The Equinox 10.3.19

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THE EQUINOX The student voice of Keene State College

Vol. 73, Issue #5

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Elizabeth Warren at KSC

Presidential candidate Warren spoke to the community

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BRIEF

Student attacked on campus GRACE BROWN

equiNox staff

RACHEL VITELLO

News editor “We persist” could be heard multiple times from the Student Center lawn on Wednesday, September 25. Presidential candidate and United States Senator Elizabeth Warren visited campus to speak to students and community members.

KSC political science professor Philip Barker opened the event with a statement on the importance of political awareness.

“It is consistent with our college mission and our work with the American Democracy Project to open the campus to events like this. This creates a public dialogue to issues critical to our democracy and to engage our students, faculty, staff and community in the political process,” Barker said.

The American Democracy Project is an initiative that aims to raise people’s understanding of current political issues, specifically on college campuses.

“Central to our mission as the public liberal arts school of New Hampshire and our commitment to academic excellence and public service, Keene State College has partnered with the American Democracy Project, an initiative begun in 2003 by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities,” Barker said. “ADP is a nonpartisan multicampus initiative focused on higher education’s role in preparing the next generation of informed, engaged citizens for our democracy.”

KSC Student Body President and president of the KSC Democrats Davis Bernstein also spoke at the event about some of Warren’s political accomplishments.

“Under the Obama administration, she spearheaded the creation of the Consumer Protection Bureau. The creation of this bureau is one of the greatest achievements in protecting consumer rights for millions of Americans,” Bernstein said. “Just this year, Senator Warren announced a two percent wealth tax to some of the wealthiest people in America.

With just two pennies on the dollar we would be able to fund so many incredible programs.”

Under Warren’s plan, the programs that this tax would be able to fund was one of the main points Warren said in her speech.

“This is a tax on fortunes bigger than 50 million dollars. On your 50 millionth and first dollar, you have to pitch in two cents, and two cents for every dollar after that,” Warren said. “You built a great fortune in America. I guarantee you built it, at least in part, with workers we helped to pay to educate. You built it, at least in part, getting your goods to market on road and bridges all of us helped pave and build. You built it, at least in part, protected by police and fire fighters all of us help pay the salaries for. Pitch in two cents so everyone has a chance to make it in this country.”

Warren said this wealth tax would help pay for universal childcare, universal pre-kindergarten for every three and four year old, raise the wages of every childcare worker and preschool teacher, provide tuitionfree technical school, community college and four year college, increase Pell grants, invest 50 billion dollars in historically black colleges and universities, cancel student loan debt for about 95 percent of those who have it and also create a 200 dollar increase in social security and disability payments across the board.

Another issue Warren stressed was corruption in Washington D.C.

» SEE WARREN A2 LIAM FREY / EQUINOX STAFF

Democratic frontrunner Elizabeth Warren spoke about issues including healthcare, student loan debt and government corruption on the student center lawn on Wednesday, September 25.

Addressing issues facing the Monadnock region RACHEL VITELLO

News editor There are multiple issues regarding economics and demographics facing the Monadnock region and, in turn, Keene State College as well. On Wednesday, September 25, the Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce discussed these issues during an installment of their Regional Issues Series, called Annual Perspectives on the State of the Monadnock Region.

The panel was introduced by Executive Director of the Southwest Region Planning Commission Tim Murphy.

“The goal of this series is to bring attention to fundamental backbone issues in the

Monadnock region, promoting effective community engagement and appropriate action through enhanced awareness and education on critical regional issues,” Murphy said.

The keynote speaker of the panel was Director of New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau Brian Gottlob. Gottlob spoke about statistics facing the state of New Hampshire, specifically the Monadnock region, ranging from the number of young people choosing to either stay, leave or move to the state, fertility rates and job growth, among other faltering data.

“The Monadnock region is dealing with a lot of the same demographic issues that a lot of other rural regions are dealing with,” Gottlob said. “This can be because of the relative

lack of entrepreneurial activity. The solution is to have a continuous flow of new, young, entrepreneurial businesses in the region.”

Data that Gottlob shared was that between 2010 and 2018 the Monadnock region experienced only .3 percent job growth. In 2017, 53 percent of people living in Cheshire county were working outside of the county and finding work elsewhere. Cheshire county has low net-in migration of young professionals compared to other parts of New Hampshire, specifically the seacoast.

According to Gottlob, the key to keeping young people in the region is affordable and quality housing that is available to rent. In Keene, what is available to rent is largely student housing and single-family homes, with

little in between. Gottlob also referenced Asheville, North Carolina as a rural community that has been able to establish themselves as an entrepreneurial and cultural hub, thriving today.

Keene State College is working with the city of Keene to accomplish these various areas where the city falls short. KSC President Melinda Treadwell spoke on demographic changes moving forward and helping Keene public schools’ students be successful in their post-secondary education.

“There is a changing demographic wave nationally,” Treadwell said. “The growth populations will not be non-hispanic white populations. Our demographic make-up is going to change. We must be ready to welcome a multi-

» SEE MONADNOCK A3

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On Sunday, September 22, Keene State College Campus Safety received a report about an assault that took place near the Student Center commuter lot. The victim sought medical treatment for their injuries.

The victim’s mother made a post on the KSC Parents and Family Facebook page. “I received a phone call from my son at 6:52 a.m. to let me know that he had been beaten up on campus walking back to his dorm. He was taken to the hospital with a mild concussion and scrapes and bruises,” the post states.

Campus Safety Officer Sergeant Jessica Trombley said KSC is currently working on the situation.

“KSC is conducting an investigation to determine what, if any, sanctions are appropriate. The Keene Police Department are also conducting a separate investigation,” Trombley said.

According to the Campus Crime and Fire Safety Report: 2018 edition, “When a crime or another serious incident is reported on the main campus, a Campus Safety officer is dispatched to the caller’s location to render assistance and investigate the incident. The Keene Police or Keene Fire Department may also be dispatched if circumstances dictate.” If anyone is in an unsafe situation Campus Safety is reachable at (603) 3582228 or dial 911.

The victim’s mother and the victim’s resident assistant were not available for further comment.

Grace Brown can be contacted at gbrown@kscequinox.com.

Cohen Center discusses terminology RACHEL VITELLO

News editor Is it right for U.S. detention facilities at the U.S. and Mexico border to be called ‘concentration camps’? On Tuesday, September 24, the Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies held an open conversation regarding this issue of terminology.

Coordinator of Educational Outreach for the Cohen Center Tom White led the conversation alongside Dean of Mason Library Celia Rabinowitz. In recent months, as activity along the U.S. and Mexico border heightened and detention facilities were constructed for immigrants crossing the border, the phrase ‘concentration camps’ was often used to describe the facilities, most notably by U.S. Representative Alexan-

» SEE COHEN CENTER A3

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News / A2

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Clarence DeMar Marathon

BENAJIL RAI / MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR

Sunday, September 29, was the 42nd annual Clarence DeMar marathon. The marathon is a 26.2 mile course that begins in Gilsum and ends on Appian Way at KSC. The marathon honors former Keene resident Clarence DeMar, who was known for running everywhere he went. He notably overcame health troubles and poverty and became a seven-time B.A.A. Boston Marathon champion, an Olympic medalist and an international running icon. To this day, no one has ever broken his record number of Boston wins.

BRIEF

KSC receives grant for sexual violence education ALEX HARVEY

Equinox Staff It’s no secret that sexual assault is a problem on college campuses across the country, a problem that has received significantly more attention in recent years than in the past. Keene State College’s Clery Report for 2018, a report about crime on or near campus that all colleges and universities are required to publish, insists that relationship violence and sexual misconduct are not tolerated at KSC, and that the school is committed to providing a safe environment for all students, staff and faculty. In order to help combat the issue of sexual misconduct, KSC will be awarded a 300,000 dollar Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) grant to provide sexual violence education on campus. The details of the grant are still being communicated, but members of the KSC administration are optimistic that this grant will help reduce incidents of sexual violence on campus.

KSC President Dr. Melinda Treadwell is pleased that KSC has been awarded this grant. In recent years colleges and universities have been under increased scrutiny to curb incidents of sexual violence, but Treadwell feels that KSC has been going above and beyond for a long time, and she feels that the OVW Grant acknowledges that.

“It (the grant) recognizes that we’ve been doing sexual violence prevention for a long time, long before it was something that colleges had to do,” Treadwell said. “Our education efforts and reporting culture are getting stronger.”

Treadwell also said that the school has put an increased empha-

sis on these programs. She also believes that while it is generally agreed upon by experts that sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes in America, KSC has relatively accurate data about incidents that happen on campus.

“I feel sad that we still have this much sexual violence as a species in general, but I think our numbers compared nationally, knowing we have an increasingly strong reporting culture, it makes me feel like we’re doing a lot of great things with it,” Treadwell said.

Treadwell said that the OVW Grant will be used to hire someone to run a three year program for sexual violence prevention work that will focus on increasing education, supporting students, and raising awareness about the issue.

Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Kemal Atkins, Assistant Director of Emotional Health Programming Forrest Seymour and Interim Title IX Coordinator Kelli Jo Harper all declined interview until further information becomes available about the details of the grant.

Statistics on the matter vary, but Forbes and Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) report that between 16 to 20 percent of women in college experience sexual assault at some point during their college careers. According to RAINN, collegeaged women are at an elevated risk for sexual assault compared to women from other age ranges. They are also significantly more likely to become victims of sexual assault than they are to be victims of other crimes.

Alex Harvey can be contacted at aharvey@kscequinox.com

CONTRIBUTED BY FORREST SEYMOUR

WARREN cont. from A1

“This government works fabulously for giant drug companies, but not anyone trying to get a prescription filled. It works fabulously for giant oil companies who want to drill everywhere, but not for anyone who sees climate change bearing down on us,” Warren said.

“That is corruption pure and simple and we need to call it out for what it is. Whatever issue brought you here today, if there’s a decision to be made in Washington, I guarantee it’s been touched by money.”

Warren related this corruption to climate change.

She cited how climate change began being widely recognized back in the 1990s. However, large corporations like Koch Industries and oil companies realized that investments in climate change prevention would affect their profits.

“They have an investment decision to make. They could invest in cleaning up the air, they could invest in cleaning up the water; they don’t do that. They invest in politicians. They invest in campaign contributions,” Warren said. “They invest in so-called experts who are climate change deniers. Once you get those deniers out there they create an umbrella over the politicians, so the politicians can continue taking money and when anybody asks them about it in terms of climate, the answer is ‘I don’t know, I’m not a scientist.’”

Warren called for a complete end to lobbying.

“We want to make change, it’s got to be big, structural change. We start by running at corruption head on,” Warren said. “Lock the revolving door between Wall Street and Washington. Make the U.S. Supreme Court follow basic rules of ethics.”

As for how Warren’s campaign speaks to college students specifically as she’s visiting college campuses, Warren said the current state of the country is not pri-

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oritizing that demographic enough.

“Right now it’s (the government) working for those who have already made it big, not those who are trying to build a life for themselves and build a real future,” Warren said. “That’s about who we’re investing in. Is it the people who have already made huge fortunes, or is it people who are out there working to build a future?”

When it comes to Medicare for all, Warren is in support of it and also conscious of the transition period that would be involved.

“Can we stop for a minute and say how wrong this system is? Someone doesn’t get the help they need because for-profit insurance companies need to make money. Last year insurance companies made 23 billion dollars in profits,” Warren said. “We have a lot of work to do to figure out the transition. Healthcare is a basic human right and we fight for basic human rights.”

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

LIAM FREY / EQUINOX STAFF

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News / A3

Thursday, October 3, 2019

MONADNOCK cont. from A1

cultural, diverse population.”

Another statistic that was shared was how in Keene, the number of students going to college after high school has sharply declined.

Treadwell said that students who are involved in the Keene Housing Kids Collaborative tend to be more successful in their academics due to their after-school programs.

Treadwell also said that KSC will need to work with the Keene school district to promote continuing education post secondary school.

