Equinox 12.17.15

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THE EQUINOX The student voice of Keene State College

Vol. 68, Issue #14

Thursday, December 17, 2015

KSCEQUINOX.COM

Walking on eggshells: the easily offended

» A4 Winter Celebration a hit among students

» A10 Chock Full o’ Cheer

» B1 Sammi Smith named AllAmerican 3rd Team

» READ ON A2

» B10

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION / TIM SMITH AND JAKE COUGHLIN / PHOTO EDITOR AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Jay Kahn retires from KSC

Canvas outage poses problem for students JACOB KNEHR

Vice President for Finance and Planning beginning work as city councilman MACKENZIE CLARKE

SEnior rEportEr Vice President for Finance and Planning Jay Kahn has retired.

Kahn is responsible for a number of buildings on campus, including the rear of the Mason Library, the Science Center, the TDS Center, the Young Student Center, and the Zorn Dining Commons. He also brought about the redesign of the Media Arts Center, the new Elliot entryway, the Rhodes redesign, and the Pondsides. His farewell ceremony

Equinox Staff

took place in Centennial Hall in the Alumni Center on Tuesday, December 8.

Friends, family and colleagues gathered to celebrate Kahn as he said goodbye to KSC and continues his journey as a city councilman.

Many of Kahn’s closest friends spoke at the event and shared memories between the two of them.

Speakers included Senator Molly Kelly and KSC President Anne Huot.

Senator Kelly said she is so impressed everyday with Kahn’s

» KHAN, A3

A rumor regarding Canvas issues caused by “Cyber Monday” on November 30, has been circulating around the Keene State College campus.

Students and faculty experienced performance issues (slowness) when accessing Canvas on Monday, cer for KSC Laura Seraichick, Canvas is a cloud-based service that utilizes AWS (Amazon Web Services) as their cloud platform and service provider. This issue was between AWS and Canvas. Canvas did provide an incident debrief report which indicates approximately 60 percent of all Canvas users around the world were Canvas completed thorough analysis with Amazon

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

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

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

Nation/World......5-6

Student Life ......6-10

Sports................7-10

Associated Collegiate Press

» CANVAS, A2

TIM SMITH / PHOTO EDITOR

Top Headlines

Index

been fully addressed, minimizing repeat issues in the future.

“The information system isn’t on campus, it’s actually a cloud service that they deliver through Amazon cloud service and that’s their platform. It’s sort of three or four parties involved,” Seraichick said.

Seraichick mentioned that Canvas didn’t have enough computing resources for the demands. However, the additional problem of faculty and students not being able to see courses, rosters and other class materials was KSC based.

“The performance issue, the sluggishness, was one issue. The class rosters and schedules, those were out of whack for a couple hours which happened the following day and that has nothing to do with Canvas

A4: Offending the easily offended A10: Winter celebration B1: Chock Full o’Cheer B10: Sammi Smith All-American 3rd Team

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News / A2

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Winter holiday representation limited on campus JILL GIAMBRUNO

that Hanukkah does feel a little forgotten.

“There are a lot of Christmas decorations all over town. Everyone’s talking about Christmas and the ‘Christmas Season.’ Chanukah is actuDecember is said to be the “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” for those ally during school this year, and we won’t even be around for Christmas,” who celebrate Christmas – but what about everyone else? Across America Gray said. and even on the Keene State College campus, it seems that Christmas is KSC sophomore Nathaniel Wolf said he celebrates Chanukah and that the focus of the month, even with other holidays being celebrated. It seems he doesn’t really appreciate all the hype for Christmas. that even the month-long break students get from school is often referred “I’m Jewish and I just don’t like how much the Christmas season is to as “Christmas Break.” KSC students and faculty spoke up on the matter. shoved down my throat the minute Halloween is over,” Wolf said.

KSC sophomore Maxine Gray said that she celebrates both Hanukkah Wolf, who is also the Vice President of Hillel, the Jewish group on and Christmas when December comes around. Gray said that she never campus, said that other than the excess of buildup, he doesn’t really mind really noticed one holiday getting more acknowledgement than the other the holiday. until she came to New Hampshire.

“We have freedom of religion in America, but this is still a Christian “Originally I’m from New York and there’s a lot of Jewish people there, country. I do think that Hanukkah is underrepresented, just like every so I never really noticed one holiday being celebrated more than the other,” other non-Christian holiday,” Wolf said.

Wolf added, “I don’t mind Christmas, but I think it’s overdone. Tone it down a little.”

With Christmas decorations lining downtown Main Street, Gray said Gray, on the other hand, said that she doesn’t really mind all of the focus on Christmas.

Gray said, “I think everyone should be able to express whatever religions and holidays they want to and if they feel comfortable putting up decorations, then do that. Keep an open mind, be accepting of everyone’s beliefs.”

In response to the debate of whether the excessive Christmas decorations should be left up or taken down, Gray said the more the merrier.

“I don’t think that Christmas decorations should be taken down, but

Equinox Staff

happens this time of year. There’s more than two religions in the world, and I think it would be nice if they were all represented, or at least more than one was represented, with the decorations in public places like the student center and through town.”

Ultimately, Gray said that she loves getting to celebrate two holidays in the winter season.

“It’s nice celebrating both. It’s pretty cool getting to experience two different cultures, and, you know, twice the presents,” Gray said.

Coordinator of Multicultural Student Support Annie Clark said that she thinks the holidays are a great time to learn about each other on a more intimate level.

“I think it’s really wonderful when we can learn about each other on this level, and I don’t think anybody should necessarily be intimidated by anybody else’s faith or tradition, whether the holiday is religious or just secular,”Clark said.

THE EQUINOX

PollResults What holiday do you celebrate in December?

Christmas - 84% Hanukkah - 8% Kwanzaa - 0% Ramadan - 4% Winter Solstice - 0% Other - 4% EQUINOX Informal Online Poll, Week of December 7 - December 14 less toward religion, and more toward community.

“This year the idea of religion and tradition was sort of replaced with the focus on our own community, building it up, and building our connections with each other. And I think that’s really what the holidays are about – bringing people together,” Clark said.

Clark said that she thinks that while there’s great opportunity to cel-

just as great an opportunity to celebrate similarities.

“We’re all here, we’re all at Keene State, we have a community here, let’s build it. Let’s continue to build those shared experiences,” Clark said, “There are a lot of really tough things going on in the world and in our town and on our campus. We need these times to celebrate ourselves.” season a fascinating time to learn about other people.

Of the winter holidays, Clark said that they have more in common than “The holidays, no matter which one is celebrated, helps us all connect as most people know. human beings and to me, that’s very meaningful,” Clark said.

“Hope, peace, community, family and love are themes that are common Clark added, “When I feel like we approach topics of faith with the this time of year, no matter who you ask or what holiday you look at,” Clark said, “When you have those wonderful things that unite you, over and above religion or other traditions, it makes it easy. Just focus on the things a religious based holiday, we need to be sensitive to others who aren’t getthat do bring us together.” ting that kind of attention.”

Jill can be contacted at jgiambruno@kscequinox.com

wanted to share their traditions. It was really wonderful.”

SARAH MORRISON / EQUINOX STAFF

Lower enrollment leads to budget cuts for KSC community DOROTHY ENGLAND

Equinox Staff

KSCEQUINOX.COM

Cont. from A1

and Amazon Web Services, it was KSC,” Seraichick said.

KSC feeds from the student information system to the learning management system, so classes were unavailable. A change was put into that feed to open up next semester’s classes. While doing so, problems came up.

“All we did was redo the feed, which resolved the problem. It had to do with the timing of us saying we want to have both semesters. We do this every year, but we changed one of the perimeters and it messed up.” Seraichick said.

KSC senior Lyndsay Coombs said, “I was unable to submit my papers and assignments and I was unable to look at grades for assignments I had turned in.”

Coombs said that her professors were understanding that students were having issues with submitting assignments.

“I was able to work on other

which would leave us with more courses than we would need.”

Kahn also said there are other elements to where money is spent as well.

“It depends, does the equipment break down, are there new faculty that come on board that require additional support items, [are there] conference expenses for professional development? These expenses vary from year to year,” he said.

Kahn continued, “In this year when we can see that there are fewer incoming students, that is having an impact on revenue… so it’s not like anybody has made -

In October of this year, Vice President of Finance and Planning Jay Kahn sent an email out to KSC faculty and professors. In it Kahn stated that factors such as lowered enrollment and fewer sales in the campus bookstore have led to the resolution that spending will need to be cut by two percent. Or, in other words, 2.5 million dollars.

Dean of Arts and Humanities Andy Harris said this spending reduction for the whole college is more than the two percent primarily mentioned by Kahn.

“That [spending reduction] is in the amount of about two percent of our college operating budget, but where savings can occur and to it’s bigger than two percent in prac- identity that early, not wait till the tical terms because a lot of the costs end of the year.” can’t be cut…there are many things He did say, however, that this you can’t cut any percentage of- full student tuition. “[There have been] left with a higher percentage of no changes in any of the charges everything that’s left,” Harris said. the college has been authorized,” Harris sent an email to his Kahn said.

However there will be increases said that, while the issue is school- in the fees. Interim Associate Vice wide, the situation is worse for arts President for Finance and Planand humanities. ning Martha Landry, who will be “We want to run the classes that taking over for Kahn for the time we need for the students that we being after he retires, said there have, but we have a lot less students [so] we cannot run as many increase in the fees presented to classes and that’s been the primary students. “This includes the mealway we’ve met this challenge up plan, athletic complex, art facilities, till now,” he said. health resources, everything but In person Kahn reiterated this, Res-life,” Landry said. saying that, “while this might KSC junior Jordan Lawrence said she’s always aware of costs is really about is looking at which being raised. “I pay for everything on my own so if tuition or books ones aren’t which will lead to some were to be raised, it would be tough, being cut.” not just on me, but on a lot of my “It’s clear some of our basic entry peers,” she said. level classes, we don’t need as many, Lawrence said a way we could so that rightsizing has been taking help encourage enrollment would place since last May,” Kahn said. be to coordinate with the comKahn continued and said that it munity outside campus and do really depends on the evaluation of something together. She said it’s the dean in each department. ridiculous how much we’ve been He said, “[They] make sure we judged for the Pumpkinfest riots have the right number of courses that occurred last year. “Yeah it for the number of students we was crazy, [but] it was one year…I have enrolled, not the number we mean we’re not bad kids,” Lawhave projected twelve months ago, rence said.

CANVAS

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION / JAKE COUGHLIN / ADMINISTRATIVE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

KSC junior Melissa Fraser said “Spend our money more wisely.”

