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But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe.

- Langston Hughes

The Unfiltered Lens


www.TheUnfilteredLens.com

Serving The CCRI Student Body Since 2007

Info@theunfilteredlens.com

The eyes have it

Election imminent

be serving.

Thanks to the outgoing nature of one of the

With the dawn of ambitious students running
a new school year coming, on the Knight campus, DaCCRI is set to hold elections vid Alden Sears, The Lens
for the next Student Gov- was able to conduct an inernment President. Previous terview concerning what he
president James Gracik has plans to do should he win
completed the second of his the position.
graduated
two terms and is passing the David
torch on to the next hopeful. from Cranston High School

The voting for a new West and presided over the
president is set to take place Knight campus Italian Club
on April 7, and applications during his first semester at
announcing a students in- CCRI. In an enthusiastic
tention to run for the posi- show, he also served as a
tion were due on March 27. Senator in student govern
This is an excit- ment, where he was noming time for students here inated to chairman of the
at CCRI, as the victor finance committee.
During his sit-down
will help to determine the
course of student life here at with The Lens, David disour college for the next year cussed his hopes and expectations for the students of
to come.

While elections are the Knight campus should
being held at the Knight, he obtain the position.
Liston and Flanagan cam- When asked what he wants
puses, The Unfiltered Lens to accomplish, his goals
has only had the chance to were well thought out and
learn of one candidate, who concise.
We need a couple
is running for president at
the Knight campus. With of things changed at CCRI
so little time between the he starts. First, we need
application due date and the greater communication beelections, it is uncertain as tween the leaders of this
to how any of the prospec- school, meaning President
tive presidents are expected DiPasquale. We [Student
to make their names known Government] need to meet
to the students that they will with him on a monthly basis
Continued in Candidate page 2

March 26,, 2015


Volume 12
Issue 5

Edward Kdonian
Editor in Chief

n
P2
P5
P7
P10
P15
P16

This
Issue

Students talk surveillance


Crash in the Alps
Dating deal breakers
Book review
Crossword
New offices on the way

Jason Klas/Lens
Chris Cameron
Copy Editor

As students and faculty return to CCRI from
the recent spring break, they
maynotice peculiar stickers
on the entry doors. These
decals read Premises under
surveillance, and have resulted in discussion among
students and faculty about
the long contested topic of
video surveillance on the
Knight Campus.

The decals are posted on each entrance door of
the building. The application of the decals might lead
students to believe that they
are to be watched in every
hallway, fortunately this is
not the case.

There are only four
cameras that were installed
over a few days, presumably
over the spring recess. These
cameras are installed in the
corners of the student commons on the second floor, in
order to keep watch over the
traveling exhibit, Lincoln:
The Constitution and the
Civil War.

The video cameras were installed by Shanix

Technology, the same company that installed the full


surveillance systems on the
Lincoln and Providence
campuses.

These new cameras were installed under the
pretense that the exhibit
needed constant security
protection. However, the
criteria for exhibit security funded by the American
Library Association, the
association that provided
the exhibit, states that their
security and supervision requirement will be met if: ...
they can provide security for
the exhibition, i.e., monitor
the exhibition at least every
half-hour during peak times
and every hour at less busy
times when the institution is
open.

This is certainly
less than the constant supervision that was initially
believed to be required by
College Police and the administration at the college.
It seems as if the cameras
are entirely unnecessary;
even with two of the cameras, there is a more than adequate view of the exhibit.

Another apparent

Vote or
pay the
price

Drug
overdose
epidemic

Page 4

Page 6

cause for the camera system is the lack of sufficient


staffing by Campus Police
to keep tabs on the exhibit,
which is an incredibly concerning issue in itself.

The installation of
the four cameras begs the
question: What will happen
to the cameras after the exhibit leaves the campus on
May 1? When The Lens
went to the Campus Security office to ask for details, we
werent given any definitive
answer as to what would
happen after the fact. According to Vice President of
Business Affairs David Patten, the cameras will be taken down at the conclusion
of the exhibits display.

The ease with which
the cameras were installed
raises further concerns
about the potential for the
expansion of further student and faculty surveillance
via camera on the Knight
Campus, as well as the issue
of where the money to install and potentially remove
the cameras was sourced.
The Lens has not obtained
a figure for the cost of the
cameras at this time.

Cinderella
review
Page 10
@ccriunfiltered
/unfilteredlens

The Unfiltered Lens

How do you feel about the cameras


that have been placed in the great
hall?
Students, faculty and staff give their personal opinions
down one day, and one of
our foreign students came
to me and said, someone
stole our bathing suits off
the porch! and I said what?
and he said, yeah we were
out swimming at the lake at
like 2 and they put their
bathing suits on the railing of the deck and I took
the video and at about 3 o
clock in the morning here
comes this guy in an electric
Tony Rashid, Faculty
Jose Rosales, Student
wheelchair comin down

Its kind of invading
I dont think we the other side of the road, a
our own privacy, I guess. I need them. I think a lot few minutes later he comes
dont know, I kind of feel of the CCRI community back, and theres a miracle!
like Im being watched all dont want to see it. I dont Hes out of that wheelchair,
the time. They should use see the benefit. They say up on the porch stealing the
that money for something its for security reasons; Im bathing suits.
else. - Jose Rosales, Student not sure if that is the case.
Theyre trying to take some
input from staff, but Im not What do you think?
sure if a decision has been
Email us at
reached, yet. They may
tell.ufl@gmail.com
have agreed at the Lincoln
location, but this matter
has not been settled at the
Warwick campus yet, so we
would have to wait and see.

Gordon Priest,
New England Tech
Teacher /
Soccer Referee

I dont particularly
like infringing on peoples
right to be private. I feel that
people shouldnt have to be
spied on.

