Week of January 27, 2025
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.
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
SPECIAL PRESENTATION – RAILBOOKERS – Thurs, Feb 6, 10AM-12PM – Representatives from Railbookers and AAA Travel will join us to talk about these exciting rail vacations:
- Glacier National Park Getaway
- Scenic Switzerland from Zurich
Registration is required for this presentation. Click here to register or call (401) 874-4197
PARKING – REMINDER! The URI students are back on campus 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 is collecting new socks throughout the winter semester to donate to the Mathewson Street Church. We have already filled the basket once (click to see photo) and Jan Armor stopped by to pick them up and take them to Mathewson. Let’s fill it up again in February! Please drop donations off in the OLLI office. Thank you!
THIS WEEK AT OLLI
Monday
- 10:00AM Slavery and the Creation of the US Constitution
- 10:00AM Fabulous Fingers II (@URI Keyboard Lab-Time change this week only)
- 1:00PM Huck Finn’s America (Osher Online)
- 2:00PM Sing the Marseillaise!
- 7:00PM Color and Symbolism in Art History (Osher Online)
Tuesday
- 10:00AM Imprisoned Without Trial: Japanese Incarceration in WWII (Zoom)
- 10:45AM Modern War: What Is It Good For? (Osher Online)
- 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)
- 5:00PM A Tourist’s Tour of the Wider Universe (Osher Online)
Wednesday
- 10:00AM Compassionate Conversations
- 10:00AM DIY “Love, Luck & Laughter” Watercolor Notecards
- 11:00AM The Secret Lives of Familiar Birds (Osher Online)
- 11:00AM Fabulous Fingers IV (@URI Keyboard Lab)
- 12:30PM Bowling
- 1:00PM Sex, Gender & Public Policy
- 1:00PM Hiking Group
- 1:30PM Award Winning Novels
- 3:00PM From Temperance to Tempest: Prohibition on, and around, Block Island
- 4:00PM The Joy of Singing
- 7:00PM The World of Musical Satire (Osher Online)
Thursday
- 9:00AM Let’s Skate! (@Boss Arena)
- 10:00AM Rooms with Views:Two Novels
- 10:00AM The Life and Times of Oliver Hazard Perry
- 11:00AM Current Events
- 1:00PM Mah Jongg
- 1:00PM A Concert Series: Swiss Harpist Andreas Vollenweider
- 2:00PM Southeast Asia
- 3:00PM Science Everyone Needs to Know (Osher Online)
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)
- 3:00PM Innovations in Health and Wellness (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.
WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP SPEAKER SERIES: Aria Mia Loberti ‘20 – Thurs, Feb 6 12-1:00PM via ZOOM (Link provided upon registration) For more information and to register click Here
Aria Mia Loberti is an American actress, writer, human rights advocate, and Fulbright Scholar. Loberti received rave reviews starring as “Marie-Laure Leblanc” opposite Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie in Netflix’s adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE. The Women in Leadership Speaker Series showcases the inspiring careers of highly successful and influential women and provides the opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences with students and alumni. The series is made possible by the URIFAE and the Women’s Leadership Council.
URI HILLEL PRESENTS: “See You Tomorrow”, a one-woman show from Israeli/American actress/writer Iris Bahr followed by a post performance talk-back on February 10, 2025 at 7 pm. The event will take place in Swan Hall Auditorium. Iris Bahr is an award-winning writer, actor, director, producer, writer, and podcast host. She is best known for her roles on “Curb your Enthusiasm,” “Hacks,” and “The Conners.” Her critically acclaimed solo show, “DAI (enough)”, which she also performed at the United Nations for over 100 ambassadors and delegates, had a hit run Off-Broadway, has toured around the world, and won the prestigious Lucille Lortel Award for Best Solo Performance, as well as two Drama Desk and UK Stage Award nominations.
By having Bahr perform this show at URI, our goal is to give students and community members an accessible outlet to engage in conversations about
- mother/daughter relationships
- women’s roles as care-givers
- navigating medical systems
- finding ways to set boundaries
- caring for one’s own mental health
OLLI participants are invited to attend.
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
UPDATE FROM UCLA OLLI ON WILDFIRE DISASTER- Message from Stephen Mucher, Director, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UCLA
At a special Town Hall meeting last week, members of OLLI@UCLA acknowledged ongoing efforts to raise and distribute funds for individuals affected by the Los Angeles fires. We continue to link inquirers to UCLA’s How You Can Help webpage.
Members also wanted to do more to personally convey their care through words of support for peers who lost their homes or have experienced a dramatic displacement. We agreed to create an OLLI Encouragement Brigade, that will meet daily in our lounge throughout January, to write and distribute handwritten notes with our most impacted members. We recognize this is a small gesture, but feel it leverages the very best qualities of our institute.
We also wanted to extend this initiative to the many OLLIs and individual members who have reached out to us. Our team has organized so you can share your own words of encouragement (in note form) to let your OLLI peers in Los Angeles know you are thinking about them. Our team will pass these along to our displaced members.
Att: Encouragement Brigade
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UCLA
UCLA Extension
1145 Gayley Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90024
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: Southern RI Volunteers – Active volunteer members aged 55+ – Most of the medical insurance companies in RI are no longer providing rides for those that they insure. The amount of calls they are receiving daily from the senior population has increased exponentially since January 1,2025. If you have time, passion and energy join and help create a positive impact in our community. Local seniors are in need of:
- Transportation to medical appointments, grocery stores, food pantries, farmers markets, pharmacies and personal care appointments
- Delivery of food from local grocery stores, pantries and Meals on Wheels for seniors who are homebound
- Visitation and/or companionship for homebound elders (Respite for senior caregivers)
- Senior peer-to-peer telecare phone visitation.
If you can help or someone you love would benefit from these services, call the office at (401) 552-7661 or go to the website www.southernrivol.org