“We must be building professional credentialing programs. This is requiring colleges to think differently about the commodity of the college degree,” Treadwell said.

Superintendent of Schools for SAU 29 Robert Malay discussed this point further, citing the issue of education in the region.

“The number of students who go from Keene schools to a two or fouryear college has decreased from 70 percent to 52 percent from 2008 to 2018,” Malay said. “We’re trying to provide support and opportunity for students so we can shift what we’re seeing here, especially in the K-12.”

Keene City Manager Elizabeth

Dragon concluded the panel with positive change the city has been making to work against these data sets.

“Radically Rural and the organization Hannah Grimes—it’s really about growing your own and supporting entrepreneurialism. Over 500 people were here from 24 different states wanting to learn about how to do that and to look at creative initiatives in this region at that two-day conference,” Dragon said.

Dragon also said the city is looking to utilize Dillant-Hopkins airport at a higher capacity and potentially offer commercial airline flights in the future. Keene City Hall is also looking to improve their interactions with the public; one way of doing this is by collecting payments online.

Dragon also cited the recent Walldogs murals painted around town, the new Machina Arts art bar, the reconstruction of Emerald Street and the food trucks now located downtown as cultural successes contributing to the modernization of the city.

However, Gottlob noted that when Keene is mentioned in other parts of the state, the city still holds

the reputation left behind from the Pumpkin Fest riots in 2014.

“Reputation matters,” Gottlob said. “Whatever you can do to change that perception through the region, do it.”

Treadwell cited the current ranking of KSC as the tenth best school among regional colleges by U.S. News and World Report as a step in the right direction to improving our national and state reputation.

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

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR

COHEN CENTER cont. from A1

dria Ocasio Cortez.

“There was some backlash over the use of the term ‘concentration camps’ partly from groups making the argument that the term ‘concentration camp’ should be reserved for use to only to describe the Nazi concentration camps,” Rabinowitz said. “The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. issued a statement saying it’s insulting to Holocaust survivors to use that term.”

This statement resulted in about 400 academics and scholars signing a document stating that an essential part of history is comparing terms and people and that this term cannot be isolated to only reference one specific event. Several people from the Holocaust and Genocide Studies department at KSC, including Rabinowitz and White, signed the document.

White also noted that the museum is governmentfunded and that an appointee of President Trump is directing the museum’s statements. This is the first time the museum has made a statement on a political issue.

According to the organization Common Dreams, one part of the letter stated, “The museum’s decision to completely reject drawing any possible analogies to the Holocaust, or to the events leading up to it, is fundamentally ahistorical.”

According to White, no matter what one’s stance is on this issue, the fact that it is being talked about it is a good sign within itself.

“I think the fact we’re reacting to a particular term of controversy shows that in a way we’ve been successful in what we’ve done. To a degree we’ve been successful in at least bringing a light to this as a sort of common knowledge,” White said.

White also read the literal definition of what a concentration camp is to the group, according to one of the historians from KSC’s archives. The criteria that was stated included forced incarceration without trial, separation of families, harsh physical conditions, used out of fear and hid from public view or inspection, pseudo military or police appearance, possible use of forced labor, denial of basic human rights and exposure to arbitrary violence and cruelty.

“Every one of those has been documented as having taken place in these border facilities,” White said. “How do we use this as a way to talk to each other about what may be at stake?”

One attendee of the conversation said that being able to use terminology, even if incorrectly, is important to facilitating these discussions to begin with.

“I think it’s an issue about the control of language and who can get to control it. I also think of the way the word lynching has been normalized and taken out of context; rape too,” she said. “I also find that stifling the word or being so protective of it can also stifle the conversations that are needed. Maybe these are opportunities to have these important conversations rather than having people just not talk. If they can’t use the language even mistakenly, then we can’t have the conversations.”

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

Campus Safety Press Log 9/23 Parking violation- Chronic violator/revoked 9/24 Threat/intimidation 9/24 Parking violation- Fire lane/ roadway/restricted 9/24 Suspicious person 9/25 Banned person 9/25 Dumping- unauthorized 9/25 Fire- outdoor 9/26 Failure to comply 9/26 Intoxicated/incapacitated subject 9/26 Odor of drugs 9/27 Motor vehicle manner of operation 9/27 Theft- all other 9/28 Check the welfare 9/29 Alcohol violation 9/29 Public urination 9/29 Suspicious activity 9/29 Destruction of property 9/29 Animal complaint 9/29 Suspicious person 9/29 Odor of smoke, gas, other

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NEWS EDITOR RACHEL VITELLO (781)812-7461

STUDENT ASSEMBLY PUJA THAPA

AdministrAtive executive editor

Theo Avent, a sophomore majoring in Psychology, has been elected as the Vice President for the class of 2022. Avent is a transfer student from Green Mountain College.

University System Student Body Representatives Aaron Keaton and Victoria Bergstrom reported the assembly of the election for the chair of University System Student Body (USSB).

According to Keaton and Bergstrom, there are three students running for the position. Students from Keene State College (KSC), Granite State College, Plymouth State University and University of New Hampshire (UNH) are allowed to run for the position.

Student Body President Davis Bernstein informed the student leaders of the dinner at the President House with President Melinda Treadwell. The student government has dinner annually with the president; this year’s dinner is on December 2 from 3 to 6 p.m.

Student Body Vice-President Sara Olson informed the assembly that she will soon reach out to Kya Roumimper and Hunter Kirschner of the Office of Multicultural Student Support and Success to see if there is anything the student government can do to support multiculturalism at KSC. This action was taken as a reaction to a controversial social media post circulating around campus.

Bernstein also informed the assembly of the vacancy of one student representative for the class of 2020, one for the class of 2021, two for the class of 2022 and two for the class of 2023.

The student assembly will be tabling in the Rocktoberfest. They will be distributing cookies with their logo on it.

The student assembly was called into session at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 1, 2019.

Puja Thapa can be contacted at pthapa@kscequinox.com

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OPINIONS

Opinions / A4

Thursday, October 3rd, 2019

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STAFF COMMENTARY

EDITORIAL

Not all sports created equal

A new year at a new time MORGAN ROSEN

Equinox Staff Sports games are often a very popular way to bring together a community and allow people an escape from the troubles of the real world.

At Keene State, however, not all sports are created equal.

This is because some sports, such as men and women’s soccer, charge money for non-Keene students while other sports, like volleyball, are free for all. The Equinox finds this to be very strange for many reasons.

One reason is because it comes across as one sport being valued more than another, which could potentially lower incentive for people to play that sport as well as lower the morale of the teams whose games are not being charged. The Equinox believes that it should be either all of the games on campus being charged or none of them.

This rule was established in 1980 when the school evaluated which sports had the largest following by both Keene students and non-Keene students. Once they found out that certain sports brought in more people than others and they could make more money, they began charging for some games. The policy has been discussed many times since then, but it has remained the same.

Another reason this is strange is because there are plenty of organizations on campus that get by without needing to charge people. These organizations do so by fundraising, which the sports teams are more than capable of doing. This leads the Equinox to ask, where does this money go?

A concerning statistic is the fact that if a regular fan, who is not a Keene State student or related to one, wants to go to every home game this season for the men’s soccer team they will have to pay $40. This raises concern because some people may not want to pay that kind of money to watch a Division III team, which may cause them to just not go. If less and less fans begin to show up, then both the team’s confidence and home-field advantage will be hindered.

The school is also hindering themselves because people can just watch a livestream of the game or watch highlights. This leaves very little incentive for people to go to these games and spend money when they can watch them for free in the comfort of their own homes.

A solution that the Equinox thought of would be allowing people to enter games for free if they bring a canned food item for donation. This would not only help a good cause but also bring more people to these games.

SOREN FRANTZ/ SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR

“Happy New Year!” you might hear people say as you wander around campus. You think to yourself, “Huh? Has the semester really creeped up on us that fast that it is already time for winter break?” Unlike the secular new year, the Jewish New Year, also known as Rosh Hashanah, falls sometime during the fall.

The Jewish holidays follow the Hebrew calendar, which is based on the lunar cycle. Therefore, the date of these Holidays on the secular calendar vary from year to year. However, Rosh Hashanah begins the evening of the first day of the Hebrew month, Tishri.

Together Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, are known as the ‘Days of Awe,’ and are the most important and holiest of days on the Jewish calendar.

Depending on which denomination of Judaism you most closely follow, the way that you celebrate a holiday can vary. Still, there are some customs and traditions that ring true no matter how you identify. Most Jews will eat apples and honey and hear the blowing of the shofar during Rosh Hashanah.

Indulging in the sweet treat of dipping an apple into honey is symbolic of the sweetness one hopes to bring with them into the new year. Thus, it makes sense that a customary phrase to say to someone during the holiday is “shanah tovah u’metukah,” which translates to “a good and sweet year.”

SEE NEW YEAR A5

STAFF COMMENTARY

The consequences of climate change ANDREW CHASE

Equinox Staff Sea levels will rise, droughts will be more common, hurricanes will be more intense and temperatures will rise. These are just some of the consequences of climate change. Climate change due to human activity is in fact real and it is happening now.

I believe that climate change is a huge issue and too many people are not taking it seriously. If we don’t begin to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are being released into the atmosphere, then there will be many severe consequences. These severe consequences will not just affect you; they will affect future generations too.

I believe that the primary cause behind the rapidly accelerating global warming is the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect happens when certain gases are trapped in the atmosphere and block heat from escaping. Since these gases are blocking heat from escaping, the Earth warms up. Greenhouse gases are primarily created by the use of fossil fuels and

THE EQUINOX

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

Puja Thapa Administrative Executive Editor Erin McNemar Managing Executive Editor

deforestation.

The most well-known greenhouse gas is carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a very important part of the atmosphere. When there is too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere the planet begins to warm up.

Deforestation is also a huge player in the release of greenhouse gases in the environment. Deforestation releases a ton of greenhouse gases because when people burn down plants and trees, all the greenhouse gases that were being stored inside the plants and trees are released back into the atmosphere.

Global warming affects everyone because we all live on this planet together and we need to do as much as we can to preserve our future.

Whether you live in Los Angeles or Puerto Quijarro, Bolivia or even in Keene, New Hampshire climate change affects you even if you don’t realize it. If we don’t act now then the average temperature will be hotter, the oceans will be warmer, there will be more natural disasters and there will be even more droughts.

EQUINOX NEWSROOM

EDITORIAL POLICY

Faculty Advisor

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 358-2414. The Equinox business office is open MondayFriday from 11 am to 1:30 pm.

Rodger Martin, Journalism faculty (rmartin@kscequinox.com ) Julio Del Sesto, Journalism faculty (jdelsesto@keene.edu)

News Editor Rachel Vitello

Opinions Editor Cristian Valentin

Multimedia Director Benajil Rai

Sports Editor Austin Smith

Art Director

Olivia Cattabriga

Business Manager

Student life Editor

Equinox Staff: Kelly Regan, Slesha Tuladhar, William Pruett,

A&E Editor

Anna Sheppard, Alex Harvey, Matthew White, Simon Clarke, Caroline Ware, Kirsten Somero, Jack Dey, Victoria Miles, Andrew Chase, Tom Benoit, Kathryn Spadafora, Teagan Hudzik, Matthew White, Kiana Wright, Harrison Paletta, Connor Adams, Alan Fortin, Matt Holderman

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Copy Editor

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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.

I believe that everyone should do more to help mitigate the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that they release into the atmosphere. A few ways that a person can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they release are using less heat and air conditioning, buying energy efficient products and using less hot water. When a person uses an air conditioner, it releases a chemical compound called hydrofluorocarbon (HFC). Hydrofluorocarbon is way more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Another reason why air conditioners are extremely harmful to the environment is because they consume a ton of electricity. Electricity runs on fossil fuels. If we are to continue to allow our species to thrive, then we need to act now before it is too late.

Andrew Chase can be contacted at achase@kscequinox.com

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Opinions / A5

Thursday, October 3rd, 2019

STAFF COMMENTARY

Feeling the good vibrations

OLIVIA CATTABRIGA/ ART DIRECTOR

A NEW YEAR cont. from A4

This is not the only custom that involves one of your senses.

