The Equinox 2.28.19

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THE EQUINOX The student voice of Keene State College

Vol. 71 , Issue #18

Thursday, February 28, 2019

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Men’s basketball become LEC champs

Combating racism in childhood ALEX HARVEY

Equinox Staff

SOREN FRANTZ / SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

On Saturday, Feb. 23 in the Spaulding Gym, KSC men’s basketball won the Little East Championship against Eastern Connecticut State University in a 72-69 victory. For more on the story see Four points for the win, B8.

Teach-in creates open dialogue Third annual teach-in encompassed freedom, responsibility and compassion RACHEL VITELLO

nEwS Editor Freedom, responsibility and compassion: This was the theme of Keene State College’s third annual Teach-In event on Thursday, Feb. 21. The purpose of the teach-in is to create an open dialogue on campus about a variety of topics that allow diverse viewpoints to be heard from, consisting of information sessions and interactive activities. KSC President Melinda Treadwell hopes the teach-in helps better define what Keene State’s stance is on free speech.

“The goals of this is to create statements around free speech, around hate speech, around bias, so that we can be clear with guests who visit our campus about things that are a part of our culture and things that aren’t part of our culture,” Treadwell said.

This year’s teach-in had 17 events such as a meditation session, information about vaccinations and autism, a session dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and multiple others related to the theme. One session entitled “Can we talk?” was facilitated by Associate Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Dottie Morris. This teach-in session used the notes that were taken during the four listening sessions held last fall to create an open conversation for participants to share their opinions and ideas about language and how we all interact with one another.

Morris started the conversation off by defining reciprocal determinism, which is how what one thinks impacts their actions and behaviors, and discussing how language contributes to the dehumanization process.

The group contributed to the conversation by talking about how open conversation and hearing other people’s viewpoints, without having the intention of trying to change their

mind, is beneficial.

“The language we use to code other people can have an impact on how we interact or don’t interact. How you think about language and people will have an impact,” Morris said.

KSC senior Collin Coviello was in attendance at the session and stressed the importance of inclusivity in discussions about controversial issues.

“I think tension is really important when talking about things like race or ethnicity and people’s ignorance surrounding those issues,” Coviello said. “It’s important to hear people’s unfiltered perspectives because when they try to mask it, it puts it away in a place where it keeps compounding on itself because they don’t have to justify it to anybody.”

Morris ended the session by reminding attendees that it is important to speak your truth, without trying to convince people that your view is always right.

Another informational session at the teach-in was “Practicing Nonviolent Resistance and Social Justice,” facilitated by Lecturer of Communications Michael McCarthy.

This session began with a screening of a Ted Talk by Erica Chenoweth that provided information and statistics on the success of nonviolent campaigns. This includes how nonviolent campaigns are four times larger than violent ones, and are much more inclusive. Violent campaigns often require physical capabilities, which automatically excludes much of the elderly, children and disabled people.

McCarthy led a discussion after the Ted Talk, using his personal experience of practicing civil disobedience in his past. He discussed his past run-ins with police while protesting and how his work empowered him to not be afraid.

“The more we understand nonviolence, the more likely we are to not repeat the same mis-

SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN / ADMINISTRATIVE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

takes over and over,” McCarthy said.

The teach-in ended with a screening of the film “13th” at the Redfern Arts Center at 7 p.m.

This film takes a look at the prison system in the U.S. and how it relates to racial inequality in the nation.

Dean of the Mason Library Celia Rabinowitz, who helps with the organization of the teach-in, hoped that everyone who attended is able to walk away having learned something new.

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Index Section A: News .................1-3 Opinions ...........4-5 A&E ..................6-8 Associated Collegiate Press

Section B: Student Life...1-4 CC....................5 Sports............6-8

A4: Putting Yourself on Paper A8: Adding Another Coat B1: Chili Cook-Off B8: Four points for the win

“It’s as much about the learning itself as it is about the ideas,” Rabinowitz said. “The presenters are really passionate about what they’re talking about, and you get to see faculty in a different way than in the classroom.”

Rachel Vitello can be contacted at rvitello@kscequinox.com.

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On Tuesday, Feb. 19 author of “Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America” Jennifer Harvey came to Keene State College to discuss some of the topics in her new book.

Harvey is a professor of religion at Drake University, an author of multiple books about racism, and an ordained Baptist minister. She has been working against racism for over 20 years.

KSC psychology major Lauren Bairos and geography major Nate Howard were in attendance at the event. Bairos said she was hoping to learn about how children are brought up in our society and how we can improve their mindsets about racism. Howard also said he wanted to learn the right way to raise kids without racism.

Dr. Mary Gannon introduced the event, gave a preview of what would be discussed and what she hopes students take away from the lecture.“The book is specifically for white parents, but it’s really about white adults, how to have these courageous conversations that we

» SEE RACISM ON A2

Air pollution in Keene TEDDY TAUSCHER

Equinox Staff On Tuesday, Feb. 21, Professor of Environmental Studies at Keene State College Dr. Nora Traviss reported on how woodsmoke trapped by air inversions pollutes Keene’s air quality about two weeks out of the year.

At a two-part lecture in Rhodes Hall, Traviss said the cause of these problems are a phenomenon called air inversions.

“As you go up in altitude the temperature gets colder, or at least that’s how it’s supposed to work,” Traviss said. “An air inversion is when you go up and at some altitude the temperature actually gets warmer. This acts as a sort of tupperware lid to trap pollution close to the ground.”

Part of this is because geographically Keene is a bowl, so there is a little wind to blow the pollution away. The main pollutant here is woodsmoke from woodstoves, said Traviss. According to Traviss, this phenomenon only happens around 12 nights a year.

Traviss updated the audience on her and her students’ efforts to track the air quality in Keene.

These efforts were done both by students driving around Keene testing air quality in different parts of the city, and by a few individuals who live in Keene who had agreed to help monitor air quality in their area. Overall, according to Traviss, Keene falls below the 35 micro per cubic meter over 24 hours stan-

» SEE POLLUTION ON A2

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Thursday, February 28, 2019

RACISM Cont. from A1

as adults struggle with,” Gannon said. “Kids are ready to do it but in my experience it’s adults that struggle with the right language and fear, so we’ll be looking at all those kinds of issues.”

Gannon explained whether or not there is a certain age when students are most susceptible to these influences.

“There’s a lot of research on how early children are capable of perceiving difference. Some research has shown as young as three to five months. But the key part is not just noticing difference, but actually applying it to social status.” When asked why it was important for KSC students to attend the lecture, Gannon said, “I think it’s important, given what’s happening in our country right now, to have these discussions and make them more visible, rather than just having them at a bar or in a student union, but to really be out in the community, practicing how to do that.” Gannon was pleased by the high turnout from KSC students, as well as members of the Keene community.

Harvey explained how when she attended public school in Colorado there was busing. Busing was when students would be transported outside of their school district as a means of racial desegregation. Experiencing this was what contributed to Harvey’s interest in anti-racism.

Harvey also explained racial tracking in her lecture.

“Even though I went to a multiracial high school, my classes got whiter and whiter the further I went. In the accelerated classes it was all white kids and the black and latino kids were in remedial classes,” Harvey said.

Harvey also explained how coming from a Christian home inspired an interest for liberation theology and black liberation theology. Fighting for the rights of the homeless was also inspired by her Christian upbringing.

“I think students can learn tonight about how race has shaped and formed white young people. If you’re a white young person yourself or a young person of color you’ll learn about what’s shaped and formed your white peers, and how that learning has made it more difficult for white people to be strong anti-racist allies,” Harvey said.

Harvey also included some practices and strategies that could help white families and communities raise generations of anti-racist adults.

During the lecture, Harvey explained that children are usually taught colorblindness when they are young. However, “not seeing color” is problematic, because

LUKE STERGIOU / PHOTO EDITOR

Author of “Raising White Kids” Jennifer Harvey speaks to Keene State College about raising children to be open-minded. Mary Gannon was the one to introduce her.

treating everyone equally can lead to overlooking the problems that minorities face, because they have different experiences from white people. Harvey explained that cultural and racial differences need to be acknowledged, so that these problems can be better handled.

Harvey said programs that promote racial diversity are important because they help initiate discussions about racial inequality, but they are not the solution to these problems. Due to the way they are taught, white children tend to feel that they are not allowed to be proud of their race or heritage, and that this often creates feelings of jealousy and animosity towards minority groups who are “allowed” to celebrate their heritage. Harvey said that one of the most important things that white people can do to

combat racism is calling out their friends, peers, and family when they say and do questionable things.

Students looking to be allies against racism can attend events hosted by the Office of Multicultural Student Support and Success and the Diversity and Multiculturalism Office. If a student experiences discrimination based on race it can be reported to Campus Safety.

Alex Harvey can be contacted at aharvey@kscequinox.com.

POLLUTION Cont. from A1

dards set by the EPA. However, she argued that this does not take into effect that this standard is an average over 24 hours and Keene’s air pollution, while visible in the evening and at night, is gone in the morning.

Additionally, the problem is not spread evenly around Keene, but is focused more in west Keene, around Keene middle school. Another study

by Traviss done in 2015 looked at health impacts at a hospital in Keene. The study found elevated cases of asthma from kids in neighborhoods with more pollution. However, the data was not statistically significant. Traviss said this could be due to the overall small sample size available in Keene.

According to Traviss, the health effects on a healthy adult are minimal but it can worsen colds like the flu by putting more stress on the immune system and poses more of a threat to the old and the young.

The end result of Traviss and her students’ work was a map of Keene that updates every ten minutes with air quality conditions around the city.

Audience members were also invited to join the Keene Clear Air Facebook page for updates on air conditions in Keene.

The second part of the lecture was presented by GIS specialist at the Southwest Region Planning Commission Henry Underwood. Underwood focused his presentation on how to most effectively burn wood without causing large amounts of smoke. The strategies he outlined included letting wood dry six to twelve months before burning and using more modern eco-efficient wood stoves. According to Underwood, burning wood in the most eco-friendly way is also the most efficient way.

The lecture was attended by about twenty to twenty-five people, with about 70 percent of those being Keene State students.

Some audience members found the lecture engaging and informative.

One of these audience members is one of Traviss’ students, Isaiah Bates.

“I think Traviss killed it,” Bates said. “She did a really good job describing what’s going on and her counterpart (Underwood) did a really good job describing proper firewood etiquette.”

Another audience member, Judy Bell, said that while she uses an efficient wood stove, she had learned from the lecture that there are nights when she shouldn’t use the woodstove at all. Bell said her favorite part of the presentation was the rap at the end of the presentation that reiterated the points made during the lecture.

