University of Rhode Island - Renaissance / Grist Yearbook (Kingston, RI)

Page 12 text:

IMPRESSIONS . . Back to school, going backdoor through Plains Road on a Sunday night. To the left, woods. To the right, the vast expanse of a lighted up rural University, glowing like a star from afar. Yup, gotta like it. It belongs to you; it’s what you pay the zillion dollars a year for. A feeling of, “Yes, I go to URI, and (JRI is a part of me.” The feeling doesn’t fade, whether you’re a first semester freshman or a second year graduate student. Calm. Plains Road. Serenity. Does the hustle and bustle of 12:28 on a Tuesday really exist? Hard to im- agine. Nature, 100-acre pond. Turf farm. Jogging down Plains Road on a warm, yet cheerful September day — escape the turmoil of the academics. Do you know Plains Road, the new home of the WRIU tower? If you don’t take a left at the traffic lights two streets prior to the main en- trance, you might not. It’s a sneaky way of sliding into the University while avoiding the excess hysteria (if you don’t desire that extra excite- ment). It’s kind of like — My road.”

Page 11 text:

Have you ever driven through Saunderstown or Bonnet at night and gazed across the shimmering water? If you have, then you’ve seen that alighted invitation to Newport — the Newport Bridge. The crossroads to fun. Sometimes the crossroads for on- ly one car at a time, if you’ve ever crossed the strip on a sleety January night. But once you cross the umbilical cord of life there are things like One Pelham East, The Black Pearl, and Yesterday’s, you can’t even recount them all. You could go through all of Newport during your four years and still miss some of the many attractions. The mansions, the cobblestone streets, the restaurants, the tourists and the races. A good alternative to the area nightlife. Impressions 7

Page 13 text:

If for some strange reason you know where the library is, have you ever paid attention to how you got there? The brick walk, the small trees, the benches where students and faculty munch and gab. The lights at night, making the library almost desirable even though you say, “Do I have to?” It’s one of the nicest walkways at ORI. Early on a foggy evening, those lights put the campus in a state of drowsiness and some students in a state of reverie. Thoughts of weekend parties, or games, or you know who. Gradua- tion. The trip to Florida. They all seem so clear when you walk down the brick path to the lost continent — the library. And there it stands in all its glory. Have you ever noticed that it doesn’t blend in like the Engineering buildings do? Or Bliss and East? Don’t you get the feeling that some strange power emits from it? Big. Greyish-white with the steps leading up to the building of wicked super knowledge. The path, like a red carpet, disects the outline of the monstrosity. Stop. Look up at the lights at night. Then look at the library. This ain’t high school guys. Impressions 9