A shofar is a ram’s horn that is blown like a trumpet. There are many symbolic reasons as to why we blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah. One is that Rosh Hashanah is the start of the “Ten Days of Repentance” and the shofar acts as an alarm clock to wake up our spirits and start to think about our actions over the last year. Others believe that the shofar was blown at Mt. Sinai when the Torah was given to Moses and the shofar is supposed to remind us to rededicate ourselves to Torah study.

Arguably, repentance is the most important aspect of the Holiday. Rosh Hashanah is a time for Jews to make amends for their sins and start anew. The tradition of Tashlich, “cast off,” involves throwing bread into a body of water as participants reflect on their past year and cast away their sins.

One of my favorite things about Rosh Hashanah is that it is the perfect time to come together as a community to celebrate all that has happened and all that will come. I have always loved the comradery that this holiday brings. However, my first year at Keene State, I found myself dreading this time of year. As you may have noticed, there are not many Jews in New Hampshire, and of those in this world that are Jewish, they don’t seem to be flocking to Keene State. Since religion plays such an important role

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The role of music in the lives of students SLESHA TULADHAR

Equinox Staff Music for me is not what I hear, it is a feeling. Whether I am sad, extremely happy, late to work, sinking in assignments or stressing out about tomorrow’s exam, my answer to all is music. I often think that if music was a person, it would have been my soulmate with no doubt. And when I say that nothing in this entire world can make me feel how music makes me feel, a lot of you can relate to me because music compliments our mood and there is music for any mood.

As the country music was playing, an elderly man sitting in his chair was shaking his legs. I could see how badly he wanted to dance. It was a couple of weeks ago that my host family took me along with two other Nepalese students to a lantern dinner. There I got to hear live country music which was like a blessing to my ears. I did not know how to country

dance, but we definitely shook some hips together. I love how music brings people together. We had so much fun that day.

I listen to music while doing my architecture assignments. Some may say that listening to something while doing homework distracts you, but it is something that makes me focus even more.

Whenever I am down, I just play music and I suddenly find myself in another world of happiness. I do not forget my earphones while going to gym because I tend to do more exercise while listening to music. It is a merit to do more exercise, especially when you know you have been running in a closed cycle of fries and gym. It is then that music helps.

I was in the shower singing a song when I had company in the bathroom. She started to sing along with me. And this is how I met my first friend from my hallway at the start of college. Having the same taste in music can help you find friends everywhere.

Music has also changed my perception about certain things at times.

I do not think about them the way I did before. This may be because music not only affects our ears but also because it flows through our body, bounces back and forth at a perfect spot and soaks in.

I was so stressed few days ago because I did not perform as well as I expected in my Mathematics unit quiz. I was so down and feeling terrible.

But back at my dorm I listened to some music which made me feel so good.

Similarly, sometimes I miss home, family and food. I do not feel like going out and just cry in bed but then I listen to some Nepali music that makes me so close to home. Music makes me feel like a happy person.

Slesha Tuladhar can be contacted at stuladhar@kscequinox.com

STAFF COMMENTARY

STAFF COMMENTARY

The state of the Keene skate park

Once an Owl, always an Owl

HARRISON PALETTA

Equinox Staff Skateboarding is both a sport and a lifestyle. It brings together communities and provides a brotherhood of fellow skateboarders all around the world.

However, skateboarding has been looked down upon since its birth due to a few factors. Skaters take public spaces and make them their own when skating in the streets. They can create hazards for other people and they destroy private property. Also, skateboarding is extremely noisy, creating distraction and annoyance for anybody around. Skaters have also been referred to as druggies, dropouts, lazy, and many other things.

According to the Facebook page for the Keene skatepark, it’s located on Gilbo Avenue and was created in 1997 by a group of young people who wanted a safe place to skateboard. As a result, they started a movement for the creation of the park and raised $75,000 with the help of the city of Keene itself. With the money raised, the park was constructed using only plywood and sheet metal, materials that are mediocre at best for a fully functioning skateboard park.

Today, the skateboard park is run down and poses safety hazards to individuals using the facility.

The concrete throughout the park is extremely rough and broken up in certain areas.

Broken glass can be found around the park in certain corners.

Sheet metal and plywood used in the ramps is now warped and

leaves skaters unable to confidently skate without possibly getting hurt.

The metal on the half pipe is also deformed and has parts that are jutting out, waiting for someone to cut themselves on.

People of all ages come to the skatepark to skateboard, rollerblade, bicycle, scooter and other similar activities that a skatepark advocates for. Children go to the park while their parents have no idea what kind of hazards are evident. These hazards are most threatening for younger kids, however anyone using the park is at risk of injury.

Andrew Bohannon from the Keene parks and recreation center had more information about the skatepark. Bohannon said, “The Tony Hawk Foundation has given us $10,000 to recreate the skatepark.

The fundraising effort is currently at $115,000 of $300,000. If reached, the park will be built next year as part of the new Arts and Culture Corridor and would be located on the opposite end of the current location near School Street.” He also added, “The City of Keene was one of the first in the state to build a park back in 1997, however the materials made of wood and steel are not conducive to NH weather.

Structurally the park is sound, however, the constant replacement of boards for transitions create constant maintenance issues. The City annually spends over $1000 on routine maintenance.”

Bohannon also said, “Skate parks play a vital role within a community, as an opportunity to provide recreation to a demo-

graphic that has chosen to not play team sports, or likes thrill sports.

Individuals have an opportunity to share tricks, create social networks, push their abilities and gain confidence in a way they may not have thought they could.”

Harrison Paletta can be contacted at hpaletta@kscequinox.com

“With the money raised, the park was constructed using only plywood and sheet metal, materials that are mediocre at best for a fully functioning skateboard park.”

-Harrison Paletta

KATIE JENSEN

Equinox Staff Many Keene State College alumni were recently spotted walking through campus last weekend, many of whom attended events such as the Senior Dinner and Dessert, the Golden Circle Luncheon and the reunion.

Many students may believe these alumni events are organized for the sole purpose of reuniting old classmates, however, the Keene State College Alumni Association offers much more than that. The organization, which consists of 34,000 alumni members, offers a wide variety of volunteer opportunities for alumni to help current KSC students.

Some of these volunteers offer mentorships and scholarships for current students, such as the Keene Endowment Association Scholarships. For example, the David B. Staples Family Scholarship provides financial assistance to deserving students who are majoring in Elementary Education or Nursing. Eligible applicants must display academic excellence and leadership in order to qualify, as well as achieve a G.P.A. of 2.5 or higher. Additionally, there are many scholarship opportunities available to students across every major at KSC, many of which are funded by our alumni.

Many of the KSC alumni also guest lecture in classrooms and provide job-shadowing or internship opportunities for students.

Throughout October, many alumni will be featured in The Career

Speaker Series, which informs students of many different career opportunities such as Data Analytics, BioPharma, Information Systems Solutions, and careers in government services. On October 22, a panel of recent KSC graduates will come to talk about what they do, how they got their jobs and what students can do now to prepare themselves for the working world.

It is important for every student to develop as many professional connections as possible, and the Alumni Association is a specific organization that is looking to help you. Other than scholarships and guest lectures, our alumni also contribute to many internship and employment opportunities on the KSC JobWise website.

Many KSC juniors and seniors are expected to search for internship opportunities on the website so they can fulfill required class credits, but anyone can benefit from interning over the summer to gain work experience. As graduation creeps closer, more students are starting to devote their time to crafting and building their resumes. KSC JobWise can help find internship and employment opportunities that apply to your major(s) and other academic interests.

However, that is only one medium in which students can go looking for internships. The Career Speaker Series and other guest lectures leave room for questions and personal inquiries at the end, giving students the opportunity to approach the lecturer and person-

ally offer their services. Students may ask the speaker what positions are available where they work and how to get an interview with their employer. This would show initiative on the student’s behalf and it would save time in learning how to apply. Instead of scrolling through the company’s website to learn more about the position and how to submit a resume, students can ask the speaker directly and gain intimate knowledge about the workplace.

Overall, current students should learn more about the Keene State College Alumni Association and what they can do to help navigate your career. They have firsthand knowledge about what it is like to enter the working world after graduating from college and have the ability to connect you with working professionals. Therefore, it is wise for students to attend these guest lecture events and show appreciation for our alumni because it might open the door to unexpected career paths.

Katie Jensen can be contacted at kjensen@kscequinox.com

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Thursday, October 3, 2019

STAFF COMMENTARY

BRIEF

Featured in the QuarterNotes Journal From credit

card scammer to rapper

TOM BENOIT

EQUINOX STAFF Two new music professors at Keene State College, Dr. John Hart and Professor Nick Harker, were featured in the latest edition of the New Hampshire Music Educators Association QuarterNotes journal. Dr. John Hart will be in charge of directing the Keene State Concert Band. Professor Nick Harker will be a lecturer and director of the Keene State Orchestra and String Ensemble.

Dr. John Hart has guest-conducted for the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the Hartt Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, Hartford Opera Theatre and the Connecticut Valley Symphony Orchestra.

“I particularly enjoy programming and connecting students with living composers,” Dr. Hart told the QuarterNotes journal.

Nick Harker is currently obtaining his Doctorate in Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Utah. He has been Principal Conductor for the University of Utah Campus Symphony and an Assistant Conductor for the Utah Philharmonic.

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Tom Benoit can be contacted at tbenoit@kscequinox.com OLIVIA CATTABRIGA / ART DIRECTOR

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR

Music professors Nick Harker and Dr. John Hart both talking about and playing the Steinway pianos at the Redfern Arts Center where they both teach.

From The Midway

CONNOR CRAWFORD / STUDENT LIFE EDITOR

English professor and faculty member Leaf Seligman wrote a collection of stories on the circus and freakshows in her new book "From The Midway: Unfolding Stories of Redemption and Belonging." Seligman read a chapter at the Mason Library last Thursday at 2 p.m.

STAFF COMMENTARY

Performing with 'Virtuoso jazz chops'

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR

New York-based band Slavic Soul Party playing their instruments in front of the crowd of the Redfern Arts Center Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.

The Slavic Soul Party showcased at the Redfern ANNA SHEPPARD

Equinox stAff On Thursday, September 26, Keene State’s Redfern Arts Center welcomed Slavic Soul Party. The band’s website describes their music as “Fiery Balkan brass, throbbing funk grooves, 'Gypsy' accordion wizardry, and virtuoso jazz chops.” For 15 years, these nine musicians have filled small New York City spaces with BalkanSoul and GyspyFunk and travelled all across the U.S. to share the joys of their music.

Spokesman for the band Matt Moran said, “Many

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people ask us ‘what’s Slav got to do with it?’ and we say, ‘listen to this, man.’”

The band takes a lot of their authentic Slavic sound from popular Eastern European artists and puts their own Jazzy spin on it. “In over a decade, [Slavic Soul Party] has performed everywhere from Serbian schoolyards to prison courtyards, Turkish palaces to Russian baths, dive bars to Carnegie Hall, from Amsterdam to Zacatecas and Austria to Zimbabwe,” said the pamphlet given to guests after purchasing their tickets.

In just two songs, the men had guests jumping from their seats and dancing. A young boy took

Moran’s advice and stepped on stage, throwing kicks and flailing his arms. “It’s a community experience playing brass band music,” said Matt Moran after their third song. The band was constantly inviting guests to stand up and enjoy themselves through dance, and plenty of the audience was spinning to the pulsing rhythm of jazz that filled the auditorium.

Anna Sheppard can be contacted at asheppard@kscequinox.com

Corruption forming in the rap scene JOSEPH GUZMAN

Arts And EntErtAinmEnt Well it looks like selling drugs, flexing your new “drip” and talking about girls just isn’t cutting anymore. Something that has been emerging in the underground rap scene is called “Scam Rap” and it is looking to be the next big thing in HipHop. Whether it’s illegal drugs that are being consumed or sold, or rapping about a new chain piece, something new has been rising from the underground; “Scam Rap” might prove to be a problem if it grows any more.

