The Equinox 12.5.19 by The Equinox

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THE EQUINOX The student voice of Keene State College

Vol. 73, Issue #13

Thursday, December 5, 2019

House fire off campus

KSCEQUINOX.COM

Britany Gallagher leaves KSC

RACHEL VITELLO

News editor

» HOUSE FIRE A2

Thanksgiving basket drive in student center KELLY REGAN

seNior News reporter The Hungry Owl set up a donation box at Keene State’s annual Thanksgiving Drive. The Hungry Owl typically relies on food donors like C&S Wholesale Grocers, the Wallace and other food organizations; however, this year they didn’t receive a large donation and decided to set up a donation box at the Thanksgiving Drive. The Hungry Owl is Keene State’s campus food pantry and was started by its current advisor, Professor of biology Susan Whittemore. “I hadn’t been aware until I went to a conference that this was a big issue,” Whittemore said. “I know there’s hunger in the community it makes sense that there’s hunger in the school.” Keene State held its 33rd Thanksgiving Basket Drive in the Student Center West Dining Area on Friday, November 22. The Thanksgiving Basket Drive is facilitated by Valerie Hodge. Hodge works in the human resource department of Keene State.“It really continues our connection to the community. The

» THANKSGIVING A2

RACHEL VITELLO

News editor

PUJA THAPA / ADMINISTRATIVE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Coordinator of Student Activities and Organizations has resigned, KSC looking for replacement RACHEL VITELLO

News editor Coordinator of Student Activities and Organizations Britany Gallagher has resigned from her position at Keene State College effective Friday, November 22. There is no one currently scheduled to take over her role, which includes overseeing a variety of student organizations on campus, from Greek life to student government. Gallagher said that her reason for leaving is to explore other career opportunities. “This is my fourth year, my fifth academic year, at Keene State. In that time I’ve seen a lot of change happen, I’ve been a part of a lot of change and I’ve had opportunities to learn all kinds of things. It’s just getting to a point for me in my career to find that next step and take it,” Gallagher said. “I’ve accepted a position as an Area Director, it’s comparable to our Area Coordinator here in residential life. I’ll be joining Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts to work with their residential life team.” Vice President for Student Affairs Kemal Atkins said that faculty moving on isn’t always necessarily a negative thing. “One of the things I think is good about Keene State, among a lot of different areas but in student affairs particularly, is we do a good job of recruiting good people who make a contribution and develop skills that will continue to help sustain them and move their careers along. Whether they stay at Keene State or not, they’re still making a contribution to the field,” Atkins said. When it comes to who will eventually be replacing Gallagher, Director of Campus Life Jen Ferrell is working with the human resources department to search for candidates. Director of Human Resources Karen Crawford said that the job will be posted internally, only to those at KSC, for ten days, at which point it is sent out externally for candidates anywhere to see. “Our hope is to get somebody who brings some qualifications with them and in order to do that we have to get it out as broad as possible,” Crawford said. “I would say it should be a minimum of six weeks, maybe a little longer depending on how quickly we get applicants in and how many we get. We want a good pool and we’d like

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

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

a diverse pool. Then we’ll take the entire pool and take a good look at it. Our goal is to fill it as soon as possible.” Crawford said the position should most likely be filled before the spring semester starts and that any student organizations the position works with will be notified of who the new faculty member is. Until the replacement is decided, it is the hope of the college that student life on campus will still continue to improve. “Our expectations are that we’ll continue to be able to provide the same level of service, if not a better level of service,” Atkins said. “One of the things that happens when there are changes in the organization, when individuals leave and before we bring another individual in, is the focus sharpens even more because you have that gap and you have to really get down into more detail to examine what you’re doing and make decisions about how you can make things better, how you can make sure there is no drop-off in services. It requires you to do even more reflection because you have to make sure you don’t fall off anywhere.” KSC President Melinda Treadwell said that one of those improvements could be a redesign of how the Student Center operates. “Jen Ferrell is thinking of what the future of the Student Center might look like for all of our students so that we have good support for our organizations, good support for student government and how we’re going to work on all of that,” Treadwell said. “Jen is in the process of redesigning and thinking of new models. We’re going to be doing research and looking for student feedback on that.” Treadwell also hopes to find someone who will be successful in this position. “It’s a must to make sure that we have a talented person in there to help continue to provide the brilliant support that Britany did. I think she was much appreciated and did so many good things,” Treadwell said. “We’ll find someone who can carry that legacy and feel just as beloved by our students broadly.” Moving forward, Gallagher also hopes the best for the student involvement office. “I certainly hope that Keene State is able to identify someone quickly, someone who has a

A4: Not just a season long effort A8: Running away from her murder B1: Constant communication B8: Big time

breadth of experience working with fraternities and sororities, with student organizations, programming boards, and in general caching, mentoring, supervising and advising students,” Gallagher said. “I hope that person is able to come in and quickly get acclimated to the department and to the students and to the institution and basically take everything that was established before I got here, and furthered during my time here, and take it to the next step.” Ferrell did not respond to request for comment. Rachel Vitello can be contacted at rvitello@kscequinox.com.

“

It’s a must to make sure that we have a talented person in there to help continue to provide the brilliant support that Britany did. I think she was much appreciated and did so many good things. We’ll find someone who can carry that legacy and feel just as beloved by our students broadly. -Melinda Treadwell

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Four Keene State College students are displaced after a rental house caught fire on the morning of Saturday, November 16. According to Keene Fire Chief Mark Howard, the fire investigation for the incident remains open but the fire is not considered suspicious. “Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in all residential properties are required by state and adopted local fire codes. The address where the fire [occurred] did have operating detectors. Though the alarms didn’t alert the occupant home at the time of the fire, the audible alarms did alert a passerby on the street who called 911 to report the fire. This notification to 911 and the quick work of the KPD officers likely saved the male occupant’s life,” Howard said. According to a press release posted by the Keene Fire Department, the smoke was contained to a hallway on the second floor of the house and the fire was contained to one room. “While a couple of the officers used fire extinguishers in an attempt to contain the fire, the remaining officers located and safely removed a male occupant that was found in a rear room on the second floor,” the press release states. “Damage on the first floor was limited to water and smoke.” The release also states that the damage is estimated to be about $50,000. The four students are currently

All-campus meeting convenes

Keee State College’s financial performance, student retention and strategic investments are all at the forefront of looking to the future of the college. On Monday, November 25, an all-campus meeting was held in the Redfern Main Theatre for a discussion of where the college currently stands. Chief Enrollment Officer MB Lufkin brought to attention the advancements KSC has made in making campus more easily accessible to prospective students and the effectiveness of those efforts. “You might’ve noticed the new signage near the Elliot Center welcoming future Owls to campus,” Lufkin said. “We hosted just over 440 students at two open houses. We were also able to improve our show rate, which means the number of students that RSVPed versus the number of students who showed up went from 68 percent last year to 71 percent this year. That’s a result of the work the marketing and admissions teams did to reimagine the RSVP process and some additional work we did to follow up with students who had RSVPed to make sure they showed up.” Lufkin also addressed where KSC needs to do work when it comes to student retention in relation to looking at students’ GPAs, achievements and financial needs. “We’ve structured our communication strategy and financial aid packaging to attract the highly academically achieving students who didn’t have significant family need. We also were generous to our students with low merit and high need. In doing so we effectively left out the middle,” Lufkin said. “We were not attractive or competitive to the students for whom Keene could be an excellent choice; those with middle to high merit, middle to high need. In order to stabilize enrollment and honor our mission as a public higher education institution, we must make Keene more accessible to the key middle demographic. We’re going to be doing this while maintaining a tight academic profile.” According to Lufkin, moving forward every family that files for FAFSA will automatically receive a $500 grant. Other changes include a January start for the safety and occupational health applied sciences (SOHAS) master’s program, which already has 18 applications for this spring, and a new userfriendly application that KSC has launched. KSC President Melinda Treadwell addressed the college’s financial performance this fiscal year and trends looking forward. KSC net tuition revenue has dropped by about ten million dollars from 2017 to today. “Even though we’re stabilized, our discount rate growth and the difference in retention for the type of students we’ve brought in in those cycles has made a difference

» ALL-CAMPUS A3

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, December 5, 2019

Coming soon to KSC

HOUSE FIRE cont. from A1

OLIVIA CATTABRIGA / ART DIRECTOR

The college introduces new optics courses KELLY REGAN

seNior News reporter Keene State College is introducing two new optics courses this spring semester: introduction to optics and laser optics. Associate Professor of Physics Sarah McGregor is teaching the four-credit course entitled intro to optics. The course focuses on the fundamentals of optical systems and the optical industry. Students investigate everyday optical phenomena and learn about mirrors, ray optics and color theory. Steven Harfenist has been a professor at Keene State for 11 years. During his graduate work at Georgia Tech, he worked in their electrical engineering program and received an M.S. in electrical engineering with concentrations in optics and optoelectronics. In addition to that, Harfenist has a Ph.D. in physics, in which optics is a major sub-field. “Optics is fiber optics-launching optical signals into a fiber optic cable. Optics are associated with using lasers to read barcodes. Something has to create the laser light and something has to read the reflected light and make sense of it. There are optics in lasers for etching or for patterning surfaces for communications,” Harfenist said. “What is unclear to some people is how allencompassing it is.” Harfenist is teaching laser optics, the twocredit course which will explore the use and application of lasers in optics and photonics. The course will teach students about the properties of optical handling, laser safety and applications. “I think the term ‘optics’ is a catch-all; it makes you think of optical, as in visual, but the colors we can see are only a small sliver of the other wavelengths of light that are of interest in science and technology. For example, in thermal imaging infrared wavelengths are longer than the visible spectrum or ultraviolet which are shorter wavelengths than the visible spectrum,” Harfenis said. Astronomers rely on many different techniques using many different wavelengths in the infrared, optical, ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths. Astronomers have only the light from celestial bodies to analyze, so the field of optics

and optical wavelengths is especially important for their work. “These companies, defense or not defenserelated, are thinking about how to be out of the optical range and in the infrared. These courses we’re offering will eventually jump from the optical to the infra-red or the ultra-violet,” Harfenist said. Dr. James Kraly is the Associate Dean of Sciences, Sustainability and Health and an Associate Professor of Chemistry. One of his tasks as associate dean is to bring forward new offerings in optics. “What I’ve been excited to learn is how there is a history of those businesses and all the related companies that make components for that industry in our region. There are companies in our state where students can get jobs,” Kraly said. These new optics courses are introductory courses that meet Keene State requirements for an IN or natural science course. All Keene State students need to complete three perspectives courses in the sciences. Laser optics and intro to optics have no prerequisites and are open to students of any major. “To get a job in these optics companies, you don’t need a degree in optics,” Kraly said. Lydia Mardin is a sophomore at Keene State and is majoring in history and political science. She is taking intro to optics in the spring as a requirement for her science elective. “I remember in high school taking general science courses and being interested in the science of color,” Mardin said. “I’m not really a science person. I’m just interested in this course because this is something I’ve always wanted to know more about.” KSC senior Michael Godzik, is majoring in physics. Godzik plans to attend graduate school next year and hopes to earn a Ph.D. in astronomy. “They’re designed for people who want to know a little more about this field rather than for people who already have a base knowledge going into it,” Godzik said. “I recently took a course that touched the basics of optics. It was really fascinating because there’s more than just a telescope; optics can also be related to things like your eyes.”

