The Equinox 1.25.18

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THE EQUINOX

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The student voice of Keene State College

Vol. 70, Issue #14 Thursday, January 25, 2018

H T G N E R

U N IN

p r o n g o r i t a c m u r t a s nd ot n o c n h o e i t r a s n e h t n i t s r fi s r e ff o C KS

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JESSICA RICARD

News editor With the new year comes new opportunities for Keene State College and its students. As of fall 2018, KSC will be offering a first-in-the-nation construction safety sciences program, a redesigned computer science degree, a re-named public health program and a newlyadded sustainability minor.

Construction Safety Sciences In terms of the first-in-the-nation construction safety sciences program, it’s been in the works for four years.

In fact, the idea was first suggested to the safety faculty by the parent of a student currently in the safety program, Associate Professor for Safety and Occupational Health Applied Sciences Dr. Wayne Hartz said.

The construction industry accounts for about five percent of the economy, but also accounts for 20 percent of worker deaths, according to Hartz. Because of this and the fact that more than 70,000 people a year die from diseases related to their jobs, health and safety on a jobsite is a “huge problem.”

Senior Safety Consultant of Heavy Construction Safety Systems (HCSS) and Associated General Contractors (AGC) Health and Safety Committee member Jim Goss suggested KSC create a construction safety sciences program. Hartz said himself and Professor Emeritus of Safety and Occupational Health Applied

Sciences Dr. Larry McDonald knew KSC didn’t have the resources for the program.

After consulting with finance and planning, as well as other sources, Hartz and McDonald designed a program outline and budget, Hartz said.

“The goal was to create a budget and a program that would be self-sufficient financially,” Hartz explained, “meaning that we could launch the program [and] run it for three years at no cost to the college, that’s the goal.”

How will this program benefit companies and students? Hartz attributes the benefits to the “graying of the industry,” meaning safety professionals are retiring and the current job demand for these positions is twice what can be produced.

Aspects such as those may have contributed to the popularity of KSC’s safety program. “Our program had such fast growth that we didn’t keep our attention focused on the quality of the program, and we are in the process of increasing the rigor of the program.

Additionally, with only five full-time faculty members teaching in the program, the faculty to student ratio is 1:80, and the number of advisees Hartz has, for example, totals more than 150 students.

According to Hartz, the safety program has been recently assigned two additional faculty lines, making for a total of seven full-time faculty members once hired. He said they’ll be advertising for the positions very shortly.

Keene State College loses a legend

“

The best thing was [Mullett] would believe in you even when you didn’t believe in you.

Jameson Foster KSC Alumnus

college with a $100,000 check to “help support the efforts of developing a new Construction Safety Sciences program that will produce competent and capable graduates that are able to serve as the ‘next generation of safety leaders,’” according to the Massachusetts AGC website.

Additionally, the AGC’s Education Resource Fund’s goal is to provide $400,000 to KSC toward the program costs over the first three years.

According to a news release on Dec. 13 from AGC Massachusetts, $286,400 of the $400,000 had been raised to date.

Turner Construction and AGC Massachusetts donated $100,000 each, and additional donations came from from AGC Rhode Island, Hart Engineering Companies, Gilbane Construction, HCSS, Mine Safety Appliances and an additional private donation.

Overall, KSC’s health and safety program has a really great reputation, Hartz said, which he attributes to the alumni of the college.

Companies such as Turner Construction, Gilbane Building Company, Dimeo Construction Company, Ciambro, The HART Companies, AECOM and Hunt In addition, Hartz said the plan is to increase their Construction Group, for example, have all hired KSC clinical faculty by one each year over the next three graduates once they’ve left KSC. years, ultimately increasing by five full-time faculty “These companies are massive and they’ve been members. hiring our graduates for years,” Hartz said.

On Nov. 17, 2017, AGC Massachusetts’ Director of Safety and KSC Alumnus Chris Ziegler presented the SEE ACADEMIC OFFERINGS, A3

STAFF COMMENTARY

Journalists take city of Keene to the bench GRACE PECCI

Copy editor New Hampshire’s Right-to-Know law, RSA 91-A states in its preamble, “Openness in the conduct of public business is essential to a democratic society.”

However, when public information is withheld from citizens, it illustrates a larger problem.

Recently, five students, including myself, have come into the media’s spotlight. Better known now as The Keene State Five, we took the City of Keene to court on Dec. 13, 2017 for violating New Hampshire’s Right to Know Law. Back in September, our Public Affairs Reporting class filed right to know requests for a project, and little did we know what we were getting ourselves into.

The five of us requested information ranging from restaurant inspections, alcohol possession charges for minors, police brutality charges among the Keene Police Department and sexual assault records. Toward the end of the semester, nearly three months after requesting information and getting jerked around and denied by city officials, we were faced with two options: to go to court and get the requested public information

we as citizens are entitled to look at or to leave it and lose the battle. We ultimately made the decision to take the City of Keene to court because we wanted to set an example. By denying us public information, what officials are doing is wrong. They are making the information inaccessible by finding loopholes in the law, saying data doesn’t exist or they aren’t required to search and retract from different databases. When it comes down to it, that’s not what it means to be a democracy.

It’s important for everyone to to have access to public documents because it keeps us in touch with our communities. Because it has taken so long to receive what should be basic knowledge, it makes us look deeper and wonder why the City of Keene isn’t willing to release public information. Is it really because they are not necessarily required to do so, or is it that this information is something they’d rather hide?

We hope that for the next journalist trying to request information, or even the next enthusiastic citizen who wants to know more about their town or state, that they won’t be given the runaround we have.

Grace Pecci can be contacted at gpecci@kscequinox.com

Correction PHOTO PULLED FROM THE EQUINOX ARCHIVES / COLTON MCCRACKEN / SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

KSC jazz instructor Scott Mullett died on Wednesday, Jan. 3. For full story, see A8.

Omission: “KSC student arrested for alleged theft” published Dec. 6, 2017. The article stated that Lord’s attorney, Richard C. Guerriero, Jr., did not respond in time for comment. However, an email sent to The Equinox dated Dec. 2, 2017 contained the following comment: “Bridgette cooperated with the police during the investigation and she is dealing with this matter responsibly. Because it is a pending court case, we cannot offer any other details at this time.” The email was accidentally deleted before being opened and prior to the article’s publication.

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Section B: Section A: News .....................1-3 Student Life............1-4

A4: Start planning for summer now A8: Alternative break B1: Scott Mullett’s legacy B8: Indescribable success

Opinions ................4-5 Time Capsule.............5 A&E............ ...........6-8 Sports.....................6-8 Associated Collegiate Press

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News / A2

Thursday, January 25, 2018

KSC professor receives award RACHEL VITELLO

Equinox Staff Dr. Erin Zaffini has been teaching music education for six years at Keene State College. She is the recent winner of the 2017 Keene State College Excellence in Teaching Award. This award honors KSC faculty members who have shown outstanding qualities as educators. According to KSC’s website, the award is based on excellence in teaching and effective student advising for full-time faculty who have been teaching at KSC for at least three years.

Zaffini said she was “thrilled” to hear she had won the award. “The best part about it was reading the students’ comments and their feedback and their support for me to earn the award,” Zaffini said. “That made me very gracious; I’m just filled with gratitude for what they do for me and my profession, and just giving me a renewed sense of purpose for why I’m doing what I’m doing.”

KSC senior Micayla Mahoney is currently working as a student teacher alongside Zaffini and had her as a professor in the past. “Dr. Zaffini always makes her students dig deeper into topics and makes sure students really understand. She was extremely deserving of this award due to the fact that she inspires students to learn and want to teach,” Mahoney said.

Zaffini also teaches music at the K-8 public schools. Chair of the Music Department Heather Gilligan said.

“She’s an instructor who is able to bring her daily practice into the classroom.

She’s a great role model for the students because not only is she teaching them her best practices for music education, but she’s also providing an example through her teaching experience.”

KSC senior Amy Buonpane said Zaffini’s teaching ability has helped prepare her for the real world. “I constantly find myself relating what I have

learned in Dr. Zaffini’s classes back to my professional career, whether that’s in other classes I’ve taken, practicum placements, professional development classes, or in my current student placement classes,” Buonpane said.

Buonpane also works with Zaffini through the National Association for Music Education ( NAfME). Zaffini is the collegiate coordinator for the state of New Hampshire. “In her position as collegiate coordinator, I am able to watch her thrive as she works to bring together collegiates from all over the state of New Hampshire in order to ensure that the future of music education is in good hands. It’s inspiring watching her,” Buonpane said .

Zaffini said of her students, “I absolutely love the students. I love their personalities. I love their growth. I love seeing them excel. I love helping them through challenges. They really just make my career so worthwhile. It’s definitely, by far, the best part of my job.”

Gilligan said, “Her student evaluations are pretty clear in that she has a great balance of rigor and support in her classrooms. They all talk about her giving constructive feedback and helping students improve in their teaching skills.” Gilligan also said that Dr. Zaffini is teaching an ISP class that is three and one-half hours long but, “her students said she just has so much energy it makes those three and a half hours go by quickly. She’s very well-loved by her students.

The reason Zaffini chose to teach music in her career is because, “I’ve always loved music...I felt that I had found a home myself through music.”

Rachel Vitello can be contacted at rvitello@kscequinox.com CONTRIBUTED BY ERIN ZAFFINI

KSC music lecturer Dr. Erin Zaffini is the recipient of the 2017 Keene State College Excellence in Teaching award and has been teaching music education at KSC for six years.

Students plan to go solar on Oya Hill KATHERINE GLOSSER

Equinox Staff Keene State College is no stranger to environmental sustainability. From composting leftover food at the dining commons, to making buildings that are made of recycled materials, KSC is making an effort to go green.

Now, a new project is beginning to blossom that could be a gamechanger for how the campus uses its energy. Last semester, the KSC club Campus Ecology, which functions as a club that makes an effort to raise awareness to environmental issues, went to Director of Sustainability Dr. Cary Gaunt and Coordinator of Energy and Administrative Services Diana Duffy with an idea of installing new, permanent solar panels on Oya Hill, the location of SolarFest, a yearly festival that plays local music and does environmental-themed activities.

President of Campus Ecology Hannah Rettig said that a solar panel would help power SolarFest. She also said it could function as a charging station that is powered by solar energy. Both Gaunt and Duffy approved of the idea. Rettig, however, anticipates the establishment of the permanent solar panels to be a long process. From concerns about trees that will block the way, to the issue of the grounds crew approving it, to the possibility of the solar panel companies recommending the panels be placed somewhere else, it might be well over a year until it happens.

However, Rettig feels the benefits outweigh the risks, and KSC’s campus would benefit from this project. “We would really like to label the project as a gift to the campus.” Rettig said. “We believe that it’ll be functioning all year round, so that’s potentially an opportunity for the school to get more energy. Aesthetically, it would look great. We would hope it would bring more kids to campus who are environmentally conscious and it would look really cool,” she said.

Currently, Campus Ecology is making an effort to raise money for the project. Some of the ways the club will be raising money is through selling products, such as $5.00 reusable bags. While Rettig said she was not certain how much money they are hoping to raise, she said it might be between $7,000 and $8,000, but could be subject to change. Rettig also said Campus Ecology has communicated and been in touch with a solar power company that could give insight into how this project could be best completed. Ideally, she hopes the project would be complete by the end of next semester; however, she and Gaunt said it would most likely take longer.

KSC Junior and WKNH Events Coordinator Coraline Seksinsky, who is helping set up this year’s SolarFest with Campus Ecology, said setting up a permanent solar panel on Oya Hill is a good idea. “The environment is in degradation and is in sort of a state of decay that is far more rampant, and things that you do on an institutional level are important and helpful, so I think that would be a cool statement to make in some ways to have a more permanent solar panel fixture on campus for events on Oya Hill,” Seksinsky said.

While Gaunt was unavailable for an interview because of schedule conflicts, she did state she is planning on installing solar panels for the entire campus sometime in the future.