“Scam Rap” is a subgenre of rap where rappers credit card scam different places like Target or Walmart through accessing the Dark Web. The man who frontlining this entire movement is a young rapper by the name of Teejayx6, who has written plenty of tracks about swindling stores and people out of their money. In his hit song “Dark Web” Teejayx6 states in a part of the chorus: “The government tried to ban me from the Dark Web, (Tried to ban me) I downloaded Tor Browser then got back in, (Back in) Went and got a VPN (VPN), just bought another BIN. I’m a keep searching these b****** on my site 'til I can slide a Benz (Keep searching) This s*** illegal but it's green, I gotta get it in (I'm rich).”

The Dark Web is a series of websites making up most of the internet (most commonly referred to as the underbelly of the internet) and is legal to access from a private or anonymous browser. Unfortunately, the majority of the websites are illegal to access on the internet due to a lot of crime happening on the Dark Web. Since everyone is untraceable and anonymous, this is where the black market thrives and how scammers like Teejayx6 can figure out how to flip a profit.

A group that also helped push “Scam Rap” into what it is now is Bandgang, specifically member Lonnie Bands. In the chorus of the song “Shred 1.5” Lonnie Bands said, “And you know these b****** call me band man, whipped out a card she said, ‘Boy you still scamming?’”

Another person who is prevalent to this musical movement is Guapdad 4000. He’s a Bay Area rapper who has grown to mainstream relevancy after doing a song with the hiphop label “Dreamville” named Costa Rica on their “Revenge of the dreamers” album earlier this year. Before he did this song with them he used to be a part of this whole movement; until he left it behind him, it seems from later tracks. His biggest song on his last album 2017’s “Scamboy Color” was “Scamboy” up until this summer. He takes his own rendition of Mase's “Feel so good” and performs it in the chorus. “I'm a Scam, Scam, Scam, Scam Boy. You know it made me feel so good, Yeah. The scamming made me feel so good,” he said.

Looking at the music from a surface level you might wonder, “What's the issue with catchy songs about things we shouldn’t do?” I personally think that the biggest issue is what if this reaches mainstream appeal, and impressionable youths find this music and get curious about how to do everything? A lot of these songs are instructional and tell you what to do if you're in any situation regarding scamming and the Dark Web. For example, Guapdad 4000 lists all of the tricks he formerly used in a song called "10 scam commandments." “Make sure you got the right flex, and never put a visa card on a Amex, and never put discover on a mastercard, if you follow these steps you can master fraud,” he says.

This already has been addressed in mainstream hiphop by the group City Girls in their hit summer song “Act up,” and more recently by A$AP Rocky in his song “Babushka Boi”: “Smokin' while I'm strollin’ down Wooster, Buck fifty, my babushka. No pistol poppers and prostituters Card scammers and the Prada boosters.” While this may seem small, this is already sticking its foot in the door. Scam Rap as it is sounds appealing, but because most songs have a heist aesthetic to them and catchy choruses this could cause trouble.

Overall, this seems to pose as a bigger issue we might have to face this upcoming decade.

Joe Guzman can be contacted at jguzman@kscequinox.com

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Thursday, October 3, 2019

STAFF COMMENTARY

Where Marvel stands right now KATHRYN SPADAFORA

heroes from a variety of cultures and religions after the success of Black Panther. This not only includes Ms. Marvel (a Muslim, Middle Eastern character), ShangChi (a Chinese-American character) and Moon Knight (a Jewish character), but a diverse Eternals cast which includes cast members of African, Pakistani, Mexican, Chinese and Korean descent as well.

One thing is clear—a new generation of superheroes is coming, and the face of the MCU is changing with them.

Equinox Staff “Avengers, assemble!” These are the famous words Captain America uttered when he and our other favorite superheroes—including Iron Man, Hulk, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Star Lord, Captain Marvel, Hawkeye, Ant-Man and more—gathered to defeat Thanos, the biggest villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (otherwise known as the MCU) to date. However, now that Thanos has been defeated, what lies in store for the future of the MCU? The first three phases, and 22 films, of the MCU made up what is known as the Infinity Saga, in which Thanos gathered the six powerful infinity stones to have the power to eradicate half of the life forms in the universe. With Phase Four on the horizon, for the first time in MCU history we will be getting films outside of the large Infinity Saga. On Saturday, July 20, Marvel president Kevin Feige announced the schedule for Phase Four of the MCU and was met with endless excitement.

First, in May 2020, is the solo Black Widow film which fans have been campaigning for since the character’s introduction in Iron Man 2. Lead actress Scarlett Johanssen had long campaigned herself for a solo film exploring the backstory of the character. Later in the year is Eternals, a film following a deep space superhero group famous in the Marvel comics known as the Eternals. Current casting includes Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff and more. The last three films of Phase Four are planned to be released in 2021. The first is Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, an introduction film for new Chinese-American superhero Shang-Chi, whose specialty lies in martial arts. Next is Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, the long-awaited sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange and first MCU horror film, which pairs Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch. The last is Thor: Love and Thunder, which introduces Natalie Portman (who played Jane Foster in the original Thor trilogy) as the character Lady Thor.

However, film is not the only medium which will make up Phase Four of the MCU. A number of shows

Kathryn Spadafora can be contacted at kspadafora@kscequinox.com

OLIVIA CATTABRIGA / ART DIRECTOR

directly related to the films will be hitting Disney streaming service Disney+ in November which have been confirmed as required viewing by Feige. These shows include Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which follows the Captain America companions and fan favorites Bucky Barnes (the winter solider) and Sam Wilson (falcon); Wanda Vision, following Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) and her life with Vision in her ideal fantasy life; Loki, said to follow the fan favorite played by Tom Hiddleston after he escapes with the Tesseract in Avengers: Endgame; and Hawkeye, a series following Clint Barton and his daughter Kate Bishop, also an exceptional archer and future leader of the Avengers in the comics.

this week's playlist: Feeling all the love

Outside of Phase Four, Marvel also made plenty of announcements during, and shortly after, Comic-Con. These include Mahershala Ali as the famous superhero Blade (although whether it will be a film or a television series remains unknown), a She-Hulk show, Black Panther 2, Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and shows for MuslimAmerican superhero Ms. Marvel (or Kamala Khan) and Jewish Superhero Moon Knight (or Marc Spector).

With plenty of entertainment ahead, it appears the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is nowhere in sight. Yet, Phase Four promises to be different from the rest of the MCU. Not only is there the introduction of streaming shows, but a notable effort to take super-

"So, with Phase Four on the horizon, for the first time in MCU history we will be getting films outside of the large Infinity Saga. On Saturday, July 20, Marvel president Kevin Feige announced the schedule for Phase Four of the MCU and was met with endless excitement."

- Kathryn Spadafora

Want to listen to our playlist for this week?

https://open.spotify. com/playlist/2Uv Pop by our page FplROC66KJ8 on spotify called 3MxeS3dX

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Arts and Entertainment Editor Joseph Guzman (603)-249-6325

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A&E / A8

Thursday, October 3, 2019

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'All Steinway' all the way

Keene State College continues their Steinway initiative CONNOR ADAMS

Equinox Staff Progress is being made in Keene State’s “All Steinway, All Together” initiative, a campaign to replace and improve the piano inventory of the college with high-quality Steinway and Sons pianos.

This will make Keene State the first school in New Hampshire to gain the accolade of an “All Steinway” school. The initiative was started in September of last year, and came from a need to “update and improve the music department’s aging inventory,” said Dr. Heather Gilligan, associate professor and chair of the music department at Keene State. “We have a 25-piano inventory at Keene State, and an instrument repair and replacement fund of under twenty thousand dollars a year. That fund is spread across five departments of instruments, each of which require repairs each semester. One upright piano costs ten thousand dollars,” Gilligan continued. “This came to a head.

We went directly to President Treadwell and proposed the initiative. This provides a tangible solution.”

Ensuring the best quality of equipment is a necessary part of Keene State’s National Associa-

tion of Schools of Music (NASM) accreditation.

“Keene is one of two NASM accredited schools in New Hampshire," said Dr. Gilligan. “When musicians hear that a college is an all-Steinway school, they know what it means.”

Assistant Professor Christina Wright-Ivanova spoke to the necessity of high-quality instruments.

“People often think of instruments as just equipment, like computers or printers. These pianos are not only equipment; they are allowing students to become better artists,” Wright-Ivanova said.

“One thing to emphasize is that this initiative is to support students," said Gillian. “It’s great to be accredited, it’s great to have this equipment, but at the end of the day this is about making sure that students have access to resources which will help them master their artistry.” “[Students] know that whenever they sit at an instrument it will sound great, whether they are finding a key for singing, or tuning their saxophone,” added Marilyn Shriver, Director of Development for Keene State.

“All Steinway, All together” involves the incremental purchasing of a number of Steinway Pianos borrowed from the company each year over a five year timeframe, through festival venues across

Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In July, Keene purchased four of the 18 Steinway pianos used across campus, and another four in September.

“We have now purchased 40 percent of our inventory,” said Gillian.

So far, funding has been raised for the initiative by local funds and individual donors, one of whom donated two pianos to the college and dedicated them to the faculty and alumni of Keene State. The initiative has now raised a quarter of its over one million dollar funding goal and anticipates going public in fall of 2020, once it has raised half the total funding.

“People are more willing to support an effort that already appears successful,” said Shriver.

According to Wright-Ivanova, a fundraiser will take place on Keene State’s campus in the Spring of 2020, introducing the initiative to the Keene State community.

Connor Adams can be reached at cadams@kscquinox.com

SOREN FRANTZ /

Kirsten Becker playing one of Keene State College's multiple "All Steinway" pianos in the Redfern Arts Center on Saturday, September 21. This is the second year of our Steinway partnership.

PHOTO EDITOR

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STUDENT LIFE

Student Life, B1

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Money problems

Students struggle with budgeting finances CONNOR CRAWFORD

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Being a college student has its difficulties, but one of the most prevalent issues for students is managing money.

For some students, it can be a daunting experience to hear the word ‘money.’ Money affects students’ lives more than any other factor in college because without money students can’t pay for tuition, school supplies and other expenses that come with being a student.

“I just try to plan out my expenses ahead of time. I know that I have to pay rent on the first of every month and need to keep saving money for a new tattoo I want so I can’t just spend my money on anything I want,” expressed junior Braeden Huot. “Having a goal for where my money needs to go helps me not spend it on stupid stuff I find online,” Huot stated.

“It is very hard managing money as a student,” junior Courtney Leonard said about managing money. “There are many temptations in a college town! Such as food or going to do things with friends even when you know you shouldn’t be spending that extra cash. It’s also difficult once you’re off-campus because then there’s rent and groceries and toiletries and all that adds up, and if you’re paying for it all by yourself it’s hard to save up that money and especially if you are a working student as well,” Leonard continued.

On the other hand, some students felt as if it is not hard to manage money as a student.

“I think it is no harder to manage money as a student rather than being an adult,” Huot explained. “If anything I just have less money to manage,” Huot said.

Leonard expressed that saving was her biggest difficulty in managing her money.

“Being in college, you want to go out or go get food or go to the movies with friends and it’s very easy to lose track of the money you’re spending when you’re having all that fun,” said Leonard.

“The biggest difficulty in managing money is not spending it on stupid things that you don’t really need,” junior Marissa Lamoree stated. “I’m the biggest sucker for the pop-up shops on Appian Way, but between posters, rings and tapestries they can easily get you to keep spending money you don’t need to spend,” said Lamoree.

There are many ways for students to budget and save their

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Student Life editor

OLIVIA CATTABRIGA / ART DIRECTOR

money. Huot gave two examples of how to do so. “Plan out your expenses for the month and have short-term and longterm goals for your money,” Huot explained.

Lamoree also gave some tips for students to follow to help save money. “If you are struggling to manage money, I would write out a budget or get an app that tells you where you’re spending your money,” Lamoree said.

