Week of March 17, 2025

Spring Registration Starts Tuesday, March 18! 

The spring catalogs were mailed to all OLLI members! You can also browse the catalog online by clicking here.

Choose from 4 convenient ways to register:

1.       Online: Starting at 7:00 AM

2.       By phone: Starting at 9:00 AM (Call 401-874-4197)

3.       Walk-in: Starting at 9:00 AM

4.       Mail – Download the registration form from our website (or pick one up in the office). Fill it out and include a check (made out to URI).  Remember to allow enough time for US mail or drop the form off in the office prior to March 18. Mail in registrations will be completed at 9AM on registration day.

Important Preparation Tips:

• Password Update Required: All OLLI users must reset their passwords to meet enhanced security standards (minimum 12 characters). When you sign in, you’ll see a pop-up notification prompting the change if needed. Don’t wait—update your password today so you’re ready to register on Tuesday.
• Check Your Membership Renewal Date: Your membership must be active throughout the duration of your classes. The system will now prompt you to renew if necessary.

If you need help with updating your password or renewing your membership, reach out to the OLLI office TODAY for assistance at 401-874-4197 to avoid any issues on registration day!

SPRING CATALOG UPDATES – Please be advised of the following important date changes (not in catalog):

Walter Massie: Wireless Pioneer -The date has been changed to Monday, May 19,11:30AM-1:00PM

Track Your Ancestors– Skip date of May 26, with final date of class June 9.

SPRING VIRTUAL PREVIEWS:Click here to check out the virtual previews for some of OLLI’s spring classes. 

OSHER ONLINE MEMBER ORIENTATION: If you are registered for an Osher Online course, you will receive an invitation to attend the Member Orientation. Please make an effort to attend the session as details on logging in to your Osher account will be provided. If you are not able to attend the session, a recording will be available. All questions regarding Osher Online classes should be directed to Osher Online, 312-503-5555 or email osheronline@northwestern.edu. If you have never Zoomed before and need assistance, please contact our office well in advance of your class. Call the office (401-874-4197) or email (olli@uri.edu).

EXPLORE THE WORLD BY RAIL- with Railbookers and Amtrak vacations. Join us on Thursday, March 20, at OLLI, 10AM-12PM for a preview of two trips – Glacier National Park and Scenic Switzerland from Zurich. Representatives from Railbookers and AAA will be here to showcase these exciting rail vacations. Click here to register.

CLASS SPOTLIGHT – Register online or call 401-874-4197.

Live Your Values: Crafting Your Personal Bucket List – 1 Session with Renae Martin Wed, Mar 19, 1PM – 3PM Uncover what really matters to you and create a personalized bucket list that reflects your true passions and aspirations. Click Here to Register

Cosmic Questions- Meets Thursday, March 20, at 1:00PM. Join this Special Interest Group for this month’s topic of discussion: “Dark Oxygen” generated on the ocean floor. Click here to read the article “Scientists Discover ‘Dark Oxygen’ on the Ocean Floor Generated – Surprisingly – by Lumps of Metal” from the Smithsonian Magazine. If you would like to be part of the Cosmic Questions monthly group, which meets the third Thursday of each month, please register online.

CYBER SENIORS HOURS: 

Stop by the lobby to get help with all your technology questions starting again Tues, March 18. No appointment necessary.

• Tuesdays & Thursdays 11:00AM-12:00PM Shuno (Click to meet Shuno)
• Thursdays, 2:00PM-4:00PM  Isabella (Click to meet Isabella)

RHODY OUTPOST– Click here to view the updated list of all urgently needed items. You can also purchase items directly from Amazon on the Rhody Outpost Wish List. 

THIS WEEK AT OLLI

• Monday
• 9:30AM The 100 Greatest Movie Songs of All Time (ZOOM)
• 10:00AM The Perry Grist Mill: History in Action (At OLLI)

Tuesday- Spring Registration Begins!!

• 7:00AM Spring Registration begins ONLINE
• 9:00AM Phone and In-Person Spring Registration begins
• 11:00AM Biking Group
• 2:00PM Beginning French for Travel

Wednesday

• 10:00AM Events Committee
• 10:00AM The Tempest
• 12:30PM Bowling
• 1:00PM Live Your Values: Crafting Your Personal Bucket List
• 1:00PM Hiking Group

Thursday

• 9:30AM Let’s Skate (Make up Class)
• 10:00AM Railbookers
• 11:00AM Biking Group
• 11:00AM Current Events
• 1:00PM Cosmic Questions
• 1:00PM The Truth About Statins
• 1:00PM Mah Jongg
• 2:30PM Finance Committee
• 3:00PM Great Decisions

Friday

• 10:00AM Great Decisions
• 1:00PM Book Club

RHODY WORKATHONS ARE BACK! What exactly are workathons? URI rowers can stop by to help provide general yard work, moving furniture, cleaning, painting, etc. for a maximum of four to five hours at a time. You tell them the task, and the number of rowers you need, and they schedule to help you out. The hourly rate for each rower is $25, with the entire sum going to the team to help fund race costs, equipment, buses, etc. to help keep the team prospering. Visit their website  or contact Cody or Ali at rhodyworkathon@gmail.com for more information.

