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Fee or Foe
Know where your money goes
By Erin Atwood
Staff Writer
When a full time student registers for
classes there are certain fees that must be paid
to the school. They include fees such as a registration fee, a technology fee, a commuting and
parking fee, a placement fee and a student activity fee. Many students are not aware of the
different fees they pay and what those fees are
used for, the student activity fee being one of
them. As a student it is important to know where
your money is going, what that money is being
used for, and who is using the money.
If a student were to look up the explanation of what the student activity fee is, they
would find that the school defines it as a fee that
covers student services such as IDs as well as
various activities sponsored by student organizations and the student athletic program. It is a
non-refundable fee and is required of all students
regardless of whether they are full or part time.
Fifty percent of the budget is reserved
for Athletics, 23.5% for Student Life and 26.5%
for Student Government. Ninety-seven thousand
dollars was set aside in a travel account originally reserved for Athletics, but is now being shared
with other clubs, according to Jim Gracik, President of Knight Campus Student Government. He
says the money is split between all four campuses and is based on the number of students each
campus has in attendance. In the past three years
Knight campus has gotten 42% while Flanagan
and Liston received 32% and 18% respectively.
(Continued in Student Fees on p 3)
Edward Kdonian/Lens
By Edward Kdonian
Copy Editor
According to a message sent out by Dr. Greg Lamontagne, CCRIs Vice President of Academic
Affairs, a reccomendation has been made by the Accademic Advisory Commitee to discuss abolishing the WP/WF grading options. This act would in effect force teachers to enter a students grade as
Failed after 10 weeks if the student were unable to complete a passing grade after the first 10 weeks of
class. The most disturbing part of this is that they havent told the students, or even asked for their input.
Currently the system allows a teacher to input a grade of Withdrawal/Passing or Withdrawal/
Failing instead of imputing the grade as an actual failure. This allows students who have been forced
by circumstance to miss too many classes or who are unable to obtain a passing grade to withdraw from a
class unofficially without the class affecting the students grade point index. Basically if you fail to show
up for a class to the point where you can no longer gain a passing grade a teacher can enter you as having
withdrawn and denote whether you had a passing or failing grade at the time you stopped showing up.
Learn
more
Failed classes are held against your about your
record and never wiped clean
Student
Government
This is most important for students who are forced to stop attending class due to financial, work related, or family based hardships that require priority above school. If you
as a student were forced to attend to a sick family member or move out of state temporarily
you could speak to a teacher and have them enter your grade as WP, WF or NA. The credits
would count against your attempted credit count, but would not affect your grade point average
if you were to reenroll at a later date to retake the class or to work towards a different degree.
Just as importantly this safety net helps to protect first time students who are just out of high
school. There is no shortage of 18 year old students who enroll right out of high school only to skip
classes because they are not ready to devote themselves to college. (Continued in Failed on p3)
P2
P3
P4
P5
P6
P7
This
Issue
Dont
vote
stupid
Featured on Page 4
An apple a day
can get you
suspended
Wanted:
Knight chivalry
read on page 2
@ccriunfiltered
/unfilteredlens
Campus News
Jess Le Beau/Lens
OPEN HOUSE
DATES
September 20, 2014
October 18, 2014
November 15, 2014
Campus News
THE
LENS
The overall mission of THE UNFILTERED LENS is to inform
and improve the quality of student
life at the Community College of
Rhode Island. We strive to accomplish this standard by reporting and
writing the truth in an ethical and
responsible fashion that enlightens
the entire college community, while
providing information in an unvarnished manner that seeks thoughtful responses, dialogue and, of
course, action. We fully understand
serving students is our clear objective and recognize the impact and,
more importantly, the importance
of this endeavor. We realize we do
not make news but cover events
that stimulate our community, improve college life and strengthen
our democracy.
would go to the Student Government to send a request to the administration to get it approved and find
a space on campus as well as a budget for club related matters. If you
had a problem on campus or with
a teacher that you wanted to bring
to the faculties attention, you would
seek out the Student Government
on your campus to make your voice
heard.