“Another tip is to use direct deposit instead of a paper check. Every time I get paid, $50 from my paycheck automatically goes into my savings and the rest goes into my checking account. That way, in case of an emergency, I’ll always have

money I know I can take out,” Lamoree continued.

Managing money can be hard for anyone, but for students it can be especially difficult. Most students have plans in place to save some money, but if you don’t, don’t fret. It takes time to learn how to manage money and college is the perfect place to learn to do so!

Connor Crawford can be contacted at ccrawford@kscequinox.com

TOM BENOIT

equinox Staff

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ADVICE COLUMN

Georgie’s school survival guide GEORGIE GENTILE

equinox Staff Hello and welcome to the second issue of this advice column! I’m Georgie Gentile and I am a sophomore at Keene State College majoring in film production and English writing, as well as minoring in German. If you have a question that you want me to answer, you can email it to ggentile@kscequinox.com.

Because a new season is in the air (it’s finally fall!), I am going to answer questions relevant to the new school year and settling into the semester.

Q: What can I do when I’m bored on campus?

A: Easy! Go off campus. That may sound pretty obvious but it’s surprising what there is to do in Keene. The simplest thing to do is go downtown and do a few laps around the shops. There’s a bunch of restaurants downtown so you can easily grab something to eat while you window-shop.

There’s a couple of boutiques as well as a bike store, flower shop, two tattoo shops, two candy shops, two coffee shops (Keene likes to have things in double), a Cumberland Farms and loads more. If you don’t want to risk emptying your pockets, you can walk or ride the bike trails around Keene, too. For less than ten dollars, you can go to Keene Ice and ice skate all day and, in the winter, you can ski and snowboard at Granite Gorge.

Q: Is there a way to get resources on campus?

A: If you are having difficulty obtaining food for your dorm, The Hungry Owl can help you out. Located in Randall Hall, the Hungry Owl is KSC’s very own food pantry where you can anonymously pick up food. If you are interested in donating to the Hungry Owl, there is a donation shelf near the main entrance of Elliot. If you are in need of sup-

» SEE ADVICE B3

How dormitories play into a student’s college experience When deciding on a college, potential students take many things into account. Tuition, total costs, programs, job placement and even food quality can be things that sway a potential student’s decision. Many students also take into account dormitories and residential life when deciding schools.

Here at Keene State College, dorms are typical for a New England school. They’re red-brick buildings that are older than most, with few exceptions. However, it’s the students that have to live in these dorms.

According to a survey conducted by the Equinox, many first-years are generally satisfied with the dorms, especially those students who live in The Commons. Students liked how modern the dorm was, especially the water bottle stations on each floor and the air conditioning units. They also stated they spent a lot of time in their common areas. However, students complained about the very sensitive fire alarms and disliking others in their halls.

First-year students in Carle Hall liked the room size and close proximity to the Dining Commons, but stated there was a lack of a community feel in the dorm hall. Students complained about the bathrooms, excessive noise and lack of Resident Advisor enforcement of noise complaints. In the survey, no student living in Carle Hall stated they spend time in the common areas.

Students living in Fiske Hall were generally very satisfied with their dorms, and liked the large community and the events put on by the RAs. They also felt that they made plenty of friends in their dorm. However, one major complaint was that students complained about the number of clogged toilets in the bathrooms.

Huntress Hall residents liked the small

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STAFF COMMENTARY

Concerns about Keene State’s low enrollment CONNOR CRAWFORD

Student Life editor

SAM REINKE / EQUINOX STAFF

size of the dorm as well as the RA activities sizes and lack of community, but praised the that brought about a community feel. The air conditioning in the rooms. most common complaint in Huntress Hall One Butler Court residents complained was about the broken washers and noise level about the lack of community, friends made in on weekends after dark. Huntress also had the dorm hall and location of the dorm, but the lowest clean bathroom average; out of one praised the cleanliness of the bathrooms. hundred, Huntress Hall scored a 58.

Similarly, Pondside One residents comAs for upperclassmen dorms, Pondside plained about how far away from the main Three complaints included the small room campus the dorm is, but liked how spacious

the hall is.

Despite all of this, students reported a general satisfaction with their dorms, with the exception of a few things such as plumbing and noise problems.

Tom Benoit can be contacted at tbenoit@kscequinox.com

In recent years it seems as if residence halls are appearing more empty and Appian Way is feeling less cramped. This is because Keene State’s enrollment is dropping.

Over the past couple of years, it has been no secret to any student here at Keene State that enrollment has been dropping.

This poses many concerns to a Keene student during and after their time at the institution.

The first reason that comes to my mind is the Keene Pumpkin Festival of 2014 that was covered by major news media outlets, such as CNN and the Los Angeles Times. This event changed the minds of the town of Keene, and people outside of the city, on how they view the college.

When a reader sees the headline “Riot breaks out at Keene Pumpkin Festival” in the Los Angeles Times, it doesn’t make the college look good. Especially on the opposite side of the country.

One major concern for myself is that if enrollment is dropping, what is the school doing wrong?

Do students after they graduate, or when they first get here, review the school in a bad light?

» SEE ENROLLMENT B2

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STUDENT LIFE / B2 ENROLLMENT cont. from B1 These are some questions that keep me up at night because I want to make sure that I am getting the best education possible at an institution that cares about its students.

Another concern I have is, because of the lower enrollment, if my tuition will go up. Every year that I have looked at my bill, my overall tuition, (not factoring in loans, grants or award money) has gone up.

I know that New Hampshire has the most expensive in-state colleges in the country, but why is it going up? I mean, through my three years of being a student at Keene State, nothing major has changed (besides the food companies and president of the college) to really make me believe that my tuition has gone up.

Another reason I believe that enrollment is dropping is that students are not getting enough for their money. First, a lot of buildings, and I mean a lot, with the exception of the new Holocaust and Genocide studies building and The Commons academic classrooms, are dated. I spend a lot of time in Morrison and Parker Hall and those buildings are extremely dated. Some of the classrooms still have chalkboards! (Not to rag on my chalk-loving people out there).

Next, food prices are rising every year. I now live off campus so I do not have a Platinum Meal Plan anymore, but first-year students are required to buy one; and every year, the price goes up. This can be a huge factor in why students decide to stay or leave Keene State. You can’t live without food and if the college is making it almost financially impossible for some students to attain food then some students are going to decide to leave.

The lower enrollment rates are also a concern for me when looking past graduation. Ten years down the road if I apply for my dream job or a job that is higher up in the world, and my employer sees I received my degree from Keene State College, a college that hypothetically shut down due to lower enrollment rates, that is not good.

I know many people from my freshman year who decided to transfer out of Keene State. It truly is sad thinking that students do not want to stay here anymore or even attend school. Keene State needs to do more on their part to get the message out about how great of an institution that they are. They need to market themselves heavily in the upcoming years.

Keene State truly needs to do something about the issue of lower enrollment. It would be a shame to see the college go down because no one wants or can’t afford this institution.

Connor Crawford can be contacted at ccrawford@ksceuinox.com

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Judgement-free zone

SLESHA TULADHAR / EQUINOX STAFF

Active Minds club creates a safe space to help with mental health CRISTIAN VALENTIN

opinionS Editor At times when people are struggling with mental health they might not know where to turn, but at Keene State there is the Active Minds Club.

According to junior and Social Media Outreach director Amelia Schill, the Active Minds Club is a studentrun organization that raises awareness for mental health issues such as suicide and stress.

The club offers students a completely judgement free zone.

“It’s kind of nice because we don’t really counsel each other but there is always a support group. At every meeting we do what is called a check-in so we just go and talk about our day and if we want to talk about something that’s bothering us we can; if not that’s fine too. It’s also nice to openly talk about issues you have going on without being judged,” said senior Vice President Carissa Coy. Schill agreed with this. “It’s good to have that option for anybody who wants it, as friends supporting friends in a nonjudgement group of people,” Schill said. She also said she has gained knowledge from being in the club. “Personally I have learned that you can’t always tell if somebody is dealing with a mental health issue,” explained Schill.

A sophomore, who asked not to be named, likes the idea of the club. “I think it’s very good to have a club like this

because a lot of people who struggle will be able to gravitate towards others that have gone through similar things. It’s good to have a community where people can come together and just talk about how they feel along with their experiences,” said the sophomore.

Coy feels a similar way. “I personally deal with mental health issues and it’s kind of amazing to see other people with similarities, but everything is also so different at the same time,” said Coy. This sophomore also knows what it is like to struggle with mental health and said that they would frequently visit The Wellness Center last year when times were tough but have now turned to “healthier options” such as writing in a journal.

Schill does not want people to feel this way about counseling, though. “I joined because I feel that fighting the stigma against mental health is a big thing that we need to be doing.

A lot of people don’t feel comfortable going to therapists; they feel that it’s a bad thing that you need help or to talk to somebody. As somebody who wants to be a therapist, I don’t want people to feel like that,” said Schill.

For students who do not have the time, Schill offered some advice. “If the stress of school is getting too much for you to deal with, you definitely need to make the time to talk to somebody. If you can’t make that time, I’ve always found that

just talking to a good friend helps, even if they do not have all the answers,” Schill said.

The Active Minds Club meets Tuesdays at 8 p.m. in either the Madison Street Lounge or Student Center room 308. The Wellness Center is also open offering free counseling Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Cristian Valentin can be contacted at cvalentin@kscequinox.com

“If the stress of school is getting too much for you to deal with, you definitely need to make the time to talk to somebody. If you can’t make that time, I’ve always found that just talking to a good friend helps, even if they do not have all the answers.”

-Amelia Schill

STAFF COMMENTARY

Studying abroad: Adventures in Spain

Keene State student Kiana Wright shares her exciting experiences overseas KIANA WRIGHT

Equinox Staff Damn, what was I thinking? That this was a slice of chocolate cake that came with no calories or regrets?

This is the end of the first week of being in Seville, Spain for my first experience studying abroad and can I tell you it’s been an experience ever since setting foot in the Boston airport.

I was emotional at the airport. I literally had to give them the salute and walk away before I completely broke down in front of everyone. Once I moved into security I was honestly so nervous they were going to find the grenade in my bag THAT I DIDN’T actually have. Other than worrying for no reason, it was super easy getting around the airport.

Once I got on my flight, I worked it to get a window seat and it was worth it. It’s CRAZY being above the clouds and ocean. The turbulence really had me feeling that we were going to plunge to my death, but the complimentary meal and free new Aladdin movie got me through the bumpy ride.

My flight from Portugal was a slap in the face after all that luxury. Barely anyone spoke English and the airport had stores in it and a whole food court?? So, after that rickety plane ride, I finally entered Seville. I thought my luggage was lost but instead it was just me.

As soon as I got out of the cab, I was lost. I was sent to the cafeteria. God knows how I got there, but there I was.

After some Spanglish, I was brought to where I was

supposed to be and got settled into my dorm. (Yes, I chose to stay in a dorm because I was so worried about not finding friends and having a really hard time speaking Spanish to my homestay host so I scrapped that.)

I had no idea that bringing pictures of my friends and family was going to be so important, even though I’ve met some cool people since I’ve been here. My roommate is amazing; Esmeralda speaks fluent Spanish and English and she is an Hispanic version of me, so we love that.

I’ve met a couple of people in my residence; one of the girls actually lives less than 20 minutes away from me back at home in New Hampshire.

I met her in one of our classes and she had the same dress I was wearing. She works at the same place as my brother, and she lives in the dorm right under me—how freaking crazy, 3,300 miles away and here we are. Like our fathers always say, “what a small world.”

Yeah, well tell that to Kiana the first night there after getting helado con sus amigas. The first night I got so lost I ended up walking about an hour around the city trying to find something to spark my memory.

I found the kitchen (somehow I’m always drawn to the kitchen, here and at home), but after some Google translations someone helped me get home.

Talk about Google Translate when you’re in the club and a guy hands you his translation APP so you guys can have a conversation. That’s when you’re like, maybe I should have studied harder during those high school language classes. Food for thought.

But the tapas and tinto de verano make up for it.

Since I live in a residencia, I have a cafe which is open for two hours every meal.