John Mowry, Faculty


Im all for it. Ive
used them for years at
WeirsBeach, and Ill give
you an instance: we had two
kids, about one 14, the other 16 or so, so the younger
ones on this kids merrygo-round. the older brother (they never put money
in) is grabbing it, turning it
around by hand.

The owner comes
by, and says, Get off ! The
younger one says, Oh, he
touched me! and the older
one said, oh yeah! The
owner had to go to court
Nick Walters, Student
and plead nolo, and you bet
Jesus Christ! I feel ter believe we have cameras
off about that, but I dont there now. Ive caught a lot
really have an opinion for it. of things, Ive caught people stealing, you know, one
of the funny stories, I came

Campus News

Candidate
Continued from cover
to discuss issues that are going on in the school.

While this is a worthy goal, it is far from Davids only concern. Back
in the day, just three or four
years ago, every seat in the
commons was full clubs
were at their highest, and
everybody was getting involved.
David
expressed
concern over the lack of
community at our community college. One thing
I would like to get back is
the involvement of the students. We have all noticed
the commuter mentality
that has overtaken CCRI.
Students often come for
class
then
immediately leave, unlike years past
where spending time on
campus was more fun than
it was a chore.

The responsibility
of student government is to
create a more comfortable
environment and to have
something for everybody to
do, we would have different

events and organizations to


get everybody involved.
David concludes that, We
need to maximize the interest of the student body.

Davids views on the
controversial workforce development and performance
based funding initiatives are
also clear. Some students
fall on financial hardship,
or have families to feed and
can only attend CCRI part
time I commend them,
because life is hard. Sears
believes that simply making
the effort to attend college
despite lifes obstacles is success in an of itself.

Overall David seems
a well spoken and strongly
opinionated candidate who
could very well perform a
great service for our school.
We would like to invite any
other candidates to interview with us and have their
platforms posted to our
website, theunfilteredlens.
com.

Campus News

Cooking up controversy
Marcus DeFaria
Staff Writer

Recently, a menu
created with the intention
to celebrate Black History
Month was recalled because
of its possibly racist undertones, here at CCRI.

This
particular
menu consisted of crispy
chicken tenderloins, collard greens, macaroni and
cheese, and cornbread. This
menu was derived from
common Southern comfort
food which is often attributed to offensive negative stereotypes of African Americans.

While many doubt
that this menu was conceived with any malicious
intent, there are many students and faculty members
that were offended and
surprised by the originally
planned meal.

The menu was
changed because of how
the people would interpret

The Unfiltered Lens

the meal and the potential


backlash running the menu
would have caused. While
the menu did not have intentional implications of
racism, the anticipated response was the deciding factor.

While they still
served the crispy chicken
and macaroni; the employees at the cafeteria substituted the collard greens with
green peas and the cornbread was replaced with
dinner rolls.

During an interview,
Sal from Lessings provided insight on the decision
process behind these controversial menu options. He
immediately stated that the
lunch to be served that day
was no intentionally offensive. I believed I was not
only abiding by their (Lessings) decisions, but also celebrating Black History. Sal
explained. He added that he
did not expect the reaction
that this caused.


Similar menus were
provided by other institutions of education, including Wright State University,
as well as a San Francisco
catholic high school. Instances such as these raise
a frequently debated question: What food should be
served to celebrate Black
History Month? The holiday is intended to recognize
the struggles, achievements,
and development of African
Americans alongside major
points throughout history.
Should a certain combination of food not be allowed
because of the emotional effects it has on individuals or
groups?

The answer to these
questions are purely subjective and as such; there
are no definitive answers or
lessons to be learned. In the
case of the menu at CCRI,
it was an instance of a good
intention being perceived as
an act of racism. I believe
that Black History should

continue to be celebrated
through food; although additional research and diverse
options should be included
in any future attempt.

Because of this
year, I havent made up my
mind on whether I will try
this again. Sal answered,
when asked about the possibility of attempting to celebrate Black History month
with a particular menu at
CCRI.

There are still many
people who are understandably sensitive to the
exploitation and abuse African Americans have experienced in this country for
centuries. As this incident
demonstrates, great care
must be taken when celebrating any cultures history. For the same reason, I
doubt I will run this menu
next year. Sal added.

EDITORIAL
STAFF
Edward Kdonian
Editor-in-Chief
Courtney Germain
Managing Editor
Chris Cameron
Copy Editor
Alex Wallace
National and World
Jessamy LeBeau
Health and Science
Lauren DelBrocco
Op-ed
Robert Gagnon
Arts and Entertainment

Staff Writers
Danny Cordova
Marcus DeFaria
Dylan Harris
Jason Klas
Rob Oatley
Caitlin Rush
Ari Samayoa
David Schmidt

Staff Artist
Lanyka Lincoln

Contributing Writers

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.

James Casazza
Elizabeth Dempsey
Joseph Esposito
Susan Gardiner
Russel Hanley
Ashley Rebelo

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 Unfiltered Lens

National News

Compulsary voting proposal

Danny Cordova
Staff Writer

Young people and
voting are two things that
dont go together well. But
recently, the President of
the United States made
a suggestion that could
not only make it easier for
young people to vote, but
change the political map as
well.

On March 18, President Obama gave a speech
to the City Club of Cleveland in which he suggested
the idea of instituting compulsory voting. He publicly
stated this for the first time,
after being asked how to
counteract the influence of
money in politics.

It would be transformative if everybody
voted -- that would counteract money more than
anything, Obama stated
during his speech.

According to CNN,
less than 37% of eligible
voters participated the midterm elections last year.

"The people who
tend not to vote are young,

they're
lower
income,
they're skewed more heavily
towards immigrant groups
and minority groups,"
Obama added. "There's a
reason why some folks try
to keep them away from the
polls."