“One of the courses that they’re offering is a laser course. I like lasers; who doesn’t like lasers?” Godzik said. Some students are uncomfortable with the idea of working on optics applications that are used for military or defense applications. “We get some students that say, ‘Wow, this is exciting, but I don’t want to build what’s on the front of a warhead or build the helmet of a fighter pilot.’ They’d rather do other work. Chroma Technology in Bellows Falls has a mission where military applications aren’t part of their goal. It gives different opportunities for people,” Kraly said. Some optics companies in the Monadnock region use optics for applications outside of the military field. “An interesting piece of this is the relatively larger companies like BAE that have military and defense applications and there are companies like Omega Optics and Chroma Technology which both have applications in astronomy explorations and biomedical imaging and cancer diagnostics,” Kraly said. Keene State hopes that there is enough student interest in these two optics courses and that additional optics courses are needed. “We hope that this leads to a place where we need to invite new optics faculty who connect to other areas,” Kraly said. The new optics courses and the new optics hub, which is still to be built, is a response from Keene State to the job market in the Monadnock region. Conversations between President Treadwell and local business leaders led to roundtable discussions and eventually to the development of an optics focus. “One of the comments from these optics companies that stood out to me was, ‘Students need to know how to use a computer and they need to be curious.’ They meant that in a very concise way, but that speaks to where the optics workforce stands in our region. That industry has been growing for decades so there are opportunities for our graduates to have good, paying jobs locally,” Kraly said.

displaced as a result and have been offered housing in an Owl’s Nest on campus. KSC President Melinda Treadwell said that it is protocol at the college to ensure students are safe upon situations such as this one. “We reached out to [the students] by 6 a.m. Saturday morning. The students had all been contacted and were made aware that we would find housing for them and they would get meal plans automatically to make sure they were stable and well taken care of,” Treadwell said. Treadwell also said that the college worked with the students to get them connected with the Red Cross and the Salvation Army for assistance with any belongings that may have been lost. KSC is also working to provide any counseling services that may be needed. “They’re all safe, that’s the most important thing,” Treadwell said. “I wish we could do more. We’re working with them on renter’s insurance and those sorts of issues too, but I’m glad they’re safe.” Howard also offered fire safety tips for students living both on and off campus. “The property had working fire extinguishers. Occupants should be familiar with how they work in case they are needed for a fire,” Howard said. “Never leave candles burning unattended. Make sure combustibles are three feet away from all heating sources. Make sure to close bedroom doors to protect yourself from smoke and fire if they were to occur during the night.” The four students did not respond to request for comment.

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

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

Interested in writing for news? Contact:

NEWS EDITOR RACHEL VITELLO (781)812-7461

ALL-CAMPUS cont. from A1

and our floor has fallen away a little on our revenue,” Treadwell said. “Our projection this year is to fall a little further in revenue, and this is a legacy for the past several classes we’ve brought in. The net tuition revenue and retention statistics for those students who are actually paying the highest net tuition revenue, those kids who were getting very little merit, as we lose those kids at higher rates; that’s why the bottom is falling.” Treadwell said the focus for stabilization isn’t going to be on head count and average tuition, it’s going to be on net tuition. A calculation will be created that is going to help predict the college’s revenue side, looking exclusively at net tuition revenue. Treadwell also said that the Education Advisory Board (EAB) will be bringing a four-year model to KSC, rather than looking at predictions year to year. Treadwell also hopes to have the budget for fiscal year 2021 in detailed form in advance of the June 2020 Board of Trustees meeting as part of a new revised budget development process. Also discussed was reclassification of all staff positions, looking at market, compression and parity. This is to help ensure all people are being paid fairly and that longer serving staff are not being compressed by newer staff moving in. In terms of strategic investments into the college, Treadwell will be asking for $15 million from the Board for those investments around training, professional development and other efforts. “We will look as a community to those things that we think can transform us, but at the other side of this investment period we will be a different campus

with a very focused vision of where we’re heading with better discipline and better execution on what we’re doing. This is not asking for every possible thing we’d like to do; it’s the top priorities to help us get to a place we know we could or need to be based on the students we’re going to be seeing in three to 10 years,” Treadwell said. Interim Provost Ockle Johnson addressed the academic program review that is underway. “We’ve been looking at things around majors, looking at things around student credit hours and looking at things around cost and providing departments an opportunity to respond in qualitative ways to describe some of the things that their departments contribute that may not be measured in that data,” Johnson said. “What we need and what we promised is a draft for review in early December that will talk about ‘why’ to faculty and what we’re doing, what the metrics are, what the process will be and the timeline. We’ll look for feedback on that and finalize that before we finish up the semester.” Treadwell said there are a variety of outcomes that can come from this review, but that program elimination is the last possible resort. It is only an option if the program is not viable to the campus, meaning it is not serving students. Rachel Vitello can be contacted at rvitello@kscequinox.com.

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR

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News / A3

Thursday, December 5, 2019

THANKSGIVING cont. from A1

Keene Community Kitchen is really grateful for all the baskets and donations they receive. I think it’s a really great connection that’s been kept up for years,” Hodge said. A suggested menu of food items and donations are created and sent out to the different departments at Keene State. The baskets were collected and brought to the Keene Community Kitchen on the same day of the drive. “Departments create as many baskets as they want and all the proceeds go to the Keene Community Kitchen,” Hodge said.Hodge sent out emails to the student body to invite individuals to donate food and gift cards to the drive. KSC seniors Mackenzie Kittery and Jenna Verge are student coordinators for The Hungry Owl. They work with Whittemore to secure and store the food and to distribute the food to different locations around campus. “A lot of our students do go hungry; around 39 percent of our students” Kittery said. “We do support a big need on campus.” This spring will mark the second year for The Hungry Owl. Originally, The Hungry Owl had a physical location in Randall Hall. As The Hungry Owl developed, it transformed into a new model of various food shelves and food bins. “We stock our locations every week on a rotation with our student volunteers,” Kittery said. The shelves and bins are located around campus

and are stocked by Whittemore and student volunteers. “We use volunteers to stock the food once a week, to take inventory and to organize the food where we store it,” Verge said. Kittery joined The Hungry Owl because of her involvement in the pre-med club. Whittemore proposed the idea to the members of the pre-med club. Students contacted the Keene Community Kitchen to research a good model for a campus food pantry. “I was in the student nutrition club. The pre-med club and the nutrition club teamed up for the first few months of The Hungry Owl,” Verge said. Both Kittery and Verge are graduating seniors. Students interested in joining The Hungry Owl can reach out to either Kittery or Verge. Kelly Regan can be contacted at kregan@kscequinox.com.

CLAIRE BOUGHTON / SPORTS EDITOR

Nursing mass casualty incident drill

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR

The KSC Nursing program held a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) drill on Thursday, November 21, in Rhodes Hall. The “patients” in the drill were dressed and made up to appear to be seriously injured. The drill took place in the lab, lobby and outside areas of Rhodes Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

STUDENT ASSEMBLY PUJA THAPA

AdmiNistrAtive executive editor

Associate Dean of Student and Director of Residential Life Kent Drake-Deese, and Resident District Manager Jackie Romito-Carey and Director of Campus Life Jennifer Ferrell did a budget presentation for the residential program and the dining program respectively under the new business section. Both of the programs proposed for an increase of 2.5 percent. Kent Drake-Deese, Romito-Carey, and Ferrell talked to the student leaders about the financial details of the residential program and the dining program. The student leaders also had questions. Student Body President Davis Bernstein shared that the student government now has a fully elected first-year class. Speaker of Student Assembly Nadia Hassan informed the assembly that there is no meeting next week. Puja Thapa can be contacted at pthapa@kscequinox.com

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Campus Safety Press Log 11/18 Suicide threat- Carle Hall 11/18 Medical emergency- Elliot Hall 11/19 Suspicious person- Alumni Center 11/20 Dumping- unauthorized- Elliot Hall 11/20 Theft- all other- Fiske Hall 11/20 Suspicious motor vehicle- Winchester lot 11/21 Harassment- Student Center 11/21 Odor of smoke, gas, other- Pondside 2 11/22 Noise complaint- LLC 11/22 Suspicious motor vehicle- Butler Court 11/22 Theft- bicycles- off campus 11/22 Psychological emergency- Dining Commons 11/23 911/Blue light activation- Pondside 3 11/25 Odor of drugs- Pondside 3 11/25 Medical non-emergency- Owl’s nest 8 11/25 Suspicious activity- Carle Hall 11/25 Theft from a building- Carle Hall 11/26 Parking violation- chronic violator/revoked 11/26 Fire alarm- no fire- Owl’s nest 8 11/26 Assist- law enforcement 11/26 Alcohol violation- KSC policyHolloway Hall 11/27 Drug paraphernalia possessionLLC 11/27 Health and safety concern- Fiske Hall 11/27 Health and safety concern- Huntress Hall 11/27 Drug paraphernalia possessionButler Court 11/27 Possession of tobacco productsOwl’s nest 4 11/27 Health and safety concern- Owl’s nest 4 11/28 Unauthorized entry of building/ property- TDS 12/1 Destruction property- Winchester lot 12/1 Odor of drugs- Carle Hall 12/1 Motor vehicle- reckless operationWinchester lot

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News / A2

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Coming soon to KSC

HOUSE FIRE cont. from A1

OLIVIA CATTABRIGA / ART DIRECTOR

The college introduces new optics courses KELLY REGAN

Senior newS reporter Keene State College is introducing two new optics courses this spring semester: introduction to optics and laser optics. Associate Professor of Physics Sarah McGregor is teaching the four-credit course entitled intro to optics. The course focuses on the fundamentals of optical systems and the optical industry. Students investigate everyday optical phenomena and learn about mirrors, ray optics and color theory. Steven Harfenist has been a professor at Keene State for 11 years. During his graduate work at Georgia Tech, he worked in their electrical engineering program and received an M.S. in electrical engineering with concentrations in optics and optoelectronics. In addition to that, Harfenist has a Ph.D. in physics, in which optics is a major sub-field. “Optics is fiber optics-launching optical signals into a fiber optic cable. Optics are associated with using lasers to read barcodes. Something has to create the laser light and something has to read the reflected light and make sense of it. There are optics in lasers for etching or for patterning surfaces for communications,” Harfenist said. “What is unclear to some people is how allencompassing it is.” Harfenist is teaching laser optics, the twocredit course which will explore the use and application of lasers in optics and photonics. The course will teach students about the properties of optical handling, laser safety and applications. “I think the term ‘optics’ is a catch-all; it makes you think of optical, as in visual, but the colors we can see are only a small sliver of the other wavelengths of light that are of interest in science and technology. For example, in thermal imaging infrared wavelengths are longer than the visible spectrum or ultraviolet which are shorter wavelengths than the visible spectrum,” Harfenis said. Astronomers rely on many different techniques using many different wavelengths in the infrared, optical, ultraviolet and X-ray wavelengths. Astronomers have only the light from celestial bodies to analyze, so the field of optics

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

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

Interested in writing for news? Contact:

NEWS EDITOR RACHEL VITELLO (781)812-7461

ALL-CAMPUS cont. from A1

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR

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News / A3

Thursday, December 5, 2019

THANKSGIVING cont. from A1

CLAIRE BOUGHTON / SPORTS EDITOR

Nursing mass casualty incident drill

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR

STUDENT ASSEMBLY PUJA THAPA

AdministrAtive executive editor

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OPINIONS

Opinions / A4 Thursday, December 5, 2019

EDITORIAL

KSCEQUINOX.COM

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Not just a holiday effort

Secret right-wing conspiracy? TO THE EDITOR:

-CLAIRE BOUGHTON/ SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER

Discussing the importance of volunteering at all times of the year Volunteering around the holidays is a great thing to do. When you are spending time with your family and friends during the holiday season, it’s important to remember that not everyone has all those people in their life. It really means a lot to people if they see you volunteering when there are so many other things you could be doing. If volunteering isn’t your thing or you don’t want to do it alone, you can also bring your family or friends along to make it into a group activity. Instead of sitting at home watching a Christmas movie, you could make somebody’s Christmas wishes come true. The Equinox believes that this spirit of bringing light to others’ lives is at the very core of the holiday season. It also doesn’t even have to be volunteer work specifically, especially if you don’t have the time. It could be as simple as donating clothes, food, toys or simply anything that would be more needed by somebody else. There are always plenty of places holding food drives, accepting clothing donations

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or participating in Toys for Tots. While you may not get to see the faces of the people you’re helping by donating, you should remember that you are making this holiday just as special for them as it is for you. However, it’s also important to not forget about volunteering throughout the rest of the year. During the holiday season shelters and soup kitchens will see an increase in people volunteering. Then, after the holiday season, the number of volunteers will drop off. Just because it’s no longer the “season of giving” doesn’t mean the need for volunteers has stopped. A concerning statistic is that, according to data compiled on HandsOn Connect, projects saw a 42 percent increase in volunteers last year over the holiday season compared to the rest of the year. This increase means that while there are plenty of volunteers during the holiday season, there is a struggle throughout the rest of the year. Due to this, we strongly encourage that people who may

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

Puja Thapa Administrative Executive Editor Erin McNemar Managing Executive Editor News Editor Rachel Vitello

Student Life Editor

Opinions Editor

Connor Crawford

Cristian Valentin

A&E Editor

Multimedia Director

Joe Guzman

Benajil Rai

Sports Editor

Claire Boughton

Art Director

Olivia Cattabriga

Business Manager Jack Hanson

Webmaster Justin Giuliano

Social Media Director Angelique Inchierca

Photo Editor Soren Frantz

Copy Editors

Lexi Palmer Meeghan Somerset

Senior Reporters Kelly Regan

volunteer during the holidays also do it whenever they can at other times. For anybody who may not volunteer, we say give it a try because you may genuinely enjoy helping your community. At the end of the day, however, volunteering is volunteering, and you should be proud of any positive difference you can make in someone’s life. Some local places where you could volunteer include Monadnock RSVP Volunteer Center, Casa of New Hampshire and Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Hampshire.