Katherine Glosser can be contacted at kglosser@kscequinox.com

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News / A3

Thursday, January 25, 2018

LLC wins big for design excellence GRACE PECCI

Copy Editor Keene State College’s Living and Learning Commons (LLC) residence hall recently won an award for design excellence from the Boston Society of Architects and American Institute of Architects. According to the American Institute of Architects New Hampshire (AIANH)’s website, the LLC’s “hub” was a feature that was favored among the jury who analyzed the design. The social “hub” is at the heart of the building and connects three wings of 30-person communities.

The LLC also has three classrooms and a café lounge, which, in KSC’s award submission, is designed as “a touchdown space where faculty and students can continue a discussion after class or students can meet to plan a group project.”

KSC became a client for Perkins + Will of Boston for the architecture and planning of the building. Perkin + Will Project Architect and Associate Stephen Messinger said students will have less disconnect from a class that’s located in their dorm. If students wake up late and have a class halfway across campus, they may not try to make it there. If a classroom is in their dorm, they can roll out of bed and head downstairs, Messinger explained.

When designing the LLC, Messinger said they had five objectives: 1. Provide new first-year housing per campus master plan 2. Provide a gateway to campus for arriving guests, students and families 3. Provide a purpose-built first year living learning experience 4. Strengthen the first-year experience in south campus 5. Provide a sustainable, healthy environment for living and learning.

“How do you promote interaction among students and collaboration? That was, for us, the driving force,” Messinger said. To make sure they hit their objectives, they got input from students, residential life, finance professionals, the KSC president and the design committee.

KSC Associate Professor of Architecture Bartlomiej Sapeta serves as president-elect for AIANH. In May, Sapeta said a chapter meeting and panel discussion were held with the following objectives: 1. To understand current trends in residential life sector at college campuses, with particular emphasis on learning that extends beyond traditional academic building environment, 2. To learn about the intricacies of the interdisciplinary approaches to coordination of modern residential life buildings 3. To be aware of the fast-paced planning,

design, and construction processes influenced by the academic year calendar and other institutional constraints 4. To gain insight into the design process of using the project program to drive a diagrammatic concept and then using that concept to develop massing, organization, structure, and interior design for the building.

Those among the panel discussion included Messinger, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residential Life Kent Drake-Deese, Engleberth Inc. Project Manager Brad Walker, Construction Clerk of the Works Colin Burdick and Associate Professor/ Director of the Living/ Learning Community Dr. Graham Warder.

In terms of Sapeta’s role with AIANH, Sapeta said every year they run the program for design and get about 50 submissions.

Sapeta said there are two broad categories: residential and commercial. The LLC design was submitted and went in front of a jury composed of three architects.

“Based on the criteria that we give them, we give awards. Then there’s a big meeting where we present the awards and all the submissions, and they go around the state and are shown in various locations,” Sapeta explained.

Sapeta said at KSC, they display at the Technology, Design and Safety (TDS) Center and having been doing so the past five years.

They want students to see the work put in.

KSC sophomore and mathematics major Gianni DeMasco is one student who was able to see the work put in, as he lived in the LLC last year and said he loved it.

“It was such an extensive community and it was really fun being around kids you were in one or two classes with,” DeMasco said. He also said each dorm has its own personality, but he doesn’t think the LLC differs too much from any of the other dorms on KSC’s campus.

Despite the rooms being “a little small,” which DeMasco said he believes is meant to make students spend more time out of their rooms, he would “definitely recommend” living in the LLC, but only if students want that type of living situation.

“I know some people who don’t want to see people that they go to class with every day,” he said.

In terms of the design, DeMasco said, “It’s a really cool design, it looks really nice and it almost feels like you’re living in a hotel of some sort.”

The BSA Design Awards Gala was held on Jan. 18 at BSA Space in Boston, Massachusetts.

ACADEMIC OFFERINGS Cont. from A1

Computer Science In the technological world, KSC’s computer science program has added a new option for student specialty: cybersecurity. The ability to pursue a bachelors of arts in computer science has been added as well.

The bachelors of arts option has been designed to require fewer credits, giving students the ability to more easily complete a second major or minor in conjunction with computer science.

Previously, the bachelor of science in computer science included the following specializations: general, information systems, software engineering, system and networking, web development and computational mathematics.

However, Associate Professor and Chair of the Computer Science Department Dr. Michael Hanrahan said the department has realized that some of their specializations have become a bit “redundant.”

“What we’ve realized is that all development now is web development. Anything that you do with computers has to have web development,” he said. “We’ve kind

Grace Pecci can be contacted at gpecci@kscequinox.com ETHAN PLATT / EQUINOX STAFF

The Keene State College Living Learning Commons has been awarded by the Boston Society of Architects and American Institute of Architects for design excellence.

of combined two of our specializations into one larger, more rigorous specialization, called software development engineering.

On the other hand, cybersecurity has become a hot topic, Hanrahan said. “We are redesigning our program to be more responsive to what’s being asked for in industry and actually all organizations. Computer science, as you know, evolves really quickly. The standard line is whatever you know, 18 months later will be obsolete in computer science. It’s not quite true, but we recognize that we have to keep up.”

With a digital forensics focus and an added cyber crime course, the cybersecurity option will provide learning experiences to help graduates in the rapidly changing “real world.”

As of fall 2018, the computer science degree will include the following specializations: general, cybersecurity, software development and engineering and computational mathematics.

According to Hanrahan, Associate Professor of Computer Science Meenalosini Vimal Cruz has been added to the team for her specialty in digital image processing.

officially roll it out as a minor.

“We kind of thought that the timing was right,” Traviss said, “and a big thing is that Keene State has actually been doing sustainability for a long time and I don’t think our students...had a cohesive way to have a curriculum built around that, and so now we do.”

As a department, Traviss said her and her fellow faculty have noticed organizations wanting to hire in “problem-based” areas, like jobs in sustainability coordination and sustainability management. She said people in these positions are a major asset in helping companies answer questions such as how they can be more energy efficient and profitable.

Additionally, KSC has acquired accolades related to its commitment to sustainability. Now, students can be encouraged to practice these values in their own life and future career as well. “I think it’s bringing together theory and practice because I think the Keene State organization is doing the practice,” Traviss explained.

“As the theory piece, we’ve done a job that now this minor will do, which will connect that these things are doable, right? These aren’t pie-in-the-sky options.”

According to Traviss, one of the biggest things the environmental studies department did was reach out to faculty in other departments to make the sustainability minor “interdisciplinary,” meaning it’s accessible to students and able to be paired with any other major at KSC. “We’re just trying to tie in curriculum to maximize the fact that we have a living laboratory here,” Traviss said.

Why the name change? Professor and Chair of the Health Science Department Dr. Becky Dunn said the name “Public Health” implied students would be receiving a more medically-oriented education, such as training to become an x-ray technician or a phlebotomist. Truly, the program focuses not on such training, but on how to promote and prevent health and disease.

“What we do is we focus on health promotion and disease prevention, and one of the aspects to the health science name is often it implied a medical background, which certainly our graduates will go on and work in the field of health, whether it be health care at various levels, but a medical connotation often implies...something that’s more medically-oriented, so more so like a treatment approach rather than a health promotion/ disease prevention approach, which are very distinct in terms of the approach and how you design a curriculum,” Dunn explained.

In terms of curriculum, however, Dunn said not much is changing. “What we already do in our curriculum is health promotion and disease prevention. That’s the hallmark of the courses that we instruct, so really it’s the name that’s changing.”

Sustainability There will still be options offered in both nutrition and addictions, but the health promotion option will In the environmental studies department, a new now be called population health “because that more minor in sustainability is being rolled out. A concept accurately captures what that particular option does,” that’s been in talks for a number of years, Associate ProDunn said. fessor and Chair of the Environmental Studies DepartThrough the population health option, there were ment Dr. Nora Traviss said this seemed like the year to previously two options a student could choose to pursue: behavior and health or community health. Now there’s been a third option added: pre-professional Public Health health, which Dunn said was really created to target those students who have post-baccalaureate plans to The last of KSC’s program changes lies within the later pursue advanced degrees. public health major. Previously titled health science, the “Our name is now in alignment with what our curprogram will be taking on the name public health as of riculum does, Dunn said, “and I think public health, it’s fall 2018. at the forefront of making sure that we have healthy communities, healthy individuals and certainly a health population, and I think that that name is certainly recognizable among employers. Our students are highly employable once they graduate and certainly this is going to accentuate that even further.”

All changes will go into effect for students entering KSC in fall 2018.

Jessica Ricard can be contacted at jricard@kscequinox.com

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OPINIONS

Opinions / A4 Thursday, January 25, 2018

EDITORIAL

KSCEQUINOX.COM

Start planning for your summer now Now that spring semester is in full swing, the question everyone is asking is, “What are you doing over the summer?”

Not having a concrete answer to that question is stressful, but this stress can easily be prevented. Budgeting your time is extremely important. Do not leave assignments and important work-related items until the last minute. Saying “Oh, I’ll do it tomorrow,” seems a lot easier than doing the work, but tomorrow comes quickly.

One important thing not to put off for too long is looking for internships and work opportunities for the summer months. If you plan on having an internship over the summer, it never hurts to start looking as early as possible. If you have a set plan, that leaves you with one less thing to stress out over. The more time you give yourself to look for these opportunities, the more people you will connect. The more people you connect with, the more opportunities you present yourself with. It never hurts to know too many people, in the future someone may be able to help you get to where you ultimately want to be in your career.

If you put off looking for an internship until the last minute, or your last semester, you will find yourself feeling overwhelmed. If you are still in a position where you have multiple semesters of school left, take advantage of your time in that position. Look for internships during the semester where you can receive credit rather than having to pay for one while you are working for free. That way once it is time to apply for internships over the summer or a job after graduation, you have the experience from all your hard work during the semester.

Searching for an internship can be tricky if you are not careful about it. Be sure to apply to internships that are not only of interest to you, but deliver what they say they will. For example, if you are only being paid one thousand dollars for three months worth of work, that is not

ALEXANDRIA SAURMAN / MANAGING EXECUTIVE EDITOR

No matter what you plan to do this upcoming summer, from securing an internship to finding a place to live, it’s important to plan ahead.

fair to you. Also, be cautious about what you will get from the internship, if you are graduating be sure to look for post-graduate internships that will pay you and steer clear of internships for credit; because at that point the credit will be useless to you.

Not only is it important to plan in advance for internships, but also jobs in general. Just because a job is convenient at one point in time does not always mean it will be. Life happens and people get fired,

relocate or simply change their minds. It is key to always keep a backup plan in mind for periods of uncertainty. If you live on campus, look for a job on or near campus; it never hurts to have some extra money saved up. If you are traveling over the summer, look into participating in an independent study to get some new knowledge under your belt.

Thinking ahead for internships and jobs is just the first step to planning your

summer, having somewhere to live would be a good thing to think about as well. If your job is in another city, be sure to look into living options that fit within your budget. If your job is a decent ride away, be sure to find a living situation where you will be able to get to work on time.

It is vital to be motivated to plan ahead.

Figuring out what you want to do with your future is not something that should be put off until tomorrow. Tomorrow

comes fast and before you know it, you will have to make important decisions that will impact the rest of your life. It is key to remain level-headed, figure out the options that are best for you, and to do so in a timely manner.

STAFF COMMENTARY

Homelessness is not just a one season problem VICTORIA BERGSTROM

Equinox Staff Hundred Nights in the City of Keene, New Hampshire is currently one of the handful of options for the homeless population in Keene and Cheshire County.

Named for the coldest one hundred nights of the year, the shelter operates from Nov. 15 to Apr. 15 and have kept the homeless out of the cold weather.

However, during inclement weather throughout the other seasons, there is the possibility that there is not enough shelters for the homeless. During nights with strong winds and heavy rain, finding a shelter with enough room is a challenge and more options should be available, according to a KSC professor. Besides Keene, the closest public year round homeless shelters are in Bellows Falls, New Hampshire, Brattleboro, Vermont, and Gardner, Massachusetts, according to the Homeless Shelter Directory.

THE EQUINOX

According to New Hampshire Employment Security, 17 percent of Keene is under the poverty line, which is higher than the national average reported by the United States Census bureau for 2017, of 13.91 percent. Reasons that attribute to the current rate include mental health, economic instability and the ongoing opioid crisis, among other situations.

