The Equinox 10.12.17

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THE EQUINOX The student voice of Keene State College

Vol. 70, Issue #6 Thursday, October 12, 2017

Progress on the budget EMMA HAMILTON

NEWS EDITOR Keeping the line of communication open across campus is a concept Interim President Dr. Melinda Treadwell has been dedicated to ensuring since her arrival.

On Wednesday, Oct. 4, Chancellor Dr. Todd Leach and Treadwell held a campus-wide meeting to discuss the progress the administration is making with taking on the 2.4 million dollar deficit KSC is facing.

“The purpose of getting together is just to make sure that we are all getting the same messages...we committed to coming back in the fall and making sure we are sharing what’s going on and make sure everyone has the information that we have. Frankly, last time, it was clear that there were some hiccups in the channel of communication in terms of people who need to have certain information or the understanding we are getting,” Leach said.

He continued, “Part of this is just making sure that everyone knows the work that’s going on, where we’re at, what we’re trying to accomplish. I know everyone is really working hard around the financial challenge [and] that if you weren’t here in the summer to hear about it you have certainly heard about it by now or even read about it.”

Leach said the financial situation is larger than when the budget was first looked at. He continued to explain that the revenue numbers were lower than what had initially been expected. ”It’s been a lot of work for everybody and I realize it’s difficult when you’re trying to make a lot of changes and you have limited resources. It is a problem that we really have to work together, it’s not just a slogan,” Leach said.

The chancellor’s senior team is on campus weekly to address this issue, along with him being here at least once a week. He said by having frequent visits, it has allowed them to cut consulting agreements and adjunct senior administrators.

“As of today, just from that, we have saved about a half million dollars, so there’s a lot to be done and we have to do it together. We have to work hard to get there and, meanwhile, make sure that everyone has

BRENDON JONES / EQUINOX STAFF

Interim President Dr. Melinda Treadwell and Chancellor Dr. Todd Leach held a campus-wide meeting to inform the community about the progress they’re making with the budget.

percent, we are just slightly above that and if you look out over the long-term across five years, we don’t have a lot of capacity there and without margins, it’s not growing. That means the board has to be really strategic about its decisionmaking and figure out if we have certain state priorities and needs, how are we going to support those?

And given the closest flat margins and given the close to 50 percent UFR means we can’t afford to sustain deficits, so there is an urgency to ensuring that all of our institutions are financially sustainable and financially healthy,” Leach said.

Leach emphasized on the need to keep the workforce in New Hampshire. He explained students won’t stay here if the college isn’t in

a place they want to be after graduation. Looking at cost is a major concern for students and parents while searching college options and Leach acknowledged that. “The cost of higher ed over all has gone up faster than inflation, faster than wages; that’s not sustainable. At some point, we run into a tipping point and I think nationally, we are probably at that tipping point, so the board is really focused on trying to keep costs for the students to at least inflation levels, if not, less,” Leach said.

With the approved budget already being a $2.4 million deficit, Leach said everyone’s hard work and commitment is focused on protecting the student experience, which has been a top priority.

» PROGRESS, A3

Mayor proposes city ordinance JESSICA RICARD

SENIOR REPORTER/COPY EDITOR/TIME CAPSULE EDITOR KATHERINE GLOSSER

EQUINOX STAFF Mayor of Keene Kendall Lane proposed the City Council draft and pass an ordinance that would change business operations for local landlords, property managers and property owners.

At the municipal services, facilities and infrastructure committee meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 27, Lane proposed an ordinance that would fine landlords for police calls to properties more than three times a year for issues such as noise complaints, fighting, alcohol abuse, etc. More specifically, if the landlord hasn’t taken any steps to rectify the recurring problems, “the landlord is potentially liable for fines as result as failure to appropriately manage property,” Lane said.

The exact fine amount is unknown, for at this stage, it’s mainly a discussion being had with the City Council.

The reason for the disorderly property ordinance? Lane said when police have to make repeated trips to properties, the taxpayers are technically paying to manage somebody else’s business.

“We make a lot of requests on the police department. We request that the police department deal with the opioid crisis, we request the police department to oversee issues relating to the downtown, we request the police department to oversee the student behavior on the Keene State for off campus students, we make a lot of requests for the police department and they add up….They [landlords] should pay the cost if they’re not appropriately managing their properties,” Lane explained.

Historically, citations issued by police tend to spike every October. In 2016, there were only two off campus properties that would have been affected by this ordinance, located on Church Street and Marlboro Street. Because of how minor the impact is going to be on tenants, Lane said he’s not expecting it to have a major impact on landlords either. “It’s really pretty minor, but it’s one attempt to address a financial problem,” Lane said.

Chief Operations Officer of Keene Cribs Trevor Grauer begs to differ, however. As someone who said he does everything in his power to prevent problems and nuisances from occurring at any of his properties, he believes there are “plenty” of ordinances, local and state laws already in the books that can be used.

Index

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Section B: Section A: News .....................1-3 A&E .......................1-4

A5: Millennial voices A8: Reporting sexual assault B1: Glitterati and glamazons B8: Unbreakable

Opinions ................4-5 Time Capsule............5 Student Life ...........6-8 Sports.....................6-8 Associated Collegiate Press

KSC prepares for Pumpkin Festival SENIOR REPORTER/COPY EDITOR/TIME CAPSULE EDITOR

MELINDA TREADWELL INTERIM PRESIDENT

that we try to target for which those margins, that three percent, turns into the strategic funds and the investment funds that we use to build new dormitories and for other purposes. At this point, where we are now, Keene’s loss has given the flat margin set that we have at Plymouth and just the market overall. We are pretty much operating at breakeven as a system, which means there is very little going into that strategic fund, very little that we can work with.”

Another number the board has to look at is the Unrestricted Funds to Debt (UFR). That number is able to tell the board how much they have to borrow in capacity. “The state uses the same thing, and the industry standard there is about 50

BRIEF

JESSICA RICARD

“We’ve got to hold community so that means respecting each other, supporting each other, listening and hearing each other. Leadership is my responsibility but it is not something on my own, you all have leadership as well and I am counting on you.”

the same context,” Leach said.

He continued to say even though KSC is in the state college system, we get less than 10 percent of our funding from the state. The Board of Trustees looks at the margins the institution generates each year.

The board governs the four institutions in the system and it’s a group of people that are looking at what’s best for the state. Leach said, “They understand what is really important for our system institutions is having the best value composition we can have. That means it’s not just about the lowest price, it’s about ensuring the quality, that our institutions are attractive and trying to make sure we have that balance.”

Leach said the board uses “an industry standard of three percent

KSCEQUINOX.COM

“I think the city looks at it that there’s just a bunch of absentee landlords that don’t care what happens, and maybe that’s the case for some landlords, but that’s definitely not the case for me or Keene Cribs. I definitely care what happens at my properties, I definitely care what my business presentation is to the town and the representation that I have and my tenants have. I went to Keene State. I don’t want it to be a negative impact.”

Because of this, Grauer said he’s not quite sure what levying a fine to landlords is going to do to solve the problem. “I think they need to be holding the residents of the property responsible for the actions that are occurring at the property.

I think right now, a lot of times, they’re getting warnings and there are no repercussions for the actions and so that allows the behavior to continue. If someone gets slapped with a fine that they’re proposing to levy against the landlords, if the local residents get that fine, I think the behavior will stop.”

In terms of landlords getting notified about disorderly properties, Grauer said it’s very difficult to find out if there are problems occurring.

» MAYOR, A2

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With the newly-formed decision to host Pumpkin Festival back on Main Street this October comes a variety of concerns from city and college officials alike.

Interim President of Keene State College Dr. Melinda Treadwell has been working with her cabinet, the police and fire department, as well as the city manager and mayor of Keene to collaboratively support a positive and successful event this year. Although Treadwell said she doesn’t expect any major issues throughout the course of the weekend, she has plans in place focused on “inspiring people to be at their best.”

First and foremost, Treadwell plans on doing door-to-door walkthroughs throughout surrounding neighborhoods with landlords to have conversations and set expectations with students who live off campus. Additionally, she plans on organizing meetings with resident assistants, orientation leaders and leaders within Greek life and utilizing them in taking preventative measures going into the weekend.

As a campus community as a whole, Treadwell said, “We expect everything to go great, but this is a chance for Keene State to showcase its best and so by showcasing its best, it’s about being out, being a part of volunteering, being a part of enjoying the weekend, but to do so responsibly and to not get engaged in crazy activities.” In addition to student leaders, Treadwell said her and the cabinet are exploring ways to communicate to college faculty members, faculty leaders and staff members as well.

“If they’re going to be here,” she said, “how can they be positively engaged?” By wearing their colors and knowing what to say and do if they do see concerning behavior, “we become kind of engaged as a community.” In terms of college conduct over the weekend, there will be heightened sanctions throughout the week of the festival. Bystander training through the college will also be enhanced “to make sure we’re ready if something starts happening that we would not want to see,” Treadwell said. In addition to heightening some on-campus rules and regulations, Treadwell said they plan to continually monitor social media, as well as implement a No Guest Policy. With events students can get involved in both on and off campus, as well as opportunities for volunteerism, Treadwell said she hopes the Keene State community can come together and celebrate the best of Keene State.

“Our students weren’t the problem last time, they’re not going to be a problem this time, but I want us to be just looking like a really great community rather than a community where one image can really misrepresent us,” Treadwell said.

In the near future, Treadwell plans on putting together a tip sheet to communicate to the campus community how to be safe, smart and what to expect during the weekend.

The event is planned for Oct. 29 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m..

Jessica Ricard can be contacted at jricard@kscequinox.com

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

Administrative Executive Editor: Olivia Belanger | obelanger@kscequinox.com Managing Executive Editor: Alexandria Saurman | asaurman@kscequinox.com

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News / A2

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Science Center courtyard enhancements EMMA HAMILTON

NEWS EDITOR The Science Center courtyard is getting its very own makeover, thanks to Keene State students and faculty members.

Senior environmental studies major Mike Hunyadi said the group is trying to make the courtyard a more inviting space for all students on campus. “In my time here, I have never really seen people utilize this, and I think it has potential to be a really good spot. What we are starting here with is the garden. Last semester, we were working on this and we just started making the paths, creating the beds and then over the summer, weeds really sprouted, so we were working on pulling those and redefining the paths. And this past week, we put cardboard down on the mulch on top of that to prevent weeds again. I know there’s some more plans for working in different areas of the courtyard. One of the ideas was maybe having hammocks, which would be awesome,” Hunyadi said.

Hunyadi picked up the project from a graduate of the class of 2016 Seanna Flynn. Flynn studied environmental science and minored in geography during her time at Keene State. Though the group of students working on this project are not a recognized group through the college, Hunyadi said he would like to get there at some point.

The group works on the courtyard every Friday at noon. Hunyadi said he continues to have enough hands helping him. Hunyadi said, “I’m an RA in the LLC, so I’ve been able to advertise to my floor as well as the nature and sustainability [themed] floor. I’ve gotten decent turnout just from that, but I think last week, we had the best turnout we’ve ever had. Usually prior to that, we were getting four or five people pretty consistently, and then last week, we had seven or eight people show up which was really encouraging.”

Hunyadi said if they are able to accomplish the goal of making this space a more inviting spot, he will have a sense of pride for doing just that. He said, “I think the more that we can sort of encourage people to take pride in where they live, maybe more projects like this will start popping up.”

New Hampshire tends to get

JACOB PAQUIN / PHOTO EDITOR

Individuals working on the courtyard are trying to make the space on campus more inviting to all students.

blistering cold for the winter time, which can be concerning when gardening. “We are trying to plant things that will be able to come back in the spring. Also, we work with Katie Featherston. She works in the biology department and she manages the greenhouse. I was talking to her and her assistant and they mentioned there is need for help up there too,” Hunyadi said.

Senior Greenhouse Lab Specialist for the biology department Katie Featherston began growing plants in the greenhouse about one year ago.

“I started thinking about a place to put plants other than the greenhouse and I looked down in the courtyard, which has not been used for much in the past 10 plus years it was created, and I just thought that would be a place we could grow some plants. About the same time, there were several environmental studies students approaching me with an interest in permaculture, and so over time, those things kind

of worked together and we saw the courtyard as a place where students could really be active and get experience with planting and learn about plants instead of it just sitting there and only used occasionally,” Featherston said.

Featherston said the plans began from a senior project by Andy Marion. She said, “They did an initial design for the courtyard and we have an unoffical group that is hopefully going to become official on campus; it’s the Gardens for Social Justice. They were interested in growing stuff down there. We had some work parties and I got a grant through the Pepsi Challenge Grant. I got $1,000 through there that we spent mostly on plants and so we removed some plants.”

She continued, “When the courtyard was initially created, it was landscaped to represent a New Hampshire landscape. It’s really nice, there’s a meadow, a granite walkway, the big rocks, they planted

native trees and a lot of native plants and it’s really nice, but usually when someone landscapes, they always plant way too many plants because they want to make sure that if some die, there’s some remaining. Well everything did really well down there. We have a lot of small lists of plants and we just wanted to diversify.”

To make the space more useful for all students across campus, Featherston said there has been discussion about possibly making an outdoor classroom area or even hammocks like Hunyadi mentioned.

Another feature added to the courtyard is a compost pile. Featherston said the group is composting everything they pull up and everything that comes out of the greenhouses as well.

The courtyard will also be getting a new addition come the spring time. “I joined the New England Wild Flower Society and they have a project where they want to put

two pollinator gardens in every state and I applied to be a site and we were chosen. In the spring, they are going to come put in this pollinator garden and there will be a whole workshop about it and it’ll be open to anyone who wants to come to that,” Featherston said.

Featherston said the project has been great and students are excited about it. She said, “I think it’s going strong, it has a great future. It could provide many years of things for students.”

