Rhode Island College

November 2012

V.I.S.A CLUB ELECTS NEW

OFFICERS

– Jacqueline Page Attention! The V.I.S.A CLUB HAS ELECTED NEW

OFFICERS! The new officers are José Torrealba

(President), Kellie Schwartz (Vice President), Jacqueline

Page (Treasurer), and Taïsha Alexis (Secretary). The

V.I.S.A club is excited to bring amazing new cultural

experiences for students and staff at Rhode Island

College. WE here at VISA are planning movie nights, in-

ternational bake sales, concerts, and outdoor events!

You do not have to be an international student to come

to the club meetings with new ideas and help to plan

activities. Our meetings are Mondays at 12:30 pm in the

international Student Office located in the Faculty

Center. So come out and learn about different parts of

the world. Hope to see you soon!

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Inside this issue:

Meet Narong Ninth—A New

International Student From

Cambodia

Apple Picking and

Pumpkin Picking

Jack-O-Lantern

Spectacular

Presidential Election 2012

Cuba Drops its White Card

October and November Activities

RIC student discounts

Upcoming RIC activities

Meet Narong Ninth – A New International Student From Cambodia – David Mitchell

At the southern tip of the Asian continent lies the equatorial country of Cambodia. Its climate is tumultuous

and includes a monsoon season which ushers in a cool and dry period followed by a hot and wet weather pattern. Wildlife is diverse and includes panthers, tigers and bears! Demographic analysis of the population shows that only about 4 percent are over the age of 65. This reflects the shocking violence of 1975 – when the Khmer Rouge regime killed off about 1/5 of the population. Now, the population is young, vibrant and perhaps inexperienced with a mean age of 21.

Sixteen year old Narong Ninth, a good representative of such vibrancy, hails from this tropical wonder and is a new international student at Rhode Island College. I had the chance to ask him about his journey and what brought him to Rhode Island College. He said, “My parents wanted me to study abroad to finish my education be-cause in general, the degree in Cambodia doesn't have much value. In the end, they decided that they wanted me here in the U.S.” His devoted parents did not want Narong or his sister to stress about applications to foreign coun-tries, so they hired an agent who took care of everything. The agent was pleased with Rhode Island College’s mis-sion and history and so they applied here.

When asked to describe his country, Narong first told me that it neighbors Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. “In case no one knows where Cambodia is” he said. In terms of history, Narong is proud of the period when Cambodia was strong during the time of the Khmer Empire. The ruins of the temple city, Angkor Wat, remain a magnet for tour-ists around the world. Angkor Wat contains the remains of the largest hindu temple in the world. Economically speaking, Cambodia has ties with Vietnam, China and Thailand. They are also rumored to be currently building a bond with Korea.

Narong’s reflections on Cambodian culture are very positive. Still he notes an element of authoritarianism in the family and social structure. “You are not supposed to say your opinions if you're young, you're supposed to listen to the elders even if they're wrong - which is one thing I don't like about our culture.” “Cambodia stresses discipline and respect in general. For example, children have to obey their parents, and the same goes with all young ones to elders. However, the society is changing, and only some conservative (or not so radical) families still embrace those customs.”

Narong misses his high school, and has fond memories of home. Though he has excelled at his education and jumped years ahead of his peers, he remains humble. As a computer science major he said, “Writing codes is actually fun although I'm new to it, and probably bad at it too.” Narong jokingly said that he had “strong help” in choosing his major: computer science. “My dad actually suggested (more strongly recommended) this major to me” He finds the programming interesting as he enjoys math. He is planning to return to Cambodia once he receives his master’s degree.