During Hurricane Irene in 2011, the “tent city” that had formed years before, around Keene was one of the only options the homeless population had, besides walking over 15 miles to Vermont, according to a KSC professor. The homeless have congregated in the area after the city banned the homeless from sleeping on benches and other areas.

Keene made efforts to increase low-income housing, and a possible opportunity could be the construction of a year-round homeless shelter. The initiative for a shelter would bring about progress and the potential of decreasing the tent city; yet other homeless populations

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

Sebastien Mehegan Administrative Executive Editor Alexandria Saurman Managing Executive Editor News Editor

Jessica Ricard

Opinions Editor Chloe Giarraputo

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could migrate to Keene.

A year-round public homeless shelter would require volunteers, supplies and public support. City council could start planning a shelter, yet counseling, rehabilitation, and employment services could be sought out elsewhere. Examples include local facilities including the Dartmouth Hitchcock health center, Monadnock Family Services and the Salvation Army, among others.

When an individual goes to a shelter, volunteers could ask what services they are in need of, and staff from local facilities could be called in the next day, according to a KSC Professor.

Keene has a food shelter, and is similar to the one that was opened in early January at Keene State College, known as the Hungry Owl. The pantry serves students, and has a social media presence, predominately on Twitter. According to Susan Whittemore in a Tweet from January 10, “We have a home for the Hungry Owl, Keene State’s food pantry for students! Very exciting!

EDITORIAL POLICY

Faculty Advisor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Thanks to Kent Drake-Deese and the SNAKS and PreMed student clubs for making this happen!” Currently, there has been no confirmed location of the Hungry Owl on Twitter.

Examples from other successful homeless shelters may help Keene find a starting point and seek a solution for the homeless population. The Huffington Post praised Hawaii for their homeless shelter model; as well as other countries such as Sweden and Finland finding employment and low cost housing for their homeless populations.

Keene may take small steps towards solving homelessness, but every step is a step towards progress. Different seasons may present different challenges, yet the homeless should be protected during every season, and not just the wintertime.

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Thursday, January 25, 2018

STAFF COMMENTARY

A recap of Trump’s first year in office COLIN MEEHAN

Equinox Staff As of Jan. 20, 2018, it has been a year into the presidency of Donald Trump. That sentence feels weird to write. It is not even really news; it has consistently been a joke by celebrities long before 2016, whether it was in The Simpsons or even an interview with Kurt Cobain.

The majority of people did not even think it would happen; poll after poll said he would lose, and yet here we are. We are one year into the presidency of Donald Trump, and it is weird.

However, the reason why I think it is weird is a bit different from what others have said. A common argument that I’ve come across is that what is happening is that we are “normalizing” Trump. John Oliver declared on his first post-election show, “He is abnormal.” Senator Dick Durbin responded to his “s-------” tweets by saying, “I cannot believe that in the history of the White House, in that Oval Office, any president has ever spoken words that I personally heard our president speak yesterday.” Even typing into Google “normalizing Trump,” one will find plenty of results from all across the political spectrum of those who think that Trump is an anomaly.

What seems more frightening to me, however, is how compared to other presidents, Trump is quite normal. Take the “s-------” comment for example; this was a disgusting remark, only made worse by his insistence that we should let more people from Norway in (there is a reason why the Nazis talked about the “nordic race,” afterall).

However, compared to other presidents, his remark is surprisingly tame. Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon, for example, have both been recorded saying the “n word” numerous times, and Nixon was also viciously anti-semitic. We have had Woodrow Wilson, who referred to the Oval Office as his “phrenology library” (phrenology being a racist pseudoscience based on skull measurements), and his Secretary of State, William Jennings Bryan, once remarked “Think of it! N------speaking French!”, when describing Haiti to a friend. Hell, we have had presidents who owned slaves, which is a pretty bad standard for African-American rights.

This standard is not just carried by what he says, but also by what he does. Numerous protesters being arrested at the J20 protests was most certainly bad, but again, this has happened before. During the ‘60s, the FBI had COINTELPRO, a series of often illegal operations against civil rights, feminist and socialist groups, and the FBI had even sent a letter to MLK saying that he should kill himself, ending the letter with the sentence, “You are done.”

Going back to Wilson, the Espionage Act allowed the government to arrest anti-war protesters and even presidential candidate Eugene V. Debs, which is awfully similar to Trump’s suggestions of arresting political opponents. We have had presidents risk nuclear war

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump

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We must have Security at our VERY DANGEROUS SOUTHERN BORDER, and we must have a great WALL to protect us, and to help stop the massive inflow of drugs pouring into our country!

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North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!

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I am very proud to have brought the subject of illegal immigration back into the discussion. Such a big problem for our country-I will solve 11:01 AM - Aug 26, 2016

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before; Ronald Reagan helped nearly destabilize the balance of power with his support for the Strategic Defense Initiative, or Star Wars.

Even the lying is not unique; as the Pentagon Papers showed, presidents as far back as Eisenhower have lied about our involvement in Indo-China and our role in rigging elections and appointing presidents that represent our interests (I guess Russia learned from the best, then).

Compared to all this evidence, all the talk of Trump’s “abnormality” in politics rings hollow.

Trump is a psycho, yes, but he is an American psycho. He is exactly what comes out of a radically individualist, hyper-masculine, historically racist, free market capitalist culture like ours.

This culture is one that has produced Alex Jones,

Richard Spencer, Mike Cernovich, Paul Nehlen, Rush Limbaugh and an entire community of people who get their politics from white nationalist memes.

Who can say that Trump did not come from this?

Our job as students in a particularly contentious area, that being campus politics, is not easy; but it needs to be done if we wish to keep our heads screwed on correctly.

The current establishment on the other spectrum, that being the self-declared “#resistance,” has collaborated with Trump on extended surveillance, taxes, and even keeping the wall, which makes it seem more like a loyal opposition than an enemy.

As Carl von Clausewitz said, pure resistance “completely contradicts the idea of war, because there would then be war carried on by one side only.” Any force that

wishes to win must be willing to wage war; not making speeches of opposition while promoting appeasement backstage, but a total war on everything they stand for.

That means education on our history and how we got here, a clean break with moderation and appeals to “unity”, and a new, progressive agenda in all matters. One year after Trump, our war should be stronger than ever, and the fight starts here, at our own Bastille.

Colin Meehan can be contacted at cmeehan@kscequinox.com

STAFF COMMENTARY

STAFF COMMENTARY

Time’s up on sexual harassment for everyone

The importance of adopting

IZZY MANZO

Kaplan tweeted after Franco won his cerning sex that have not been talked Golden Globe, “nice #timesup pin at about collectively as a society yet. “… the #GoldenGlobes, remember a few Do we have language yet for intimate “…It’s time to address the elephant weeks ago when you told me the full encounters that teeter on the edge not in the room,” Seth Meyers said nudity you had me do in two of your of absolute sexual assault/abuse? I in his opening speech at the Golden movies for $100/day wasn’t exploitdon’t think we do. We have lived in Globes. “Harvey Weinstein isn’t ative because I signed a contract to do a misogynistic world with misogyhere… But don’t worry, he’ll be back it? Times up on that!” nistic sex for so long. We thought this in twenty years when he becomes the An article published on babe. “bad sex” was normal. Until somefirst person ever booed during the ‘In com titled “I went on a date with one spoke up and said, this is NOT Memoriam.’”

Aziz Ansari. It turned into the normal. This is not OK.” It took four minutes for Weinstein worst night of my life” has made its Keene State College’s student to be brought up and subsequently rounds recently. The article details handbook describes sexual misconbooed. an encounter that actor Aziz Ansari duct as “antithetical to the standards, The Golden Globes had a major thought was consensual while a values, and mission of Keene State emphasis on movements against woman identified as “Grace” took College and will not be tolerated.” sexual harassment: Michelle Wilhis advances as unwanted. Grace All forms of relationship and sexual liams brought #MeToo founder described her sexual encounter with violence, whether they happen on Tarana Burke to the Globes, and Ansari as “violating” and “painful,” or off campus, are prohibited and scores of actors and actresses wore and Ansari later responded by saying can ultimately lead to expulsion of black and Time’s Up pins in solidarthat everything was “completely con- the offending person. It is incredity with the movement. sensual” and that, “It was true that ibly important for a victim of sexual When James Franco went up to everything did seem okay to me, so assault to have a safe space where accept his reward for his role in “The when I heard that it was not the case they can step forward.

Disaster Artist,” a few people paid for her, I was surprised and conFailure to provide that save envimore attention to the Time’s Up pin cerned.” ronment may prevent someone from on his lapel. Namely, Sarah TitherReaders view the story as a speaking out, but movements like Kaplan, Hilary Dusome, and Natalie situation full of misunderstandings, #MeToo have made international Chimel, three of the five women who saying that Grace may have wanted headlines. These movements give have accused Franco of sexually inap- Ansari to take it slower and treat her people an outlet to tell their stories of propriate behavior. more like a potential girlfriend while partners who seemed wonderful at Dusome and Chimel said that he was looking for a hookup. first, but because pushy and somewhile they were filming in masks When he did not meet her expectimes criminally abusive when things and lingerie for a project, Franco tations, she funneled her disappointbecame sexual. While no one should approached them and asked, “So, ment into a story about how he was have to feel scared or worry about who wants to take your shirt off?” sexually perverted. backlash for reporting on sexual and stormed off when no one did.

While some say that stories such assault, recent stories have blurred Tither-Kaplan told the LA Times that as Grace’s are leading to the downfall the line between what constitutes as among other behaviors, she and other of movement likes #MeToo as stosexual assault and what’s just bad sex women were filming a “bonus” orgy ries of sexual harassment and abuse or a date gone wrong. scene for the movie The Long Home are bogged down by false accusawith Franco, who simulated oral sex tions, others think that #MeToo is a Izzy Manzo can be contacted at on each actress. big enough movement to encompass imanzo@kscequinox.com In each case, she said that Franco multiple layers in the discussion of removed the clear plastic guard sexual harassment. Sarah Hosseini, protecting each actresses’ vagina, who writes about sex for Bustle, told but continued to simulate sex with Time Magazine that there are some them. “Hey James Franco,” Tithermurky and morally gray areas con-

Equinox Staff

LINDSAY GIBBONS

Equinox Staff The Adopt Don’t Shop campaign began as an effort to bring awareness to the plight of homeless animals and encourage potential pet owners to seek out their furry friends in shelters rather than through pet stores.

While there are several reasons to adopt your next pet, one of the biggest ones is to avoid supporting and inadvertently endorsing commercial breeding facilities — puppy mills.

Approximately 95 percent of puppies living in pet stores come from puppy mills.

Puppy mills are large, factory-style breeding operations that put making a profit above the wellbeing of their dogs.

Dogs at these properties are kept in shockingly poor condition with improper access to food, drinking water, human interaction or veterinary care.

Dogs from puppy mills are often very sick, behaviorally troubled and poorly socialized as a result.

Puppy mills continue to stay in business through multiple deceptive tactics.

National pet stores that sell puppies go to great lengths to advertise that their dogs come from reputable breeders, but it has been proven time and time again that this is not the case.

Purchasing a dog from a pet store helps to fund these puppy mills.

By adopting a pet, you will free up space in animal shelters for another homeless animal hoping to find a forever home.

You will also gain a great companion, as most shelter animals are loving, friendly and looking for someone to take them home.

Additionally, adoption fees are much less than the cost of purchasing a pet, and many animals come vaccinated, tested for life-threatening diseases, treated for parasites, microchipped and spayed or neutered.

Whether you’re looking for a high-energy, running partner or a snuggly, feline friend, adoption centers are eager to help you find your perfect furry companion.

Near Keene, you can find your next fourlegged member of your family at several facilities, including the Monadnock Humane Society in Swanzey, the Windham County Humane Society in Brattleboro, the Cocker Spaniel Rescue of New England in Greenfield and the Fast Friends Greater Adoption Center in Swanzey.

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By adopting, you’ll change a homeless animal’s entire world and get a new best friend in the process.

The next time you’re looking for a new companion, help spread the message…Adopt, don’t shop!

