Week of January 20, 2025
The Office Will Be Closed Monday January 20, 2025 in Observance of Martin Luther King Day
NEW CLASSES ADDED:
*Disappearing Local News in South County – and in the Rest of America – 1 Session, Mon Feb 10, 3:00PM-4:30PM America’s local newspapers are in sharp decline, leading to reduced civic engagement, weakened social cohesion, increased misinformation, and diminished governmental accountability. As digital disruption slashed circulation and ad revenue, staff cuts deepened, many papers closed, and others reduced their content and delivery. While digital subscriptions grew, online ads generate far less revenue than print. Local radio news is virtually absent, and TV news prioritizes sensationalism with brief, superficial coverage. Social media fills the gap with unverified and often unreliable content, eroding trust. What are we to do? Click Here to Register
*New Tech Talk In January – Frauds And Scams: How to Escape Becoming a Victim (ZOOM) – 1 Session, Thurs, Jan 30, 11:30AM – 1:00PM on ZOOM. The Tech Committee invites you to join this month’s free OLLI Extra. The scams don’t stop, and they are becoming more original and invasive. But they are only successful if we engage, and they are becoming more clever to engage us before we realize it. They are not only online, but at our door and our phone. Every human is at risk of fraud. The statistics are staggering, but we will not spend time on the big data; instead, we have some real-life stories to share to help you learn their tricks. This Tech Talk will update you with what we know as sure fire ways to avoid being caught up in a scam or fraud scheme and what to do about it, if you realize you have become involved. Click Here to Register
CLASS SPOTLIGHT – Register online or call 401-874-4197.
Practical and Proven Suicide Prevention Training – 1 Session, Mon Jan 27, 9:30-11AM, We are in the midst of a global mental health crisis and people of all ages need help. QPR (Question. Persuade. Refer.) is a community level evidence-based training program that has proved effective in teaching any adult age 17 or older to recognize someone who might be considering suicide and take the appropriate measures to get help. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis. Participants are certified as “Gatekeepers” for 2 years. Click Here to Register
In the Blink of an Eye – Surviving a Traumatic Brain Injury 1 Session, Tues, Jan 28, 1-2:30PM Gardiner will share her experience as a survivor of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) when she was injured in a car accident in October 2001. She will discuss her recovery and the five factors she believes were critical to its success. Joan has also written a book which details those factors and will talk about the process of writing and publishing her book. Click Here to Register
DIY “Love, Luck and Laughter” Watercolor Note Cards 1 Session Wed, Jan 29, 10AM-12PM Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and April Fool’s Day are around the corner. Even if you’ve never thought of yourself as an artist or painter, Kara Marziali will help you create note cards for the months of February, March, and April. Participants will paint three different designs on blank cards so a personal message can be written inside. Your friends and family will love the handmade touch, and you are guaranteed to have fun! All materials will be supplied, and students will receive a kit designed especially for this class. $10 to be paid to the instructor the day of class. Click Here to Register
PARKING – PARKING REMINDER! The URI students are back on campus this week, and the parking lot will again be monitored for parking permits. Avoid a $50 parking ticket and register your vehicle for parking. All vehicles must be registered annually in August. Call the OLLI office at 401-874-4197 and we’ll be happy to complete your registration. We will need your license plate number, along with the make, model and color of your vehicle.
DISCOUNTED TICKETS FOR OLLI MEMBERS: Group discount for URI Men’s Basketball games Click link to purchase
DONATE SOCKS – OLLI will be collecting new socks throughout the winter semester to donate to the Mathewson Street Church . Please drop donations off in the OLLI office. Thank you!