Traviss hopes in the future to be able to predict exactly when an inversion is going to happen and then be able to relay that information back to the community. Those who are interested in learning more about Keene’s air and getting updates can join the Keene Clear Air Facebook page.

Teddy Tauscher can be contacted at ttauscher@kscequinox.com.

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Thursday, February 28, 2019

Celebrating faculty research

AURORA CARABALLO / EQUINOX STAFF

George Smeaton presented his research on different critical thinking tests and Caroll Lothrop presented her research on why student’s adjustment to college differs depending on the student.

Faculty present their research over the past year to students and colleagues RACHEL VITELLO

News editor On Wednesday, Feb. 20 Keene State College faculty had the opportunity to showcase the scholarly and creative work they have been working on for the past year at the fifth annual Celebration of Faculty Research. Faculty, staff and students gathered in the Marion Wood Room of the Mason Library, surrounded by a variety of posters, journals and books.

Dean of the Mason Library Celia Rabinowitz hopes this event allows those on campus to view work they otherwise may not have been able to learn about.

“I think faculty within the departments often are aware of what their colleagues in the department are doing,” Rabinowitz said. “But we don’t have that many opportunities for faculty to see what their friends and colleagues outside the department are doing.”

Some of the work that was being presented and shown included a feature that Associate Professor and

College Archivist Rodney Obien contributed to titled “Robert Munford: Too Long Under the Radar”, articles by the chemistry department and information about the trip to China some faculty took last semester related to poetry. Administrative support for Student Conduct Caroll Lothrop also presented her research on why some students adapt well to college life, and some do not.

“I talked to some faculty, staff and alumni to see what their opinions were about what made a difference between a good and not so good transition,” Lothrop said. “I also did a focus group and surveys with 17 student leaders to get their ideas about what made the difference and what they thought we should do.”

Lothrop’s work revealed that faculty and staff believed students who made a good transition had a faculty member they felt connected to, while student leaders believed students who adapted well had connections with their peers and activities on campus.

“I think it’s important for the campus to hear what

the students had to say. This event is one way I can get that information out,” Lothrop said.

Another presenter at the celebration was Director for Institutional Effectiveness and Institutional Research George Smeaton. Smeaton conducted research on three different tests of students’ critical thinking to determine the differences, the advantages and the disadvantages associated with each one. Smeaton hopes this research helps inform any future decision making about what tests to use.

“It shows us some alternatives into what we’re doing right now,” Smeaton said. “That test [being used right now] is really hard to be scalable to a large number of students because it takes so many hours to score just a set of 20 tests. Another one could easily be administered to a large number of students.”

Attendees of the event were interested to see all the different research and work being done around campus.

Interim Director of the Office of Sponsored Projects and Research, Audrey Arsenault was in attendance.

“It’s always fascinating to see all the extraordinary work that our faculty are doing,” Arsenault said. “It ties into a lot of the support that we try to provide to our faculty. I try to make it every year. It’s nice to be able to support them and the work that they do.”

This celebration will be held again next year and is open to anyone who would like to attend.

“We really want to encourage students to come, everyone is more than welcome,” Rabinowitz said. “We like to do something that’s different, but informal, that’s just an opportunity for everyone to get together.”

Rachel Vitello can be contacted at rvitello@kscequinox.com.

Taking a look at clean drinking water Interested in writing for news?

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In early January, the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) proposed new maximum contamination level (MCLs) for PFAS. These MCLs were not in line with what is scientifiWhat’s in your drinking water? This a question many in the U.S. cally proven to be safe. may not think to ask themselves. On Wednesday, Feb. 20 the EnvironMessmer and Irwin urged those who opposed this proposal to sign mental Studies department, along with environmental health scientist the petition to adopt safe drinking water standards at The Action Netand U.S. Congressional candidate Mindi Messmer, hosted a screening work’s website under “PFAS Rule Making Petition.” Those opposed of the film “The Devil We Know” and held a panel discussion after- can also contact key legislators to voice their opinions. Letters can be wards. sent to legislators by going to The Action Network’s website and visitThis film follows a community in West Virginia as they come to ing “Support SB287 PFAS Limits in Drinking Water.” realize the harm the corporation Du Pont has done to them and their “Essential to all of this is the cautionary approach,” Irwin said. “We drinking water. Many members of the community suffered the health need to reduce unnecessary exposure to chemicals like this.” effects of the chemicals, including birth defects and cancer.

Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are harmful man-made chemiRachel Vitello can be contacted at cals that have infected much of the drinking water in the nation. This rvitello@kscequinox.com. started when Du Pont began using the chemicals in Teflon products, mostly pans and cookware. Upon the success of Teflon, many other companies began using them in other products, such as rain jackets and stain-resistant furniture.

Environmental Studies department chair Nora Traviss expressed her concern at the lack of action being taken by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate the chemicals present in drinking water.

“Last week the EPA has pushed off any regulatory decision-making in establishing a safe drinking water level for the country, there’s only an advisory level for seven parts per trillion. That really makes it incumbent upon the states to take action,” Traviss said.

Since the EPA only has an advisory out right now, that also means that it is not protected under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Cities are not currently required to test for PFAS chemicals.

However, one state that has already taken action against unsafe drinking water is New Jersey. According to Messmer, New Jersey did a scientific analysis of those chemical levels. The state arrived at standards ten times lower than the EPA advisory.

“An arm of the CDC had been suppressed in issuing information that they had that EPA standards are seven to eleven times higher than they should be. Scientists now say there is no safe level. One part per trillion still causes health outcomes like is seen in the film,” Messmer said.

Vice President and Director for the Conservation Law Foundation of New Hampshire Tom Irwin was also present for the question and answer portion of the screening. Irwin stated how rare it is to be talking about chemical levels in terms of parts per trillion, that it’s usually parts per billion or million, to put in perspective the danger of PFAS. “The unfortunate reality is the cat is out of the bag,” Irwin said.

“Most of us have had these chemicals in our blood already, and that’s just this class of chemicals, not to mention the others that are out there.”

These chemicals may have already had a large impact on New Hampshire. Messmer was one of the first people to bring attention to a pediatric cancer cluster on the seacoast of New Hampshire where children with rare types of cancer had died.

“Through her [Messmer’s] actions the CDC has declared a five town area on the seacoast with a double cancer cluster,” Traviss said. “The issue we’re seeing here in the film is also important here in New Hampshire.”

News editor

OLIVIA CATTABRIGA / ART DIRECTOR

NEWS EDITOR RACHEL VITELLO (781)812-7461

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OPINIONS

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The art of social media

EDITORIAL

e m u Res

OLIVIA CATTABRIGA / ART DIRECTOR

Posting can be a make-it or break-it for employers As students get older and start thinking about their plans for the future, some are starting to put a lot of consideration into what they post on social media.

While social media accounts such as Instagram and Facebook are a fun way post about your everyday college students should be motivated to portray themselves in a more professional light.

Many of us think that earlier generations “lucked out” because their whole life isn’t behind a camera lens, and because of that, we need to be more careful about what we post. In reality, there is a fine line between creative expression and outrageous unacceptable material being posted on any accounts. As students of Keene State College, we are role models and we know that what gets posted online can stay there for a very long time—sometimes forever. It is definitely important to take caution when posting anything, because everyone is watching.

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You don’t have to be famous to be stalked—not only your employers are googling your name, but maybe your family members, community members and anyone else that you could have crossed paths with.

Creating memories with your friends is great, but remember there’s a time and place for that; make sure your friends know that too. No matter how hard you try to be professional online, if friends are posting on your wall or tagging you about last Friday night, you might not get that call back from that company.

Some believe it’s unfair for companies to ask employees to erase their social presence offline. You should not have to give up all of yourself for the satisfaction of your employer. However, Instagram also offers students the opportunity to archive their posts.

In other words, users can make it so they are the only one to see certain posts. These posts will not appear on their timeline. Additionally, people who use Ins-

To contact the Equinox, e-mail smehegan@kscequinox.com

Sebastien Mehegan Administrative Executive Editor Erin McNemar Managing Executive Editor

tagram or Facebook have the choice to make their account public or private. By making it private, you have to accept follow requests, allowing you to monitor who is looking at your account.

This gives college students to the opportunity to have both a personal and professional account. By making your personal account private and your professional account public, students can have the best of both worlds.

Another benefit of having a professional account is visibility. Art, film, photography, graphic design, or any kind of visual major has the opportunity to create an online portfolio that will pop up whenever someone searches your name. Instagram is a hub for photographers and can be a great way to network if you don’t have the chance to network in real life; Facebook can connect people across industries and give others the chance to see your projects and even decide

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The Equinox is a designated public forum. Student editors have full editorial control over the entire content of the paper.

All articles and opinion pieces are assigned, written and edited by students without censor by administrators, faculty or staff.

The Equinox is published Thursdays during the academic year with dates immediately preceding and following holidays omitted. The advertising deadline is 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to publication. The Equinox reserves the right to refuse advertising for any reason. Advertising is not accepted until it appears in the paper.

Letters to the editor must be written exclusively to The Equinox and are due by noon on the Friday prior to publishing.

All letters must include name and phone number for verification. The Equinox reserves the right to edit for style and length, and refuse any letters to the editor. For clarification and additional information on any above policies call 3582414. The Equinox business office is open Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

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MISSION: The Equinox exists to promote the free flow of information, to protect the First Amendment, to stimulate high standards in the practice of journalism and to foster excellence among student journalists.

to work with you if they enjoy your work. You may even be able to start a business or gain clients from an online account.

Creating a separate, professional account gives you a username you can put out anytime you meet somebody who might be interested in working with you— and you can leave a lasting impression on those who check back in on your profile the next time you post.

Don’t delete social media and drop off the face of the earth because your scared of an employer judging you, instead use the media to your advantage. Have a balance between you personal and professional lives while online or just make separate accounts. Show yourself off to the world; social media makes it that much easier.

Equinox Staff: Eli Felix, Izzy Harris, Emily Carstensen, Iris Pruletti, Haleigh Patch, Amanda Bevis, Alex Harvey, Katie Jensen, Kyle Wilson, Lindsay Gibbons, Julia Hawkins, McHale Burgess, Gwen Phillips, Jacqueline Pantano, Alyssa Borenko, Henry Hobson, Joe Guzman, David Payson, Brandon Moulton, Julia Guidi, Ethan Platt, Austin Cook, Anna Heindl, Matthew Kahlman, Emily Perry, Adriana Daniel, Jayden Rodgers, Soren Frantz, Nina Kljic, Bree Norton, Luke Sweeny, Jack Cimino, Sam Binigono, Sara Olson, Cal Sylvia, Ryan Pelligrinelli, Paxton Blanchard, and Matthew Barriga.