URI CAMPUS RECREATION is excited to offer OLLI members a special discount to access the Mackal Field House facilities! A special day pass rate of $5 (regularly $10.00) is now available to OLLI members. This access includes use of the track, cardio room, weight room, and even the basketball courts.. To utilize this benefit, OLLI Members must request an OLLI membership card from the OLLI office to receive the discount. This card can then be presented each time you visit the Mackal Field House. Limited parking with your OLLI parking pass is available near the field house. Stay warm & stay fit by taking advantage of this new OLLI benefit! Check their website for available hours.

SAVE THE DATE-THEWLIS LECTURE –Thewlis Lecture on Gerontology and Geriatrics Presents: Optics of Aging: A Documentary Screening, Wed, March 26 4PM Reception 4:30-5:45 Screening followed by Q & A Edwards Hall Kingston Campus Join us for the 2025 Malford Thewlis Lecture on Gerontology and Geriatrics, featuring a screening of Michelle Le Brun’s documentary, Optics of Aging. Le Brun, a URI Harrington School of Communication and Media faculty member and the film’s producer, director, and cinematographer, will be on hand, along with cast members, for a discussion following the screening. In Optics of Aging, stereotypes of ageism are dissolved, and the beauty of aging is revealed through five elders who have shaped the landscape of Rhode Island and beyond. Their voices take flight against the backdrop of archival imagery that captures the vision of an earlier time. Click Here to Register

TEDxURI VOLUNTEERS NEEDED- Sunday, April 6, 2PM-4PM Edwards Auditorium, 5-10 Volunteer Ushers will be able to sit and enjoy the show in exchange for their assistance (Tickets Normally $30). TEDxURI brings people together around a theme – a common thread between speakers and a catalyst that helps shape the conversations for the day. The theme for 2025 is Finding Truth. If you are interested in this opportunity please contact Gavin DiFranco (House Manager) difrancogavin717@gmail.com. To purchaseTEDxURI tickets click HERE

COMMUNITY EDUCATION COOKING SERIES: The Southern Rhode Island Conservation District is offering a five-session community education series called “Cooking with Seafood.” All sessions will be led by local fisherman Josiah Dodge at the Fresh Harvest Kitchen, 9 East Ave. in Westerly. The cost for each session is $40. Sessions are: March 27, 5–7 p.m., How to filet fish (includes filet knife and glove); April 10, 5–7 p.m., Preparing whole fish; April 24, 5–7 p.m., Cooking with skate fish; May 8, 5-7 p.m., Preparing clams casino (includes clamming knife and glove); and May 22, 5–7 p.m., Cooking with littleneck clams. To register, click here.

URI STEEP LAUNCHES 2025 WEBINAR SERIES: The STEEP Superfund Research Program at the University of Rhode Island is launching a five-part webinar series to help Cape Cod residents and other communities better understand and respond to PFAS contamination. STEEP—Sources, Transport, Exposure & Effects of PFAS—is a URI-led science effort to address the ubiquitous human health impacts of PFAS in our everyday lives. The first webinar on household exposures and community solutions set for March 20. Click here to register online.

VIBRANCE/ESSENCE(N) ART EXHIBIT– In celebration of Women’s History Month, URI is showcasing the work of alumnae and local women artists in a spring exhibit titled “Vibrance/Essence(n): Defining Color and Texture,” on display in the Higgins Welcome Center and Lippitt Hall through April 24.

NEWPORT CONTEMPORARY BALLET– Senior Citizen Discount for Upcoming Show – Mystical Ways Thursday, Mar 20, 2:30PM or Sunday Mar 23, 3:00PM Keats Theatre, McCulloch Center For the Arts, St. Andrews School, Barrington, RI Click to View Flyer

NEWPORT PRESERVATION SOCIETY PRESENTS – WALZ INTO THE PAST – Friday March 28, 6PM-8:30PM Learn to waltz at Rosecliff in Newport’s largest ballroom! No partner or dance experience is necessary. Professional instructors from The Dancing Feeling: Rhode Island’s Premier Dance Studio will provide an introductory waltz lesson followed by the instructors performing a choreographed showcase dance. Guests can then take to the floor to practice their new moves and enjoy the ballroom as it was intended to be used. Modern ballroom dance has its roots in developments during the Gilded Age, so come experience this ever-evolving traditional art in its historical setting. Ticket includes one glass of wine and light hors d’œuvres. Members/$40 Non-Members/$50 Advance Registration is required. Click Here to Purchase Tickets