Harris said the long term goal of pumpkinfest left on the school’s reputation. “And not just when it for the college. “Before this year we happened, but in the long term had a lot of students forced to live we’re still paying for it, which is in triples; that is not a healthy way unfair,” she said. to live a college experience,” Harris She said she thinks that’s a pri- said. mary reason why enrollment’s Some groups have taken matlower since some potential stu- ters into their own hands. dent’s parents might fear sending In an article published last week their kids here. Fraser said, “I mean concerning the campus group Wir it was…one day and I feel like it Sind Keene State and their bake sale which raised $125.10 to donate I feel like that’s all parents think for Syrian refugees, KSC Junior about when they send their kids Emma Cote said the group also is here and they’re afraid that’s going doing this to get publicity out for to happen again and their kids the German Minor, to show what going to get hurt coming here.” the minor does for the school. it strange that we’re constructing new buildings when enrollment is down. “Maybe put it more towards teaching the kids who are already here,” he said. Sansone said we should be aware of where our money is going and that we should,

for the school should be thought out.

“Like more art shows or things like that,” Hannan said.

Vice President Kahn said that the student exhibitions and performances to bring in revenue is a great idea.

“We have presentations each semester and judging from the quality of our students’ work, I would think that has revenue potential,” Kahn said.

He continued, “The college’s lege wide issue.

Kahn also said he is currently speaking with the student assem-

issue [or that] we don’t have money for the following year. “And these for it but at the same time we can aren’t necessarily decreases,” Kahn come up with some of our own said. funds [and] we can do great things for the school,”Cote said.

Dorothy can be contacted at denglad@kscequinox.com

that didn’t require using Canvas which preoccupied my time until it was back up,” Coombs said.

Other students said that they issue.

KSC junior Sarah O’Connell said, “I didn’t have much of an issue with it to be honest. It gave me more time to edit my essay so it kinda worked out in my favor.”

KSC junior Nikki Danish said, “The classes I had homework in used other websites so i didn’t notice it was down. My professors didn’t say anything about it because it didn’t Seraichick mentioned what role the Information Technology Group at KSC plays in dealing with vendors like Canvas and Amazon Web Services.

“We have a role in managing the vendor, managing communication, managing authentication pieces. We are more of a communication role,” Seraichick said.

Seraichick said that she is hopeful that the issue with Canvas will not happen again.

Jacob can be contacted at jknehr@kscequinox.com

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KHAN Cont. from A1

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Eliminating plastic bottles on campus CAMPUS

SAFETY

work at KSC. “He’s really made the structure of this campus what it is,” she said.

Sen. Kelly said she is sad about Kahn’s retirement. “It sounds like it’s something he really wants and is ready to do. He’s taking on a new career in politics but I think he will always be thinking about Keene

report log

Week of: Dec. 7 Monday, December 7

“He’s taking on a new career in politics, but I think he will always be thinking about Keene State.”

9:09 a.m. Pondside 2: Emailed noise complaint from 12/4/15 10:12 a.m. Carle Hall: Request from parent to check the welfare of a student. Student located in residence hall. Student made contact with parent.

1:28 p.m. Off Campus: Staff member reports student assaulted at off campus party on 12/6/15

MOLLY KELLY NEW HAMPSHIRE SENATOR

State,” she said.

KSC students Tanner Semmelrock and Madison Strausser attended the event after Kahn personally invited them to attend.

“I met him during my accepted students day and I’ve just gotten to know him, and last year we traveled to Poland together,” Strausser said.

Semmelrock said he worked with Kahn through student government. “I’m excited to see the work he does between the town and the city,” he said.

“I’m sad to see him go but I know he’s going to do great things after this,” Strausser said.

Barbara Hall has been at KSC for 12 years and has worked with Kahn on various capital projects. Prior to

4:22 p.m. Spaulding Gym: Student reporting his bike was moved from the gym to the commuter lot bike rack. Bike is now in his possession. Student advised to secure the bike with a new lock.

Tuesday, December 8 12:03 a.m. Butler Court: RA reported 706

FILE PHOTO / TIM SMITH / PHOTO EDITOR

she has worked in the fundraising department which “is very tied to when a building is built,” she said.

“I think [retirement] is great for him, he’s been here a long time. Selfishly I’d like him to stay, change his heart, but I think it’s great. I think it’s time,” Hall said.

“It makes me sad when people don’t reuse water bottles and when I LOGAN FELIX KSC FIRST-YEAR

and planning department, Blank put in place someone who can manage on an interim basis. I think we have a long history of growing very carefully as a campus and I think that is going to continue,” she said.

Mayor Kendall Lane was also in attendance at the farewell. “I’m sorry to see him leave the college, but I’m thrilled that he’s going to be on the City Council,” he said.

Lane said he is excited that the community will still be able to get [Kahn’s] expertise and enjoy his insight.

“I think there will be a transition,” Lane said about the future think that Keene State will be well served by the same token,” he said.

He commended Kahn on his knowledge and history with the college but said KSC “will do well.”

When it was time for Kahn to speak, it was hard for him to get his words out due to his emotions.

“Thank you for helping me make my retirement from KSC so memorable,” Kahn said to his peers, “You’ve been such an important part of my life that I will always cherish.”

Sen. Kelly said Kahn’s legacy will continue at KSC. “A sign of a good leader is somebody who when they leave, their work carries on. I feel like that is the kind of leadership that Jay Kahn has and I think we will see that,” she said.

MacKenzie can be contacted at mclarke@kscequinox.com

Top Political Candidates realclearpolitics.com

Democrat: Clinton: 56% Sanders: 37%

MACKENZIE CLARKE

Senior reporter The Keene State College Eco Reps have begun their journey to ban plastic water bottles on campus. On Monday, December 7, the Reps showed the informational documentary “Tapped” to introduce their long term plan.

Eco Rep members Victoria Drake, Scott Criscuolo and Ashley Bobola worked together with the rest of the Eco Reps to create the event.

“The event is designed to start spreading awareness and educate the campus about our campaign to ban the sale of plastic water bottles on campus and why we’re doing it,” Drake said.

The Eco Reps introduced their campaign to the audience and explained their ultimate goal: to remove plastic water bottles from campus. They provided free stickers and reusable cups to promote their project.

The Reps also set up a poster with statistics to show students just how much water is wasted every year.

The movie “Tapped” questions whether or not clean drinking water is a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold, according to its website tappedthemovie.com.

According to the website, the documentary “is a behind the scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought to never become a

can adopt ideas from the documentary itself.

First year Logan Felix also attended the event to learn more about the subject. “I’m interested in reducing plastic consumption on campus,” he said. He said he believes the use of plastic on campus is a big problem.

“It makes me sad when people don’t reuse water bottles and when I Felix said he hopes that the bottle banning project is successful. “I hope that something is done about the plastic consumption on campus,” he said.

Junior Dalton Finley said his professor also encouraged him to attend the event. “I’d like to have a better understanding of how plastic waste is handled,” he said.

Two students were also there to promote their Advocacy Project. Caitlin Calhoun and Amanda Coakley created a water bottle sculpture for their Environmental Advocacy and Ethics class. The sculpture was presented on Appian Way on Friday, December 11.

“We were trying to incorporate our artistic world with the advocacy world,” Calhoun said. The sculpture contained plastic bottles from KSC campus that were collected and organized into a pyramid to advocate for more recycling on campus.

As for the event itself, Drake was happy with the turnout.

“We hope that people will take notice and become interested and eventually become in our favor of the idea. The more people we can get on board, the stronger the chances at actually banning the bottle,” Drake said.

Sophomore Katie Masso-Glidden attended the event after her professor, Fred Taylor, told her about the bottle banning project.

“It’ll be interesting to see any ideas that Keene can get out of the movie,” Masso-Glidden said. She said she was interested to see if there were any linkages between the movie and the school and how the school

MacKenzie can be contacted at mclarke@kscequinox.com

KSC senior and athlete faces felony assault charges KENDALL POPE

Managing executive editor

When police attempted to take him into custody Lt. Short said the situation turned into a “melee.”

Happy Holidays from The Equinox!

KSC Assitant Swim Coach Diana Pimer said, “ I do not know much about the situation so at this time I do not feel like I have enough knowledge to comment.” assault, a felony, as well as disorderly conduct charges and resisting arrest and multiple counts of simple assault.

Etheridge was being held at the Cheshire County jail in Keene and was arraigned in 8th Circuit Court District Division in Keene on December 14.

Republican: Trump: 41% Cruz: 14%

KSCEQUINOX.COM

Kendall can be contacted at kpope@kscequinox.com

12:39 p.m. Keddy Hall: Female student came into parking office about her vehicle being towed and was very disrespectful towards the parking office staff.

Thursday, December 10 11:47 a.m. Pondside 2: Suspicious person just standing near Pondside 2. Officer patrolled area and found no suspicious persons in area.

2:03 p.m. Young Student Center: Student parking enforcement officer reported being harassed by a vehicle owner on 12/3/15 2:43 Science Center: Suspicious person outside room 156. Person sent on his way.

Friday, December 11 11:12 a.m. Wyman Way: KPD requesting an officer to assist with an injured possum. Animal trapped by grounds.

12:21 p.m. Pondside 2 Lot: Student reporting her parking permit lost or stolen from her vehicle within the past two weeks.

Permit reported as stolen in Iparq system.

BRIEF

Keene State College senior and mens’s swim team member Ethan Etheridge faces felony assault charges in an alleged brawl that happened after police responded to a loud party at 12:30 a.m on Sunday, December 13 according to the Keene Sentinel.

There were an estimated 200 people in a house on Elliot Street. When Police arrived at the house Etheridge and others were asked to leave according to Keene Police Department Lt. Jason Short Etheridge did not want

6:59 a.m. Young Student Center: Smell of propane, although had dissipated upon officer arrival.

4:53 p.m. Carle Hall: Report of kids climbing a tree and causing an unsafe situation. Officer spoke with the individuals and sent them on their way.

Sunday, December 13 8:30 p.m. Young Student Center: Report of a female in Lloyds complaining about pain. Refusing medical attention. Ride to CMC provided.

