The Equinox 1.30.2020

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THE EQUINOX The student voice of Keene State College

Vol. 73, Issue #15

Thursday, January 30, 2020

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Students register to vote

KSC Dance Team places tenth nationally The Keene State College Dance Team placed tenth in the national competition at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida over winter break. This is the teams’ second time placing nationally. Read more about it in Sports on B6.

KSC recognizes International Holocaust Remembrance Day RACHEL VITELLO

NEWS EDITOR -

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PUJA THAPA / ADMINISTRATIVE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

72 people, many of them KSC students, were able to get registered to vote by the City Clerk’s office at the tabling event in the L.P. Young Student Center on Thursday, January 23.

KSC Votes, various campaigns and the City Clerk gather to engage students in the voting process -

RACHEL VITELLO

NEWS EDITOR With

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presidential

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primary

election

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» SEE HOLOCAUST A3

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

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Many students are going to be voting in their first presidential election this year and so it’s important to make them ready for that and that really comes down to having the information you need and having access to the polls. - Dan Bristol

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Opinions ...........4-5

Section B: Student Life...1-4 WN....................5

A&E ..................6-8

Sports............6-8

Associated Collegiate Press

A4: New year doesn’t have to mean a new you A8: A work in progress B1: Making neighborhoods livable B8: 2019 highlights

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Section A: News .................1-3

KELLY REGAN

SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

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Index

Ben and Jerry campaign for Bernie

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facebook.com/kscequinox @kscequinox

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» SEE BERNIE A2

Contact Us Newsroom: 358-2413 Executive Editor: 358-2414 Advertising/Business: 358-2401 Newsroom: Questions? Contact pthapa@kscequinox.com

Administrative Executive Editor: Puja Thapa | pthapa@kscequinox.com Managing Executive Editor: Erin McNemar | emcnemar@kscequinox.com

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News / A2

Thursday, January 30, 2020

BERNIE cont. from A1

Termotto said.

Voter registration was also held on Thursday in the Student Center Atrium. NextGen America tabled on Thursday to help students and community members to register to vote.

NextGen America focuses on registering young people to vote in presidential elections. According to the organization’s website, their strategy is to have “organizers educate their peers on the issues at stake in the election, contrast the candidates’ stances on those issues and get young people to pledge to vote for progressive candidates.”

Keene State students are able to be involved with the upcoming election because Keene State is a popular site for presidential candidates to campaign. Many campus organizers host weekly meetings for the presidential candidates they work for. Keene State students are able to be involved in the different candidates’ campaigns.

“I think it’s important because students and young people are the most important catalysts for change,” Keene State student Benjamin Dionne said.

Stuart Kaufman wrote an article on Keene State and the New Hampshire Primary that was published on February 8, 2016 on Keene State College’s website.

In the article, Director of the UNH Survey Center and associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Political Science at UNH Dr. Andrew E. Smith gave some reasons as to why Keene State is a popular campaign site for presidential candidates.

“Using students as a backdrop also looks good in your TV commercials—you want them to represent the future and not the status quo,” Smith said in Kaufman’s article.

College students are encouraged to attend the many political events on campus. Events are advertised around campus and organizers encourage students to become involved at these events.

Many college students volunteer for these campaigns. Students often perform important grass-roots duties for presidential campaigns.

“College kids are a great source of volunteer labor. They will work for beer and pizza and long hours, which would kill older people,” Smith said in Kaufman’s article.

Many Keene State students will be voting in their first presidential election this February.

Stuart Kaufman interviewed former KSC professor Chuck Weed, who spent 14 years in the New Hampshire state legislature, for his article, Keene State and the New Hampshire Primary.

“All the studies that I’ve read suggest that once students vote for the first time, it sets a pattern for the rest of their lives and their participation is a commitment to engagement,” said Weed.

Attending political events on campus is important for Keene State first-year student Julia Dzierzeski.

“For a lot of us freshmen, this is the first time we can vote,” Dzierzeski said.

The New Hampshire Primary is held on February 11 and is the first primary in the United States.

Kelly Regan can be contacted at kregan@kscequinox.com.

SIMON CLARKE / EQUINOX STAFF

Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream hosted an ice cream social in the flag room of the L.P. Young Student Center on Thursday, January 23, in support of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Free ice cream was handed to attendees as they learned more about Sanders.

Academic Excellence Conference deadline approaches KELLY REGAN

Senior newS reporter Keene State will be hosting the 20th Academic Excellence Conference on Saturday, April 18. The conference allows students to present their research and projects in panel discussions, oral presentations or poster presentations.

The deadline to submit an abstract for the Academic Excellence Conference is Friday, February 7 at 11:59 p.m. There is also an abstract proofreading session on Friday, January 31 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Rhodes S203, according to an email sent out to campus by the Office of the Provost.

KSC junior Jarrod Bernier is planning on presenting at the Academic Excellence Conference.

“It is a conference in which students are allowed to showcase the work they’ve done while at the college,” Bernier said. “I will, hopefully, be presenting a paper I wrote about the film ‘The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.’”

Irene McGarrity and Fitni Destani are the co-chairs for the Academic Excellence Conference. Destani is an associate professor for human performance and movement sciences at Keene State.

“We decided to split the responsibilities from semester to semester. [McGarrity] did the fall semester and I’m basically running it in the spring,” Destani said.

The goal is to eventually extend the conference into a longer event that uses more buildings on campus.

“One of the big ideas is to expand the Academic Excellence Conference so that it’s not just a one-day event,” Destani said, “and maybe offer a different name altogether. We might call it a showcase event.”

Any Keene State graduate or undergraduate student can present at the conference.

According to Keene State’s website, “Alumni who graduated 12 months ago or less are also eligible.” Students of any major can present at the conference.

“We are working hard as a committee and we try to have sub-committees reach out to just about everyone on campus,” Destani said.

“For example, we have students from the music department who are going to be presenting.

We want to showcase students and their skill sets.”

The committee hopes to expand this conference to show the work done by students from a variety of academic backgrounds.

“To expand the conference we’re going to

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Honoring Dr. MLK Jr.

try to showcase the art gallery and the work that’s being done by the art students. Typically the Academic Excellence Conference really caters to scientific research,” Destani said.

Students who wish to present at the conference work with a faculty or staff mentor.

Mentors work with the students to help them prepare or revise the abstract and the presentation. Students are able to revise their abstract if it is not approved at the first submission.

“I think the students who present like it because it is a great resume booster and it is really good practice for later in life,” Bernier said.

Keene State students, faculty staff, donors, parents and community members are invited to attend the conference presentation. Keene State alumni and retired Keene State faculty and staff are also encouraged.

“The people in town, that’s the hard part I think. How do we get the outreach to the people in town?” Destani said. “If we can somehow draw them in to campus and open the doors.”

Program coordinator for the Academic Excellence Conference Kim Schmidl-Gagne did not respond to a request for comment.

Kelly Regan can be contacted at kregan@kscequinox.com.

SOREN FRANZ / PHOTO EDITOR

On Monday, January 20, the City of Keene Human Rights Committee hosted an event honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in recognition of MLK Day. The event was free and open to the public. The welcoming remarks were given by KSC Associate Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Dottie Morris (pictured to the far right).

Music was performed by the authors of “Rise Up Singing: The Group Singing Songbook” Annie Patterson and Peter Blood. The event concluded with a group reflection.

ART DIRECTOR / GRIFFIN ELL

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News / A3

Thursday, January 30, 2020

HOLOCAUST cont. from A1

Campus Safety Press Log

SOREN FRANZ / PHOTO EDITOR

Cohen Center Coordinator for Educational Outreach Tom White giving his lecture on Holocaust remembrance in Norma Walker Hall.

immigration policies, eugenics policies, and the “Un/subconscious bias isn’t random, it’s very cul- and 1924 immigration acts as examples. After history of our treatment of Native Americans all tural and has a lot to do with our implicit bias. Nazi Germany implemented their first sterilizaprovided examples for the Nazis,” Rabinowitz We then assign attributes only after we’ve acted, tion law on “preventing ill progeny,” which used said. “On this 75th anniversary, we are facing if only to justify our actions. Memory is a social California laws as a precedent, it was reported an increase in acts of anti-Semtisim, islamopho- construct of the past and is constructed in ways in U.S. newspapers as a “huge success” toward bia and anti-immigrant sentiment. [Tom White’s] that allows us to form as a community.” preventing crime. energy and work are important and we thought White described the Confederacy and Nazi “Can we compare and contrast Nazi Germany it was important for those of us closer to home to Germany as “cultures of defeat.” This means that to the American south? To compare also means hear him speak.” both groups had a sense of shock and shame and to contrast. If one only compares, you really risk White began his lecture by honoring a woman were completely destroyed, but both societies diffusing responsibility. Contrasting allows us who was in attendance who was a survivor of focused on their own suffering while ignoring more room to raise questions,” White said. the Holocaust, whose father died while in Aus- the destruction they had caused. One of White’s One attendee at the event, Keene resident chwitz. White showed two photos, one of a van- slides read: “Both societies viewed themselves as Anna Behrens, said that this event helped her dalized confederate monument in Nashville, and guardians of old codes of honor against change learn more about the connections between Nazi one of the 67,000 stumbling stones that represent and modernity.”

Germany and the American south. the Holocaust victims that is on display in Berlin.

In fact, according to White, the Confederacy “It was very compelling to hear how much “How do we look at historical memorializa- viewed the Civil War not as a defeat but as a “lost Nazi Germany took from the United States and tion symbols? Can you celebrate inspiring his- cause.” He explained the way in which the Con- how they used it and how they at least have come tory and also confront shameful history as well? federacy remembered their part in the Civil War. to terms with what they’ve done and they’re Who is it we want to be, as Americans, as human “The Civil War was not a war for slavery, but honoring the victims, whereas the U.S. has not beings, as citizens of this planet?” White asked. a fight for freedom from the unified South. The yet really done that,” Behrens said.