Flynn said in a phone interview she picked up this project from a former student, Andy Marion, who initially started this all. “It was mostly just plans, so we were able to follow those plans. I was really the community organizer trying to teach people about it and getting people excited about growing plants. I came in and took Andy’s plans with two other students; it was my senior seminar project last year. We were able to get those plans

in motion and actually put plants in the ground,” Flynn said.

She said the importance of this project is at an all time high and not only for ecological reasons. Flynn said, “Growing your own food and knowing how to do that is a skill that humans have been practicing since we called ourselves civilized and it’s kind of been forgotten; our food systems aren’t seen anymore.”

All students on campus being able to use this courtyard and garden is important, according to Flynn. She said, “The idea of this garden was kind of founded on the principle of a community garden, bringing people together, so a safe space. It was built on everyone is welcome, everyone has a fair say.”

Emma Hamilton can be contacted at ehamilton@kscequinox.com

MAYOR

Cont. from A1

If there were to be an issue at a property, he said there’s at least a day or two lag before the incident would hit a report, and once it does hit the report, the address of the property isn’t listed.

The incident itself is generally listed, such as stating that it was an assault, intoxication issue or broken up party, for example.

In order to discover where and what has occurred at the properties, Grauer said the police want landlords to “basically check the police log every single day and then call to find out if there’s an instance on a street” and if it occurred at one of their properties.

OLIVIA BELANGER

ADMINISTRATIVE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Although he said he believes there is some responsibility in maintaining a knowledge of what’s going on at the properties, he doesn’t understand why they can’t let the landlords know of problems occurring at a property first-hand. “If they’re going to levy a fine against the landlord, they would have to know who the landlord is...but they’re telling me, at least they mentioned at the meeting, that it’s too much work for them to find out who these people are.”

When incidents occur, Grauer said he has two options: talking to the tenants and/or evicting them. “I have long, lengthy lease that goes into detail of what they [tenants] can and cannot do and I can use that to help stop the problem, but ultimately, it’s not my goal

to evict people. The goal is to have them be respectful and responsible members of the community,” Grauer said. “You can levy a fine against me all you want, it’s not going to change my practice as a business because I don’t condone that behavior to begin with...I’m just very confused as to what they actually expect a fine on a landlord to accomplish.”

Coordinator of Student and Community Relations at KSC Robin Picard said the most important information for Keene State College students to hear is that the city has come to a point where they want to address this problem. Yes, students can have gatherings, but with that, she said, comes the responsibility of acting appropriately in their neighborhoods.

well as all KSC students, faculty, staff and administration, consider the several events on campus in the month of October that are alternatives to behavior that could be disrespectful to the community. He said he is currently working with Director of Student Involvement Jennifer Ferrell to fill in any gaps in activities there could be in the weeks preceding the Main Street Pumpkin Festival.

Once Treadwell and Atkins finished their statements, and asked Student Assembly members if they had any questions. Representative of the Class of 2018 Bailey St. Laurent asked two separate questions, one for Atkins and one for Treadwell.

He asked Atkins what the activities that are planned are that were mentioned. Atkins said a list will be sent out soon by Ferrell and will be a mix of fall themed and regular events.

St. Laurent also asked how to get involved in the two different task forces Treadwell mentioned.

Treadwell said to let Student Body President Kenadee Cadieux know and Cadieux will forward those names to Treadwell.

There were no further questions for Treadwell and Atkins. Speaker of Student Assembly Allie Tolles thanked both of them and they left the meeting.

Tolles shifted the conversation to the rest of the agenda. There were two budget requests for student organizations.

KSC Fishing Club requested $1,450 and during

their meeting with the Finance Committee on Student Assembly, the recommended amount was $1,300.

Some of the funds would go towards supplies for the club, which includes fishing licenses for in and out of state, apparel and equipment. Other funds would go towards professional services, such as having someone teach the club how to fly fish, food and travel expenses.

The budget was approved.

The second group to request a budget was KSC Media Productions. They requested $5,200 and during their meeting on Student Assembly, the recommended amount was $4,150. The funds would mostly go towards equipment and hosted events. Treasurer of Student Assembly Casey Matthews made a point of information regarding KSC Media Productions’ request and said during their meeting with the Finance Committee on Student Assembly it was suggested they could possibly submit a one time budget request for obstacles that may rise later in the year. The budget was approved.

Once the two groups adjourned, Student Government Adviser Brandon Mathieu went to his report and reminded Student Assembly the leadership retreat applications are open and to apply if they would like to attend. Also, he mentioned Alumni Weekend was this weekend and that if members are on campus, they should engage positively.

Tolles then shifted the conversation to reports.

Trustee Adam Geddis reported the Board of Trustees

“I think this could be a good wake up call for off campus students,” Picard said. “[And] I think this is a great opportunity for the city and the college students to really work together for a positive outcome.”

The municipal services, facilities and infrastructure committee will convene again to continue the conversation on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m..

Jessica Ricard can be contacted at jricard@kscequinox.com Katherine Glosser can be contacted at kglosser@kscequinox.com

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

During the October 10 meeting of Keene State College’s Student Assembly, KSC Interim President Dr. Melinda Treadwell and Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Dr. Kemal Atkins were in attendance. Treadwell briefed the assembly on her plans for KSC’s future, which she also spoke to the campus about in an open meeting on Wednesday, October 4, in the Mabel Brown Room.

Treadwell discussed her plans to balance the campus’ budget. These details can be found on the front page of The Equinox in the article, “Progress on the budget.”

Atkins discussed the plans for the pumpkin festivals in the Keene community. Currently, KSC has worked with Keene Police Department, Keene Fire Department, Mayor of Keene Kendall Lane and other city community members. Atkins said there will be a series of communications coming out soon regarding the precautionary measures that will be taken on campus.

One of the measures Atkins announced is there will be no visitors allowed in residence halls from October 26 to October 29. He is currently working with residence halls and residence assistants to make sure they are making their residents aware of this rule.

Atkins also suggested Student Assembly members, as

meeting with the University System of New Hampshire is on October 19 and October 20.

Cadieux and Student Body VIce President Sarah Dugas said there will be an open forum with Treadwell on November 15. Cadieux added that she encouraged Student Assembly members to attend.

Committee reports were then heard. Dugas reported for the events committee and said Hootie’s Nocturnal Knockout is on November 3 from 9 to 11 p.m., and is looking for volunteers. Cadieux also reported for the events committee and said the fall festival foods will be chosen soon.

No other reports were made, and Tolles moved to courtesies from the group.

Cadieux said there will be an alumni leadership event this weekend for current KSC students to get the chance to talk with KSC alumni about leadership experiences.

St. Laurent said there will be an Orientation information session on October 16 at 8 p.m. in Science Center room 101.

Cadieux also added that is people are interested in either of the task forces to let her know soon.

After courtesies, the meeting was motioned to adjourn, seconded and dismissed.

Olivia Belanger can be contacted at obelanger@kscequinox.com

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Thursday, October 12, 2017

Flu already hits New Hampshire ABBYGAIL VASAS

EQUINOX STAFF The flu has been spotted in New Hampshire, according to the New Hampshire Department of Public Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Director of the Center for Health and Wellness at Keene State College Christine Burke reported that she has yet to see a confirmed flu case on campus and hopes that with education and vaccinations, the flu’s effect on the college will be minimal.

Her biggest pieces of advice to students for the upcoming flu season was, “save your sick days.” If you are showing flu-like symptoms, the best thing to do, for you and your fellow students, is to stay home, get a lot of rest, drink lots of fluids and “stay out of circulation until your fever has been gone for at least 24 hours.”

Staying home will let your body rest and recover, but it also prevents you from infecting others.

KSC senior Taylor Montgomery often finds herself sick and wants to encourage others to keep their germs to themselves.

“It’s the basics that we teach preschoolers,” said Montgomery. “Cough in your elbow, wash your hands and don’t go to school if you’re sick so I don’t get sick.” It was not just the flu that Montgomery encountered. She also had run-ins with “just about everything… stomach bugs, colds, sinus infections and just about everything else.”

With so many sicknesses going around, Burke also wants students to be aware of what the symptoms of the flu actually are. According to Burke, a common misconception is that vomiting is a symptom of the flu when, in reality, that is a very uncommon symptom. Flu symptoms have a rapid onset; you may feel fine and then suddenly feel sick. A person with the flu will usually experience headaches and severe body aches, fatigue or muscle weakness and a high fever.

Although the flu can be treated easily enough at home, Burke said that preexisting medical conditions can exacerbate the virus, and students who have preexisting illnesses or conditions should seek medical care if they contract the flu.

Even a condition such as asthma could turn the flu into something more serious, such as pneumonia, if the proper precautions are not taken.

Burke’s recommended courses of action during flu season are getting vaccinated and taking care of your-

self. Getting enough sleep is also an important factor of staying healthy; Burke recommends that college students get about eight hours of restful sleep a night to help reduce the chances of getting sick. She also recommended that students keep their partying to a minimum, especially during flu season.

KSC senior Caroline MacEachern said she keeping herself and her environment clean is an important part of staying healthy when the flu is in town. “I’m washing my hands and everything in my house,” said MacEachern when asked how she is preparing for the upcoming flu season.

In addition to covering their coughs and washing their hands, MacEachern also said students should clean up their area and avoid sharing drinks, whether at home or on campus.

On campus, Burke has seen a trend of first-year students getting sick most often. She said she said that it is because of their introduction to communal living.

With several students sharing a room and, in some dorms, an entire floor of students sharing the same bathroom, it can be hard to avoid getting sick once the germ has entered the building.

“We’ve been fortunate not to have a flu that has wiped out an entire residence hall,” said Burke.

Many first-year students can also benefit from a program that is provided by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human services, which allows for all children through the age of 18 to receive all recommended vaccines for free. Burke estimated that the Center for Health and Wellness has already vaccinated over 100 first-year students.

Burke encouraged students to read the email she and the Center for Health and Wellness sent out. She said the email includes information on getting vaccinated, how to minimize the spread of illness and what to do if you get sick.

The Center for Health and Wellness will be hosting a clinic on Oct. 12 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Madison Street Lounge, located on the first floor of the L.P. Young Student Center, where students can stop by and get vaccinated. Burke stated this year’s version of the vaccine protects against four different strains of the virus, whereas last year’s only protected against three.

“Cough in your elbow, wash your hands and don’t go to school if you’re sick so I don’t get sick.”

TAYLOR MONTGOMERY KSC SENIOR

Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com

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Though the flu has hit New Hampshire, it hasn’t gotten to campus yet, and the hope is the impact from it will be minimal when it does arrive.

PROGRESS

Cont. from A1

Bringing enrollment up In the long term, Leach said the college needs to look at where it is enrollment-wise.

He said currently, KSC has 3,750 students, which is smaller than what they think the campus can handle. However, the total number of students the institution is looking to enroll is still unclear. “It’s a very tough, competitive market and at the same time, could we be doing things that could be more attractive for students, better around enrollment management, that could bring those enrollments back up?”

Leach and Treadwell are combining their efforts to figure out what it is going to take to bring enrollment numbers back up to where they need to be. Looking nationally, Leach said the demographics “[are] not a pretty picture.” He said these demographics are not favorable for college students, especially in the New England region. The main goal of this is to help keep New Hampshire students in New Hampshire when they pursue a postsecondary education.

“We are seeing some scary trends here.

[A] 27 percent decline predicted over the next 15 years, that’s pretty significant. If we look at how do we get students from other regions because that’s the kind of strategy that’s been more challenging because in every one of these states around us, you can see they’re losing students and they’re trying to hang on to what they have. We see a free college program in New York, see free community college in Rhode Island, you see Maine trying to match the in-state tuition of our flagship here. That’s what we are competing with,” Leach said.

Another issue Leach addressed with enrollment is individuals are beginning to focus around workforce rather than getting a college degree. He said these young adults are shifting towards trade school or short-term credentials-- whatever is fastest and cheapest. Leach has had conversations with the legislature about KSC being flatfunded for four years, which makes it difficult to lower tuition, and it’s more difficult to freeze tuition, which then in turn makes it harder to keep students.

Leach said, “We really have a different shifting orientation towards what students and parents are looking for when they’re looking at choices. We have a terrific ranking here at Keene with the employability which is fantastic. We’ve got to get that message out there because students and parents are looking for what’s going to help them career-wise.”

He continued, “Employability and career choices are playing a bigger and bigger part of their decision in the process.

I’m sharing this with you because this is a part that the board has been looking at for a

number of years; there’s still graphic trends that shouldn’t be a surprise to us. There are fewer high school graduates and we have fewer people entering high school. We have fewer people graduating from junior high school. We have seen this trend coming and we looked at this stress test approach, trying to predict whether colleges will be able to weather some of this demographic change and stay strong. Every one of our college presidents came forward and said, ‘No problem.’”

Leach said if KSC doesn’t bring its enrollment up next year and the enrollment continues at the rate it’s at, the number will continue at a steady pace.

This will be “concerning,” according to Leach. Another issue is the retention at the college. Leach said the retention needs to be a main focus again for KSC because it has gone down four percent in one year. He added that retention is a campus-wide effort in getting students involved, engaged and make sure students are enjoying the campus environment. “We want our students to be happy they’re here, we want them to be satisfied with the education they’re getting, we want them to recommend us, but at the very least, we want to make sure we get them through to graduation,” Leach said.

He continued, “The reason I come to graduation here every single year is because it’s really what we’re about. I want to see hopefully most, almost all, of the students who clapped in ultimately graduate at the end of four years, and that’s a challenge for all of us. We have to figure out how we can get better at that, how we can address the issue. The one thing I would ask for everybody, administrative, academic, whatever your role is, just to really ask the question, ‘Why do we do this?’”

KSC’s strengths Leach not only spoke of the challenges that KSC is facing, but also the strengths our community and campus have. “I think spending half of my summer here walking around campus and talking to people, it’s even more clear to me the strengths Keene has. I don’t believe Keene should be in the situation that it’s in...there are just a lot of strengths here. I think it’s arguably the best value in the state when you look at the cost of attendance and what you get for that,” Leach said.