Lindsay Gibbons can be contacted at lgibbons@kscequinox.com

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Thursday, January 25, 2018

Time marches on Resident Artist Christopher Swist celebrates his 15th year as a percussion instructor at KSC ERIN MCNEMAR

Arts & EntErtAinmEnt Editor After teaching at several other schools in New England, Resistant Artist Christopher Swist is celebrating his 15th year at Keene State College. Swist is known at the college for his knowledge of percussion, which he began to study at a young age. Growing up, Swist’s father was a recording engineer, making music a constant part of his childhood. “I’ve been told I was playing on the drums since I was four. I had two musical parents, so I don’t even remember starting. I just know it happened,” Swist said. At the age of six however, he started taking drum lessons.

Over the past 15 years as an educator at KSC, Swist explained that he has seen a lot of development in the music department, specifically in percussion. “I think we have seen a good growth in our percussion program here. When I started 15 years ago I believe that there was literally one percussion major. It’s gone up and down but, it’s sort of grown into having more concerts and higher quality performances,” Swist said.

Along with standards in the percussion department improving over the last 15 years, Swist commented that he was impressed by the improvement of the facilities as well as the advanced music technology students now have access to.

On Sunday Jan. 28 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Alumni Recital Hall, Swist will be playing a Faculty Recital. The performance will showcase four new pieces including a piece by composer and friend Ted Mann.

The two have been working together since around the time Swist joined the faculty at KSC, which has built a strong bond between the two musicians.

“Sometimes we talk about starting a group,” Mann

joked. Through the many years of working together, Mann explained his comfort with giving Swist the artist freedom to add his own personal expression to Mann’s original music. “Instead of totally controlling the piece with him, I know he’s going to put a personal touch to it,” Mann said. “I really like the way he plays so I let him look at the score. I like to see what he can come up with, or how he would interpret my score.”

Along with showcasing his own talent, Swist will be playing alongside fellow faculty members, which is something he was introduced to his first year at KSC. “15 years ago my first semester here I was invited immediately to start playing and collaborating with the faculty that was here back then,” Swist said.

Accompanying Swist on piano will be Professor Christina Wright-Ivanova. Wright-Ivanova explained that this will be her first collaboration with Swist, and the program he has put together for the event will be fun for the audience. “Chris has created a very exoxic, fresh take on chamber music for this program,” WrightIvanova said. “Audience members will have a few surprises.”

Despite some surprises, Swist explained what audience members should expect from the show. “It’s going to have a wide range of pieces plus there’s four brand new pieces no one has heard. Everyone is using different techniques and different ideas, which I think is great,” Swist said.

The recital is being held to commemorate the last 15 years Swist has spent at KSC. When asked why he chose to stay at the college for so long Swist stated, “I think I’ve gotten the most accomplished here.”

Erin McNemar can be contacted at emcnemar@kscequinox.com

PUJA THAPA / BUSINESS MANAGER

Christopher Swist has his upcoming recital on Jan. 28 in the Alumni Recital Hall.

Comic Creations

By Grogan Ardizzoni

Keene state Puzzles and games

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Thursday, January 25, 2018

FILM REVIEW

Ladybird: A not so typical coming of age story ERIN MCNEMAR

Arts & EntErtAinmEnt Editor Ladybird starring Saoirse Ronan is a classic coming of age film told through the eyes of a young millennial girl in her final year of Catholic high school.

The film begins with a conversation between Christine “Ladybird” McPherson, played by Saoirse Ronan, and her mother, played by Laurie Metcalf. The conversation is more of a verbal sparring match between the two, discussing college, work ethic and drivers ed.

It’s a typical argument between mother and daughter that sets the nostalgic and familiar tone for the rest of the movie.

The one aspect of the opening scene that sets this film apart is the culmination of the angst filled car ride; Ladybird unbuckles her seatbelt and slumps out of the moving car in an act of good old teen rebellion and parental defiance.

The film is different than most in the genre, as it features an independent and strong-willed female lead, who’s story is one of a complex relationship between mother and daughter. The story, while it

does feature Ladybird’s search for romance, does not focus solely on Ladybird finding love.

The story instead focuses on her relationship with her mother, a far more interesting dynamic than Ladybird and some prince charming.

The story, placed in 2002 and 2003, is somewhat reflective of the present; the current #MeToo and Times Up movements show the film in another light of female empowerment in the face of adversity.

While the coming of age story has been time and time again, Ladybird feels real to audience members. It paints an accurate picture of what it’s like to be a high school senior. Going on late night drives with your friends, the stress of choosing the right college, and as each day goes by, the overpowering feeling of senioritis.

It’s the year you discover who your true friends are, just in time to say goodbye to them. As you watch Ladybird say goodbye to her family as she leaves for college, it instantly takes you back to that same moment in your own life.

Although for a majority of the film,

Ladybird and her mother don’t seem to see eye to eye, by the conclusion of the film Ladybird as a change of heart.

After having too much to drink and ending up in hospital, Ladybird finds herself attending a church service, which is symbolic of her Christian upbringing.

Once the service ends, Ladybird calls her mom and gives the speech that we are all familiar with; “Mom, you were right.”

The critically acclaimed film has already picked up a few wins at the Golden Globes; Saoirse Ronan won for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical Motion Picture and the film itself won Best Comedy or Musical Motion Picture.

The film currently has a 94 percent on Metacritic and an almost unheard of 99 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. With awards like these, Ronan could be on her way to winning an Oscar for her performance in Ladybird after being nominated for her acting in Brooklyn in 2016.

Erin McNemar can be contacted at emcnemar@kscequinox.com

LAURA ROMANIELLO / ART DIRECTOR

Senior music majors reflect on time at KSC ERIN MCNEMAR

Arts & EntErtAinmEnt Editor After undergoing seven semesters in demanding programs, the Keene State College class of 2018 music, dance and theatre students are looking towards the future that lays ahead of them. As seniors begin their final semester at KSC, they reflect on what they have learned, the relationships they have created and their plans for moving forward.

For most young adults, college is their first time taking on a large amount of responsibility. It is a time to make mistakes and learn from them. Rebecca Wilber, who is a bachelor of arts and music major as well as elementary education, saidthat through her college experience, she has learned to always say “yes” to opportunities when they are presented. “Take every opportunity you’re given. Don’t say ‘no’ even if it’s a new experience, or if it’s out of your forte,” Wilber said.

However, it is critical not to take on more than you can handle, vocal performance major Amy Lesieur pointed out. While students should always seek out opportunities, Lesieur stated that it’s vital to be able to say “no.” “The most important thing that I’ve learned is that it’s okay to say ‘no’ to things. Like

if somebody asks you if you want to be involved in this project that they’re working on for their major, it’s okay to say ‘no’ because there are other people out there and everyone has a lot going on,” Lesieur said.

“Not overloading yourself with too many things is important. Saying ‘no’ to opportunities sometimes is okay sometimes, but it’s still good to take on things that are going to make you happy.”

Although Wilber and Lesieur have different views on the use of opportunities, both women can agree on the importance of making connections with people, especially the faculty.

Because of the difficult course loads music majors undergo, the faculty in the music department tries to be as supportive and helpful as possible, according to Wilber. “I’ve always been supported, especially at the Redfern. The faculty is on your side every step of the way. They are ready to individualize things for you, they’re ready to get to know you on a one on one basis, rather than just another student in the classroom. That’s one of my favorite things about the music department, we’re all family,” Wilber said.

Lesieur agreed and said how the faculty is willing to go the extra mile for their students. “I love

Keene State, especially the music department. I think that a lot of our faculty is really good about helping because they know you’re graduating and that’s kind of scary.”

While it can be exciting to know that you’re only one semester away from getting a diploma, psychology and dance major Jen Riley expressed her feelings about leaving the college. “It’s sad. It’s gone by so fast, and every year has flown by faster than the previous. It’s definitely scary thinking about having to apply to jobs, and especially wanting to perform, and going into that field is nerve racking.” However, Riley remains hopeful about the future. “I’m excited for the semester and what’s to come.”

Graduation is often accompanied by a greater amount of responsibility. While approaching the end of the four-year college journey is intimidating, Lesieur explained the necessity of moving forward. “It’s kind of scary to think that I’m going to be in the real world and I’m going to have to figure things out on my own, but that’s how you learn. Not having people tell you what to do.”

Poems by Isabel

- it Isabel Tisdale is a sociology major who found her love of writing after a fourth grade poetry project. Since then, she spends her time writing poems and creative non-fiction as a way of self- expression.

Her inspirations include Rupi Kaur, Christopher Poindexter and Warsan Shire.

She uses her life experiences to write poetry, with a strong emphasis on the use of motifs, symbols and imagery.

Interested in Art, Music, or TV/Film?

Write for Arts & Entertainment

Erin McNemar can be contacted at emcnemar@kscequinox.com

Arts & Entertainment Editor Erin McNemar (908)328-9752 LAURA ROMANIELLO / ART DIRECTOR

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Thursday, January 25, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT

KSCEQUINOX.COM

Scott Mullett’s legacy SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN

AdministrAtive executive editor With his love of music, off-brand humor and a big personality, KSC Jazz professor Scott Mullett walked through life leaving a mark on every person he met. To his students. He was a mentor and a friend first and foremost.

Scott Mullett was born on May 10, 1959, in what was then the Elliot City Hospital, now known as Keene State College’s Elliot Center.

Mullett died on Jan. 3, 2018.

Mullett picked up music while he attended middle school.

When Mullett was in high school, he used to visit KSC’s Jazz Ensemble as he was taking lessons from members of the ensemble at the time.

Adjunct faculty in Journalism and Integrative Thinking and Writing (ITW) Michael Wakefield who was a member of the ensemble, said Mullett lived on South Street in Keene, so it was a short walk for him to show up and hang out with the band.

After high school, Mullett went on to study at Berklee School of Music.

KSC sophomore, trombone player and member of the Keene Jazz Orchestra (KJO) William Wright said

Mullett used to tell stories about how he entered the jazz industry.

Wright said, “He kind of learned how music worked in the old days which was: you would see a guy who played in a band, walk up and talk to him and take a lesson with him or you would set up a time later or you would talk to him and he’d ask you to play with his band.”

The connections Mullett made following this process led to an extensive and diverse career in jazz music from playing among names like Davy Jones from the Monkees, Tony Bennett, and Aretha Franklin, to working as the Jazz Director on cruise ships.

“He had been to so many places and seen so many things on the road and working on cruise boats and on cruise boats and on cruise boats.” Wakefield said.

Mullett moved back to Keene in 1997 to take care of his father who died a year later.

When Mullet returned to Keene, he did not give up his passion.

Instead he began teaching private music lessons.

Mullett taught hundreds of students including KSC Jazz Ensemble Director Steve Cady.

In 2003, Mullett began working on what Cady said was Mullett’s “dream child”-- The Keene Jazz Orchestra. KJO is a semi professional jazz ensemble containing

local musicians, some KSC students and famous guest visitors Mullett invited.

In 2006, Mullett began teaching at KSC. Cady said teaching students was Mullett’s pride and joy. “Scott would really, if he saw the right kind of spark in a musician, would make sure to put them under his wing and so I think he’s probably most proud of those people he found who took advantage of that opportunity,” Cady said.

“He would have been teaching no matter where he was.” Wakefield said. “Keene State was lucky to have him in that role for as long as he taught here.”

Cady said Mullett took educated risks on certain students -- Those that showed a passion beyond scholastic learning.

“One of the big examples is he got me into the C Jammers that were a Boston based wedding band,” Cady said.

Cady said he and Mullett spent upwards of 800 hours in a car going to different gigs.

They developed a friendship that led to the forming of the Scott Mullett Trio in 2013, which included George Robinson, Steve Cady and Scott Mullet.

Mullett also brought Cady face-to-face with many of the major musicians he used to play with.

Mullett took risks with many of his students,

whether it was providing job opportunities or in the classroom.

Wright said Mullett took one of these risks with him during one of his early Friday morning classes.

“I get my trombone out and my friends are on the piano, guitar and drums and are playing on this riff so I start soloing over it and Scott walks in and throws his bags in the corner and looked at me and says ‘teach the class,’” Wright said. “He knew I could do it with help.”