Mandatory voting
is not something new. Ac-

cording to the Institution


for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, at least 26
countries have compulsory
voting. Countries that practice compulsory voting include Australia and Belgium
where ones failure to vote is
punishable by paying a fine,
or participating in commu-

more democratically sound


the country is, placing responsibility on every citizen
to elect a representative.

However, opponents
against mandatory voting
argue that by enforcing voting through a fine would
only infringe the freedom
of citizens who choose not
to get involved in the election process. Another consequence of mandatory
voting is the possible high
number of random votes.

This occurs when a
voter who only votes against
their will checks off a candidate arbitrarily. These votes
are not based on whether
the candidate is truly fit for
the position, but on making
the government is satisfied
enough to not penalize citLanyka Lincoln/Lens
izens.

While
mandatonity service.
ry voting having an effect

Proponents for comagainst the heavy influence
pulsory voting argue that
of money in politics is up for
decisions made by demodebate, the one thing that
cratically elected governis certain is that it would
ments gain greater legitichange the countrys elecmacy if a higher amount of
tion cycles.
the population participates
in the voting process. The
more people that vote, the

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World News

The Unfiltered Lens

Fatal Failure

Corrupted
Congress

150 die in tragic plane crash

Ashley Rebelo
Staff Writer

On March 24th, an
Airbus 320 flighing from
Barcelona to Duesseldorf
crashed in the French Alps,
with no survivors. This accident caused the death
of 150 people, including 6
crew members and 3 Americans (one of them has yet to
be identified).

This seemed to have
happened for no apparent
reason. French prosecutor
Brice Robin said at a press
conference held March 26th
that No distress signal, no
help me SOS had been
sent by the aircraft.

The black box recording the voices inside
the cockpit made a shocking revelation. The co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, was left
alone in the cockpit by the
pilot. According to Robin,
his intention was to destroy
the aircraft.

Mr Lubitz locked the
cockpit door and pressed the

No distress
signal, no
help me
SOS had
been sent by
the aircraft.
button that started the plane
to descent. There was absolute silence in the cockpit
as the pilot tried to forcibly
open the cockpit door. Was
it a terrorist action? Or was
it a suicide?

The reasons for this
are still unclear, as Mr Lubitz was not on a terror watch
list. Authorities are in the
process of looking into his
past and German, French
and Spanish authorities are
still investigating the crash.
In fact, the other black box
containing the flight data

has not yet been found.



This incident also
raises another issue for European airlines. On US
airlines, it is required that
when a pilot leaves the cockpit, another qualified crew
member must remain with
the co-pilot until the pilot
returns.

This requirement is
not mandatory for most European companies. Indeed,
according to the European
Aviation Safety Agency, one
pilot can leave the cockpit
provided at least one suitably qualified pilot remains
at the controls of the aircraft at all times.

However, EasyJet,
Norwegian Air Shuttle, Air
Transat and Air Canada announced they would implementing the rule of two
March 27th.

David Scmidt
Staff Writer

In the last few weeks,
47 Republican senators sent
a letter to Iran stating that
Congress would not honor
the nuclear program pact
that Obama is hoping to
form with Iran.

Freshman Sen. Tom
Cotton from Arkansas wrote
the document and had 46
of his fellow senators sign
the letter.

President Obama is
ignoring the letter and going forward with the negotiations, in the hopes of striking a deal that would limit
the ability of Iran obtaining
their own atomic weapons.

Furthermore, President Obama stated, according to NPR; I think it's
somewhat ironic to see some
members of Congress wanting to make common cause
with the hardliners in Iran,"
he said. "It's an unusual coalition.

In the letter, the

freshman senator opened


with a rudimentary explanation of how the United
States government operates.

Yet, the way the letter was written the senator
was ensuring that the Iranian leader and his administration would understand
that the agreement might
be terminated in the near
future.

The way the letter
presents this valuable information may create some resentment in the Iranian government because it sounds
like a parent explaining
something to a child.

Democrats in the
Senate are very angry that
the document casts aside
the long-standing policy of
letting the President handle foreign policy. Equally,
the Iranian foreign minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif
said in a press release that
the letter "has no legal value
and is mostly a propaganda
ploy."

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Health

The Unfiltered Lens

Overdoses in the
Ocean State

The dangers of
Webmd

Marcus DeFaria
Staff Writer

There are some instances where we all feel
sick or begin experiencing
symptoms of some illness or
another. While most people
decide that going to see a
medical professional would
be the best course of action,
others feel content in diagnosing themselves using online resources.

The reason for this
behavior varies from one
individual to another. Some
believe that the illness does
not warrant professional aid
or perhaps the symptoms
are embarrassing or imply
something that one does not
want to have revealed.

Hypochondria is an
illness generally marked by
an abnormal concern with
ones health, with frequent
concerns that one has a serious medical issue.

With the unhealthy
diets and activities that have
become common in modern times, it is expected that
some will be overly anxious
about being unwell. We may
all probably recall a time in
which we believed that we
were dangerously unhealthy
or at risk of having a horrible disease in the near future.

The internet is a
great resource and provides
us with access a multitude
of facts and skills. Coupled
with these facts are also misinformation, blatant lies,
misleading
descriptions,
and subjective material.

These obstacles pre-

vent most people from properly diagnosing themselves.


It is also advised that internet users ensure that they
are using proper sites for research (.edu and .org), such
as the Mayo Clinic website.

If we are going to
attempt to learn more about
our health and the countless
illnesses out there, it would
definitely help to refer to
the experts. This point is
particularly important, considering that reports show
around 80 percent of internet users search for medical
topics online.

Advancements
in
technology have allowed
us to have valuable information provided to us anywhere from our mobile devices and computers. Even
with the internet to inform
people on medical topics, it
should be preferable to see
a doctor with symptoms one
may have.

Not only will this
usually provide an individual with a definitive diagnosis
but medical professionals
also have the means to treat
symptoms and illnesses that
may appear.

