Intergenerational Talk

February, 2007

Ruthie Winkler, a Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Facility resident, had some advice for Steve Bator, a psychology student, when he visited the facility with his URI 101 class last fall. “Don’t get any tattoos below your elbow,” she said, admiring the body art on his bicep. “You’ll have more trouble at your job interviews if they see your tattoos.”

The 20 URI students spent the afternoon with the elderly residents assembling food packages for Crossroads Rhode Island while engaging in intergenerational conversation. The project was the idea of URI 101 instructor and URI Hillel Director Amy Olson and Tamarisk Director of Programming Lev Poplow, who thought that bringing college students and the elderly together would be a positive learning experience for both communities.

URI 101 is a required class for all first-year students at URI, who in addition to learning about the ins and outs of campus life, must engage in a service-learning project as part of their coursework.

“At first when I found out we were going to an old folks’ home, I was like, man, I don’t want to go there”, said Angelette Saygbe, “but I am glad I let myself experience it.” Saygbe spoke with Tamarisk resident Helen Silverberg, who recalled her return to URI as a student later in life. “If there’s one thing I want to tell the students it’s that you’re never too old to learn,” she said.

At the end of the visit, Bator, shown here with Dottie Lippman, summed up his experiences: “Dottie is such a nice lady as well as incredibly smart. I had so much fun and learned so much about these great people and their lives. I can’t wait to go back.”