Both Leach and Treadwell are looking for help from all campus community members to make improvements. He emphasized the fact that everyone will be working on this problem together. “We have made a lot of progress and I do want to make sure that I do highlight that because it is really a good news story that we have a budget we

can work from now. We have a number of things to entice now that will help us as we balance our budget next year. We haven’t lost the ethos of the college. As we look at how people view Keene, our service, sustainability, the issues that I think are really core to the college, those are the things we can go off of,” Leach said.

Looking forward Treadwell said she believes Leach is attempting to explain to KSC that this circumstance we have fallen into is not unique to our campus, but is more severe than the other institutions in the university system.

She said, “It is something we need to pay attention to and as I have shared in campus meetings we have been very focused on hitting milestones and getting the approved deficit for this year. I want to be very clear so everyone knows where we are and where we’re heading.”

Treadwell overviewed the three-phase approach for this year’s work around the budget. Based off of the three phases she is currently implementing, Treadwell has begun to utilize two disappearing cabinet task forces. One is focused on enrollment strategy and is anticipated to have a recommended enrollment right-size target for KSC by the first weeks of November.

“What is the right size for Keene State?

Thirty-five, 37, 38, 4,000? What is it based on our academic programs, residential life and based on a more aggressive recognition of what real revenue can be, what can we support from a staffing perspective? We have a number of things in place and what I have requested... is a summary of things we didn’t do last year, that we aren’t doing this year and things we didn’t do last year that we are doing this year. What is different? So we have better projection of getting to our enrollment for the next fiscal year.

Also, where are there specific places for us to achieve it? What can we do to enhance the academic student experience to improve those numbers to the positive again?”

Treadwell said.

Treadwell’s expectation by April is for our community to come up with a two-tofive year window of goals. The second task force is on organizational realignment on the budget. Treadwell refers to this is as, “the cost-side of the house.”

“On the cost-side of Keene State’s work,

by Nov. 15, we expect to recommend academic realignment here at Keene State.

What that means is how can we collapse some of our academic offerings into a different leadership structure that contains cost?

As I mentioned in the campus-wide meeting we had, we’ve had CAVs reports, we’ve had a lot of conversations about what Keene

State should look like. The task forces and communities have never been in a position to attend to those recommendations based on financial circumstances, a financial reality for this campus,” Treadwell said.

By Feb. 1, Treadwell is looking for a recommendation on staffing and support realignment from the entire campus get us to the approved budget for fiscal year 2019 (FY19.)

“What do we need to look like? Again, no one will be surprised. There will be conversations and opportunities for people to engage in those discussions and I’ll be very clear about what is happening and we will function as a community,” Treadwell further explained. Cabinet members, expanded members from across the campus and Treadwell worked last week to define KSC’s “elevator speech.”

“We have talked a little bit about this, but we simply can’t keep saying what we have always been saying about Keene State. It’s not translating to parents and students at this time, sadly. We can’t continue to just hold the way we have been communicating as a way moving forward. We have to have a value proposition for Keene State that translates to the audience we are trying to reach: parents and their students. We are trying to communicate who we are,” Treadwell said.

Treadwell said she is going to leverage some strategic resources. “We have a vacant line for a financial director right now. I’ve met with the team about this and I believe we have a team that has worked so hard in our financial aid office. We have a very important gap in that team for too long. I’m going to reach out to higher a temporary financial aid director to come in and help support our packaging and help support that team. We are also going to make recognition to the people who have worked so hard for the past several years and we are going to try to continue to hold that team strong even as we open a permanent search.

The permanent search for a financial aid director will be open right away, but we will have an interim financial aid director that I will be bringing in in the next couple weeks.”

Treadwell said she believes she needs an outside source to come in and look at KSC’s strategies on enrollment and marketing communications. “We are going to bring someone in to do a very intense assessment within the team to identify needs for future investment for me and for the institution to help stabilize where we are with our marketing, communications and enrollment strategy teamwork,” Treadwell said.

Treadwell stressed the importance that KSC graduate students give them economic mobility. “The median income of $61,000 a year is much different than the income for a high school graduate. The career lifetime

growth is differential, credentials are dramatically different for a college graduate versus a high school graduate. That’s our mission as a public institution, we should be helping individuals have economic mobility, so we need to get them to graduation,” Treadwell said.

Feedback from the campus community Lastly, Treadwell addressed feedback she has heard amongst campus since the campus-wide meeting that was held in September.

“There is anxiety, and when I talked about organizational realignment this morning ,I’m sure I created more anxiety. Hold steady.

We have to have conversations about these things. If I wasn’t being forthright with you about this, you would be surprised. You will be involved in the discussion. Each and every member of this community will be invited and engaged. You will not be surprised about the decisions we make, the decisions we must make. I have to lead that and that is my obligation, but I can’t do it alone. There are rumors out there about top down solutions. Faculty, you are not going to be surprised with an academic reorganization that descends from on high to you and your departments, I promise you that.

We will have discussion,” Treadwell said.

Treadwell said she believes KSC has what it takes to face this challenge head-on.

“I was a part of this community for a long time and everything I feel on this campus since I’ve come back, we absolutely have the capacity to adapt to what is a challenging circumstance. The last institution I served, our total budget was $65 million and an $8.7 million dollar deficit and we cut it. We made it. We didn’t destroy the culture. This is a very important moment for us. I’m hearing your constructive feedback, I appreciate it and I am not tone deaf to it. Know that I am listening, know that I am engaging and know that I am trying to push, mentor, serve and support the entire team across the institution; it’s not just the cabinet, it’s the supervisors, directors, it’s the entire leadership of this campus that we need to work for and will,” Treadwell said.

She said she plans to hold community together through this difficult time. “We’ve got to hold community, so that means respecting each other, supporting each other, listening and hearing each other.

Leadership is my responsibility, but it is not something on my own; you all have leadership as well and I am counting on you.”

Emma Hamilton can be contacted at ehamilton@kscequinox.com

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OPINIONS

Opinions / A4 Thursday, October 12, 2017

EDITORIAL

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Potential ordinance fines landlords

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Keene tenants should be held responsible for their own actions Recently, Mayor of the City of Keene Kendall Lane proposed a potential ordinance to the City Council that would fine landlords if police are called to their properties more than three times in a year for violations such as noise complaints or fights. While we can see that Lane wants to control the college parties and bring down complaints from the community itself, we feel that fining landlords won’t solve this problem.

The city of Keene is a college town, and in college towns, there are bound to be parties. Keene landlords ultimately make their own decision as to whether or not they want to rent out to college students, however, it is not the landlord who is making the noise on the weekends, blasting music or getting into fights on his or her lawn.

In 2016, only two properties in Keene, one on Marlboro Street and one on Church Street, would have lent themselves to action under this ordinance. So why does this really need to be passed? Why is it that landlords across the board could possibly be fined when only two residences caused major problems last year? At that point, if the police are called to residences that many times, tenants should be getting fined and the fines should keep rising until the tenants finally realize that they need to be more respectful

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neighbors of the community.

At Keene State College, students are required to live on campus through sophomore year. When junior year hits, students are given the option of living off campus. If students make this decision, they should be mature enough to handle the responsibilities that come with it. This issue of noise complaints in Keene should be held as personal accountability on the tenants themselves. If tenants are willing to risk having a party that gets too out of hand, that should be on them, not the landlords. Many landlords specifically have it outlined in their lease with tenants what may lead to eviction. Creating a public nuisance can be just one of these things. So in a sense, the tenants are putting themselves at risk by violating the lease, and therefore, if these issues continue, they should be fined and evicted after multiple violations so that tenants learn their lesson.

One problem that can come out of this potential ordinance is when a finicky neighbor calls the police over to the apartment next door when the noise isn’t necessarily out of control. If the police visit, it will still be noted in the police log as a violation. So with this ordinance, landlords could be fined for even minute issues.

Another problem that could arise out of this is the fear

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of calling the police when a party gets out of hand because of the risks of fines. When too many people or complete strangers show up to a random party, it can get out of hand quickly.

We at The Equinox would like to see our fellow classmates have a good rapport with the Keene Police Department (KPD) and the Keene community itself. We do not want to see students being stuck in a bad position, like hosting a party where someone is so drunk that they need to be taken to the hospital or hosting a party that has so many attendees that the party becomes unsafe; we don’t want students to avoid calling KPD because they are scared of the consequences.

We feel that tenants should be held personally accountable for their actions and that Mayor Lane’s proposal will not change the way landlords run their business. Landlords who rent out to college students genuinely continue to do so each year. We recognize the problems that Lane is trying to eliminate, but we feel that proposing an ordinance such as this will not eliminate the problem of noisy tenants throwing parties as a whole.

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

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Letter to the editor

We hope your semester is going well.

Like many students, you are now fully involved in your classes, groups and organizations, and our surrounding community.

It’s a busy time with lots of hard work and effort going on – understandably, you want to have fun too.

Keene State and the greater Keene community offer many opportunities for you to get involved.

We hope you will have fun and show your Keene State spirit in support of our fall sports teams and during the two upcoming pumpkin festivals.

Consider volunteering and wearing Keene State red during both festivals, including the event at the Swanzey fairgrounds on October 21, and the scaledback, smaller gathering on October 29 in downtown Keene.

Volunteer opportunities include coordinating kids’ activities, counting pumpkins, assisting with setting up, cleaning up, and breaking down structures after the festivals, and more.

Jessica Gagne-Cloutier has more information on how to participate, if you haven’t already decided on how to take part.

The time and effort students put into volunteering is recognized by our neighbors, and it really is appreciated.

Help to contribute to the success of our community by letting Campus Safety know if you have concerns about an unsafe situation that could arise, including if you see something concerning on social media.

You can email or call Campus Safety at campussafety@keene.edu or 603358-2228 or you can report information anonymously through Silent Witness https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform. php?KeeneStateCollege&layout_id=8.

It’s important to remember that what we all do really does matter during these events, and all year long.

The Student Code of Conduct applies to all students regardless of whether you live on campus or off, at all times.

The College will respond to all conduct violations in the context in which they occur, and students who engage in egregious behavior or who contribute to a disorderly event may incur heightened sanctions accordingly.

Please also know that as an extra safety precaution, on-campus residents will not be permitted to have guests from October 26 - 29.

Like us, we are sure that you want your future alma mater to be known for what Keene State is really about, now and after you graduate for years to come.

Participate, be active in our community, wear your red, and have fun!

Kenadee Cadieux, Student Body President Kemal Atkins, Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management

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

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

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

Letters to the editor must be written exclusively to The Equinox and are due by noon on the Friday prior to publishing. All letters must include name and phone number for verification. The Equinox reserves the right to edit for style and length, and refuse any letters to the editor. For clarification and additional information on any above policies call 358-2414. The Equinox business office is open Monday-

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Thursday, October 12, 2017

STAFF COMMENTARY

Millennial voices need to be heard in Keene

RACHEL VITELLO

Equinox Staff Millennials often get a bad reputation in today’s society. Many times, it’s for something as mundane as spending $5 on a pumpkin spice latte. A more important critique of millennials, however, is that they are not involved enough.

Are young people staying active within their communities? Are millennials involved with politics and voting?

New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu recently sought to begin resolving this issue within the state of New Hampshire, which has the second oldest generation in the nation, according to the Union Leader. On Sept. 20 the governor appointed two young people to his new Millennials Advisory Council. George Hansel, 31, and Danya Landis, 28, are coming up with ideas to help attract young workers to remain in state for college and work, according to the Keene Sentinel.

Most of their ideas revolve around creating more culturally and artistically pleasing events and locations throughout the state. Their thought is that residents would feel less isolated, more intouch with modern trends and it would make the state more appealing to younger crowds.

Hansel and Landis are prime examples of millennials taking affirmative action within their community to better something they feel is worth it. They see an issue, (that young people are not remaining in or relocating to New Hampshire for school and work) and they thought of ideas to resolve it. Now, they’re putting them in action.

More millennials need to adapt this mindset. It is important to constantly stay involved in one’s community and local politics. Young people have more power than they believe. By implementing more arts and culture into the life of New Hampshire, Landis could be making huge steps in changing people’s perspective of life in the state. Over time, more involvement like this could help New Hampshire real estate, local businesses, tourism and the economy holistically. Millennials have the advantage of being up-to-date with technology and trending topics.

This is vitally important in many facets of economic and political growth.

However, many millennials still fail to see their own potential in making a difference. In this past presidential election, the majority of my friends and classmates that I spoke with said they were not planning on voting. Their mindset was that it was either “too inconvenient with

their schedules” or that their one vote would make no difference at all. When a large group of people have that same idea, however, it can be detrimental. Many of these same people were unhappy with the election results when they came out, but did nothing in their power to possibly change the outcome.

Not to say that one person canvassing for a candidate on Main Street in Keene could have changed the outcome of the election, but it could have changed at least a few voter’s minds in the community. If we have that happening in every community, then those numbers add up. This is the importance of involvement. Just like the members of Sununu’s advisory council making decisions that will help create changes they want to see in their community, other young people should be getting involved in ways that will create the change they wish to see. If someone wants to see more arts events near them, like Landis, then they should make strides to see that difference. The same principle applies to any transformation one wishes to see; they must get involved and works towards it.

Rachel Vitello can be contacted at rvitello@kscequinox.com

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STAFF COMMENTARY

STAFF COMMENTARY

The benefits of starting class later Cell phone usage is a problem for students

COLBY DUDAL

Equinox Staff The alarm on your phone blares loudly. You look at your phone to see that the time is 7:15 a.m.. It is time to get dressed, get a coffee and walk to class, all while still half asleep. This has been the routine for as long as you remember.

From catching the bus in high school to getting up early for college classes, waking up early for school has been something that every student knows all too well.

A new study from the RAND Corporation, which is an American nonprofit that compiles research and analysis to help improve global policies, has found that there are both healthrelated and economical benefits to having later school start times. In terms of health reasons, the RAND study shows it is important for teenagers and young adults to get at least eight hours of sleep per night. For many students here at Keene State College, it is difficult to get these eight hours per night if students have an 8 a.m. the following morning.

