The Equinox 2.22.18

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The student voice of Keene State College

Vol. 70, Issue #19 Thursday, February 22, 2018

DEFICIT DEFEATED ALEXANDRIA SAURMAN

managing ExEcutivE Editor Closing a multi-million dollar deficit isn’t something most people would consider easy, but it’s being done at Keene State College.

“We are hopefully and forever done talking about budget,” KSC Interim President Dr. Melinda Treadwell said.

Treadwell announced at an all-campus meeting on Friday, Feb. 16 that “we are on target” to close the Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) $2.4 million deficit and the Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) $5.5 million deficit.

“FY18 is going to very difficult for us to close. It is going to require us to be very, very measured and tight in our management as we get to the end of this year,” Treadwell said. “But it’s achievable.”

Voluntary Separation Agreements A total of 55 voluntary separations were taken — 44 by staff and 11 by faculty — Treadwell said at the meeting.

KSC will not need to move to involuntary separations because the amount of voluntary separations was enough to help with the deficit, according to Treadwell.

“It’s not going to happen now,” Treadwell said. “Our budget is there.”

In the future, however, Treadwell said if an employee’s “work isn’t part of our core priority, whose skill-sets don’t match what we need, we will need to make hard decisions with regard to realigning and restructuring the campus.”

In late November, Treadwell announced the voluntary separation program. T h e first round of applications closed Jan. 12, and yielded 29 responses, according to articles in The Equinox.

Treadwell opened the applications a second time,with a Jan. 31 deadline,which brought the number of applicants up to 52.

On Feb. 9, Treadwell opened the applications a third time.

“This wasn’t an effort for me to push and drum up more, it was an effort for me... to be fair,” Treadwell said.

Although the Jan. 31 deadline had passed, Treadwell said the she received three applications the following two days.

“I reopened to ensure that there was fairness for those who maybe would have applied but didn’t compared to those who dropped in,” Treadwell said.

Of the 55 faculty and staff taking the voluntary separation, only four staff positions will have to be backfilled.

A celebration for those who took the voluntary separations was held in Centennial Hall after the all-campus meeting on Feb. 16.

Eleven staff were granted extensions to their departure date; six staff have a delayed departure date because they are the most recent applicants, and 11 faculty will be departing in late June.

Treadwell did not release the names of individuals who took the voluntary separations, Treadwell said, almost one third were “concerned that they would be approached by the media.”

“I am trying to honor people’s privacy,” Treadwell said.

However, Treadwell said she is “obligated” to release the names of leaving bargaining unit members.”

As of publication of this article, those names

have not yet been released. two, known as the “stabilize” phase, is Although the names of those leaving meant to create a balanced budget for KSC is unknown to some, others say it’s fiscal year 19 (FY19). emotional to see their colleagues go.

The phase involves collaboration across “I am grateful that it has all been by the University System of New Hampshire choice, that people have been able to select (USNH) and campus realignment, which to do this,” Program Manager for Diversity includes the voluntary separation agree& Multiculturalism Initiatives Kimberly ments.

Schmidl-Gagne said, in an interview with In addition to the voluntary separaThe Equinox. “I think it’s still sad. Some of tions, Treadwell said skills and interest these folks are folks I have worked with mapping is being done in departments to for a very long time. So the loss of friends “reconceptualize the work.” and colleagues is...a sad time too.”

SEE DEFICIT, A2

Three Phases

Former sorority treasurer sentenced

KSC’s Bruder House: Sold JESSICA RICARD

SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN

adminiStrativE ExEcutivE Editor On Feb. 14, 2018, a former Keene State College student and former treasurer of Delta Xi Phi pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentenced for theft against the sorority.

Bridgette Lord was sentenced to the House of Corrections for 12 months, but Lord’s sentence will be postponed for one year under the condition that Lord complete 40 hours of community service within a six-month period. Once completed, Lord’s sentence will be suspended for three years.

On Jan. 22, 2018, the Grand Jurors for the State of New Hampshire presented that Lord did commit theft of unauthorized taking, which is a Class A felony, according to the Cheshire Superior Court Indictment.

However, Lord’s plea deal included the prosecutors removing her felony charge. Keene Sentinel reporter Paul Cuno-Booth wrote, “Judge David W. Ruoff said the sentence was light given that the case involved ‘a lot of money, repeated SEE SENTENCED, A2

History

nEwS Editor The Keene State College Bruder House, or as many students know it, the “toilet paper house,” has been sold to the Historical Society of Cheshire County.