KSC Alumnus and one of Mullet’s old students Jameson Foster said, “The best thing was [Mullett] would believe in you even when you didn’t believe in you.

And even before you would think you had a reason to believe in yourself.”

Wakefield said, “He really cared about people and he kept checking in on different people all the time just always calling people just saying what’s going on or saying something rude into the phone.”

Wakefield, Cady, Wright and Foster expressed that while Mullett’s sense of humor was crass, to say the least, it was one of the things that helped humanize someone as professional as he was.

Sebastien Mehegan can be contacted at smehiegan@kscequinox.com

Time to dance comes to the Redfern

BENAJIL RAI / MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR

MoCo Arts dance students performed in the annual “Time to Dance” event, held in Redfern Arts Center, on Saturday, Jan. 20. The event showcased MoCo’s advanced dancers.

Keene State College welcomes back the annual dance event EMMA MEHEGAN

equinox stAff On Saturday, Jan. 20, the Redfern Arts Center rented out its main theater to MoCo Arts’ annual repertory showcase, titled “Time to Dance,” featuring MoCo’s advanced dancers.

According to the program, MoCo is a “nonprofit, family-centered arts and education organization” dedicated to providing “multi-arts instruction to kids from all over the Monadnock region and beyond.”

Executive Director and Artistic Director of the dance program for MoCo Arts Reagan Messer said, “It’s a whole team that puts this together. We have in this show, counting myself, five choreographers… and we have almost ninety kids in this performance and all of these rehearsals starting in September,” he said.

“So they’re putting in, you know, hours a week for

months. And then we also have all of our costumers… we have our volunteer coordinators… Then we have obviously our production staff, we have our marketing staff. So there’s a lot of people and it’s a lot of work.”

Messer himself choreographed three of the thirteen pieces in the show.

High school senior and MoCo student for sixteen years, Maggie Cahoon, performed in six of the thirteen dances.

“For regular classes I have about twenty-one hours [of rehearsal] a week every week leading up, and then Thursday we had a seven-hour rehearsal and last night was only about four” she said.

“We run [the dances] so many times — that really picks up the endurance. The teachers make sure that we’re staying healthy, and that we just keep going and keep pushing through it,” Cahoon said.

“You can’t act tired on stage for other people so you

just gotta keep that smile on your face and go… we make sure we clarify everything — we have a ton of time to practice” After all the work that goes into these performances, access to the Redfern’s Main Theater provides the kids with a chance to experience the feeling of performing professionally, Messer said.

“For our big productions we come here to the Redfern because it’s a full size stage, full size audience,” he said.

“Here, they have the space. Also, they have a bigger audience, and they deserve the chance to have a professional performance experience which is what we can provide them here… they love it, because they get to really expand. They can explore things. They’re not limited by the size of the space,” Messer said.

Cahoon said, “There’s so much more space. It gives us a lot of movement and freedom with the stage, as

well as backstage we get those nice dressing rooms with the big lights, and it gives us a lot more opportunity.”

Audience member Jeanne Kenison said she has come to MoCo’s shows upwards of 10 times to see her granddaughter perform. “I thought this show was amazing, the selection of music and the costumes and the lighting was so vibrant, it was just pulsing. It was an awesome show,” she said.

Having access to the college venue only highlighted the quality of the show, Kenison said, “I traveled three hours to get down here, so I mean it’s got to be a good program.”

Emma Mehegan can be contacted at emehegan@kscequinox.com

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STUDENT LIFE

Student Life / B1 Thursday, January 25, 2018

ALTERNATIVE BREAK KSCEQUINOX.COM

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY CASEY MATTHEWS (TOP), JESSICA RICARD (LEFT) AND GABBY VASQUEZ-BILLIN (RIGHT)

Three groups of students went to various communities to volunteer for Alternative Break, such as Ohio (top), Tennessee (left) and Nicaragua (right).

Students travel all over to volunteer during winter break SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN

AdministrAtive executive editor Many students who participate in alternative break (AB) often come back wanting to change at least one aspect of their life.

AB is explained on the Keene State College website as, “Participants travel in teams, take part in service projects that address unmet community needs, gain awareness of critical social issues, enhance their individual growth, and prepare for lives of active citizenship.”

Nicaragua KSC Senior Monica Doorley went to Nicaragua for over winter break.

Doorley was one of the leaders of the trip where they worked on a permaculture farm.

According to permaculturenews.org, “Permaculture is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.”

Doorley and her group stayed on the island of Ometepe. “In the mornings, we did work on the farm, and in the evening we took educational classes,” Doorley said.

The classes involved subjects such as fermentation, alternative medicines and Nicaraguan climate.

Doorley said the farm itself was completely sustainable. “We literally harvested the compost from the compost toilet while we were there and put it on the plants,”

Doorley said.

“Just living in that kind of sustainable environment is an experience you can’t really have anywhere around here.”

Doorley said she thinks there is no better way to spend vacation than going on an AB trip.

“For me, I think getting the opportunity to go to Nicaragua and spending my break-- it was just a new way of growth,” Doorley said.

Coming back to Keene, Doorley said the biggest adjustment for her was the difference in the food. While in Nicaragua, Doorley ate only farm-fresh food harvested from the land she was living on. After coming back to America, Doorley said much of the food disagreed with her.

Cincinnati, Ohio

Umbro said her interest in the Cincinnati trip stemmed from her criminal justice major. “Understanding systematic issues was important to me,” Umbro said.

“I have kind of history with homelessness when I was younger, so I was like ‘Why the heck not.’”

She noticed the lack of homelessness awareness and community involvement in Keene when she returned.

Umbro said, “In this location, for one, I feel like there’s not a lot of attention to the issue and some people are really rude and have furthered the stigma that these are just bums that want to get drunk.”

She came back feeling like her stigma towards less fortunate people had been demolished.

Umbro said the biggest things she learned during her trip was the philosophy behind the terms gentrification and hostile design.

“Gentrification,” Umbro said, “is essentially red lining and pushing people out of their homes especially people of color who might need low-income housing,” Umbro said.

Umbro explained hostile design as a method the city uses to keep the homeless out of public areas such as a divider on a bench or sloped edges on window sills.

Umbro said when she graduates, she is hoping to have more time to volunteer.

KSC senior Dakota Umbro spent her AB in Cincinnati, Ohio working with the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition.

Umbro said much of what they did involved serving food at soup kitchens, working at a transitional housing facility and participating in a walk-through tour learning about some of the history of Cincinnati.

In terms of fundraising, Umbro said they participated in a newsletter the Homeless Coalition writes and Memphis, Tennessee edits. “They print them off and give the [homeless] the newspaper and then they can go out and sell them and KSC Senior Sarah Parece co-led the Memphis, Tenwhatever they make is whatever they can take to get nessee AB trip and worked in Le Bonheur Children’s food,” Umbro said.

Hospital.

Parece’s group worked with the volunteer services and child life specialists while they were in Memphis.

Their main duties involved doing whatever was needed during the day.

“For volunteer services, that usually means going into children’s rooms that were by themselves or if their parents needed to step out for a little bit we would just go in and spend time with them,” Parece said.

Parece said one of her favorite memories from the week was giving a struggling single mother a blanket and seeing how happy something so small made the woman.

Parece said, “I gave myself the goal to just try to not judge, and just have that ability to just walk up to people and start talking to them.”

She said the most noticeable difference from here being up north to down south was that people don’t just talk to each other.

“It’s just one of those amazing feelings where we just love what we do. We really try and go and make sure we are able to take things back with us to Keene,” Parece said.

Parece said every time she has gone on a trip she has changed some aspect of her education.

A year ago, she was an education major and says she has since changed it to focus more in social work.

Sebastien Mehegan can be contacted at smehegan@kscequinox.com

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STUDENT LIFE / B2

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Outdoor recreation course

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY SANDRA HOWARD

A dozen KSC students participated in various winter activities from cross-country skiing to snow shoeing.

Twelve students spend one week in Maine wilderness COLBY DUDAL

Student Life editor A group of Keene State College students took a trip to Maine over winter break to cross-country ski, snowshoe and take part in various outdoor activities.

The course Outdoor Recreational Leadership is an upper level course taught by Sandra Howard, an associate professor in the music department. Howard said that the trip included 12 students across multiple majors who went to The Forks, which is a place in Maine that hosts many outdoor activities throughout the year. Howard said, “So really without that resort we wouldn’t be able to offer the course because they have access to all the equipment and the outdoors of that particular area.”

Senior Rebecca Wilber said she had no prior experience with many of the activities the class took part in such as cross-country skiing but said her inexperience was one of the reasons why she wanted to take part. “I went on the trip because I knew it would be new expe-

riences for me… Most of us were in the same boat in that this was a new experience for us to be going out for a week in the middle of nowhere basically with two feet of snow and being given new equipment like snowshoes and skis that we’ve never used before,” Wilber said. “So we got to learn together and embarrass ourselves together. I think the biggest thing I learned was just to take opportunities when they’re offered to you even if it’s out of your comfort zone.”

Environmental Studies major Alec Czepiel said he first came across the opportunity for the trip when he saw a flyer on campus. Czepiel said he is the president of the Environmental Outing Club at KSC and has a lot of experience with outdoor recreation activities. Czepiel said he felt as though the trip was a good way to increase his skills and leadership qualities. “I am a graduate from another leadership school called Knowles, it teaches you all that wilderness stuff. I went backpacking in Wyoming for two months a few years ago through that program so it gave me a decent amount of experience,” he said.

Howard said one of the memorable moments of the trip was when she and the students went on a night hike and then turned their headlamps off to look at the starry sky in silence and experience the wilderness at night. “That was a real powerful moment for a lot of the students just taking time to be in the outdoors and feel the wind and listen to the sounds of the river and being in the dark which is taking you out of all this stimulus and really just being you in the woods,” Howard said.

Wilber said that one experience from the trip that stayed with her was when the group was going down a mountain cross-country skiing. “It was when it started to get warm last week and so everything was melting and so not only was it slippery coming down the mountain, and steep and we were a bunch of inexperienced skiers but snow was also soft, wet and we were all falling on every single turn. To end the hike when we finally got to the flat part at the bottom where we felt more comfortable it just started downpouring. We didn’t really care since we were all already soaked, we were just trying to make the best out of our time,” she

said.

Senior Mitchell Hale said that he needed an upper level course and said he had some prior experience with the activities the group took part in. Hale said the trip was a good way to try new things and be pushed out of his comfort zone.

Howard said the trip was a good way to bring two of her interests of outdoor recreation and teaching together. Howard said that in 2009, when she first got to KSC, there was an initiative to have more ISP courses. Howard said she went to the Physical Education Department to let them know about her skill set in outdoor recreation and suggest having a class about outdoor recreation. Howard said the course was first offered as a summer course in 2010. Howard said that she has a been a licensed Maine Guide since 1997.

Colby Dudal can be contacted at cdudal@kscequinox.com

KSC accepts award in Washington D.C. Three students receive scholarship to travel and accept award for KSC COLBY DUDAL

Student Life editor Three Keene State College students received the chance to go to Washington D.C. and accept an award that recognizes KSC’s civic engagement through community partnerships that address issues of public concern.

KSC was one of five colleges chosen to receive the award out of several hundred nominations, said Ashley Betancourt, who was one of the students selected to go on the trip, along with Zachary Howe and Rebecca Reeves.

The three students were selected to go on the trip through a vote by KSC faculty members, said Project Manager for Diversity and Multiculturalism Initiatives Kimberly Schmidl-Gagne.

Schmidl-Gagne said the award comes with the chance to attend the 2018 Inside Washington Institute that is offered by the Washington Center.

Schmidl-Gagne said, “The award comes with the scholarship for the Washington Center so one of the students received free tuition and housing because we won the award and we also established a second award that was worth $3,000 and two other students were able to receive $1,500 each from that scholarship.

Those students also got support from the Student Conference Fund and from our American Democracy Project to help cover some of their additional costs.”

Howe said the Inside Washington seminar was based on media and political advocacy and included speakers from all across the political spectrum and site visits to places such as the Embassy.Betancourt said some of the speakers at the seminar included current U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy and both cam-

paign managers from the 2016 presidential election.