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Thursday, February 28, 2019

Mealing on the go Pretending on a 1/3 LB BURGER TAKES 660 GALLONS OF WATER TO MAKE

MEDIUM FRENCH FRY HAS 266MG OF SODIUM

MEDIUM 21 OZ OF COKE CONTAINS 70 GRAMS OF SUGAR KIANA WRIGHT / OPINIONS EDITOR

A slow break down on your fast food ISABELLA PRATT

Equinox Staff The lifestyle of a college student is different to that of the average person in many different ways. These include staying up night, leading a very fast paced social schedule and eating who knows what! Whether students are pressed for time or are simply starving at 1:00 a.m. due to certain circumstances, a popular activity is night snacking. Now, although this is a college town, not many places are open at this hour, creating limited options. The most popular latenight places to get food for Keene State students include but are not limited to: Dominos, Cumberland Farms and McDonalds. Although these are convenient and cheap, they create adverse health effects on both your body and the environment.

Dominos is actually the number one pizza delivery service in the United States, and is very well liked for its cheap prices and convenience of being delivered to your door. However, do you actually know what you are getting in that blue and white cardboard box? The dough is made up of mostly enriched wheat flour, which is whole wheat flour that has been bleached and stripped of all of its nutrients, with only a select few being manually added back. It also has more than four different types of sugar additives that make it so doughy and desirable, all while skyrocketing your blood sugar and then increasing insulin levels. Now let’s be real, sometimes you just can’t get that thought of pizza out of your head and nothing will curb that craving except for pizza itself. So, I urge you to follow a few of these ways to get the most out of your pizza. The first option is to actually prepare for your cravings by having a few simple,

cheap ingredients right in your dorm.

These include English muffins (preferably whole-grain), a jar of simple pizza or pasta sauce (watch for added sugars) and a bag of your favorite shredded cheese. This will only cost you about $10 total and will make you at least 10 little pizzas, that is $1 per pizza! To make them, simply cut an English muffin in half, layer on some sauce and cheese or whatever toppings you fancy, and then put them in the oven for about 15 minutes or in the microwave for 4. Making your own little pizza will avoid all of those carcinogens and excess oils that you will find in your common delivery pizza.

Another popular option is Cumberland Farms, a gas station and convenience store. Now before I even get into this, we really should not be eating food so often from a gas station, to put it simply! However, in the midst of ice creams, hot dogs and taquitos, they do have some slightly healthier alternatives.

So if you do find yourself at “Cumbies” attempting to curb your late night cravings, I suggest you go for some of the following options. Pure Leaf unsweetened iced tea is alow sugar beverage, second to water of course. Grab some nuts or trail mix for a salty snack instead of chips and cheese-flavored Chex mixes.

For something sweet, try a dark chocolate bar instead of a sugary ice cream bar or candy. At all costs, I would say attempt to avoid anything highly processed such as the entire Hostess brand, because who wants to be eating an entirely chemically-created food that has a longer lifespan than us? Another big one to avoid are processed meats, such as hot dogs and Slim Jims, seeing as science has classified these as a Class One carcinogen, which means that they are known to cause cancer! The health

effects of these products are absolutely undeniable, so I urge you to look for the more simple foods and snacks that they may offer so that you can know exactly what you are getting.

Lastly, the beloved McDonalds. Now here I could tell you what’s bad about it and some healthier alternatives, but honestly there is nothing from this company that anyone should be consuming. Let’s talk about burgers and what effect they have on the environment. The water that is used to produce a single burger patty is upwards of 700 gallons! Imagine how much clean water that is for people to drink! Not to mention the fact that those cows are all fed grain in order to fatten them up ,which is actually toxic to cows, as they are supposed to eat grass and this grain makes them sick. Lastly, these meats are highly processed and may not even be 100% beef, which as I mentioned prior is directly linked to causing cancer.

So ultimately, when you get that Happy Meal, think about how happy you could be by not wasting 700 gallons of water and eating a sick animal that could give you cancer. That is only one of the many problems with McDonalds, not including its links to obesity, type 2 Diabetes and heart disease. So definitely avoid this location at all costs.

Overall, as college students it is part of the lifestyle to stay up late and snack. However, looking at what is in the food you are eating is still important. So to combat the need to spend on these options, try to plan your snacking and have some healthier options ready in your dorm if you know you are going to be hungry later. This will save you money, a couple extra pounds and adverse health problems in the long run!

Isabella Pratt can be contacted at Ipratt@kscequinox.com

social platform SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN

Even travel bloggers or vloggers have created or joined various trusted websites or even created their own because of how unreliable cerNo one knows the man behind the curtain. tain social media outlets have become.

Viral internet sensations are chalked up to To the average student I would say, post who be the model for correct societal living. Vari- you are not who you wish to be and live how ous social media platforms are often the way you can within your means. Spending money people follow fashion trends. Previously, it and new technology to enhance one’s social was magazines that supplied this foundation media presence or post is not a wise decision. of our culture. However, now, with more and If someone wants to be seen as a world traveler, more people becoming instagram models, there save money and travel. Take photos for yourself, are more people trying to start their own fash- not for other people and let your stories paint ion trends. Friends and even sometimes family the picture of where you’ve been rather than posting cute photos and beautiful scenery shots pretend you’ve been and experienced things would have their followers believe that this is you haven’t or wish to. how they live their life. In a world where the wide web has connected people more than ever Sebastien Mehegan can be contacted at before there is a disconnect from reality and smehegan@kscequinox.com it has become harder to discern the difference between sensationalization and reality.

According to acsmediakit.org statistics show that between the years 2000 and 2015 maga“At the very least, print zine sales increase long after their publication. advertising yields greater The article said, “At very least, print advertising yields greater increases in brand awareness, increases in brand awarebrand favorability and purchase intent than ness, brand favorability and online or television advertising.” This proves that even with the ease of access with the interpurchase intent than online net people still trust the hard copy more even or television advertising.” just with advertisements and brand names that they - Acsmediakit.org have seen online.

The mistrust in internet content comes from the ambiguity of certain posts, from falsified news sources (opening up the attacks against real ones) and from an increase in the number of people who hire a photographer and pose to make themselves the new instagram sensation.

Things that fall under the category of ambiguous posts would be vacation photos that feature bathing suit photos on sunny days and returning home only to say to ones’ friends that it was a miserable vacation and it was only sunny for a few hours. The trick is to have many bathing suits and take many photos in the sunshine and then go back inside, never actually having enjoyed oneself only making it look that way to others.

An example of falsified news sources would be those that are posted so often on Facebook just to get a rise out of people. Things that friends post without actually reading the content and posted simply because of the headline which might say something like “studies show” and that somehow makes it credible.

For the new Instagram sensations the only thing I have to say is: who cares? It is shallow, superficial clickbait. Flashy bathing suits with airbrushed skin and photo shopped bust to pull in the male attention is so obvious people don’t take this seriously. Posts like this will receive likes or republishes but it will never be trusted. This is not a field that an honest person OLIVIA CATTABRIGA / ART DIRECTOR would ever succeed in.

adminiStrativE ExEcutivE Editor

Opening up a world of knowledge LINDSAY GIBBONS

Equinox Staff

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Ask someone to go a month without their phone, and you’ll often see the terror in their eyes as they can’t imagine being able to navigate their lives without their digital friend. Although they haven’t been around for more than a few decades, smartphones are now considered a basic necessity for thousands of people around the globe. In a study conducted by Samsung, it is estimated that as much as 58 percent of the world’s population rely on smartphones on a daily basis. From getting directions to and restaurant recommendations to answering emails and ordering a new shirt, smartphones seem to be able to do just about anything. This hasn’t meant good things for the rest of the ways we consume information.

With the rise of smartphones over the past few decades, most of us spend much of our time now on social media and the digital world. According to a study from the Pew Research Center, in 2016, the average teenager spent about six hours a day texting, on social media, or online during their free time. Over the past decade, social media has moved from a periodic activity to a daily one. The time teens spend on social media has doubled since 2006, which is a huge cause for concern.

Teens are, of course, still reading. However, they’re reading much shorter texts, such as Facebook articles and Instagram captions. These, however, are not long, fully-developed articles that provokes deep thought, critical thinking and self-reflection. This doesn’t bode well for the transition for college, either. Imagine reading two-sentence captions or thirty second articles for most

of your high school career and then being expected to read 100 pages of an 800-page college textbook in one sitting!

Reading has so many benefits to all ages. Reading is great fun for many people, but it also has multiple benefits for your mental health, along with your critical thinking skills. By intently focusing on the words on the page and following the storyline, your brain takes in a significant amount of information. This type of stimulation is extremely healthy to your mind, as it sharpens the parts of your brain responsible for concentration and critical analysis.

Not only does reading help you sharpen your critical thinking skills, but it also helps improve overall brain function. Think about what happens when you continually work a muscle. That muscle eventually starts to grow and become stronger. Reading works the same way for your brain. The constant stimulation the brain experience while you read a book requires the brain to work in a way similar to how you work a muscle. This strengthens the separate parts of the brain that control your thinking and analyzing skills.

In the digital world we live in, smartphones are often our main form of communication with one another. But that doesn’t mean we need to be on them constantly. Setting a time limit, such as two to three hours of online time daily, is a good way to these bad habits. Reading books is the best way to become an informed consumer and learn how to think critically. So, pick up that book and start reading!

%&'(%

OLIVIA CATTABRIGA / ART DIRECTOR

Lindsay Gibbons can be contacted at lgibbons@kscequinox.com

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Thursday, February 28, 2019

Rock in the NOC

Jacqueline's movie mania

WKNH hosts an alternative concert for students KIANA WRIGHT

opinions Editor Keene State students had the chance to rock out and speak out Friday during Rock in the NOC thanks to WKNH. At 7 p.m. students rolled into the Night Owl Cafe to jam out to two bands: Plains and The Water Cycle. The audience head banged to the rhythm and jumped up and down while the bands performed alternative rock originals. Having an event event like this give students a exciting live performance on campus where they can feel safe and welcomed, WKNH event coordinator and radio host Matt Perkins explained.

“I’ve noticed that there is a pretty good sized music community that people like to go see music and having something that people can go see safely in a comfortable place that's right on campus...it’s a good spot.”