9:37 p.m. Bushnell Apartments: Male student is having a panic attack

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OPINIONS

Opinions / A4

Thursday, December 17, 2015

EDITORIAL

KSCEQUINOX.COM

The overly sensitive generation

GEORGE AMARU / ART DIRECTOR

2016 is approaching and it’s safe to say our generation has taken many should acknowledge those people as well and respect their freedom to enjoy whatever holiday they choose. With that said, we believe people should try believe that people should force their religion or beliefs on others, but we mindedness of young adults today has been monumental in bringing about do encourage people to develop thicker skins. change in this country. The Equinox would like to commend the people of Oftentimes we have to walk on eggshells during the holiday season to our generation for this type of behavior. However, we also realized somethat in a world so vastly diverse, we are going to come across people with Living in a country founded on freedom, we strongly believe that people should be able to express themselves in whatever way they wish. We believe all religions as long as they aren’t too extreme, should be respected. The notion that we can agree to disagree is something that we believe people should try to live by. Despite this, we have found that people often become With the holiday season in full swing, the issue becomes more prominent. According to a Pew research poll, “Nine-in-ten Americans say they celebrate Christmas, and three-quarters say they believe in the virgin birth of Jesus.” It goes without saying that the majority of Americans probably participate in some kind of Christmas celebration. This is not to say we

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that people should try to take other’s beliefs with a grain of salt. Acknowledge them for what they are, and do nothing more. Simply walking by a Christmas tree doesn’t mean the people who assembled the tree are forcing Christianity down their throat. It’s a representation of a holiday that many people hold dear to their hearts.

The same goes for people who celebrate less popular holidays. If someone celebrates Hanukkah and wants to showcase a menorah, so be it. The individual looking at the menorah shouldn’t feel a sense of discomfort when looking at something they don’t necessarily believe in. Unless it is harming you or infringing upon your fundamental human rights, what about it is so bothersome?

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in disbelief each time we disagree with something, we are going to run into issues on a daily basis for the rest of our lives. Yes, many social issues are worthy of our attention. Racism, sexism and homophobia, among other ance. Don’t take everything to heart so often.

Regardless of what you believe, the holiday season is intended to be a your beliefs, you’re standing in the way of your own happiness. Be mindful of other holidays, but don’t also stay true to your beliefs.

We propose to you this idea; next time you come across a religious representation that you may not necessarily agree with, look at it with the mentality that we are lucky to be living in a country that allows freedom of religion.

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.

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

STAFF COMMENTARY

The ‘selfie culture’ and what it says about our generation

LUKE STERGIOU / EQUINOX STAFF

CLAIRE HICKEY

fun and cute, we tell viewers “Hey world, this is me. I look good today and I feel like that needs to be shared.”

From that post, often times viewers will “like” it and, Pictures have always been a way to capture memorable moments or express cultural norms. With the ered to be and the better about yourself you feel. introduction of the smartphone, society has discovered There is nothing wrong with seeking approval from others. Approval leads to a healthier sense of self along with a healthier psychological well being. But the conyouths while others counter it is an expression of selflove. The truth is that both of these arguments are true; a dangerous path that leads to digital narcissism.

Professor of Business Psychology at University Colto our peers. lege London Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic stated, “When Posting pictures to social media has always been a taken too far the desire to be accepted morphs into a way to show our virtual friends that we live a desirable, relentless quest for status, which undermines other but often unrealistic lifestyle. We passive-aggressively people and impairs our ability to build and maintain try to show everyone that we have these beautiful, fun happy relationships and successful careers.”

In other words, our need for those “likes” to feel hopefully see us as better than others so we feel wanted accepted by society clouds our perception of what by the rest of society. Nowadays, the best way to do this should be our everyday goals. Society has reached a point where we spend more time editing pictures to - make sure we look desirable than we do doing homedence. When posting a picture of ourselves looking all work or work for jobs.

Equinox Staff

“The biggest issue here is that we have learned to love a version of ourselves that isn’t entirely true. We fall in love with the idea of what people think we are on social media” CLAIRE HICKEY EQUINOX STAFF

of self-expression and self-love which may very well be true for some. Nothing about loving yourself is bad or wrong. In fact, more people should probably learn how to love themselves. But the excessive need to be accepted has turned this self-love into a pathological problem.

The biggest issue here is that we have learned to love

Instead of acknowledging this, we continue to post fect. The obsession we have with taking and posting identity and forced us to become addicted to caring too much about how we are seen by others.

Claire Hickey can be contacted at chickey@kscequinox.com

love with the idea of what people think we are on social media which often causes us to lose our true sense of self.

STAFF COMMENTARY

The truth behind body image and eating disorders ANGELA SCIONTI

Equinox Staff

acles that make you hate yourself, starve yourself and be embarrassed about who you are. Do you think the people

mately rebranded the nation we live in was diagnosed with premature anorexia when I was only six years old. It is hard

make someone feel worse about themselves about something that they have trouble controlling. In terms of trouble at the same time I can believe it. controlling, I mean accidentally training Living and dealing with an eating their brain to over process and worry disorder that has been around for so about consumption habits. That is how long feels like second nature. There are it really happens. the daily reminders of course that are so many people at Keene State College cracks a lot, hair thins in weird places that have been silently struggling with and sometimes your bones ache from eating disorders for years. In a sense it time to time, especially in the winter. A acts as a not so trusty sidekick, somelot of these problems are not just from thing that just follows you day after day, the present, but more importantly when year after year. Sometimes it goes away my body was developing and growing, on vacation to Malibu and other times it back when I thought it was okay to take tries to pretend it is your best friend. If you are close to someone who is presently struggling or has in the past, all I can ask is to be as respectful as you who even deal with similar day-to- can and think before you speak. And day problems. However, what I want to bring the table of conversation are people that I met that became friends trying, your new exercise routine or with me because I had an eating disorder, or so it felt like. People asked me to gering a simple string of words can be go to the gym with them, which “safe” for some people. Think as if you were in foods are best, my daily habits, intake or their shoes. how to restrict. In a more broad sense, “What is your secret?” as a topic of choice Angela Scionti can be contacted at to be asked. ascionti@kscequinox.com PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY TIM SMITH/ PHOTO EDITOR Let me be the person to broadcast Student is shown binge eating as part of their eating disorder. this in a no-frills-attached voice. There

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Democrat endorsement been one for the books. A large and somewhat impressive list of candidates has provided us with plenty to talk about.

As far as the next president goes we believe he or she may be on the Democratic side.

We believe Bernie Sanders may lems. As a Democratic Socialist he has demonstrated unique plans for America. Sanders is a maverick and a man who has been on the political scene for decades. Sanders served as the mayor of Vermont and served time in both the House of Representatives and now in the U.S. Senate.

Sanders has growing popularity among college students; his plans for free public education seem to get a good reaction from students struggling with college debt.

Whereas people question Hillary Bernie Sanders has a consistent record that makes him more credible than Clinton.

In a world where climate change is rapidly increasing Sanders seems to be the only candidate with a plan to make change rather than just talk the talk.

He introduced the gold standard for climate change in legislation to tax carbon and methane emissions, led an opposition to the Keystone

pipeline and most recently came out against the Northeast Energy Direct (NED) gas pipeline that would be going through homes in areas including part of Cheshire County.

“I believe the Northeast Energy Direct pipeline that would carry through seventeen communities is a bad idea, and should be opposed,” Sanders said. Clinton has not taken a stand on NED. Although Clinton has come out against the Keystone Pipeline, she came to that position only recently.

She also came to other issues late such as gay marriage. Clinton voted for the War in Iraq, which she calls a mistake. Sanders voted against the War in Iraq. There is controversy regarding her work as Secretary of State, which can be used against her in the campaign. Sanders is the model candidate for campaign on taking exclusively small, grassroots donations.

Without big, corporate donations, Sanders is the image of our loveable, un-corrupted grandfather.

Even at the age of 74, he has the energy and passion to put America on the right path.

We believe Bernie Sanders may lems.

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

Tips and tricks on giving gifts How to go about shopping for everyone on your holiday shopping list BROGAN WESSELL

Equinox Staff As the holiday season approaches, the simple task of gift giving is turned into a the challenge of determining who gets what.

Keene State College students weigh in on some simple tips for picking out the perfect present.

KSC senior Megan Bernard said that she begins preparing for the holiday season right after Halloween because she hates shopping in crowded malls. week in December, but because of my college lifestyle I need to resume my shopping when I get back home,” Bernard said.

Bernard added that she is also an avid cyber shopper, especially on Cyber Monday.

“I hate huge mobs of people at the mall and would rather get what I can online, except when it comes to picking out clothing. I like to look, feel and make sure the clothes are alright for what I have in mind,” Bernard said.

KSC senior Christy McGraw said that she usually procrastinates with her holiday shopping but this year she started fairly early.

While she is at school, McGraw said she will resort to the internet to buy holiday gifts.

“I prefer online shopping usually if I know at school makes it harder to shop in stores because I don’t know what is around Keene

COMMENTARY

week in December, but because of my college lifestyle I need to resume my shopping when I get back home.”

MEGAN BERNARD KSC SENIOR

everything for the most part. If I don’t know nitely go shopping in stores,” McGraw said.

Like Bernard, KSC senior Hayley Grove said that her method for holiday shopping is to avoid the crazy crowds.

“I always try to get to stores early and I will never go shopping on the weekends. The mall gets way too crowded on the weekend and I

As they begin shopping, both Bernard and Grove said that their immediate focus is on their families and boyfriends.

“I usually focus on my parents, my brother and my boyfriend. I am lucky because my friends and I usually do low budget Yankee Swaps or Secret Santas with joke gifts, so I do not really have to worry about presents for the them,” Bernard said.

McGraw said that she abides by three simple methods for taking on the holiday season – don’t procrastinate, get wish lists Before the holiday shopping can begin, from the people you’re shopping for and set a both Bernard and Grove said that they try to maximum budget. budget their money as best they can.

McGraw added that she enjoys buying nice “I think budgeting is good because it can gifts for her parents and her brothers because never hurt to go shopping in a smart way. they have done so much for her growing up However, I love spoiling my family and my and it makes her feel good to give back. boyfriend just because it is something that I am not always able to do. I do not always mind Brogan Wessell can be contacted at spending that extra dollar,” Bernard said. bwessell@kscequinox.com

Eating with the Equinox How to make: Candy cane cookies SPONSORED BY

ALEXANDRA ENAYAT

Equinox Staff The holidays are right around the corner and what better way to celebrate than holiday baking? These candy cane cookies are the perfect dessert to share with friends and family. They bring color to the table and make a wonderful center piece.

Cutting out the hard work of spending hours perfecting a dough from scratch and using store bought sugar cookie mix and adding ingredients to make it taste even better allows more time for creativity and perfection.

With the holiday season also comes the stress of the big day. However, this recipe will leave you stress-free; these cookies are festive, delicious and easy to make. Your guests will think you spent hours in the kitchen!