With all of the studying, homework, projects and possibly even a job, it is nearly impossible to get to bed at a reasonable time where students can wake up in time for their 8 a.m. classes the next day. This leads to many students either skipping class, which prevents learning, or causes students to make it to class sleep-deprived.

The Washington Post quoted the RAND Corporation’s research in a recent article and said, “Adolescent’s brains are wired to go to sleep late and wake up late, making it difficult for them to get a good night’s sleep before their first class.”

The Center for Disease Control has found that this information is just as true for adolescents as it is for college students.

When I wake up for an 8 a.m. class, I am always tired, and I usually even find it hard to focus because all I want to do is go to sleep.

This is a problem because if students are tired during class, then they will more likely not pay attention and lose interest. This in turn leads to not learning the material that is taught and getting lower grades. Later class start times would also help with less people being tired on the roads and, therefore, getting into car accidents, according to the study done by the RAND Corporation.

Despite studies being done showing that it is unhealthy to start classes so early, there has yet to be any serious legislation anywhere regarding starting classes later. The reason for this is mainly because a lot of people are against the issue because of planning for school sports and clubs. If school classes were to begin later, that would mean they would also need to end later.

This would then push back the times that sports games and clubs could begin meeting.

A good solution to this would be to either have most of the games during the weekend when none of the students have class or making sure that all fields had proper lighting so that

ISABELLA HARRIS

Equinox Staff

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they are prepared for night games.

The issue is more than likely here to stay because of many lawmakers being against later start times. This means that the early mornings are here to stay. So be prepared for many more mornings of hearing that loud, annoying alarm signaling you that it is time to get ready for class.

Colby Dudal can be contacted at cdudal@kscequinox.com

When I wake up for an 8 a.m. class, I am always tired, and I usually even find it hard to focus because all I want to do is go to sleep.

COLBY DUDAL EQUINOX STAFF

Everyday before school, students load up their backpack with notebooks, folders, planner, pens, pencils and, of course, students cannot forget their cellphones.

The question of whether or not college students are addicted to their cell phones and technology is one that many people ponder. I think that a technology addiction is a problem situationally, but this kind of addiction isn’t something that hasn’t been seen before.

According to a study done by S. McCallister in 2011, 60 percent of college students admit to being addicted to their cell phones and are irritated when their cellphone is not in sight.

Here at Keene State, it is very evident lots of students have this same feeling.

Despite professors asking students to put their phones away, students still text under their desk or take a peek at their phone in their backpack. The temptations of social media, emails, apps and texts are simply too much to resist.

In another study called, “The invisible addiction: Cell-phone activities and addiction among male and female college students,” conducted by James Roberts, found that respondents spent an average of 94.6 minutes a day texting, 48.5 minutes sending emails, 38.6 minutes checking Facebook and 34.4 minutes surfing the web.

While I do think these numbers are concerning, I do not think this addiction is different from other technology addictions in the past.

For example, when television and radio first emerged, people from all around the world were tuning in to watch and listen to this new form of technology.

Similarly in today’s era, the internet, social media and texting are just a few examples of modern forms of technology, and I think it is completely normal that we are seeing addiction.

From my perspective, I view this “addiction” as adaptation to new technology, as we once did with television and radio. However, I do agree with the fact that the usage of cell phones situationally can cause issues inside the classrooms for both students and teachers.

Roberts said in his study, “An addiction to one’s cell-phone can

undermine academic performance as students use their cell-phones to ‘remove’ themselves from classroom activities, cheat, and to disrupt their studies.” This is where I think the use of cell phones becomes an issue.

While it is okay to check a quick text, we all know the social bubble that lays within our phone can be a huge distraction in class. It is not possible to scroll through Instagram and completely take in the material being taught in class.

An addiction to a cell phone can also cause social issues.

“Pretending to take a call, send a text, or check one’s phone to avoid an awkward social situation, for instance, is a common negative reinforcing behavior practiced by cellphone users,” said Roberts.

I think this kind of behavior is detrimental to human nature, as we are using phones to avoid conquering these “awkward” situations. The only way to learn from those situations is to tackle them face-on, not screen-on.

Texting and driving is another danger that addiction can lead to. “Ultimately, the cell-phone user reaches a ‘tipping point’ where he/ she can no longer control their cellphone use or the negative consequences from its over-use,” said Roberts. This is where a cell phone addiction can become dangerous.

Recently, the launch of iOS 11 includes a new Do Not Disturb while driving feature. When activated, it sends an automated response to texts to inform the person on the other line you are driving.

I think this is a step in the right direction for this issue, as companies like Apple know there are dangers with cell phone use while driving and are trying to come up with a solution.

Cell phone and technology use has become an essential part of our lives, and whether this is a good or bad thing is left up to the user. I think as long as students can learn to control their cell phone and technology use situationally, that this addiction is not a major issue. Learning to become adapted and not addicted is a skill we need to master as a society to ensure the uses of technology and cell phones are being used for the good and not the bad.

Isabella Harris can be contacted at iharris@kscequinox.com

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Thursday, October 12, 2017

Behind the paintings Fake violence with real STAFF COMMENTARY

consequences MERIDITH KING

Arts & EntErtAinmEnt Editor

JACOB PAQUIN / PHOTO EDITOR

Keene State College student Erin Ruvalcaba paints figure model Georgia Fletcher in a Painting II class.

One womans’ experiences as a figure model ERIN MCNEMAR

Equinox stAff Bold. Showing the willingness to take risks. Brave.

Having the ability to show the world all your imperfections.

Beautiful. Embracing those imperfections because that’s what makes you, you. Georgia Fletcher has been providing the reference of her nude body to artists for over 30 years now as a figure model.

Fletcher began her modeling career as a source of income. She was already modeling for a figure drawing workshop when Associate Professor Peter Roos took over running the program. After working together for awhile, Roos asked Fletcher to come model for his classes at Keene State College.

“I was the person teaching figure painting and drawing, so I took over the workshop, and she was a regular model for that. She’d been modeling for the workshop before I got here, but it wasn’t being

run through the school,” Roos explained. “So we started working together, and she’s been a regular model for all these years.”

As she continued to model, more and more people began contacting her and asked her to pose for them.

“It’s kind of like when a plant spreads its seeds,” Fletcher said, describing how people reached out to her.

However, as time went on, Fletcher’s purpose for modeling began to shift.

“I started to really have a relationship with the artists.

I started to understand how important it is for them that I’m willing to do this work,” Fletcher expressed.

One of the aspects that Fletcher said she values most in her line of work is the relationship between the artist and the model. Describing it as a “sacred and honest relationship” in a piece she wrote for the online personal photography project “Growing Up Girl” by Lori Pedrick, Fletcher

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is able to appreciate the work the artist is doing and vise versa.

“There became this symbiotic relationship between me and the artists, and I really deeply valued being part of art and being involved in it in this way. I will never stop modeling no matter where I go.”

One of the relationships Fletcher made was with Liz Gallacher when she asked Fletcher to model for her senior project last year. Originally, Gallacher planned on portraying Fletcher as a victim in her project on rape culture.

However, after their first photoshoot, Gallacher took the project in a different direction.

“I decided to put her in a more positive light and use her as a powerful figure rather than her being beaten down,” Gallacher explained.

Fletcher expressed her amazement of the final product.“The work that was generated from our working together was these huge pieces that were just bold and brave

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and fearless and completely invited everyone to look at the beauty that is the variety of how we view our bodies.”

Throughout the entirety of her adult life, Fletcher has continued to model, no matter what shape her body has been in. She feels it is important to the growth of an artist to continue to present the human figure honestly.

“My body had changed a lot.

I did this through a pregnancy, I did this through being really in shape and then to now,” Fletcher continued. “I valued being able to participate in art because I think it’s a fundamental way we communicate as human beings.”

So after the past 30 years of contributing her figure to benefit the work of artists, how does it feel to be a figure model?

With a smile, Fletcher explained, “There’s a boldness about it that I embrace.”

Erin can be contacted at emcnemar@kscequinox.com

Violence in the entertainment world is harmless right? It is nothing more than smoke and mirrors, fake blood and special effects, but harmless in real life.

You would think so, but some people think that’s far from the case. In fact, studies as far back as the 1960s have suggested that violence in TV and movies can be harmful for children to watch.

In a day and age where acts of violence and terrible tragedy are almost not even shocking anymore, can we really turn a blind eye to any purported causes of this normalization of violence?

According to a study done by the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development, young people see an estimated number of 10,000 violent acts on TV annually.

Anything a child, or anyone, sees over 10,000 times a year, they are going to be desensitized to. The study outlines the issues in violent shows that children are watching, issues such as when the “hero” commits violent acts or when portrayed violence usually goes unpunished.

The study stated, “When children see violence without remorse, criticism or punishment they learn that doing bad things is okay – there are no consequences. But that is not true in the real world.”

When kids see that the good guy superheros are blasting bad guys left and right, each coming out unscathed, it can deceive children into thinking violent actions do not end too badly.

On the other hand, violent TV and video games can also make children think the world is a dark and scary place and exaggerate mental illnesses. CNN quotes, “While playing video games can be a coping mechanism for a child who’s already experiencing depression or anxiety, the study’s authors suggest gaming can also increase those problems.”

If a child is watching or playing on the TV for three or more hours a day, they aren’t developing social skills or experiencing and learning to react to real life situations.

We accept that our children learn counting and the alphabet from shows like Sesame

GRAPHIC BY MERIDITH KING / ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Street and even Spanish from shows like Dora the Explorer; how can anyone even say that a child’s impressionable young mind isn’t affected negatively by constantly watching exaggerated violence being glorified on TV shows and in blockbuster movies?

CNN reported, “‘90 percent of movies, 68% of video games, and 60% of TV shows show some depictions of violence,’” according to Caroline Knorr, parenting editor for Common Sense Media.

It is doubtful violence will ever completely leave the entertainment world--people like it just too much. Rather than call for the complete extermination of all violence in TV and movies, perhaps parents should choose to more closely monitor and discuss these programs their kids are watching.

Open discussion about the real-life consequences of the violent actions portrayed in TV shows and movies between parents and their children could be very beneficial.

Teaching children the difference between fantasy and reality seems to be a key feature in keeping children aware that TV violence has no place in real life and is a practice that will continue to be so very important in times like today, where violent attacks seem to be in the news every week.

Meridith King can be contacted at mking@kscequinox.com

to Spirit for Halloween Costumes, Treats, Decorations, and Accessories!

KSC Students & Staff Ride Free with I.D. 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:

KSC Word Search

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

LAST WEEKS SOLUTION

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.

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Voices of Paris at KSC KATHERINE GLOSSER

Equinox Staff Over 40 people arrived at the Redfern Arts Center on Sunday to watch a new music faculty member perform at a recital called the Faculty Recital Series: Voix de Paris.

This runs like every typical college recital except this recital had a twist; instead of students performing the recital, it was a new faculty member and her colleague.

People of many age ranges came to watch two people perform: Dr. Rebecca Hartka, a cello player and Keene State music faculty member and pianist Barbara Lysakowski.

Young children, KSC students, faculty members and other adults watched as they performed.

The recital music is Parisinspired with the songs being historically heard in salons in Paris. One of their musical performances was played in a theater performance that featured the sad lovestruck clown Pierrot, who was in love with Columbine, a female clown who would often break his heart. Hartka said she was inspired to perform french music for her recital because of her love for it. Her obsession with french music began four years ago, when she received a french bell that was from the 1890s.

From there, she developed a love and appreciation for french music.

KSC junior music major Geoffrey Edwards was one of two of Hartka’s students that came to see her recital.

Edwards said he has been

going to faculty recitals at Keene State since his first year and said he enjoys going to them. He expressed his admiration for Hartka’s work.

“I’ve always loved her music, she’s very expressive with how she performs. The collaboration between the piano player and the cello player is just incredible,” said Edwards.

Hartka felt it’s good for her students to come to her event.

“I think it was really good for them to see me in action because you can speak a whole bunch in your lessons about what to do, but actions speak louder than words, and they can also see that I’m human and I also make mistakes,” said Hartka. “I definitely had a few bloopers; it’s a normal part of the concert experience, but overall I feel pleased with the performance.”

Lysakowski has been playing the piano since she was six-years-old. She and Hartka were colleagues as faculty for All Newton Music School. Lysakowski said she felt a musical connection with Hartka, which inspired them to perform together at the faculty recital. Lysakowski said she, at first, felt fearful of how the audience would react to her work, but as she kept playing, her connection with the audience deepened.

“I felt I played better and better with every piece, feeling this great connection with the audience, and somehow, I was received well and encouraged to keep going,” said Lysakowski.

KSC music faculty

member Marcia Lehninger said she came to the recital to support her friend and colleague Hartka. She and Hartka play music together.

Lehninger said she found the performance to be beautiful and admired the experience of the performers.

“I would love to see more people come to these events because this is an incredible high-level performance,” said Lehninger.

Hartka said she has played the cello for 33 years and that she loves the cello for its rich, dark sound that vibrates her whole body as she plays it.

She said she felt it has a soulful, rich human quality to it and was happy with how the performance turned out.

“I felt that the audience was quite receptive and warm, and the piano’s beautiful, so generally, I would say great stage crew, everybody was really attentive so it was very nice,” said Hartka.

Edwards felt going to this recital would be enriching for other music students. “Being able to hear these professionals is an incredible experience for any musician, whether they are performing or if they’re listening. It’s worth the time and the performances are just incredible and we don’t get many opportunities like this,” said Edwards.

Magic of Monadnock ALEX FLEMING

Equinox Staff The Magic of Monadnock Colloquium: Poetry Bridging Continents, started building its bridge with its first event called The American Renga.

On Monday, Oct. 9, Keene State students and faculty members gathered with American and Chinese master poets in the Mabel Brown Room to write their very own renga poem.

