really interesting to visit businesses in other countries and learn about how they are run, while also ge6ing to practice my Spanish,” says Makena Sage ‘12. She continues, “It was eye-opening just to visit all of the incredible places we did, and ultimately, my experience on SIE was what convinced me to study abroad in Groups of Sophomores travelled the globe. Some of the China group is pictured above. (Barrett Brooks) Latin America during the fall of my junior year.” Other than offering students the chance of self-discovery, students are also the academic credits. Students are responsible for personal spending money able to immerse themselves in rich cultures they’ve only read about in books or and meals not listed in the itinerary. watched on film. It’s interesting to note that while $3,500 may still seem costly to some, the “I've never been to Europe before, so it was a new experience for me,” says true cost per student for the whole trip is $5000 (the school subsidizes $1500 per Danica Kwan ’12. “Going to Rome was eye-opening because I saw many faces student). However, payment plans are easily negotiated with the Study Abroad of history. We saw the temples to the gods and goddesses and we also went to office and financial aid is still available to those who qualify. the Colosseum, which was really cool.” No ma6er what point you are at in your college career, stop by the Study To some, the ability to travel is considered a privilege and at times, an ex- Abroad Office in the lower level of the Unistructure (near Faculty Suite J) to travagant cost, especially on top of tuition and housing at Bryant. For the pro- learn more about the countries and programs available. grams in 2011, the cost is $3,500 per student, which includes airfare, Interested in the Sophomore International Experience or thinking of study- transportation in the chosen country, scheduled activities, and the tuition for ing abroad? Drop by the Study Abroad office located in the lower level of the Unistructure (near Faculty Suite J). You can also email the Study Abroad office at saoffi[email protected] or call 401-232-6209 (ext: 6209 from a campus phone). You can also visit the SIE website at h6p://bryant.edu/sophomore The Study Abroad office is currently accepting applications for summer and/or fall 2011 program. Trying to start this semester off in a better way? To Do List ; Work out at Fitness Center ; Eat healthier ; BOWL YOUR YOUR BRAINS BRAINS OUT OUT ; Manage my time bet Only Take care of some 95 SHUVRQDOEXVLQHVV« ter OUR MOST INCREDIBLE SPECIAL EVER! $8. ! $8.95 Gets You make appointment at 3 Hours the Counseling Center Of Unlimited Bowling & Free Shoe Rental 9PM til Midnight Sunday-Thursday Evenings Only Not Available During Holiday Periods 508-695-BOWL (2695) Keep us in mind. We want to help. BRYANT UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF COUNSELING SERVICES 71 Washington Street 401-232-6045 / Top level, Administration Wing, Unistructure North Attleboro, MA 02760 www.northbowllanes.com [email protected] february 11, 2011 page 3 SASS brings the Post-Racial Comedy Tour to educate and entertain By Fira Zainal Week in Darkness’) will elaborate on these issues in a way that is both en- Staff Writer the meaning of this phenomena this tertaining and thought provoking.” coming Tuesday February 15th at 7pm One of the student coordinators for It’s that time of year again! The first in the Bello Grand Hall! the Post-Racial Comedy Tour, Zach Student Arts and Speaker Series With Lander’s expertise on “stuff Suter ‘12, echoes Knowles’ and says (SASS) event of the semester will be white people like” and White’s experi- “SASS wanted to start off the semester taking place this coming week - and ence in “Blacking It Up”, The Post with an event that would be remem- they’re starting off with a bang! The Racial Comedy Tour will make you bered, and so the commi:ee came to Post Racial Comedy Tour will be mak- laugh and think about the absurdities the decision to bring The Post-Racial ing its way to Bryant University.