If youre feeling
sick or are even simply concerned about your health,
its best to go see a doctor. Having routine checkups and being concerned
about your own well being is healthy; being overly
stressed about a potentially
nonexistent illness is not.

by popular painkillers Oxycodone and Vicodin as well.


Kent County (Warwick,

Many of us have dif- West Warwick, Coventry
ferent opinions on wheth- and West Greenwich) have
er to legalize certain drugs seen a majority of overdose
across this country, but pub- emergency room visits that
lic health and safety officials do not all result in death.
In a press release,
in Rhode Island are espe-
cially worried about drugs Kent Hospital reports they
like Heroin laced with lab saw 66 overdose cases that
were admitted into their
created additives.

Heroin which has hospital on ventilators in
been cut with Fentanyl is a 2014. But compared to
particularly strong presence
in the local heroin supply.
Narcotics bought off the
In a press
streets lead to too many hosrelease, Kent
pital stays and deaths due to
drug overdoses.
Hospital

This state is having
reported they
the most amount of drug
overdoses in the United
saw 66
States. Over 230 people
overdose
died last year and 51 people have died this year so far
cases that were
due to drug overdoses acadmitted into
cording to the Rhode Island
Department of Health.
their hospital

The epidemic is
on ventilators
not only common in young
adult males; people ranging
in 2014.
from ages forty through sixty have accounted for many
of the overdose deaths in last year, the hospital had
Rhode Island as well.
seen 75 patients admitted

After hearing these through six months. Every
statistics from multiple weekend the hospital admits
sources, we wanted to know three to four patients with
where in our small state is severe drug overdoses.
this happening.

Kent Hospital Chief

The Rhode Island Executive Officer Sandra
Department of Health tell Coletta released this stateus they only and specifically ment saying; This is a very
have the death statistics on serious issue that has cerdrug overdoses.
tainly caught our attention

Overdoses in Rhode of late as we see the tragIsland have also been caused ic results coming into our

Joseph Esposito
Contributing Writer

emergency department and


our intensive care unit.

Warwicks Mayor,
Scott Avedisian, said they
are trying to reduce these
rates with their Youth Services Division, Police and
School Departments by
teaching their students
about the extreme dangers
of these drugs.
A recent Rhode Island
Hospital study shows that
law enforcement officers are
frustrated by their limitations to medical role in response

The hospital added that based on the study
a change in the way police respond to drug-related
overdose emergencies could
contribute to improved outcomes of the victims and
to the communities where
overdoses occur by utilizing the counteractive drug
called Naloxone.

Naloxone, which is
commonly known as Narcan can still make a person
re-overdose after it has been
administered, depending on
the how much of the drug
the individual used or in
other words, the severity of
the overdose.

The drug lasts for
about 30-90 minutes. Another possible effect of Narcan is that the person may
want to use more after they
have been given it to avoid
feeling sick.

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Sexual Health

The Unfiltered Lens

First date red flags


Ed: So guys, what do you
think is the biggest red flag
on a first date?
Court: Criminal record!
Rob: Wait, how do you
know that?
Court: I Google them. I
stalk everyone online.
Ed: Wow, Court thats a red
flag all its own, but I guess
there is a certain logic to
learning about your date.
Rob: Well, my red flag is
when a girl has a broken cell
phone.
Ed: Why a broken cell
phone?
Rob: It usually means that
she threw it in anger and
has issues.
Ed: I drop my phone all
the time and have never
thrown it once. Besides, a
way bigger red flag is when
someone is a one upper. I
mean, nothing bothers me
more than when a guy just
has to have a better story to
top yours.
Court: Though I do feel
sometimes that it perpetuates conversation. Like if
someone has a similar experience, it just happens to be
better than yours.

Ed: Yeah, but when I tell a


story about how I went to
New York and he tells me
about the time he spent a
year living in Amsterdam,
as if it were a lead-in. I
mean yeah, its a great story
Im sure, but come on.
Court: But what if their
story is literally just better
than yours?
Ed: Yes, maybe the story
is just better but when EVERY story is better, its going overboard.
Rob: Speaking of going
overboard, what about when
girls mention that they dont
like to be involved in drama
yet they are usually the ones
who initiate it.
Ed: Like personal problems?
Court: What do you mean,
drama..like with friends,
or..?
Ed: Well, I feel like no one
should bring up problems
on a first date. I feel like they
are looking for a savior, to
get them out of everything.
Courtney, whats another
red flag for you?
Court: When a guy wants
to sleep with you right away!

Ed: I can't say that I find


that a super red flag..but I'm
a guy, so...
Court: It is! It totally is!
Ed: I don't want a guy that
just wants to sleep with me..
but I don't mind sleeping
with someone on the first
date if there will be subsequent dates...
Court: Okay, but if I'm interested in a guy for more
than his sexual appeal..Id
like someone who actually
takes the time to get to know
me, as opposed to just wanting to have sex.
Rob: A guy won't respect a
girl that gives it up the first
night
Court: Thats not every
guy though, they must go
in not respecting you in the
first place.
Ed: I think theres a difference between going into a
first date willing to have sex,
and expecting to have sex.
When they expect it, its like
the date is a way to kill a few
hours before having sex. But
I dont think its a red flag if
you sleep with them in the
first date because you really
like them.

Sexual Health
which means you are only
sexually active with one person and that person agrees
to only be active with you.
Make sure you are both
STD-free first!

Using a condom every time you engage in sexual activity also aids in STD
prevention. Getting tested
regularly is very important
in stopping the transmission, or spread, of STDs.
You and your partner
should ask your healthcare
provider(s) to test you for
these preventable diseases.
Share your results with your
partner!
For more information contact the Center for Disease
Control Prevention at cdc.
gov. Further resources can
also be obtained at Student
Health Services at CCRI.