Renga is a form of Japanese collaborative poetry in which a group of people write a poem on a long sheet of paper. The poets alternate writing stanzas until the entire page is filled.

Event organizer and Journalism, Multimedia and Public Relations Adjunct Professor, Rodger Martin, said the event adapts the renga to English. (It should be noted Martin is a Coadvisor to The Equinox.)

In Chinese, words are written top to bottom, right to left.

Martin said the event fused English and Chinese writing styles by adapting the poem to the English writing style, right to left and top to bottom. Colorful three stroke glyphs were painted onto the borders of each stanza, and visiting Chinese poets traveled around the room to write stanzas in Mandarin.

Katherine Glosser can be contacted at kglosser@kscequinox.com

“It brings two languages into one American renga,” Martin said.

The event started with a traditional Chinese toast led by Martin to honor imagination, the poetry and the art.

KSC senior Erza Richardson, came to the event with his entire Basic Chinese 101 class. He said his class was invited by Martin. “I’m excited, but it’s my first time writing a renga,” he said.

Chinese Poet Yihai Chen was among KSC’s honored literary guests.

Yihai Chen was born in Dongtai, Jiangsu Province. He holds a Ph.D in comparative literature and is the professor and Dean of School of Chinese Language and Literature at Yancheng Teachers University.

Chen is a free-verse modernist poet and translator, influenced by T.S. Eliot and Sylvia Plath. He writes in both English and Chinese, but learned English in the United Kingdom and began to translate his own poetry. He prefers to translate it himself because he said it’s easy to translate the language, but it’s hard to translate the culture.

“I am the master of my own poetry,” he said. “I know what’s easy to translate and what’s hard. I can translate creatively.”

Chen said he must manipulate his translations to make them more acceptable and readable to the audience.

Chen was joined by famous Chinese poet and calligrapher Zi Chuan.

Chuan was born in Gaoyou County, Jangsu Province. He is a professional writer and poet, a member of the China Writers Association and the Vice-Chairmen of China Association for Poetics Studies. He writes in the styles of modernist and Chinese traditional poetry. His focus is in pastoral and rural life, and his works have been published in six different languages.

“It is very significant to have collaboration,” Chuan said.

“We do not have enough translations of contemporary poets.”

Chuan said he wishes for more publications on both sides.

“We know our poets, but we don’t know each other’s. With communication, more poets will be known.”

The rengas written during the event will be on display at the L.P. Young Student Center until Thursday. The poems will then be read to the public in the Marion Woods Room at the Mason Library at 2 p.m., and then will be put into the care of the Mason Library’s Head of Special Collections and Archives, Rodney Obien.

“We have a very large collection of poetry,” Obien said. “At the end of the week, the poems will find their way into the archive.”

ANGELIQUE INCHIERCHA / EQUINOX STAFF

One of the Chinese master poets creates a renga poem.

Alex Fleming can be contacted at afleming@kscequinox.ccom

The Bandstand Afterimage Our Bio:

Afterimage was formed in the fall of 2016 after bassist and vocalist Casey Daron was looking to put a band together for Keene State’s first annual Battle of the Bands. Guitarist Brandon Curcio and drummer Andy LeCuyer were recruited for the first gig. After a few shows of playing covers and a couple of line-up changes, the band realized they had potential to begin writing their own original material. Lead vocalist Griffin Romprey and keyboardist Jason Coburn were added to the mix, and the band began working on their first project. The Afterimage EP was released in April of 2017, featuring five original songs including the live-staple, Penicillin. Since the EP was released, Afterimage has played many on and off campus shows, including a gig at the Northeast Delta Dental Stadium, playing before the Fisher Cats game.

Afterimage is influenced by many classic rock and alternative bands, including Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Phish and Weezer, and this can certainly be heard in their sound. The band is currently setting up more shows, as well as working on their debut EP.

Members: Casey Daron - bass/vocals Brandon Curcio- guitar Andy LeCuyer - drums Griffin Romprey- lead vocals Jason Coburn - keyboard

Location:

Keene, New Hampshire

Genres:

Rock, alternative rock, classic rock, indie rock

Where to find us online: The Afterimage EP is available now on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more. https://www.facebook.com/AfterimageNH/ https://afterimage.bandcamp.com/releases

ALBUM COVER BY ANNA HEINDL

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Thursday, October 12, 2017

ENTERTAINMENT

KSCEQUINOX.COM

Glitterati and

Glamazons

PHOTOS BY SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN / MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR & BENAJIL RAI / EQUINOX STAFF

Drag queens perform at Keene State College and speak on drag history MERIDITH KING

Arts & EntErtAinmEnt Editor What an extravaganza eleganza! This past Friday, Oct. 6, Keene State College welcomed the talents of professional drag queens Mizery McRae, Destiny and Dusty Moorehead-Malletti for the show Glitterati and Glamazons. All three queens lit up the stage of the Mabel Brown Room, dazzling the audience with multiple glittering costumes, snatched wigs and a diverse song repertoire.

The event itself was hosted by KSC After Hours. Coordinator of Student Activities and Organizations Britany Gallagher was a key person in the organizing of the event. KSC Pride and Mentors in Violence Prevention both had tables at the show as well.

Gallagher has had experience with attending drag shows during her undergraduate and graduate college experiences and said she wanted to bring that type of experience to KSC students.

“I think [the show] was enough to kind of push some boundaries, maybe, and maybe push some students to get outside of their comfort zones and maybe start exploring different identities,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher prefaced the event with a brief history and movie covering some of the history and impact drag has had and currently has on the LGBTQ+ community. The movie shown featured Devlin Andrews, who performs as a drag queen.

Gallagher talked about how drag is a performance of how society views gender, and queens can identify as male, female, gay, straight, trans- there really are no limits to who can perform in drag. That was a constant theme throughout the show. Drag was described as being a commentary on the misogynistic nature of society, a parody of expectations of gender.

During Gallagher’s undergraduate studies, her and her friends frequented a local club, attending drag shows almost every weekend. Gallagher also said this was a time in her life that she was coming to terms with her own sexuality.

“It was actually some of the drag queens that made me realize that all of the discomfort that I had felt all of my life with the way that I performed my gender. At the end of the day, it is a performance. It’s okay to be different and it’s okay to challenge social norms and it’s okay to challenge people in your life about what they believe to be the social norms,” Gallagher said.

Mizery, Destiny and Dusty were diverse examples of what drag can be. All came out in almost larger than life costumes and hair, with fantastic and wild dance moves and skilled makeup. Performances ranged from dramatic Cher songs by Dusty Moorehead-Malletti, complete with her iconic mega-fro, to pop songs from Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj performed by Destiny, as well as interactive, energetic performances by Mizery.

All of the queens offered a range of talents and personalities.

First-years Jordan Richard and Sashana Campbell were just a few of the audience members who were pulled out front in an end performance by the queen Mizery to show their moves. Neither had ever been to a drag performance but had said they had always wanted to go to one.

When asked on her favorite part of the performance, Richard said without hesitation, “The split [Mizery did]. Oh my god, I was so close, I was not ready for that split at all”.

The queens also took the opportunity to take on a more serious tone within the show.

Mizery took a moment to ask the audience if anyone knew who threw the first object at the Stonewall Riots. The room went silent, and there were plenty of guilty, downcast stares as people avoided eye contact with the queen.

One student, Lea Nolette, was brave enough to offer the answer: Marsha P. Johnson. That moment made a big impact, and Mizery used it to explain the need for people in the LGBTQ+ community to know their history and use it as power to progress.

“History is power. Knowledge is power,” Mizery said. “If we want to move forward, we need to know our past.”

Meridith King can be contacted at mking@kscequinox.com

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Student Life / B1 Thursday, October 12, 2017

STUDENT LIFE

KSCEQUINOX.COM

CAMPUS SEXUAL ASSAULT “...people are already intimidated, it’s already complicated, and now it seems that schools will no longer be obligated [to handle sexual violence], which is something we need to understand.”

PATRICIA PEDROZA GONZALEZ KSC DEPARTMENT CHAIR OF WOMEN’S AND GENDER STUDIES

GEORGE AMARU / ART DIRECTOR EMERITUS

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos proposes new guidance for sexual violence on campus OLIVIA BELANGER

AdministrAtive executive editor United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos recently announced the Department of Education (DOE) is rescinding its Obama-era “guidance” on sexual harassment.

DeVos said the new guidance is giving colleges and universities “more freedom to balance the rights of accused students with the need to crack down on serious misconduct.” In trying to get colleges to take sexual assault more seriously, the argument within higher education has risen regarding whether the Obama administration had created a system that treated the accused unfairly.

Two standard sets of guidelines are being revoked in order to move forward with DeVos’ plan. The Dear Colleague Letter on Sexual Violence (DCL) dated April 4, 2011 and the Questions and Answers on Title IX Sexual Violence dated April 29, 2014 have officially been withdrawn. A statement released by the DOE stated the two documents were removed because they “ignored notice and comment requirements, created a system that lacked basic elements of due process and failed to ensure fundamental fairness.”

DeVos added the “era of rule by letter is over,” and the DOE is currently working on a new Title IX regulation that “better serves students and the schools.”

The DCL was originally issued by the Office for Civil Rights to explain the requirements of Title IX cover sexual violence and to remind institutions of their responsibilities to take immediate and effective steps to respond to sexual violence. Under the Obama administration’s archived website, it is stated the DCL provides guidance on the “unique concerns that arise in sexual violence cases,” as well as listing the Title IX requirements related to sexual violence, such as the requirement to publish a policy against sex discrimination, designate a Title IX coordinator and adopt and publish grievance procedures.

DeVos has released an interim Q&A for schools to investigate and adjudicate allegations of sexual misconduct under federal law until a permanent regulation has been put in place that explains DOE’s current expectations of institutions.

“This interim guidance will help schools as they work to combat sexual misconduct and will treat all students fairly,” said DeVos. “Schools must continue to confront these horrific crimes and behaviors head-on.

There will be no more sweeping under the rug. But the process also must be fair and impartial, giving everyone more confidence in its outcomes.”

The hot-button concern for Keene State College is whether DeVos’ plans will change how the campus handles acts of sexual violence.

KSC Title IX Coordinator Jeff Maher insists this new guidance will not have a large effect on campus. He said the guidance that was released by DeVos consists of mostly efforts KSC has been implementing already.

“If a student is accused of sexual assault, we refer to that person as the responding party, not as the accused student…not any sort of language that could be evaluating,” Maher said. “I would meet with that student with a letter that says the college has received a complaint, this is when we received it, this is what the complaint is, these are your rights and let’s schedule a time for us to talk. That’s what we’ve always done here, but it appears as though some other schools haven’t, which would be the reason for the change.”

KSC Interim President Dr. Melinda Treadwell echoed Maher and said the campus has been demonstrating best practice in regards to sexual assault. She said her biggest concern revolves not around policy, but rather the communication effort between the administration and those who experience sexual assault. “My hope is that victims won’t feel they shouldn’t come forward, so I think our communication effort has to be Keene State has long been adhering to a best practice; you must feel your concerns will be respected and report any situation,” Treadwell said.

However, KSC Department Chair of Women’s and Gender Studies Dr. Patricia Pedroza Gonzalez said she feels the new guidance from DeVos will further discourage students from coming forward and reporting.

Pedroza Gonzalez added the current regulations are already arduous and somewhat unclear, which will make it harder for students to be aware of the appropriate steps to take regarding sexual assault. “...people are already intimidated, it’s already complicated, and now it seems that schools will no longer be obligated [to handle sexual violence], which is something we need to understand. Are we really aware of what the current policy is anyway? Everybody should be aware of it because it [sexual violence] could happen to anyone. If we aren’t even aware of the current policy, how can we be aware of the changes?” Pedroza Gonzalez said.

There is no “happy ending with this,” according to Pedroza Gonzalez, because she said the institutions can now rid themselves of responsibility. Accusations of sexual assault, sexual harassment or rape can damage the institution’s reputation, she said, and in such competitive times in higher education, she said she is “not surprised” colleges and universities would want more freedom from the previous regulations.

“If we already know this is happening and it doesn’t work, now [with the new guidance] we will not have anything that pushes us to keep improving. It feels that many steps, many rights, are going backwards,” Pedroza Gonzalez said.

To counteract this fear of moving backwards, KSC Associate Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity Dr. Dottie Morris said KSC has a strong education program regarding sexual violence and prevention and that generates more confidence in the system put in place on campus.

KSC has been tackling issues of sexual violence for much longer than other similar-sized institutions, according to Maher, and have employed a sexual violence prevention coordinator for “close to 15 years,”

long before the DCL made its debut in 2011.

While Pedroza Gonzalez said she knows KSC makes efforts to combat sexual violence, she wants a clearer policy. She added she wants KSC’s current policies, as well as any changes being made to it under the Trump administration, to be clearly stated somewhere publicly for administration, faculty, staff and students to be able to reference. A suggestion she had was on the college’s website under Title IX. Maher said he does his best to become involved on campus in hopes to make the policy clear and make members of the community comfortable with him. “... students don’t have to report to a nameless administrator. If I can get students to see me as Jeff as opposed to Mr. Maher, the Title IX Coordinator, than that ultimately helps to encourage reporting,” Maher said.

Maher said supporting students is the first and most important step in any sexual violence situation. Morris added to this, saying the primary concern is about caring for the students and making sure they are safe.

“I think the whole idea around community and community rebuilding is that when you have a culture of any type of violence, it’s that it has an impact on all of us. It doesn’t just have an impact on the person who is the victim, but it has an impact on everyone who might witness it or know that person and the same way for the person carrying it out,” Morris said. “There are definitely things in the culture that reinforces that it is an okay behavior, and so it is up to us as a community to try and shift that paradigm. It’s not just the relationship between two people; it’s between all of us and how we speak to each other, talk to each other and interact with each other.”

Olivia Belanger can be contacted at obelanger@kscequinox.com

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STUDENT LIFE / B2

Thursday,October 12, 2017

Student hikes 273 miles in Vermont IZZY HARRIS

“We would walk down to the street with our thumbs up and hope that someone would pick us up,” she said.