Rhode Island College is renowned for its diversity and history. Ambitious, diligent and bright visitors like Na-rong should give local students pause to reflect on the value of education and the profound opportunity offered to the average person in the United States. Narong’s story is inspiring. Without seeking to be congratulatory, I believe that I speak to an honest sentiment of Rhode Island College students when I say that we are privileged and proud to

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Two of the most “fall” things to do in Rhode Island

are to go apple or pumpkin picking. Halloween always

comes to mind when I think of October, Halloween and

pumpkins. Many people (or at least my mom) love to make

apple pies or apple crisp with the freshly picked apples.

Others, like me, love to find new recipes on pinterest or

google to try out. This way not only do you have fun picking

the apples and maybe having a blast from the past with

your memories—but a delicious treat comes out of it as

well. What could be better? Maybe a scary carved or paint-

ed pumpkin on the porch or in the window! After picking

the absolutely perfect pumpkin from the patch, you paint

some sort of face on it or you carve a face and place a can-

dle inside the pumpkin. I personally enjoy carving the

pumpkin more because when you scoop all the stuff out of the pumpkin you can keep the

seeds and bake them! Home-made pumpkin seeds and apple pies from freshly picked pump-

kins and apples are two of my favorite fall memories! Below are two nice orchards nearby:

Pippin Orchard Nurseries

1199 Pippin Orchard Road, Cranston, R.I.

Open daily 9am to 5pm July – December

Dame Farm and Orchards

94 Brown Avenue, Johnston, RI 02919.

Open daily 9:30am to 5:00pm

Fun and Sweet That you can even eat! - Kellie Schwartz

More Jack-O-Lanterns! - Kellie Schwartz A great display of jack-o-lanterns, and a very popular event will be the Jack-o-Lantern Spec-

tacular at the Roger Williams Zoo. 2012’s Spectacular is titled “All the World’s a Stage.” It

features pumpkins with scenes from popular movies,

Broadway hits, and favorite TV series. It then has a tribute

to man’s best friend (dogs, not cats!) picturing all different

breeds. The traditional Halloween and kids scene comes

after the pups, followed by the favorite laughing tree end-

ing. This is a sight to see, art in the form of pumpkins. This

display will be held October 4th through November 3rd 6-

11pm. Monday through Thursday it is $12 for adults, and

Fridays and Saturdays it is $15. Don’t miss out!

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Presidential Election 2012 -Taisha Alexis

Mark Your Calendars; November 6, 2012 Is

The BIG Day!

“Be the Change you wish to see in the World,” are

wise words from Mahatma Gandhi that we should

apply to our lives. It all starts with us, if we want

something done, “WE the people,” must have our

voices heard. As the Presidential election is rapidly

approaching, most of us eagerly await the news of

who will be leading this country in the next four

years. Though international students are not citi-

zens of the U.S.A., the presidential election still

should be of some importance because it may affect your education here in the United

States. If you have family members who are eligible to vote please advise them to do

so, not only keeping their fellow Americans in mind, but also you, as international stu-

dents. Whoever becomes President may be able to promote diversity and set up inter-

national policies that may benefit V.I.S.A. Many people living in the United States of

America neglect their power to have a say in how they should be governed. It’s a role

taken for granted by many citizens. Those from other parts of the world understand

the privilege of having a democracy, but yet most Americans don’t see the im-

portance. A lot of people use the excuse that one voice doesn’t count, but it does.

Look at it like this; it takes one vote to be a tie breaker in a very close race. So do your

research, find out about these candidates, and express yourself, convince people to

choose the candidate that best represents your values and goals. November 6, 2012:

Cuba Drops its “White Card” Exit Visa for Citizens

The New York Times of October 18 noted on its front page that Cuban citizens

will now be able to leave their country to trav-

el to the U.S. and abroad with only a passport

and a visa from the county they wish to enter.

There are still some defense and national secu-

rity restrictions on Cubans as well as the pos-

sibility that doctors, scientists and military

personnel won’t be allowed to leave because

the Castro Government fears “theft of talent.”