Rob: Yeah, but when you


get drunk on the first date,
you really dont know what
they're like when they're
sober. What about a girl
that brings up her ex all the
time?
Ed: It just shows that theyre
not emotionally ready to be
moving on. Same thing with
eye contact. Someone that
constantly avoids eye contact probably isn't that into
you.
Court: Or looking at your
breasts.
Ed: Thats a separate red
flag! What if you're in the
middle of a date and notice
a red flag?
Court: Get up and go!
Rob: I would probably give
them a second chance. If it
happens again, then..
Ed: So its the kind of
thing where you would
keep it in mind. I guess it
depends on the red flag,
because what could be a
red flag to someone could
be different for someone
else. Could be a yellow flag
to some
Court: And a green flag to
others!

Get tested

Steps to prevent STDs


Elizabeth Dempsey
Contributing Writer


Sexually transmitted
diseases (STDs) are a major
concern for young people.
Americans aged 15-24 make
up 27% of the sexually active population but account
for 50% of the 20 million
new STDs diagnosed each
year.

However, there are
steps you can take to prevent these diseases. The
best prevention method is
abstinence, or not having
any type of sexual contact.
Young people can also get
vaccinated against diseases like Human Papilloma
Virus (HPV) and Hepatitis
B. HPV vaccinations are
recommended for young
women through age 26 and
young men through age 21.

You can also reduce
the risk of STDs by practicing mutual monogamy,

Ed: My second biggest red


flag is people who are rude
to servers. Nothing shows
disrespect or arrogance
more than one someone is
rude to the waiter.
Rob: I have one: when a
girl says she can be a bitch
sometimes, shes not warning you, shes just justifying
her wrongful actions ahead
of time.
Ed: When someones like
oh, yeah I can be an asshole, thats like someone
saying I'm going to be an
asshole.
Ed: How about a person
that goes overboard with
drinking on a first date?
Its fine to get wasted with
someone you're dating, but
on the first date?
Court: Absolutely, unless
you're both getting wasted.
But then again, thats just a
problem within itself.
Ed: I feel like thats just two
red flags dating!
Court:
They
should
though..put them all together and get them out of
the pool for the rest of us! I
do like to take the edge off
though.

Ari Samayoa
Staff Writer

With all the advertisements and campaigns
for HIV/AIDS awareness-the Magic Johnson Foundation, World AIDs Day, etcone would think that many
people out in the general
public are familiar with the
general information about
HIV/AIDs. However, that
is not the case.
-HIV disease causes AIDS
-Symptoms for HIV sometimes do not occur for ten
years
-AIDS is the advanced form
of the HIV disease
-HIV stands for Human
Immunodeficiency Disease,
it breaks down the immune
system. AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome, it is the most advanced stage of HIV


HIV can be transmitted through contact with

many bodily fluids from a


person with HIV. Another form of transmission is
through equipment contaminated with HIV, such
as non-sterilized or shared
needles. This then suggests
that most, if not all, people
should protect themselves
from the disease by using
protect during sex, and
making sure medical supplies used are clean.

It is important to
note, though, that this does
not mean that HIV can be
contracted by unclean toilet
seats, or sharing saliva with
a person infected by HIV. In
fact, it is perfectly safe to kiss
or share food with a person
living with HIV.

So long as both
mouths are free of open
sores which would give access to the blood stream,
kissing is a perfectly safe
form of affection. Using a
toilet seat with HIV positive
fluids on it will not transmit
the virus because there is no

direct passage to the persons blood stream, and the


virus can not be spread outside of direct contact.

However, HIV can
be easily transmitted if the
person is unaware they have
it. Everyone should get tested as often as possible, regardless of how active their
current sex life may or may
not be. Fortunately, there
are clinics here in Rhode Island that provide testing for
HIV; one such local example is the Providence Health
Center located at 111 Point
Street in Providence.

In addition to this
clinic, there is another clinic that occurred during the
month of March at CCRI
Knight Campus, provided by the Human Services
Department. There will be
another free, confidential
screening provided on April
22nd from 1-3pm in Room
3140, offered to all at any
CCRI campus.

Science

The Unfiltered Lens

Giant sloth in Madagascar

Marcus DeFaria
Staff Writer

The island of Madagascar has had a tremendously diverse history, both
in terms of species and biological change. Laurie Godfrey, a paleontologist with
the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and an
international team have discovered a unique cache of
fossils in three underwater
caves on the island, which
have been labeled as the
islands largest underwater
graveyard. These findings
are evidence of how much
Madagascar has changed
from 5,000 years ago.

The three flooded
caves are named Malaza
Manga, Mitoho, and Aven,
were found to be submerged
underneath the Tsimanampetsotsa National Park.
Within each cave is evi-

dence of the exotic wildlife


and geological conditions
of Madagascar from many
years ago. The information
found suggests not only that
the animals there had died
out fairly recently, but human involvement may have
caused their extinctions.
Humans first inhabited
the island of Madagascar
around 500 BC.

The fossils discovered included a giant lemur
that could be compared to
be the size of modern day
gorillas. Other animals from
5,000 years in Madagascars
history are pygmy hippopotamuses and elephant birds;
whose eggs can be around
one hundred and eighty
times the size of the ones
we are familiar with. It is
unknown what caused these
animals to go extinct within
a relatively short time, but
human involvement is be-

lieved to be among the primary reasons.



If you went to
Madagascar just when human populations were beginning to grow, youd have
found a very different place
than what you find today,
she explains. These findings
were initially uncovered by
an Australian Diver named
Ryan Dart; who then contacted Philip Lehman, a
diver for the Dominican Republic Speleological Society.

Alfred Rosenberger, a primate paleontologist
from Brooklyn College remarks that the animal remains are in an unusually
close proximity to one another.

