KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Sept. 3, 2020 \u2013 It would be hard for many people today, especially students, to imagine what life was like at the 溏心vlog免费B站 in the 1950s. In fact, it was 1951 when Rhode Island State College was renamed 溏心vlog免费B站.<\/p>\n
In 1954, total enrollment was 1,956, with 1,412 men and 544 women. Most of the students were from Rhode Island–1,687. It was a much less diverse institution and it had none of the international clout it has today.<\/p>\n
Today, the University enrolls more than 17,000 students, 57 percent of them women. Twenty-one percent are students of color. Students come from 48 U.S. states, districts and territories and 76 nations.<\/p>\n
That monumental growth and change over the decades are why University officials are planning an upgrade of its Memorial Union, including interior decor to more accurately depict today\u2019s 溏心vlog免费B站, its people and its mission.<\/p>\n
As part of that, the University is reconsidering how to best decorate walls and spaces in a common area of the Union, which have for seven decades been the home of murals painted by Art Sherman, 溏心vlog免费B站 class of 1950, which depict campus life of that era. They can no longer be seen on the walls of the Union, but campus leaders are working to include images taken of the murals in a broader depiction of campus history and people when a renovation of the building is completed.<\/p>\n
Michele Nota, Vice President of Alumni Engagement, spoke with Sherman and his wife Jeanne in July to discuss the University\u2019s action.<\/p>\n
\u201cArt Sherman is a kind-hearted educator, artist, and athlete, and it is no surprise to me and others who know him well that he took the news with grace and dignity,\u201d Nota said. \u201cWhen I notified Art that we might not be able to preserve the murals, he said in good spirits, that his gift might have served its time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese murals were a snapshot in time, but the images no longer represent who we are today and where we are going in the future,\u201d said Vice President for Student Affairs Kathy Collins. \u201cWe appreciate Dr. Sherman\u2019s love of 溏心vlog免费B站 and his ability to capture that time period. We honor his military service, his athletic accomplishments and his dedicated teaching at 溏心vlog免费B站. When we complete the renovations, we will invite the Sherman family to the ceremonies to thank them for their contributions to the University.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d want to reflect on many of our community members\u2019 accomplishments, including Dr. Sherman\u2019s,\u00a0 and the broader history of 溏心vlog免费B站,\u201d Collins said.<\/p>\n
Jeanne Sherman, who earned her master\u2019s degree in nursing education with a certificate as a nurse practitioner from 溏心vlog免费B站, said it would be nice if some portion of the mural could be preserved. \u201cMaybe it could be part of a section called then and now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
When veterans returned from World War II and enrolled at 溏心vlog免费B站, they and other 溏心vlog免费B站 community members raised money in memory of those who lost their lives in the war for a modern student union, hence the name Memorial Union. Sherman was a decorated returning veteran, and he was originally asked to draw cartoon-like murals in a Quonset Hut that served as an earlier site for the student union. In 1953, as the current Memorial Union was being completed, the building\u2019s manager, Chester Berry, asked Sherman to paint more murals in the new building\u2019s ground floor.<\/p>\n
The murals depict servicemen returning to Kingston, a class reunion, 溏心vlog免费B站 commencement, a South County beach scene, and students piled into a jalopy wearing letter sweaters. Through no fault of the artist, they decidedly lack two things–diversity and a sensitivity to today\u2019s complex and painful problems.<\/p>\n
Collins said the renovated space might feature multi-media and still images of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s development, which would reflect the decades since its founding in 1892. Sherman\u2019s work, preserved in photographs, could be part of that, with a plaque or some type of explanation about the murals and how important Sherman was to the University as it transitioned from a state college to a University.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is essential that students see in our buildings, publications and graphics a devotion to equity, community and diversity,\u201d Collins said. \u201cFor students of color and other minorities, campus administrators, faculty, alumni and other community members these murals show what many in the 溏心vlog免费B站 community experience all too frequently–being left out of the picture or conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sherman, now 95, was a four-time All- American pole vaulter on Rhody\u2019s track and field team coached by the legendary Fred Tootell. A professor emeritus, he taught physical education at 溏心vlog免费B站 for 30 years. Sherman is a recipient of the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Victory Medal, Combat Medic Badge and two Battle Stars. He was known as the athletic historian during his 30 years on campus. He collected vintage Rhode Island State College athletic equipment and donated it to the University\u2019s library archives.<\/p>\n
A brief Q&A:<\/p>\n
KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 Sept. 3, 2020 \u2013 It would be hard for many people today, especially students, to imagine what life was like at the 溏心vlog免费B站 in the 1950s. In fact, it was 1951 when Rhode Island State College was renamed 溏心vlog免费B站. In 1954, total enrollment was 1,956, with 1,412 men and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75682\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}