Week of September 14

Week of September 14, 2026

WELCOME BACKFALL CLASSES BEGIN TODAY!

You can browse the catalog online by Clicking Here. Give us a call in the office at 401.874.4197 or Click Here to register online.

FALL ADD ON CLASSES: Click the Title to register or call the office 401.874.4197

Watercolor for the Birds – Birds are for Watercolor – 4 sessions with Pike Powers beginning Wed, Oct 14, 9:30-11:30AM

Five Weeks with the RI Mob: A Juror’s Tale –1 session with Jean Gagnier Mon, Oct 26, 3-4:30PM

My Camera Has Wings – 1 session with Jan Armor Mon, Nov 9, 10-11:30AM

Granite and Grist – 1 session with Anne Holst Tue, Nov 17, 9:30-11AM

A Complicated History: The Land Beneath URI – 1 session with Debbie Suggs Thur, Oct 1, 4-5:30PM

Getting to Know Gilbert Stuart and His Birthplace – 1 session with Bill DeCaporale, Thur, Dec 17 10-11:30AM

Dolly Parton: Her Life and Legacy – 2 sessions with Brett Morse beginning Fri, Oct 16, 1-2:30PM

Edesia: Rhode Island’s Big Impact on Global Child Malnutrition – 1 session with Sandra Enos. Choose 1 date: Tue,Oct 6 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM or Wed, Oct 14, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM.

2026 ANNUAL MEETING – Register today for the OLLI Annual Meeting on Tuesday, October 20, at the Coast Guard House. The fee is $35 per member and space is limited. The event will be from 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM and will include hors d’oeuvres, plated luncheon, dessert and cash bar. Special guest speaker to be announced. Once you’ve registered, please check your class confirmation for a link for lunch selection. This event is limited to OLLI Members. Click here to register.

FALL CLASSES IN DANGER OF CANCELLATION: Click the title to register or call the office 401.874.4197

Patanjali’s Yamas & Niyamas 6 sessions with Linda Morse, Sept 18-Oct 23 1-3PM

The Rhode Island Courts 1 session with Retired Justice Gilbert Indeglia Fri, Oct 2, 9:30-11:15 AM Licht Judicial Complex, Providence

From Sesame Street to Youtube: How Children’s TV Shapes Young Minds 1 session with Sara Sweetman Mon, Nov 2, 9:30-11:30 AM

What’s the Real Skinny with Fad Diets? 1 session with Renae Martin Fri, Nov 6, 10-11:30 AM

FALL CANCELED CLASSES- the following classes have been canceled due to low enrollment: Letter-Writing in Literature and Life: A Writing Course with Gale Eaton (scheduled 9/15)

Fun with Poetry: A Look at Three Great Nonsense Poets with Kathy Pesta (scheduled 9/16)

We apologize for any inconvenience!

OLLI NEW MEMBER WELCOME- Are you new to OLLI@URI? or returning after being gone awhile? Join us for an engaging overview of our programs and special interest groups, plus a guided tour of the OLLI website and registration system. There will be plenty of time for questions, conversation and connection – with coffee & door prizes too! Bring a friend! Non-members welcome! If you are not a member and need a temporary parking pass, please call the OLLI office at 401.874.4197. Today, Mon, Sept 14, from 11:30AM-1PM Click Here to Register (Registration not required)

TRAVEL WITH OLLI- Join us at OLLI Mon, Sept 21, 3PM for a preview of scheduled trips – Scotland, Norway & Colorado Rockies. Our Collette sales rep will be here to showcase these trips with a virtual preview and answer any questions. CLICK HERE to visit our website for more information.

CAUTION – Due to URI construction there is a new temporary sidewalk from Flagg Road that leads to the OLLI building #210. From Flagg Road – Take a right at the OLLI sign, follow the temporary sidewalk to the old sidewalk which leads to the front door of the OLLI building.

PARKING PERMITS- 2025/2026 Parking permits expired July 31. Parking is FREE in the Plains Road Lot #25 with your OLLI membership but you must have a current 2026/2027 permit. Please call the office to renew if you haven’t already done so. If you get a $50 ticket you will be responsible for appealing it with URI AIMS Parking.