Rosenberger suggests that the Mitoho cave
was a lair for carnivorous
animals; he believes this because of two Fossa (cat-like
carnivores) remains which

Stellar evidence
Jason Klas
Staff Writer

Expanding the sum
of knowledge of our universe, a team of chemists
working at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, at Cambridge University were able to produce
over fifty nucleic acids and
other fundamental building
blocks and simulate an environment that would resemble Earth over four billion
years ago.

At this time, meteorites headed for collision
with Earth were composed
of molecules that would react with nitrogen already in
the atmosphere, producing
mass amounts of hydrogen
cyanide.

By dissolving in water, it could have very easily
come into contact with hydrogen sulfide, while being
exposed to ultraviolet light
from the sun. They claim
that the chemical reaction
between the water, hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen
cyanide would have been all
that was needed to cause the
production of more than
fifty nucleic acids, two and
three-carbon sugars, amino
acids, ribonucleotides, and

glycerol.

These molecules are
the key molecules required
for life to begin. Nucleic
acids and ribonucleotides
are precursors to both DNA
and RNA. Amino acids are
the building blocks of proteins, sugars are necessary
for an energy source, and
glycerol allows for the creation of lipids that could begin to form cell membranes.
Scientists
around
the world have debated for
years which chemical process required for life was
the first to occur: metabolism, RNA synthesis, or cell
membrane development.

The Cambridge research chemists believe that
their findings show that it
is possible that these could
have all began to exist at
the same time, and that hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen
sulfide, and ultraviolet light
would be the only necessary catalysts to begin the
reactions which would lead
to synthesis of these molecules, creating life.

Their paper, Common origins of RNA, protein, and lipid precursors
in a cyanosulfidic protometabolism was published on
16 March 2015 by the Ac-

ademic Journal of Nature.


Testing and recreating of
the experiment will be necessary before we begin to
accept that their findings
provide a complete explanation of how life originally
formed on Earth.

However, if true, it
does mean that the asteroids that hit Earth billions
of years ago can be thanked
today for not only providing
the molecules needed for
life to begin, but creating an
environment in which they
can come together.

were found close to one another. We think these guys


might have been in the cave
on their own, chomping
away on something, and
something catastrophic, like
a flood, took them at the
same time.

Godfrey and her
colleagues believe that the
indigenous populations of
Madagascar were heavily
impacted by human settle-

ments. The causes of these


extinctions have been researched by this team and
these findings will undoubtedly provide additional information into this period
of time in the islands history. Findings such as these
three caves give us an indepth look at species that
are extinct, and how our
world has changed throughout time.

Jason Klas
Staff Writer


Sylvias experience,
however, is not common
among people who have
received heart transplants.
In a study published in the
journal of Quality of Life
Research, researchers interviewed forty-seven patients
who received a heart transplant over a period of two
years in Vienna, Austria.

Researchers found
that seventy-nine percent
of patients did not feel that
their personality changed
post-surgery, fifteen percent experienced a change
in personality due to the
life-threatening event, and
six percent did confirm a
drastic change in their personality due to their new
heart.

Although it is interesting that Sylvias experience has too many similarities for it to be dismissed
as extremely coincidental
changes due to flaws and
limits of human understanding, there is still too little evidence to fully confirm
that memories and personality are constructs that are
both existent outside of the
brain and transferable from
person to person through
organ donation.

Memory
Transplant


The cellular memory hypothesis is the hypothesis that the body itself is
capable of storing memories, as opposed to only the
brain, but is it really right to
assume its validity as a theory regardless of how compelling the stories are?

In the case of Claire
Sylvia, she received a heart
transplant from an eighteen
year-old male who had died
in a motorcycle accident.
After her surgery, she started to have a craving for beer
and fried chicken, began to
look at women the way she
imagined men, chose new
favorite colors, and had
recurring dreams about a
man named Tim L.

According to her
book A Change of Heart,
she searched in obituaries
and found Tim Lamirande,
who had died in a motorcycle accident the day before
her operation. Upon interviewing people who knew
him when he was alive, she
learned that Tim was indeed
a beer-loving, chicken-eating man whose favorite colors were blue and green, the
same two colors that had
become hers post-surgery.

Op-Ed
The kindness of
strangers

Ashley Rebelo
Contributing Writer


Kind acts are not
uncommon and can be done
any day, anytime, in any sort
of way. However, it is when
they are spontaneous that
they become memorable.
Earlier this month, one of
my classmates from chemistry, Emily, recalled a story
like this she wished to share.

It was a bright, clear
winter day on March 5th, at
11:30 am (I told you this was
going to be memorable).

She was heading
back to CCRI from Coventry, trying to get to our 12
pm chemistry lab on time.
As she was driving uphill on
Station Street, someone was
getting out of his driveway
in his car.

Emily had to put on
her breaks, and as a result
her car didnt have the power anymore to get up the
hill.

The truck behind
her backed up and pulled
up right next to her. Back
up some more he told her,

The Unfiltered Lens

and kept on going. He eventually parked in a side street


but got out of his truck and
stayed to make sure Emily
was going to make it up the
snowy hill.

In the meantime,
another, smaller truck had
arrived at the scene as she
backed up to the bottom
of the hill, hoping that this
time she would be able to
make it.
What
happened
next was unexpected: as she
started going uphill again,
the driver behind her got
out of his vehicle, ran behind her car and pushed it
all the way up. She had finally made it.

Unfortunately, she
had to keep on going in
order to make it to CCRI
on time, and was unable
to thank the person who
helped her get through this
hardship.

Anonymous Helper,
should you ever come across
this article from the Unfiltered Lens newspaper at
CCRI, Emily Gamage just
wants to say: Thank you.