The live bands are not the only thing that makes this event special. After the bands finished their sets anyone and everyone in the audience was welcomed to go on stage and perform whatever they felt comfortable doing. Public Relations director of WKNH Emma Connelly said that the entire environment of it all makes that night so remarkable. “Everybody rocks out at the beginning and then the open mic happens and that's when it becomes pretty intimate, and people can express themselves… It’s a really nice environment where people just come out and they support each other, just have fun and enjoy music.”

Perkins said, “We’ve had different musical group that are on campus, different solo musicians, I’ve personally done a couple of the open mics we had, we’ve had bands form on that stage, we’ve had stand up comedians, we haven't had poetry yet, but it would be awesome if we did, but it’s open to anybody.”

WKNH was super excited to host the event again for the third time since they started last semester. Students showed the same kind of reactions; no matter if it was their first or third time going.

Senior Collin Coviello who is studying biology said he goes to all of the Rock in the NOC and really enjoyed the event as a whole.

"They have like just people from Keene, bands from out of town to jam, spread ideas, make music and like tell jokes and what not. I don't know what to expect because they're always different; that’s my other favorite part."

Adam Messina, a first year studying food and beverage entrepreneurship, said he will definitely be coming back to the next one because the music's great and he really likes the environment. “This is my first time actually - the band that just played was pretty awesome. Got me moving. Felt the need to dance."

Starting just last semester WKNH hopes to continue to host this event once every month in the Noc. They encourage all students to take this opportunity to join them and the bands in relaxing and then speaking and or listening during the open mic session afterwards.

Perkins said, “People who come really enjoy it. It’s always a fun time, super welcoming, and people just usually want to come again.”

For more information about WKNH or the Rock in the NOC see their Instagram @wknh91.3, their website at WKNH.org or visit their office on the third floor of the student center!

Kiana Wright can be contacted at kwright@kscequinox.com KIANA WRIGHT / OPINIONS EDITOR

On Friday, February 22, WKNH hosted an alternative rock concert in the Night Owl Cafe. The bands that played were Plains and The Water Cycle.

String Day

ANGELIQUE INCHIERCA / EQUINOX STAFF

The Umbrella Academy JACQUELINE PANTANO

Arts & EntErtAinmEnt Editor “The Umbrella Academy,” with its diverse twist on superheroes’ origin stories, developed tormented characters and highly dysfunctional family drama, has brought a surprising breath of fresh air to an extremely saturated genre. Superheroes are flooding small and big screens.

The CW has “Supergirl,” “The Flash” and “Arrow.” ABC has “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Cloak and Dagger.” Fox has “Gotham” and “Legion.” Hulu has “The Runaways,” Netflix has its own universe, with “The Defenders,” “Luke Cage,” “Iron Fist,” “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones” and “The Punisher.” DC has its own streaming site and has since released “Titans” and “Doom Patrol.”

Disney has its own billion-dollar franchise with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (called the MCU). Soon it will have its own streaming service, and the MCU superheroes will be hitting the Internet. Clearly, it is the time of superheroes. Netflix has just been stripped away of its successful Marvel TV shows by Disney.

Disney owns Marvel completely, and its own streaming site will be Netflix’s competitor. Despite the harsh lost, Netflix did not quit. “The Umbrella Academy” just came out.

Netflix did exactly what it does best: It took a genre, pulled its strings, manipulated its best qualities and created a dark, strange comedy with amusing, captivating characters.

“The Umbrella Academy” is a television show based on a comic series by Dark Comics.

It tells the story of seven children, six with extraordinary abilities, that get adopted by a distant, obsessive billionaire who wants to use them to fight crime and danger in the world.

He calls them the Umbrella Academy.

With a fanatic as a father, and a robot as their mother, the kids are raised with severe psychological issues.

Despite the comedy that lightens the mood of the show, the elements which deserve to be treated in depth and truthfully are depicted as they should. Cinema and TV’s superheroes tend to experience trauma in a very superficial manner.

They drink, take drugs, and carry the weight of the world far too well to have human emotions.

In “The Umbrella Academy,” the torment is real, and it is all too human. Sometimes the characters are just rich kids with neglectful parents. You have the pretty divorcee movie star, the aloof drug addict, the body builder/ soldier/astronaut, the quiet violinist, the copnow-vigilante and the intelligence assassin agent; they are the children of an absent billionaire.

It is not surprising at all. It is hard to write a superhero television show in a realistic manner; the foundation of the plot is inherently not realistic. However, “The Umbrella Academy” manages to do so.

It renders a superhero story real, perceptible, and therefore exciting, scary, capturing, overwhelming and deliciously entertaining.

Ten episodes, approximately an hour long each, are available to stream on Netflix.

They tell the fresh, new, old story of the Umbrella Academy’s weird, funny, heavily troubled superheroes, who are really just superhumans.

Jacqueline Pantano can be contacted at jpantano@kscequinox.com

PUJA THAPA / BUSINESS MANAGER

On Thursday, February 21, the Keene State college music department hosted String Day. The event went from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and featured a series of musicians. Performances including those by Keene State College students and the Apple Hill Quartet. High school students were also welcome to perform at the event.

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Thursday, February 28, 2019

Thanking fans

WKNH

Music madness

LAURA ROMANIELLO / EQUINOX STAFF

k n ! !

T A

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Kel Assouf CORALINE SEKSINSKY

WKNH Music Director

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T OLIVIA CATTABRIGA / ART DIRECTOR

Students react to Ariana Grande's new album KIANA WRIGHT

opiNioNs eDitor Singer, songwriter and actress Ariana Grande just released her newest album, “Thank you, Next” on Feb. 9. The single that shares same name as the album was released earlier on Nov. 3, 2018, only to be followed up by the music video airing Nov. 30. The song that included four of Grande’s past boyfriends was presented in a video that included some of the most popular movies of the 2000s. The album blew up social media; everyone had something to say about the “new” Grande and her newly released music.

Zach Robinson, a senior studying elementary education and dance education, said Grande has shown much growth towards becoming a mature adult. Robinson said, “Many of her actions in the early years of her career were childish and not smart in the public eye, but now she seems to have a good grip on reality and how she could be perceived.”

Adriana Daniel, a sophomore studying news media and history, said she started listening to the new album right when it was released. Daniel said that even though

most of the songs on the new album weren’t her cup of tea, she still enjoys other songs by Grande like “Dangerous Woman” and “My Favorite Part” with Mac Miller.

Even though “NASA,” “Bad Idea” and “Bloodline” were Robinson’s favorite on the album, he was still mesmerized by the “7 Rings” music video. “I thought ‘7 Rings’ was so much fun. It was so bougie (Bourgeoisie) and fabulous.

The outfits and cinematography were wonderful.” Daniels also agrees that Grande might just have a way to fascinate people with her music video skills. “The ‘Thank You, Next’ music video was actually amazing… that was good but the music wasn’t,” Daniels said.

Sophomore Matt Allen, who is studying communications, agrees with Daniel’s thoughts on the music video, and said, “It was cool how there were a lot of different scenes from other movies in the video. .But the other two (“7 Rings” and “Break Up With Your Girlfriend I’m Bored” videos) I really didn’t care for too much… It wasn’t really my sort of thing, and they were not as catchy to me.”

Even if Ariana Grande’s new album isn’t something that you have on repeat, you’ve probably heard it. Grande said in “Thank You, Next,” “God forbid something happens,

[at] least this song is a smash.” The world seems to agree.

According to musicbusinessworldwide.com, “Grande’s track ‘7 Rings’ officially accrued 14,966,544 global plays on Spotify on day one.” In an article posted by Billboard, they write that not only has she held the top three spots on Billboard hot 100 songs but, “Ariana Grande rewrites the record for the most simultaneous top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hits by a female artist, charting 11 songs in the region on the survey dated Feb. 23.” These 11 songs were all from the “Thank you, Next” album.

Allen thinks Grande’s music has been improving. Allen said, “It’s cool to see her keep making better and better music with each album.” Robinson said Grande might want some time off, “She just released two albums within six months, so I’m sure she needs time to recharge.” But we will see. What does Ariana have planned for us? All we have to say is “Thank you, Next.”

Kiana Wright can be contacted kwright@kscequinox.com

STAFF COMMENTARY

Rapper YNW Melly facing legal trouble JOSEPH GUZMAN

equiNox staff Late 2018 into 2019 it seems that a lot of different rappers have been detained and taken away in some capacity. Whether you’re a rainbow-haired internet titan or a struggling lyricist shaped by your surroundings in the streets, someone’s gonna find you.

The latest rising star that seems to be finding himself in and out of containment is young 19-year-old rapper/singer YNW Melly. Melly just recently announced on his Instagram that he was turning himself in. In his last statement he said, “I am turning myself in today I want you guys to know I love you and appreciate every single one of y’all, a couple months ago I lost my two brothers by violence and now the system want[s] to find justice...”

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This case began back in October 2015 when Pitchfork wrote that,“[Melly] allegedly fired a gun toward three other students near their high school. It was after this incident, Melly has said when he ‘was locked up,’ that he got the inspiration for ‘Murder on My Mind’: ‘I woke up and I had that chorus.’” The track “Murder on My Mind” was released roughly 17 months later on March 4, 2017.

He later mentioned he was going to be going into a “program” for six months due to negative music.

Almost three years later, Melly’s friends YNW Juvy, (19-year-old Christopher Thomas Jr), and YNW Sakchaser (21-yearold Anthony Williams) were found dead at 3:20 a.m. A couple of weeks passed by and Melly released a documentary highlighting his and his friends’ lives. At the end of the film, it is mentioned how all of them were

targets of a drive-by shooting, and how Sakchaser and Juvy lost their lives. Shortly after the documentary came out, Melly did an interview with the people who analyze lyrics in artist’s music at Genius.

When breaking down the lyrics of “Murder on My Mind” he mentioned that during the time he was frequently in jail, , he was facing issues because of this song.

People allegedly claimed he killed his friends who were a part of his song, and said he was a part of the alleged “drive-by shooting.”

Early January, Melly was collaborating with Kanye West and Lyrical Lemonade and released the song that seems to have broadened his audience more, called “Mixed Personalities.” At the time this was written, it garnered over 22 million views on Youtube. Only three days into the new year, Melly found himself locked up again

in reference to a former arrest. His mugshot has gone viral in the hip-hop community, showing him smiling devilishly into the camera. A week later he released his second project titled “We All Shine” from jail. He was released from the Lee County Jail on Jan. 25, 2019.