So, when my jet lag kicks in and I miss the opportunity, or if I want something a little more “bon appetit” I can visit any of the billion restaurants located on any corner of the city.

Basically “una tapa” is an individual portioned meal (a lot smaller than the portions you would get at an Olive Garden in “The States”, as Europeans call the U.S.). They can come in any kind of dish from fried calamari to a popular favorite Croquettes, which are potatoes with bread crumbs and ham—Google it.

Everything is so different here, like the afternoon siestas (naps) which are supposed to be about 20 minutes, but I take it to an extreme of three hours. The meals are eaten very late—with lunch being around two in the afternoon and then dinner between eight to ten at night.

So figuring out meals is just as hard as fighting the Zs. Jet lag is a slap in the face, but I try not to sleep all day and go to other activities my program, Spanish Studies Abroad (SSA), offers. Just last week I took a tile painting class where I was able to create my own tile and I spun a ceramic bowl too.

Also, SSA plans weekend trips, like going to Cordoba and Italica, which I also did last week. But sometimes taking a break during the day is a need, not a want.

If your university was a half hour walk from your dorm, which maxes out my sweat coin with over 10,000 steps just walking there and back, you would be in bed between classes too.

I probably should talk about school, I guess that’s

what I’m here for… jaja. My classes were a disaster this week. Three of my professors did not show up to class; one was a sub and the others just never came for the most random reasons, like still being in Africa or the U.S. Then my fourth class eventually got canceled because there weren’t enough students. So after a couple emails I’m actually taking five classes at the university and a one-credit one class with my program because I want to get the most out of school while I’m here.

As much as I should be dealing with the culture shock, somehow I’m doing fine. It is definitely a change, but I have so much support here and everyone around me is feeling the same way. So, I wouldn’t say I’m THRIVING, but your girl is surviving. For more updates stay tuned next week! Follow me on Instagram to see photos of this beautiful city and all of my travels (@kianaawrightt). See you then and there, adios chicos!

Kiana Wright can be contacted at kwight@kscequinox.com

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STUDENT LIFE / B3

Thursday, October 3, 2019

TIME CAPSULE

Marathon runner and educator

Clarence DeMar was the winner of seven Boston Marathons, and has a marathon dedicated in his name THERESA DERRY

tiMe capSule editor As Keene State students and staff stroll up and down Appian Way, they cannot help but notice the marker adjacent to the Wallace E. Mason Library. This marker is in remembrance of a Keene Normal school industrial engineering professor, Clarence H. DeMar. In addition to serving as a Keene Normal School faculty member from 1929 to 1939, DeMar was an avid runner who competed in 34 Boston marathons.

DeMar did not start out as a runner. It was during his sophomore year of college at the University of Vermont that he aspired to pursue this newly learned sport.

During the winter months of the 1908 to 1909 academic year, DeMar was a milk delivery man to pay for his education. His morning route started at the State Hygiene Laboratory and was less than a mile to the downtown area where he made his deliveries. Battling the frigid New England temperatures, DeMar ran his route to save time and keep warm.

It was during his third year of college that DeMar decided to go out for the university’s Cross-Country team. Upon joining the team he quickly acquired great success in the sport. Unfortunately, during the middle of this academic year, DeMar had to return home. At the age of 21, DeMar was legally able to work to support his economically disadvantaged family. For the next 20 years, DeMar lived in his hometown of Melrose, Massachusetts, commuting to Boston and the surrounding cities each day to work as a printer.

DeMar commuted to work in an interesting fashion. Instead of using public transportation, DeMar ran to and from work each day. In his work “Marathon,” DeMar describes how as a new runner he considered his pace “leisurely,” as he ran seven to eight miles an hour.

When Christmas arrived in 1909, DeMar fortunately had time off from his occupation. However, DeMar did not rest long. Even though he was new to running, he was ambitious to run the distance of a marathon.

DeMar ran the full 26 miles through his neighboring towns, up to Boston and then back to his hometown in three hours flat.

After competing in college, DeMar longed to race again. After being successful in a ten-mile Old Armory

Athletic Association race on February 22, 1910, he decided to be courageous and run the Boston Athletic Association’s (B.A.A.) Marathon on April 19, 1910.

DeMar was successful even though this was the first marathon that he had ever competed in, coming in second place with a time of two hours and 29 minutes.

It was shortly after this race that DeMar was diagnosed with a heart murmur. Despite this diagnosis, DeMar was determined to compete in the Boston Marathon again the following year. DeMar’s determination allowed him to take first place in the 1911 Boston Marathon. Nineteen miles into the race, DeMar took the lead and won the race with a new record time of two hours and 21 minutes. This was a historic milestone, as DeMar shaved three minutes off of the previous Boston Marathon record. In his book “Marathon,” DeMar states that he was proud to have received a “large bronze ‘chariot of victory’ with a special gold medal for breaking the record.”

This was not the only Boston Marathon victory that DeMar achieved. DeMar took first place again in 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1928 and 1930.

In addition to running, DeMar also had a passion for education. DeMar always desired to teach despite the fact that he had always worked in the printing business. Due to the current economic disparities in America, before marrying in 1929 DeMar wanted to ensure that he had a stable income to support his family. Sadly, the printing industry was not guaranteed to have economic success during the Depression Era. After being rejected from a teaching position in Everett, Massachusetts, Keene Normal School President Wallace E. Mason hired DeMar to teach printing. Mason was flexible in letting DeMar take his new position for the start of the academic year a week late, as DeMar had just gotten married. A week after DeMar arrived he was assigned to instruct a dozen students who wanted to learn the basics of printing. Shortly after, he was also assigned to teach industrial history to a group of young women.

In 1958, at the age of 69, DeMar passed away due to stomach cancer. Since 1978, the city of Keene has hosted a marathon each year to remember this legendary marathoner and Normal School professor.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Theresa Derry can be contacted at tderry@kscequinox.com Clarence DeMar running in the Boston Marathon in 1922. This would be DeMar’s 2nd marathon victory.

STAFF COMMENTARY

Living in impermanence

ADVICE cont. from B1 plies, the Reuse Room is the place to go. Located in the basement of Joslin (there is an entrance on the side of the building, across from the Commons), the Reuse Room has a variety of supplies to help you out—binders, folders, bowls, plates, even alarm clocks and printers. It is really convenient to get something quick for a class, especially if I need a folder for a writing portfolio.

OLIVIA CATTABRIGA / ART DIRECTOR

Eco-friendly habits for a better world and better self ANGELIQUE INCHIERCA

Social Media director While in Thailand, I learned a ton of information about permaculture, natural products and healthy lifestyles that are not only beneficial to the human body but also help our earth one toxic-free habit at a time.

My last column explained why I chose to no longer buy shampoo bottles and have begun only thoroughly-washing my hair once a week or less. I have just purchased my first all-natural shampoo bar, and fell in love with the idea of bars for the same reason why I’ve begun creating my own toothpaste and face masks. Little-to-no plastic waste!

I no longer purchase plastic shampoo and conditioner containers, toothpaste dispensers or toothbrushes. The first investment was a little costly but bamboo products are sturdy and biodegradable (if you buy the right ones). My face masks and toothpastes are stored in small glass jars that I purchased, but can usually be found in most cabinets or fridges; just wash out that tomato sauce container and you’ve got yourself one giant toothpaste container!

Aside from lessening my carbon footprint, using all-natural products are healthier for the environment. While at the Mindfulness Project: Thailand, we were asked to not use chemically created products because all of our resources recycled into one another.

We slept, ate, showered, cooked, worked and learned our lessons outside at The Project. The water from our bucket showers and kitchen sink went right into the ground, which ran into the neighbor’s vegetable farm.

Of course, on campus, our water goes straight down the drain. We don’t need to think about where it’s going as I did at The Project, but I believe it’s important to know what you’re putting into the world and what you’re putting on your body.

It is no secret that the human body is complicated and absorbent to all of the most dangerous things: harmful sun rays, toxins found in water, chemically processed foods or unwashed non-organic fruits and vegetables. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the epidermis is an organ. It also absorbs!

The American Journal of Public Health conducted research and found that “The skin absorbed an average of 64 percent of total

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contaminant dosage… and an absorption rate of 100 percent for underarms and genitalia.”

They also found that the face is extremely sensitive.

An article on Downtoearth.org responded to this research: “If the products you use contain harmful ingredients such as harsh, toxic chemicals, colors, and fragrances, those ingredients make their way into your body, your blood and lymphatic system. The majority of mainstream body care products contain a cocktail of carcinogenic chemicals, allergens, and irritants.”

This is terrifying! I always knew my skin was sensitive, but I find that these back thoughts are more important than we may think. In an effort to keep my skin happy, I’m finding the balance between what I use to wash myself, how often and what I do to protect it throughout the day.

I suggest turning to natural soaps, shampoos and toothpaste.

It’s not only healthier for you, but can be extremely fun! I feel like a pseudo-chemist and can now share my message with actual changes in my life.

Q: What do I do if I get hurt?

A: If you get injured on campus and feel like you need to get treated, you can stop by the Wellness Center on the third floor of Elliot during its open hours. If the Center is closed or the open hours have ended for the day, you can go to Urgent Care, right across from Walmart. If you feel like you need serious medical attention, you can go to the Cheshire Medical Center or Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene, both in Keene. If you are unable to walk to these locations (Convenient MD Urgent Care is the most convenient location to walk to), you can call campus security. They will be able to drive you to and from these locations.

Q: Can I switch majors?

A: Yep! If you are unsatisfied with the major you originally chose to pursue, you can go to Academic and Career Advising in the first floor of Elliot. There you can pick up a “Declaration of Degree and Major” form and begin the process. You will need to obtain multiple signatures and then return it to the Registrar’s Office, but after that you are all set. I recommend making an appointment with your advisor before starting this process.

Switching majors can be difficult due to the course requirements.

I hope you enjoyed my advice.

See you next week!

Georgie Gentile can be contacted at ggentile@kscequinox.com

T h i s

W e e k

a t

K S C

Angelique Inchierca can be contacted at ainchierca@kscequinox.com

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STUDENT LIFE / B4

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Looking to make extra money & work flexible hours?

Join the Keene State Dining Catering Team!

We are looking to hire several KSC Students for part-time and on-call catering shifts.

No Experience? No Problem!

Onsite Training Available Email Dorothy McCoy, Catering Director at Dorothy.McCoy@ keene.edu for more information.

Like to write?

Interested in life on campus?

Contact Connor Crawford

Student Life Editor ccrawford@kscequinox.com (603)-554-2781 KSCEQUINOX.COM

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WORLD NEWS

World News/ B5 Thursday, October 3, 2019

Shrinking population

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Woman and her horse raise awareness about domestic abuse CHRIS MAYS

New eNglANd NewsPAPers iNc. PATRICIA LEBOEUF

New eNglANd NewsPAPers iNc.

New England moose deaths worsening as climate warms PATRICK WHITTLE

AssociAted Press The devastating toll of ticks on New England's moose herd has caused the region's population to shrink, and experts worry it could get worse with climate change.

The northern New England states are home to thousands of moose, but the herd has dwindled in the last decade, in part because of the winter ticks. The ticks infest moose and suck their blood dry, and sometimes tens of thousands are found on a single animal.

Maine has the largest moose population east of Alaska and was home to some 76,000 animals about seven years ago. The herd size is commonly estimated at 60,000 to 70,000 now, but Lee Kantar, Maine's moose biologist, said that number might be as low as 50,000.

The ticks are a worsening problem because of recent mild winters, which allow them to thrive, Kantar said. Scientists in Maine are entering the final year of a multiyear study

of the moose population in its northern and western areas and have found better survival of moose calves in northern areas, which is usually Maine's coldest corner.

"Every day that is mild in October and November and we don't get any snow, every day ticks are out getting on moose," Kantar said. "Climate is a factor in the level of ticks we have out there."

The smaller moose herds of New Hampshire and Vermont have also suffered, and some estimates say those populations have dropped by half or more since the 2000s.