White challenged the bias of the audience by Civil War was not a defeat, in fact we won by White concluded the lecture by showing a showing 12 photos of different people associ- the stride of our spirit to keep ourselves in tact. different type of connection between the two ated with the Holocaust. He asked the audience Noble Southern warriors versus ruthless North- societies: a photo of the U.S. National Memorial to identify the people as either a perpetrator, a ern forces,” White said. “The reduction here is for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, bystander, a rescuer or a victim. This revealed General Lee versus General Grant. As you play which was inspired by Germany’s Memorial to some people’s visceral reactions to how some of with that myth in your mind; more troops aban- the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin. those pictured looked. In fact, all the people pic- doned Lee’s army than Grant’s. More soldiers “The past isn’t at stake, what’s at stake is the tured turned out to be rescuers. died under Lee’s command; in fact, Lee is the future,” White said.

This exercise was used as a way to explain bloodiest general in U.S. history.” why some remember history in a way that is White also gave examples of how Nazi GerRachel Vitello can be contacted at skewed from reality. many used America as an example for many of rvitello@kscequinox.com.

“We process by reducing information so we their practices. According to White, Hitler was can approach it. Implicit bias offers shortcuts interested in U.S. models, specifically the eugenand filters, a lot of them are subconscious; we ics movement. The Nazis studied the Human don’t notice them. We are programmed for sur- Betterment Foundation of California to learn vival and decide what is a threat to us and what how to move politically, medically, scientifiis not. When you combine implicit bias and sur- cally and through propaganda. It was discovvival, you start to develop ideas of prejudice and ered in the unpublished second volume of “Mein behavior that might surprise you,” White said. Kampf” that Hitler also looked at America’s 1921

Interested in writing for news?

Contact:

NEWS EDITOR RACHEL VITELLO (781)812-7461

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1/13 Suspicious person- LLC 1/14 Destruction of property- Trestle 1/14 Destruction of property- Student Center 1/15 Destruction of property- Spaulding Gym 1/16 Parking violation- Hale lot 1/18 Medical non-emergency- Science Center 1/19 Odor of smoke, gas, other- Carle Hall 1/19 Odor of drugs- Carle Hall 1/19 Medical non-emergency- LLC and Carle Hall 1/19 Check the welfare- LLC 1/20 Odor of drugs- LLC 1/20 Suspicious motor vehicle- Appian Way 1/20 Traffic/parking control- Butler Court 1/20 Threat/intimidation- LLC 1/20 Odor of drugs- Huntress Hall 1/21 911/Blue light activation- Zorn Dining Commons 1/21 Parking violation/Chronic violator/revoked- Pondside 3 lot 1/21 Fire alarm/no fire- Fiske Hall 1/21 Fight/Brawl- LLC 1/21 Check the welfare- LLC 1/21 Odor of drugs- Carle Hall 1/22 Parking violation/Chronic violator/Revoked- Elliot lot and Madison lot 1/22 Harassment- Zorn Dining Commons 1/22 Odor of drugs- Carle Hall 1/23 Psychological emergency- LLC 1/23 Parking violation/Chronic violator/Revoked- Spaulding lot 1/23 Parking violation/Fire lane/Roadway/Restricted- Student Center lot and Madison lot 1/23 Intoxicated/incapacitated subjectCarle Hall 1/24 Intoxicated/incapacitated subjectCarle Hall 1/24 Destruction of property- Owl’s Nest lot 1/24 Odor of drugs- Huntress Hall 1/25 Medical non-emergency- Owl’s Nest 4 1/25 Medical non-emergency- Huntress Hall 1/25 Odor of drugs- Carle Hall 1/25 No contact order violation (KSC)LLC 1/25 Alcohol violation- KSC policyWinchester Street 1/26 Odor of drugs- Carle Hall 1/26 Intoxicated/incapacitated subjectCarle Hall, Keddy Hall and Owl’s Nest 4 1/26 Odor of drugs- Carle Hall 1/26 Odor of smoke, gas, other- Art Center 1/26 Controlled drug act violation- Student Center 1/26 Check the welfare- LLC 1/26 Parking enforcement/lot surveyOwl’s Nest lot, Pondside 3 lot, Pondside 2 lot

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OPINIONS

Opinions / A4 Thursday, January 30, 2020

EDITORIAL

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STAFF COMMENTARY

New year doesn’t have to mean a new you Security as a priority Connor Crawford

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Student Life Editor

GRIFFIN ELL / ART DIRECTOR

The Equinox shares its thoughts on New Year’s resolutions Every time a new year is ushered in, people begin to be filled with excitement.

This is because they see it as a chance for a bit of a restart and an opportunity to make positive changes in their life. With this idea comes New Year’s resolutions; a promise to oneself to improve their life in some way.

These can be really valuable in allowing people to stay motivated to reach goals they have been looking to accomplish. By starting on January 1, it can help those who were struggling to succeed before a start with a clean slate. However, just because it is a new year doesn’t mean you have to change any-

THE EQUINOX

thing at all. If you are happy with the way things are, then who cares about making a resolution?

On the other hand, if there is a behavior you are looking to change, don’t feel like you have to wait until a new year to change it. For example, if it’s September and you want to start going to the gym, don’t wait. Change can be difficult, but with the proper motivation anything is possible. If for you that’s creating a New Year’s resolution, go for it.

The Equinox thinks it’s truly unfortunate when people cannot see these things through because often times people get caught up in

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

Puja Thapa Administrative Executive Editor Erin McNemar Managing Executive Editor

a cycle of failure. This is due to the fact that many people just do the same resolution, quit, and then start again the next year, whether it be losing weight, prostainating less, talking to more people, etc.

In order to avoid this, the Equinox suggests setting less extravagant goals. Often times the reason these goals are abandoned so quickly is people set unrealistic expectations for themselves. We also suggest maybe having a partner to commit to your goal with so that both of you can make sure each other stay on the right track.

Rather than setting yourself up for failure,

think about how you can improve a little bit from the last year or create a more long-term goal. If you want to set a bigger goal then don’t let yourself get discouraged when things get hard because nothing worth doing in life is easy. At the end of the day, whether you have a formal resolution, long-term, short-term goal, whatever it may be, the Equinox commends you because goals in life are great and they allow you to truly progress.

Opinions Editor Cristian Valentin

Multimedia Director Benajil Rai

Sports Editor

Claire Boughton

Art Director Griffin Ell

Business Manager Jack Hanson

Webmaster Justin Giuliano

Student Life Editor Connor Crawford

Social Media Director Kiana Wright

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 3582414. The Equinox business office is open Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

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

Equinox Staff: Slesha Tuladhar, William Pruett, Anna Sheppard, Alex Harvey, Matthew White, Simon Clarke, Caroline Ware, Kirsten Somero, Jack Dey, Victoria Miles, Andrew Chase, Tom Benoit, Kathryn Spadafora, Teaghan Hudzik, Kiana Wright, Connor Adams, Alan Fortin, Lydia Mardin, Austin Smith

Photo Editor Soren Frantz

Copy Editors

Lexi Palmer Meeghan Somerset

Senior Reporters Kelly Regan

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EQUINOX NEWSROOM

News Editor Rachel Vitello

Tensions between the United States and Iran are undoubtedly rising. No, we are not officially in a war yet, but we are in a “state of warfare” as I would like to call it. The tensions between the two countries started when President Donald J. Trump ordered a drone strike on January 3, 2020, killing Maj. Gen. Qassim Soleimani.

For those of you who do not know, Gen. Soleimani was the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

After that event, it seemed like the news was blowing up with different headlines and stories coming from the area.

What some people fail to understand is that days before his death, Soleimani ordered multiple air strikes on U.S Baghdad’s Embassy.The President had ordered the killing of the general six months before it happened in June of 2019, so this was nothing new.

The Pentagon also was concerned about Soleimani’s future actions and how they could affect the United States.

They stated that Soleimani was “actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”

Then, almost a week after the killing of the general, an Iranian missile “accidently” brought down a Ukrainian Jet. This unintentional air strike killed all 176 souls onboard the plane.

A lot of criticism came to the president after this happened.

Some people say that it was unconstitutional to order the killing without congressional approval.

One thing about the whole attack that concerned me are the growing tensions that arose directly after the attack when the United States ordered all Americans to leave the area.

The official statement from the state department read as follows, “Due to heightened tensions in Iraq and the region, the U.S. Embassy urges American citizens to heed the January 2020 Travel Advisory and depart Iraq immediately.”

This was absolutely the right move from the state department.

Get all of our citizens out of the

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Thursday, January 30, 2020

STAFF COMMENTARY

Living your life with a purpose

-SOREN

FRANTZ/ PHOTO EDITOR

On Monday, January 20, people in the Keene community celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day. MLK was a famous civil rights activist. Each year we honor his memory with a day off in January.

Examining MLK’s lessons all these years later Erin McNemar Managing Executive Editor Last Monday, students were able to relax for one more day before returning to classes and their hectic spring semesters.

This final day of vacation was thanks to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. While students always appreciate having a Monday off, it’s important to remember the reasons why we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Today, MLK is widely considered the most famous civilrights activist.

His peaceful battle against racial discrimination gained national attention in 1955 when he led a boycott protesting seg-

regation on buses. The Rev. Dr. King was jailed and physically attacked, and his home was bombed. However, he did not give in. In 1956, after the 13-month protest, the Supreme Court declared segregation on buses as unconstitutional.

MLK continued to peacefully fight for civil rights. In 1963, he gave his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech before a quarter of a million people during the March on Washington, D.C. The following year he became the youngest man to win the Nobel Peace Prize. His fight for justice raged on until he was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

Especially now when we are facing times of extreme political polarization, it’s critical to not forget the lessons MLK

taught us. Through looking at the life and bravery of the Rev. Dr. King, I believe there are five lessons we can all take away and use in our everyday lives.

First, always speak with confidence.

Words will ring hollow if your statement is weak. MLK showed us that if you want change, you have to be bold. Even if things are hard to say, sometimes they are necessary. So when the time comes, choose your words carefully and choose them confidently.

Second, we all play a role in each other’s stories. Everything we do has an effect on someone else. Until we realize that as human beings we are all in this together, we will not be living life to the fullest and

best of our ability.