On Feb. 13, 2019 Melly posted a photo with Sakchaser and Juvy, and then announced that he will be going back to jail. Most recently, some new information popped up which could be tied to him turning himself in. On Feb. 22, it was announced that he is a suspect in the shooting of a deputy officer.

Joseph Guzman can be contacted at jguzman@kscequinox.com

The Kel Tamashek are a nomadic peoples from north-west Africa, inhabiting Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso predominantly. Their culture is tied heavily to the desert they have traversed as merchant, traders and warriors. For centuries, they were traders, farmers, and merchants of the Sahara. As colonialist forces began to hamper their nomadic existence, the Kel Tamashek began a long history of resisting these pressures. Through colonialism, and into the neo-colonialism days to today, the Kel Tamashek have resisted oppression via armed conflict. As technology advanced, and borders were drawn, the Kel Tamashek were driven into a place of deep poverty. From this rose a spirit of rebellion and wandering and pride. The word “Ishumar” as a phrase refers to young Kel Tamashek youth who wandered their region in search of employment and national pride.

The term also came to encompass the militancy found in these youthful dissidents to colonial oppression. As the number of Tamashek making music increased, the term become more synonymous with the music these rebels were making with electric guitars in Gaddafi-sponsored military bases.

Now that this is understood: The record we’re looking at today is a modern masterpiece of Ishumar music. It is the futurist culmination of the genre. Surely not the final frontier, but the fathers that is to be seen as of right now. Recorded in Brussels, the record is brilliant sonically.

It has the sharp guitar work Ishumar is known for, but possess a sonic clarity that is seldom seen in the genre. What it gives up in a raw grit it makes up for in its pleasurable listening experience, while still maintaining a driving sound. This record, after all, freaking rocks. For what can be said about the throbbing bass synths, lush organs and the subtle ambience that permeates the record, the bottom line is that it rocks. The drums punch big and clear and drive fast. At times, its like you’re speeding through the Sahara, at midnight, in a Jeep with no roof, just a roll cage. All the beautiful things that make Ishumar music what it is are here: The loving hypnotic guitar, stabbing phrases, syncopated odd meter drums. It’s all here, just thrown into the future. Advanced, pushed, in so many ways—one being how this music dissolves borders. The record was made in Europe, the drummer—Oliver Penu—is from Brussels. The producer and keyboardist—Sofyann Ben Youssef—is Tunisian. The front man and guitarist—Anana Ag Haroun—is from Niger. This record also puts its influence across borders. The record has a heavy debt to classic American rock as well as Electronic and ambient musics from across the globe.

On top of rocking, on top of pushing an essential music genre to new places—heck, it pushes a few genres to new places—this record is just expressive as all get out. There are times where I can know a record is amazing, but it just doesn't sink into my heart and become a repeat listen. That is not the case with this album. The expression, the breadth of expression displayed on this album, ensure repeat listens. It taps the humanity of the musicians, their experiences, and transmutes them wonderfully across the run of the record. The lows are not sappy or overly low, and the highs, if they are exhausting, are exhausting in the best ways. This record breaks the mold, but is not trying to frighten anyone away. This record is trying to get everyone to dance.

It invites all comers. It invites you.

Coraline Seksinsky can be contacted at wknhmusic@gmail.com

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Thursday, February 28, 2019

KSCEQUINOX.COM

adding another coat

SYDNEY ROBINSON / EQUINOX STAFF

On Tuesday, February 19, Keene State College students gathered in the Night Owl Cafe for a night of painting. Students painted a picture of "Two Birds Kissing" for the Valentine's Day themed event.

Students show their creative side at paint night JACQUELINE PANTANO

Arts & EntErtAinmEnt Editor On Tuesday night, students gathered at the Night Owl Café for Paint Night. Paint, paintbrushes and white canvases were there waiting for them.

Events coordinator Jennifer Mejia said these events are greatly appreciated by the students.

She said the last time they had a similar event, many students came and enjoyed it very much.

The theme for this paint night was Valentine’s Day. Senior Angela Jenks was instructing and following along with the students while they reproduced a painting of hers. The painting was Valentine’s Day themed. Two birds kissing on a tree. “[It is a way] to destress from school and all the work we all have to deal with on a daily basis,” Mejia said. She said it’s important for student to have free events like these. “A lot of people don’t like partying… not a lot of people can go to a paint bar if you are underage, [or] don’t have enough money,” she said.

Jenks said, “It’s important for students to get involved around campus and to do things that make [them] uncomfortable. Get out of [their] comfort zone… I love seeing people that don’t do art. It’s nice giving them feedback on how they can improve and seeing where they go from that feedback.”

Jenks is a graphic and studio art major. She works in the office of student involvement and designs the posters for the events taking place in the Student Center. Jenks added that working on an art project is a very good way to relieve stress.

It’s one of the reasons why she likes studio art.

Students had positive opinions on the event.

Sophomore Kirsten Somero had never attended a paint night before. She just transferred from a community college and said she is very excited to be able to participate to events like these.

When asked if she would come again, Somero said, “Definitely… it’s fun… [It makes you] feel like you are actually part of the college.” Sophomore Kelsi Lord was happy she could fit it in her busy schedule. She said likes to paint and likes participating in events like these. Sophomore Bella Nunziata said she likes painting very much. She likes coming to events like these. She said, “It brings people together, it’s calming... it breaks up the day”.

The line of students went all the way to the hall in front of the Night Owl Café. Students were chatting, painting and enjoying the refreshments provided by the event organizers and the NOC. The event was successful.

Mejia invited students to attend the Social Activity Council meetings at 6 p.m. on Thursdays in the Madison Street Lounge. She said they love to know what students are thinking. They are trying to provide the best events and activities for the student body.

Jenks will be helping students at another paint night on Feb 24. This time, there will also be karaoke. Students enjoy these events. Art is a good way to relieve stress.

To contact student involvement, email studentinvolvement@keene.edu or call 603-358-2662.

Jacqueline Pantano can be contacted at jpantano@kscequinox.com

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STUDENT LIFE

Student Life, B1

Chili cook-off Thursday, February 28, 2019

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SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN / ADMINISTRATIVE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

The Administrative Staff Association held a chili cook off in the student center Wednesday February 20, 2019. Cups of chili for tasting were aviailable for $1, a bowl for $5, and baked goods for $2.

Faculty and Staff help raise money for student scholarships JACK HANSON

Student Life editor The Administrative Staff Association is helping raise money for scholarships offered to students. The Association is one of the many groups on campus made up of faculty and staff from different departments who help the school and students.

The Association hosted a Chili Cook-off in the student center on Feb. 20 to help raise funds for the President Promise scholarship.

Representatives from Health and Wellness, Keene State Dining, the office of Multicultural Student Support and Success and many more were there with homemade chili to sell. A chili tasting was available for $1, a bowl of chili for $5, and bakery goods for $2.

Hunter Kirschner, Program Support Assistant for LGBTQ Students in the office of Multicultural Student Support and Success, said it was a great decision to put the money raised into scholarship funds.

“We’ve been talking about it for a while and this

semester we finally decided to do something... When we were discussing where the funds we raise should go, yes, the scholarship that Melinda Treadwell started seemed wonderful and a great way to give back to our students and fulfill their missions at college,” Kirschner said.

Vice President of Student Affairs Kemal Atkins said higher education has become very expensive and scholarships could help make college available to more students.

“We have populations of students who are coming, not even to Keene State, that are going to college all across the country don’t have the household means to pay for college themselves. The scholarship opportunities that are available whether they are based on need or merit or the combination of the two helps reduce the cost of higher education,” Atkins said. “If you don’t have to work and worry about finances, then students can focus on studying and getting the most out of the experience they have here on campus, inside and outside of the classroom.”

Sophomore Isaac Keehn said although he doesn’t and grants page on Keene’s official website. need scholarships, they are a great help to him.

The KSC Annual Gift and endowed Scholarship “I have a scholarship for Sustainable Product Design, application is available now through the deadline and there is a certain amount I’m being granted each Monday April 15, 2019. year over the next four years and that’s helping me to stay here,” Keehn said. “But I would still be able to Jack Hanson can be contacted at come to Keene if I didn’t.” jhanson@kscequinox.com.

Although he thinks the intention was great, sophomore Jack Farley thinks events like this need to happen more and be more planned out.

“We have populations of stu“It wasn’t advertised that well. I think if you really dents who are coming, not even want to help out the students it needs to be advertised more. There were no flyers, posters, no emails or whatto Keene State, that are going ever. No one really knew it was happening and it’s just to college all across the country kind of barren. But it’s a really good attempt and they should do more stuff like this,” Farley said. don’t have the household means Atkins also encourages students to look out for more to pay for college themselves.” events put on by the Administrative Staff Association like the Chili Cook-Off. If any students would like to learn more about scholarships, information can be found on the scholarships

- Kemal Atkins

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Thursday, February 28, 2019

Offering a helping hand

NINA KJALIJIC / EQUINOX STAFF

Math Center provides numerous resources for students SELENA LEGACY

Equinox Staff In the Fall 2018 semester, the Math Center administered 341 quizzes and tests and had 259 visits to drop-in tutoring. In Fall 2017, there were 102 students who signed in 589 times.

Keene State’s Math Center is commonly used among students with a math major, but the Center urges that any student is free to use the helpful opportunities and resources.

Math Center testing coordinator Lisha Hunter shared that, “There’s a piece of our culture as a whole that is very accepting of this idea that math is terrible and that it’s okay to be terrible at math. And [while] it’s true some will struggle with it more than others, [math] is a fact of life. We (the Math Center) would love to be a part in that shift that says, ‘math is hard, but it is a skill everyone can get better at, and we will give you the resources and the time to get better at it.’

Some students feel overwhelmed and nervous about the Math Center and asking for help.

“Many hear on the first day in the syllabus, here’s the math center, and here’s what we offer. If students were feeling apprehensive we would suggest to just give it a try once,” Hunter said.

The Math Center provides numerous options for help.

“We have four different areas where we offer help: Assessment and proficiency testing, drop in tutoring with one-on-one tutoring for certain classes. Another component is the PCAs (Peer Course Assistants), which offers in class support, and the fourth piece that we offer is help with the praxis exam for education majors,” Hunter said.

The Math Center is open for drop in Monday through Thursday. Hunter said the goal of the Math center is, “To provide a comfortable and relaxed place to come and do mathematics. We want to have a space where students know that they can come and find a group of people who want to help them, who want to see them succeed and even convey that mathematics is fun, and to be helpful to students,” Hunter said.