I find myself to be in an uncomfortable positionIf you are concerned and worried and scared of the secret right-wing conspiracy (led by the Kochs) to one day abolish all of the federal government social programs (including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and College Student Loans) that help people, then you have to worry about who will be the President now and in the future. If s/he agrees with these extreme conservatives, then the lower and middle classes will be at-risk and in danger. As much as I dislike him, President Trump is really not one of them. He has no political beliefs or theory or philosophy or ideology that he believes in. But they (including the Kochs) do. And Vice-President Pence does. Pence is an extreme conservative and, in my opinion , a Social Darwinist. He is associated with a group known as the “Movement Conservatives” which is extremely conservative and includes Ted Cruz and Paul Ryan. It is actually safer for the lower and middle classes to have Trump remain in office and to be the Republican nominee in 2020 than to have a real extreme conservative like Pence. It bothers me that the national Democrats are not exposing this right-wing conspiracy to the American people who really need to be made aware of and informed of and educated about it. If a political nobody like me knows about it, surely most of them must also know about it. Yet, Trump has already ruined our country with his hateful-talk. There is always hope that it can be repaired in the future, but it looks like we will probably never be able to overcome our alienation and estrangement from each other, and to achieve what Robert Kennedy hoped for and wished for and what many of us today also hope for and wish for when he said “Our goal and task must be to tame the savageness of humankind and make gentle the life of this world.” But at this point, we need a hero. Sincerely. Stewart B. Epstein 2266 Westside Drive Rochester, New York 14624 585-594-0610 phenom51@mail.com P.S. The book which does an excellent job of detailing all of the various parts of this extreme right-wing conspiracy was written by JANE MAYER. Its title is “Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right.” This book was selected by The New York Times as being one of the 10 best books of 2016. It also won the national “Helen Bernstein Book Award” for Excellence in

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EQUINOX NEWSROOM

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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.

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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, Matt Holderman, Lydia Mardin Copyright © 2017: All rights reserved Reproduction of The Equinox in whole or part in any form written, broadcast or electronic without written permission of The Equinox is prohibited. The Equinox is published each Thursday during the academic year by the editorial board of The Equinox, which is elected every spring by the members of the editorial board and acts as joint publisher of the paper. The Equinox serves as the voice of the students of Keene State College and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the faculty, the staff and/or the administration. One copy of The Equinox is available free each week. Anyone removing papers in bulk will be prosecuted on theft charges to the fullest extent of the law. Inserting items into printed copies of The Equinox is considered theft of services and will result in prosecution.

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Thursday, December 5, 2019

STAFF COMMENTARY

Patrick’s Politics Talks: Energy

KSC student shares his opinion on candidates’ energy plans PATRICK HOLDEN

Equinox Staff With climate change widely considered to be one of the biggest threats to our security going into the new decade, presidential candidates have made sure to include policies on energy sources as part of their campaigns. Most candidates call for an end to new oil and gas leases, thereby preventing more oil and natural gas from being produced than is already being drilled for. Major candidates who have called for this include former Vice President Joe Biden, senators Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar, Major Pete Buttigieg, Tom Steyer and Andrew Yang. These candidates also support an end to offshore drilling. Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris have called for a ban on all fracking nationwide, including pre-existing leases, a proposal which would likely require approval from Congress. In regard to carbon emissions, there is a bit of a split between candidates over how strict federal regulation should be. Biden, Buttigieg, Harris and Yang all agree on implementing a carbon tax as it is likely the best way to get businesses to reduce their emissions. However, some claim that this is not drastic enough in order to reduce emissions in a short amount of time. Sanders, Warren and supporters of the Green Deal thus support imposing strict government regulation over businesses to cut emissions quickly. Nuclear energy is also a key topic being discussed among those interested in differ-

ent sources of energy for the future. Nuclear energy is controversial because of disasters such as Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima. Many also write this potential source off as being too risky due to the threat that radioactive waste poses. Both Sanders and Senator Tulsi Gabbard support the shutting down of existing nuclear reactors. However, many other candidates, including Booker, Buttigieg, Klobachur and

-OLIVIA CATTABRIGA/ ART DIRECTOR

the democratic candidates on these issues. I agree on stopping any new oil or natural gas leases from going into place, along with a ban on offshore drilling. While the time issue is crucial to lessening the negative effects of climate change, I believe a carbon tax is the most efficient way to reduce emissions as neither businesses nor Congress are likely to support the kind of strict federal regulation that Warren and Sanders are calling for. However, I do agree that fracking should be banned, despite the likelihood of any such bill actually getting passed. Finally, I believe that investing in nuclear energy and further development of technology to make it safer is one of the best ways to transition to a completely clean energy economy. Nuclear energy is very efficient and surprisingly safe overall, as disasters such as Chernobyl were due to infrastructure hazards and human error, while Fukushima became a disaster due to one of the strongest earthquakes and tsunamis in history. If developed even more, nuclear energy can lead humanity into a prosperous future rid of fossil fuels as we continue working on making solar and wind power more efficient.

DISCLAIMER: This article is the sole Yang, support nuclear power, saying that it opinion of Patrick Holden is more reliable than sources such as wind or sunshine and, overall, is more efficient in Patrick Holden can be contacted at energy production. Biden and Harris go a Patrick.Holden@ksc.keene.edu step further by calling for further development of nuclear technologies to advance the power source and make it safer. I personally agree with the majority of

STAFF COMMENTARY

Confronting the comfort zone Discussing the importance of students breaking out of their shells WILLIAM PRUETT

Equinox Staff College is a time where students will find themselves constantly breaking free from their comfort zones, whether they want to or not. This is something that happens naturally to everybody who attends college. Simply going off to a school by yourself to live in a room with someone you had never met may easily be out of a lot of people’s comfort zones already. This is essentially what college is all about. Without trying to break free of your shell that you have had your whole life from your life, it will be harder for you to experience college to the fullest. Going to events and clubs that you would have never thought to join or interest you is a major aspect during this time. A lot of students are told these things over and over again, but struggle to figure out how to actually get out of that comfort zone because they are so used to being inside of it. One of the ways to do this is to stop

over thinking so much. I see students every day who might see something they want to go to that interests them, but then start to overthink it and eventually convince themselves that it would not be worth it because they may not have any friends who want to come with them, or they may be “too busy” when they are actually not. If you see something that looks fun or is intriguing to you, join it and ask questions about it. Learn more about what interests you and do not think about the other aspects besides the fact that you want to learn more about it. Overthinking is what stops people from getting out of their comfort zone, and if they just stop doing it they will find themselves doing things that they would have never thought to do. While working on the constant overthinking is a big step in breaking out of your shell, there are other things you can do. One of these is to simply switch up your daily routine. Instead of doing the same thing all week and following your usual schedule, be aware of what you are

doing and when you are doing it and try to change some of those up. This will allow you to see people you maybe haven’t seen as much and will open you to new opportunities that could not have been found in your previous daily routine. Another easy way to begin to get more comfortable out of your shell is to just say hello to strangers when you see them. If you can do that and maybe even spark up a minute-long conversation, it reminds you that we are all people and there is no need to not say hello because you do not know them. You just don’t know them yet. If you are already doing all these things, then you are experiencing college the best way possible. If not, then start so you can begin to enjoy it to the absolute fullest. DISCLAIMER: This article is the sole opinion of William Pruett William Pruett can be contacted at wpruett@kscequinox.com -OLIVIA CATTABRIGA/ ART DIRECTOR

STAFF COMMENTARY

Thanksgiving from a different point of view What Thanksgiving is like for people who do not eat meat

There are a lot of great things about Thanksgiving: getting to spend time with your family, the couple days off from school and, of course, the food. However, if you’re a vegetarian, Thanksgiving looks a little different to you. I made the decision to become a vegetarian when I was five years old. After my older sister’s friend told me that meat came from animals, I immediately stopped eating it that day. Now, 16 years later, I still don’t eat it. It’s not something I think about a lot because I’ve been a vegetarian for the majority of my life, but I’m always reminded of how strange some people think it is around the holiday season; especially Thanksgiving. I remember my first Thanksgiving as a vegetarian. I was six years old and my family went down to West Virginia to see my relatives. After my aunt spent the entire day cooking we sat down at the dinner

table and I asked, “What can I eat?” She looked at me, a little confused. “What do you mean? You can eat anything,” she said. I shook my head. “No, I’m a vegetarian!” My aunt looked at my parents, who had completely forgotten to tell our extended family about my recent switch in eating habits. So my parents gave me a plate filled with mashed potatoes and few Pillsbury crescent rolls. Since then, my family has adjusted to my vegetarian lifestyle. We started making our traditional Thanksgiving food, such as stuffing and green bean casserole, vegetarian friendly and we even added a few new dishes. While my parents were able to grasp the concept of vegetarian Thanksgiving, not everyone understands it. It seems like anytime I spend Thanksgiving anywhere else besides my home, I send the host into a panic. I get infinite texts and calls about what I’m going to eat. Do you like pasta? Will you be

happy with salad? You’re not vegan, right? At the end of the day, it should not be that complicated. I’m happy with the classic Thanksgiving sides: mashed potatoes, rolls, cranberry sauce and absolutely desserts. The worst feeling is when people make a big deal over it. Nothing bothers me more than when someone makes me a “nontraditional Thanksgiving food” to replace the fact I don’t eat turkey. I’ve been to Thanksgiving dinners where people have made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, grilled cheese and even scrambled eggs. I don’t need anything special and, quite honestly, it makes me uncomfortable. I don’t want to make extra work for anyone who is kind enough to invite me to Thanksgiving dinner. My advice to anyone having a vegetarian over for Thanksgiving: ask them what they want to eat. If they are fine just eating the Thanksgiving sides, let them eat the sides. If they want something else they

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I remember my first Thanksgiving as a vegetarian. I was six years old and my family went down to West Virginia to see my relatives. After my aunt spent the entire day cooking we sat down at the dinner table and I asked, “What can I eat?” -Erin McNemar

“

ERIN MCNEMAR

Managing Executive Editor

will let you know. Don’t stress yourself out worrying about what they will eat. In my experience, there is always something and I have never gone hungry.

SECRET CONSPIRACY cont. from A4 Journalism in 2017. Jane Mayer has also either won or been a finalist for 12 awards and prizes in Journalism. To my knowledge, no one has ever been able to successfully refute anything that she states in her book. By way of background, I am a retired college professor of Sociology, Social Work, and Psychology. I am very proud to have taught at West Virginia University, Slippery Rock University, and SUNYBrockport.