Third, telling the truth can be dangerous. It can be uncomfortable, terrifying and painful. Before you speak, consider what you may be sacrificing and determine if it is worth it. However, saying nothing at all can also prove to be costly.

Fourth, when making a statement of truth our first goal should never be to gain popularity. Your first goal should be to tell the truth. Sometimes the truth will make you wildly unpopular. If it’s the truth you want to tell, understand that it’s not always going to be something people are crazy to hear.

Lastly, you have to believe in yourself. If we doubt ourselves so will others. There-

fore it’s important to truly believe in what you are fighting for. The first person you have to convince on a subject is yourself.

While MLK Day only happens once a year, I think we should all try to live our lives by the virtues that MLK lived by: speak with confidence, understand we are all connected, face the truth bravely, be unafraid of popularity and believe in yourself. Remember MLK’s sacrifices and keep his memory alive by living your life boldly.

DISCLAIMER: This article is the sole opinion of Erin McNemar Erin McNemar can be contacted at emcnemar@kscequinox.com

STAFF COMMENTARY

Helping the world whichever way you can ANDREW CHASE

Equinox Staff Imagine the entire state of New Hampshire being completely engulfed in flames that are virtually unstoppable. Along with the relentless flames, hundreds of homes and buildings would be incinerated to ashes and even more would be heavily damaged. To make things even worse, thousands upon thousands of different plants and animals would be burned to death or killed by inhaling all the smoke and gases that come bundled with all of this fire.

All of this may seem like something straight out of a nightmare, but it’s actually a reality; instead of it being just in New Hampshire, it’s on a national scale. This nightmare is happening in Australia right now.

Australia is currently being devoured by rampaging wildfires that are storming the whole country.

The entire country has been struck by these fires, but the states of New South Wales and Victoria are being

hit the worst. Since this article was written, more than 17.9 million acres, or 7.3 million hectares, have been scorched across Australia. To put 17.9 million acres in a more comprehensible perspective, the size of New Hampshire is around 5.984 million acres. This would mean that the amount of land that has been burned in Australia is around three total New Hampshires.

As one might guess, there are many different ways to help support the people that had their homes destroyed by these wildfires. You could donate money to the Australian Red Cross or the Salvation Army Australia. Both of these organizations use the proceeds from the gracious donations of people throughout the world to help purchase and distribute goods and supplies to people and communities that are in need because of these ferocious fires.

If you want to help support all of the wildlife that has been affected by these fires, there are a ton of different organizations that you

could donate to, such as WIRES or the World Wildlife Fund Australia.

Another way to help support Australia is to donate to the firefighters who are helping put out these dangerous fires. You could donate to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service or the South Australian Country Fire Service.

If you would like to donate to any of these and other organizations, then you can search their names online. There are also website links listed at the end of the article.

To donate to the South Australian Country Fire Service: https:// cfsfoundation.org.au/donate To donate to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service: https:// www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/volunteer/support-your-local-brigade To donate to the World Wildlife Fund Australia: https://www. wwf.org.au/get-involved/bushfireemergency#gs.tzzlib To donate to WIRES: https:// w w w.w i r e s.or g. au/blo g/e me r gency-donations-to-help-wildlife To donate to the Salvation

Army Australia: https://www. s a lvat io n a r my.or g. au/do n at e/ m a k e - a - d o n a t i o n /d o n a t e online/?appeal=disasterappeal To donate to the Australian Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org.

-GRIFFIN ELL/ ART DIRECTOR

au/campaigns/disaster-reliefand-recovery-donate#donate DISCLAIMER: THIS ARTICLE IS THE SOLE OPINION OF ANDREW CHASE

Andrew Chase can be contacted at achase@kscequinox.com

STAFF COMMENTARY

Wondrous winter break adventures across America CRISTIAN VALENTIN

opinionS Editor With 2019 being a year of great change in my life in many ways, I suppose it’s only fitting that 2020 started out just as chaotic. This is due to me traveling to not only Las Vegas but also St. Louis all in a timeframe of three weeks.

First, I will talk about my trip to Vegas because it’s a more personal trip. I went on this trip with three friends of mine from my home-

town of Windham to see a good friend of ours and his younger brother, who we are also friends with, who had moved there at the end of last summer. This was a personal trip for me because when this friend moved it really felt like the first step of truly growing up and all of us going our separate ways, which was a very bittersweet moment.

It was fantastic to see them and it brought me back to some of my more memorable high school days. We didn’t

do too many exciting things, but sometimes true friendship isn’t necessarily about doing all the extravagant things but instead just feeling comfortable doing nothing together.

This is not to say we did nothing, however, because we did get to see a lot of Las Vegas and it was everything it’s been made out to be. The bright lights of all the various hotels, the awe-inspiring stadiums and even the Uber drivers, who are a little too comfortable saying that they’ve hit

people before (not the driver’s fault, apparently), all added to a great experience.

The famous Las Vegas Strip was also a very cool thing to see with shops and people aplenty. While I was not old enough to experience a lot of things there, just being able to walk around and see a literal pyramid along with various other sites previously mentioned was really great and I’ll definitely want to go back when I’m able to do more of what is offered.

Now onto my trip to St. Louis, which was an incredible learning experience in a place that I had never really even considered going to. This trip was a finance conference for my fraternity, which I went on because of my position as vice president of finance. As a journalism major who barely knows anything about managing money (won’t have much to manage anyways), this was very valuable because I was taught how to properly budget and build an organization’s

financial future smartly.

On this trip, I got the opportunity to meet over 300 brothers from all across the country and even some in Canada. I really enjoyed meeting all these people because throughout my time in college connections have been a big focus, and it was fantastic meeting people who believe in the same things that I am bonded to forever. I also was able to get plenty of financial advice and bounce around ideas with these people on top

of being able to talk about our college and life experiences.

While both of these trips were fantastic in their own ways, I must firmly say I am all ‘airplaned out’ and ready to just be on a small campus with all my friends for the next long while.

Cristian Valentin can be contacted at cvalentin@kscequinox.com

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Welcoming everyone

BENAJIL RAI / MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR

WKNH invites students to host radio shows regardless of major CRISTIAN VALENTIN

OpiniOns EditOr Music has long been known to bring people together. For the WKNH members it has given them not only a community but a family.

WKNH is the campus radio station where anybody, regardless of major, can apply and get a radio show where they can play whatever music they want (as long as it’s clean) and talk about anything that they want.

According to WKNH’s co-general manager and junior criminal justice major Ecram Tedrose, her love for radio has existed for a long time. “I love music and when I was younger I used to listen to the radio a lot and I always thought the radio hosts had such good energy and they were always playing good music. I also liked the call-in shows and loved the advice they would give. I always imagined myself doing that kind of thing because I have terrible stage fright... [I can be] behind a radio in someone’s car and I don’t need to show my face and can just talk about whatever I want. It’s the most freeing thing, in a way,” said Tedrose.

The history of college radio is a big part for fellow co-general manager and junior studio art and communications major Emma Connelly. “I guess what I like about WKNH is honestly just the history behind college radio in general. It’s always been a freeform place to express new ideas and new art

that you wouldn’t see commercially because we don’t do sponsorships, so we can promote new artists who we’re not paid to,” said Connelly.

WKNH treasurer and junior communications and Holocaust and genocide studies major Jacob Allen said he was drawn to radio because of his love for music along with the kind community. “They were originally tabling at one of the student involvement fairs and it was one of the only clubs that had to do with music. I love music so it just sounded like it would be perfect. [WKNH is made of] a diverse group of people and they were really welcoming and I knew instantly it was something I wanted to be a part of,” said Allen.

For Allen, the familial feeling is strongest when everybody works together to do something. “I’ve learned how important everybody’s role is, in not just a club or an organization but any group in general. [I’ve learned] if everyone does their part how cool everything can come together and how you feel like a community and family,” said Allen.

Ecram said she also really enjoys this part, specifically putting together the Rock in the NOC (Night Owl Cafe) events. “I think my personal favorite part of WKNH [is] a new thing we started [called] the Rock in the NOC. We look for local bands that aren’t too popular that we can afford and we have them play live in the NOC for free, and it’s just cool music. It’s just a really fun part even though we plan it, talking to bands and seeing how far they

traveled and they’re so excited.”

You also cannot talk about WKNH without the shows. According to sophomore journalism major Shawn Belden, this is a good creative outlet for him. “I like doing the shows because it’s fun encapsulating all the music you want to play for the week, and then when you’re actually doing a show it’s so much fun and you get to showcase different types of music and have interesting talks with people,” said Belden.

Allen also enjoys this creative aspect. “My favorite part is probably working with all the DJs. It’s just so much fun and also you can be so creative with it. You can play whatever songs you want, as long as they’re clean, from a wide variety of genres,” said Allen.

Rock in the NOC occurs once a month with the next event happening Friday, February 28. In the meantime you can check out the following shows: It Gets Worse Tuesdays at 8 p.m., Frog in a Well Wednesdays at 9 p.m., Campfire Bonding Thursdays 8 to 10 p.m., and Beldonianland Fridays at 11 p.m.

Note: Times for It Gets Worse and Frog in a Well may be subject to change.

Cristian Valentin can be contacted at cvalentin@kscequinox.com

BOOK REVIEW

'The Gap of Time' ANGELIQUE INCHIERCA

EquinOx staff A classic tale is retold in Jeanette Winterson’s 2016 book “The Gap of Time.” This adaptation puts a modern twist onto Shakespeare's 1611 “A Winter’s Tale” and allows readers to relate to the play on a whole new level.

While I myself had never read or seen the original play, Winterson’s book starts out with a detailed synopsis, which gave me an understanding of the basic plot of what I would be reading. Only after reading the novel did I do some research on the original written piece. I found that the 289paged “cover version,” as Winterson labeled it, and the original mirrored one another quite well, minus the uniquely converted names, location changes, modern technology and more common language.

As I was reading, it was obvious to me that Winterson is British.

Words and phrases that are different from American English are sprinkled throughout the novel. I didn’t find it distracting, as I had read many British authors throughout my middle school and high school years. I did, however,

have to look up a few words to dispel minor confusions on topics of business, travel and certain historical references I was never exposed to before, especially those that were common in Europe and not in America.