A 2018 study of New Hampshire and western Maine moose published in the Canadian Journal of Zoology stated that the ticks were the primary cause of a 70 percent death rate of calves over a three-year period. Vermont lost 63 percent of its collared moose calves last winter, and that is the highest figure on record, said Cedric Alexander, the state's moose biologist.

The animals are also susceptible to deaths

from other parasites and deep snows, but ticks are "the primary driver of the mortality in Vermont," Alexander said. The ticks kill moose calves and make it difficult for female moose to have babies, said Pete Pekins, a professor of natural resources and the environment at University of New Hampshire.

"That's the insidious part of this parasite because you'd never know, because these animals are alive," Pekins said.

The warming climate is also bad for Maine's annual moose hunt, which is a critical part of the economy in parts of rural Maine.

State wildlife regulators have reduced the number of permits by nearly a third, to fewer than 3,000, over the past six years. The hunt, which attracts tens of thousands of entrants into a lottery, began on Sept. 23 this year with hunters concerned it could be a difficult season.

One of the biggest problems this year is that the state is facing a warm autumn so far, and that's bad for moose hunters. The animals

tend to move less, and their carcasses spoil more easily after they are killed, said David Trahan, executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine.

"If it's too hot, it can be really negative," he said. "It takes a while to get the moose out of the woods. Also, the moose don't move around real well in the heat."

The moose populations have fallen to low levels in northern New England before. There were thought to be only 50 of them left in New Hampshire in the 1950s, and the state now has about 3,300. But hunter Tim Morrison of Freeport, Maine, said the growing problem of ticks feels like a new kind of threat to the iconic animals.

"There's no doubt it's distressing," he said.

"You just don't see them. For me, that's concerning."

Sununu approves budget HOLLY RAMER

AssociAted Press New Hampshire lawmakers passed a two-year, nearly $13 billion compromise state budget Wednesday, ending three months of impasse after Republican Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed their first effort.

The House and Senate votes to pass the budget came just five days before a temporary spending plan was set to expire and were overwhelming in both chambers.

The main spending bill passed the House 327-29, while the companion bill to make policy changes passed 316-40. In the Senate, the spending bill passed 24-0, with one senator, Republican Bob Giuda, voting against the trailer bill over funding for family planning services.

Sununu acknowledged the challenge of negotiating a deal with the opposing party, but said all sides kept the focus on the best interests

of the people.

"Today's vote is obviously a huge win for New Hampshire families, New Hampshire businesses, everyone across the state," Sununu told reporters. "This budget returns a lot of funding back to cities and towns, something I think we all wanted to see, and provides historic investments in our education system."

Sen. Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, said the compromise wasn't perfect, but will help taxpayers while protecting the state's growing economy.

"We always focus on the glass being half empty, you see it on TV every night — people at each other's throats. But what this represents to all of us is a glass that is quite a bit more than half full," he said.

"Nobody got everything what they wanted, but it's reasonable, and New Hampshire will benefit."

Democrats had argued their original plan provided property tax relief and a boost to education

funding while addressing the state's most pressing problems. But Republicans argued it relied on one-time surplus funds for ongoing expenses and would drive the state toward a broad-based tax.

The last governor to veto a budget was Democrat Maggie Hassan in 2015. That year, Republicans controlled the Legislature and included in their budget a series of business tax cuts to take effect over several years. Now, Democrats are in control of both the House and Senate, and they originally sought to halt the last phases of the cuts.

Under the compromise, the tax rates will fall, rise or stay the same depending on how much revenue they bring in. In fiscal year 2021, the rates will go down if revenues in the previous year exceed projections by 6%. They'll go up if revenue is 6% below projections, and will remain the same if revenues are in between.

The compromise maintains the

$40 million in unrestricted money for cities and towns in the form of revenue sharing included in the original budget, as well as the $138 million increase in education funding. But the education money would be allocated in a different manner than Democrats wanted, and $62 million of the total would be onetime funds.

Sen. Dan Feltes, D-Concord, said the compromise preserved most of the key provisions of the original, including increases in Medicaid provider rates, and makes significant investments in mental health care and other areas.

"It's a bill that's going to deliver real results beginning Oct. 1 across all of the state of New Hampshire," he said.

Rep. Mary Jane Wallner, D-Concord, agreed.

"The compromise accomplishes a great deal and will bring meaningful relief to our cities, our towns, our

departments, and most of all, the New Hampshire citizens," she said.

Among opponents, Rep. John Burt, R-Goffstown, said he was disturbed that lawmakers had only a little over 24 hours to process the budget. He also objected to the tax rate revenue triggers.

"Businesses will go, 'Huh? What should we do?" he said. "They aren't going to invest if they don't know."

Early in the debate, Speaker Steve Shurtleff banged the gavel to interrupt Burt's criticism of reporters in the room as "fake news."

"You will not attack anyone in this House," Shurtleff said sternly. ___ This story has been corrected to show that New Hampshire lawmakers passed a two-year, nearly $13 billion compromise, not $13 million compromise.

BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Meredith Cherry and her horse, Apollo, are making their way across Southern Vermont, in the 30th state they've visited in their trip aimed at raising awareness of domestic violence.

The goal is to visit the contiguous 48 states by the end of 2020.

Cherry and Apollo started from their home state of California in January 2017.

The travelers walked down Main Street here on Friday afternoon, where they were received by a small group at Project Against Violent Encounters.

Cherry started the day west of North Petersburgh, New York, and expected to reach Putney by Tuesday.

"I heard it's beautiful, so I'm looking forward to the scenery," she said of the Green Mountain State. "I don't know when the full (foliage) color is going to happen, but maybe it'll be while I'm here."

The trip "was just something I wanted to do for myself, and the issue is one that is really personal for me, because I was in an abusive relationship for quite a long time," said Cherry, who started riding horses about 20 years ago and holds a degree in equine science.

"I think this is a really exciting and creative thing that Meredith is doing with her special companion," Nadia Lucchin, PAVE's executive director, said Friday. "It's unique to walk across the country and attract people because of her beautiful horse, and then be able to speak about what she's doing.

It shows a lot of love, and I think will get the message out in a way that is really unique and special."

Apollo, half mustang and half Peruvian paso, is 11 years old, or 36 in human years. He came into Cherry's care about six years ago after she learn about him on craigslist.org.

The trip, an 8,000-mile trek, is "going well," Cherry said. "I've done all the Western states — Northwest, Southwest and Midwest," she said. "So I've done almost everything west of the Mississippi River. I'm currently working on the Northeast."

Next year, Cherry plans to ride to Florida and hit all the Southeastern states except for Texas.

She and Apollo have already gone through Texas.

The plan is to stop at some point in October in New England and wait for warmer weather. So far, minor challenges — related to weather, traffic and finding safe places to stay — have not stopped the pair.

Cherry mostly uses Facebook (search Meredith & Apollo's Centauride) or "old-fashioned networking" to arrange overnight plans.

She has all her stays in Vermont set up but is still working on New Hampshire and other New England communities. Her website can be found at www.centauride.org.

Part of her work involves highlighting area resources. Project Against Violent Encounters provides supportive and educational services to individuals, families, and the community in Bennington County.

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Sports / B6

Thursday, October 3, 2019

The cost of viewing KSC charges for some sports and does not charge for others CLAIRE BOUGHTON

“I feel like it shouldn’t be dependent on the SEnior SportS rEportEr sport,” said Camilla Shaw, a junior at Keene State and an avid Owls supWhy is it that a fan of the Keene State soccer porter. “I think [paying to watch] team has to dish out $5 whenever they want to see should be more universalized… a game but a fan of Keene State field hockey can sit either [fans] pay to watch a sport and watch a game for free? or they don’t… regardless of the Keene State men’s soccer will have eight home amount of money that could be games in their 2019 regular season, meaning fans [earned].” who want to go and cheer on the Owls have to chalk Keene State College students up $40 in total to view all games. can attend games for free by flashKeene State women’s soccer stands at ten home ing their Owl Card. games in their 2019 regular season, meaning fans As well as that, Owl players who will pay $50. participate in ticketed sports such However, a fan of Keene State volleyball can as soccer and basketball are given watch all fifteen 2019 regular-season home games four complimentary tickets per with no money coming out of their wallets. home contest. Any family or nonBut why is that?

KSC friends over four, however, Is it a popularity thing? have to pay to watch.

Is it because of the different facilities?

Maybe someday, long ago, someone just decided Claire Boughton to start charging and picked the first couple of can be contacted at sports to come to mind. cboughton@kscequinox.com “Honestly, I have absolutely no idea why they charge at [some] games and they don’t charge at [other] games,” said Kayla Klein, a junior at Keene State as well as a forward on the women’s field hockey team.

“I know that students get in free… with an Owl Card,” Klein said. “They charge in the tournament and they charge in the NCAA…” “It’s interesting,” added Ally McCall, who chimed in during the Klein interview.

“I feel like it’s probably based off of who wants to go; like, more people probably want to go to a men’s soccer game,” said McCall.

So what is the school’s reasoning?

“There’s been a historical president of choosing what sports… are ticketed sports and what are not,” Abraham Osheyack, the assistant athletic director for Keene State College, said when asked that very question.

“I believe it started at some point in the 1980s where soccer and basketball would draw bigger crowds than some of the other sports,” said Osheyack. “There’s a bigger opportunity to drive revenue through those [two] sports… [however, the athletic department] evaluate ticketing options every year.”

But what does the student body think?

BOX OFFICE

OLIVIA CATTABRIGA / ART DIRECTOR

The growing sport

AUSTIN SMITH / SPORTS EDITOR

Assistant coach John Johannesen talking to player Mike McNamara on the sidelines during their two hour Friday practice at Joyce Athletic Field.

As rugby itself grows in popularity, so does Keene’s men’s team AUSTIN SMITH

SportS Editor Strength in numbers is often a term used when talking about fights; rugby is no exception.

The men’s rugby team at Keene State College is rather large in size, pulling about 25 to 30 guys consistently. These numbers are large enough for there to be two teams, an A and B team. Junior Joseph Fletcher said, “I think we have a lot of players right now because we don’t have football at this school, and people see rugby as a substitute.” Rugby does draw some similarities to football: they both have a similar shaped ball, both involve running and catching and both involve a lot of contact.

While some of the players are former football players, some just want to have fun. Junior John Bowler said, “It was something I could do with my friends. It’s a very fun activity, it’s very physical, good exercise.” Rugby is not a sport that is offered at many high schools, so many people have never played rugby before playing

at KSC. One person who did play in high school is the head coach of KSC’s men’s rugby team, Ely Thayer. “I started playing rugby in high school, in the midwest,” Thayer said.

At the moment, many high schools do not offer rugby to their students. That might be subject to change in the future. Rugby is currently one of the fastest growing sports in the U.S. and is available for boys and girls of all ages. Rugby is now being played in over 120 countries and by over 5.5 million people worldwide.

With rugby being such a physical sport, it helps a great deal to have a team with a lot of players. With physical sports such as rugby, football, hockey and even lacrosse, players are always at risk to get injured.

Having a larger team helps when a player goes down because there are more people who can step in for the injured player. “When you’re able to have a team of roughly 30 players and you can have a full two teams out, it’s a tremendous advantage to both practicing and game time,” Thayer said.

Not only has Thayer played in high school but he

has also played for multiple teams. “I played in both high school and college. I still play for the New England Rugby Football Union’s division and play for the local Keene team, the Monadnock rugby football club,” Thayer said.

While Thayer is in his rookie year coaching at KSC, he said he likes what he sees from this team. “They’re good, it’s fun, there’s a lot of energy, there’s a lot of good athleticism, a lot of novices to the sport which is fantastic because then we can teach them the right habits,” said Thayer.

The men’s rugby team has been consistently gathering large numbers, and Bowler doesn’t expect that to stop. “It’s a different sport. Not a lot of schools before you come to college offer it and, if you’re the curious type, it’s a lot of fun,” said Bowler.