The Math Center is always looking for ways to make things more suitable for the students.

In Hunter’s years at KSC, she was also a math tutor and hopes that students will see how accessible and comfortable the environment truly is.

One of the head tutors and PCAs, Nicholas Ahlgren, works one-on-one with many students. He sees about 5 students a week regularly for tutoring.

“My main goal being a tutor is to help a student succeed in a math class when they know what they are doing and need extra guidance here and there, or if they had a bad mathematical upbringing, and help them learn from those issues,” Ahlgren said.

Ahlgren is a senior and has been tutoring since his freshman year. Through the years he has definitely seen a change is the way he has tutored.

“Before, I was more group oriented. Now I’m more individual, but I want to help each and every student do their problems that they need to. I’ll do problems with you then let you do some on your own,” Ahlgren said.

Ahlgren does customize and accommodate for each student he tutors.

“I would increase our hours if we had the ability to, we would love to be more out there on campus to increase students,” Ahlgren said.

Each student that comes into the math center explains the class they are taking, and then a tutor will be assigned. The student will also have to fill out a form for what they are really trying to get out of this experience.

“I’m hoping that since I won’t be here next fall that I can give new experience to the new PCAs who want to help the Math Center. Newer PCAs are going to need to learn how to adapt,” Ahlgren said.

A student Ahlgren tutors is Jackson Turni, a secondary education major, who spends most of his days at the Math Center and the mathematics building in general.

“I come probably every day—I have a math class every day—then come in here (the Math Center) all the time to do work,” Turni said.

The Math Center truly helps students, Turni says,

and without the facility he feels like he wouldn’t be where he is today.

“The class I’m in right now is very challenging, and the resources that are here are very helpful and have helped me learn a lot more,” Turni said.

The Math Center provides almost everything, Turni says. The only thing they lack is being open on the weekends as well.

“Last week I was here from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Ahlgren has a study session til 8, and he stayed extra to make sure I fully understood what I was doing and helped me get it all done,” Turni said.

Turni has definitely put in the hours and it sure has payed off. He will more than likely continue with the program for the rest of his years here at KSC. “I’m very [grateful] this is free, but I would still ask about the options,” Turni said.

He wants other student who might be on the fence about the Math Center to just give it a try.

“Just show up. There’s always a tutor here that will help during the week, and there are also other students willing to help as well,” Turni said.

Selena Legacy can be contacted at selena.legacy@ksc.keene.edu

Seniors react to graduation WILLIAM PATTI

Equinox Staff

day life. I would say that the professors in the safety department held us to a higher standard and left us very well prepared for what was to come after school.”

Dr. Patti was also asked what he liked most about senior year, to which he replied “Senior year was full of so many memories it’s too hard to choose my favorite one. At the end of my last semester, we had the pub crawl. A couple of girls from our grade were nice enough to organize it and separate all the people who wanted to go into teams. This was one of the most fun times of my senior year. I didn’t know everyone on my team and I got to make new friends and memories that will last forever. Shortly pub crawl, as the semester was coming to an end we had to go pick up our year books.

I remember getting mine, sitting down by the stand and watching everyone else going to get their yearbooks. Some I knew, some I didn’t. That’s when it hit me that I may never seen some of these people again. It’s a scary thought but I can tell you from experience that those close friendships you made over these last four years, and the memories you’ve made with them never go away.

Those last forever.”

Both seniors who were interviewed expressed worry for the future, but also

seemed eager to start the next chapter of life. One of the main concerns expressed by both Logan and Bryce was finding a job in an area they wanted to live. In speaking to the alumni it becomes apparent that this worry is natural and although it n may not seem Job Applicatio like it, college has done its job in preparing students for life after school.

William Patti can be contacted at wpatti@kscequinox.com.

“Senior year was full of so many memories it’s too hard to choose my favorite one.”

-Dr. Anthony Patti

OLIVIA CATTABRIGA / EQUINOX STAFF

Senior year is an extremely exciting and memorable time: It is the climax of the college experience, and it signifies the start of the next chapter of life. Among all the excitement, worry of what’s to come after graduation grows as the year comes closer to its end. Although the purpose of college is education, it’s very much a social experience. Lifelong friendships are forged and memories are made. Although some seniors can be nervous for life after Keene State, all are excited to reach the goal they have been working towards for 4 years.

When asked if he had any concerns about post graduation life, Logan Felix, senior, Occupational Safety and Environmental Studies double major said, “My biggest concern is not finding a job, like I was telling you earlier, I have already been denied for 6 or 7 jobs I applied for,” he said. When asked if there was any advice he would give a freshmen Logan said, “Try to make friends, that’s really important. Don’t really stress, but it does go by really quickly, make time to do what you want to do, and what you need to do, but don’t stress yourself out. Also, getting an internship is really

important.”

Another Keene State Senior and Biology major Bryce Chouinard said he was excited for somethings but not for others, “I’m definitely excited to not have to take tests or do homework anymore, but I’d also say I’m worried about getting a job I like in a place I want to live after I graduate,” he said.

Keene State Alumni Dr. Anthony Patti graduated with a degree in Occupational Safety, was asked how well he felt Keene State prepared him for life after college, “College is a great tool for preparing for the real world. A lot of the things I learned in school are helpful in my everyday life. I often reference old PowerPoints and course materials from the classes I took at Keene to help with my job. In one of my classes, the professor brought in a rep form Edge Eyewear, a safety glasses manufacturer. He showed us the tests they perform on the glasses to ensure they go above and beyond OSHA requirements. When i first started my job, I saw the safety glasses we were using and suggested we switch to Edge Eyewear. The employees really appreciated the change as the glasses from Edge are much higher quality. I’m glad I can take what I learned at Keene and apply it to my every-

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STUDENT LIFE / B3

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Library supplies more than just books CLAIRE BOUGHTON

Equinox staff No matter your grade, everyone has had at least one class or one assignment that has been, put simply, a struggle. Whether it be a required class that you have to pass for your major or a research paper worth 15% of your final grade, we have all been there, and we can all agree that it is daunting.

However, Keene State College has an amazing place filled with resources and individuals ready to help you through that class or assignment that is stressing you out. That place is the Mason Library, right on Appian Way. The Mason Library is not only a great place to go for some quiet time or if you need to check out a book, it is also a place where you can get help from qualified individuals who have been trained to problem-solve.

Tom Lupetin, a sophomore here at Keene State, and Emily “Fern” Fernandes, a freshman, both work at the help desk in the library and both underwent the long process to get qualified for their jobs. Fernandes spoke about the class she had to take for her job where she learned all about “how to find real sources, primary resources, what library anxiety is, and how to [...] help individual students […] find specific research.” Lupetin discussed how he was also trained in teaching students how to navigate databases to further their ability to research successfully on their own. All help desk staff undergo the same training in order to make sure that they are capable of helping whatever student with whatever issue they may come across.

As well as that, the majority of the help desk staff also work at the writing center. Celia Rabinowitz, the Dean of Mason Library, spoke about how the help desk staff, like Lupetin and Fernandes, are “trained to do writing center tutoring and to do research support.”

The help desk is far from the only resource the Mason Library offers students, however.

The library also offers study nights which are sponsored by the ASPIRE program and held in the Mason Library. Rabinowitz spoke on the topic, saying that “there is… a correlation, we

Cook’s culinary comments AUSTIN COOK

Equinox staff

LUKE STERGIOU / PHOTO EDITOR

don’t know that one causes the other, but there is some correlation between students who come” and a better academic experience.

Another popular resource Mason Library offers is the Green Bikes. These bikes can be seen right outside the entrance to the library and they can be rented for either two weeks or an entire semester. Renting bikes is very simple. Rabinowitz explained the process, saying, “The bike will have a tag with a number on them, pull off the tag with the number, bring that in with your I.D., we take the tag with the number, we give you the lock for the bike… and tell us if you want

the bike for two weeks or the semester.” Simple as that.

From bike rentals to the help desk, Mason Library has resources of all sorts to help the student body. Whether you are having trouble on a research paper, need help figuring out a work cited page, or even just need a fast way to get around campus, the library is a great place to go to solve any of those problems.

Claire Boughton can be contacted at cboughton@kscequinox.com.

Alumn of KSC SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN / ADMINISTRATIVE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

An inside look at what it’s like to work at your alma mater.

The Elm City Brewing Company serves more than just beer: It serves good food with hospitality. This casual full-service restaurant is tucked away in a restored 18th-century colonial textile mill that highlights lots of exposed reclaimed brick and wood. It also has outdoor seating available pending weather conditions. Elm City Brewing Company (ECB) is located a mile from the center of Keene State College in the Colony Mill Market at 222 West Street in Keene.

The restaurant has a warm and pleasant atmosphere. The rustic feeling of the mill is a perfect setting to come with friends, a date, or just by yourself. There is not a bad seat in the house as the exposed brick and woodwork project a comfortable and welcoming feeling.

ECB offers many dining options to its customers. The menu showcases typical pub sandwiches and burgers, higher-end entrees like New York strip steak and a handful of pasta dishes. There seems to be something for everyone here.

During my visit, I chose the Blues Burger with fries. ECB serves this burger with caramelized onions and gobs of blue cheese. My burger was cooked and seasoned perfectly as ordered. It was juicy but not greasy. The onions added just enough sweetness to soften the sharpness of the blue cheese. The flavors of the blue cheese and onions meshed so well with the

beef of the burger that it was simply delicious. The fries are salty, seasoned and have a good crunch to them. The burger is also served with a fresh leaf of lettuce, tomato, and onions. Other than the lettuce, I did not put any of the toppings on my burger, because it would have been too much on one burger.

ECB is reasonably priced for the portion you receive. A sandwich is around $10. Premium entrees are more expensive and range $17 to $24. Appetizers are a bit high and can run you around $10 each. So, be aware of what you are ordering, as the price can really stack up if you order an appetizer, a drink, or dessert with your meal.

The service was good overall. I found my server friendly and attentive. I was greeted and attended to throughout my time there. The staff at the bar engaged in casual conversation with customers, making a relaxed atmosphere. Overall, the staff was prompt and the service fast. I was there for just a half hour in total.

Despite my bill being higher than what I would have liked, I enjoyed ECB. The Elm City Brewery is in a great location, offers highquality food, and the staff provides quality service. I recommend eating there, and I will go back again.