One conclusion I came to was this is not a children’s book. While many of Shakespeare’s plays have innuendos hidden amid the text, Winterson has no shame. There were certainly moments when I was slightly uncomfortable reading sexual tensions and perverted rage that were written so bluntly. One character, Leo (aka King Leontes), has an extremely disgusting personality. His vulgar mouth and incredibly insane actions made me angry, but also kept me intrigued with how the author was going to give him what I believed he deserved.

The familiar emotions of anger, sorrow, jealousy and fear were brilliantly balanced with romance, adventure and purity. This is a story of forgiveness, and it tells a unique story of authentic love. I found myself unable to determine who the “bad guy” really was and whether or not the “good guys” were really all that good.

My only real concerns with “The

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Gap of Time” are the seemingly random time gaps (most likely due to the book being adapted from a written play), long philosophical paragraphs that did not have a clear speaker and how rushed the last few chapters felt. I cannot complain too much, as I truly am fond of this book, but I did have to reread a page or two every so often to understand what was going on through these times.

By the end of the book, I was searching for more pages. This book was in my hands for a collective time of five to six days maximum, and now that it is done, I almost feel as though I am still waiting for the next chapter to come out. I am excited to say that I am interested in reading more modernized Shakespeare-inspired books within Hogarth Press’s section of Penguin Random House publishing.

Angelique Inchierca can be contacted at ainchierca@kscequinox.com

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Adapting to change

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR

Jailbait adjusts to performing without original bassist Copy Editor Have you had the privilege of seeing the band Jailbait perform on or off campus? This band has a unique backstory that most audience members are unaware of when they see them rocking out on the Rocktoberfest stage or performing at house parties.

Jailbait first began when Keene State junior Alyssa Taylor and her friend Lilly Okker decided to create an EP of their music in 2018. At that point they were making music for themselves and had yet to make the decision to become a band. “We never thought people would actually listen to us or approach us to play shows at house parties,” Taylor said. “We only did it because we thought it was fun.”

Eventually, the band started putting their music on Spotify and it was the song titled “Ain’t So Sweet” that got them their first gig at a house party. The only problem was that with just two members of the band, they didn’t have a drummer and used elec-

tronic sounds to create the tracks they put online. This is when the adventure to find more band members began. “We kind of jumped around for a few months trying to find a drummer to be committed to our band and we ended up receiving a message from Nelly [ sophomore Nate Nelson] asking if we were looking for someone,” Taylor said.

The band members changed more drastically recently when founding member Lilly Okker announced that she was moving to Kansas City and would no longer be performing with the band. “I left Jailbait because I moved to Kansas City for art school,” Okker said. “It was just too difficult to write and record together since we were so far away and we obviously couldn’t practice together.”

This lead to the band welcoming two new members: a bassist and lead guitarist both from Manchester, New Hampshire.

While the members of the band have changed, they still focus on performing for the joy of playing music and having fun as a group. However, it can get difficult for the group considering only half of its members

attend Keene State. “I wouldn’t be doing what I am today without [our bassist and lead guitarist] and Nelly’s support. I definitely want to write more with them but it gets hard because [our bassist and lead guitarist] both live about an hour away so we can’t get together as much as we’d like to.”

While it is certainly more difficult for them to write music now that some of the members are from other areas, it has not stopped Jailbait from creating a new sound. Taylor stated that each member of the band prefers a different sound and that has morphed the new music they are working on into its own, harder genre. “We want to branch out and experiment more with a harder sound after this album comes out. We don’t want to be limited by any boundaries that genres tend to set.”

While Jailbait has gained new band members, it hasn’t stopped former bassist Lilly Okker from returning for shows. Okker moved to Kansas City in August, but the band has played shows around New England since then. Taylor admits that while perform-

ing without her original bandmate has been different, it has also been a positive experience for her demeanor as a performer. “I’m still learning to become more confident on stage without Lilly. I have learned a lot about interacting with the crowd and being less nervous in general.”

Okker did, however, return for a show in Lowell, Massachusetts over winter break to perform with Jailbait. “Seeing Jailbait perform without me was sad because I miss being on stage, but it also made me really happy because I could see how much everyone’s improved and all the great changes they’ve made. It was really fun to dance around in the crowd,” Okker said.

Check out Jailbait on Facebook, Instagram or Spotify and keep an eye open for local performances.

Meeghan Somerset can be contacted at msomerset@kscequinox.com

Expanding artistic creativity PUJA THAPA

adminiStrativE ExECutivE Editor The art and design program at Keene State College has evolved with time and there are some new changes in the spring 2020 semester that students could benefit from.

Dean of Arts, Education and Culture Dr. Kirsti A. Sandy, who has worked at Keene State for about 20 years, said, “We’ve always had a really strong art department, but we branched out to so many different departments.”

Starting in fall 2019, the Thorne Sagendorph Gallery merged with the Keene State art department and in spring 2020 the changes are coming to life. Public Programs and Educational Outreach Coordinator and Professor of Art Paul McMullan is excited because the gallery is restructured to be student-friendly. He said the gallery is a space the art department has never had before and is hopeful that it will help the recruitment of prospective students.

The merging of the gallery and the department has also provided a few other opportunities. According to McMullan, due to cramped drawing space in Redfern during the fall semester the drawing classes will be moved to the Thorne Gallery.

Retired art professor Peter Roos will be coming back to Keene State on Fridays starting January 31 to conduct open sessions for students and community members on figure drawing.

The gallery will also be hosting talks from different art faculties and artists. Author and illustrator Carson Ellis, who is based in Portland, Oregon, was one of the speakers in the fall 2019 semester.

Sandy said, “We felt our students were going [to Thorne gallery] as guests, but students aren’t guests; it’s their gallery. We wanted a way for students to feel that they own the Thorne… This belongs to them as much as it does the college, as much as it does to the community. So we wanted to find a way to formally make that happen.”

As for the first exhibition for spring 2020, the gallery is

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SPRING 2020

cont. from A6

ANGELIQUE INCHIERCA

Equinox Staff Keene audience members were given a chance to explore the unknown through modern movement choreography, live music and unpopular performance techniques that most of us possess- speech.

David Dorfman Dance (DDD)’s performance, A (Way) Out of My Body, is an in-progress project. DDD Director David Dorfman said this project began around two years ago when he asked his troupe to start writing down memories, phrases or dreams that reminded them of what an out-of-body experience means to them.

Each spoken piece is taken from a true story told by one of the dancing members, other forms of expression were seen by the fast-paced and sometimes contorted movements.

Dorfman said it is not common to have a “preview” of a dance presentation. He also added that he does not believe in sneak-peaks because every showing is a full performance on its own and performers are always making adjustments for the next show.

Redfern Director Shannon Mayers said, “It’s not always possible to see a work in progress. [The audience’s] feedback is really important, as Dave mentioned, to his process and for us to understand it.”

She added, “[The audience’s] feedback and responses help feed this work and helps us understand what makes dance in our community hum.”

Mayers has followed this showcase of Dorfman’s work for two years and talked about some unique features this performance has.

“It’s rare for a dance company to be able to travel with live music,” Meyers said. “Most times you hear the music through playback. So again, that experience of music and movement playing off of one another is a really interesting dynamic of the piece.”

Dorfman also hosted a dance workshop for New Hampshire dance students the night prior to the show, most of whom attended the performance. He spoke of these techniques during his workshop.

New Hampshire Dublin School student Temple Nightingale attended the workshop and said she has been dancing since she was in elementary school.

“We did a lot of improv and body contact and getting out of ourselves by doing things we’ve never done before,” Nightingale said. “We did some talking while we danced, which they did here [at the performance].”

Nightingale said Dorfman “seems fearless,” which inspires her as a dancer. She added, Dorfman seemed to like to try new things which were shown in his workshop such as speaking at certain parts of the piece.

Another “fearless” move was shown to the audience when a dancer brought out a cello and began playing for the crowd as she was lifted and sat on a chair made from the other dancers’ body stances.

Dorfman said it was a risk putting both music and dance into one performance, but it worked. He said the cello represents a human body in shape, which is exactly what connected that section of the performance together.

This piece by David Dorfman Dance will be coming back to campus in March 2021.

Angelique Inchierca can be contacted at ainchierca@kscequinox.com

“ GRIFFIN ELL / ART DIRECTOR

holding a Keene State art faculty biennial exhibition and regional high school art exhibition from January 30 until March 29, 2020.

Another new thing that both McMullan and Sandy are excited for in spring 2020 is the senior show toward the end of the semester. McMullan said, “It’s going to be joining the Academic Excellence Conference, so we’re going to open up here on Friday night.” According to the Keene State College website, the Academic Excellence Conference event brings together student scholars and their families, faculty and staff

mentors, area legislators, university trustees and members of the Keene community in celebration of academic research and other forms of scholarship.

At Keene State, you can earn a BA in art (either graphic design or studio art), a BFA in art (graphic design, studio art or art and design), an art history minor or a studio art minor, according to the Keene State College website.

McMullan is confident about the programs that Keene State provides. “I think what’s great about the department

[The audience’s] feedback and responses help feed this work and helps us understand what makes dance in our community hum.

- Shannon Mayers

“

MEEGHAN SOMERSET

PROGRESS

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A work in progress

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR On Thursday, January 23, The Redfern Arts Center hosted David Dorfman as he gave a preview of his dance performance "A (Way) Out of My Body." The finished project will be back at The Redfern Arts Center in March 2020 for viewing.

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STUDENT LIFE

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Student Life, B1

Thursday, January 30, 2020

Making neighborhoods livable

Social Host Ordinance aims to cut back on safety issues from large social events

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Pictured above is a house located on Gates Street, a street that is just across from the Keene State campus. The street was once home to many locals, but recently has been transitioning more toward student housing.

CONNOR CRAWFORD

StudEnt LifE Editor “A Social Host Ordinance is really a way to make neighborhoods livable, to have people take responsibility,” Robin Picard, coordinator of student and community relations, stated about the Social Host Ordinance that is being discussed in the city of Keene.

A Social Host Ordinance is an ordinance to hold individuals accountable for noise, underage drinking and various other infractions that can occur at social gatherings.