As mile 273 came to an end, Tana said, “I was really happy, but also really sad.

I was ready to be done, but also knew that I didn’t really want to be done.”

Hiking 273 miles, This summer, Tana said she hopes to conquer the 100-mile wilderness, which taking only four is the last 100 miles of the Appalachian trail in Maine. She also said she hopes one showers and 25 days day to hike the whole Appalachian Trail. of sleeping in the Beth said she is incredibly proud of her daughter for completing this journey. woods; could you do “I think that there’s nothing she can’t do now, so I know no matter what she it? says, she’s going to do it. I had no idea she had that much drive and commitment,” Keene State Col- Beth said. lege sophomore Tana Tana and her mother often hike together, but after Tana came back from The Meyer is one of those Long Trail things were different. “She couldn’t hike or do anything because of that can, in fact, say her knee; once we started hiking, it was cool to be following her. I used to be the yes, she did it. leader, but now I was definitely following her this summer,” said Beth This past summer, alongside her friend Izzy Harris can be contacted at Kirsten Gehl, the two iharris@kscequinox.com hiked The Long Trail in Vermont from start to finish.

“You didn’t have to care about anything besides waking up and hiking, it was pretty cool,” said Tana.

The girls hiked an average of nine-10 hours a day, adding up to about 10 or 12 miles of hiking daily.

A typical day for Tana on this adventure was waking up, having breakfast, starting to hike, having lunch, hiking to the shelter and having dinner.

Tana said she “planned their trip around the shelters” so she would have a shelter to sleep in every night.

Tana said for breakfast, she would usually have oatmeal and coffee. A typical lunch was tortillas and peanut butter, fruit snacks, cheese and dried fruit.

Dinner would include ramen or instant mashed potatoes.

On Tana’s journey, she carried a backpack that she said, “...started out at 43 pounds and ended around 37 pounds.”

Inside the backpack, Tana said she carried a hammock, sleeping bag, a water filter, a change of clothes for the night, food, water and a sleeping pad.

Beth Meyer, Tana’s mother, said she was not scared to let her daughter complete this journey. “I trusted that she was ready,” said Beth.

Beth spoke with her daughter almost every day. “I have a tracker on her phone… so I could keep tab on where she was,” said Beth.

Tana faced a few obstacles on the hike that made everything slightly more difficult.

“It rained like every day,” said Tana. “We wore the same clothes every day, and they were usually wet when we put them on and smelled terrible,” Tana said.

On the seventh day, another challenge arose; Tana had injured her knee.

“I usually cried going downhill; it made me walk a lot slower,” Tana said.

After she got back from the hike, Tana said she found out she had tendinitis and bursitis in her knee.

Beth said she felt most nervous on the day Tana hurt her knee.

“She texted me and said ‘I hurt my knee.’ I found where she was. I said, ‘I can be there in three hours,’ and she said, ‘No, I’m going to keep going,’” Beth said.

Gehl hiked alongside Tana on this 25-day journey. After Tana hurt her knee, she said because she was in better health than Tana due to her injury, it was hard to “work together while hiking, pace-wise.”

Gehl and Tana have been friends for about three years and Gehl said Tana was of help to her. “Tana is known for being stubborn and sticking to things and finishing them…her stubbornness wore off on me.”

The worst part of the hike for Gehl was, “Fostering a mentality and strength, and perseverance was really hard.”

As for the best part, “Saying, as a woman, I could hike 273 miles accompanied with another women and no man to protect us, women are more powerful than we think we are,” said Gehl.

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY TANA MEYER When it was time for the two girls to wander off the trail and get more food, Meyer and Gehl hiking the Vermont Long Trail.

Tana said they had to hitchhike.

Equinox Staff

BRENDAN JONES / EQUINOX STAFF

Data: Vermont Center for Geographic Information, All Trails

Astronomer speaks about life on Mars KALILA BROOKS

Equinox Staff On Tuesday, Oct. 3, at 4 p.m. approximately 50 students and faculty members gathered in room 101 of the Putnam Science Center for a lecture on Mars exploration from Boston University Associate Professor of Astronomy Paul Withers.

The speaker was invited by Keene State College Assistant Professor of Physics Sarah McGregor.

“One of the things that I try to do is to bring faculty of researchers or scientists from the area, or maybe a little bit further [away], to come and give presentations on what’s going on in physics and astronomy,” McGregor said.

“I was really glad to see so many of the students—and there were a lot of faculty here— who came and were into it. It’s really exciting to see so many people involved,” added McGregor.

Withers said he was delighted to accept the invitation, “The material is something that I know well, but I don’t have the opportunity to teach this specific material in the classes I tend to teach. This gave me an opportunity to talk about the solar system object of which I do most of my research activities.”

Withers has been interested in astronomy for a long time.

“I find the exploration of planets in our own solar system a fascinating voyage of discovery. In my lifetime, these objects have changed from small points of light in telescopic images to worlds as rich and complex as our own,” Withers said. His goal in coming, he added, was to “give people a flavor of the sorts of questions that are driving Mars exploration today.”

He spoke of the ongoing quest for life on Mars, and discussed the evidence of liquid water on the planet.

Withers concluded, “With all this evidence, we can only ask, ‘Where are the aliens?’”

KSC first year Alison Daisy said she initially attended the lecture because her astronomy professor offered extra credit to any students in the class who would go. S he said, “It was cool to learn about something more specific within astronomy instead of all the planets in general.”

Daisy said she thought Withers’ presentation was interesting, and she would consider going to similar events, depending on the topic.

To Daisy and anyone else who’s curious about upcoming lectures, McGregor said she tries to plan a couple every semester.

“We always try to post them on events and send them out to the events calendar. Other than that, if there are people that are really interested in the things that are going on, like maybe other astronomy lectures, they can contact me. I can make sure that I [tell] them specifically when we’ve got somebody who’s going to be talking about astronomy or astrophysics.”

McGregor said people should attend this kind of event because it broadens their view. She said it’s important for everyone to see what’s beyond the classroom because everything we learn about is a part of something bigger and cooler.

“So let’s see what some of those cool things are,” McGregor said.

“I hope that people enjoyed the presentation today,” said Withers. “I enjoyed coming up here and delivering [it].”

Kalila Brooks can be contacted at kbrooks@kscequinox.com

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STUDENT LIFE / B3

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Eating with The Equinox Big E-style Fried Oreos thiS rEcipE doES not rEquirE a dEEp fryEr!

Ingredients: Oreos Pancake batter Powdered Sugar Directions: Dip oreos in the pancake batter.

You can deep fry the oreos, BUT if you dont have a deep fryer, you can fry the oreos in about a quarter inch of oil in a hot pan.

Let the oreos dry off slightly on a paper towel.

Shake powdered sugar over the fried oreos.

STAFF COMMENTARY

What’s the Hoot?

A Day in the Life of a Transman

LEA NOLETTE

MEMbEr of GaMErS Guild Gamers Guild, also known as G2, is a club that meets regularly in the Madison Street Lounge from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday evenings. It has a multitude of games, both board games, which vary widely, as well as video games, the most popular being Super Smash Brothers. We also have varying offshoots which include Dungeons & Dragons groups and an e-sports team that is currently in the making. It’s a relaxed environment where people can come to have a fun night. You’ll definitely make new friends while there; everyone is incredibly friendly and our e-board members are knowledgable and easy to talk to. There is very little commitment involved, and joining is easy. All anyone has to do is come to the Madison Street Lounge on a Friday night, sign in and let the games begin!

If anyone has any questions they can join the facebook group, “G2: Gamers Guild - Keene State Chapter” or message any of the e-board members. This includes: Joe Erwin, Emma Robitille, Lea Nolette, Stefan Gibbs and Ben Buckley. *Occasionally, sessions will be held in Rhodes Hall because of scheduling. These dates will be listed on the Facebook page.*

Sweetie, I want to tell you something…

PAN-LENNON HARRISON JUDE NORKIEWICZ

Equinox Staff To my love, This isn’t easy for me to say, but I cannot keep hiding behind this mask that I wear. I may seem to enjoy the more feminine things in life, but it is only a cover for what is truly going on inside. This is not something that has happened suddenly; I have known for a very long time, maybe my whole life, but I have been so scared to share this part of me until I met you. Deep inside, I do not feel like the person I portray on the outside. I am your boyfriend, I hope you love me all the same. The thought of matching a dress with you, of finding the perfect bride and bride wedding topper, of spending our days as women in love simply cannot excite me anymore, for I would love nothing more than to be your husband, find the perfect tie to match your dress, to carry you across the threshold on our wedding night.

I hope this doesn’t change anything between us or scare you in any way. I can understand you may be confused, I can understand you may feel hurt, but I promise I will always be the same person, and I will still love you from the bottom of my heart. Sadly, things will change; I will become the man I truly am inside. There will be hardship, sadness and trials to face, but I wish to face them with your hand in mine. We will no longer be looked at as “normal,” and I know that will be hard for both you and me, but I hope we will be together to find what normal means to us and ignore the looks of others, for they mean nothing to me for as long as I have you. We will talk about this more as things change and as time goes by, but never be afraid to ask me any question you could have. I will be waiting for you to read this with open arms and a nervous mind, so please let us talk as soon as you have.

From, Your love This week, we extend even greater support to individuals in the LGBTQ+ community that are coming out, have already come out or are trying to figure out how or when to come out, as this week is Coming Out week.

Coming out is a very important step for an individual in the LGBTQ+ community, especially to someone important like their friends, families and spouses. This process can be very nerve-racking, so much so that people will often not come out at all to their families or friends. If someone comes out to you, please try to be understanding and respectful of them. This may be uncomfortable for you, but it is even more uncomfortable for them, and you should deem yourself lucky if they chose to come out to you directly.

They’ve confided in you and trusted you would understand. Please show compassion and respect for the wishes of those who have decided to come out, be excited for them and with them, but be there for them just the same because they may still be struggling to understand themselves.

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STUDENT LIFE / B4

Thursday, October 12, 2017

KEENE STATE COLLEGE DAY Tuesday, Oct 17 • 11 am - 9 pm

Ramunto’s welcomes all Keene State College students, faculty and employees with valid IDs to participate in our annual Keene State College Day. Free slice of cheese pizza and two garlic knots • (additional slices just $1 each)

• Tons of prizes and SWAG giveaways • Happy Hour Specials all day and all night • Hourly prizes of Okemo day passes & free food • Grand Prize drawing for a large screen HDTV. Join us on Tuesday, October 17 for this very special day.

ONE SEVENTY SIX MAIN STREET, KEENE, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Independently owned and operated by Delta Pie Keene,LLC

357-3555

New to the DC this year?

Getting tired of the options?

th

Monday, October 16 Student Center Atrium ● 11am to 2pm

Take the Edible Education Tour of the Dining Commons and learn how to avoid food boredom and keep those ‘hangry” feelings away.

Join Dietetic Intern, Hanna Pratt and Health and Wellness Intern, Lizzy Brown, and learn how to maximize the food offerings, equipment and staff expertise to build more varied and healthier meal options.

Cabillaud Menuière Sautéed Filet of Cod seasoned with a Lemon Butter Sauce.

Stoemp au Choux de Bruxelles

Thursday, October 12th 4-5pm in the DC

Pureéd Steamed Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts seasoned with a hint of Nutmeg Chef Passchyn returns to Keene State at the end of his tour to celebrate his cuisine October 30th and 31st. Watch for details!

Weissbier Tiramisu A German twist on the popular Italian dessert, that incorporates Weissbier (Wheat Beer) instead of the usual coffee and liquor.

Reduce Your Environmental Footprint One Plate at a Time Yes, it IS possible to maintain a diet focused on Health, Wellness and Sustainability on campus.

Learn how!

Join Health & Wellness Intern, Lizzy Brown, and Sustainability Intern, Courtney Dillon, to get the inside scoop on how you can choose to impact your health and the health of the planet when you dine on campus.

This will be your only opportunity to meet chef Bust before he begins his Global Chef tour to MA, NY, Ontario Canada, PA, & WV

Monday, October 16 th Zorn Dining Commons 4:30 to 6pm

keenestatedining.SodexoMyWay.com

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Time Capsule / B5

TIME CAPSULE

Thursday, October 12, 2017

KSC HISTORY

KSCEQUINOX.COM

KSC heightens application process

1,600 students apply, Office of Admissions admits just 33 percent JESSICA RICARD

Senior reporter/Copy editor/time CapSule editor Just 52 years ago, Keene State College only admitted 33 percent of students who applied to attend the college, placing the admissions process up to par with the University of New Hampshire and other colleges and universities around the country.

In the Oct. 14, 1965 edition of The Monadnock, the former name for The Equinox, the newly-hired Director of Admissions John J. Cunningham said in that year, only one of every three applicants was accepted to KSC as a first-year student.

Cunningham said, “This is a statistic which shows more selectivity than many colleges in this country, and this selectivity cannot help but increase as the demand

for college grows. Over 1,600 applications were received during the past year, and our office could only admit 528.”

According to Cunningham, the selectivity did not come from the Office of Admissions, but from the necessity that the college can only admit students who have the strongest application materials. “Many students who we have admitted in the past would not be admitted under today’s situation,” he said.

The 1965 first-year class presented high school averages of C+ to B- grades, the article stated, and Cunningham said with these strict standards, the quality of applicants can only increase.

“It is the primary function of the Director of Admissions to admit qualified applicants to the College. It is his job to evaluate personal and academic records in

order to reach a decision regarding admission or refusal.

But, this is not the sole function of the Director,” Cunningham explained.

The Office of Admissions, he said, is the office in which the quality and personality of the student body will be determined.

Not only do admission officers accept and refuse prospective students, but he said admissions officers must counsel students, whether they are accepted to the college or not.

In the case that they are admitted to KSC, he said admissions officers must inform students of which programs they should apply for, as well as guide them in taking additional high school courses that will adequately prepare them for the course load at Keene State.