STAFF COMMENTARY

Shattering political prejudice LYDIA MARDIN

Equinox Staff Women being involved in politics is very important, but what I think is even more important is recognizing that not all women think the same. As a republican, I think very differently from a lot of my peers, but I do not think that for a second this makes me better than anyone else. A lot of women I know are very much feminists and that’s just something I wish I could be. The modern definition of feminism is just simply something I do not agree with. At this point, I have been told that I am anti-women a multitude of times, which is not true. Many modern-day feminists promote things like abortions, which I do not agree with. This article is not me yelling at anyone telling you that you are wrong, it is me telling you why the pro-life movement appeals to me and many other women. To start, I believe that it is taking away the baby’s constitutional right to life, which is a shame. I think every baby should have the right to live. I understand that many people would argue that the life of the mother is more important, which is a fair argument, and also that things like rape, incest, in addition to the health of the mother are all big components of those who advocate for and against abortions are often brought up. Many republicans advocate for pro-life stances with these are exceptions for the rule. For instance, former President Ronald Reagan and current President Donald Trump and many women, most notably Nikki Haley, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations. However, given these three factors, only a small percentage of abortions include one of these things. According to Abort73.com, approximately less than 0.5 percent of women who had abortions were victims of rape. The most common reason for abortion at 23 percent is that the female cannot afford to have the child. There are many more costeffective solutions to this including giving it up for adoption, and even if there is not an orphanage around, many babies can be brought to fire departments and police stations and they will ensure that the baby gets to someone who will take care of it. Abortions have long-term effects on their health and emotional wellbeing; having an abortion is a big deal and is not something to be taken lightly. There are serious effects after the fact including harm to her reproductive system it can also bring up mental health conditions like depression. Many women march every year in the March for Life so these thoughts are not just mine and it is important that we respect these opinions that many people have. DISCLAIMER: This article is the sole opinion of Lydia Mardin Lydia Mardin can be contacted at Lydia.Mardin@ksc.keene.edu

Erin McNemar can be contacted at emcnemar@kscequinox.com

DISCLAIMER: This article is the sole opinion of Erin McNemar

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT / A6

Thursday, December 5, 2019

STAFF COMMENTARY

Our Editors' thoughts on rappers

OLIVIA CATTABRIGA / ART DIRECTOR

Album Review: A Love Letter to You 4 Artist Review: Why Nav is the greatest rapper Big 14, also known as Trippie Redd, released the anticipated fourth installment to his “A Love Letter to You” series on November 22, 2019. My expectations going into this album were lower because of my disappointment in his last project. However, I admittedly had high expectations from his third and fourth albums “Life’s a Trip” and “A Love Letter to You 3” because of his style of mixing Emo Screams, R&B singing and tongue-in-cheek rhymes that notoriously lack substance (on occasion). After a first listen I can definitely say that it was stronger than the previous album. The first track is called “Leray,” a sad acoustic story from Redd of why him and his latest girlfriend broke up. The song’s name “Leray” is about his exgirlfriend and fellow rap contemporary Coi Leray. He basically delivers his feelings on her currently over some light acoustic guitar strumming, saying the best part of them was himself. 4/10 “Who Needs Love” is the second track on this album and it’s a jumpy trap ballad that is a petty look inside what's going on in Redd’s head. The instrumental and overall sound is similar to his genre peers Juice WRLD and Lil Tecca. This track is where the songwriting gets predictable as ever, talking about toting guns, having exuberant amounts of money and how he has never changed despite his fame. 6/10 Track three is “Love Sick” and after I listened to it repeatedly, sick is what I felt. It was the first track I didn’t save to my Spotify liked songs because it was the first song I'd trim off this album as fat. The track is about Redd’s former high school lover; in the chorus he only wants the highlights of the relationships to be remembered by her, saying, “Shawty, you can just forget about what I said. Think it's best to live without what I said, 'cause I'm so sick of love songs.” 3/10 “Love Me More” is basically a song about Trippie begging for love from a person who is lacking feelings on her side, highlighting an imbalance within the relationship and addressing how he hates that she seems to be taking his love for granted. In the chorus Redd compares this feeling to let her have his love and either leave or stay, anything but remain how she is currently, not committing. 6.5/10 The fifth track on this album is called “Real Fee.” Out of his more low key songs, where he is singing more than rapping, it’s a personal favorite. Redd carries this tune by singing about what he normally does, wanting someone's love and shooting his haters, claiming in the chorus that he doesn’t give a “f***” what they feel when talking about him and this girl’s love.This song would be perfect if Redd just left out his second verse because the song feels like it overstays its welcome since he switches his topic. 7/10 Certain artists scare me when I see them in track

listings. One of the artists who make me feel this way is Lil Mosey because of his freestyles and music. Admittedly, I wasn’t excited for track 6, also known as “This Ain’t That,” which features Lil Mosey. I was pleasantly surprised by this song, though, because of its sticky chorus and Redd’s tongue-in-cheek verse that perfectly suits his style of singing. Mosey’s portion of the song contained an okay verse that’s slurred, and any other rapper could have filled and done something more interesting with it. 6/10 “6 Kiss” was a track I was heavily interested in after looking at the tracklist because it features YNW Melly & Juice WRLD, two standout artists within the past year. Juice WRLD starts by delivering a run-ofthe-mill, angsty, drug-fueled verse that flows right into YNW Melly’s segment. Melly surprisingly holds his own with his bigger contemporaries in the song, his verse coming off like it’s a freestyle. Redd delivers a verse that starts out great until it’s halted when he makes an unnecessary piss joke. This song’s biggest issue is that even though the verses are alright nobody shines bright. 5/10 “Til The End of Time” starts off with the voice of a girl responding to someone (presumably Redd). She talks about listening to him in the car and then getting out and seeing a message from him. Redd then croons for the rest of the song, saying he wants to be with this girl “til the end of time.” Since this is a softer cut on the album it doesn’t hold a lot of replay value. 5/10 The halfway point on this album is the track “U Deserve It” featuring Quan'ta and Chris King over another run-of-the-mill acoustic guitar trap instrumental, co-produced by Seph Got The Waves and Starboy. Redd is catchy on the chorus, but it can get old quickly because of his repetition of the phrase “shawty right there” continuously. When hearing this, Redd comes off as if he’s a feature on his own track. However, Chris King and Quan’ta both have great standout verses that carry the song bar after bar. 7/10 “Hate Me” is a spacey callout for somebody’s love which Redd is no stranger to. However, my eyebrows were raised when I saw this track was featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again; I was equally as taken back when listening, as he was carrying the complete other half of the song. Redd and YoungBoy share the prechorus and chorus together, but they both get rough once they reach their upper registers.In the middle of the song YoungBoy uses an impressive, different flow, where he places the emphasis on each of the words he’s saying, like a metronome was playing two quarter notes for each of the eight lines of his verse. 4/10 DISCLAIMER: This is the sole opinion of the Joseph Guzman.

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SportS Editor

and this is not something that can be faked. While NAV does not rap in this style, he has a good thing going right now. His beats always sound like they were the right choice and nearly always match his lyrics with perfection. He often has smooth beats with a solid base which allows him to freely rap throughout the track with his classic autotuned bars. NAV’s music has everything that you would want out of a rap artist today. He has good beats and his voice flows well throughout the tracks. All I would like to see out of him would be more lyrical songs. So, is NAV the best rapper in the game? Maybe not, but his unique style and flow make him a great artist to listen to for any mood.

Who is the best rapper in the game? That is a question that comes with a number of answers depending on who you ask, when you ask and even where you ask it. Many different answers will be heard; some will say Drake, others will say J. Cole and some may even say Kendrick Lamar. The question isn’t which one is the best, it’s which one is the most liked. While Drake is most well-known for representing the “6” that is known as Toronto, there is an up-andcoming rapper who has been taking the scene by storm. Yep, You guessed it: it’s NAV. Navraj Singh Goraya, better known by his stage name NAV, is a 30-year-old DISCLAIMER: This is the sole opinion of the rapper from Toronto who has been gaining popularity Austin Smith. within the rap scene. NAV has recently put out a new album called “Bad Austin Smith can be contacted Habits.” Although NAV is fairly new on the scene with at asmith@kscequinox.com his first album debuting in 2017, he has been producing fast. He has made four albums since 2017, each with many hits. He has made music with a number of notable artists. His second album, titled “Perfect Timing,” was in collaboration with well-known producer Metro Boomin. On his latest album, he had a very popular song with Meek Mill titled “Tap.” Beyond all of this, how is the music of the true 6 God? It’s both original and not. While the autotuned sound that NAV most often looks for in his music is nothing that we haven’t seen before, the spin that he puts on it is different than the other autotune rappers. For example, he puts variety into his albums. While he does use a lot of autotune in his music, he takes advantage of the different sounds that can be produced within it. This keeps his songs from feeling redundant and makes each one sound unique from the other. He has perfected the art of making his voice sound different throughout his songs. His smooth style of rapping also allows him to be a very versatile artist and he performs in both the forefront and background of a song equally well. This ability also allows him to be a good chorus singer in many songs much like artists such as Quavo and Future. While his music is technically sound and has a very present-day feel, NAV, like all artists, is not without flaws. His songs have a constant flow that is appealing to the ear, however, his lyrics do leave something to be desired. One main reason that people are such big fans of rappers like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole is they rap from experiences, their lyrics mean something. While this is not a criterion for a good rapper, it gives the listener a story to listen to and something to keep them captivated. However, this music style comes from their lives and the things that they have experienced,

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His smooth style of rapping also allows him to be a very versatile artist and he performs in both the forefront and background of a song equally well - Austin Smith

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JOSEPH GUZMAN

ArtS And EntErtAinmEnt Editor

Equinox Music Choices Beg your pardon - 03 Greedo and Maxo Kreme

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Thursday, December 5, 2019

Mixing jazz with other genres

Painting and celebrating Indian Art

CONTRIBUTED BY NINA CRUZ

30 people gathered to connect with a different culture BENAJIL RAI

multimEdiA dirEctOr

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTOI EDITOR

Keene State College Music students/Jazz ensemble members perform alongside with the Combos Director Steve Cady in the Redfern Arts Center.

Students performed along side the Jazz Ensemble in the Redfern Arts Center CRISTIAN VALENTIN

OpiniOns EditOr Jazz mixed with other genres of music as the Keene State College Jazz Combos performed three different combos. These combos included the 11 a.m. combo, the 12 p.m. combo and 1 p.m. combo. Eighteen students took part in this show alongside Jazz Ensemble and Combos Director Steve Cady with each combo being a different set of students with some students taking part in more than one. The 11 a.m. combo performed “Moanin’” by Bobby Timmons, “Easy Living” by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin, “You’re It” by Steve Cady and “Up & Down” by Jamey Aebersold. The 12 p.m. combos had the songs “Secret Agent Man” by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White”

by Louiguy, ”A Child is Born” by Thad Jones and a remake of Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades.” The 1 p.m. combo played “Cotton Tail” by Duke Ellington, “Spain” by Chick Corea, “Solar” by Miles Davis and “Le Poulet” by Pee Wee Ellis. The audience showed appreciation for the performers all throughout the show by giving applause multiple times during each song. Sophomore music major Rose Webster enjoyed the way that everybody worked together. “I really liked how people on stage were working with each other. Even with the solos nobody was trying to one-up one another, it was more like everybody was trying to support each other,” said Webster. According to Cady, this teamwork is a big part of jazz. “The nature of the music, especially jazz, is the equal exchange of ideas and time and impro-

visation. Those things are intrinsic in the music and can be traced back to the origins of jazz, so the idea that everybody gets the spotlight is right at the center of it all,” said Cady. Senior performer William Wright called the show a blast. “This was awesome. It was my last time with this ensemble and I’ve grown up in this ensemble so it was really fun.” He also said he enjoyed being able to do things he didn’t think he could. “The one piece “Spain” we did was just really difficult and when we first got it I didn’t think I’d be able to play it, but we came a long way and I’m super proud of how it ended up,” said Wright. Cady said that getting to work alongside these students is a dream job. “If I was talking about what the music meant to me, I would be selfish. Really, what it means to me is getting to do this

alongside the students, sharing that and seeing them figure out how great it is and figure out how to do it with each other and eventually they’ll be doing what I’m doing. I think that’s the best reward of all,” said Cady. The Horns Section performers included Cora Dykens, Joshua Fellows, Maxwell Leader, Michael Perry, Trevor Senecal, William Wright and Paulryan Chapman. The Rhythm Section had Jacob Allen, Jason Coburn, Casey Daron, Jack Grandchamp, Andrew LeCuyer, Nathan Nelson, Pedro Paez, Matthew Perkins, Ryan Sinclair, Christopher Stimson and Alexander Vance. Jazz Combos took place in the Redfern Arts Center Alumni Recital Hall on Friday, November 22, at 7:30 p.m. Cristian Valentin can be contacted at cvalentin@kscequinox.com