“I enjoyed hearing the other side. It made me understand even if I don’t necessarily agree with the other side it’s vital to know the other argument,” said Betancourt.

Betancourt said one part of the trip was writing a prompt based on a social issue that is currently in the forefront; she did hers on immigration.

“We have seen that the media has been covering it frequently, we’ve seen this administration focus on immigration rhetoric recently so I think that is definitely important,” Betancourt said.

Howe said that one major part of the trip was how it showed him the possibilities after college.

“It opened my eyes up to career opportunities such as think tanks and showed the importance of networking. It gave me a greater understanding and the opportunity to connect with people in D.C,” Howe said.

Betancourt said the experience helped her mindset regarding career opportunities as well.

“I’m thinking of going to law school so I think it’s important to know the other argument and even if you don’t agree with it just to know your argument for a good debate. Now I can better explore where I want to be in life and what I want to do. I think D.C. is a great environment for social issues, social change and politics. Millenials and young people run the place basically, as we saw in Washington. So hopefully after graduation next year I will go to D.C. and start working there,” said Betancourt, who added that it is important for college students to network on campus and be opinionated with political issues.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY ASHLEY BETANCOURT

Colby Dudal can be reached at Three students went to Washington D.C. to accept an award on behalf of KSC, recognizing the schools civic engagement cdudal@kscequinox.com through community partnerships.

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STUDENT LIFE / B3

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Volunteering after holidays Helping others is a year-long activity for many KSC students ANGELIQUE INCHIERCA

Photo editor Thanksgiving seems to be a peak for volunteering during the holiday season, but the amount of volunteers tends to decline at the start of a new semester.

Hundred Nights director Mindy Cambiar said she expects a drop in both high school and Keene State College student involvement between now and April.

Most students who signed up during October orientations are unable to continue through the whole season. “[Students] can only sign up until midDecember because then break happens and they don’t know what their schedules are going to be like when they come back,” Cambiar said.

Not all students leave volunteering behind as winter break begins. KSC junior Briae Robillard has been volunteering weekly since November and plans to stick to her routine until the end of the season in April.

“I go on Friday nights and no one really goes on Friday nights, especially towards the end of the semester,” Robillard said. “I think a lot of it comes from family tradition of helping out or maybe they are obligated to because of an organization and they figured that it’s the time that more volunteers are needed and are providing a lot of meals or gifts for the holidays.”

KSC junior and E-board member of Circle-K Nicole Root said she also believes the reason why more students volunteer during the holidays is because it is the season of giving and said that this is why KSC’s Circle-K tends to do donations for the shelter around the same time.

Other annual volunteering by KSC groups include TKE’s TKE in a Box for homelessness awareness, Sororities who cook dinner to bring to the shelter, and some classes that contribute their time with the non-profit.

KSC senior Laura Carvalho participated in one of those classes last spring. The sociology course, Homelessness in NH and USA, partners with Hundred Nights organization every other year.

Carvalho and the rest of her classmates learned about the statistics of homelessness, gained research skills, and dedicated their time to a registration shift and an overnight shift at the shelter.

“Before we went [to the shelter], we actually had some employees from Hundred Nights come talk to our class just about like things to talk to the homeless people about,” Carvalho said.

She added that she believes that many students may be intimidated to volunteer at first due to a stereotype of the homeless, “You always think the worst when you see people. When you are walking down the street you immediately judge them and

move to the other side. But these people are not like that,” she said. “They are actually really nice.”

Both Carvalho and Robillard said they think students should not fear the time commitment despite the normal volunteering hours being 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and the option of overnight shifts. Robillard believes that students who have a drive for volunteering will make it a high priority in their schedules.

“It’s definitely doable if they write down their schedules and say ‘this is what I want to do, this is what I want to accomplish, and this is where I want to get involved,’” Robillard said.

Although the amount changes each year, Cambiar averages 10-15 KSC students come to orientation every October. Unfortunately, the number of community members in need of Hundred Nights’ services are growing faster and are much higher than the amount of volunteers.

“In 2016 I think we had 185 people in the shelter and something like 3,500 bednights,” Cambiar said.

A bed-night is considered as any time a person is housed in the shelter per night.

“Already there’s been a 40 percent increase from 2016 to 2017,” she added.

Cambiar said she believes that the economy plays a large role in the need for the shelter, and predicts that the amount of families and individuals needing help will

only rise.

Volunteers can help the shelter in a variety of ways. This includes greeting and registration, sorting clothing, overnight supervisors, social media help, data entry, basic online filing work and people who are just willing to be there and conversate.

“I think it’s the most important time [to volunteer],” Cambiar said, “As the season goes on volunteers get tired… Either they’re sick, or they’re tired, or they’re planning their vacations, so we always tend to need fill in help from March to April.”

For students looking to volunteer but are unsure how to start, many organizations on campus are either required to or are dedicated to volunteering within the college or in the community.

Root said Greek Life, Habitat for Humanity and Circle K are a few of many on-campus organizations that do volunteer work, not just at the shelter, but at walks for awareness, road clean-ups and in many other ways. Carvalho said she believes that the best way of finding ways to volunteer is by joining extracurriculars here at the college first. “Getting involved on campus can get you involved off campus,” she said.

Angelique Inchiera can be contacted at ainchiera@kscequinox.com

PUJA THAPA / BUSINESS MANAGER

The Hundred Nights homeless shelter, located in Keene, New Hampshire, is just one of many places where Keene State College students volunteer, mostly during the holiday season.

Going from community college to Keene State College PUJA THAPA

Business Manager Community college, state college, private university or trade school?

Everyone who strives for a higher education must make the choice.

Some students choose community college first, but end up transferring to state colleges.

Keene State College Director of Admissions Peg Richmond said one of the reasons this happens might be because the students didn’t originally get into one of the state colleges, so they’ll attend community college to make themselves admissible.

KSC junior Marcus Carson said he went to KSC, then transferred to the University of Rhode Island and then went to a community college to continue his education.

“I kinda picked myself up from there, improved my

grades, etc. and then decided to readmit at Keene State College,” Carson said.

Richmond said that students often transfer from community college to state colleges because the highest degree they can get from a community college is an Associate’s degree, but they want a Bachelor’s degree.

Carson said he enjoyed his community college experience, but he wanted to work up to a Bachelor’s degree and then on to a Masters within the sciences.

“That’s very difficult to do in a community college...

I also wanted to come back to Keene for the Safety degree,” Carson added.

Richmond said students also may consider community college for financial reasons.

“The community college is much more cost-efficient, so they’ll do a couple of years in the community college and transfer here and the education will cost them a considerable amount less,” Richmond said.

KSC junior Noah Wilder said that although community college is cheaper than state schools, it’s more difficult to have a social life.

“Nobody talks in community college... Since everybody commuted there, they came to class and went home,” said Wilder.

Wilder added, “I wake up, go to class and then I go home and then I go to work. That was pretty much it a lot of time... it was like a 30 minute drive, so it was like an hour in the car each day. And you’re constantly doing school work, homework, so you really don’t see a lot of people.”

Carson said there were more people of different backgrounds at community college.

“It was much more heterogeneous group than at Keene, from what I’ve noticed. At Keene, people are from fairly similar backgrounds, not exactly, but it’s certainly not the variance that you get in community col-

lege,” Carson said.

Wilder said, “In one of my classes, I was 18 and everybody was like 30 plus. So, I didn’t like to be in there because they were talking about going to bars and stuff and I was only 18.”

Carson said that having a social life was difficult, but despite that, he enjoyed his community college experience.

He added, “Community college is a great decision; it helps a lot of people figure out where they want to go without spending tens of thousands of dollars.”

Puja Thapa can be contacted at pthapa@kscequinox.com

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STUDENT LIFE / B4

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Humans of KSC

What are you looking forward to most this spring semester

“

“We are on the dance team, so performing at basketball games, we might be doing lacrosse for home games. It’s fun because we just came back from Nationals and got 8th in the nation so we are happy to be back”

T H I S W E E K

“

“It’s actually my last semester.

I wouldn’t say my classes are more or less exciting but they are all new.”

A T K S C

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Time Capsule / B5 Thursday, January 25, 2018

TIME CAPSULE

KSCEQUINOX.COM

Past winter activities

Previous generations making the most out of the season ABBYGAIL VASAS

Copy Editor/timE CapsulE Editor As early as the 1940s, when Keene State College was still the Keene Teachers College, The month of January was home to many winter activities on campus.

The early years of the college gave birth to the Winter Carnival, which is still celebrated but is a little different than the original. The Winter Carnival was previously held in mid to late January and included activities such as a snow sculpting competition, crowning a Winter Carnival Queen and a skating show.

In 1963, the first-year class won the snow sculpting competition with their piece called “Rhapsody,” which included a mad pianist at a grand piano. After the contest was judged, the winning class was presented a trophy by the newly crowned Queen at the Winter Carnival Ball.

The Winter Carnival had many Queens crowned over the years the pageant was held. In 1956, the winner was chosen by four “prominent citizens” at the time, Mayor Alfred Dennis, Motor Vehicle Inspector Kenneth Lysitt, Mr. McLockland and Mrs. Irene Landers.

Each class presented several candidates, but the judges, after deliberation over tea in the Blake House, decided to award the crown to senior Barbara Rogers. In 1963, first-year Cinny Read, from Goffstown N.H., won the title of Winter Carnival Queen. She was crowned by Virginia Richards, the Queen from the previous year.

A skating show was featured at the 1955 Winter Carnival. It was held on an ice rink created by flooding the area of the quad between Huntress and Fiske and allowing it to freeze several times. The show opened with a performance was opened by sophomore Chris Hayes, who skated to the composition “Stardust.” The show also included two comedic partnered dances; one by Norm Barrows and Bucky Steembergen and the other by Elaine Winn and Roger Sampson. There was also a group number, performed by Connie Stahl, Pat Gould, Sandy Lane, Sylvia Orrill, Mary Marcotte and Sandi Le Heurcux.

Later on, in 1963, a slightly more permanent ice rink was created on the quad for general student use as well as use by the ice hockey team. Theta and Alpha fraternity members Jeff Stevens and Joel Treffrey built and maintained the rink with $100 in funding from the student council for the base and a fire hose and nozzle donated by the Keene Fire Department.

Although the Winter Carnival was the centerpiece of winter life at the college, there were many other events and activities that were celebrated. One of those events was a New Year’s Dance held in January of 1953.

The dance was hosted by the Women’s Service Club, led by their president Jane Kingsbury. It was held in the gym, decorated in green and white streamers and balloons, with music provided by the orchestra. There was also the annual formal of Kappa Delta Phi, which was titled “Winter Shadows” in 1956, it featured music by Bob Batchelder and his orchestra and was also held in

Student-made ice rink (top left), 1963 snow sculpture contest (top right), Virginia Richards and her court (bottom left), Cinny Read and her court (bottom right).

the Spaulding Gymnasium.

Winter in Keene wasn’t just filled with carnivals and parties. The ski team, which is still a proud part of the college, held its first meeting as part of the Outing Club on Jan. 29, 1955. The Keene Teachers Ski Team was a member of the New England Intercollegiate Ski Conference, with schools such as Brown, Tufts, Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern, Princeton and more. The team planned on participating in six meets

over the winter season, with its first meet scheduled sell their outgrown ski equipment, such as boots, poles, for Jan. 29 at Cranmore Mountain. The Ski Team really skis, and others could come and purchase the used took hold on campus, and in 1962 the “KTC ski squad” equipment for a bargain. offered a two-day ski clinic for high schoolers in the area. A grand total of 112 teenage students turned out Abbygail Vasas for the event and participated in a giant slalom race can be contacted at and learned basic cross-country technique. The next avasas@kscequinox.com year, the Ski Team and the Women’s Athletic Association co-sponsored a Ski Swap. At the swap, skiers could

1962: Campus building burns up The paint shop catches fire more than half a century ago ABBYGAIL VASAS

Copy Editor/timE CapsulE Editor While we all returned to a snowy, picturesque campus this semester, the students in 1962 returned to find that one of their buildings was badly burned.