Americans are not sure of the impact of

the new ruling on U.S. immigration. The U.S. is the country most Cubans wish to

reach and it has a policy of granting legal residency to Cubans who arrive safely on

American soil. Some immigration experts fear a flood of Cuban immigrants to nearby

Mitt Romney (R) Barack Obama (D)

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October and November Activities -Jacqueline Page

Bruna Puppets and Costumes:

273 Pocasset Ave, Providence (401)944-2730

For the best Halloween costumes this year visit Bruna Puppets and Costumes! With shoe

rentals and makeup tutorials, everything is available to look as scary as you want!

Ice Skating

Exchange Street, Providence (401) 331-5544 It’s college night stating Nov.21-March.3!

Every Wednesday at the Bank of America City Center in downtown Providence. Don’t worry if

you need skates, you can rent them for $3 and admission is only $3! Don’t forget your RIC

I.D. card!

RIC$tudent Discounts - Kellie Schwartz

Some other discounts that don’t require

student IDs:

Providence Place Mall movie theatre

AMC Theatres

Alex and Ani

Charlotte Russe (10% off)

Amtrak—BOGO half price.

Apple—8% off—online and in stores

Subway (at participating stores—ask

around) 10%

There are actually discounts that we as students can get… just for being a college stu-

dent! Of course these aren’t really advertised, but I’m going to let you in on the secret

of what stores give discounts. All you have to do is show them your ID!

One free one-day rental from REDBOX when you like their page on

Facebook

Discount Tuesdays at most movie theatres… cheaper tickets!!

Half priced appetizers at Applebee's after 9pm on weekdays and

after 10pm on weekends

Half priced appetizers at Chelo’s if you sit at the bar

Bowling

-AMF Cranston Lanes

1450 Elmwood Ave, Cranston

- Legion Bowl

661 Park Ave, Cranston

—> Mondays – Thursdays are stu-

dent nights! Bring your RIC ID for dis-

counted bowling!

- Town Hall Lanes

1463 Atwood Ave, Johnston

Concerts

Lupos Heartbreak Hotel

79 Washington Street Providence,

RI

Yellowcard tickets went on sale

October 20th

Megadeth—November 9th

Taking Back Sunday—

November 20th

2 Chainz—December 5th

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Upcoming Events Here at RIC: –Taisha Alexis

*ALL TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE STUDENT UNION WELCOME & INFOR-

MATION CENTER. MUST ADD MONEY TO STUDENT ID CARD FIRST WHICH CAN BE DONE

AT CAMPUS CARD CENTER ALSO LOCATED IN STUDENT UNION*

October

Wednesday, 24th: RIC Faculty: Andres Ramirez will be presenting: MetroLingualism: A (Not So)

New Vision for 21st Century World Class Education at the Adams Library Fortes Room (4th floor, Rm 409)

from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm.

Thursday, 25th: You don’t want to miss it! Nosferatu (German Dracula) is making an appearance at

RIC. Come join V.I.S.A and Phi Sigma Tau at Whipple 215 @ 6 pm. Best part about it is that it’s FREE!

Saturday, 27th: Come join some fellow RIC students in a chilling experience: Spooky World! (Friday

to Sunday—October 26 to November 3rd) Tickets are $25 for RIC students and $30 for non-RIC students.

The event is from 3:30 pm to 1 am. An early start to your Halloween festivities. For more information check

out www.ric.edu

Wednesday, 31st: Happy Halloween!

Wednesday, 31st: Art Club Bus Trip to New York City—sign up on October 31st –from 12pm-2pm.

Check with the art department.

November

Wednesday, 7th: Boston Museum of Fine Art: $5 for RIC students and $7 for non-RIC students;

18+ .The event starts from 4:30 pm ends at 11 pm.

Thursday, 15th: Dessert and a Movie: Enjoy the premiere of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part

2 and delicious desserts at the Cheesecake Factory. Tickets are $15 for RIC students and $25 for Non RIC

students. (18+) The event is from 9:30 pm to 2 am.

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