Ingredients 1 box of sugar cookie mix ½ stick melted butter 1 egg Red food coloring 1 ½ teaspoon peppermint extract

First, in a large mixing bowl add the melted butter, softened cream cheese, egg hands or a spoon, incorporate the ingredients until they form a dough. Divide the dough into two equal parts. To one dough add red food coloring until it turns red. To the other dough add peppermint extract until evenly distributed throughout the dough. If you would rather add texture to your dough, replace the peppermint extract with crushed candy canes. face, roll each of the two doughs into two separate long snake-like ropes. Twist the red dough to the white dough, pinching the ends of the red doughs rope to the white doughs so they stick. Keep twisting the red dough to the white dough so you have a long twist of white and red dough together.

Every six inches cut the dough, again pinching the ends and form the six-inch twisted ropes into the shape of a candy cane. Transfer candy canes to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in an oven preheated at 325 degrees for ten to 12 minutes.

Allow time to cool on a rack before eating and displaying. Serve and enjoy! Yields about one dozen cookies.

Recipe courtesy of Sandra Lee. Alexandra Enayat can be contacted at aenayat@kscequinox.com

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Thursday, December 17 2015

STAFF COMMENTARY

Worrying less for The New Year wheelchair more frequently. I can’t lift anything with my left arm and I haven’t been able to put weight on my left foot in months. It seems my handicap-living-likean-able-bodied-person lifestyle is catching up to me, as it does for anybody.

So I’m not just worried about getting a job after college. I’m worried if I’ll actually be able to do my job in

JACOB BARRETT

Equinox Staff I worry too much.

I worry about school, my friends, my family, my country. I worry about being a good man. I worry about what people think of me (which is dumb, don’t do that).

I worry about a lot of things.

What presently worries me the most though is the future.

A lot of people think about the future. They worry if they’ll pass that test next week, if they’ll be able to get a job after college and if the plan they have for themselves will really come together and be what they envision in their minds. Even those who have already gotten past that part of their lives worry about work, family and the things they still want to do. Everybody has goals, and everybody wants to reach those goals right? What’s scary is what can keep you from reaching those goals.

The thing is, I’m thinking way into the future, like when I’m what some would consider to be old, when I’m like 30. Here’s why…

I and others like me are in some sort of dilemma. I mentioned in previous columns that doing daily tasks is a little more tedious when you’re someone with a disability, and that having a disability often means slowly

am), but will be able to run around getting interviews in the dead of winter with snow on the ground? Subsequently, will I be able to provide for my family? How will I be able to play with my kids in the backyard? If this pain in my arm persists, how will I pick them up?

Will I be able to keep them safe? Will I still be able to walk? The list goes on and on.

The only thing I know for sure is that when I’m 90 and in a nursing home, I’ll be teaching all the other old people how to do wheelies in their wheelchairs.

It’s natural to think about the future, but that doesn’t mean it’s productive in any sense of the word. Those are all legitimate questions, but now isn’t the time to search for the answers. I have other tests to study for. We all do.

Having questions about life and what’s to come is something that people do all the time, whether they’re disabled or not. The immediate problem that it presents though is the threat of becoming overwhelmed by things that haven’t even happened yet, let alone what is currently on your plate. As a result, everything in front of you takes a back seat and tunnel vision focuses on what’s miles down the road.

I’m not usually one for New Year’s Resolutions, but, I’ll give it a shot this year. My New Year’s Resolution is to worry less, and focus on the now instead of what do what I can to be better and not stress over what will happen if I don’t get better. I’ll take one day at a time and deal with the challenges as they come. In doing so, I’ll thrive now and better prepare myself for what’s to come.

Anyone want to join me?

OK, I’ve talked about myself enough over the past couple of months. As I close out this semester’s column I want to reach out to anyone with a disability, medical condition or unique story to tell. Let me tell your story and help inform readers of what you go through

at the world. It’d be my pleasure. If you’re interested, those tasks because of the physical toll it takes on a per- email me at the address below. In the meantime, I hope son’s body. Lately, I’ve been learning that lesson more you all have a great holiday season. I’ll see you in 2016! and more.

Jacob Barrett can be contacted at I’m in more pain than usual, and have had to use my jbarrett@kscequinox.com

Compliant careers with QaZING STEPHANIE MCCANN

artS and EntErtainmEnt Editor The life of any college student can quickly become overwhelmed with homework, tests, social obligations and the various other expectations that sometimes make it

“Not only will this look good on a student’s resume, but you can also learn interpersonal skills and meet new people.”

REMI CHIOVARO

However, a group of Keene State KSC SENIOR AND INTERN FOR QAZING College students are working on a website and mobile application called QaZING that will allow stu- on the site right now,” Dunham look good on a student’s resume, dents to browse a variety of local said, “There is home care, so raking but you can also learn interperleaves, shoveling driveways, stack- sonal skills and meet new people.”

KSC senior Jake Lopilato said he ing or cutting wood, laundry and According to LoPilato, the has been interning for QaZING this other home-based jobs. It even goes QaZING website is already up and entire semester. as far as tutoring, though. There’s running, but the mobile application “QaZING is a customer orien- also babysitting, personal assis- won’t be accessible until this winter. tated website and application that tance, shopping, maybe picking “We’re hoping by January to will provide adjustability to people up someone’s groceries. The rates release the app, but we’ll see,” LoPilooking to create their own work change for every job so you can get lato said, “However, we think it’s hours. If someone in the area needs paid more for some jobs compared important for students to start a service as simple as laundry or to others.” learning about this opportunity mowing the lawn, they can type Another intern for the com- and going on the website so they that into the website and basically pany, KSC senior Remi Chiovaro, can plan to use it in the future.” other users, typically students, can explained how the website and The website, QaZING.com, respond and say they would like to mobile application work. do the job,” LoPilato said.

“Every user who signs up gets a people to create an account and According to QaZING’s website, share code that they can pass along the company is a new startup that to other users to enter when they environment. provides “a one-stop app solution need jobs done. [These share codes] Using an intern’s share code, for a locally based marketplace of Chiovaro said students can login service providers to consumers.” whenever they want.

Senior Michael Dunham is also people sign up they can also use an “My share code is 100145. Mike’s an intern for QaZING. intern’s code and we get credit for [Dunham] is 70138 and Jake’s [LoPiHe said the application will rev- it,” Chiovaro said. lato] is 70141,” Chiovaro said, “We - want students to get out there and work while they’re busy at school. tant the share codes are for the start using the website and appli“This is important for students interns. cation as soon as possible. It will because it’s a quick way to make “As interns, we get share codes make working so much easier for extra cash,” Dunham said, “It’s that are actually logged into the everyone.” also unique because everyone has system. Every time someone uses their own special skill that they can our share code, or referral code, Stephanie McCann can be bring to the table. Everyone has the contacted at opportunity to use their talents on Dunham said. smccann@kscequinox.com this app.”

QaZING is looking for more Dunham explained that KSC interns who are interested in marketing, according to Chiovaro. opportunities for people to pick from. interns to expand the business,” “There are at least a hundred jobs Chiovaro said, “Not only will this

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

Home for the holidays MACKENZIE CLARKE

Senior reporter The holiday season is in full swing! That means plenty of parties and endless opportunities to play dress up. You may be thinking “What am I going to wear?”

at is my type of party,” KSC sopho- ening wardrobe. more Larry Kelley said. be wrong for a New Year’s Eve T-shirt with a polo or lightweight long sleeve and you’re ready to go!

-

to answer when you’ve got more than one party to attend. Worry no more. To help you dress appropriately for your night out, follow the

For the ladies, try to keep the

and statement.

Freeman said. She said she visits

family holiday party attire seems are also in season.

Tired of wearing pants? Try a long sleeve dress that hits at the

New Year’s Eve style.

during the New Year’s Eve weekend. “I feel like a lot of girls wear tight dresses on New Year’s Eve, girls who don’t usually dress up to

not approve of the most fashionable apparel and your aunt wants winter of 2015.

KSC sophomore Sophia Freelook up to. The type of apparel man said she would dress more appropriate at a family party. gious family, they probably would for a family event. KSC sopho- not approve of me wearing somemore Kyle Sawyer said he keeps it simple at family parties. “I usu“Usually holiday parties are a ally wear a sweater to family parties and an ugly one, if that’s the even if it’s a family party, I’m still theme,” Sawyer said. For men, family parties are usually the time Freeman said. looking like a slob.

“Custom suits and imported silk ties look great, but they’re not a lot of use to young men in their late teens and twenties,” the web-

Winter is the only season when

said. For the men, Esquire maga-

says it’s OK for men to wear jeans to a party. “Light washed jeans are

while ringing in the New Year.

New Year’s Eve is also the per-

shorter and a whole lot sharper.”

style. New Year’s Eve is the night of dress that most young men wear, and adding new looks to it to stay

of festivity.

-

The website suggests that men

JAKE COUGHLIN / ADMINISTRATIVE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

(Above) Festive red turtleneck and black skirt make for a perfect pair for a family holiday party (Below) Sparkly gold and black clothing is the best choice for that chic look at a New Year’s bash

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blue jeans and hoodies, and swap

to experiment with textures and prints for a fun look. Try adding

to make a statement, and enjoy the holidays!

example, swap your blue jeans out

-

Mackenzie Clarke can be contacted at mclarke@kscequinox.com

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STUDENT LIFE

Student Life, A10

Thursday, December 17, 2015

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Walking in a Winter Wonderland

KSC hosts 11th annual Winter Celebration ALEXANDRA ENAYAT

Equinox Staff

said.

KSC’s Coordinator of Wellness Education Tiffany

Keene State College’s Young Student Center was a winter wonderland Wednesday for its eleventh annual also made hot and hearty homemade soups to distribwinter celebration.

To celebrate the end of the semester and the begin- ute to students.

Members of KSC sorority Phi Sigma Sigma Bruna center was packed with hundreds of students stopping Depaula and Kelsey Jackson said this was a great way to get their organization out there. Their sorority set up by to partake in the fun.

Student clubs and organization as well as campus a laptop display for any girls interested in becoming departments were given the opportunity to showcase a member. “Events like this me feel happy about the what they can to offer to students to get them more school especially that they would put this on during involved with campus activities. food and stayed warm with hot chocolate.

Within less than an hour 1,000 free winter hats were distributed as well as over 500 servings of cotton candy throughout the celebration.

The Social Activities Council set up stations for students to stuff their own teddy bears.

Director of Student Involvement Jennifer Ferrell orchestrated the event. She commented that it’s her favorite time of the year. “I love seeing the smiles on the faces of our students, especially as we head into

KSC biology lab specialist Katie Featherston displayed an assortment of plants grown in the greenhouse on campus. “I like to advertise because a lot of ston said.