In the case of a student not getting accepted and

admitted to KSC, he said the applicant should be notified of the reason(s) for refusal, and advice should be given to the students to help them achieve their college ambitions in the future.

“No student should should ever be treated as a number in a file drawer. Each student, each applicant is important and deserves understanding and fair consideration,” Cunningham explained.

In the fall 2017 semester, 82.6 percent of students who applied to KSC were actually accepted to attend.

However, about 21 percent of accepted students actually attended and were admitted to KSC. Jessica Ricard can be contacted at jricard@kscequinox.com

Columbus sets sail in 1492 55 years since verge of the JESSICA RICARD

Senior reporter/Copy editor/time CapSule editor As the classic rhyme goes, “In fourteen hundred ninetytwo, Columbus sailed the ocean blue,” and discovered America. But did he really?

The answer is no.

The second Monday of every October is “celebrated” and dedicated to Christopher Columbus’ exploration and discoverance of America, but in reality, he wasn’t the first to discover anything.

In 1492, he did, indeed, sail across the Atlantic Ocean to make a voyage to the Bahamas and another to Cuba, which paved the way for Europeans to explore those areas later on, but millions of Native Americans were already living in the Americas before Columbus “discovered” the land.

At the time, he thought he had arrived in East Asia and claimed the land for Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, both who sponsored his journey in finding “a western ocean route to China, India and the fabled gold spice islands of Asia,” stated history.com.

Rather than interacting with these people in a friendly and welcoming way, Columbus was more so selfishly focused on becoming rich and taking over the land. He began calling the indigenous people “Indians,” converted many of them to Christianity and used extreme violence

and slavery towards them.

On his first journey, which took three months, he landed on an island in the Caribbean and seized six native people, wanting to make them servants as he had written in his journal. “Throughout his years in the New World, Columbus enacted policies of forced labor in which natives were put to work for the sake of profits. Later, Columbus sent thousands of peaceful Taino ‘Indians’ from the island of Hispaniola to Spain to be sold. Many died en route,” stated history.com.

Those “Indians” that weren’t sent to Spain were left with Columbus to search for gold and complete laborious work in plantations.

Eventually, the natives began to revolt, and in order stop further rebellion, Columbus “ordered a brutal crackdown,” killing many of the native people. Their bodies were, then, displayed and paraded through the streets, as Columbus ordered them to be.

In addition to killing many of the native people, Columbus brought new diseases to the New World as well, which helped to devastate the population of those living there.

In a slightly more positive light, Columbus’ voyages did spark trade of plants, animals and other goods between the East and West, also called “Columbian exchange.”

Oppositely though, many of these exchanges resulted in biological warfare, meaning bacteria, viruses and fungi, for example, were used to kill humans as an act of war, as stated by emedicinehealth.com.

About 250,000 Taino “Indians” were present on the island when Columbus had arrived, and 60 years later, only a few hundred remained, according to history.com.

Eventually, people began to catch on to Columbus’ detrimental, selfish and disturbing ways. The Spanish court accused him of mismanagement, reported history,com, and in 1500, the king and queen of Spain sent someone to bring him and his crew back home.

Throughout the country, people protest at Columbus Day parades and many have even pushed to eliminate his history from classroom curriculum and change the holiday, history.com stated.

Each year, this federal holiday acts as an opportunity for many to become educated about the “Columbus controversy,” regardless of how you personally view the matter.

As many schools give the day off on Columbus Day, Keene State College does not, and all classes and college operations will remain in full effect.

Jessica Ricard can be contacted at jricard@kscequinox.com

Cuban Missile Crisis JESSICA RICARD

Senior reporter/Copy editor/time CapSule editor The United States and the Soviet Union were on the verge of nuclear conflicts just 55 years ago, and many know it as The Cuban Missile Crisis.

On Oct. 14, 1962, during the Cold War, a highaltitude U-2 spy plane provided photos of undeniable evidence that the Soviet Union made medium-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads in Cuba; not only did they exist, but they were located just 90 miles off the American coastline, stated history.com.

During the Bay of Pigs invasion in April of 1961, U.S.-trained Cuban refugees attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro’s government after landing in Cuba, which created tension between both the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The invasion was unsuccessful, history.com stated, but Castro suspected they would try again, so he seeked military assistance from the Soviet Union.

Although the missile sites in Cuba were incomplete, they were almost finished, and they had the capability to strike major cities in the U.S.. Just two days after the photos were found, they were given to President John F. Kennedy, and in the weeks following, the U.S. and the Soviet Union came the closest they’ve ever been to a nuclear war.

After the U-2 spy plane discovered the Cuban missile sites, President Kennedy developed a group called ExCom, which was comprised of an executive committee of senior military, political and diplomatic advisers to discuss how to respond to the nuclear disaster that was on the brink of occurring.

In order to prevent transportation of any other weapons from the Soviet Union to Cuba, President Kennedy ordered “a naval ‘quarantine’....The president made it clear that America would not stop short of military action to end what he called a ‘clandestine, reckless, and provocative threat to world peace,’” as stated on history.com.

On Oct. 23, the quarantine began, but President Kennedy decided to pull the line back by 500 miles to give Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev more time to consider his actions. All ships that were traveling to Cuba at the time seemed to back off, except for one, the tanker Bucharest, stated history.com.

United Nations Secretary General U Thant urged both the United States and Soviet governments to “refrain from any action that may aggravate the situation and bring with it the risk of war.”

Still though, U.S. military commanders began preparing for a full-scale war with the Soviet Union, and DEFCON 2 was issued, which is “the highest military alert ever reached in the postwar era,” according to history.com. Two U.S. aircrafts attempted to stop the Bucharest as it began to cross over the U.S. quarantine, but the efforts weren’t successful.

Eventually, President Kennedy discovered the construction of the missile bases had continued, so ExCom debated a U.S. invasion of Cuba. However, the same day, the Soviet Union proposed ending the crisis and said they would remove the missile bases if the U.S. pledged not to go through with the invasion of Cuba.

Soviet leader Khrushchev, then, called for the disassembling of U.S. missile bases in Turkey the next day, and additionally, one of the U-2 spy planes was shot down over Cuba, which killed the pilot Major Rudolf Anderson. Because of this, history.com stated, Kennedy avoided any more military retaliation, and he agreed to disassemble the missile sites in Turkey at a later date.

On Oct. 28, the Cuban Missile Crisis came to a close, and Khrushchev agreed to dismantle their weapons in Cuba, and they began removal that afternoon. At this point, the world could breathe again, and a nuclear war had been avoided. Not long after, the U.S. also began to remove their missile bases in Turkey.

The relationship between the U.S. and the Soviet Union remained quite rocky for some time after the Cuban Missile Crisis, but in the 1970s, the Soviet Union build “intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking any city in the United States,” signaling nuclear parity with the U.S., stated history.com.

In 2015, relations between the U.S. and Cuba became normalized, as travel restrictions eased up, embassies opened and diplomatic missions opened up as well.

Jessica Ricard can be contacted at jricard@kscequinox.com

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Sports / B6 STAFF COMMENTARY

PATS DUCK BUCS

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Owls sweep conference awards

LUKE STERGIOU / SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

PAUL BEAN

Equinox Staff The Patriots are very lucky with the win that was handed to them at what looks likely to be the turning point of the season. I say this because the Patriots looked like they were completely on the ropes. After a tough loss Sunday, Oct. 8, the Patriots were forced to play on a quick turnaround on Thursday vs. The Buccaneers and came out on top 19-14.

THE KICKER: Tampa Bay kicker Nick Folk missed three attempts on Thursday, which turned out to be the difference in this game. A 56-yard attempt and a 49-yard attempt are both difficult kicks, but as a professional, Folk should have the ability to make at least one of them. Finally, the third failed attempt from 31 yards is unacceptable. Thirty-one yards is less then an extra point attempt at 33. Tampa Bay is likely to be questioning their choice in kicker with the week and a half off.

THE PASSER: Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is not slowing down. Brady threw for 303 yards, giving up his first interception of the season, which is impressive for a 40-year-old man. He led his team to victory behind a few blundered kicks. Although throwing for so many yards, the Pats were not able to put up as many points as they had hoped. Brady was quoted in a post-game interview saying, “I wish we could have scored more points offensively, but defense really held their own,” which leads me to my next point.

THE DEFENSE: After a perfect display of defensive meltdown last Sunday playing the Panthers, the Patriots’ defense showed improvement. When asked about how he felt about his defense on Thursday, Head Coach Bill Belichick was quoted in a post-game interview saying, “We responded... They had 100 yards in the first half. They moved the ball some. We made some plays. They made some plays, (giving up) a lot fewer points, you got a chance to win.” This was no easy task for the Patriots either, facing the National Football League’s (NFL) number three ranked quarterback Jameis Winston.

FINAL THOUGHTS: This game came down to one thing, and that was kicking. In the fourth quarter, Jameis Winston connected with Cameron Brate, which cut New England’s lead to 16-14 with 2:09 left in the game. After this, Gostkowski was able to regain the lead with field goal, forcing the Bucs to go from there own 25-yard line to the Patriots’ 19-yard line, finishing the game with an incomplete pass. The Patriots scraped by on this one, maybe by God himself or maybe by fate. Although they came out with a win, it was not a pretty one by any means. When it comes down to it, if Nick Folk was able to do his job, the Bucs would have likely won this game. As scary as this might all sound, this all is not so bad for the Patriots.

They only really had three days to prepare for this game, so that means they had only three days to try and fix all of the defensive problems.

They were able to come out on top, and now the Patriots have a week and a half to prepare for their next matchup. This includes time to get everyone back and healthy, including Rob Gronkowski.

This is becoming a perfect, typical New England Patriots season, starting off rough, making some adjustments and moving towards their winning ways.

Think about this. It is only October, and I have plenty of fans (non-Patriot fans) talking to me and telling me that this is the fall of the Patriots. People are saying Matt Patricia is not the defensive mastermind everyone thinks he is, and other the bad comments people want to make about the team. Let’s be real everyone; do we really need to do this every year? The Patriots are still going to win their division, and they are still going to be a hot playoff contender because they always are and that’s how it is. I’m sorry to all the Giants fans who are chirping me about how “terrible” and “overrated” the Patriots are. I guess it must make them feel better about being 0-4. If the Patriots are still struggling after Halloween and into November, give me all you got. But that is not going to happen. The Patriots will be there come December because that’s what they do.

JAKE PACQUIN / PHOTO EDITOR

Left to right, top to bottom: Jason Smith (senior), Riley Steele (senior), Gretchen Greene (senior) and Bailey Wilson (first-year). All four KSC athletes achieved LEC weekly awards.

Four of Keene States athletes receive LEC weekly awards CAROLINE PERRY

SportS Editor Last week, four of Keene State's very own Owls received honorary Little East Conference (LEC) weekly awards.

With these accomplishments, all four players reflected on their thoughts and ending goals as the season winds down to a gradual end.

Senior, athletic training major and offensive player of the men’s soccer team Riley Steele sees this award as an honor.

“It’s nice to have your hard work and everything I’ve put into practice, day in and day out, and every game, just working as hard as I do, it’s nice to get some recognition for that. It feels good to get that award, but I would probably give them [the team] more of the credit. Like yeah, I got the stat line that week, but at the end of the day, it’s a team effort; it’s all 11 of us on the field at one time and everyone that comes off the bench works just as hard as we do. I would give the credit to them more so than me.”

Steele is now facing his last season as a Keene State Owl and finds it “bittersweet,” but looks forward to finishing the season out, aiming to “win the LEC and get a NCAA tournament bid.”

Gretchen Greene, who is a senior playing for the women’s soccer team and is a management major, received an LEC weekly award as well.

Greene said, “It’s pretty awesome.

This is my first award and, especially after my first goal, so it’s really exciting. I really didn’t expect it, so it’s awesome...I didn’t even know about it when I first got it, so when I opened my group chat and a girl on my team was like, ‘Hey congrats you got LEC defensive player of the week,’ and I was like, ‘What, no way.’

They all [the team] are all so supportive about it and they were all so excited for me. We’re just all so supportive of each other.”

Greene also pinned her goal, as well as her team's goal as “winning the LEC and getting the title.”

With two senior Keene State Owls already being awarded, a third joined the group.

Senior Jason Smith, the goalie of the men’s soccer team and a safety studies major, gave his thoughts on his achievement.

Smith said, “It feels good, I mean much-deserved because that was the week we beat UMass Boston [and] they’re ranked 15th in the country. It means a lot.

[The] goalkeeper doesn’t really get that much recognition a lot of the times. I got it twice last year, but my actual goal is to get goalkeeper of the year.”

Both Smith and Steele carry that same goal for this year’s team.

“We just need to keep performing. We have one of the best teams that I’ve ever played on, as in skill. We want to win the LEC.” The fourth addition to last weeks LEC awards was volleyball player Bailey Wilson, who is a first-year and nursing major.

Wilson was the only lower classman to receive an LEC weekly award last week and was more than excited about it.

“It feels really good. I mean honestly, I didn’t really know about it. I’m from California and my parents knew before me, like they were calling me and congratulating me and I was like, “Oh that's so cool.’ I was excited, but I don’t think I fully understood what it was. I had to look into it and I guess the more I looked into it, I was just like, ‘Oh wow, this is really cool.’ I thought it was a really cool concept that you could get this award throughout the week and I was just really honored. But it’s not just me and my award, I couldn’t have it if everyone

else wasn’t doing their job.”

Wilson also has high hopes for her team and faith in their abilities.

“Volleyball is one of the most teamoriented sports. The team is very accepting...it was a really good foundation to have before we even touched the court.

It’s so momentum-based. A goal for the team would be no matter what, just being really proud of what we do on our side of the court and, well, winning wouldn’t be too bad either.”

As the seasons continue in Keene, each game brings each player closer to the end.