Austin Smith can be contacted at asmith@kscequinox.com

Inside Intramurals MATT HOLDERMAN

Equinox Staff Fall intramural sports are now officially in full swing at Keene State, as the new floor hockey and 4 vs. 4 volleyball teams started competition last week.

On Monday, September 23, the new teams from each sport took to the floors of Spaulding Gym’s Recreation Center for the first games of their seasons. A total of 18 volleyball teams and six floor hockey teams signed up to play this season, all craving the chance to enjoy the custom t-shirts and bragging rights that come with being intramural champions.

Along with flag football, floor hockey and 4 vs. 4 volleyball now shape an exciting and unique trio of intramural sports happening on campus.

As documented last week, flag football began in early to mid-September. In flag football, teams play a safer alternative to the traditional game of football.

Most rules are the same, except for the primary one: no tackling. Instead, to “tackle” an opponent, you must grab and remove flags that are hanging from their uniforms.

Floor hockey offers a couple of twists to the conventional sports of hockey and/or field hockey. At Keene State, floor hockey is played on the rubber court in Spaulding Gym’s Recreation Center instead of on a turf field or in a rink. Similar to field hockey, teams play with a rubber ball instead of a puck. But, just like athletes in their sister sports, floor hockey players use hockey sticks to strike the ball. Otherwise, it’s simple: the team that scores the most goals wins the game.

Finally, 4 vs. 4 volleyball is a smaller version of the regular game of volleyball. In classic volleyball competition, each team gets six players on the court at a time, and can substitute players at any time in between sets or points. However, in 4 vs. 4 volleyball, the teams are not only smaller, but they do not have any substitute players to swap in and out throughout their matches. Each team only gets four players, and in most cases, those same four players will be the ones competing throughout the entire season. The only exception to this would be if a team does not have enough players to compete in a particular game they can have other random people play on their team in that game to avoid having to forfeit.

With that being said, let’s discuss all the intramural sports action that took place this past week.

The week began Sunday night with flag football’s third week of competition. It started with a battle of the mud teams at the Owl Athletic Complex, as the Mud Dogs (0-2) took on the Mud Puppies (2-0).

Despite their team names, it was the Mud Puppies who made the Mud Dogs look like they were puppies out on the field. The Mud Puppies scored the biggest and most lopsided win of the season so far, defeating the Mud Dogs 63-zip.

Later that night, one of the final three undefeated teams suffered their first loss of the season. Baker’s Dozen (1-1) defeated Show us your TD’s (2-0) in a close contest, 27-20, meaning both teams walked away from the match with records of 2-1.

As mentioned previously, Monday, September 23 marked the start of floor hockey and 4 vs. 4 volleyball competition. In floor hockey, Team Natty got an impressive victory over Hold this Corn, 12-4.

Then, three volleyball matches took place, with the best of three sets picking up the victory in each match. The winners ended up being Kiss My Ace, Spike It Like It’s Hot and How I Set Your Mother. Kiss My Ace and How I Set Your Mother swept each of their opponents two sets to nothing, while Spike It Like It’s Hot needed all three sets to get their victory, 2-1.

Tuesday, September 24 saw action amongst all three of the intramural sports. In volleyball, I’d Hit That and Cross Fires both picked up victories by way of sweeps, while the Acer’s won their match by forfeit. Floor hockey had one game, as the RA’s on Duty wrote up a loss for BAC .215, 10-8. Then, flag football played under the lights at the Complex, as Electric Factory defeated the Dream Team 37-12, and Hoss State ‘20 got their first win of the season over Team Purple, 36-0.

The week ended on Wednesday with some more floor hockey and volleyball activity. In floor hockey, the Nagle Memorial Team got a win by forfeit, meaning no action was had on the rubber court that night.

However, volleyball lit things up on the hardwood as Protected Sets, Blair Hits Project and Mukin Barn all picked up victories. Blair Hits Project won two sets to nothing, while Protected Sets and Mukin Barn got their wins two sets to one.

So, while it’s still a bit too early in the season to tell which floor hockey and volleyball teams look poised for championship glory, the true title contenders of flag football are starting to become apparent.

Only two teams are still undefeated, as the Mud Puppies improved to a perfect record of 3-0 with their huge 63-0 win over the Mud Dogs on September 22.

The other still-undefeated football team is the Mukin Barn, with a record of 2-0. The Mukin Barn was scheduled to play TDs out for the Boys this past week, but had to reschedule, and will instead play two games in their fourth week of competition to make up for it.

Now, the question is: Will those flag football teams remain undefeated for another week? And which floor hockey and 4 vs. 4 volleyball teams will remain undefeated next week? Stay tuned to find out.

Matt Holderman can be contacted at mholderman@kscequinox.com

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Sports / B7

Thursday, October 3, 2019

First-year phenom

BENAJIL RAI / MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR

Kayleigh Marshall makes waves in her first year on the women’s soccer team ALAN FORTIN

Equinox Staff Every week the Owls give out awards to athletes who have performed above expectations and been major contributors to their respective team’s success.

As is the case with Kayleigh Marshall, a freshman midfielder from Bow, New Hampshire. Kayleigh was named one of the Owl athletes of the week after scoring her first goal as an Owl on September 18 in a loss against Westfield State, and scoring her second goal one game later against the in-conference team Rhode Island College. Marshall said, “I was a little surprised because I hadn’t been playing a lot because I was still recovering from my knee injury. So, I was not expecting that.”

Marshall has also been leaving impressions on

fellow teammates, including Senior Nicole De Almeida. “[Marshall] came in really fit and really strong and she has really shown that she wants to be on the field and has worked really hard. She is a very good recruit that came in,” said De Almeida. De Almeida was named to the First Team All-LEC last season. “It’s exciting to get named as a freshman, being shown that you were noticed for succeeding. It’s awesome that we’re getting that and it’s a big confidence booster,” said De Almeida.

Both Marshall and De Almeida have talked about being confident about how they believe that the season will go, knowing that they have a lot of potential for down the road.

Coach Denise Lyons has been more than happy with the performance that Marshall has been putting in coming off the injury and believes that she is more

Yellow card MANIA

than deserving of the recognition. “Coming in as a freshman it takes a while to adapt, but both her and her twin Amanda are playing really well right now,” stated Lyons. Lyons shared the excitement of the girls. “I think she deserved it with the limited time she gets. She really performed well and it’s great to see her contribute right away,” said Lyons. Lyons, who was a player for the Owls and took over the program in 1992, has produced her fair share of Little East Conference recognized athletes, including two players of the year, three defensive players of the year and five rookies of the year.

With the season just shy of halfway over, the optimism from Marshall is something that will help down the line. “I think we’re going to do a lot better than last season,” Marshall stated. “It’s already looking pretty good.”

De Almeida shared her optimism as well. “We’ve had some pretty good games, we have a lot of potential.

I think we’ve shown that, and we can continue to progress to get better. I think we should have a very positive attitude this year,” said De Almeida. With a four game home stretch for the owls, they are looking to improve on a 3-5 record when they meet Salve Regina on October 2 at 5 p.m.

Alan Fortin can be contacted at afortin@kscequinox.com

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KSC and Clark rack up 7 yellow cards QUINTIN KIMMEL

Equinox Staff The Owls played their first home game at the newly rededicated Dr. Ron Butcher Field on Wednesday, taking a 2-1 victory over Clark University.

The action started early, as senior Connor Downey was able to slice through the Clark defense and get by keeper Melvin Vincent to run it into the net. The goal (6’) was Downey’s third on the season, coming off a pass from L.J. Luster.

Ten minutes forward, the Owls continued their pressure. Off a corner kick from Emmanuel Smith, the ball found Dale Dubinsky, a senior defender, at the back post. Dubinsky headed it into the center for fellow senior, and captain, Isaiah Lovering. The captain found the back of the cage (15’) and put the Owls up 2-0.

Sophomore keeper Anthony Pasciuto was able to stifle the Cougars’ offense for most of the first half, but Clark’s Sean Munroe netted his seventh of the season (45’) on a shot deflected by Pasciuto that hit the left post and bounced in.

The game was not without fouls, with a total of 31 whistles in the game.

A second yellow to James McCully had the Owls play down a man for the last 15 minutes, but the Owls’ backline hung on to win.

As far as other cards, of the seven total, five were issued to Keene State; two to Clark. L.J. Luster (8’) was the lone Owl issued a card in the first half, with Evan Jurkowski (14’) from Clark also receiving a yellow.

The second half saw Jack Herlihy (56’) and Josue Assantha (79’) get yellows, along with Andrew Pimental (65’) of Clark receiving a card. James McCully (65’,75’) was sent off after receiving a second yellow in the 75th minute.

The Owls remain at home, as they’ll play Bowdoin this Sunday at 1 p.m.

Clark will stay on the road, with a conference match at Wheaton on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Quintin Kimmel can be contacted at qkimmel@kscequinox.com

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Sports / B8

Thursday, October 3, 2019

SPORTS

KSCEQUINOX.COM

Friendly Competition

Nina Bruno and Kayla Klein battle for the title of lead goal scorer

CLAIRE BOUGHTON

Senior SportS reporter Roommates can be hard sometimes.

Not taking out the trash, leaving dirty dishes in the sink, and don’t forget constantly fighting for the title of lead goal scorer of the season on the field hockey team.

What a pain!

For Nina Bruno and Kayla Klein, both junior forwards on Keene’s field hockey team, that just about sums up their roommate experience, give or take the first two.

Bruno and Klein have been switching off the title of lead goal scorer almost every game since the season started.

Klein started off the season leading in goals as she scored the lone goal when the Owls took on the University of New England.

It only took one game for Bruno to play catch up, however.

By the end of the Owls’ second game of the season against Lasell College, the two were tied at two goals each.

Klein took the lead again in the third game against Springfield College where she scored an outstanding three goals.

Bruno followed closely behind Klein as they both climbed in goal count as the season continued. It wasn’t until the Owls took on Castleton that Bruno had her break and surpassed Klein by one goal.

So what is it like to have this ongoing friendly competition?

“It’s fun,” Kayla Klein said when asked that very question. “It’s fun to go home and talk about it, it’s fun to talk about it with our team or everyone who lives in our house.”

This isn’t the first time Klein and Bruno have had this little competition, however.

“We were on and off [in leading in goal scoring] all last season… we got a lot of recognition together,” Klein said.

Last season, Klein finished with 23 goals and Bruno ended with 32, making the two of them the top two goal scorers of the season by a landslide. Last season also allowed Bruno and Klein to step into the record books together. Bruno took her spot in second for the most goals scored in a single season, trailing behind Sami Smith’s (2016) record by only four goals. Klein took her spot in sixth alongside Lori Osterberg (1987), Elizabeth Coffin (2011) and Nina Bruno from the year prior.

Even Bruno’s and Klein’s coach admits that the friendly competition between her two players is “healthy.”

“It’s a healthy competition,” said Amy Watson, head coach of Keene State’s field hockey team. “They’re happy when each other scores but they kind of push each other to see who’s going to get more [goals].”

“I think it’s good [to have a friendly competition], I mean I do think that they support each other well and they… play right next to each other so they’ve started to develop a chemistry… [and] it’s great to have two threats,” Watson added. “A lot of teams, you will get one person who has the most goals and then you will have a bunch of people who have a handful of goals and last year [Bruno and Klein] had a ridiculous amount of goals.”

While Bruno may agree that she and Klein are players to be reckoned with, she has a different opinion on what both Klein and Watson call ‘friendly competition’ all together.

“Honestly, it’s not a competition at all,” Bruno said. “We get our goals and we get a win for Keene State and Keene State field hockey only; we don’t do it for ourselves, we do it for a win on the team and to get a [Little East Conference] championship.”

Bruno and Klein did, however, have the same thing to say when asked about their relationships with each other.

“Kayla is... one of my best friends, she’s been my roommate for the past two years; we work absolutely amazing together… and it’s lovely to have someone next to me that I can relate to,” said Bruno.

“We’re best friends. She was my first friend when I came [to Keene],” said Klein.

Claire Boughton can be contacted at cboughton@kscequinox.com

PUJA THAPA / ADMINISTRATIVE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

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