Members of Relay for Life Melissa Fraser and Rachel Powers set up a candy jar guessing game as well as papers for students to sign up for the Relay on which is perfect for us to reach out the many people who do not know about the relay for life,“ Fraser said.

Other organizations who participated in the winter

celebration as a fun, social, stress-free event for the entire campus community.

“The end of the semester can be stressful for all Sisters, The Redfern Art Center and more! of us, and it’s nice to take a little time to simply enjoy Alexandra Enayat can be each other, eat some sugary foods, get some free stuff contacted at aenayat@kscequinox.com KSC junior Emmy Roddy said the Winter Celebration really helps the community at KSC come together in a fun way. “This is a fun way for departments to

“I love seeing the smiles on the faces of our students, especially as we head into - Jennifer Ferrell Director of Student Involvement

TIM SMITH / PHOTO EDITOR

Students participate in several activites such as building stuffed animals (bottom right), getting henna tattoos (bottom left) and indulging in the chocolate fountain (top).

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Interested in writing for A&E next semester?

Contact smccann@kscequinox.com!

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

Chock full o’ cheer KSCEQUINOX.COM

TIM SMITH / PHOTO EDITOR

Sophomore Erin Conti perfomers a solo to the song Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine during the Chock Full O’ Notes performance on Saturday, Dec. 12. The performance took place in the Mabel Brown Room.

OLIVIA BELANGER

Student Life editor

TIM SMITH / PHOTO EDITOR

KSC junior Sophie Katz, a member of Chock Full O’ Notes, performs a solo at the event.

Many have heard of the concept of a cappella through movies like “Pitch Perfect,” but seldom take advantage of Keene State College’s own a cappella group right on campus.

Chock Full O’ Notes (CFON) had their second performance of the semester on Saturday, December 12, in the Mabel Brown Room with a program filled with songs from several genres. As opposed to the group’s fall invitational in November, this performance brought in a lot of alumni from the group, including former music director Jules Reinoehl.

Although she graduated last year, Reinoehl was a part of CFON for all four of her years at KSC and she said that she came back because she still has connections with a lot of the current members.

“I am still friends with a lot of them [CFON members] and I don’t know the new people that well, but it’s fun to see how the group grows and see how much they evolve, and to just be supportive,” Reinoehl said.

Being the previous music director for the group, Reinoehl had arranged a majority of the songs that the group still includes in their performances.

“It’s weird that I am not a part of those songs anymore,” Reinoehl said. She continued, “I anticipated coming back to both of these shows thinking I’d be really sad that I’m not a part of it anymore, but it’s actually really humbling to see that the group still wants to work just as hard as they did when I was a part of it.”

A new member of CFON during Reinoehl’s senior year, Brendan Hoar, is now the current music director of the group. Hoar is a sophomore double majoring in English and education.

“I became a member last year,” Hoar said, “I did chorus in high school and was chorus president, was very musically involved, and I was looking for another outlet here at school. I found out at the student involvement fair about CFON so I thought I would give it a shot.”

Hoar said that preparation for a performance, even if the group is with familiar songs, still takes months.

“For this concert we had three new songs that we learned in three weeks. All the other ones were old, but we still needed to go back and redo them to make sure we have them down,” Hoar said.

With the fall invitational already out of the way, Hoar said that the group’s confidence level has gone up dramatically, making the winter concert their best performance so far.

“The group was more comfortable,” Hoar said, “The newbies weren’t really newbies anymore because they have already been through the ring before with the last concert. Everybody was just more in tune because there was no more nervousness and now we have room to improve, so I would say that this concert was much better than our first.”

KSC first-year and film major Rachel Blumberg said that she knew that she wanted to be a part of CFON the second she saw them perform at Accepted Students’ Day. “I have always loved singing and I was in choirs in high school,” Blumberg said, “I saw them [CFON] perform at Accepted Students’ Day and I was like ‘I need to be a part of that!’ Luckily, I got it.”

Blumberg said that this concert has been more stressful because they learned three new songs in three weeks, but she is so happy with how the performance went.

“We’ve been preparing since September, and we’ve learned a song a week basically,” Blumberg said.

She continued, “My favorite song is the ABBA medley. I have always wanted to be in Mamma Mia and I got to live it, which was pretty cool.”

Olivia Belanger can be contacted at obelanger@kscequinox.com

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

BOOK REVIEW

‘Never Let Me Go’

Book uses uncomfortable experiences in order to analyze humanity MAXWELL BLANCHETTE

Copy Editor Originally published in 2005, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go is an unnerving tale of friendship and fate that raises questions about the purpose of life and its place in the advancement of biomedical engineering.

Using the ever-controversial subject of cloning, the novel is set in England during the late 1990s and revolves around the character of Kathy and her life as a carer and student at Hailsham.

Never Let Me Go is told in three parts. hood as a student of Hailsham.

The second part discusses her transitional stay in the “cottages” after leaving Hailsham.

The third tells readers of Kathy’s adult life as a carer of 14 years.

Aside from the longevity of Kathy’s career as a carer, this three-stage layout is the model for the lives of all Hailsham students before they retire from their roles as carers and carry out their lives’ original purpose; all of these “students” are to donate their organs.

At this point I feel it’s important to point out that these “students” are not what some would call people.

While their origins remain ambiguous, their lack of parents and inability to reproduce leads some to thinking of them more as shadows than people.

However, this itself raises the question: what exactly does it mean to be a person?

“.... the overarching question: what does it mean to live?”

MAXWELL BLANCHETTE COPY EDITOR

“students” will have their own thoughts and mannerisms much unlike those of the person from which they are cloned, whom they refer to as their “possibles.”

Although the mystery surrounding the donations themselves allows the reader to distance these characters from their inevitable designs and the idea of cloning, Kathy’s interactions with other students, carers and donors—namely her two closest friends and once-couple Ruth and Tommy—are the sole contributor to Kathy’s testimony as a real person.

Never once through the story did thoughts or actions were any less valid than those of her “guardians” or other people present within the piece. of hindsight perspective and various other devices is reminiscent of the memoir style.

This angle adds to the story an

events seem, if not outright possible, eerily comprehendible.

Many of the discourses within the story are preceded or followed by lines are never blatantly discussed, which in of narrative explanation, which adds itself helps the audience see the char- further dimension to Kathy’s life by acters as their own people rather than presenting these interactions similarly to how a reader would experience a mere clones of them.

This individuality itself is brought memory.

Additionally, there are few parts in up over time in the piece, with many

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the novel when the characters can be seen questioning their own life paths.

Although many of these are more along the lines of ‘I dream of doing this instead of donating’ rather than ‘I should and will do this instead of donating,’ the presence of these thoughts alone demonstrates the type of introspection these “students” are capable of and their capacity to think forwardly and within the context of their current selves and circumstances.

It also displays their understanding of their own desires and wishes, which further separates them from their status as shadows.

Featuring some unpleasant interactions and sobering realizations, Never Let Me Go analyzes the complexity of the human mind and its ability to understand itself and the world around it.

Through his skills with developing character and creating atmosphere, Ishiguro is able to consider the topic of cloning and its consequences and merits while retaining within this consideration the overarching question: what does it mean to live?

Maxwell Blanchette can be contacted at mblanchette@kscequinox.com SARAH MORRISON / EQUINOX STAFF

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

STAFF COMMENTARY

EARLY ACCEPTANCE DOROTHY ENGLAND

Equinox Staff I had the idea for my story long before I even started writing it. It started as a memory that evolved to symbolic realization, and then voila! I had created something. To protect the identity of my friend, the names in this story have been changed.

It was a sunny day in my school was green, with an awaiting breath of summer. My friend Hannah and I along with our posse were talking about everything and anything when action with sex. We witnessed

year, singing our awaited goodbyes as we propelled towards “total” independence.

And suddenly, Hannah became Mike.

Now while this did come as somewhat of a surprise, I can’t say it was an overwhelming one. I think an inner part of me had always known that something was blooming inside Hannah, just waiting to burst forward as Mike.

So back to that moment with the butter-

course, we didn’t know this the process of a caterpilized, we all started giggling, watching in disgusted awe.

While I can still remember this moment perfectly, it wasn’t exactly this moment that was the pivotal element in my story. Hannah was. We were best friends. We even shared a notebook we mailed to each other over the summer, when apart.

As we got older, we found different interests and slowly drifted away from one another, still remaining on friendly terms.

We started changing. As my hair grew reckless and wild with curls, Hannah cut hers short.

As Hannah joined the robotics team and aced calculus tests, I blazed the theatrical stage w i t h comical characters.

Then suddenly we were at senior

In high school, where a frizzy-haired halo and overeager smile weren’t exactly popular, I think I prayed I’d eventually become that pretty But then suddenly, I had a different idea. While verging on the sexist line, I seemed to always categorize certain aniwhile cats are always female, dogs are always male (in my needed to study my facts.

I was thinking about Mike and I thought, well, caterpillars female and Mike is transgender and that is beautiful.

So that’s how I came up with my story. self publish it after not having much feedback in sending it.

The biggest issue with selfpublishing is that you don’t feel completely supported. It starts becoming more about the money than your book. In my case, I was always being transferred to new people, some of

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“ ... caterpillars are male and Mike is transgender

much as I c o u l d have. Also I was so anxious just to get it done. When you let time be the top variable, it’s easier to make mistakes and lose more money that way.

whom did not speak English very proud of myself. Well, until I look at my bank account.

But when it comes down to told me conit, I can at say I’m a published tradictory information to author. Maybe this wasn’t about what I had just been paying for the book so much told.

In one case, I was told my book would sell for don’t trust people just because $13.99 then suddenly some- you’re anxious to get someone else was telling me it was thing done; trust your intuition. now $16.99. I had to make a Also, ask for help. There’s nothwebsite to resell it for a more ing wrong with asking someone to help you break free your own realistic price.

Probably the most frustrating part was that they didn’t Dorothy England even look at my book. I was can be contacted at dengtold I should put the font on my land@kscequinox.com illustrations, which would have looked terrible.

All in all, I think I should have been more careful. While I did do some research, I didn’t do as

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY TIM SMITH / PHOTO EDITOR

Dorothy England wrote and illustrated her book, Sam the Fuzzy Caterpillar.

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STAFF COMMENTARY

‘In The Heart of the Sea’ sinks from scene to scene MATT BILODEAU

less redshirts and minor side characters that aren’t the cabin boy as an older man [Brendan Gleeson] all that enticing to watch ensuring a meaningless recounting his story to the author Herman Mel- two hour sit.

Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” is a classic ville [Ben Whishaw] decades after the incident.

To Ron Howard’s credit, this is a hard story to American novel about a Captain and his raving Many adventures as of late seem to use this stoobsession with pursuing the giant white whale view telling the same story that converge into the that consumed his ship and one of his legs. It’s retelling of the story is better and more believable a riveting story of man vs. nature in a battle than the story itself. ful shots, there just weren’t enough of them. of wits to see who will conquer the other. “In Brendan Gleeson pours his heart out in the the Heart of the Sea” is based on the story that very few scenes he’s a part of and yet Chris Hem- treatment with large wide panoramic shots that inspired “Moby Dick.” Did it prove to add con- sworth, while not giving a bad performance, is in would have be extraordinary to see in the legendtext to the original tale? a majority of this movie grasping at straws with ary Cinerama theater. Instead, Howard squeezes As a cabin boy aboard the Essex, young weak character and a noticeable accent change. All everything together, making everything in the Thomas Nickerson [Tom Holland] witnessed of the other actors follow suit as they try to stay frame feel cluttered and hazy as there’s no time relevant, but when their personalities have no life, to focus on one important detail. The wide shots death and destruction of the ship’s crew. it’s hard to care for them as they venture down from afar would have also helped mask some of this hell-trodden path. It also seems a little suspisperm whale establishes a vendetta for the cious that Gleeson’s character as a teenager knows this seemingly visceral experience. crew as they chose the wrong sea creature exactly what happened during events he never “In the Heart of the Sea” made me wonder to pursue for whaling. The size of this whale attended. why they switched from its March release date gives the crew more than they bargained A serious lack of heart and majesty deviate this to December. This move signaled Warner Brothers interest in entering it in the Oscar race and I turn. The Essex’s Captain George Pollard story of hope and survival. Ron Howard wanted to have to ask why. A story of nature messing with Jr. [Benjamin Walker] attempts to keep tell this epic story about the ultimate survival task the small speck known as humanity should have but failed to highlight why other survival movies been riveting but all we get is an abridged version Owen Chase [Chris Hemsworth] work, through character motivation. Once that’s of what the screenplay true potential. obsesses over the capture of lost as sea, their deaths seem essentially pointless.

With plodding characters, unconvincing green this monstrosity; meanWhen you have a group of people that are screen and murky cinematography, “In the Heart while as they struggle stranded together in the middle of nowhere, this is of the Sea” drifts from scene to scene. for survival with very where Howard could have taken his time to have few provisions. them interact with one another, to develop their Rating: C characters. Without the setup and without the Matt Bilodeaucan be contacted at mbilodeau@kscequinox.com

Equinox Staff

GEORGE AMARU / ART DIRECTOR

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Nation & World / B5 Thursday, December 17, 2015

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Chicago officer acquitted of putting gun in suspect’s mouth

RAMON ESPINOSA/AP

Chicago Police Cmdr. Glenn Evans, who was accused of shoving his gun down a suspect’s throat and pressing a stun gun to the man’s groin in 2013, leaves the Criminal Courts Building in Chicago on Monday, Dec. 14, 2015, after being acquitted on battery and misconduct charges.

DON BABWIN

by others — as the city has struggled to lower its violent He said Evans shoved his gun so far down his throat crime rate. that he gagged and later spat blood.

Former Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy and Investigators never recovered a gun, and the charges A judge on Monday acquitted a Chicago police com- residents of crime weary neighborhoods said Evans against Williams were later dropped. mander accused of shoving his gun down a suspect’s helped clean up a number of areas under his command, In dismissing the usefulness of the DNA found on while others say he symbolized the department’s fail- the gun, Cannon pointed out that investigators swabbed the entire weapon instead of just the barrel. other recent cases of alleged police misconduct that black.

She also said Williams’ saliva wasn’t tested for gun have come to the fore in Chicago and elsewhere.

The bench trial unfolded as protesters rallied against residue and the inside of the barrel wasn’t tested for his Cook County Judge Diane Cannon found Cmdr. alleged brutality by Chicago police after last month’s DNA, suggesting the DNA could have gotten on the Glenn Evans not guilty of aggravated battery with shooting a black teenager 16 times in October 2014.

Evans’ attorneys questioned Williams’ credibility from the 2013 arrest of Rickey Williams, whom Evans and the reliability of the DNA evidence. believed he had seen holding a gun.

After the verdict, though, they were most critical - being ordered to do so by a judge. of the Independent Police Review Authority, the city’s able, accusing him of changing it repeatedly and of Evans showed little reaction upon hearing the ver- main police oversight agency that investigated the incident and has been harshly criticized for not recomShe also dismissed evidence thought to be among Williams’ lawyers issued a statement saying they the most damning — Williams’ DNA on Evans’ gun — “They were inept, they were at times corrupt (and) suggesting it was collected so sloppily that that it was meet the burden of proof needed to show that Evans they didn’t want to see the things that made Glenn violated Williams’ rights.

Evans ... innocent,’ said Laura Morask.

But she opened and closed her remarks by cautionProsecutors alleged that Evans tackled Williams Evans, who is one of the highest ranking members ing that the case shouldn’t be grouped with other recent and stuck his gun in Williams’ mouth while demand- of the department to ever face criminal charges, was a cases of alleged police misconduct. ing to know where he had put a gun he believed he had “My ruling does not pertain to (police) misconduct,” seen Williams holding.

Repeatedly praised by McCarthy for his aggressive the judge said. “This is just one case.” tactics, Evans was also the subject of at least 45 excesEvans’ case received widespread attention because gun and that Evans must have mistaken it for a cell- sive-force complaints over a 20-year period, according of his aggressive tactics — condemned by some, praised phone he had been holding.

AssociAted Press

Critics pointed to that total as evidence of the department’s willingness to condone or at least ignore the The release last month of the squad car video of the police shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald has led to a series of protests about the police department’s treatment of suspects, particularly blacks, and led to McCarthy’s ouster. Protesters are calling for more resignations, including those of Emanuel and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.

After the verdict Alvarez defended her decision to charge Evans.

“This case underscores the reality that it is extremely misconduct in the line of duty, despite the fact that this victim made an immediate outcry and we had DNA evidence to support our case,” she said in a statement.

The verdict marks the second time this year that the Dante Servin was charged with involuntary manslaughter and other charges in the shooting death of an unarmed black woman in 2012, but in April a judge sug-

Report on slave-peeled shrimp spurs calls for boycott MARTHA MENDOZA

AssociAted Press and shrimp tied to supply chains in Thailand, where The Associated Press has found slaves are forced to work in the seafood industry. slave made product without knowing it, but once we know it, we all have a moral obligation, I believe, to make a personal decision to boycott it,” said New Jersey Republican Congressman Chris Smith, a member of the House Foreign Relations Committee.

Said Mark Lagon, president of the group Freedom House: “This isn’t a matter of low pay or crummy working conditions. This isn’t a matter of saving lots of money to choose the product that is made by cutting human beings ... Americans won’t stand for that.”

The AP reported Monday that it found enslaved workers who were forced to peel shrimp in Thailand for up to 16 hours a day for little or no pay, and many were locked inside for months or even years on end.

Journalists followed trucks from an abusive factory to major Thai distributors. U.S. customs records show the shrimp made its way into the supply chains of major U.S. food stores and retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kroger, Dollar General and Petco, along with restaurants such as Olive Garden.

It also entered the supply chains of some of America’s best-known seafood brands and pet foods, including Chicken of the Sea and Fancy Feast, which are sold in grocery stores from Safeway and Schnucks to Piggly Wiggly and Albertsons. AP reporters went to supermarkets in all 50 states and found shrimp products from supply chains tainted with forced labor.

Responding to the AP reports, Red Lobster, Whole Foods and others said they’ve been assured by their supplier, Thai Union, that their particular shrimp were not processed by children and slaves, despite the Thai Union, meanwhile, admitted it hadn’t known the source of all its shrimp, and sent a note outlining corrective measures to U.S. businesses. “We were concerned that, despite regular audits, it is

processors were adhering to our code of conduct,” Thai Union CEO Thiraphong Chansiri said in a statement.

The company promised to exclusively use in-house labor starting Jan. 1.

Earlier this year, after AP reported on men were caged when on shore, Greenpeace called for a boycott of Thai Union and its Chicken of the Sea brand in the U.S. On Monday, Greenpeace campaign director John Hocevar said Thai Union isn’t doing enough.

“The company does just enough to weather the PR storm while continuing to ers forced to work throughout its supply chains,” he said.

Most U.S. customers said they’re sticking with their Thai distributors, and Gavin Gibbons, a spokesman for National Fisheries Institute, which represents about 75 percent of the U.S. seafood industry, said boycotting Thailand is not the answer.

“If you don’t buy seafood from there you’re not in the conversation anymore about labor, you don’t have the ability to

ability to say, these are my policies and if you don’t abide by these policies and if you don’t let third party auditors in then you’re going to lose access to this market,” he said.

Buddy Galetti, president of Southwind Foods, a smaller importer in Los Angeles, disagreed.

“I guarantee you that if Wal-Mart and Kroger and Red Lobster stopped buying from Thailand

FANCY FEAST CAT FOOD, FISH AND SHRIMP FEAST FLAVOR, A PRODUCT OF

pretty soon Thailand would have no choice but to really deal with it,” he said, adding he rarely buys Thai goods. “The large corporations are the ones who act like the pope as far as sustainability and human rights, but then they go out and buy from the main culprits.”

“I’ve bought bags of shrimp before at the market but never really looked at the label.

I guess I should start looking, huh?” said

a self-described seafood lover.

That was the advice of the U.S. State sador Susan Coppedge. She said consumers should inform themselves, and can check the government-backed website slaveryfootprint.org and Labor Department publications before they spend “to make sure they’re not made with forced slave labor.”

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Kerry heads to Moscow for tough Syria, Ukraine talks MATTHEW LEE

AssociAted Press U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is heading to Russia to try and narrow gaps with Russian leaders over a political transition to end Syria’s civil war and restore stability in eastern Ukraine.

After spending last week at climate talks outside the French capital, Kerry left Paris on Monday for Moscow, where he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday.

Before departing, Kerry will attend a French-hosted foreign ministers meeting to compare notes on the

The trip will be Kerry’s second to Russia this year — he met with Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in May — exacerbated by Moscow’s intervention in Syria in late September.

Russia has consistently said Assad’s future is for the Syrian people to decide, while the U.S. and many of its allies insist that he go, although they have softened their stance somewhat to allow Assad to play some kind of role in the transition.