The Keene Teachers College Paint Shop, which had sat behind the Theta Chi Delta fraternity house, caught fire over winter break. It was estimated that the fire caused damages totaling between four and five thousand dollars. Although most of the paint in the shop was spared by the flames, the labels did not fare as well and had burned off the surviving cans.

The fire was discovered by a local policeman at around 3:44 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 31. Although firefighters were able to respond before the fire spread to any neighboring structures, the damage to the shop was significant.

First responders surmised that the fire had started in a heating fan and then spread to consume the entire upstairs portion of the building. Due to the considerable amount of damage to the shop, it was deemed unsafe and would later be condemned and subsequently demolished.

Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com

First winter Olympics ABBYGAIL VASAS

each other for the final round

Copy Editor/timE CapsulE Editor of the ice hockey tournament, The 2018 Winter Olympics is coming up next month in South Korea, after nearly a century of tradition. This Jan. 25 marks the 94th anniversary of the first ever Winter Olympics, which were held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The event featured 258 athletes from 16 nations competing in 16 events over a 12-day period, including opening and closing ceremonies.

The event, initially named “International Winter Sports Week” was created by the International Olympic Committee and the French National Olympic Committee and featured events that are still part of the games such as ice hockey, figure skating and speed skating, curling and more.

According to the official website of the Olympics, an American named Charles Jewtraw, who was born and raised in Lake Placid, New York, was the first at the games to win a gold medal. His event was the 500 meter speed skating competition, the first to take place on Jan. 26, the morning after the opening ceremony. Jewtraw completed the event, beating out 26 other skaters with a posted time of 44.00 seconds.

The U.S. and Canadian hockey teams went up against

sparking a rivalry that would stretch across history. Although the U.S. had made it to the goldmedal round they were beat by the Canadian team 6-1.

Figure skating was where all of the female athletes competed in the 1924 Winter Olympics.

Among them was Sonja Henie of Norway, who competed in the games just a few months shy of her twelfth birthday. Although she came in last at the 1924 games, her spirit was not broken.

She came back to compete in the 1928, 1932 and 1936 Winter Olympics, winning the gold medal for figure skating each time. After her sensational victories at the Winter Olympics and coming in first at the World Championship ten times in a row she shifted her focus to the silver screen and became a movie star in America.

The Olympics, both winter and summer, join together nations from across the globe in the name of friendly competition. With winter sports being so prominent among citizens of New Hampshire, that first Winter Olympics provided a base of recognition for some of our favorite activities.

Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com

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Sports / B6

Thursday, January 25, 2017

Patriots Keene takes on Bates Invitational Luke’s Kickin’ Column RECAP

CAROLINE PERRY

SportS Editor

CAROLINE PERRY

SportS Editor The New England Patriots never fail to perform, making a comeback in the AFC Championship with the Jacksonville Jaguars. With an overall win of 24-20, the Patriots head off to the Superbowl for their eighth time in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era.

At the start of the game the Jaguars were quick to move, jumping ahead with a 14-3 lead over the Patriots in the second quarter. The Jaguars had a pair of lengthy, ballcontrol drives of 76 and 77 yards, which ultimately led to touchdowns in the second quarter. The Jaguars’ key to attacking the Patriots offense was of course running back Leonard Fournette, who was one of only three players on Jacksonville who averaged more than 20 rushing attempts per game. On top of that, quarterback Blake Bortles excelled early, opening up opportunities for the Jaguars. Bortles finished with 23 completions on 36 attempts for 293 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. Bortles made one of the best throws of the game when he hit Keelan Cole with a back shoulder throw about 30 yards down the field. He also did particularly well off play action, including his fouryard touchdown pass to Marcedes Lewis.

The Jaguars were also able to get an early turnover. With the Patriots driving, New England dialed up a double pass trick play that appeared to work to perfection. But Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack made one of the plays of the game by ripping the ball from Dion Lewis and recovering the fumble.

The Patriots faced some setbacks, trying to close the gap and succeeding just before halftime with an 85yard touchdown drive.

Brady was Brady, completing 26 of his 38 passes for 290 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Unlike the Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars brought much more of a pass rush, which Brady had to deal with. Disrupting Brady is key, and even though the Jaguars proved to be aggressive in the beginning, they were unable to hold off the Patriots offense.

In the fourth quarter the Patriots still faced a ten point deficit, to which Tom Brady did what he always does.

Brady threw two touchdowns to Danny Amendola, giving the Patriots a 24-20 lead with less than three minutes to go in the game. Amendola’s final catch included some pretty impressive footwork in the end zone which led to an eruption of Patriots fans. Amendola finished the game with seven receptions for 84 yards against the Jaguars secondary and Brandin Cooks found success too with six receptions for 100 yards.

With a victory in hand the Patriots go on to face the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2018 Super Bowl.

Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com

The women’s and men’s track and field team traveled to Lewiston Maine last Saturday, January 20th, to compete at the Bates Invitational at Bates College.

This is the team's fifth invitational of the season, to which they have 13 more before their season comes to a close.

Junior Jared Hannon and firstyear Brandon Castor both pulled off wins at the invitationa.

Both Hannon and Castor competing in sprints.

Hannon took his win away from the long jump, taking a leap of 6.52 meters.

This jump qualified Hannon for the New England Division III Championships. Castor took first in the 400 meter dash, completing the race in 53.36 seconds.

Castor also placed fifth in the 200 meter dash, completing it in 23.76 seconds.

Sophomore Brendan Cacciola placed third in the 400 meter dash with a time of 54.66 seconds and junior Alex Medina placed fourth in the 400 meter dash with a time of 55.51

LAURA ROMANIELLO / ART DIRECTOR

Column

Also for the men’s track and field team, junior Tyler DeChane placed third in the mile with a time of 4:48.22.

The men’s team also placed third in the 4x400 meter relay, performing this race with junior Tyler DeChane, first-year Brandon Castor, junior Anthony Jennings, Hannon and Medina.

Their time was 3:36.38.

For the women’s track and field team, sophomore Nicole De Almeida placed second in the 400 meter dash with a time of 1:03.18.

Junior Brittany Gravalese placed second in the 800 meter dash with a time of 2:28.43.

De Almeida, Brittany Gravalese, junior Taylor Bisaillon, and

sophomore Ly n n e Hebert made up the 4x400 meter relay team, placing third with a time of 4:22.14.

Bisaillon was also able to place third in the shot put, throwing 10.88 meters. Hebert placed fourth in the mile with a finishing time of 5:37.46.

Both teams will travel to Boston, Massachusetts on Friday, Jan. 26th, to compete at the Terrier Classic at Boston University.

LUKE STERGIOU

SEnior photographEr

Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com

Athletes of the Week First-year

Junior Emily McPadden

James Anozie Anozie earned the title of Keene State Athlete of the Week, after averaging 17 points per game and eight rebounds per game. McPadden was named the Keene State Athlete of the Week after scoring a season-high 22 points against Worcester State.

Interested in hittin’ the local slopes?

Check out: - Mount Snow - Granite Gorge - Crotched Mountain - Wachusett Mountain - Mount Sunapee - Stratton Mountain

Athletics Fun Fact Did you know that Keene Parks and Recreation Program Department partnered with the SAAC program to lead a youth basketball program?

Are you interested in writing for Sports or The Equinox?

Caroline Perry

(802) 522-4738

LAFC make big moves at MLS Superdraft 2018 On Jan. 19th, Major League Soccer held the 2018 Superdraft in Philadelphia.

Many eyebrow raising picks and trades were made, but MLS newcomer Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) made some big moves to further clarify that the club means business in their inaugural season.

LAFC started off by securing the first and third draft picks overall. With the first draft pick in the club’s history, LAFC selected Joao Moutinho, a defender from the University of Akron.

Moutinho started out at the Sporting Lisbon Academy in Portugal, then left Europe to play for the University of Akron.

As a freshman, Moutinho started all 24 games and went on to be named Mid-American Conference Freshman of the year and first team all-MAC honors.

Moutinho led the defence, giving Akron 12 shutouts during 2017 season.

He primarily played at center back, but has a knack for scoring goals as he scored 3 goals and assisted 5 more in the 2017 season.

After his inaugural season, he became the 12th player from the University of Akron to sign a Generation Adidas contract. (lafc.com) After trading $100,000 in General Allocation money with D.C. United in exchange for the third draft pick, LAFC selected defender Tristan Blackmon from the University of the Pacific.

Blackmon, who plays as a versatile right back, helped his team make a NCAA tournament appearance in his senior season along with being named West Coast defender of the year.

Blackmon scored 18 goals in 4 seasons at the University of the Pacific and assisted 13 more.

He is the first player in the university’s history to be taken in the MLS Draft. (lafc.com) Despite the Joao Moutinho requiring an international roster spot, LAFC head coach Bob Bradley does not seem phased. Both players offer so much versatility to the team that they will definitely look to prove themselves in the 2018 MLS Season.

LAFC are looking to make an exciting and eclectic squad to take on other teams this upcoming season. Along with the other promising young talent the club drafted, they boast the likes Mexican international Carlos Vela, Uruguayan striker Diego Rossi, former Montreal Impact captain Laurent Ciman, U.S. international Benny Feilhaber and so on.

With the club’s stadium being built in the heart of Los Angeles, the club is already boasting quite the fan base with several supporters groups already formed, including the 3252, District 9 Ultras, Expo Originals, and many more.

The club really looks to make a huge impact to the MLS in 2018, and as a fan, I’m excited to see what the club is capable of achieving.

With a fresh and exciting roster and new stadium, LAFC is looking to reinvent Los Angeles as the leading footballing city in the United States.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

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Sports / B7

Thursday, January 25, 2017

Back to back accomplishments Ski &

Nichols is named to D3Hoops Team of the Week CAROLINE PERRY

SportS Editor With basketball approaching playoffs, the team continues to shine, winning the past three games and keeping their record at 11-4. The team also continues to achieve even more, as junior and guard Ty Nichols was named to D3Hoops.com Team of the Week. Nichols was presented this by Scoutware, Inc. for his performance in a 2-0 week for the KSC Owls. The Team of the Week serves as a weekly honor roll for basketball players, recognizing the top five weekly performances at each position.

As a junior, Nichols has already achieved great things.

Stacking up 1000 points earlier in the season, being the teams leading scorer/leader, and now being recognized as one of the best in D3 collegiate basketball.

When asked about his feelings towards being named to Team of the Week, Nichols said that it was nice to be recognized for all the hard work and that it only reflects on how hard the KSC

basketball team works. With one more year left for the outstanding guard, Nichols said that it is a step in the right direction, but that his true goal is to reach the 2000 point mark. “This is just another achievement that leads to bigger and better things,” Nichols said.

His fellow teammates also recognize the incredible work, effort and dedication that Nichols puts into every single practice and game.

Forward and junior Charles McClain said, “Ty shows greatness on the court with his tenacity and his ability to play the game that he loves.

He is truly a talented player, and I am grateful for the opportunity to play with him at the college level.” McClain went on to say that Nichols is more than deserving of this achievement. “He is the best player in the LEC. Ty is one of the hungriest players I have ever met, and I am sure that he will be soon recognized as one of the best players in the country,” McClain said.

Guard and junior Kyle Santoro had a very similar

opinion on Nichols’ achievement and said it does a lot for the team as well. “His achievement helps our team confidence, knowing we have that good of a player on our team always gives us a good chance to win no matter how good of a team we will play,” Santoro said. He added that having Nichols being named to a team that represents the best players in the country for D3 basketball also helps shed some light on Keene State College. “We’re sometimes overlooked so he kind of put us on the map,” Santoro said.

With the season approaching playoffs, Nichols teammates said that it’s nice going into it knowing they have a strong player and leader on the court. Nichols hopes to keep up the hard work and help lead his team to greatness, knowing that the journey ahead entitles a lot of focus, hard work and, most importantly, dedication.

LAURA ROMANIELLO / ART DIRECTOR

Tips For First Time Skiers CAROLINE PERRY

SportS Editor

Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com EMILY PERRY / EQUINOX STAFF

KSC ATHLETES cont. from B8

Like Nichols, Anozie had an outstanding week, stepping up for the KSC men’s basketball team.

Anozie averaged a double-double with 17 points per game, and a shooting percentage of 70.