The “Social Host” portion of the ordinance pertains to anyone who is responsible for throwing the specific social gathering which breaks the rules of the ordinance, namely residents of a house or apartment.

Picard wants to emphasize that the ordinance is not in place

to prevent partying. “It’s not an ordinance to say ‘we don’t want parties in our town,’” Picard stated.

“What it is is a message on how to have a responsible party.”

If and when the Social Host Ordinance passes, all rules and regulations that come with the ordinance will affect all houses and residents in Keene, not only residences that house college students.

The idea of a Social Host Ordinance was brought up when neighborhoods near the college started becoming affected by large gatherings and the impact the come from them.

Large gatherings present public safety issues with overcrowding, noise, trash, parking issues, public urination and defecation as well as other inappropriate and disorderly behavior.

According to Picard, neighbors have tried to intervene when

students have loud or large parties, but overall have had a tough time getting the results they want.

“Nearby neighbors have said that they are concerned about the noise, but when they tried to intervene with students, the response is, ‘this is our town, if you don’t like it don’t live here,’” Picard explained.

“What happens is that the townsfolk will call the authorities and say, ‘oh my goodness, there’s so much noise in the streets and coming from this particular party.’ Well, by the time the police show up, everybody might have turned down the music and it’s quiet,” said Picard.

Noise is one of the main problems that come with a large party.

One of the issues that the Social Host Ordinance is trying to tackle is how to combat that issue.

As Picard put it, “Noise levels can be subjective, so sometimes noise tickets get thrown out or

police won’t even ticket for noise.”

The Social Host Ordinance is looking at the problem of noise not as an issue of subjectivity but as something that can cause harm to the human body.

“A new view of noise is that it is harmful,” Picard explained. “Noise injures people psychologically and socially; it can be a potential stressor.”

Picard went on to explain how noise could affect livability.

“Noise can be detrimental when it interrupts sleep or relaxation. This new paradigm around noise permits a better understanding of how noise affects livability in a neighborhood. Noise can result in a less desirable place to live,” said Picard.

The majority of college students who live in off-campus housing rent their property from a landlord.

Picard wants to emphasize that the ordinance also creates

responsibility for landlords to educate their tenants, in this case students, on the goal of being respectful tenants.

“When a house has an incident, the landlord would be contacted and the landlord would be expected to talk to the tenants [about the incident],” Picard explained. “If a house repeatedly has issues and a landlord has not intervened, then the landlord might also be fined.”

It is likely that fine will be passed onto students.

Picard highlighted that this ordinance is not targeting college students but is a collaborative effort by the Keene community as a whole to make the city a great place to live in.

“The whole point of [the ordinance] is that the city, the college, the landlords and the tenants all work together. That’s why we love it,” Picard stated.

Picard added that collaboration and working towards a shared goal is what evey community should be about.

The Social Host Ordinance would be beneficial for students, according to Picard, because it is not subjective.

“It’s clear,” Picard explained. “I think students sometimes don’t really know what the rules are [about noise complaints]. There are no objective rules about noise and this would give clarity. There is no, ‘the police are out to get us,’ and that is a benefit for students.”

If the ordinance moves forward with the city, Picard plans to create a focus group of students to help get a better understanding of how they feel about the ordinance and to possibly help write the ordinance itself.

Many cities across the country have already implemented a Social Host Ordinance, including Bloomington, Minnesota, Novato, California and Fort Collins, Colorado, Eugene Oregon and San Marcos, Texas.

At the time of this article, according to Picard, the proposal for the ordinance is being discussed back and forth with the city but there is no definitive timeline for when the ordinance will be passed.

However, according to Picard, there is an upcoming meeting with the mayor, neighbors, fire chief and other officials to discuss the ordinance further.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns about the Social Host Ordinance, or simply want to learn more about the ordinance, you can contact Picard at robin.picard@keene.edu.

Connor Crawford can be contacted at ccrawford@kscequinox.com

Back from break, students discuss their New Year’s resolutions DENISE RONAN

Equinox Staff A new year, a new decade!

We are finally all back for the spring semester.

Students and faculty were able to kick back and enjoy the turn of the century with a nice, long break. Some may have traveled or even made some money. Watching the traditional ball drop and clinking your champagne (or sparkling cider) with friends and yelling “Happy New Year!” is always a good time.

Starting fresh, we must all adjust to our new class schedules and get used to writing “2020” for the date.

To inspire yourself, it may help to think of a resolution or goal to reach for the new year, whether you plan every detail to stay on top of your

achievements or have it always in the back of your mind..

Junior Kevin Sagalski talked about how his resolution will be getting better with time as most do.

“This year I am trying to think through what I say completely first,” he said. “I just never want to say anything I don’t mean.”

Very abstract, but a great resolution for anyone to think about. This is like another resolution by junior Megan Palmer. Palmer wants to go into the new year and said she will “not dwell on things [she] can’t control and just let life happen.”

Hailey Fisher, a junior who transferred to Keene, said she aims to explore and get more active in 2020. Fisher said she “really want[s] to

learn to ski or try yoga for the first time.”

Trying new things and getting into healthy habits are certainly positive goals to have, and allowing experiences you have always wanted to happen is an easy way to do this. Fisher is also trying to eat a better diet and is even trying to go to the gym more, likely along with many others. Keene State students are excited for a healthy new year!

With students inspired for what’s to come and our innate curiosity about what life might throw at us as we grow, having a helpful goal might get us through a little easier.

It is amazing to speak with students who are helping themselves to be the best them they can be

and doing what they can to foster a positive and honest environment.

Fisher also explained how excited she is to finally be a senior this fall and is most looking forward to living with all her friends again next semester.

Student Julia Healey is also eager for this coming year. “My New Year’s resolution is to invest more Did you know 77% of people time into myself,” Healey said, coming into this year stop New Year’s Resolutions with positivity and an open after 1 week? mind.

As we get back into the swing of things, maybe think about a goal you can achieve by 2021. With mutual hope, have a happy new year! you bring to the new year.”

Leaving you with a quote by GRIFFIN ELL / ART DIRECTOR Denise Ronan can be Vern McLellan: “What the new year brings to you will contacted at dronan@kscequinox. com depend a great deal on what

Happy New Year!

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Gaming with the guild PUJA THAPA

adminiStrativE ExEcutivE Editor If you are into gaming culture and want to socialize with students who share the same interest, Gamers Guild could be a club at Keene State College to check out. According to the club’s treasurer Kevin DeAmicis , “Gamers Guild is a club where people with different hobbies, whether it’s card games, board games, video games, or stuff like D&D, all come together on Fridays and just play and have fun.”

President of the club Tyler Thompson said, “From my experiences, [Gamers Guild is] one of the only clubs where meetings are very informal. You can come at any time and you can leave at any time.

There’s nothing really going on at the meeting except playing games for four hours. You can come and meet with people and hang out and make friends.”

The club is a small representation of the growing gaming culture in the United States. According to 2019 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry, over 164 million adults in the United States play video games and three-quarters of all Americans have at least one gamer in their household.

The club at KSC, however, comprises board games and card games in addition to video games.

Super Smash Bros., Ultimate, Dungeons & Dragons, Dark Souls, the

» SEE GAMING B2

Students register to vote and discuss important voting issues TOM BENOIT

Equinox Staff “There’s a lot at stake in this election that will directly affect our generation and our futures,” said first-year student Caitlin Howard about why it is important for students to register to vote.

“Voting is one of the main ways we get to have our voices heard by those that represent us, and with this comes tremendous power,” she continued, “and I think that everyone should utilize it.”

Junior Courtney Leonard also talked about the importance of college students going out to vote.

“It’s important that we register to vote because we get to decide who runs our country and the more involved we are the better.”

Junior Cassandra Cini said, “If all college students vote it’s raising the youth voting population and more youth voices are being heard.”

“The election in November is going to greatly affect our generation as we grow up, graduate college, find jobs, buy homes and so many other aspects of our adult life,” said first-year student Allison Newey. “Therefore, it’s important that college students read up on the issues that are important to them and vote for someone who holds similar beliefs.”

Many students have different opinions on what they want they are looking for in a candidate. Cini said, “I’m looking for a candidate who isn’t compliant with the system and wants to rebuild, not to continue with the way things are and also has, or is open to, new ideas.”

“I’m looking for a candidate who will remain truthful to the American people and keep the interests of the people in mind,

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Getting politically involved

SAM REINKE / EQUINOX STAFF

Members of the KSC Democrats discuss important issues at their weekly meeting. The group meets to discuss various issues and topics pertaining to politics and voting. The KSC Democrats meet every Wednesday night at 6 p.m. in room 309 of the student center.

KSC Democrats are determined to tackle issues and have helped members become more involved in politics CONNOR CRAWFORD

Student Life editor If you’re interested in politics, Keene State College has a multitude of clubs and organizations that you could join to get involved.

The KSC Democrats are one of the political organizations on campus that might be the right fit for you.

“It’s nice to be around likeminded individuals and people who want to make a change on campus,” junior film major Hope Daley said.

“I think we are all united for the common good. We all basically want our voices to be heard.”

Colin Meehan said that his favorite part of being in the KSC Democrats is the ability to go out and do something about the issues that he cares about.

“A part of it, at least for me, is the ability to know that I am doing something. I vote, but at a certain level that just isn’t enough,” Colin Meehan stated. “To be able to say that I am part of a group that is helping other people and champing more active ways of getting involved is really cool.”

With the KSC Democrats having around 15 members, they are by no means a large group.

However, according to member John Kelleher, the group’s smaller size does not matter in making change.

“Even though we are a small group in the whole system, we still are a part of trying to fix things and helping to get stuff done,” Kelleher said. “We help people register to vote, we help people stay informed with what is going on in local and

national politics.”

Kelleher explained that it is better to take action on the things that matter the most to you instead of taking a seat on the sidelines and waiting for change.

Daley expressed that since joining the KSC Democrats, her greatest takeaway has been becoming more active in the community around her.

“I feel like I am a little braver nowadays,” Daley explained. “I remember the first time I volunteered in a campaign, which I wouldn’t have done unless I was in this group.