Austin Cook can be contacted at acook@kscequinox.com

T h i s W e e k

Rodger Martin

Journalism, Multimedia, and Public Relations Lecturer Equinox Advisor “I’ve always believed in public education-the concept that the public has a right to education and knowledge to help them level the playing field between those that have and those who are too often barricaded from having.

The Journalism Department needed someone who loved language enough to demand its journalist create clear, concise, accurate, active voice prose. Anyone who knows me knows I love politics and I love language, of which journalism has both, and that demands

KSCEQUINOX.COM

commitment.

What was the transition like going form student to staff? The transition from student to faculty wasn’t hard at all. I was an adult M ED graduate student in 1979 and I didn’t start at KSC until 1998.

Watching young adults develop that passion for learning a thing and then explaining that thing to others so those others can make rational decisions is the bedrock of a self governing society. The Equinox is one of the finest small school student news media orga-

nizations in the United States (take a peak in MAC 160 if you don’t believe me) and many of our graduates are cream that rises to the top of nearly every type of media in the country.

How can one not be happy to be part of that?”

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STUDENT LIFE / B4

Thursday, February 28, 2019

what’s happening in

March

1 h c Marizzlers

Stay Connected: dineoncampus.com/keene

@keenedining

S C D e h t in

7 h c r Ma ies:

r DIY Se wls o B n i Gra

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un F a e v Ha & Safe k Brea g n i r Sp

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To write for Student Life contact:

Student Life Jack Hanson

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World News/ B5 Thursday, February 28, 2019

WORLD NEWS Plan for cities to go green

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Officials call for regulations after Robert Kraft charges BOB SALSBERG

AssociAted Press

AP PHOTO/CHARLES KRUPA

Emily Reichert, CEO of Greentown Labs, listens to a question prior to a tour at the company in Somerville, Mass., Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. Mass. House Speaker Robert DeLeo has unveiled a plan to invest $1 billion over the next 10 years aimed at helping local cities and towns adopt new technologies designed to cut greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen infrastructure projects and reduce municipal costs.

US keeps air pollution standard established under Obama MATTHEW BROWN

AssociAted Press BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. environmental regulators on Tuesday announced they are leaving intact an air quality standard for power plant pollution that can worsen asthma in children, despite calls by health advocates for a tougher rule.

The move keeps in place a threshold for sulfur dioxide pollution established in 2010 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Barack Obama. Sulfur dioxide comes from burning coal to produce electricity and from other industrial sources.

Advocacy groups including the American Lung Association had urged EPA to lower the amount of the pollution it allows, from 75 parts per billion of sulfur dioxide in ambient air to 50 parts per billion.

The existing standard puts millions of people at increased risk of asthma attacks, said Janice Nolen, the association's vice president.

On the other side of the issue, the American Petroleum Institute contended the Obama-era rules were overly stringent and wanted them relaxed.

EPA regulators rejected the calls for change, saying a lengthy review confirmed the existing standard was both necessary and sufficient to protect public health.

Studies show people with asthma can experience problems following just five minutes of exposure to air with elevated sulfur dioxide levels, the EPA concluded. But the agency said the 2010 air quality threshold provided "an adequate margin of safety" from the pollutant's damaging health effects.

Emissions of the pollutant dropped sharply in recent decades due to industry regulations and the declining use of coal among electric utilities.

Between 2010 and 2016, sulfur dioxide emissions nationwide dropped 64 percent, according to the EPA. Nevertheless, areas of 17 states and two U.S. territories remained out of compliance with the 2010 standard as of last month, according to EPA records. More than 3 million people live in those areas, Nolen said.

A main reason it's taking so long to get full compliance is the heavy workload involved, said Janet McCabe, a former senior official at EPA under Obama. Government officials first must figure out which power plants are causing the pollution, and then work with companies on plans to reduce it.

"It takes years," McCabe, said. "Recognizing that all that time, people are exposed to levels of sulfur dioxide that the EPA has deemed not to be healthy." ___ Follow Matthew Brown at https://twitter.com/matthewbrownap

BOSTON (AP) — Attorney General Maura Healey renewed her call on Tuesday for passage of legislation that would tighten state laws around the licensing and regulation of massage therapy and bodyworks in Massachusetts, in the aftermath of allegations that New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft paid for sex at a massage parlor in Florida.

Healey, a Democrat, said she found the charges against Kraft to be "deeply troubling and disturbing," and expressed confidence that authorities would "do their job" in prosecuting the case.

Kraft is among hundreds of men accused as part of a crackdown on prostitution allegedly occurring in massage parlors in Florida.

He faces two misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution and has denied wrongdoing.

Police said Kraft was videotaped in Jupiter, Florida, engaging in a sex act on Jan. 19 , then returned to the establishment the following day before flying to the AFC championship game in Kansas City.

Healey, who says her office has prosecuted dozens of sex trafficking cases, is among sponsors of a bill that would overhaul rules and regulations for Massachusetts businesses that offer massage therapy and bodyworks and sets a code of ethics for the profession.

While state law already requires licensing of massage therapy, the measure would close a loophole in state law by setting the same requirements for those who run bodyworks facilities. The attorney general's office cites several cases of operators advertising themselves as "bodyworks" services to evade state licensing rules and use the unregulated businesses for illegal human trafficking.

Bodywork therapists often use techniques such as cupping used to relieve pain and increase blood flow, and approaches other than massage to improve a person's overall physical and mental condition.

The measure, filed prior to the Florida case involving Kraft, would restructure a seven-member licensure board and would include one member from law enforcement with a background in human trafficking investigations.

"This is not a victimless crime," Healey said of prostitution during her monthly "Ask the AG" program Tuesday on WGBHFM. "At the other end there is always someone's mother, daughter, sister, and they don't want to be there."

In one recent case prosecuted by the state, Healey's office won human trafficking and money laundering convictions against a Medford woman accused of using massage parlors as fronts for human trafficking, and of bringing women to the state to engage in prostitution. Xiu Chen, 38, was sentenced in December to five years in prison.

The attorney general and Kraft have worked together in the past on issues related to sexual violence.

In 2015, Healey and the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation partnered to launch Game Change, an educational program focused on encouraging healthy relationships among adolescents and preventing dating violence and sexual assault.

She and Kraft hosted an annual student leadership event for the program at Gillette Stadium last October.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday said he was shocked and disappointed to hear of the allegations against Kraft, while adding that cracking down on sexual exploitation and trafficking has been a high priority for his administration.

Baker, who attended the Patriots' Super Bowl victory in Atlanta last month, declined to offer an opinion when asked if he thought Kraft should step aside from direct control of the team.

"I think that's an issue for the Patriots and the NFL," he said. ___ This story has been corrected to show the bill would license and regulate just bodyworks, not massage therapists, which are already licensed and regulated.

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Sports / B6

Thursday, February 28, 2019

LUKE STERGIOU / PHOTO EDITOR

Grade’A’ athlete Sullivan maintains a 4.0 GPA while being on the women’s lacrosse team IZZY HARRIS

Equinox Staff With only 24 hours in a day, Keene State College Senior Samantha Sullivan makes the most of every minute of it.

Sullivan is currently the president of Social Activities Council, student teaches in Brattleboro, is a member of the Math Club, Math Honor Society, Student Athlete Honor Society and is also a captain of the lacrosse team.

On top of all of this, Sullivan is able to maintain a 4.0 GPA. “I only had certain windows that I could really do my work, and that made me more focused and on task,” said Sullivan.

Sullivan said a typical day in the life for her is waking up at 6:30 a.m. to leave for student teaching

at 7:30 a.m., leaving Brattleboro to come back to Keene at 4:30 p.m. or later, and then heading back to lacrosse practice from 6-8 p.m.

“I have lacrosse Monday through Friday and then on Saturdays too, so my day off is Sunday,” Sullivan said.

Katie Clark is the head Women’s Lacrosse Coach at KSC. “She’s a very hardworking player. She has great leadership ability, it’s kind of the person she is. She does a great job of leading by example,” said Clark.

“She works hard, she keeps a good attitude, [has a] light hearted sense of humour, she can balance it all and still focus on what she’s at task with,” Clark said.

“I want her to have a good season and for her to feel like she left it all on the field,” said Clark.

Vincent Ferlini is a Mathematics Professor here at Keene State, and is also Sullivan’s advisor.

“I’m talking from the perspective of her mathematics instructor, I’ve had [her] for two classes, in both classes she was the best student. [She] worked very hard, [and] achieved the best performance in both classes. She takes a lot of pride in presenting her work accurately and clearly too,” Ferlini said.

Ferlini said Sullivan is, “Friendly, very personable, very upbeat, with a nice ability to connect with high school kids, her peers, and her professors. She’s very comfortable in all those settings.”

“I can use her as an example as somebody who has taken advantage of a lot of the opportunities at Keene State, and has gone out into the world very well qualified for what she wants to do,” said Ferlini.

When Sullivan graduates college she said she wants to, “...be a high school math teacher, because I want to help change kids’ attitudes against math so

they can be successful individuals.”

Sullivan said, “Math is a subject that teaches so many transferable skills like hard work, attention to detail, and perseverance—not just numbers. There are also so many opportunities to travel and explore through teaching.”

Ferlini said, “In spite of all these pressures, she’s managed to get things done, and get them done in a superb manner. She’s maintained in excellence in spite of all this work, she’s still Samantha.”

“She’s going to touch a lot of people’s lives, just by being herself. I hope she realizes she’s going to do that, and she’s an important person to have in kids’ lives these days,” said Clark.

Izzy Harris can be contacted at iharris@kscequinox.com

Owls win L.E.C. Championship

SOREN FRANTZ / SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Keene State Men’s basketball team won the LEC championship against rival Eastern Connecticut 72-69. This is the Owls third championship in the last five years. Nichols was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, scoring 37 points – 25 in the second half – as the Owls won their 12th straight game.

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Sports / B7

Luke’s Kickin’ Column

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Double trouble

What’s Going on with Toronto FC? LUKE STERGIOU

Photo Editor For the past few Major League Soccer seasons, Toronto FC has made an incredible rise from a bottom of the conference team to MLS Cup champions in 2017. The Canadian club was on cloud nine- Boasting an all-star squad which contained the like of Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore, winning the Eastern Conference and the MLS Cup for the first time in the club’s history. A year has passed, and Toronto FC couldn’t even qualify for the playoffs this year. So what’s going on with Toronto FC? The 2018 season was definitely another season to forgot for Toronto.