Anyone can intern at Florentine Films

Keene State students and Keene community members painted Indian Art together at the Indian Paint Night in the KSC Science Center on Friday, November 22. Assistant Professor of computer science at KSC Dr. Meenalosini Vimal Cruz put the event together as part of the KSC Diversity Committee, sponsored by the Diversity and Multiculturalism Office and supported by Dr. Dottie Morris. The event was also a collaboration with the Keene India Association and the Historical Society of Cheshire County. Cruz was born in India and has been teaching at Keene State since 2017. Cruz said art is like a bridge that connects multiple cultures. About 30 people participated, including both KSC students and community, in the paint night. Cruz said, “Participants were from different age groups from seven years to 70 years.” The painting was inspired by an Indian painter Jamini Roy. Jamini Roy is known for his style of combining western and traditional art. Cruz said, “We wanted to have some Indian touch and it has an Indian touch, and it should be achievable in two hours.” She added,” We selected something popular and easy to draw.” Three attending mentors Bijaya Paul, Vidhya Sreenath and Sharanya Budakoti were helping participants, supported by Indhu. “All are amazing artists from the Keene community made this event possible,” Cruz said. Sharanya was the youngest of three teachers for the Indian paint night. Sharanya said, “We had this one painting that everyone is trying to make. We did it step by step; first we did basic steps and then we moved to colors,” Sharanya said. “It was fun for me, especially [on a] Friday night; otherwise, I would have been in technology,” Sharanya added. Sharanya was born in India and is now a sophomore at Keene High. “It can definitely have a big impact,” Sharanya said. “I feel like people can really learn a lot about our culture just by looking at our art and trying to do it.” Painting with a diverse group of people was a new experience for some KSC students. KSC first-year student Isabelle Costa said, “I like how it was very welcoming and relaxing. Everyone is really nice and I didn’t know anybody.” Costa is a nutrition and public health major. She said it was her first time doing Indian art. “[Paint night] gives more options for students to do rather than just doing random things or being in their rooms all day,” Costa said. The Keene Indian Association was one of the collaborators for the paint night. President of the Keene India Association Ritu Budakoti said events such as paint nights bring communities together, making them richer and stronger. “They bring people together and that's what we need at the current time, I believe,” she added. Ritu said, “Even though we all started at different points, the beauty lies in how it came together as one big picture.” Benajil Rai can be contacted at brai@kscequinox.com

BENAJIL RAI / MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR

Five intern alumni from Florentine Films attend a panel discussion at the Thorne Mueseum Thursday, November 21, to talk about their experiences.

The Thorne Art Museum hosted a panel discussion with five Florentine Film internship alumni JOSEPH GUZMAN

Arts And EntErtAinmEnt EditOr Keene State College students eagerly entered the Thorne-Sagendorph Museum Thursday, November 21, to see a discussion about the documentary making company Florentine Films. The panel discussion was between five of Ken Burn’s Florentine Film internship alumni and current employees; Dave Mast, who is the current technical director and sound effects editor; Brian Lee, the current apprentice editor at Florentine who helped work on “The Vietnam War" series; Lynn Novick, a director and producer who has completed over five films with Florentine and has over 60 hours of programming on PBS; Megan Ruffe, an assistant editor at Florentine, originally from Springfield, Massachusetts; and leading the discussion was Daniel John White, who is a photographer, videographer and apprentice editor for Florentine. Talking about how he found the internship program, Mast said, “Basically within the film major it was the only opportunity and prior to that my only experience was working in a video store. It kind of opened

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up everything and at one point I was even travelling to Luxembourg, Europe and got a job on a production set because they had heard of Ken Burns.” White also discussed his experience. “Before the internship I wasn’t even sure I wanted to go into film. I intended to be a photographer; my photography professor [at Keene] when I was attending [told me I should go into film].” White said that he hated public speaking so he would make small videos or documentaries and show them in place of formally presenting to his peers. “I took one film class at Keene State, and then I essentially faded out of everything and started doing photography and working in dark rooms, etc. I was just curious, and these filmmakers would always come in. That's when I asked about an internship and was very informally invited up for it. I started to realize that I loved what we were doing, just as an intern being able to learn history, learn filmmaking and get paid at the same time. It was a great experience,” said White. White compared this internship to a class because of how many things people pick up from this program. “When we try to do the [internship], we do it every semester or couple of months. We try to get the interns

to have a bit of every experience they can and allow them to ask questions and we sit down with them as much as we can. We had all been through the same internship process and each year we try to make it a little bit better. It is a practical experience in something they had brought with them from whatever college they might have come from. So they have the academic [knowledge] and we try to give them the more practical, hands-on experience,” said White. Daniel Henderson, the director of corporate partnerships and strategic initiatives at KSC, organized this event. He encourages KSC students in general to apply. “[Ken is] an internationally known documentary filmmaker located 20 miles from here. We have a close relationship between Keene State and Florentine Films that creates opportunities for students here interested in filmmaking. Lots of majors can intern there; it’s not limited to just film majors,” said Henderson. Joseph Guzman can be contacted at jguzman@kscequinox.com

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

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Running away from murder A story about a girl who is 'appealing' for a new lifestyle after killing her sister's boyfriend CRISTIAN VALENTIN

OpiniOns EditOr Many felt murder’s appeal as they were drawn to see “Appeal of Murder,” a student-written production written by senior Ashley Jones and performed by Group Theatre. This show is not for the faint of heart as it contains scenes depicting domestic abuse as well as suicide. “Appeal of Murder” is about a girl named Tessa Waters (played by sophomore English writing major Alyssa Grosso) who has to live with committing murder and trying to adjust to life after prison. All throughout the show, Tessa’s mind will not allow her

to forget the murder she committed as she feels like an outcast in society. The dark aspects of the character proved to be a challenge according to Grosso. “Getting into the more emotional aspects was challenging. The dark stuff was hard because, obviously, it’s very draining if you do it over and over again, but being able to succeed at it and feel something from the audience was the best part.” Sophomore film production major Michael Kearney said he thought the show took a lot of interesting turns. “I liked the show a lot. It kept going in different directions than I expected it to and it was just interesting to think about the different eth-

ical complexities of the show. I also thought the acting was really good and it was exciting to watch,” said Kearney. Jones said this show was originally just for a class. “‘Appeal of Murder’ wasn’t originally anything more than a class assignment until I looked at the one act and heard the characters calling me to finish their story. In a way, Tessa spoke out to me and pushed me to keep moving forward. There was a power in this piece and something nagging in the back of my mind saying, ‘I’m not finished yet,’” said Jones. She also said that this process allowed her to learn many things. “ From the writing process and creation to collaboration and teamwork, with the amount of work

and time that goes into making something like this, I learned so much and I can’t even begin to say everything. It’s been a rollercoaster.” Grosso said she learned a lot as well. “I learned that if you push yourself, put in a lot of effort and give it your all, you can overcome fear and challenges you weren’t expecting to,” said Grosso. According to the program, “This play is entered in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival National Playwriting Program including the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards Program with entry for The KCACTF National Undergraduate Playwriting Award, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg National Student Play-

writing Award, The Paula Vogel Award in Playwriting and the David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award.” The “Appeal for Murder” cast includes Alyssa Grosso as Tessa Waters, Ruby Dupuis-Morrison as Jessalyn Waters, Vincent Moore as Brandon Carter, Jessica Bourque as Maxine Richards, Alec O’Rourke as Victor J. Sharp, Al DelGiorno as Christopher, Dreamy Kljajic as Aurora Cleminstine, Megan Conners as Judge Penelope Jones and Patrick Holden, Grace Kennett and Justin Park as the witnesses.

Cristian Valentin can be contacted at cvalentin@kscequinox.com

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR

Two actors in "Appeal for Murder" show the contrast between their abusive relationship through a dance scene at the Redfern Arts Center, Wright Theater November 22 and 23 at 7:00 p.m.

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» STUDY ABROAD B3

STUDENT LIFE

» SOLO TRAVELING B2

Student Life, B1

Thursday, December 5, 2019

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Constant communication Student Colette Rinker stays involved with many student organizations CONNOR CRAWFORD

studEnt LifE Editor From working at the front desk of the TRIO office to being the public relations coordinator at WKNH and MTNA (Music Teachers National Association), being an orientation leader here at Keene State and being a tutor through ASPIRE, second-year student Colette Rinker has a lot on her plate. Rinker is majoring in communication studies and is also minoring in professional writing. Rinker has a busy schedule and most of her time is taken up by WKNH. “I am the public relations coordinator,” Rinker said. “I make [WKNH] fancy posters and manage the social media accounts.” WKNH is a major part in Rinker’s day-to-day life at Keene State College. It was the first club that sparked her interest as a firstyear student. “WKNH was the very first thing that I got involved with on campus when I went to the student involvement fair,” Rinker stated. On top of all the hard work that comes with being the public relations coordinator, Rinker also hosts her own radio show. Rinker explained how her very specific music taste inspired her to create her own radio show. “I have a very interesting music taste of Indie-Folk,” Rinker expressed. “I wanted to share that with people because a lot of people do not know about weird indie-folk music. I started as a one hour show and now that I am an executive board member I have a two hour show.”

Bringing her music over the radio waves has helped Rinker express herself. “For me, [the show] is always at the end of the week to just unwind, have a good time and be myself.” Because of her radio show, Rinker has been able to create a community through WKNH. Although she is a communication studies major, Rinker is heavily involved in the music community around campus. Originally, Rinker came to Keene State as a music performance major in voice and piano. Through some career searching, Rinker decided on what she ultimately wanted to study. “From looking at what I wanted to do after I leave Keene State, communications fits more of my end career goal,” stated Rinker. “I am still involved with the music department through MTNA.” As the public relations coordinator at MTNA, she manages their social media and takes on other various tasks that come with the position. Throughout her hard work and busy schedule, Rinker has made herself very noticeable around campus. “Rinker is the type of person to light up the room when she walks into it,” Rowan Herbet, a friend of Rinker, explained. “She is unfailingly kind and very responsible.” Outside of the music world, Rinker was an orientation leader this past year and was rehired to be on staff again for the summer of 2020. Being an orientation leader has helped Rinker get ahead in her career before she graduates. “[Orientation] relates to what I want to do after I get

» CONTINUED ON B3 CONNOR CRAWFORD / STUDENT LIFE EDITOR

Students create their own climate stories

Using emotion and expression to discuss climate issues JOSEPH GUZMAN

Their goal is to support youth-led environmental and climate work in various ways, however it shows up. Second-year graduate student from the alliance Shaylin Salas said, “We’re trying to touch base with different youth around the region and so we found the Eco-Reps just by talking. This led us to Caitlin Holden, who manages the Eco-Reps, and a sustainability engagement coordinator here [at KSC and] invited us to talk with them at their meeting. We wanted to find out what they needed from us and we heard from them they wanted to increase their ability to communicate climate change. For them we decided that stories were a good way to do that and they also agreed and we put on a climate story workshop with them.” Thomas thought about the future and said, “It’s up to our generation to change this. I don't really think the other generations are going to step forward. So it is up to us and the generations after us because we are the people who are going to be affected the most by climate change. It’s our kids and our way of life [that are being threatened] and we need to mitigate that before anything happens to cause a bigger problem.”

Arts And EntErtAinmEnt Editor “When you are telling people about climate change it’s important to not just state statistics. It’s more important to tap into your empathy and human nature,” said Keene State College senior and Eco-Rep Madelyn Thomas. Thomas, like many of the other ecology enthusiasts and climate lovers in attendance Tuesday, November 19, at 7 p.m. in the Night Owl Cafe, wants to increase communication around climate change. Co event organizer, Eco-Rep and KSC junior Julia Anselmo said, “Maddy and I are hosting this event because it was our idea to do it [here at KSC]. I think that adding emotion and expression to talk about climate is encouraged because it hits people differently. You want to put an urgency into [your climate story], but by adding personal experience to it you can see how it’s happening around the world to different age groups, types of people and places on earth.” Both girls came together to explain and show the audience what a climate story is and how to write one, passing out blank templates and allowing time for everyone to have a chance at filling them out and making their own climate stories. Anselmo even shared her own climate story that she had written about rough breathing conditions in Nepal when she visited. Reflecting on writing it, Anselmo said, “I couldn’t think of anything traumatic that happened [to me]. Then I realized it doesn’t

Joe Guzman can be contacted at jguzman@kscequinox.com BENAJIL RAI / MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR

Students participating in the KSC Eco-Reps event held on November 19 at 7 p.m. in the Night Owl Cafe.

have to be so it made me dig deeper in my in environment.” for Youth Climate Leadership, which was personal life and experience. Automatically, The original people who helped bring formed earlier this year. my head shot back to when I was in Nepal the idea to both of the girls were represenThe overall group has seven graduate and I was experiencing a complete change tatives from Antioch University’s Alliance students and a professor.