On top of that Anozie averaged about 11 rebounds per game.

Against the Colonials, Anozie averaged a double-double with game highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds.

He went on to score 15 points, pulling down 10 rebounds in a win over the Corsairs.

Like Nichols, Anozie said it was nice to results

after so much effort and hard work had gone into the season already.

The last KSC athlete, who was named LEC Rookie Diver of the Week, was first-year Jessica Massotta.

Massotta was named the LEC Rookie Diver of the Week for the first time this season after winning both dives against Roger Williams University.

She took the one-meter board with a score of 178.42 and the 3-meter board with a score of 138.97.

Massotta, as well as the KSC women's swim and dive team took a 134-103 victory over Roger Williams.

As a first-year Massotta said that finding such success is an amazing thing and she is very

Slopes

glad that she had her team to support her in her accomplishments.

With the winter season gradually coming to an end, all three athletes hope to accomplish their true goals before the seasons end.

Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com

K E E N E STAT COLL E G E E

EMILY PERRY / EQUINOX STAFF

RECAP

KSC men’s basketball takes on UMass CAROLINE PERRY

long distance shots, but succeeded in their shots just behind the free throw line, shooting 22 of 30, which is about 73 percent. The Owls outscored the Beacons, dominating the glass 46-29, outscoring UMass 48-20 in the paint. With the team win also came some personal The Keene State men’s basketball team went up against the University of Boston-Mas- success with Nichols reaching his 1,315 career point. sachusetts (UMass), taking away a 82-76 victory over the Beacons.

In the first few minutes, the Owls gained a 7-0 advantage after first-year Sidi Diallo Junior Ty Nichols was once again on fire, making nine of 16 shots from the outside, 10 received a foul shot and Anozie made to layups after receiving the ball twice. The Beacons out of 13 shots from the free throw line, as well as adding to the list eight rebounds, two closed that gap quickly, scoring five out of the next seven points. Nichols quickly picked assists, and one block. Nichols totaled up 30 points, just two shy from his 32 point record. up the pace, scoring five quick points. Anozie also put up another layup for the Owls. The First-year James Anozie also proved to be a threat, recording his third double-double Owls continued to get leads, but the Beacons continued to catch back up. As the game proin the last four games, as well as scoring 17 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, stealing the ball gressed the Owls fought to obtain their lead, ultimately having a 77-71 lead over the Beaonce, and blocking once. cons in the last two minutes of the game.

First-year DeVon Beasley was able to put up ten points, four rebounds, Nichols' two free throws with 44 seconds left in the game made it two assists and two steal for the Owls. Overall the Owls shot at a three-possession game, but UMass fired back with a quick 49.1 percent, had 46 rebounds, 14 assists, 15 points on turnthree to keep the Beacons in it. Diallo made one of two overs, 48 points in the paint, and 13 second chance points, from the line and Beasley then sank two free throws tallying up the scoreboard for their victory. as the Owls held on for the win.

The Owls were able to sweep that season series The men’s basketball team will play home from UMass Boston, winning five straight series against Plymouth State on Wednesday, at overall against the Beacons. The team was also 7:30 p.m. able to hold UMass at a 38 percent for shooting, the Beacons only shooting 26 for 69.

Caroline Perry can be contacted at The Owls had some trouble with their cperry@kscequinox.com

SportS Editor

MONDAY - FRIDAY

City Express runs 8:00am-5:00pm Campus/Community Shuttle runs 7:30am-7:30pm

Stops at 7 on campus locations:

Keddy/Campus Safety • Library • Student Center Winchester Lot • Butler Court • Art Center • Fiske Lot

Off campus stops:

Target • Starbucks Market Basket • WalMart Olympia Sports and more!

All City Express vehicles are ADA accessible and are equipped with easy to use bike racks. For more information or a complete schedule, visit cityexpress.org or call 352-8494. TTY use 711.

I won’t lie, I’m pretty new to the whole skiing scene and am, by far, no professional; but I have picked up some great tips along the way from some pretty great skiers. Just like some of you (especially first time skiers), I knew nothing about trails, clothing options or skis for that matter. But finally I took the plunge my senior year of high school and took on the adventure of learning how to ski.

As a born and raised Vermonter, I always dreamed of learning how to ski, and finally that senior year, I learn how to in a more inexpensive way. But before getting into skiing, there are some things you need to know before embarking on this adventure, and that is this: 1. Raid your closet before you buy a whole new wardrobe. Most of the time you’ll find clothing that can keep you perfectly warm. As long as you have a fleece, turtleneck, or sweater, solid winter jacket, insulated ski pants, warm socks, and mittens you should be fine. However, I will say this, invest in warm winter mittens that are insulated, gloves WILL NOT keep your hands warm. Also, get high and thick socks because if your sock falls down or your feet are cold, you’ll be trying to fix it ALL DAY. Always wear a helmet and goggles, they both are vital to safety. On the colder days you’ll need a face mask, so always be aware of the weather.

2. Get a lift pass. You’re going to need one to get on the lifts no matter what, so this is something you’re going to have to invest in. Many ski resorts offer discounted lift tickets for children, teens, and senior skiers, as well as early or late season tickets.

3. Rent skis and boots. These are a necessity, however I have always found ways to save money. I get that renting skis and boots can be expensive, not to mention you’ll need poles. So if you aren’t exactly looking to rent everything, see if your friends possibly have some skis and boots you can borrow. There are also ski sales that always happen in the ski shops where you can find things for half the price they once were, and sometimes even less. Purchasing skis and boots will save you money in the long run and give you the possibility to go skiing even more.

Always make sure your boots are your size and if borrowing, never go more than a half size up from your natural size.

4. Take a lesson. Don’t down play skiing. It’s hard to learn and dangerous, so be cautious and safe in your learning process. Don’t try to act like you know how to ski if you don’t. I learned through my friend who had been skiing all his life and who would soon go on and become a ski instructor. If you’re serious about learning, go with people who are willing to take the time to teach you and are experienced, or just get lessons.

Also, don’t push yourself on the first day.

You’re learning, so who cares if you go down the bunny hill 20 times, the important thing are that you’re learning, you’re not putting yourself in danger and you’re not putting anyone else in danger.

5. Stay hydrated and get a snack.

Speaking from experience, you DO NOT want to be dehydrated or hungry while trying to ski down a mountain. First of all you’ll be miserable, and second of all you can get hurt due to fatigue or loss of energy. Skiing is an extremely physically demanding sport. First-time skiers will get tired and that’s perfectly fine. You don’t need to go down the mountain 20 times on your first day. Take it slow and drink a lot of water. Eat a good breakfast and take breaks when you need to. Skiing is supposed to be fun, so don’t stress yourself out.

Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com

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Sports / B8

Thursday, January 25, 2017

SPORTS

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Indescribable success

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY KSC DANCE TEAM

The Keene State College Dance Team placed eighth in the nation at the Disney Universal Dance Association (UDA) championship, which took place in Disney, Florida on Jan. 12th.

KSC Dance Team sweeps eighth in the nation at UDA Championship CAROLINE PERRY

SportS Editor With winter break now over, the Keene State College campus returns to the bustle of regular day life. However, the hard work seen through the KSC sports teams continued through break and gave way to great success.

The KSC Dance team ventured to Florida on Jan. 10 to participate in the Disney Universal Dance Association (UDA) National Dance Team Championship. The team stayed in Florida for a span of five days, performing Friday through Sunday at the championship. Not only did the KSC dance team show remarkable skill, but they also became national finalists in the UDA championship, breaking KSC history. With an amazing performance, the team finished on a high in the championships, placing eighth out of the entire nation.

KSC dance team captain and senior Jessica Leone described being eighth in the nation as “a great feeling.” Leone went on to say that it was amazing to know they competed against 22 teams, 11 of them

making it to the finals, and that they came out as eighth. “We made Keene State history, placing higher than we ever have and also getting the highest score we have ever received,” added Leone. With so much work and dedication seen throughout the season and especially winter break, Leone said the feeling of success was “indescribable.” As captain, Leone especially focuses on the well-being of the team and works to make sure everyone is working their hardest. “A lot of work went into getting us not only to the nationals itself, but also accomplishing eighth. This year though we had by far one of the best group of girls I have ever been on the team with,” Leone said.

Co-captain and junior Lauren Carney said that placing eighth in nation was the best feeling in the world. “Being the only team at the competition without a coach and being completely student-run makes it even that much more of an honor that we not only place at finals, but that we got eighth in the nation,” said Carney. She added that the feeling she had when they announced their name was simply indescribable.

Carney admitted that the road to Florida

was nothing but hard work, time and a lot of energy. Having to do numerous fundraisers to earn the money the team needed, as well as pay out of pocket for costumes and other expenses, Carney said it was a lot of hard work but worth it. “We care so much and would do anything to go to this competition and represent our school in a positive light, which is exactly what we did,” added Carney. All that hard work has really created a true bond within the team Carney said., “Dancing together allows us to have a place to feel loved and included and we are constantly growing as dancers and women.”

Secretary and junior Kelsey Walsh agreed with her fellow teammates, saying it is an amazing feeling to place eighth in the nation. “To outsiders, it’s hard to see the difficulty that went into not only performing the dance, but also getting the team to the competition,” said Walsh. “With money problems and other things throughout this past semester, it made it almost impossible for us to reach the team goal of competing,” said Walsh, but with the help of the amazing team and amazing e-board, the dance team pulled it off. On top of all the

hard work, Walsh praised her team for the incredible support system they are. “We cheer each other on in practice, as well as attend each other’s events outside of dance throughout the year,” said Walsh.

First-year Ashley Chopelas said that it feels amazing to be a part of such a strong and hard working team, especially in her first year of college. “I’ve known about the Keene State Dance team since middle school and I’ve wanted to be on it since then. Now being on it and being so successful and accomplished is just indescribable,” said Chopelas. Chopelas said that the captain, cocaptain, secretary and manager all worked so hard; and thankfully it all worked out in their favor. “The dance team can only go up from here. We hope to get more recognition and support from the school in the year to come,”Chopelas said.

However with great success came hard work and dedication. With the dance teams funds cut in half and with no fundraising help from the college, the team set out to fundraise for their Disney trip, raising $10,000 dollars all by themselves. “We made Keene history by fundraising $10,000 dol-

lars ourselves, which is just another huge accomplishment in our book,” said Chopelas. Captain Leone said, “Since we are considered a club and not a sport like most college dance teams going to this competition, we had to raise all the money ourselves.

We raised $10,000 on our own, which is the highest we have ever raised and the most raised by a KSC club.” Walsh said. “The team is an incredible support system. We practiced for four days a week, as well as came back a week before leaving for nationals. We practice early morning to late at night. Each team member knew how difficult it was for us to reach our goal of attending nationals.”

With such perseverance, the KSC dance team came out on top, placing eighth in the nation out of 22 elite teams. With hopes for the near future, the team looks to keep growing and to receive more support from the KSC community. “We work really hard and are so successful and it’d be nice for people to recognize that,” Chopelas said.

Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com

CAROLINE PERRY

SportS Editor The recognition of hard working athletes on the Keene State College campus continues, as three athletes were awarded LEC weekly awards.

Junior Ty Nichols (men’s basketball), firstyear James Anozie (men’s basketball) and first-year Jessica Massotta (women’s swim and dive) all received LEC weekly awards

for their athletic performances representing KSC. Nichols was named LEC player of the week for the second time this season after performing tremendously during conference week.

All season Nichols has been showing great success on the basketball court, and now recieving yet another LEC weekly award, Nichols proves that hard work is

essential to success.

Nichols found the net, his shooting climbing to 61.3 percent, averaging 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game.

In a win over Western Connecticut State University, Nichols put up 14 points with four rebounds and four assists.

He then hit a season high of 30 points, matching a career high with 11 rebounds, seven assists and four steals against UMass

Dartmouth.

Nichols said that it is nice to see all the hard work pay off and that he plans to continue the effort.

Fellow teammate James Anozie was awarded LEC rookie of the week for the third time this season and for the second consecutive week.

SEE KSC ATHLETES, B7

JOEY SULLIVAN / EQUINOX STAFFF

KSC athletes recieve LEC weekly awards

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