However that is not the only
thing our Student Government does
here at CCRI. They also work to
Failed
Student Fees
EDITORIAL STAFF
Naomi Stewart
Editor-in-Chief
Alex Wallace
Managing Editor
Harold Cooper
Lead Layout/Design
Webmaster
Edward Kdonian
Copy Editor
Erica Schuman
Social Media Manager
Warren Smith
Business Manager
Staff Writers
Erin Atwood
Rob Gagnon
Kristy Livesey
Jessamy Le Beau
Rob Oatley
Courtney Germain
Steve Forleo
Faculty Advisor
Official Member
Journalism Association of
Community Colleges - Since 2010
Official Member
College Media
Association
Since 2011
Official Member
Student Press Law Center
Since 2010
The opinions and views expressed in The Unfiltered Lens student newspaper are solely those of their writers and are in no way, shape, or form, the opinions or views of CCRI and/or of its affiliates. The Unfiltered Lens 2014
Op-Ed
By Robert Gagnon
Staff Writer
Election Day 2014 has
come and gone but that does not
mean that you cant be prepared for
the next elections. All of the races
were very close which means almost half our state is probably upset with the results, but I feel that
a good way to deal with your feelings, whatever they may be, is to
get on board with the candidates
who have won and hope for the
best. In order to prepare for the next
elections, the first thing that you are
going to want to do is make sure
that you educate yourself as a voter.
If you are unsure as to
whether or not you are an uneducated voter, here are som signs: if you
discriminate against a certain candidate because of their race, age, or
gender, you are an uneducated voter.
If you dont like a certain candidate
but dont know the reasons why, you
are an uneducated voter. If you are
not certain what a candidates views
on various issues are, then you are
an uneducated voter. Voting is an
extraordinary privilege but like
many privileges that we have there
are too many people who abuse it.
The easiest way to abuse this privilege is to not educate yourself on
the issues. If you are an uneducated
Take a break
from snap
chatting,
tweeting, and
internet porn
I proudly announce
Im gay... Good luck
all of you...
Edgars Rinkvis
(@edgarsrinkevics)
November 6, 2014
In an honest and brave moment of self-respect and personal
pride, or is it gay pride, Latvian
Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkvis
came out of the closet on twitter. While its not clear just what
made this particular Thursday such
a good day for him to come out, I
think he deserves a shout out for doing so. As one of the few European
countries still holding strong to a
ban on same sex marriage, this pronouncement is proving to be a powerful rallying point for Latvias gay
rights movement. Latvia not only
Edward Kdonian/Lens
and tweet his sexuality from the
rooftops is more important than
ever. We know from our own country how hard it is to come out while
in a political office. So I say, good
luck to you too, Edgars!
IN the Nation
point in society where we are jumping at shadows and we need to rethink our actions. How long before
students are only allowed to use
crayons in school because pencils
and pens are too sharp? How long
before shoes have to have Velcro
straps so children arent accused of
having a garrote made of shoelaces? Enough is enough, its time to
think reasonably and remove these
zero tolerance policies that dont
take circumstance into account.
By Edward Kdonian
Copy Editor
In Ohio a student attempting
to give a demonstration on healthy
snacking was suspended after trying
to cut an apple into slices. Davon
Shaw, a student in Bedford, Ohio
was giving a speech before his class
on nutritious snacking. He brought
in some apples and dried cranberries as examples for his class only to
be stopped short when he attempted
to cut up the apple. The moment
he picked up the knife his teacher
stopped him and took it from him.
He politely gave it to her, not putting up any fuss. Later in the day
he was approached and suspended
for five days for having a weapon
at school. His mother is quoted in
a CNN article saying I can take off
my belt and use that as a weapon.
Edward Kdonian/Lens
Pens and pencils can be used as a
weapon. You cant take a person
with no intentions to harm and put
them as a criminal because thats
By Edward Kdonian
Copy Editor
ficially apologize to the students for fellow student reporter got into her
their behavior.
car to leave they were blocked by a
police SUV.
thought that maybe I was blockWadleigh and her I
ing the way for them to get through
they got out of their car and
partner were asked to until
came up to my windows, Wadleigh states. So they told us to put
step out of the car and our electronics on the dashboard
and turn off the car and they asked
to identify themselves me to hand over my keys.