Syrian opposition groups, however, demand that Assad leave at the start of the process — a point they reiterated at last week’s meeting in Saudi Arabia — which is supposed to begin in early January, once the opposition groups have settled on a delegation to negotiate with the government.

At the same time, Russia objects to the inclusion in the opposition of groups it considers to be terrorist organizations

or shortly after, the start of negotiations.

State Department spokesman John Kirby in Washington rejected Russian claims of preconditions that must be reached for the next round of international Syria talks to take place in New York on Friday.

“There are no preconditions to having this meeting, or to having these discussions,” Kirby said.

twice since then at international summits in Turkey and France.

A U.S. diplomat in Paris, who demanded anonymity to discuss the talks, said a meeting in Geneva on Friday between Russian and American diplomats on Syria was aimed mainly at clearing up Russian “grievances” ahead of Tuesday’s Moscow meeting.

A statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry aired some of those grievances, saying that Moscow said he would be exploring ways to bridge “will continue to seek a revision of the U.S. administra- gaps on both the political transition and the tion policy based on dividing terrorists into a ‘bad’ and MEL EVANS/AP ‘good’ ones” and complaining that the U.S. was unwill- Russia’s military operations in Syria need to US Secretary of State John Kerry, left, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni, centre, and UN special envoy for focus on the Islamic State.

Libya Martin Kobler shake hands after their press conference, following an international conference on Libya at the two powers’ militaries while both are conducting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015. Foreign ministers were poised to endorse a U.N.airstrikes in Syria. speak publicly about Kerry’s meetings and brokered national unity plan for Libya at a Rome conference aimed at prodding the North Africa country’s bickering Russia says its airstrikes since late September have spoke on condition of anonymity, said that factions to fulfill their commitment to sign the agreement and abide by its terms.again soon afterward. Some get targeted the Islamic State, but Western governments despite previous similar calls, a lot of Rus- treatment and get clean, but limited insurance, high costs and a shortage of spots at treatment centers can be claim mostly moderate rebels are being hit and that sian airstrikes continue to go toward Syrian hurdles.

Moscow is primarily concerned with shoring up Syrian rebels. to hostilities. from front lines, a Russian troop withdrawal, the release President Bashar Assad.

The U.S. has been pressing its European allies to of detainees and full access for international monitors.

Assad’s future and his potential role in the political continue applying sanctions on Russia because of its transition will be prime topics of Kerry’s conversation cers suggesting that Moscow is supplying the Free Syrian Army, which is opposed to Assad, with air sup- annexation last year of Crimea and its support for the separatists. say the results of the meetings will determine whether port and weapons.

In Moscow, Kerry will ask for Russia’s full imple- its positions on Syria. or not a new international diplomatic conference on The U.S. and Russia are also at odds over Ukraine, “We are not playing ‘Let’s Make a Deal’ here,” the Syria will go ahead as planned at the United Nations where the U.S. says Russia’s continued support for sepations relief. on Friday. ratists in the east is destabilizing and prevents any end That deal called for the removal of heavy weaponry

Fatal police shooting in Los Angeles suburb was different from others AMANDA LEE MYERS

AssociAted Press

to people in that area to protect them.”

Ken Cooper, a New York-based use-of-force

Texas A&M to open $6M research center in Israel DAVID WARREN

The 28-year-old had convictions for driving

trespassing.

Last week, he was sentenced to 22 days in jail and three years’ probation for driving with Even when Robertson is crawling away, “he’s a suspended or revoked license. still an active threat. You can be shot to where He was booked into jail Wednesday and police use of force: The suspect was armed and in you’re about to die and still be a deadly threat.” released less than two hours later — standard an area crowded with people.

The police “want to stop that man from doing procedure in cases involving minor charges.

Friends and relatives of Nicholas Robertson what he’s doing and he’s not stopping. He’s very Robertson, a stay-at-home father of three, intent. What was in his head I guess we’ll never was black. Both deputies are Hispanic, a sherknow.” person who was apparently moving away from “there was never a time when the weapon was not about a year, the other for about 18 months. crumpled to the ground. in his possession.”

Bueermann said the experience of deputies But law-enforcement professionals said The suspect’s gun was not loaded, but detecMonday that the shooting did not immediately tives found two live rounds “in his grasp,” Katz cers make bad choices and rookies show excelappear to share much, if anything, in common said. The gun was not registered to Robertson lent judgment. with other police shootings that have resulted in and has not been reported stolen.

The president of the Los Angeles Urban Robertson’s wife told the Los Angeles Times Policy Roundtable, a civil rights group, called that her mother-in-law called her shortly before for a Justice Department investigation. the shooting to say Robertson was under the “You wouldn’t even treat a dog like that. a handgun into the air six or seven times and You have a human being who’s on the ground Authorities were looking into whether he had been involved in a domestic dispute. you still empty your weapon, and he’s AfricanRobertson’s mother and aunt said he had American,” Earl Ofari Hutchinson said. at Robertson more than 30 times. In a close-up no history of mental illness and that they don’t Robertson’s aunt said the family believes the image, he can be seen stretched out on the pave- know how he would have obtained a gun. shooting was entirely about race, and she wants ment holding a gun.

In fact, they said he was looking forward to - going to his older brother’s wedding the same “He was a good father and son. He took care tion in the south Los Angeles County suburb of day he was shot. of his children,” said Cassandra Howard, who Lynwood, where two women and three children His aunt there was no need to shoot him that also lives next door to where Robertson lived. were inside a car. They ordered him to drop the many times if he was on the ground, crawling “This shouldn’t have happened to him. Just weapon, authorities said. away. like it shouldn’t happen to all the others that we Robertson refused and at one point pointed the gun in the deputies’ direction, according to police.

Jim Bueermann, president of the Washtion, which is dedicated to better policing, When deputies confronted a man carrying a handgun in a Los Angeles suburb, the fatal

day” when compared with other recent killings, such as the slaying of Walter Scott, an unarmed South Carolina man who was shot in the back last spring as he ran away from He refuses deputies’ orders to drop the gun,” Bueermann said.

“I think people might see some similarities, people have to consider in terms of public safety.”

Bueermann, who was also a longtime chief of the Redlands Police Department, near San Bernardino, said the fact that Robertson was in a busy commercial area also heightened the risk. a weapon approach a mother with kids shopping or some guy walking along and minding his own business,” he said.

The police, he added, “have an obligation

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“They don’t call it ‘startup nation’ for nothing,” he said.

The A&M System has achieved Texas A&M University has a primary goal of expanding into scrapped plans for a $200 million Israel to take advantage of the councampus in the Israeli city of Naz- try’s growing reputation as a highareth and instead is launching a tech hub. $6 million marine research center “There really is a remarkable that’s expected to contribute to amount of research and innovacritical projects Israel is pursuing tion occurring in Israel,” said James along the Mediterranean Sea. Hallmark, vice chancellor for acaThe research center, which will open in February in collaboration “There’s just so much going on with the University of Haifa, is a there and we wanted to be a part of departure from plans announced that.” in October 2013, when A&M The country, comparable in size System Chancellor John Sharp said to New Jersey, has thousands of a “peace university” was planned active technology startups fueled for Israel’s largest Arab city, Naza- by billions of dollars in investments. reth, that would bring Arabs and Jews together.

The plans for an A&M branch billion, according to the Israel Venwere unveiled after consulting ture Capital Research Center. with then-Israeli President Shimon Hallmark said research at the Peres, an advocate of coexistence Haifa center will complement work between Israel’s Jewish majority A&M students and researchers conand its Arab minority. duct along the Texas coast.

While Israel has restrictive laws It’s not yet clear how many stuthat can prevent the opening of dents will study in Haifa, but it foreign branch campuses, Sharp will begin with graduates and then told The Associated Press last is expected to expand to include week that A&M changed its plans undergraduate work.

University of Haifa Rector David reth wanted to dictate the direc- Faraggi said the agreement with tion and aim of the campus.

A&M will create a marine monitor“We’re not going to put our name on something we didn’t eastern Mediterranean Sea. have total control over,” he said.

Sustained measurements of Plans for Haifa are consistent with ocean data will help researchers the original intent of A&M two years ago, Sharp said. say.

“This agreement is in keeping “Texas A&M is one of the largest with what A&M wanted all along and best universities in the States, in Israel: It is about teaching and especially in marine sciences,” he research and it is just the begin- said. ning of what this relationship is “This is something the University going to be,” he said.

Large natural gas deposits to make ourselves leaders in marine have been discovered in the east- research in Israel.” ern Mediterranean and Sharp said Texas A&M already has a prespart of the appeal for the research ence in the Middle East with the center in the northern city of Haifa establishment more than a decade was tapping into the “oil and gas ago of an engineering school in segment in Israel.” Work at the Qatar, an Arab state on the northcenter will include monitoring east coast of the Arabian Peninsula.

In Texas, the A&M System - includes 11 universities with more shore exploration. than 140,000 students and 28,000 “We’re starting with a $6 million project there but I don’t have any doubt that it’ll grow exponen- Station was founded in 1876 and the tially over the years,” said Sharp, more than 64,000 students enrolled explaining that research in Israel in the current semester makes it often leads to startups and new among the largest schools in the U.S. commercial ventures.

AssociAted Press

LATRICE BARKUS, NICHOLAS ROBERTSON’S AUNT, FACING CAMERA, IS EMBRACED IN FRONT OF THE SIDEWALK MEMORIAL SET UP TO HONOR HER NEPHEW ON SUNDAY, DEC. 13, 2015, IN LYNWOOD, CALIF. ROBERTSON WAS FATALLY SHOT SATURDAY BY LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES IN LYNWOOD, SOUTH OF LOS ANGELES. AUTHORITIES SAID ROBERTSON WAS SHOT AFTER HE REFUSED TO DROP A GUN HE WAS CARRYING.

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

STAFF COMMENTARY

McGregor wastes no time against Aldo in UFC 194 NICK TOCCO

Equinox Staff

Nick can be contacted at ntocco@kscequinox.com

JOHN LOCHER / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Conor McGregor reacts after defeating Jose Aldo during a featherweight championship mixed martial arts bout at UFC 194, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015, in Las Vegas.

THE EQUINOX WEEKLY WORKOUT JURIEN GARRISON

Equinox Staff

Exercise Three: Dumbbell Bench Press Equipment: Dumbbells

Exercise One: Push Ups

HOW TO:

HOW TO:

Exercise Two: Hammer Curls Equipment Needed: Dumbbells

HOW TO:

Exercise Four: Abdominal Exercises

HOW TO:

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

Winter athletes face tough situation over break NICK TOCCO

Equinox Staff While most Keene State College students are excited to head back home for the holidays, KSC student-athletes who are currently in their winter seasons must endure the grind and stay committed to their team.