I am a very nervous person, but when you are instructed to go talk to people and give them ‘commit to vote’ cards, it’s interesting because I can talk to people that I don’t even know now.”

“Being a part of this club has helped me to grow more confident,”

explained Colin Meehan on his greatest takeaway from being a part of the club. “I’m definitely a more aware person after I joined the club of local and national issues. I definitely pay more attention to issues in the news at local and national levels.”

Vice President of the KSC Democrats Ryan Meehan emphasized how important it is for students to get out and vote, especially with the New Hampshire Primary quickly approaching.

“If you look at voter turnout, [students] tend to have a pretty poor performance and a lot of these issues that are being decided now are going to affect our lives, you know, for however long we are alive,” Ryan Meehan expressed.

“It is really important that we get as many students and young people

to turn out as much and as often as we possibly can because the decisions we make now are going to matter for the next 100 years.”

Colin Meehan added that it is also important that college students get involved in politics because some students are not aware of how much politics affects their daily lives.

“Most college students I come across say, ‘I don’t really pay attention because it doesn’t really affect me,’” Colin Meehan explained. “Politics really does affect them. Local elections and national elections are going to impact how much taxes they pay, how much money the school gets, how difficult or easy it will be for them to vote. That is another reason we try to get as many students to vote as we can.”

The KSC Democrats hold weekly

meetings every Wednesday night at 6 p.m. in room 309 of the student center.

If you have any questions pertaining to the KSC Democrats, president of the organization Davis Bernstein can be contacted at davis. bernstein@ksc.keene.edu Look for an article about the Keene State College Republicans in an upcoming publication of the paper!

Connor Crawford can be contacted at ccrawford@kscequinox.com

GAMING Cont. from B1

Red Dragon Inn, different board games and card games are some of what the club provides the students to play. The club has an office on the second floor of the student center where they store the games.

The club also has a suggestion box where people offer suggestions for games they want. DeAmicis said, “I think we’re planning for this semester to get some feedback from people in the club about what board games they wanna get and we’ll get that, maybe more expansions.”

According to Thompson, the average cost for the games is $60.

Besides their normal meetings, the club also hosts parties. The club usually has an end of the year or the end of the semester party, Halloween party and Tolkien Reading Day party where the club members like to dress up in clothing from medieval time periods, according to Thompson. “[They’re] normal meetings. You still have games, [except] a lot of people

dress up, we have a lot of snacks, people bring baked goods [such as] cookies, brownies, juice, soda and candy,” said Thompson.

KSC sophomore Cameron Ellnor is a member of the club.

Socialization is the best part of being in the club for Ellnor. “Honestly, I just like the fun. We do stupid stuff and a lot of it I don’t play for seriousness,” he said.

The club meets every Friday at 7 p.m. in Madison Street Lounge in the Student Center or Rhodes Hall.

Location and schedules are posted on Gamers Guild Facebook page and their discourse chat. Thompson recommended KSC students to show up at the meetings. “We get to just be who we are for about four hours of the night,” Thompson said.

Puja Thapa can be contacted at pthapa@kscequinox.com

BENAJIL RAI / MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR

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STUDENT LIFE / B3

Thursday, January 30, 2020

The Flu Has Been Detected In The Keene Area!

How To Tell If You Might Have The Flu: Sudden onset ofHeadaches High fever Body Aches Coughing and sore throat

How To Care For The Flu Once Contracted: Cover your face whenever you need to cough or sneeze, preferably with a tissue, throw the tissue away after Always wash your hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer Avoid touching your face Try and get 7-8 hours of sleep per night Limit contact with others while sick If sick, remain home until you’ve gone at least 24 hours without medication Antibiotics are not an effective treatment for the flu Keep faculty informed about the status of your illness It’s not too late to schedule a flue shot! Use the Wellness Center’s Online Patient Portal or call 603-358-2450, option 1 GRIFFIN ELL / ART DIRECTOR

Meet the Greeks

T h i s

W e e k SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR

On Friday, January 24, “Meet the Greeks” happened in the flag room. “Meet the Greeks” was an event put on by Keene State’s IFC/Panhel associations. The description of the event was: “Meet the Greeks is a small-scale fair showcasing all of the recognized fraternity and sorority organizations that students can join here at Keene State, and leads into the upcoming recruitment periods for both Panhel and IFC.” This was a chance for students to check out and explore the various Greek organizations that Keene State has to offer before recruitment week starts for the organizations.

a t

VOTE Cont. from B1

the upcoming election are ones that are going to affect their generation directly. Some issues included climate change and healthcare.

Students like Newey, for example, think that climate change is one of the big issues in the upcoming election. “Some issues that are important to me include climate change, gun control, foreign police and women’s reproductive rights,” Newey said.

Cini also stated issues that are important to her, including “student loans, economy, rights for minorities and problems in America civilly.”

“Taxes, where they’re coming from and where we’re taking them, is a very important issue to me,” said Leonard. “Women’s rights, gun control and minimum wage are also very important to me.”

“

Some issues that are important to me are women’s reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, common sense gun control and making higher education more affordable,

- Caitlin Howard

“

rather than his or her self interest,” Howard stated. “A lot of people are feeling hopeless and discouraged under this current administration, so I’m looking for someone who can restore hope.”

“Someone who cares enough to help the middle and lower class more than the upper class,” said Leonard. “Also someone who’s approachable.”

“Someone who is willing to negotiate and work across the aisle, as well as someone who looks out for the interests of the American people and not just pleasing their party,” expressed Newey.

Students were also driven to vote because of the issues that matter to them. “Some issues that are important to me are women’s reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, common sense gun control and making higher education more affordable,” said Howard.

Many students interviewed brought up that the issues that are important to them in

K S C

Tom Benoit can be contacted at tbenoit@kscequinox.com

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STUDENT LIFE / B4

Thursday, January 30, 2020

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/ B5 Thursday, January 30, 2020

WORLD NEWS

KSCEQUINOX.COM

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF AMERICA, FROM TOM STEYER

Your concerns about climate are completely justified and on target. It's ridiculously unfair for you to inherit an uninhabitable planet because self-interested politicians refuse to stand up to corporations. But they can’t dismiss you. Your voices rise with the conviction of truth and the willingness to act. You’ve called yourselves “the voiceless future of humanity,” but you are not voiceless. For too long, members of my generation have chosen short-term profit over anything else, even people’s lives. But you’ve broken through — using every tool at your disposal to demand a voice.

It’s imperative for those in power to treat the climate crisis with the urgency it demands. I'm the only candidate who will openly make fighting climate change my number one priority. If it's not number one, it won't get done ... and it has to get done.

On the first day of my presidency, I will declare the climate crisis a national emergency and invoke the emergency powers of the executive office, including enacting power plant regulations, instilling stricter pollution standards on cars, and revamping building codes.

I will hold all corporate polluters accountable for their environmental crimes against humanity.

No other candidate sees it this way, but we have no choice — we’re running out of time. It’s why I left my company a decade ago to start NextGen America, and worked with students all across the U.S. to mobilize the largest youth voter registration and turnout effort in American history. Young people lead the charge; and in 2020 you’ll vote out the most corrupt president this country has ever seen.

Climate justice is at the heart of this struggle. Far too much pollution is located in communities that lack political agency, and especially in communities of color. My climate justice plan (tomsteyer.com/climate) focuses on bringing justice to those whose air and water has been poisoned by corporations over decades of discriminatory, environmentally racist policies. We must redress this historic and continued discrimination if we are going to build a better America and transform our economy safely and equitably.

When we put justice at the center of fighting climate change, we'll bring this country together and create millions of good, high-paying, green jobs in the process. The future of this planet and our economic future can only be assured together. We must turn the most powerful tool in history — the American economy — toward healing our planet, restoring our communities, and building a government that is truly of, by, and for the people.

This is the election that will determine the course of all our lives. Trump has made it clear that he is willing to destroy our health and our planet to please the oil and gas industry. We must stop him. We can safeguard our futures while restoring the health of the planet. We can become global leaders again through climate action. And together, we can win.

On day one of my presidency, I will declare the climate crisis a national emergency and invoke the emergency powers of the executive office.

TOM STEYER, DEMOCRAT FOR PRESIDENT Text climate to 46866

Regardless of who you’re voting for in 2020, I know you’ll show up. I know you’ll speak out.

I know you’ll vote, because there’s so much at stake — everything.

Let’s save the world, and let’s do it together.

PAID FOR BY TOM STEYER 2020

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Sports / B6

Thursday, January 30, 2020

‘Gotta point to prove’ Jaylen Franklin is the newest addition to the men’s basketball team MATT HOLDERMAN

Equinox Staff Keene State basketball fans can expect to see a new face on the floor next time they come to a game at Spaulding Gymnasium.

On January 14, Jaylen Franklin, a men’s basketball player at the College of Wooster in Ohio, took to Instagram to announce he was transferring to Keene State College with intentions of playing for the Owls men’s basketball team. Franklin posted an edited picture of himself wearing a Keene State jersey on his Instagram account with the caption reading, “Gotta point to prove.”

“I’m very excited,” Franklin said in an interview. “I’m very excited to play for Coach Cain. He’s been building a great program here and I’m very lucky to be able to jump right in.”

Franklin, a current junior and native of Springfield, Massachusetts, began playing college basketball at the division one level for the University of Massachusetts Minutemen as a walk-on talent in 2017. Franklin spent three years with the Minutemen, playing a relatively small role on the team, appearing in 15 games for a grand total of 41 minutes over his three years with the team.

Then, before the start of the current 201920 season, Franklin transferred to the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio to play for the Scots, a division three basketball team.

During his time with the Scots, Franklin participated in eight games scoring an average of 4.5 points per game while playing for an average of 9.9 minutes per game. However, even though he played more minutes per game at Wooster than he did at UMass, Franklin still wasn’t happy.

“I left there just due to things with the culture and how I was living; it just wasn’t a good situation for me,” Franklin said. “We had a great team in Wooster, it’s nothing against those guys at Wooster, I’m still rooting for them all the way. I still talk to the guys on that team on a regular basis, it was just not totally the right fit for me there. It was a personal thing.”