Wadleigh and her partner
According to the letter the were asked to step out of the car and
students had been hoping to inter- to identify themselves, before being
view Dotson for their story only to surrounded by officers at the back
find that he did not regularly work of the car and having their belongfrom that location. When they ings searched for almost an hour.
found he wasnt there they decided After rooting through their belongto film B-roll of police vehicles ings, detaining them in the station
while standing on the public side- and watching all of the footage they
walk. When Isis Wadleigh and her had recorded they were finally told
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Reviews
Growing up in Johnston
there was a coffee shop on Atwood
Ave that fellow students would
cut class to hang out in, oops I
mean would wait till after class to
hang out in. That coffee shop was
Brewed Awakenings. It has been
a great Rhode Island based coffee shop since opening in 1996.
Brewed Awakenings has served
some of the best coffee in the state
for almost twenty years, but they
serve more than just great coffee.
With a menu that includes a vast assortment of baked goods and signature sandwiches for both breakfast
and lunch, you have plenty of items
to choose from. With two locations
on Atwood Ave in Johnston, one in
South Kingstown, and another on
Pontiac Ave in Cranston their coffee is quickly taking over the state.
Im sure that many of you have seen
the highest coffee cup in the state
towering over their Cranston loca-
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affordable insurance coverage.
Coffee is
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champions
Mike Ditka
Advice
7
Recently I have been dealing with the loss of my father, and
have become depressed. I find
myself having trouble getting out
of bed in the morning, and have
begun skipping classes. What can
I do to get myself out of this funk?
Signed Depressed about Dad
Between classes and work
I have been on the verge of an
anxiety attack, what are some fast
and simple ways to de-stress?
Signed Stressed in School
Hey Stressed, dealing with
the pressure of taking classes and
working a job can be exhausting especially if you have kids, but there
are a few simple things you can do
to calm down and relieve the pressure. If you dont have time to take
up a hobby to relive your stress try
5 minute meditation. Just sit down
in a quiet area put on your favorite
song or some nature sounds and
close your eyes. Focus on your
breathing and relax for a few minutes and you will be amazed. Just
taking 5 minutes out of your day to
breath has been scientifically proven to relieve stress and help you
take on the rest of your day.
I recently started dieting and need some easy to pack
snacks to bring with me to class
so I am not tempted to visit the
vending machines. What do you
recommend?
Signed Hunger in the Halls
Hey there Hunger, there are
tons of tasty and low calorie snack
ideas that take little to no time to
prepare and are really tasty. Peanut butter is only about 200 calories
for 2 tablespoons and when spread
on celery it can stretch into a very
filling snack, especially if you add
some dried cranberries or raisins.
In a similar vein an apple and some
Nutella is absolutely delicious and
takes no prep time at all.
I have always had very
large breasts and I have always
been worried that it may increase
my chances of breast cancer. Do I
have anything to worry about?
Signed Big Breasted and Scared
Well Big you have nothing to worry about in that respect.
Having larger breasts does not in
any way increase your chances of
getting cancer. It should be noted
however that being overweight
does. So if your weight is the main
factor in your breast size you will
have a higher chance of cancer than
someone slimmer. Large breasts
can also make it harder to feel out
breast lumps when doing a self-exam, so make sure you have yearly
appointments with your doctor for
check ups.
I have been hearing recently that using Q-tips in your
ears is bad, what is that all about?
Signed Waxy Ears
Well Waxy the fact is that
cotton swabs are meant to be used
in the outer ear only. I know it
sounds crazy since most of us have
been using them for years but it's
true. Pushing a cotton swab too far
into your ear can not only push the
wax further in and create a clogged
feeling but it can actually damage
your eardrum and affect hearing. In
fact a little bit of wax is actually a
good thing, it helps to protect your
ear canal. There is after all a reason
your body constantly makes more
after you try so hard to scoop it out.
