Universities are built on continuity—on accumulated knowledge, shared history, and the quiet expertise that develops over time. Yet within many institutions of higher education, experience does not always feel like a protected asset, particularly when it belongs to older women. At the University of Rhode Island, there are many employees in their sixties who have…
I am writing this article not to state what some may see as obvious, but rather to check the mode of operations which is so clearly lacking in quality. What I am gesturing at is the control and disposal of information supervised by administrations at academic institutions. Of issues both social and political, it is…
Combating isolation issues within the senior community. Pictured: Hand-written letters to cheer up a neighbor. Photos contributed by: Anita Olugbode The COVID-19 pandemic caused a spike in the feelings of loneliness, abandonment, despair and fear among elder residents in long-term living facilities. Many of us were not able to see our older family members living…
How can our infrastructure affect wildlife, and what can we do to help? An Earth Day editorial. PHOTO CREDIT: Brock University New buildings with many glass windows are creating a surprising problem for unsuspecting victims: birds. Since 1970, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, North America has suffered a 30 percent decline in its…
I wrote a poem in the summer of 2020 that basically encapsulated how I felt about saying goodbye to live theatre until who-knows-when. I’ll admit, I can see now that I was being a bit dramatic about this, but what kind of actor would I be if I wasn’t dramatic. Revisiting it, now that I was…
I am writing in response to recent works by Professor Donna M. Hughes, specifically her letter to the editor in the Good Five Cent Cigar. In this letter, Dr. Hughes paints transgender people as victims of a diabolical scheme to convince them to undergo medical procedures. She writes, “There is very big funding behind the…
I am writing in response to Donna Hughes’ recent articles and statements about the transgender community. Dear URI Community, I am a transgender student at URI, and I am afraid for my future. All around the country right now, states are suddenly proposing legislation that would restrict trans people’s ability to medically transition and ability…
It’s easy to attack and dismiss what an author wrote when you misquote or distort what was said. It’s called creating a strawman. The falsified version of what was allegedly said is then easily attacked and dismissed. It’s much harder to discuss a topic when the author’s statements are accurately quoted. In February, I wrote…
As URI faculty associated with sport studies, we want to briefly weigh in on what Dr. Hughes’ gets wrong about the relations between sport, gender, and power in her controversial essay, “Fantasy Worlds on the Political Right and Left: QAnon and Trans-Sex Beliefs.” Sports have long been key spaces in the struggle for social justice….
With regards to the ‘trans’ controversy: Prof. Hughes has every right to speak her mind both personally and academically. That is what the First Amendment is all about, and what tenure protects in academia. It is unfortunate that many on the left feel that in order to make a point the ‘opposition’ must be silenced….