Therefore, Franklin knew it was time for another change of scenery. But this time, he felt like the choice was obvious: Come back home to New England.

“I felt like I needed to come home close to my family and friends,” Franklin said. “I was already familiar with Keene and the

Owls team and Coach Cain because of my friend Ty Nichols, so I chose to come to Keene.”

When the news that Franklin wanted to play for Keene State reached the Owl’s head coach, Ryan Cain, he was excited to hear he’d be getting a new player.

“I’m happy to have him. He seems like a really nice young man, you know. I think he’s a good basketball player,” Coach Cain said. “We played against him this year which is interesting. He made a three in the game against us, didn’t play a ton of minutes against us but when he was in there he played pretty well so getting a guy that’s a really good person and a good player, that’s exciting for us. The amount of detail that I can provide at this point, not having seen him play a ton, is somewhat limited, but you definitely want to add as many good people and good players in your program as you possibly can.”

Furthermore, the timing of Franklin’s arrival makes the situation even sweeter for the Owls, as Franklin will be joining the Owls during what could debatably be the team’s time of need. Although they are the defending Little East Conference champions, the Owls are stuck with a losing record (five wins and 11 losses at the time of writing this) headed into the latter stages of the season. Plus, the Owls’ leading scorer this season, Marcus McCarthy, who averaged 12.6 points per game, left the team over winter break, leaving the Owls in a very vulnerable position. Therefore, when Franklin decided he wanted to join the Owls, it was very welcoming news for Coach Cain.

“Losing Marcus, he was a key player, he played well for stretches with us, and in the middle of your year, losing a guy like that is never easy, a guy that played a pretty prominent role. Fortunately, I do think we have a lot of depth and a lot of good players, but then it’s a different puzzle. You know, at that point you’re trying to put some different pieces together, and obviously those pieces haven’t come together such that we’ve played terrific basketball and won all the games we’ve played, obviously a lot of these games as of late haven’t gone our way. So to be able to add someone else to adjust that puzzle to maybe have more success is great.”

Franklin said that the rest of the team

was very welcoming too when he showed up for his first practice with them.

“I officially met them all Monday [Jan. 20] at practice. I’ve known Jeric [Cichon] for a while. I knew him growing up but I wasn’t too close with the other guys until I met them. After meeting them all they seem like great guys. They were very welcoming.

They welcomed me with open arms and I think we can do something really special together.”

Along with already knowing Cichon from high school, Franklin also knew Ty Nichols, the all-time leading scorer for the Owls’ men’s basketball team, long before college. Knowing Nichols helped Franklin make the decision to transfer to Keene State.

“Oh man, I could tell you stories about Ty

KSCDT comes in 10th at UDA Nationals The dance team carries a uniquity that most other teams on campus do not have. The KSC Dance Team does not have a coach. However, the team is not without leadership. Senior and co-captain Ariel Luria said, “As a captain, I have the responsibilities of a full-time college student and a full-time professional coach.”

Luria, in addition to being a student and a dancer, has all of the responsibilities that a full-time collegiate coach would have. “My responsibilities include communicating with the school to set up performances and opportunities for community involvement, constant communication with the Varsity Spirit Company to set up nationals, hiring a nationals choreographer, choreographing dances for the team for halftime performances, cleaning the nationals dance and conditioning the team and researching other teams and coaches to train the team to the best of my ability,” said Luria.

While getting tenth place in the UDA National Championship is something to celebrate, making it there was another feat entirely. Junior and co-captain Kimberly Kalis said the process of getting to nationals is a longer one than she expected. “During the summer, the captain and I asked the choreographer who we wanted to hire if she would be willing to help us, and then we started looking into the different music once she was on board. Finding music that is different, that makes a statement and is appropriate for the hip-hop style is very hard, but Ariel already had some ideas which made it a little easier,” Kalis said. The UDA Championships were held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.

Coming in tenth place at the national championship means that the KSC Dance Team is currently in the top 10 dance teams in the nation in the open hiphip category. When asked about how it felt to be tenth in the country, senior and dance team manager Brooke Meehan said, “[It felt] really good. All of the work that we do all semester really comes together at this competition; that’s what the fall semester is about, getting ready for this competition, so placing and doing so well really ties together this whole year and it being my senior year adds to the excitement.”

In addition to the rush of placing at the national level, the thrill of the competition is just one of the

Matt Holderman can be contacted at mholderman@kscequinox.com

things that made this special. Luria said, “Performing on the college nationals stage is such an overwhelming out-of-body experience. Preparing backstage you feel like you are a part of something bigger than yourself.

It’s a very moving experience for me. My mom passed away when I was in middle school and I always feel so connected to her in this moment before going on stage because the energy in the area is so intense and passionate and it is so moving to be surrounded by thousands of people who are just as passionate to compete as you.”

While the KSCDT may not get the notoriety that other athletic teams do, these women deserve the respect and admiration that all other teams get. They are one of the best athletic teams KSC has to offer.

Austin Smith can be contacted at asmith@kscequinox.com

“

“[It felt] really good. All of the work that we do all semester really comes together at this competition.”

STAFF COMMENTARY

Sun, sand, and swimming KSC swimmer talks about Florida training trip experience QUINT KIMMEL

MEMbEr of MEn’S SwiM & DivE tEaM Starting with a bit of background before I get into the more technical side of these workouts, I swim mostly distance events, which plays into my training a lot more than what would be perceived by spectators. In the sense of how the workouts are structured, there is usually more emphasis on more yardage at a higher average pace, as opposed to sprint training, which focuses more on shorter swims that are quicker.

However, sprint training also has slower paced swims to allow the muscles to recover.

Starting with the first travel day, we had a light morning swim to loosen up the muscles before we headed out for the airport. The overall swim did fill up the two-hour practice time, but had no intervals that were really difficult. We then packed up our gear to bring it down to Florida and got on the bus to head to Boston. Once at Logan Airport, everything went smoothly through security. We then flew to Fort Lauderdale, which took about three hours. After picking up the rental Suburbans, it was another 45 minutes to get to our hotel in Boca Raton.

Day two happened on about five hours of sleep, but we still got two good practices in. The

morning workout consisted of more easy yards to get the wear of travel off our legs and then some racing. In between the two practices, which were at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., we took a drive to the local grocery store to grab food for the week. I chose not to grab a lot of food so that I would have more money available to go and get food downtown. The evening workout was harder, but the hard practices are meant to help you when you’re racing.

Days three through six were largely similar. The morning workout was often split up into two hour-long sessions in which one side of the team lifted during the first hour while the other swam, and then vice versa.

During the morning workouts the pool was set up in long course meters, like you would see during the Olympics, with the evenings being short course yards like the pool in Spaulding Gym. The workouts were largely similar with many sets measuring the volume of oxygen that we could hold.

We started to form a routine: wake up, breakfast, practice, walk to Jamba Juice, grab food, go back to the hotel to relax, practice, dinner, sleep and then repeat for six days and you have what is a majority of our Florida trip....

FOR MORE OF THE STORY, GO TO KSCEQUINOX.COM

“

Equinox Staff

the Owl’s men’s basketball team, he says he has one primary goal in mind for the rest of the season.

“My ultimate goal with this team is to win the LEC Championship in the conference tournament and make the NCAA’s,” Franklin said. “We’re trying to take it dayby-day though, you can’t do it all overnight.”

So, with the next home game for the Owls men’s basketball team scheduled for next Wednesday against their longtime rival Plymouth State, we’ll more than likely get the chance to see Franklin light it up for the Owls on his new home court.

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR

Dancing in Disney AUSTIN SMITH

for days man,” Franklin said. “I’ve known him since we were like 12 years old, playing basketball against him in my driveway. He’s always been a tough kid and a tough player.

I’d even tell Ty that I could see myself playing for Coach Cain and with the Owls, and now it came true.”

Cichon also remembers seeing Nichols and Franklin around town before playing with them at Keene State.

“Growing up they were always around; they were always at open gyms,” Cichon said. “I never played against Jaylen, but Jaylen went to my high school before I got there. Before my freshman year, he was a freshman at the high school I went to and he ended up going somewhere else.”

Now, with Franklin joining Cichon on

- Brooke Meehan

GRIFFIN ELL / ART DIRECTOR

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Sports / B7 BRIEF

Two time LEC XC champion Lauren Perkowski leaves indoor track season for injury

Thursday, January 30, 2020

From Cali to Keene P I C K Editor’s

“

“I just knew at that time that I wanted to become a coach… and furthermore I wanted to end up, hopefully in a perfect world, back at Keene State.”

CLAIRE BOUGHTON

sports editor

Claire Boughton can be contacted at cboughton@kscequinox com

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR

KATIE MARTINEAU

Women’s BasketBall Freshman Guard

“

Senior distance runner Lauren Perkowski announced she would be taking a leave of absence from the track and field team after her second consecutive Little East Conference Individual Championship during the cross country season. This decision came after Perkowski battled injuries through the end of her 2019 cross country season.

“I had a double stress fracture in both of my tibias,” Perkowski explained. “I found out a little before our conference race in early November.”

Perkowski still ran in the conference meet, saying she knew it would be her last race for an unknown amount of time.

“I thought I would be able to heal in six weeks, [but] it’s been almost 90 days and I don’t know when I am going to run again,” said Perkowski.

Coach Mills gave an email statement regarding Perkowski’s injuries.

“Lauren is a phenomenal athlete so it is unfortunate that she is going through this right now and at the end of her senior year.

However, we do have a plan and are not ruling out the possibility of getting her back for the outdoor season. The priority right now is that we address her injury and give her the rest she needs to enjoy a lifetime of running and competing if she wishes post-college.”

The two-time Little East champion is not giving up hope either.

“As sad as I am [because] I am a senior, it’s good knowing I can do a lot post-collegiately,” said Perkowski, who still hopes to be able to return to running before her senior year ends.

- Coach Paige Mills

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR

Paige Mills becomes new head coach for XC and T&F teams CLAIRE BOUGHTON

sports editor What would make a person voluntarily decide to leave sunny California and travel to sub-zero New Hampshire in the middle of the winter?

For Paige Mills the answer to that question was simple: a dream.