Make your
opinion heard
We want to see
what youve got

Submit your
own work to
tell.ufl@gmail.com

Take the next step


with your education at
Johnson & Wales University.
Sarah completed two years at CCRI and then transferred to
JWU where she received her bachelors degree in Business.
Today she is the northeast regional manager at True Benefit,
an employee health care benefit manager based in Connecticut,
which currently manages premiums in excess of $500 million
for more than 150,000 employees in the U.S.
This could be you. How? Complete the free online
application at admissions.jwu.edu/apply and then mail
your college transcripts.

Johnson & Wales University


gives you a lot of different tools.
How you use them in your career
is up to you.
Sarah Beth Nowicki

For more information contact


Justin Mercier
Transfer Representative
401-598-2348
jmercier@jwu.edu


BUSINESS HOSPITALITY ARTS AND SCIENCES
CULINARY ARTS NUTRITION ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
Johnson & Wales University admits students of any race, color, and national or ethnic origin, among other categories.

10

The Unfiltered Lens

Entertainment

If the glass slipper fits

most villainess character


(Maleficent) into a sympathetic sweetheart last year.

The truth is I will
watch everything and anything Disney produces. The
short film Frozen Fever
that came on before Cinderella was well received by everyone in the movie theater
including my daughter and
I.
Cinderella
was
good overall and definitely deserves to be seen but
I suggest waiting to rent or
stream it at home and in
the meantime just watch
the beautiful animated 1950
classic.

Rob Gagnon
Arts & Entertainment

My daughter and
I love Disney movies so of
course when the new live
action adaptation of Cinderella came out this month
we rushed to the theaters to
see it.

Im sure everyone
knows the tale of Cinderella and are familiar with the
animated classic from 1950
so I really dont need to explain the story however the
live action version is almost
identical to the animated
film.

My first thought of
the movie was why make
another version of Cinderella since there have been
so many over the years. The
only answer I could come
up with is that Disney is trying to attract a newer generation to their classic story
but the truth is my daughter
and I enjoyed the animated
version much more. The live
action version just explains
the sad tragic back story of
how her parents died and
how she finds herself at the
mercy of her cruel and jealous stepmother.


The animated version had heartfelt songs
that the live action version
lacked and although the
mice are still in the new
Cinderella, I did however
miss their cute dialogue. As
far as the acting went, Lily
James captured the charm
and beauty that is needed to

portray Cinderella.

Cate Blanchett is excellent in any role she takes
on and she was very convincing playing the malicious
stepmother Lady Tremaine.
It was fun to see the special
effect magic come to life
during the scene where she
meets her Fairy Godmother

Lanyka Lincoln/Lens
and the live action version
definitely added a much
more emotional punch but
as far as the storytelling goes
everything was the same.
Im not a big fan of remakes
although re-imaginings are
good in their own way I did
however have mixed feelings of Disney turning their

Rob Gagnon/Lens

Many makes the weather


Chris Cameron
Copy Editor

Written by Naomi
Klein, this book was released last September, serendipitously close to the
time of the People's Climate March that occurred
in New York, as well as over
2,000 solidarity events held
in 162 other countries.

Her book posits that
mitigating climate change
and its effect upon the world
should be the immediate
priority of governments the
world over. Scientists have
come to the consensus that
we are swiftly approaching
the point of no return when
it comes to temperature
change wreaking unknown
damage to the worlds ecological system.

She adds that the
governments of the world
should work together in order to slow down or negate
carbon emissions, but real-

izes how continually tepid


reform doesnt accomplish
much, ultimately.

A major point of
contention amongst those
in environmental organizations is the efficacy while
working within the framework of capitalism, because
a majority of the pollution
is a result of the under or
unregulated emissions and
manufacturing that are a
byproduct of the aforementioned dominant economic
system.

She takes it further
by describing how crucial
it is for reform to begin
from the micro level, perhaps leading to a coalition
of people involved in other
movements to come together eventually under the banner of environmentalism.

Her writing, as
always, is very well-researched, organized, and
presented in an accessible
way.

Comics

The Unfiltered Lens

11

Smile youre on campus camera

EK
Fuck the car, I have class

12

The Unfiltered Lens

Glutton for Punishment


- Gil Pender
Go ahead and rip my heart right out of my ass
Slit my neck and wrist with a piece of broken
glass
Constantly hurt me so that I can't feel a thing
Don't you dare stop until you hear a fat lady sing
Neglect my feelings as if you don't give a flying
shit
Verbally abuse me so much and dont ever quit.
Why should I care?
When you never cared at all

She Bleeds Blue ink


Maybe we were friends or
Whatever,
But we made plans to runaway together,
No mention of love songs.
She said goodbye long before
One last time
Is all I was looking for
Infectious, she picks my wounds
till they bleed
All this dysfunction
It was so hard to breathe

Glutton for YOUR punishment will always be my


If she really had to leave,
downfall
She should have taken whats left
Because she made my darkness end
Now were not even friends
Lonely Man - Gil Pender
Saturday night, alone in my home
wishing someone would call my phone
way too young to be feeling this way
go out and meet someone is what they all say
all I keep feeling is something with me is wrong
not doing anything makes the weekend feel long
it seems that work is my only getaway
to relieve stress and make these feelings go away
maybe I should just face it, I have no luck
hoping that the rest of my life doesnt have to
suck
searching for something to make me feel grand
but for now Ill just continue to be the lonely man

Relativity - Edward Kdonian


To scream and thrash or just fall flush upon release
Why then to force ones self to thrive
Instead find ease is passive, sorrowful ending
Each night to last is struggle, vast pain and effort
What ease with which one could lie low
What strife one deals when drive is unnatural
Yet contention leads to a soul fulfilled they say
In agony and discord living is found anew, fresh
Virtue forms grace, and grows to power within the self
Is such gain worthy compensation
Gifted slyly for such determination and effort
Is any man right to judge the discomfit of another
Can each and every lifes throbbing be found relative?
What physician can truly see within anothers heart?
Can one read invisible signs, words, a burning brail notice
Allowing knowledge of some other creatures hurt and frailty