Feeling good after winning MLS Cup, fans and pundits alike predicted Toronto to continue it’s form into the following season. But early on, the side started to crumble. The players looked unmotivated and the team was losing games left and right. Toronto had the second worst defense in the Eastern Conference last season, which only added to the side’s misery in the 2018. Toronto lost several games at home and the Canadian side were essentially playing in the shadow of their fairytale season in 2017.

It’s safe to say that Toronto fans will definitely forget about the club’s horrific 2018 season and look forward to a new start in 2019. Although Toronto has not been too busy in the transfer window, only bringing back former LAFC and Montreal Impact defender Laurent Ciman to help improve the club’s defense. Even the signing of the Belgium international has fans skeptical. While Ciman has had great success in the MLS, notably with Montreal Impact and a short stint with LAFC, the defender does prove to be inconsistent at times. So fans are weary of how he will perform this upcoming season, especially since he played for Toronto’s rivals Montreal Impact. Needless to say the Canadian Classique will be very interesting for Ciman.

2019 has not started out well for the Canadian side either. The club’s first game in the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) proved to be a disaster, losing 4-0 to Argentine Side Independiente FC in Panama.

Independiente exposed Toronto in all the wrong ways, breaking down the defense very easily and constantly bringing the high pressure attack. Toronto conceded within the first 10 minutes of the game, eventually breaking the team down to the point where the Canadian side looked so unmotivated to play. The Reds will play leg two in Toronto at BMO Field, and the club will have to do things very differently if they want to have any chance of making a run in the CCL. There are many things going wrong for Toronto FC that it’s hard to pinpoint what exactly the problem is. Could it be that manager Greg Vanney has done his time at the club and a new manager is needed? Is it because there is not a sufficient amount of squad depth and Toronto needs to sign more players? Either way, Toronto FC need a huge win against Independiente if they want to start the 2019 MLS season with any positive momentum.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

LUKE STERGIOU / PHOTO EDITOR

Gauthier twins compete same events at the LEC track and field championship AUSTIN SMITH

Equinox Staff Team chemistry is a big part of having a strong season; luckily for the track team, they have two athletes whose chemistries are almost identical.

Skyler and Alexis Gauthier are both runners on the track team. The two run the same events and have been competing together since middle school.

Both Skyler and Alexis grew up in Swanzey, NH, and attended Monadnock Regional High School where they did indoor as well as outdoor track and field and cross country.

At Keene State, the twins compete in indoor and outdoor track and field, as well as cross country.

The girls are now preparing to compete at the New England Division III Championships at Bowdoin College in Brunswick Maine.

Alexis explained that the twins are very close and work out together frequently. Alexis said, “We’re always training together, I think both of us like having someone to train with so it makes things a lot better.”

Both of them run hurdles, jumps and multis, and are competing in the New England Division III Championships on Friday and Saturday. [Multis in track stand for multiple events for women’s indoor track these consist of the 800 meter run, the 60 meter hurdles, the long jump, the high

jump and shot put.]

At the LEC Championship at Plymouth State last Saturday, Alexis won the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 9.53 seconds, beating her sister by 6 hundredths of a second. Skyler came in second at 9.59 seconds.

The girls are very competitive with each other both during workouts and in meets, Skyler said, “I feel like we’re more competitive with each other than we are with other teams, for some reason. We’ve always been like that even throughout high school.”

Coach Nick Athanasopoulos said, “Sometimes you can sense some competitiveness between the two more so than you can sense competitiveness between two individuals in general.”

Often times people get identical twins confused. Athanasopoulos said he does not have that problem, “I’ve known them since they were freshman in high school, I did a little coaching over at Monadnock when they were there.”

Alexis had a slow start caused by some nagging injuries. She said, “I had more injuries this season coming off of cross country, so it was hard for me to transition into training with the team because I was trying to focus on getting myself healthy again.”

Once she got healthy, Alexis began to have a great year. ”I didn’t start competing until the second meet after break, but once I started going I was continuously PRing,” Alexis said.

[In track and field a PR stands for a personal record, which is your career personal best for an event.]

When talking about the season so far, Skyler said, “It started off a little slow, but definitely the training is catching up now, finally so PRs are happening almost every meet.”

Indoor track has a long season, spanning from Dec. 1 to March 9. In this time period there are 16 meets.

While they are very competitive with each other, the twins push each other to be better. Skyler said, “We definitely push each other, we’re always giving each other advice on things and helping each other.”

Sometimes with competition comes trash talk; that is not the case with these two. Skyler said, “Actually we’re more supportive of each other.”

Skyler then said, “I was warming up for hurdles and high jump, and Alexis was already long jumping so I was warming up around the long jump area.”

Through all of the training and meets they compete in together, they see the work they put in pay off. Alexis said, “You get to see all of the work since we’re training together, you get to see all of the workouts and progression that we have throughout the season, so it’s nice knowing everything ended up working out.”

Austin Smith can be contacted at asmith@kscequinox.com

Future of KSC softball

Softball team holds clinics for potential KSC players and Keene youth CAILLA PRISCO

SPortS Editor Keene State softball wants Keene youth to keep playing the beautiful game by offering three softball clinics on consecutive sundays during the month of February. These clinics are all taught by Head Coach Carrah Fisk, Assistant Coach Britney Hinkley, and the Keene State softball players.

Coach Fisk also offers a Keene Babe Ruth Softball clinic specifically for the Keene community.

“We want the young players in our area to receive quality instruction from their coaches, especially if they cannot take advantage of the clinics we offer on campus or the softball camp I run in the summer, so that they fall in love with the game” said Fisk.

These Keene State clinics are also available to potential Keene State players that want to see how they would fit in on this

team.

Senior and first baseman Courtney Votto says that it “brings the community together.”

“We are here for them not for ourselves.

We want to be able to keep the passion in these younger girls because so many girls stop playing sports at a certain age and we just want to keep that going for them” said Votto.

After attending the second clinic Votto said they “Have all been going really well.”

Upperclassman have divided up the stations. Pitchers and catchers practice in one place, and the rest work on hitting, so it’s been one big group effort from the whole team to make sure we help everyone” said Votto.

Sophomore and Outfielder Cassie Woods will start her second season this year and has been involved in these clinics before.

“I like that we do these clinics because we get to meet some of the girls that may be

coming to Keene State next season so to see their skill level and how they play is really cool for us” said Woods.

The clinics run for three hours from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and go over everything like fielding, pop-ups, and rounders.

“We do all the skill stuff and then at the end we play one big scrimmage game with everyone which is really fun” said Woods.

Softball practice has started for the season with their first game coming up in three weeks.

“Consistent hitting is one thing the team really needs to improve on, we have a lot of great players so if we can just keep up the good work throughout the game we will go far this season’ said Votto.

Keene State softball will be playing their first game at Olivet College in Florida on Sunday, March 10.

Cailla Prisco can be contacted at cprisco@kscequinox.com

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SPORTS

Sports / B8

Thursday, February 28, 2019

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Four points for the win

SOREN FRANTZ/ SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Keene State College Men’s basketball team beat the Eastern Connecticut Warriors 72-69 in a rivalry game where Ty Nicholas was awarded most outstanding player in the Little East Conference.

Owl’s beat Warriors 71-69 and progress to the first round of NCAA ADRIANA SANCHEZ

Social Media director The Keene State Men’s Basketball team won the LEC championship against Eastern Connecticut this past Saturday.

The men’s basketball team played against Western Connecticut in the semi-finals and won with a score of 80-107. Senior and 2019 LEC Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament Most Outstanding Player Ty Nichols had 27 points, Sophomore James Anozie had 22 points, two-time LEC rookie of the week Edwin Ezedonmwen had 15 points and Sophomore had Sidi Diallo had 10 points.

The Owls faced the Eastern Connecticut Warriors in the finals after the Warriors beat UMass Dartmouth with a score of 79-74.

This was the third consecutive matchup of the Owls and Warriors in the LEC finals, and fifth consecutive appearance for the Owls in the LEC finals.

The game started off with a packed gym of 2,100 people. All-time leading scorer Ty Nichols ended the game with 37 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

The Owls had help from Nyzair Rountree with nine points, five rebounds and two assists, and Sidi Diallo helped out with seven points and two assists.

The crowd booed when former Keene State player Jake Collagan, now a Warrior, had the ball. The rivalry between both teams showed when there was some back to back talk with players from both sides.

The game started off with the Owls taking a lead when Ezedonmwen hit a three and a slam dunk by Rountree, which got the crowd into the game. The Warriors came back with eleven points and kept the lead for the rest of the first half. The Owls kept fighting back and ended the first half with a one point difference, but the Warriors still kept the lead of 34-33.

Head coach Ryan Cain, who was also named LEC coach of the year, said, “The first half was a bit frustrating. We didn’t play good but we ended up turning it around.”

Keeneowls.com reported that Eastern Connecticut kept having buckets to start off the beginning of the second half, which put the score at 42-33 at the 16:32 mark. With 6:45 remaining, Miguel Prieto made it a four point game, 60-56, when he shot inside. With less

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than three minutes to go Nichols fired back and had a triple, making it a two-point game. With a minute and 20 seconds left on the clock, the Owls took their first lead of the game since the first two minutes of the game, thanks to Nichols taking a layup and made the score to 68-66.

The game got intense, which got the whole crowd on their feet and chanting with the last twenty seconds on the clock.

With 00:16 left, the Warriors fouled and KSC Owl Paul Mahon made two free throws to put them up 70-66. The Warriors put a fight up with the help of Corey Muckle, who made a three with seven seconds to go. The Owls kept the fire going and won the Little East title with a score of 69-72. This is the third time in the last five seasons the Owls have accomplished this. Cain said, “We didn’t play our best, but that’s a credit to Eastern (Connecticut), they’re extremely talented.”

This win makes this the second longest winning streak in school history.

The Owls have now received an automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball tournament.

They’ll be hitting the road to Clinton, New York, to face

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off Moravian College on March 1 for the first round of the tournament.

The team is up against a lot of challenging teams.

Cain said, “The last time we were successful in the tournament, we played the preseason number one in the first round, and played number two, three and five teams in the country, so we’re used to playing really good teams.”

But Cain said they’re fortunate to be going to a place they’ve already played at, since it doesn’t happen often.

Nichols said he feels pretty confident in his team, “We’re on a winning streak right now, we just have to keep that going.” Although Nichols said they aren’t looking past any teams, he is looking forward to playing against Hamilton College. “They got us in the regular season, I didn’t play my best, we didn’t play our best… we just got to take care of business,” Nichols said.

Adriana Sanchez can be contacted at asanchez@kscequinox.com

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