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Thursday, December 5, 2019

STAFF COMMENTARY

Finals week bingo is serious DENISE RONAN

Equinox Staff Some people who are new to campus may not think that finals bingo is a big of a deal. You may think you are too cool or too busy to even bother with going. I am a junior at Keene State College, and I have been to bingo almost every semester. The famous Night Owl Cafe/game room, the people who bring you Trivia Night and Sizzlers, goes big on finals week. I think finals bingo is a fun event to go to with my friends and also is an escape from my studying and papers. It only goes till about midnight and my roommates and I try to go every time. This semester, it is happening Tuesday December 10, at 10 p.m in the MabelBrown Room. I personally love going to events that have food that is free. It gives me motivation to go. My favorite thing they have every year is the spinach- artichoke dip. An obvious close second is the buffalo chicken dip, I usually get both with a good amount of tortilla chips. The line might get a little long, but I would suggest getting to the student center a little early. Be patient, it is definitely worth it. The Mabel Brown Room fills up with students and everyone one of them gets a stack of bingo sheets. You find a stop to sit and get your dotter. Just a tip, always test it before it all starts to make sure it works. You can either commit to the whole night or even just for a couple rounds. You can leave whenever you want, but the later you stay, the better the prizes

get. You can also only win once. I have not won bingo, yet. To start out, it is the typically bingo pattern, then whoever has double bingo, four corners, and even fill the board. Each round is a little different, so it keeps it interesting. In the past, they have given out gift cards to Applebee’s, Chilis’, $100 to TJ Maxx, $100 to Amazon, and the list goes on. I would love to go on a trip, and being a broke college student, I would love to win that Air B&B or even Southwest Airlines gift card. It is obviously disappointing to walk away without saying the words “BINGO,” but everyone really seems to get into it. The high energy and food combination makes for a good time. For this year, I’m excited for the bigger prizes that the NOC is giving out too. They have an Apple Watch and Air Pods! The Air Pods are new for this year and I would not mind a pair of those. If not, I will still enjoy the mac n’ cheese bar. For everyone attending Tuesday night, I wish you luck and may the odds be in your favor. Denise Ronan can be contacted at dronan@kscequinox.com

PUJA THAPA / ADMINISTRATIVE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

STAFF COMMENTARY

Living in impermanence: Solo travel tips ANGELIQUE INCHIERCA

Equinox Staff

“

Ditch the expensive hotels. Hostels and Airbnb’s can be cheaper and are not horrible all of the time.

“

As the holiday break approaches, I am encouraging everyone to scratch off a goal on their bucket list. My last column poked fun at the term we all remember as middle schoolers: Y.O.L.O. This time, I am telling you to pick a number out of a hat and go do it. For me, it was traveling over the big blue for the first time… and doing it alone. This is something I was not originally excited for, as I have always preferred being with larger crowds and friend groups. But I stand by this: everyone should travel alone at least once. Here are some tips for those solo-travelers, in bulletlist form. Research the area you’ll be traveling to. While I was familiar with the idea of Thailand, my friend encouraged me to watch documentaries, travel vlogs and Instagram stories of people who have traveled to the area. This is how I found the cities I wanted to visit and the things I wanted to try. This is also important to learn about customs, traditions and basic transportation, leading to my next point… Download a traveling app for your phone. If your destination is in the U.S. then Uber or Lyft would work fine. In Thailand, they use Grab. While I loved the idea of TukTuk traveling, I could get a GrabBike for 28 Baht, as opposed to the TukTuk’s 100 baht... and more traffic! No thank you. Learn basic language phrases. Duolingo is your new friend here. Learning accurate and polite ways to say some important phrases— hello, thank you, yes please, no, stop, can

- Angelique Inchierca

I have [insert item/ or point], how much, do you speak English, can you bring me to the restroom—is essential. Outside of English, most other languages change words or endings depending on who is saying them or who they are directed towards. While I learned this when I first began learning French, Thai is different. Thai changes the ending of “hello” from female to male. So as I learned “Sawadee-KAH,” all men said “Sawadee-KRAP.” Sometimes, people wouldn’t even say “Sawadee,” they would only say the endings (Kah and Krap). If I hadn’t done basic research, and downloaded

a Thai language app for my phone, I would have missed very important interactions when people said basic greetings to me. Ditch the expensive hotels. Hostels and Airbnb’s can be cheaper and are not horrible all of the time. I only stayed in hostels and spent very little money on my stay in all three cities. Hostels are also known to be for travelers and adventure seekers. You may make new friends for the trip or meet people for future travels! Not sure about wanting to go to a hostel alone your first time? Work for one! There are many different work and vol-

unteer options for international hostels, and they seek English speakers! You’re always going to overpack your first time. How are you traveling? Are you backpacking from place to place, like I did, or are you staying in one city, room or resort? If you are doing the latter, feel free to overpack because you know you’ll just be in one place. If you’re following a road similar to mine, leave the giant suitcase at home. Pack—and then take out half of what’s inside. When I was traveling, many were amazed at the largeness of my suitcase. To me, it was a normal suitcase. I had only ever used carry-ons, but I have

seen hundreds of people using these when traveling for a week… and I was gone over a month! I learned my lesson. A backpack and a small suitcase is all you need. If you forget something, buy it there. Walk the walk. By the end of my trip, I had a total of five people (locals and foreigners) who thought I had traveled before or had been in Thailand long-term. How did I give off this impression? I learned small cultural cues in body language, I walked with my head high and shoulders back and did not look at my phone for directions. Something I learned within the first few days in Bangkok was that if you look like a foreigner, you

get treated as a foreigner. If you can make people think you’ve been traveling for a while then no one will bother you with scams or rouses. One way I did this was by plugging in my desired location at my hostel and using my earbuds to guide me. If Siri told me she was rerouting, I turned around and went the other way. Be friendly. You are traveling to learn about another country and culture. Don’t forget to socialize with locals because, as I said in my last column, people are more uncomfortable being the outsider than the locals who are around them. Most of the time, people

were afraid to speak to me because I intimidated them by just being an English speaker. Once I broke that barrier, people were excited that I wanted to know about their home. Lastly, something for the lovely women of Keene State College: do not forget the safety rules we were taught since kindergarten. At night, avoid alleyways. I loved talking to many people, but there were also creepy men and rude women who saw my skin and youth and believed they could say things and even convince me to share information with them, which I refused to do. There were some very kind men who grew a protective shield around me during my stay, and a very kind woman who owned a hostel I stayed at (she gave me the single room for my privacy), but not everyone is your friend. The rules don’t change just because you’re in a new country, state or city. I’ve also heard that wearing an engagement ring can help in certain foreign countries (nothing too fancy, though, as you don’t want to look too wealthy and have people know you’re alone). There are so many more things I could advise or encourage you all to do but those are the most important things I want you all to think about for this December. A final thanks to any loyal readers who have followed my column this semester; I can’t wait to see the things you all do! Happy finals! Angelique Inchierca can be contacted atainchierca@kscequinox.com

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Thursday, December 5, 2019

COMMUNICATION

STAFF COMMENTARY

Equinox Staff Who travels to “the city of love,” aka Paris, with no amor? ME. All jokes aside: wow, was it one of the best experiences of my life. Ten out of 10 would go again and recommend to anyone who can figure out a metro system. I went with three of my girlfriends and it was Bon Appetit. (Note: this actually means ‘I hope you enjoy your food.’ Learned that the hard way.) There are a few topics I want to hit during this little blurb of mine. I guess you could see this as a mini travel guide? Make sure you plan your days and your directions ahead of time. Just flying into France made me so confused. I am so glad I picked out my transportation to the city before I left Spain because figuring it out on the spot while being there and not speaking a lick of French would be torture. The metro is messy! There are so many different routes and sides to be on. Good thing it was cheap because we ended up on the wrong side of the tracks a couple of times. But it was an easy ride to Disneyland… which was magical. Okay, so I’ve never been one of those Mickey ears wearing, stuffed animal collecting, Disney addicted girls, but I don’t know; Disney Paris hit differently. It started snowing during the parade, which just made the experience. The rides were insane and the fact that it was Christmas themed had my jaw on the floor. They really outdid themselves with the tree lighting and the Christmas Spectacular with the Disney royal couples at the end. Anyways, do that when you go to

Paris; make a day out of it. That was our whole first day of being there. Our second day we hit some big stops. We hopped on those touristy city buses because Paris is big and casually dropped by a couple of historic museums and then the Eiffel Tower. What a sight, and when lit it’s such a beautiful aesthetic. Just looking at all the buildings around us when we were driving through the streets was insane. I had to keep repeating to myself, “I’m in Paris!” The place is incredible, with so much history like the Arc de Triomphe, which is actually in the middle of a traffic circle. I knew I was bad with my money, but coming on this trip really was a whole new level of spending. Bring your life savings (kidding, but not really) because you’ll be handing out those Euros like it’s candy. There is just so much to do, see and try. Talk about a sight: just right to the Arc there is the street ChampsÉlysées, which is a street full of high-end shopping. I’m talking about Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior and Gucci. But that strip had everything from $$$ to Zara and even Birkenstock, for all you granolas. I turned my head the other way while heading down that road and told myself I would save that for when the hubbie and I come back. Let me just say, we ate well too. The restaurants were so fancy and the meals were so rich. Go to France with an empty stomach. A couple of things you have to try when you’re there: the baguettes, macaroons, crepes, mousse and anything else you can get your little paws on… Ten pounds later.

out of college,” Rinker explained. “I want to go into higher education administration. I want to help students feel like where they end up going to college is their second home.” Rinker really wants to influence students, and through orientation she is able to fulfill that goal. “Being a part of a student’s first memories here at Keene State and making it their home and a place they are comfortable being; at the end of the day, that is what really drives me,” Rinker stated. Through Rinker’s busy schedule, she has a lot to keep organized and to do. At the beginning of each semester, she meets with her educational counselor. “We sit down and look at my schedule,” Rinker said. “We fill out a time-blocking sheet with my classes and work and that helps me stay organized.” Not only does an educational

One thing to be cautious about when going to Paris is that Parisiens rebel. Parisiens, and I quote this from one of their own, love to riot and get mad about anything and everything. Government-wise you’re always going to get different views, so I can’t really make a judgment other than tell you all to be safe and always be aware of your surroundings. This past weekend when we were there people were marching in the street normally, chanting something in French, and all of a sudden there was an explosive going off right in front of us. Police charging through us and taking a man to the ground were other #justgirlythings that happened to us. But we weren’t in serious danger, as far as I could tell, since everyone was going about their evening like nothing happened afterward. Social norms in other countries have me like: ??? Worth the risk I would say, though! I was trying to leave there a new woman, with a new accent, new fancy clothes and a man… side note: I thought Spain was where it was at, but no; it’s France h that has the men. Paris is a city like every other one you go to. It has its spectacular side (that beats most other places) and its dirty parts. This was by far one of the best trips I’ve ever been on and I have such good things to say about the place. It was one of those times where everything went smoothly, and my outfits fit the scene… hey, pictures or it didn’t happen, right?

counselor help Rinker stay organized but technology does as well. “I live by my calendar on my computer and my phone,” Rinker stated. Through being so involved, Herbet explained how Rinker helped him be less negative about things. “Colette taught me the importance of having a positive outlook,” Herbert said. “I tend to look on the negative side of things so that I don’t get disappointed, but she does the opposite. It’s refreshing to be able to look at things from that point of view.” After a long day of working through Rinker’s busy schedule, she likes to watch Netflix. “I like my time alone,” Rinker stated, “binging on ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’ and just having a fun time!” Connor Crawford can be contacted at ccrawford@kscequinox.com

“

Being a part of a students first memories here at Keene State and making it their home and a place they are comfortable being; at the end of the day, that is what really drives me.