On December 16, 2019, it was announced that Keene State alumna Paige Mills would be returning to her alma mater to take over as head coach for both Keene State’s cross country and track and field teams.

Keene State’s Director of Athletics and Recreation Phil Racicot, who was away at an NCAA convention when asked for an interview, wrote highly of Mills in an email statement.

“We are very excited to welcome Paige back to Keene,” wrote Racicot. “There was a very strong pool of candidates to choose from, but Paige’s passion to coach and recruit student-athletes at her alma mater was clearly obvious. She has built an impressive coaching background in a variety of roles in the sport and brings the positive energy we need to grow and build the program. As one of the more accomplished competitors in program history, Paige is uniquely positioned to lead the program and is incredibly dedicated to the student-athlete experience.”

Mills, who graduated in 2012, found extreme success as a runner during her time at Keene State, receiving All-American honors three times.

However, Keene was not Mills’ first choice when it came time for her to look for colleges to attend. Mills, being a Keene resident herself, wanted to go to college away from home.

However, after considering other schools, she decided Keene State was the best place for her. “[Keene State] turned out to be the best experience of my life,” said Mills, recalling her time as a student-athlete. “It really is where I attri-

bute all of my most significant growth. Learning about myself... running on these trails that were my home trails but really developing a different experience with them being an athlete here and having a team that was so strong was so special, and I just knew at that time that I wanted to become a coach… and furthermore, I wanted to end up, hopefully in a perfect world, back at Keene State.”

As well as being named an All-American three times, Mills’ four years at Keene saw her take home multiple Little East Conference titles and earn All-New England honors three times.

Keene’s women’s cross country team also won the Little East Conference cross country championship all four years that Mills was on the team.

After graduating, she decided to move out west to California.

“My mom actually took me and my siblings on a trip to California when I was about 15,” said Mills. “Coming from a small, little mountain town it was just so amazing to me. I was totally enamored by the heartbeat out there and the diversity and the business and the chaos and I was just set at that point… I knew I really wanted to come back to California.”

Mills would begin coaching distance and mid-distance at California State University San Marcos working under head coach and threetime Olympian Steve Scott. “[Coach Scott] is a huge legend,” Mills said, “[but] above all he is just a good person and he taught me so much.”

After California State University, Mills began serving as the assistant cross country and track and field coach at Soka University of America.

Mills also became the lead recruiting coordinator for the university during her tenure.

Throughout her time in California, Mills also started her very own coffee business.

“I love coffee,” Mills laughed. “I actually spent a lot of time in college down at Brewbak-

ers… and in there I would witness how the community can be really built and experienced in a coffee shop… so I always loved the idea of maybe having a coffee business on the side.”

That idea soon turned into a reality as Mills purchased a cargo van off of eBay, named it the Black Pearl and started the Salty Bean Coffee Co. (and yes, the Black Pearl is expected to be making its voyage to Keene in the spring).

As for Mills, who has already officially been coaching at Keene State for over three weeks, her main goal is to “essentially steady the ship before we can set sail.”

Junior sprinter Brandon Castor, who was a member of the search committee that played a part in the hiring of Paige Mills, explained that the transition between coaches has been a hard one for the entire team.

“The team was left in a very difficult position. Half our roster decided to not compete in the indoor season and wait until the outdoor season,” said Castor. “I think I can speak on behalf of the whole team and Paige by saying that things have been kind of crazy the past couple of weeks to get everything organized.”

However, Mills is looking past the short transition period and changes and is focusing on the long-term future of the team. “[The cross country and track and field athletes] are awesome… they are so dialed in and they care,” Mills said. “We have some phenomenal athletes and I truly think that national qualifications are possible for a handful of them. My goal is to [have Keene State] be a dominating force in the LEC… and hopefully take championships like we have [in the past].”

Katie Martineau began making a name for herself early in the basketball season and throughout winter break that name has only grown.

Martineau has been finding success on the arc all season sinking 3-pointer after 3-pointer. Now she sits in first place in the Little East Conference standings for 3-point percentage. Her percentage is a perfect 50.0 putting her almost 10 percentage points above second place Castleton player Brooke Raiche with 40.4.

Martineau’s skills have been put to use throughout the winter break gameplay. Some of her top performances came in the Owls January 4 home game against Southern Maine where Martineau produced 9 points within 15 minutes of game time, all coming from 3-point baskets. The last two contests in winter break gameplay were Martineau’s most successful percentage wise. In both the January 11 away game against Rhode Island College and the January 15 home game against the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Martineau went 2 for 2. Both contests saw Martineau in for 11 minutes, however, that was all the time she needed.

Martineau is no stranger to success. This freshman from Farmington, New Hampshire is the all-time leading female scorer at Farmington High School accumulating a whopping 1,779 points throughout her career. She was also named 1st Team All-State, 2nd Team All-State, Granite State Conference South Player of the Year and Granite State South Team during her time before Keene State.

Martineau is the Editor’s Pick this week because she has taken advantage of every minute of gameplay she has been given and is now the top spot of the 3-point percentage in the LEC standings.

Editor’s Pick is the sole opinion of the Sports Editor.

Claire Boughton can be contacted at cboughton@kscequinox.com

Claire Boughton can be contacted at cboughton@kscequinox.com

This Week for the Owls Thursday 1/30

Friday 1/31

* Men’s Ice Hockey vs.

Indoor Track & Field: Williams Multis at Williams UMass Amherst @ 7:30 PM at Keene ICE College

Saturday 2/1

Sunday 2/2

Monday 2/3

Tuesday 2/4

MBK vs. Southern Maine @ 3:00 PM Women’s Swim & Dive: LEC Championship at UMass Dartmouth

Men’s Ice Hockey vs. Unversity of Vermont @ 4:00PM Indoor Track & Field: Branwen Smith-King Invitational at Tufts University

Wednesday 2/5

* Women’s Basketball vs.

Plymouth State @ 5:30 PM

WBK vs. Southern Maine @ 1:00 PM

Men’s Swim & Dive: LEC Invitational at UMass Dartmouth

* - Home Contest

Super Bowl LIV Kansas City Chiefs vs.

San Francisco 49ers @ 6:30 PM

* Men’s Basketball vs.

Plymouth State @ 7:30 PM No Contests

No Contests Red & White Night!

Come In Keene Colors to Show Your Spirit

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Sports / B8

Thursday, January 30, 2020

SPORTS

KSCEQUINOX.COM

2019

Highlights CLAIRE BOUGHTON

SportS Editor Jan. 19, 2019 Hien Thach hits a buzzer-beating three to give the Owls the win against the Southern Maine Huskies.

Jan. 21, 2019 Ty Nichols surpasses Al Hicks ‘76 and becomes the All-Time Leading Scorer at Keene State College. Nichols completed his career at Keene State with 2,316 points.

Feb. 9, 2019 Women’s swim and dive team takes home their 13th consecutive Little East Conference Championship win.

Feb. 23, 2019 Men’s basketball team wins the Little East Conference Championship after an intense home-court showdown against Eastern Connecticut State University.

Feb. 26, 2019 Men’s basketball head coach Ryan Cain is named Little East Conference Coach of the Year. Coach Cain is the second Keene State men’s basketball coach to receive the honor, joining Rob Colbert.

Feb. 27, 2019 Swim and dive head coach Christopher Woolridge is named Little East Conference Co-Head Coach of the Year alongside Cathy Motta of University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Mar. 18, 2019 Phil Racicot is appointed Keene State’s new director of athletics and recreation.

May 4, 2019 Men’s lacrosse team beats Plymouth State in the Little East Conference championship game to secure their sixth consecutive championship win.

May 23, 2019 Javelin thrower Joey Fodor places 15th at the DIII NCAA Championships, making him the highest ranked DIII first-year in javelin in the nation.

No Specific Date Collectively, 10 track and field records were broken throughout the indoor and outdoor seasons by the men and women’s teams. Those records include: 200M dash by Nicole De Almeida (26.65), 400M hurdle by Nicole De Almieda (1:05.93), 200M dash by Clinton Mungeta (22.44), 400M dash by Clinton Mungeta (50.1), 60M dash by Angel Ramirez (7.17), 100M high hurdle by Alexis Gauthier (15.01), 4x200M relay by Angel Ramirez, Anthony Jennings, Jared Hannon and Clinton Mungeta (1:32.53), shot put by Shannon Parks (39’6), long jump by Jared Hannon (23’5), and heptathlon by Skyler Gauthier (4,370 points).

Sept. 20, 2019 Keene State holds the official Keene State Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, inducting Jennifer Adams ‘08 (XC T&F), Brittany O’Bryant ‘08 (volleyball), Bryan Kolacz ‘11 (T&F), Matt Johnson ‘08 (men’s lacrosse) and the 1983 men’s soccer team. The Little East Conference Hall of Fame also inducts two Keene alums on this day: Joe Branciforte ‘04 (men’s lacrosse) and Michelle Mason ‘05 (women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse).

Sept. 21, 2019 Keene State’s soccer field is dedicated to retired soccer coach Dr. Ron Butcher.

Butcher coached at Keene State for 43 years.

Sept. 25, 2019 Cross country and track and field head coach Tom Pickering announces he will be resigning at the end of the semester after five years coaching for the Owls.

Nov. 2, 2019 Senior cross country runner Lauren Perkowski takes home her second consecutive Little East Conference Individual Championship with a time of 18:22.33.

Nov. 4, 2019 Men’s lacrosse junior midfielder Paxton Blanchard is selected to join the national Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Nov. 7, 2019 Field hockey team takes down Western Connecticut State University in order to advance to the Little East Conference championship finals. The Owls fall in the final two days later, losing to the Worcester State Lancers 6-0.

Nov. 10, 2019 Men’s soccer takes down Eastern Connecticut State University to become the new Little East Conference champions.

Nov. 15, 2019 Keene State hosts the first and second round of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament.

Dec. 16, 2019 Keene State alumna Paige Mills ‘12 is named the new head coach of the cross country and track and field teams.

Claire Boughton can be contacted at cboughton@kscequinox.com

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR CLAIRE BOUGHTON / SPORTS EDITOR

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