Arts

Food

13

The Unfiltered Lens

Chicken soup made fast and easy

Making delicious homemade chicken soup can often be very time consuming. I cant tell you how many times Ive spent a day crafting the perfect
soup. Seriously, boiling chicken bones for hours to get a good stock is a worthwhile endeavor, but also incredibly time consuming. Im sure weve all
tried to cut corners to get it done quicker, but it just doesnt come out the same. Well I have a solution! In just about 30 minutes you can create soup
that tastes like it cooks for hours.
What you need:
Meat
2lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
Veggies Diced
Celery
Carrots
Onions
Escarole (optional)
Seasoning (fresh)
3Tbs Parsley
2Tbs Oregano
2Tbs Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Secret ingredients
chicken stock
bouillon

First, cut your chicken into small cubes and sautee it in a large pot. Once the chicken has browned evenly remove it and set aside.
Now throw your diced veggies in the still hot pan for approximately 5-10 mins stirring occasionally. *If you chose to use escarole, leave it aside till
right before the soup is done.
Once the veggies have softened a bit, add the chicken back in and fill the pot about half way with store bought chicken stock. Fill the remainder of
the pan with water and a few cubes of bouillon. Cover the pot and let it cook while you prepare the rest.
Now finely chop your herbs. Seriously, chop until you cant chop any more. Once your soup has come to a boil add your herbs and the escarole if
you decided to add it.
Let your soup cook for another 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes are up turn off the heat and add your favorite soup noodles, the soup will still be hot
enough to cook the noodles without making them soggy.
Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

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14


I fell down on the
ramp as I was walking
down one day, and since
then, Ive felt that peoplelaughing around me
saw me falling down on
ramp and every time I
hear people laughing,
I think theyre laughing about that incident.
What should I do?
Signed -Falling Flat

You have to realize

The Unfiltered Lens

that its impossible that everyone in your life saw you


fall down that ramp. People may have seen you fall
down, and they might have
chuckled for a second then,
but seeing someone fall
down isnt funny or interesting enough that they would
tell everyone about it.

They are laughing
about other things, so tell
yourself that so that you
dont let your paranoia take
your life over.

My
professor
usually looks in my direction in class, and
even though he is in his
thirties, hes really cute
and looks like he graduated just the other
week. I want to spend
time with him outside
of class. How could I
ask him?

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I am very happy to
see this class involves
more hands on
activities rather than just
reading and writing.

www.NEIT.edu

you with your homework or


concepts covered in class,
but you should not try to
date your professor. If you
try and he shoots you down,
youre going to be discouraged from coming to class
and your grades will suffer,
or you might end up dropping the class because of the
awkwardness.

Even if you do end
up dating, the rest of the
class will know and itll be
awkward for you. If you
want to break up with him,
youll have to deal with that
awkwardness, too. Overall,
just dont date your professor to avoid all of these bunglesome situations.

yourself. It may take time,


but if you have it, I would
highly recommend utilizing
this upcoming summers sessions

I and II to get back
on track for the fall. And if
needed, dont hesitate to retake the Accuplacer exam.
It only cost $25 to retake it
and can potentially place
you into more advanced
classes so you wont have to
feel like youre stuck in the
mud. If all else fails, take
advantage of the tutoring
CCRI offers through the
Student Success Center to
help you make it through
the rest of the Spring semester.

Im anxious about graduating and feel like Im


never going to get out of
here. I messed up some
classes and now I dont
know what to do.

Got a problem you


need help with

401.467.7744

One New England Tech Boulevard, East Greenwich, Rhode Island 02818

E-mail us at
ask.unfilteredlens
@Gmail.com

Signed - Flop out


The best advice I
Signed - Crushing
could ever give you is to
never give up. Even when

You could see if he you cant see it, there is alhas after-class hours where ways a way to accomplish
you could meet him to help the goals youve set out for

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Advice

All advice is given


anonymously and
absolutely free

Puzzle

The Unfiltered Lens

The Uncrossed Lens


Remember to look through the paper for all the answers

15

TheUnfilteredLens.com
The Lens is moving
New offices coming soon!!

Rob Gagnon
Arts &
Entertainment


If you were to visit
the open study lounge on
the first floor recently, you
would notice that it has
been boarded-up for construction. White sheetrock
blocks off then entirety of
the once open area, and the
former entrance to the student union is now merely a
padlocked plywood door.

Those
displaced
from their video game consoles and offices will be
pleased to know that the
construction project is slated for completion by the
beginning of the Fall 2015
semester.

The area extending
from the first floor elevators
to the ramp will be renewed,
and is set to include new offices for the Deans, Student
Government and student
clubs, as well as a new home
for The Unfiltered Lens.

Those utilizing new
offices in the renovated
space will enjoy the convenience of all being close to
one another, as well as the
student population in general.

In addition, those
organizations and faculty currently housed in the
round building will finally

be easily accessible and locatable.



Hopefully, these new
floor plans will get more students involved in CCRIs
Student Life, as it has often
been said the the sense of
community is lacking at the
college.

Those students who
might otherwise be either
unaware of or unwilling to
locate the club or office they
may be interested in, will
now enjoy the convenience
of having these spaces right
where many students already congregate.

It is hoped that all
of student life will benefit
from these changes and be
much more efficient which
in turn, will improve CCRI
and all of those who attend.

The Unfiltered Lens
is relieved, yet saddened to
leave our tiny concrete/fiberglass hideaway on the
third floor. We are, however,
excited with the prospect of
being closer and more accessible to the students and
faculty we serve, as well as
the etched glass walls and
sumptuous leather couch
we will be receiving.

In addition, new
state-of-the art technology
and an interview room will
assist us in providing our
demographic with an outstanding product.

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