“

KIANA WRIGHT

Cont. from B1

- Colette Rinker

T h

Kiana Wright can be contacted at kwright@kscequinox.com

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STUDENT LIFE / B4

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Mon. Dec. 9 || Zorn Dining Commons || 10:00pm - 12:00am featuring breakfast favorites, gingerbread decorating, crunch lab snacks and more

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, December 5, 2019

WORLD NEWS

Request denied to block NH’s voter residency

Setting the primary date ASSOCIATED PRESS

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire's presidential primary is set for Feb. 11, eight days after Iowa's first-inthe-nation caucuses. Secretary of State Bill Gardner made the date official Monday during a statehouse news conference. On the Democratic side, the campaigns of two candidates in nearby states, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, have emphasized New Hampshire's importance to their campaigns. A third candidate geographically familiar with New Hampshire, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, began a primary effort earlier this month. Former Vice President Joe Biden and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg are also among the leading Democrats placing an emphasis on New Hampshire. In the Republican primary, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld and former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh

KATHY MCCORMACK

AssociAted Press

are attempting longshot campaigns against President Donald Trump. Gardner has been an ardent defender of New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary status, even as some now question if the overwhelmingly white state should have such influence as one of the first states to vote in the Democratic nominating process. Former Housing Secretary Julián Castro's presidential campaign, which has wound down its presence in the state, criticized both New Hampshire and Iowa in a statement earlier this month, saying the states "have had a monopoly on going first, despite a severe lack of diversity that is at odds with how we are winning elections across the country."

Caring for babies born exposed to drugs LEAH WILLINGHAM

concord Monitor CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Judy Buckley held the tiny infant, just two-weeks old, close to her chest. Swaddled in a pink-striped blanket, the baby girl let out a high-pitched cry. Buckley began to sing. "We're off to see the wizard," Buckley cooed, as the baby whimpered. "The wonderful wizard of Oz." "She's so sweet," she said, patting the little girl softly on the back. "You're being so good," she told her. As a volunteer "cuddler," Buckley's job is to soothe some of Concord Hospital's smallest, most vulnerable patients. The retired teacher spends hours holding and comforting babies, most of whom have neonatal abstinence syndrome, meaning they were born exposed to drugs in the womb. Babies with NAS are essentially born in withdrawal – they suffer tremors, rashes, sleep deprivation and seizures, among other symptoms. Many of the symptoms mimic normal newborn behaviors: babies are fussy at times, they want to eat or be held. The difference is, with NAS babies, those symptoms don't stop even after needs are met. These babies need to be held for hours at times before they are able to rest. As the opioid crisis has raged through the state, doctors have grappled with how to treat these tiny patients. Erin Collins, director of Concord Hospital's The Family Place, said for a while the primary method used to treat babies with NAS was morphine. However, in the last two years, Concord Hospital has turned to other methods of care: live music, reiki and human touch. In May 2018, the hospital implemented its cuddlers program. Instead of medicating babies, volunteers swaddle the babies to calm them, and teach parents to do the same. The swaddle position mimics the comfort babies feel in the womb. "I think we were all a little skeptical at first. How can we be in a health care society when everything is high technology, high acuity, and yet we've got almost the most simple of simplest care models that says, 'Just hold them?' " Collins said. "How can that possibly work? "But we've seen the clinical benefit – and it

is more powerful than I can articulate." In the last 10 months, Concord Hospital has administered just a single dose of morphine to one baby out of the 61 infants born exposed to substances at The Family Place during that time period. Before the change in care model, one baby could receive 25 to 32 doses of morphine during their stay. Up until the last decade, neonatal abstinence syndrome was not a term many medical professionals were familiar with. Even 10 years ago, if doctors noticed a newborn crying erratically, they might have concluded that the baby's mother smoked cigarettes during pregnancy, or took another prescription medication, like antidepressants. Drugs like heroin and methamphetamines were not on newborn doctor radars – a drastic change from today, when each year in New Hampshire almost 500 babies are born having been exposed to opioids and other hard drugs. Collins said clinicians were quicker at that time to administer morphine to babies if they knew they had been exposed to drugs in the womb – even if their symptoms weren't severe. Now, doctors ask simple questions before they decide how to proceed with the treatment of any baby, whether they were substance exposed or not: how well is the baby eating and sleeping and can he or she be consoled? If they find a baby is in need of extra care, they will try reiki, live music of different kinds and cuddling before they resort to morphine, which they administer rarely, in small doses. This has shortened hospital stays significantly, Collins said. Once a patient is started on morphine, they have to slowly be weaned off, which can take weeks. In addition, evaluating each baby in the hospital by the same standards normalizes the process for the patient and doctors. Any baby who displays a need can have access to a cuddler, not just NAS babies. "By presenting the program the way they do, it takes the bias out of it by making it available to all. It takes the stigma away from it for families who are already facing a lot of stigma," said Joyce Johnson, a cuddler volunteer who also works at Concord Hospital in the Transport department. The cuddlers program Members of the Concord community expressed immediate interest in volunteer-

ing in the cuddlers program, said Annie Roy, a nurse at The Family Place who spearheaded the program. "The response was just overwhelming," she said. Concord Hospital hosted a forum with the community to answer questions about the program and NAS and started an application process. Staff soon had a waiting list for people who are interested. There is still a waiting list to become a cuddler at Concord Hospital. Once accepted into the program, cuddlers go through a three-part orientation that helps them become familiar with the hospital, NAS and strategies of consoling babies. Jessica Bailey, program manager for volunteer services at the hospital, said almost all of the cuddlers are women. "They are women who have had children that know what it is like to take care of a child. Some of them don't have their own children but have worked in childcare. Some of them have worked in substance use, so they have a connection that way," Bailey said. "Really, we're just looking for a person that is compassionate, but also able to be non-judgmental," Bailey added. "That's always one of the big things that I talk with them about to make sure that they can come into the situation without judgment and know that they're there for the baby and that's their primary role." Cuddlers sign up using an online spreadsheet to be on call at some point 24 hours a day. Six volunteers can sign up for each slot, and they'll be called as needed. There are usually between one and five NAS babies at the hospital at one time. Staff members have to find volunteers who are able to handle the demands of the job. Volunteers must be able to stay calm in highstress situations. "The babies can cause stress for people who are not used to caring for them," Roy said. "They look disorganized to me. There's this look in their face of fear. They can't even be soothed enough to suck on their pacifier." "That's something we evaluate in the volunteers. What's their ability to really self-soothe?" Collins said. "When there's a baby crying at a high-pitched cry, that gets anyone's heart rate and blood pressure up. It takes a special someone and I think we're fortunate in our program to have a lot of special someone's."

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Buckley said she's developed her own system over time for calming the babies she works with. There's nothing more rewarding than watching a baby settle in your arms, Buckley said. "There's just a peacefulness that falls over them," she said. "You can see the heart rate come down and they'll look at you with their big eyes and yawn, and you know you've had a difference." "It's powerful when you can see the heart rate come down right before your eyes," she added. When a baby is close to another person, it calms them by normalizing the respiratory rate, regulating the heart rate, and having a source of heat, said Buckley, who has three kids and three grandkids of her own. Buckey and Johnson said families are incredibly grateful for the work of the cuddlers. "We get thanked by people every day. I had mom thanking me just last week, saying, 'I just really needed to sleep. Thank you so much,'" Johnson said. "It's a way to help the family, who are already going through a lot." Buckley said one day a baby's grandfather sat next to her while she was cuddling a baby. "The grandfather came in and he said, 'You're a cuddler and that's wonderful. You are a huge help.'" she said. "Right before he left, he just said, 'thank you.'" Collins said no one imagined that the cuddlers program would be as effective as it has been in its infancy. "It's really the power of healing in so many ways. For clinicians to resonate with a healing modality and not a high-tech approach can be hard," she said. "Part of our role is to share the results with families, other organizations. There are still plenty of hospitals in New Hampshire, and the U.S., I'm sure, that haven't quite made the shift to this care model. "We're just going to try to keep sharing our story, so that if something resonates with someone else, they can make that happen in their organization," she added. Online: https://bit.ly/2RcJIpW___ Information from: Concord Monitor, http://www.concordmonitor.com

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A federal judge in New Hampshire denied a request Wednesday that would have blocked a new state law requiring voters to be full-fledged residents from being enforced for the first-inthe-nation presidential primary in February. The American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire sued the secretary of state and attorney general over the law on behalf of two Dartmouth College students. The law, which took effect in July, ended the state's distinction between "residency" and "domicile." Before the law took effect, New Hampshire was the only state that didn't require residency to vote. Though it doesn't change the process of registering to vote, it effectively makes out-of-state college students who vote in New Hampshire subject to residency requirements, such as obtaining drivers' licenses and registering cars. The ACLU said the law created confusion while the state said any confusion is "self-created and sustained." It argued that the requirement to get a license is triggered by when a person establishes residency, which may or may not be on the day he or she registers to vote. Democrats, including many of the presidential candidates campaigning in New Hampshire, said the new law amounts to voter suppression by essentially imposing a "poll tax" in the form of license and vehicle registration fees. But Republicans and other supporters of the law said it was in line with residency requirements in other states, including many of the critics' home states. U.S. District Judge Joseph LaPlante ruled Wednesday the plaintiffs didn't prove their claims, saying they produced no witnesses stating that the confusion led them to decide not to register to vote. "Indeed, all of the witnesses who testified that they currently have out-of-state licenses also testified that they are registered to vote in New Hampshire," LaPlante wrote. He also said that state officials, although slow to provide detailed guidance on the law, did issue a recent letter on the state's interpretation. However, LaPlante himself had questions about how the law could interact with the state's motor vehicle code and election rules. In a separate order Wednesday, he submitted five questions to the New Hampshire Supreme Court for review. "There are potentially determinative issues of New Hampshire law in this case," LaPlante wrote, adding that the answers "could result in one or more interpretations of the enforcement regime that do not implicate the federal constitutional right to vote in any way." An ACLU attorney said it will continue to fight the case. "Every eligible voter has the right to vote without confusion, without fear, and without the thought that maybe it would be easier if they vote at all," Henry Klementowicz said in a statement. "Despite evidence that college students, young people, town clerks, and political campaigns are confused about what this law means, the court did not eliminate this confusion today."

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Thursday, December 5, 2019

STAFF COMMENTARY

Only growing pains

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR

Coach Ryan Cain using a time-out to talk to his team during the 2 p.m. November 23 home game against the Hamilton College Continentals.

Men’s basketball team hopes to turn around losing streak CLAIRE BOUGHTON

Senior SportS reporter With the winter sports season picking up, it isn’t hard to miss a certain presence on the court when it hits game time for the men’s basketball team. Last year marked the end of the “Ty Nichols era” at Keene State as the 2316 career point scorer walked across the graduation stage alongside fellow senior teammates Kyle Santoro and Charles McClain. However, this season still has the chance to mark the beginning of a new era, especially once the team works through the growing pains of learning to work together and dominate without Nichols. The 2019-20 roster is still an impressive and daunting one. Some of the fresh faces on the team include junior transfer Marcus McCarthy and first-years Quinton Sneed-Lott, Jeffrey Hunter and Nicholas Redden, all of whom have had impressive careers in their previous schools.