On top of missing a solid chunk of vacation time that non-athletes get, sometimes less than two weeks, student-athletes experience a change in their living situation as well. While still on campus with most of the student body back home for winter break, student-athletes must move into Carle Hall with their respective nized.

KSC senior and former cheerleader Rebecca Marquis said she cheered for three years at KSC and lived in Carle Hall with her teammates over winter break. fun being in the residential hall, getting to hang out with my team the whole time and just have fun bondwas kind of annoying and sometimes inconvenient.”

Looking back at the lack of time to decompress and enjoy a full vacation, Marquis said, “I absolutely think athletes need more time at home. Being a student-athlete already demands so much, having to stay on top of school work and perform at a collegiate level. Then on top of that, wanting to be social with friends and do more extracurriculars, things just pile up.”

When asked about why the move to Carle Hall is made for student athletes, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residential Life Kent Drake-Deese said Carle Hall was agreed upon for housing student-athletes on campus simply because it’s one of the residence halls closest to the gym.

The move from a student-athlete’s typical living situation to Carle Hall can be a strenuous one, especially for those who do not live close by.

Drake-Deese said, “I think a lot of them [studentathletes] don’t like to have to move because there is a lot of hassle if you don’t live in Carle.”

Drake-Deese has experience in the winter sports season, not only from his current position, but also from his days as a college basketball coach at St. Lawrence University, Brandeis University and the University of Scranton.

With basketball being a sport with a long season, including winter tournaments during holiday vacation, the chemistry a team has developed over time can make or break their season.

“Mostly because when you’re here during break, and there’s basically nobody around there’s a lot of team bonding,” Drake-Deese said.

At the same time, Drake-Deese said, in his experience, teammates can naturally get sick of each other after a while, as the long stretches without playing games, only practicing, can be frustrating.

KSC sophomore and member of the women’s swim team Margaret Dean has experience in making the move to Carle Hall and spending winter break with her team.

Dean said the process of moving into Carle Hall has varied throughout her time at Keene State as an athlete. Three years ago, she and her teammates had to approach the people living in the rooms at Carle and ask if they could stay there. Dean said now the process is much smoother, as mostly all of the logistical work of Being a student-athlete is certainly something that moving into Carle is done for them.

“I personally don’t like living in Carle,” Dean said. “It takes tremendous drive and commitment, especially during tumultuous times in the sports schedule such as At the same time, Dean said making the move and now, which Drake-Deese recognized.

“It takes a lot of commitment to be a division 3 athcommitting the extra time to the sport is completely lete,” Drake-Deese said. “It’s a lot of time around the expected of every athlete and a part of the process.

“They expect you to be fully committed up to the calendar. It’s a yearlong process so it does take a lot of end,” Dean said. “It’s what you sign up for being a Divi- determination and focus to be this level of athlete.”

Drake-Deese added that being a division 3 studentsion 3 athlete.”

Interested in writing for sports?

BRENDAN GOODWIN / EQUINOX STAFF

athlete, although not taken as seriously by the public eye, takes nearly the same amount of time and skill as it does for a division 1 athlete.

“There are certainly plenty of student-athletes here that work just as hard if not harder than some D1 athletes.”

Nick can be contacted at ntocco@kscequinox.com

The City Express stops at 7 locations on campus and can take you holiday shopping at Monadnock Marketplace, Riverside Plaza, West Street Shopping Center, and more!

Call or text the sports editor Crae Messer Or come to our meetings Monday’s at

KSC students and staff ride FREE with ID!

City Express operates Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm. Campus/Community Shuttle runs 7:30am-7:30pm. All City Express vehicles are ADA accessible. For more information call 352-8494 or visit cityexpress.org for a complete schedule. TTY use 711.

Keene State Athletics

KEENE STATE COLLEGE ATHLETIC TEAM RECORDS Men’s Swim and Dive Overall Home

2-0

Men’s and Women’s Track and Field

1-0

Away

1-0

vs. Roger Williams Team Points Keene State 175 Roger Williams 115 Women’s Basketball Overall Home

8-0

5-0

Team UMass Dartmouth Keene State

Points

vs. UMass Dartmouth 71 86

Streak

Won 2

Team Keene State Wheaton

Away

3-0

Points 190 108

Streak

Won 8

@ UMass Boston

Team UMass Boston Keene State

Jay Carisella Invitational

Men’s

@ Wheaton

Points 56 68

Women’s Swim and Dive Overall Home

2-0

Women’s

1-0

Away

Streak

1-0

vs. Roger Williams

Won 2 @ Wheaton

Name/Event/Result Philip Parent 3,000 meters 8th Overall

Name/Event/Result Katelyn Terry 800 meter run 7th overall

Team Points Roger Williams 128 Keene State 163

Team Wheaton Keene State

Points 108.50 184.50

Jared Hannon Long Jump 8th Overall

Katelyn Terry Mile run 6th Overall

Men’s Basketball Overall Home

Away

Streak

E. Dietz, Q. Bazarnicki, D. Sanford and J. Stergis-Cox 4X400 Relay 6th Overall

A. Brady, E. Buckley, A. Pereira, and A. Lombardi 4X400 Relay 4th Overall

6-1

4-0

Team Keene State

Points 103

Team Keene State

Points 70

UMass Dartmouth

84

UMass Boston

77

vs UMass Dartmouth

2-1

Lost 1

@ UMass Boston

Upcoming Games Swim and Dive Saturday, January 16 vs. Bentley

1:00 p.m.

KSCEQUINOX.COM

Women’s Basketaball Tuesday, December 29 vs Worcester St. @ Phoenix, AZ 12:00 p.m.

Track & Field Saturday, January 16 Tufts Invitational Medford, MA Time: TBA

Men’s Basketball Tuesday. December 29 vs. Wisconsin - Stevens Point @ Phoenix, AZ 6:00 p.m.

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Sports / B9

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Men’s hockey ties MSU in overtime thriller

AUSTIN SANIDAS

Equinox Staff]

Austin can be contacted at asanidas@kscequinox.com CRAE MESSER / SPORTS EDITOR

A Montclair State University player prepares to take a penalty shot on Owls goaltender Dylan Strogen in a game at Keene ICE on Dec. 11, 2015. While Strogen gave up a goal on the penalty shot, he put forth a strong effort in the game, which ended in a 4-4 tie.

KSC basketball travels to UMass Boston

LUKE STERGIOU / EQUINOX STAFF

COLTON MCKRAKEN / EQUINOX STAFF

Kelsey Cognetta eyes a free throw in a recent women’s basketball game at Spaulding Gymnasium

Dizel Wright makes a layup against UMass Dartmouth in a game on Dec. 5.

Women still undefeated after OT win

Six-game winning streak ends for men BRIAN CLEMMENSON

BRIAN CLEMMENSON

Equinox Staff

Equinox Staff

The Keene State College men’s basketball team

Brian can be contacted at bclemmenson@kscequinox.com

KSCEQUINOX.COM

Brian can be contacted at bclemmenson@kscequinox.com

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Check out the weekly workout on B7!

Sports / B10 Thursday, December 17, 2015

SPORTS

KSCEQUINOX.COM

All-American Standout Smith receives national honor

“She works hard all the time. That’s the biggest thing.

I think that kind of pushes her beyond the average player.”

BRIAN CLEMMENSON

Equinox Staff Smith was able to net her highest honor of her career so far when she was named to the National

AMY WATSON KEENE STATE FIELD HOCKEY HEAD COACH

Brian can be contacted at bclemmenson@kscequinox.com TIM SMITH / PHOTO EDITOR

Sami Smith poses for a photo in her KSC field hockey apparel. Smith was recently named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-America Third Team.

KSC swim and dive team breaks records at MIT invitational JACONB BARRETT

Equinox Staff The Keene State College Owls Swim team cut through water with webbed wings during their meet at MIT over the weekend of December 3.

The Owls came into the weekend with both the men’s and women’s team defeating Wheaton college in their last meet, and left MIT with a few new KSC swim records.

Alison Bartlett had a trifecta of record breaking performances in the 50 free (22.92), 100 free (51.07) and 200 (1:53:10) free races. Bartlett noted her all out dedication as a key to her being able to put up the times she has.

“I made it a goal of mine to put

TIM SMITH / PHOTO EDITOR

Alison Bartlett poses for a photo on top of the starting block at the Keene State College swimming pool.

Bartlett was just one of several KSC swimmers who broke records at the MIT invitational on the weekend of December 3,4 and 5.

everything I do.So far I think it’s worked,” Bartlett said.

No matter what though, the senior said that she still has the jitters before hopping up on the starting block.

“I always am nervous before a race,” Bartlett said.

Although Bartlett said she found the remedy for her nerves comes through her headphones. “[I listened to] Justin Bieber,”

Bartlett admitted.

The KSC men had their own record breakers. KSC senior and men’s swimmer Greg Youngstrom set the record for the 50 free when for the Owls, but since has been unable to replicate that result. That is, until the MIT meet. The senior lot for him mentally.

“It was kind of a good mental barrier to overcome beating my record three years later,” Youngstrom said.

Youngstrom and his teammates gave credit to coaches Chris Woolridge and Diana Pimer for having a part in helping them to rewrite the record book.

Sophomore Chris Barriss, who broke two records during the 50 (23.51) and 100 (50.93) backstroke events, said that the coaches have bers back it up.

“It’s a fresh start, a lot of us are swimming really fast, so they[ the coaches] must be doing something right,” Barriss said.

Still, head coach Chris Woolridge said that the improvement in times is a product of the swimmers’ work ethic.

“The biggest piece is the amount of focused worth that those kids they’ve really been working hard since we started our season,” Woolridge said.

Teammate Ryan Boraski also landed on the record banner with a free.

On top of all of that, the men’s relay team broke the 200 MR (1:30.61), 400 MR (3:22.19) and 200 FR (1:21.54).

Boraski, who is also a part of the relay team along with Barriss, Youngstrom and senior Cole Hogg said that the Owls had each other in mind when they took their laps.

“I think we all swam for each other. We wanted to swim fast for each other. When you wanna swim,” Boraski said.

The Owls will head to Florida on December 28, for training. Woolridge said that his team is ready for a new semester of completion in the Spring.

“I think they’re excited and motivated to put the second half [of the season] together,” Woolridge said.

Jacob can be contacted at jbarrett@kscequinox.com

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