For those three seniors, facing the end of their career as a Keene State Owl is “bittersweet” and “sad,” as they expressed, but they will be able to leave with the Owls’ way in mind.

Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com

Athletics FUN FACT Did you know the Keene State women’s field hockey team holds an annual tradition that involves celebrating and bonding with incoming first-years? Every year, all the firstyears decorate the “stick bucket” together, which is the team bucket that holds each member's field hockey stick. This yearly tradition brings everyone closer and makes the new members of the team feel like one big family as they get creative together.

Paul Bean can be contacted at pbean@kscequinox.com

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Sports / B7

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Local race track loses an event Luke’s

Kickin’ Column

MATT HOLDERMAN

Equinox Staff For many years, Loudon, New Hampshire’s own New Hampshire Motor Speedway has played host to two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races each year, which are always the speedway’s biggest crowd-drawing events.

However, it was announced by NASCAR earlier this year that changes were on the way for their 2018 season schedule, one of which unfortunately involved New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The track will be losing its September NASCAR race in 2018, having its normal weekend slot on NASCAR’s schedule replaced by a race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

This now leaves New Hampshire Motor Speedway with only one NASCAR race weekend per year instead of two, with just their annual 301-mile race in July remaining.

The​​ ​final​​ ​September​​ ​NASCAR​​ ​race​​ ​at​​ ​New​​ ​Hampshire​​​ Motor Speedway took place three weekends ago, and thousands of fans arrived to show their support and cheer on the drivers.

One person who was particularly excited about the weekend was New Hampshire Motor Speedway General Manager David McGrath, who could be seen walking around and conversing with fans all weekend long.

When asked, McGrath had a lot to say about the speedway’s situation.

“It’s bittersweet, and I’m sad to see this race move on to Las Vegas,” he began.

But McGrath was also able to look at the situation from a business perspective.

“I understand that business decisions need to be made, and I completely support the company’s decision on that,” he said.

While most people would have preferred not losing the September NASCAR race, McGrath still tried to express a positive outlook on the future, discussing the speedway’s plans for 2018.

“What we announced on Friday was a new weekend [race] that we’re creating for September of next year,” McGrath revealed.

“It​​​will​​​be​​​t he​​​largest​​​modified​​​race,​​​250​-lap​Whelen​​​Modified​​​race,​​​t he​​​longest​​​in​​​t he​​​tour’s​​​history.”​​ McGrath also announced that in the same weekend, there would be other racing series’ visiting the track, including the K&N Pro Series East Tour and “Pinty’s Series,” a Canadian truck racing league.

With all the talk of New Hampshire Motor Speedway losing one of its two NASCAR races, a lot of people were left searching for explanations as to why the decision was made.

Not only did McGrath have the answer to these questions, but so did New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s Pit Road Supervisor, Frank Brundle, as well as NASCAR First Responder​​​Ron​Carpenter,​​​each​​​giving​​​different​​​answers​​​and​​ perspectives.

“Look, I won’t hide behind it, we’ve been very upfront about this,” McGrath admitted.

“Las Vegas [Motor Speedway] came at our company with a very serious amount of money to bring that race to their city.

It is not something our company felt we could just not react to,” he explained.

Frank Brundle and Ron Carpenter had explanations that were, in some ways, similar to what McGrath explained.

Brundle, who has worked at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for 27 years, said, “The fact that they [NASCAR] moved it to Las Vegas was a business decision on their part because they feel they’re going to get more bang for their buck.”

Carpenter answered the question rather honestly too, saying, “Fans just aren’t showing up for the races anymore.

Usually this is the race everybody goes to.”

Furthermore, this situation may have a direct impact Keene​​ ​State​​ ​College​​ ​specifically.​​ ​Tamra​ Gonyea,​​ ​a​ ​first-year​​​

LUKE STERGIOU

SEnior PhotograPhEr

Pulisic shines in the US’s win against Panama

JAKE PAQUIN / PHOTO EDITOR

The New Hampshire Motor Speedway faces a race cut after years of hosting two NASCAR season races.

member of the women’s basketball team at Keene State, explained why.

For the race weekend, Keene State’s women’s basketball team screened bags at the track’s ticket booths.

“The women’s basketball team here at Keene does it to raise money for our program,” Gonyea explained.

“They’ve been doing it for a few years now. We are most likely​going​​ ​to​​ ​keep​​ ​doing​​ ​it,​​ ​I​ ​don’t​​ ​k now​​ ​if​​ ​it’s​​ ​for​​ ​a​ ​different race or not.”

Quite​​ ​sadly,​​ ​t he​​ ​significance​​ ​of​​ ​New​​ ​Hampshire​​ ​Motor​​​ Speedway losing a race goes further beyond what many may think.

Not only will the race track likely be making less money as a result, but local businesses will be making less as well.

Having thousands of NASCAR fans visit the area twice a year is a big opportunity for local businesses to thrive, and they​​​additionally​will​​​be​​​losing​​​a​​big​​​weekend​​​of​​​profit.​​

Gonyea also said, “I feel like that’s a bad business call because the races tend to bring in tons of money and people generally enjoy them.”

Thankfully​​​t hough,​​​t he​​​weekend​​​of​​​prosperity,​​​profit​​​and​​ play will not be completely lost next year with the speedway adding​​​t he​​​Whelen​​​Modified​​​race​​​weekend​​​to​​​t heir​​​event​​​list​​​ for the year.

So, for us locals and for us race fans, we can only hope that next year’s big September race weekend will live up to its full potential and possibly even rival the attendance rates that are brought in by NASCAR races.

Matt Holderman can be contacted at mholderman@kscequinox.com

RECAP

KSC men’s soccer faces first LEC loss CAROLINE PERRY

SPortS Editor The KSC men’s soccer team went up against Plymouth State University this past Saturday, Oct. 7.

Although the Owls put up a​hard​fight,​they​lost​2-1,​suffering​ their​ first​ Little​ East​ Conference (LEC) loss.

During​the​first​half​of​the​ game, Plymouth State was able to take the lead at the 10:55​mark.​ Plymouth​offensive​player​ Nick Rutherford received the ball at the top of the box and landed a shot in the high right corner, creating a 1-0 lead against Keene State. However, the Owls fought back and evened out the score in the 30th minute of the game, when senior and exercise science major William Salta landed a goal for the Owls.

Salta was able to dribble past multiple Plymouth defenders and land a goal in a one-on-one situation with the opposing goalie, tying up the score 1-1.

As the second half began and progressed, the Owls had​ some​ trouble​ in​ the​ 57th​ minute, fouling against Plymouth in the box and earn-

ing them a penalty kick.

Fortunately, senior Keene State goalie Jason Smith prevented Plymouth from jumping ahead after a huge save.

The Owls worked to get in a second goal with multiple attempts​by​first-year​Samuel​ Binogono, senior Promise Kpee and senior Riley Steele, but to no avail.

Each team worked to get the upper hand, but the defense on each team shut down each opportunity, sending them into overtime. As overtime began, the Owls created two opportunities to score, but with no success, the game continued on.

With just two minutes remaining, Plymouth State was able collect a rebound and land a goal from the goal line in the midst of scramble for the ball.

The Owls took a 2-1 loss, as well​as​suffered​their​first​LEC​ loss. Their next home game will be Wednesday, Oct. 18 against Tufts University. The game will commence at 7:00 p.m..

Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com

LUKE STERGIOU / SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Senior William Salta puts in the Owls only goal against Plymouth State University in last Saturday’s home game. The men’s soccer team suffered their first LEC loss.

After a 4-0 win against Panama on Oct. 6, the United States men’s national team is now only one game away from qualifying for next year’s World Cup in Russia.

This was a crucial game for the United States, as before this, it looked very unlikely that the team would qualify for next year’s World Cup in Russia.

The media and fans alike thought the United States would not get the win and risk not qualifying.

But after watching this game, we saw the United States was not ready to lose, and Christian Pulisic is the young player the national team has been looking for.

From the very beginning, the United​ States​ looked​ very​ confident,​ with​ the​ first​ chance​ coming​ in​the​first​five​minutes​after​Bobby​ Wood’s shot just nearly went wide of the right goalpost.

Then, only three minutes later, Pulisic received a simple pass from Jozy Altidore, ran through Panama’s defense, rounded keeper Jaime Penedo​and​drew​first​blood.​ The United States doubled their lead in the 19th minute, when Altidore powered the ball past Penedo after being assisted by Pulisic.

Just before halftime, Bobby Wood won the United States a penalty after being taken down in the box, with Altidore calmly slotting into the back of the net to gain a 3-0 lead.

Wood would eventually have his efforts​ rewarded​ as​ he​ scored​ the​ fourth​and​final​goal​of​the​match​in​ the 63rd minute, making the scoreline 4-0, United States.

This win means that the United States leapfrogged Panama to third place in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) World Cup qualifying table.

The United States will head into an even more crucial match on Tuesday, where a win against Trinidad and​Tobago​secures​qualification​to​ next year’s World Cup in Russia.

And after a convincing win on Friday, the U.S. looks set to qualify, especially with Christian Pulisic on their side.

Pulisic impressed tremendously in this game, recording a goal and an assist.

He​ dominated​ the​ midfield,​ therefore making the Panamanian defenders’​jobs​very​difficult.​ He stretched out the game, creating several chances and making space whenever he could.

Whenever he had the ball, he looked calm and composed.

What’s incredible is that Pulisic just turned 19-years-old recently.

At this young of an age, he is already looking like the future captain of the United States men’s national team.

And in my opinion, I think he will.

Pulisic will help lead the United States​ to​ World​ Cup​ qualification​ in Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday, and with his leadership and talent, I think they will qualify with no problem.

Luke Stergiou can be contacted at lstergiou@kscequinox.com

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Sports / B8

Thursday, October 12, 2017

SPORTS

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Unbreakable KSC soccer player battles Lemierre’s syndrome CAROLINE PERRY

SportS Editor Often, the struggles in Keene State College athletes’ lives are seen only through their play on the fields, courts, rinks and tracks.

The onlookers can only see an athlete as they are on the field, not knowing what goes on behind the scenes.

There are adversities in each and every athlete's life.

This very struggle is a reality for first-year management major with a marketing specialization Brandon Beane, a member of the men’s soccer team who was recently diagnosed with Lemierre’s syndrome.

Lemierre’s Ssyndrome is an infection in which bacteria invades the lymph nodes in the neck, causing the formation of blood clots in the larger, jugular veins.

This clotting can also lead to inflammation and pus in the veins.

These infectious blood clots can travel from the jugular veins into the bloodstream, which then cause infectious pockets in other areas of the body such as the lungs, liver, kidneys and

joints, according to rigiddiagnosis.com.

“I was originally diagnosed with [mononucleosis] the day I went home. A few days after, I was in a lot of pain and went to the hospital.

There, an infectious disease doctor diagnosed me with Lemierre's syndrome. This is a one and a million disease that most doctors have never even heard of. After being transferred from Parkland Medical Center in Derry, New Hampshire, to Portsmouth [Regional] Hospital, the doctors decided it was too much to handle and transferred me to [Massachusetts] General [Hospital], where I stayed for three weeks,” Beane stated in an email interview.

Beane grew up in Sandown, New Hampshire, and attended Timberlane Regional High School, where he started as a striker for his high school soccer team. Beane came to Keene State as a striker and strong athlete.

“It's been a long month of hell in the hospital, and just thinking about going back to school and getting back into soccer is exciting. It's something I'm still yet to experience,” Beane stated.

Even as a first-year, Beane has already made many connections and friends.

KSC sophomore Nate Flyzik, a long-time friend of Beane’s, reflected on his thoughts regarding him as a player and person.

“I met Brandon my sophomore year [of high school]. We both played soccer for Timberlane [Regional] High School, [in] New Hampshire and basically being a higher year in high school, we just kind of bonded through soccer. He was introduced into the program, did extremely well and just being in school and hanging out, we got to know each other. I think he is a leader in his own

specific way. You can just see that Brandon would be a leader at Keene State and that he would make a difference in the community,” Flyzik said.

Flyzik added, “He’s an awesome person and he's really strong, which is why...I think he's going to come back twice as strong. I have no concerns with him and rebounding back and coming back to Keene State being an influential person.”

The Keene State community is one that always finds the ability to rally together and support their Owls.

This certainly applies for the men’s soccer team, whose members have strived to fully support Beane. Senior, safety major and KSC goalie Jason Smith said, “A bunch of us went to visit him when he was in the hospital and we do the Brando [his nickname] chant a lot [a chant in which the team cheers Brando before the game]. We also went to the hospital and presented him his number 20 home jersey.

He’s still very much a part of our team.”

Fellow senior teammate Riley Steele said, “It’s unfortunate because we only got to play with him for a week or two before he got sick, but he was one of the most athletic kids on our team. Coming in as a freshman, he was one of the hardest working, one of the fastest freshman that came in, and that doesn't even touch on the personal side. As a person, he was just such a fun kid to be around; he always brought smiles and laughter to every group that he was around. He just made the atmosphere in the room that much fun and exciting.”

With a strong team standing behind him, Beane talked about his own support system at home.

“My support group is awesome. My friends and family have been so great and I even have people I didn't know be there for me throughout the way. It's cool to see how supportive people are when you really need it,” Beane stated.

Beane added, “The soccer team has been awesome. They were the first to see how sick I was and they were there for me from the day I got sick to now. They've done so much for me in so many ways. It's awesome to have people you met two weeks ago support you the way my teammates support me.”

With a long journey ahead, Beane takes his diagnosis day by day, but does not stand alone.

KSC athletics has rallied together in support of Beane and his one goal now is “to get back to the healthy athletic kid [he] was a short time ago.”

“The sickness took a toll on my body and I'd like to get what I had back,” Beane stated.

“He’s an awesome person and he’s really strong...”

NATE FLYZIK KSC SOPHOMORE

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / BRANDON BEANE

First-year and Keene State men’s soccer player Brandon Beane reflects on his struggles and the adversities that come along with being diagnosed with Lemierre’s syndrome.

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