McCarthy, who transferred from Bristol Community College, put up an average of 18.7 points per game during his two years as a Bay Hawk. McCarthy also managed to set a career-high 28 points and be named All-American within the 30 games he played during his sophomore season. As a new Owl, McCarthy’s average points per game sits currently at 13, with him having taken the court in every contest. McCarthy has also already gotten onto the Little East Conference statistic leader charts, sitting at fifth in the conference for free throws. Sneed-Lott comes to Keene State from Kolbe Cathedral High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he was named Division II All-State Basketball Player his senior year. Sneed-Lott’s senior year also had him named CIAC Basketball 1st Team All-Conference, which was a step up from being named CIAC Basketball 2nd Team All-Conference his junior year. Hunter is another impressive first-year, having put up 1,150 career points during his high school career at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School. If

Hunter were to put up the same number of points here at Keene it would land him in the 1,000 Point Club in between members Joe Yaris, 1,146, and Tom Conway, 1,158. Hunter was also named a vocational state champion and Central Massachusetts First-Team. Hunter has played in every game so far this season and racked up an average points per game of 9.5. Hunter is also in the L.E.C. statistic leaders, sitting in the first place spot for field goal percentage. Redden is the last new face of the Keene State Owls. Coming from Northborough, Massachusetts, Redden was captain of the Algonquin High School varsity basketball team two years in a row. Redden was also a three-time league all-star during his high school career. He has racked up a points per game of 8.7 within the six games he has played so far. Redden sits in the number five spot for three-pointers. First-years and McCarthy only make up four members of the team, however, and it is important to not look past players who are returning. Nyzair Rountree, James Anozie, Miguel Prieto,

DeVon Beasley, Edwin Ezedonmwen; the list just goes on and on, and all players added together make a wellseasoned and powerful team. It can’t be forgotten that last season alone the men’s basketball team took home the Little East Conference title, and the road leading up to that was well-fought. While Ty Nichols may no longer be in the picture at Keene State College, the rest of the team is still very much intact. Anozie, a junior center, put up a career-high 30 points against Salem State only a few weeks back. Although the season has not gone the way crowds, coaches and the team themselves have wanted it to go, it does not mean that the season is lost. Growing pains are just temporary. This article is the sole opinion of this writer. Claire Boughton can be contacted at cboughton@kscequinox.com

Keene Owl in the NSAAC MLAX player Paxton Blanchard selected for the National Student-Athlete Advisor Committee CLAIRE BOUGHTON

student-athlete’s voice within the NCAA structure, solicit student-athlete response to proposed NCAA legislation, recommend potential NCAA legislation, review, react and comment to the governance structure on legislation, The Division III National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) activities and subjects of interest, actively participate in the administrative now has an Owl as one of its members. process of athletic programs and the NCAA and promote a positive studentJunior lacrosse player Paxton Blanchard received the news of his selection athlete image.” into the committee on October 23, 2019. Blanchard has been a member of the “I’m looking forward to meeting all of the other student-athletes who are Keene State SAAC since his first-year year and has been involved in various on the NSAAC and learning from them as well as sharing my opinions to actions during his time as a member. help make the NCAA even better for student-athletes than it already is,” said To name just a few of Blanchard’s actions during his three years: he is a Blanchard. regular volunteer at the Special Olympics of New Hampshire State Bowling The first in-person committee meeting Blanchard will be attending is this Tournament and aids in the creation of ideas for KSC’s Greeks vs. Athletes coming January. Olympics. Blanchard also trades in the lacrosse stick for a basketball every once and a while and becomes a coach, alongside fellow Keene SAAC memClaire Boughton can be contacted bers, for Keene Parks and Recreation K-1 Youth Basketball Program. at cboughton@kscequinox.com Blanchard is one of the 25 selected members in the entirety of all NCAA Division III colleges and universities. “I was completely blown away and humbled,” said Blanchard when asked about his reaction to finding out the good news. “[Being selected] is not only a huge accomplishment for myself but also for Keene State College, as it is put“[Being selected] is not ting us on the map.” Keene State College’s Director of Athletics and Recreation Phil Racicot comonly a huge accomplishmented on the importance of Blanchard’s selection in an article on keeneowls. ment for myself but also com titled “Paxton Blanchard selected for National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.” for Keene State College as “Paxton’s selection to the NCAA’s National Student-Athlete Advisory Comit puts us on the map.” mittee is a prestigious honor for him and for Keene State College,” said Racicot. “He has been an instrumental part of our very active and engaged campus SAAC and we look forward to having him serve KSC, the LEC and our partner - Paxton Blanchard conference the MASCAC on the national level.” The National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee offers all sorts of new opportunities for Blanchard to take part in. The committee is responsible for representing all NCAA Division III student-athletes and they meet in person four times a year. The functions of the NSAAC, according to NCAA.org, are to “generate a

Senior SportS reporter

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SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO EDITOR

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Thursday, December 5, 2019

STAFF COMMENTARY

ALAN FORTIN

Equinox Staff Since the beginning of November, many Patriots fans have begun to forget the great start to the season that the team has had. The Patriots, despite an early explosion to the season, have appeared to have an offensive stalemate that is leading to a lot less scoring from the team that was considered to be the best of the best; they’ve barely squeaked by in the games they have won, or had their offense as well as defense exposed. With this, there is one major question to be asked of the team as they approach the final few games of the season: Is this a Super Bowl worthy team or will they fall short to a team that they have already lost to? This is the question in the back of everyone’s minds as a loss to the Texans on December 1 took them from the number one overall team in the AFC down a spot. With this, there are a few areas which could indicate that the Patriots have a lackluster team at the moment. The first major spot that the Patriots need to focus on is their kicking situation. This season the Patriots have seen four faces who have been the center of attention for these kicking duties. The season started with kicker Stephen Gostkowski, then moved on to Mike Nugent and Nick Folk. The week before the Patriots were scheduled to take on the Texans, Folk was hospitalized with appendicitis, which lead to his release and the signing of a fourth kicker, Kai Forbath. With the way that the season has been heading, it would be no surprise if before the final game is played by New England there will be one more kicker or

the return of another kicker to the team. The Patriots have also been struggling with their offensive unit as a whole. Since the release of Antonio Brown, the offense has been struggling to present the hot team that they had in the first few weeks of the season. With the end of the season coming, there are a lot of players who were injured in the first few weeks returning, such as N’Keal Harry, Isaiah Wynn and Phillip Dorsett. Nonetheless, the team has still seen many slow starts to games and appears to be struggling offensively; even quarterback Tom Brady has shown how upset he is about the way the offense has been performing. As a total unit, the only real positivity that the Patriots have is in their defense, which was shown to be human twice this season in losses to the Texans and the Ravens. With the season having four games left, the Patriots are racing to find solutions to a team that appeared electric at the beginning of the season but now are appearing to be slowing down. If the Patriots struggle to figure out what they can do better, they will face a much tougher offseason and could potentially lose their first-round bye, something that has been shown in the past to take a toll on the team

This article is the sole opinion of this writer. Alan Fortin can be contacted at afortin@kscequinox.com

GRIFFIN ELL/ EQUINOX STAFF

Are the Patriots still contenders for Super Bowl LIV?

Meet the Captain: Hien Thach Want to write for the sports section next semester?

AUSTIN SMITH

SportS Editor This week’s Meet the Captain is the captain of the women’s basketball team and guard Hein Thach. Thach is a senior from Burlington, Vermont, where she played for Burlington High School. At Burlington Thach was a four-year starter. At Keene State Thach has been getting minutes since her first year. She has appeared in 82 games throughout her career at KSC. Last season Thach started all 25 games for the Owls and had the season of her career scoring-wise, averaging 4.6 points per game. This season Thach has played six games so far and started in five of them. In these games Thach is averaging 2.7 points per game to go along with 2.2 assists and 1.7 rebounds per game. Thach’s 2.2 assists per game are currently the second best on the women’s basketball team. Austin Smith can be contacted at asmith@kscequinox.com

Sports Editor Claire Boughton (860) 878-5475

This Week for the Owls Thursday 12/5

Friday 12/6

Saturday 12/7

Sunday 12/8

Monday 12/9

* - Home Contest

Tuesday 12/10

Wednesday 12/11

No Contests

Swim & Dive - M.I.T. Invitational *Women’s Basketball Keene State vs. UMass-Boston @ 1PM

No Contests

*Men’s Basketball - Keene State vs. UMass-Boston @ 3PM

READING DAY No Contests

WSOC - NEWISA Senior Bowl w/ Nicole De Almeida and Patricia Norton @ 12PM

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Thursday, December 5, 2019

SPORTS

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BIG M T E Equinox Staff

SOREN FRANTZ / PHOTO

If you’ve ever been to Spaulding Gymnasium for a Keene State College men’s basketball game, you’ve probably heard the name James Anozie called over the loudspeakers more than a few times. Standing at 6’6”, “Big James” is one of the biggest key players on the 2019-20 Keene State College men’s basketball team. He’s the second tallest player on the team and uses every bit of his height to his advantage. Through five games this year in his junior season, Anozie leads the Owls on both offense and defense. He averaged 18 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game this season, the most on his team in both categories. “I’d say during offense I’m looking to score, because that’s usually my first option,” Anozie said. “If I have the mismatch I’m going to score. But if I don’t, I usually get double-teamed a lot. Triple-teamed? I don’t know about that, but we’ll see. But usually when that happens I’ll just kick it out, or something like that, or just look to score.” Earlier this season when the Owls traveled to Salem State University, Anozie put those offensive abilities on full display, scoring a career-high 30 points and leading the Owls to their first victory of the season. Furthermore, Anozie showed off his defensive power last week in a game against the Albertus Magnus College Falcons, grabbing 10 rebounds, the first time he reached double digits in the category in a single game this season. “On defense usually I just look to try to lock my guy up, usually try to hold him to under 10, five, whatever it is. I’ll hold him to zero if I can. I really look to improve my defense throughout the whole year.” Anozie started playing basketball at a young age, and was competitive right away. In kindergarten Anozie competed in a Catholic Youth Organization basketball program in his hometown of Poughkeepsie, New York. From the minute he first stepped onto the court, he fell in love with the game. “My parents wanted to put me in the little CYO program to see what would happen,” Anozie said. “Ever since then I just fell in love with the game, playing CYO and playing with my friends. It was really because of my friends. All of my friends played basketball back in the day, so I was like, ‘You know what? Let me give it a shot.’ I was actually pretty good. It helps when you’re taller than everyone too, so why not [play]?” Anozie’s basketball dominance carEDITOR ried over into high school, when he

BRIEF

Ty Nichols takes on KB Ponte Prizreni AUSTIN SMITH

SportS Editor He is a local legend and the all-time leading scorer for Keene State College men’s basketball, but everyone knows him as Ty Nichols. Nichols, who graduated this past year, was one of the best basketball players in the history of KSC. Now he has a new team that he is playing for. Nichols is playing for a European team called KB Ponte Prizreni. This team is located in the country of Kosovo, a small European country that is bordered by Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania. According to the head coach of the men’s basketball team Ryan Cain, Nichols was not drafted to this team but offered a contract to play for the club. Nichols has played three games in the new uniform so far.. In those games, he is averaging 26.7 minutes per game. He is also averaging 14.7 points per game to go along with

4.3 rebounds per game. While those numbers are a far leap from the impressive statistics that KSC fans are used to seeing him put up, keep in mind that he is playing against a whole new level of competition with older and more experienced players. The difficulties of transitioning from the college level to the professional level can take a lot of time for a player to overcome. With an average of 26.7 minutes per game and a respectable average of 14.7 points, Nichols is immediately contributing to the club, giving them a double-figure scorer off of the bench. With the new chapter in his career just beginning on his new team in Kosovo, fans can find his games on Youtube by searching “KB Ponte Prizreni.” Nichols currently wears number seven for the club and is playing the position of guard. Austin Smith can be contacted at asmith@kscequinox.com

played for Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie. He ended his high school career with a long list of accomplishments, including helping his team become league champions back-to-back seasons as a junior and a senior, being named the Dutchess County Player of the Year as a junior and a senior and becoming a member of the school’s 1,500 point club, ending his career with a grand total of 1,650 points scored in his four years with the team. From there, he moved onto Keene State College in 2017. In his first-year, he made the roster for the Owls’ men’s basketball team and had an immediate impact on the team’s success. As a freshman, Anozie averaged 12.6 points per game, the second highest average on the team behind Ty Nichols, the Owls’ all-time leading scorer who averaged 20.6 points per game that season. “I ended up picking Keene State because of the environment,” Anozie said. “ I really liked [Coach Cain] as a coach and the person he was. I’m seeing what programs he’s trying to build here and I want to be a part of that. I want to help him reach those goals. I just want to help the team win as many games as possible.” In his career with the Owls so far, Anozie has helped the team win plenty of games, including the coveted 2018-19 Little East Conference championship game. With nearly two full seasons left on the team, Anozie will look to keep adding plenty more accolades to his already impressive basketball resume. Matt Holderman can be contacted at mholderman@kscequinox.com

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“I’m seeing what programs [Coach Cain] is trying to build here and I want to be a part of that. I want to help him reach those goals. I just want to help the team win as many games as possible.”

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MATT HOLDERMAN

- James Anozie

National Field Hockey Coaches Association

Ally

McCall First Team

Nina

Bruno Second Team

All-New England West Region

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