I have recently found myself sending dirty e-mails to an
ex-boyfriend who lives across the
country. I haven't seen him in a
long time and have no plans to
follow through in anyway, but I
find sending the emails exciting.
Would you consider what is basically cyber sex to be cheating?
Signed Guilt-ridden Girlfriend
Well Guilt, I think the easiest way to answer this is with a
question of my own. Do you think
that your boyfriend would feel hurt
or betrayed if he were to read your
emails? If you think he would have
a problem with it then I think you
My husband has recently
come home from work late on a
fairly consistent basis. I fear that
he may be having an affair. What
should I do?
Signed Luna
Dear Luna, the best way to
go in this situation is honest and
open communication. You might
start by asking your husband why
he comes home from work so late
is he working on a big project? If
you dont get an adequate response,
ask him directly if he is having an
affair. If he denies it but your intuition tells you he is lying, then you
really have some thinking to do.
At one extreme, you could hire a
P.I. (Private Investigator) to follow
your husband. At the other extreme,
you could leave your husband if the
lateness and other suspicious behaviors continue.
We here at the Lens are sorry to hear about your father, and we
understand that loss can really take
the wind out of you. It is never easy
getting over a loved one. The best
advice we can give you is to talk to
your friends and loved ones about
your father and what he meant to
you. If you find this hard, then remember that therapy is always a
solid option. Try not to spend too
much time alone and dwelling on
something that cant be changed.
Hobbies are also a great way to
keep your mind off of how terrible
you feel and get you moving forward again. We wish you the best,
good luck.
Need advice?
ask.unfilteredlens
@gmail.com
TheUnfilteredLens.com
In 2011, President
Barack Obama withdrew
military forces from Iraq.
This past summer, he began
sending non-combat troops
back to the region for the
first time since 2011 in response to the Islamic State
(ISIS) militants advancing
throughout Iraq.
Now, in an unexpected announcement three
days before Veteran's Day,
President Obama has announced that the United
States will be sending 1,500
additional troops to Iraq.
The US already had 1,400
advisers in Iraq, and with
this new announcement, the
US will have a total of 2,900
troops to arm and train Iraqi
and Kurdish forces against
ISIS.
The White House
is also requesting the now
Republican controlled Congress for $5.6 billion dollars to fight ISIS. Defense
Secretary Chuck Hagel is
urging Congress to approve
the new military spending
as soon as possible. The
troops will be sent to the
Anbar Province in Western
Iraq, which borders Jordan,
Saudi Arabia, and Syria.
Within the $5.6 billion, $1.6
billion will be spent to fund
and secure Iraqi and Kurdish forces to fight a counter
into Iraq
spines, and were more prepared to fight ISIS. According the BBC, A US-led
coalition has launched more
than 400 air strikes on the
group [ISIS] in Iraq since
August, and more than 300
across the border in Syria..
These air strikes will continue, because the troops
being moved in to Iraq are
for training Iraqi soldiers
only, and not intended for
combat. The White House
has insisted that the U.S.
will not be sending combat
White House is
also
requesting
the now Republican controlledCongress for $5.6
billion dollars to
fight ISIS
continue to be involved in
Vietnam for over nineteen
years. Then United States
has had active military presence in the Middle East,
particularly Iraq, since the
Gulf War, which lasted from
August 2, 1990 to January
17,1991. So far, estimated
total casualties including
civilians and soldiers in
the region from U.S. Military conflict in Iraq are, according to numbers from
iraqbodycount.org, the LA
Times, and The Gaurdian a
total of 220,202 (including
Kuwait, Afghani, Pakistani,
and Somalian civilian deaths
from the Gulf War and War
on Terror). ISIS, also previously called ISIL, began in
October 2006. Their leader
is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, of
whom little is known. The
group has between 20,000
and 35,000 members, and
are known for mass killings and kidnappings, and
public executions. They are
located mainly in Syria and
Iraq, and have forced over
1.2 million Iraqis from their
homes.
Warren Smith/Lens