THIS WEEK AT OLLI
Monday
Martin Luther King Day – No Classes
Tuesday
10:00AM Writing A Legacy Letter (Zoom)
11:00AM Listening to Ourselves
1:00PM A History of The English language
1:00PM Transparent Eyeballs (Osher Online)
3:00PM Alzheimer’s Disease: Drugs, Diagnostics & Controversies
3:00PM Buddhist Philosophy, Meditation & Ritual (Osher Online)
3:00PM The Port in Portugal (Coast Guard House)
Wednesday
10:00AM Compassionate Conversations
10:00AM Fashion in the Gilded Age
11:00AM Fabulous Fingers (URI Keyboard Lab)
12:30PM Bowling
1:00PM Sex, Gender & Public Policy
1:00PM Hiking Group
2:00PM Advisory Council
3:00PM Our Ancestral Homes & How to Find Them (Zoom)
4:00PM The Joy of Singing
Thursday
9:00AM Let’s Skate (Boss Arena)
10:00AM Rooms with Views: Two Novels
11:00AM Current Events
1:00PM Mah Jongg
1:00PM A Concert Series: Swiss Harpist Andreas Vollenweider
2:00PM Southeast Asia
3:00PM Program Committee
Friday
9:30AM Modern Poetry
1:00PM Taking the Inward Journey
1:00PM The Beatles
1:00PM My Native Land is A Memory: Stories of Cuban Childhood (Osher Online)
OLLI SUMMER 2025 PROPOSALS DUE Proposals for our summer semester are due Tues, February 4. (Term is June 23 – Aug 29). Click here to fill out the form. Any questions, please call 401-874-4197 or email olli@uri.edu.
RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS NEEDED: Focus group participants are needed to talk about their favorite recreational activities. The purpose of the research is to learn what motivates you to participate in certain activities and not others. The information gathered from the focus group will be used to inform an online survey distributed to residents across Rhode Island. To be eligible, you must be over the age of 18. The time commitment should last about 1 hour. During the focus group, you’ll share your recreational experiences with a group of 4-6 other participants and URI researchers. The focus group discussions will be confidential. We will not associate your name or any identifiable information with your responses and opinions shared during the focus group. This research has been approved by the University of Rhode Island Institutional Review Board and is being conducted by Masters student Kimberly Sullivan of the URI Marine Affairs Department and the principal investigator, Dr. Tracey Dalton also of URI Marine Affairs Department. Refreshments will be provided!
Focus group sessions will take place during the months of January and February. If interested in participating, please complete the following form through this link: https://forms.gle/YvAXVbsCWB8xNBj58. A researcher will contact you with a list of focus group dates and times that you can choose from. To view the flyer, click here.
URI DEPARTMENT OF ART & ART HISTORY PRESENTS: OUT OF AFRICA, Painting and Illustrations by Munir D. Mohammed for Black History Recognition January 21-March 27. Gallery Reception Feb 6, 4-7PM URI Green Hall 1st Floor Lobby Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday, 8AM-5PM This One-Person exhibition of drawings, oil and watercolor paintings, and Children’s Book Illustration by Munir D. Mohammed, originally from Ghana, the exhibit features the drawings and paintings for “Wherever I Go” by Mary Wagley Copp. For information call (401)286-4620 or contact spennell@uri.edu All events are free and open to the public.
TEDXURI 2025 CALL FOR PRESENTERS- Applications due Monday, Jan. 27
So how do you find the truth? And how do you know what you find is true? TEDxURI 2025, which will be held Sunday, April 6, at 2 p.m. in Edwards Hall on the University of Rhode Island’s Kingston Campus, will confront some of these questions this spring with “Finding the Truth,” a topic crucial to our survival. They are seeking a diverse group of presenters who can inspire thoughtful dialogue, share stories, and offer approaches to navigating questions about the truth with curiosity and open-mindedness.
To apply to be a presenter, simply submit a video audition—three minutes or less—previewing your story and fill out an application form at the link below. For audition tips, guidelines, and more information, please visit uri.edu/tedx/auditions. Click to apply!
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 101- Friday, Jan 24, 2025 10AM-11AM Peacedale Library Join URI professors Indrani Mandal and Joan Peckham of URI’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lab to learn all about AI today. AI is capable of not only understanding pictures, speech, language, and text, but can also generate the same! In addition, learn what resources the URI AI Lab has to offer for the public. *Registration suggested, but not required.* If you choose to register, Click Here, or contact Robin at 401-789-1555, ext. 4110 or rflynn@southkingstownri.gov.
BLOOD PRESSURE CLINIC WITH SK EMS – Saturday, Jan 25, 2025 10AM-1PM Peacedale Library Start a healthy new year with a free blood pressure check by the South Kingstown EMS Community Paramedic team! No registration or insurance info required, and you can take your results with you, if desired. First come first served, for adults 18+. Info: Robin at rflynn@southkingstownri.gov / 401-789-1555, ext. 4110.