THIS WEEK AT OLLI

Monday

9:30AM Slavery, Emancipation & Race in New England
11:30AM Iran, USA and other Conflicts
11:30AM OLLI New Member Welcome
12:00PM The Breakers – Third Floor Preservation in Progress
1:30PM Sea Lions, Turtles & Boobies – Galápagos Islands

Tuesday

9:00AM Biking
9:30AM Paris in the Dark
10:00AM Pen, Ink & Wash: Drawing Home Scapes
11:00AM Tour of Historic Fort Adams
12:15PM Block Island Breakaway
1:00PM Game On!
1:30PM What Seniors Should Know About Heart Disease
5:00PM Writing, Illustrating and Self-Publishing A Children’s Picture Book
5:00PM The Birth of English Detective Story: The Moonstone

Wednesday

11:30AM Sepsis: What to Know About Prevention, Treatment and Survival
12:30PM Bowling
1:00PM Hiking
2:00PM Cribbage
3:00PM Contemporary American Short Story, Part 1 (ZOOM)
3:30PM Anton Chekhov: The Cherry Orchard & Stories
5:00PM Birth, Life & Death of Voting Rights Act of 1965

Thursday

10:00AM Rhody Ramblers – URI Bike Path
10:00AM Beginner Mah Jongg
10:00AM 107 Days at Sea (ZOOM)
11:00AM Tour of Historical Fort Adams
11:00AM Current Events
11:30AM Travel Presentation – Antarctica
1:00PM Mah Jongg
2:00PM Intergenerational Perspectives of Healthy Aging
3:00PM Great Decisions

Friday

9:00AM Qi-Gong for Vitality – Intro
10:00AM Great Decisions
10:00AM The Mystifying and Magnificent Teenager (and Early 20s)
10:15AM QiGong Continuing Practice – Foundations
11:15AM QiGong Continuing Practice – Deepening
1:00PM Patanjali’s Yamas & Niyamas
1:00PM The British Invasion
1:00PM Book Club

COFFEE DONATIONS – Let’s keep our coffee station up and running this fall! Donations of ground coffee are always appreciated. Drop off in the office.

RHODY OUTPOST – URI Fall Semester will be back in session soon! URI’s principal basic needs pantry, Rhody Outpost, is for students experiencing food insecurity. The Outpost provides fresh and non-perishable food and personal care items at no charge to students. 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. Reminder: Please no expired food!

URI FOOTBALL – CLICK HERE for OLLI discounted URI football* tickets as well as other Ryan Center events (John Mulaney: Mr. Whatever – Oct 24 & Derek Hough: Dance for the Holidays Dec 9) * 2026 URI Football Games will be played at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, RI

RHODY WORKATHONS ARE BACK! What exactly are workathons? URI rowers can stop by to help provide general yard work, moving furniture, cleaning, painting, weeding, etc. a maximum of four to five hours at a time. You tell them the task, the number of rowers you need, and they schedule a time to help you out. Most rowers live in URI in dorms or the Narragansett area, so they can do anything within a reasonable distance. The hourly rate for each rower is $25 for returning customers and $30 for new customers, with the entire sum going to the team to help fund race costs, equipment, buses, etc. to help keep the team prospering. They will be starting all workathons on Sept 19 with weekend scheduling only. Dates not available for workathons due to regattas are 10/3, 10/10, 10/24 and based on rower availability. For any questions or scheduling your next workathon, you can email Keara and Brady at rhodyworkathon@gmail.com. They hope to hear from you soon! (Throughout the course of the year, they will be holding multiple fundraising events, such as alumni day, an erg-a-thon, and shoveling. Any additional donations are greatly appreciated and will help keep this team a “stroke” ahead of competition)

URI FINE ARTS CENTER RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY – Please join President Marc Parlange, Provost Barbara Wolfe, and College of Arts and Sciences Dean Pamela Swett in celebrating the opening of the newest academic building, the Fine Arts Center, with the University community and friends. This three-story, 71,000-square-foot facility will provide a modern and welcoming space for the art and art history, music, and theatre departments. Today, Mon, Sept 14, 2026 11:00AM Fine Arts Center, Main Lobby 105 Upper College Rd, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881 Click Here to Register

2026-27 SPEAKER SERIES, THE CENTER FOR HUMANITIES PRESENTS “AMERICAN REVOLUTIONS.” As the United States turns 250 years old, Americans and the world have reflected on the meanings of the American Revolution, then and now. They will feature seven events. In the fall, they will have four events on the Revolutionary War itself. In the spring, they will present three talks on the Revolution’s legacy, in Latin America, the Caribbean, and on the Civil War. The first talk is Thursday, September 24, at 4:00 PM in Galanti Lounge in the Library. Robert Parkinson of SUNY-Binghamton will talk about “Everything You Wanted to Know about the Declaration but Were Afraid to Ask.” Click here for more information and to register.

URI FALL 2026 HONORS COLLOQUIUM Lecture Series – Interstellar Exploration: Journey Beyond Your Limits From black holes and distant exoplanets to gravitational waves rippling through the universe, and aspiring to travel to Mars and back to the moon, the cosmos teems with mysteries that both inspire awe and demand answers. Lecture 1: Tues, Sept 15, 5:30PM Edwards Hall Realistic Interstellar Travel – The challenges of distance, time, and known physics with Les Johnson Click Here To Register All lectures will be livestreamed and registration is required to receive stream links.

LOVE TO SING? JOIN THE UNIVERSITY CHORUS THIS FALL! University Chorus is welcoming alumni and community members to learn and perform a variety of music with fun and engaging rehearsals. Chorus meets Wednesdays, 7–9:15PM in the Fine Arts Center starting Sept 9. No audition necessary. Email Elizabeth Woodhouse at ewoodhouse@uri.edu to join.

WEST BAY CHORALE AUDITIONS AND OPEN REHEARSALS – Mon, Sept 14 & 21 6:00PM at St. Kevin’s Church in Warwick. All voices, all ages welcome. See flyer for more information.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY – Looking to give back to your local public lands? The Rhode Island NWR Complex is recruiting volunteers to support visitor services programs. Click for all the details.

THE RHODE ISLAND GERIATRIC EDUCATION CENTER is seeking volunteers to participate in the Introduction to Interdisciplinary Geriatrics and Teamwork program during the Fall 2026 semester. In this program, students from nursing, pharmacy, communicative disorders, nutrition, public health, and human development work in interdisciplinary teams to develop a care plan for a “patient” following their initial assessments. Click here for all the details. Contact Allie Morelli for more information: alliemorelii@uri.edu or call 401-874-5311.

URI DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH (in partnership with Hunter College and Cornell University) Seeking adults, ages 60 and older, to participate in a Family Study to understand how and why they support family members, especially adult children. Participants must meet the eligibility criteria below:

Age 60 and older
Living in the Northeast region of the US
Have an adult child in their 30s and 40s.

Interviews can be conducted via zoom or phone for 1.5-2 hrs. Each participant will receive a $50 gift card as a thank you for their time. See Flyer for details, Click Here to register.

NARRAGANSETT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PRESENTS: Rhode Island Calamari Festival Sat, Sept 19, Veterans Park (across from the Narragansett Beach and adjacent to the Towers). Fun for the whole family from 11AM-4PM! (Rain or Shine) Click Here for more information and tickets.

PLEASE JOIN THE FOREIGN POLICY ASSOCIATION for the annual Reed Phillips III Distinguished Lecture on Foreign Policy and the Media: The Critical Role of the News Media in Our Democracy.

What role does the news media actually play in sustaining a democracy? On September 17, two of the people who make those decisions daily will take up the question. Jeffrey M. Johnson, president of Hearst Newspapers, Brooke Masters, US managing editor, The Financial Times. Moderated by Reed Phillips III, managing partner, Oaklins DeSilva + Phillips. Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. Check-in 5:30 p.m. Lecture 6 p.m. — 8 p.m. ET Click here to register.

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