The final purchase price for the property at 349 Main Street totaled $199,958, and the agreement between the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) and the Historical Society was settled on Feb. 2, 2018, according to a right to know request submitted to Administrative Assistant of Partnerships and Shared Services for USNH Lily Newton.

In terms of KSC’s $5.5 million deficit, Interim President of KSC Melinda Treadwell said the sale of the Bruder House was not part of any original conversations surrounding the budget.

“It just happened that it was happening this year,” Treadwell said.

A commitment to the sale of the Bruder House property was among one the first documents Treadwell said she signed when she first came to KSC this past summer, but the sale was a “total coincidence,” she said.

“It had nothing to do with the budget, it had to do with the timing of when the Historical Society was ready to [purchase] it. It does help us because we’ll book revenue this year, but it was not part of a long plan for this budget cycle,” Treadwell said.

Director of Physical Plant at KSC Frank Mazzola said long ago, the Bruder House served as a bakery and café and was later carved into three apartments.

The units were then rented out to students attending Antioch University and KSC by an individual who is believed to have lived in Harrisville, New Hampshire, according to Mazzola.

As the ’90s and early 2000s approached, he said KSC experienced a growth curve and began to take an interest in properties that bordered campus. In effort to “protect our front door,” and provide land to the college if ever needed, KSC officially acquired the Bruder House in 2010.

When renovations were being done to Fiske Hall in 2006, the Bruder House happened to be where the toilet paper and paper towels were being stored at the time, hence the “toilet paper house” name.

Although KSC took ownership of the property about eight years ago, it’s always remained empty, Mazzola said.

The 2013 Master Plan established that KSC was unable to find “any good use for the house.”

Soon after KSC acquired the property, the Historical Society indicated interest in the building, and in 2015, an intent to purchase letter was signed, which “locked them in as the buyer of preference for the house,” Mazzola said.

Index

Top Headlines

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

A4: KSC safety protocol A8: New on-campus food pantry B1: Facing the music B8: Keeping students safe

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

Winner of a 2017 Pacemaker Award

Biologist receives $400K grant RACHEL VITELLO

Equinox Staff

Back in September, Treadwell announced a three-step process, divided into phases, to help close the deficit.

The goal of the first phase was to reach the approved $2.4 million deficit, according to Treadwell’s presentation on Feb. 16.

This phase, referred to as the “adapting” phase, includes, but is not limited to, managing vacancies, contracts/consultants and course selection, reconstruction of the cabinet and the higher administration and tightening of travel and food budgets.

Phase

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN / ADMINISTRATIVE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

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STEINBERG DUO COMES TO KEENE

SEE BRUDER HOUSE, A2

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Worthwhile research usually has a dollar sign attached to it. In this instance, that dollar sign was in the amount of $400,000. Keene State College Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Jason Pellettieri recently received a grant in this amount from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his research.

The process of receiving a grant can often be a lengthy and complicated process. Director of the Office of Sponsored Projects and Research Dr. Penny Miceli said the granting agencies which fund research have standing requests for proposals, and that Pellettieri submitted a grant through that typical process. Miceli also helped Pellettieri with the formatting and basics of putting the grant proposal together.

“It’s probably a 50-page application, about 10 pages of science, budget stuff and then information about what you want to do,” Pellettieri said.

According to Miceli, the review process for grants, especially for organizations like NIH, can often take a long time to hear back from.

“It’s not uncommon to have to wait more than a year before you get a final answer on whether your proposal was funded or not. That was the case for us this time,” Pellettieri said. Due to this long process, Pellettieri was submitting multiple grant proposals at the same time. Pellettieri also received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Miceli said the size of the grant is larger than what’s typical, and that the amount in grants can vary greatly. “We have everything in between for grants here, all the way down to $500,” Miceli said.

The amount Pellettieri received is significant for the research he is conducting. “What it allows him to do is really engage students in his work. He can have a lot more students working in his lab when he’s got this level of funding. It really works hand in glove with the educational mission along with being good just for research purpose,” Miceli said.

According to Pellettieri, this grant is essential for his lab’s research. “You can do very small-scale projects without grant funding, but to be able to do the kind of cutting edge science that we’re doing, you can’t really do that unless you have the best equipment, which costs a lot of money,” Pellettieri said.

According to their website, New Hampshire IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (NH-INBRE) works to support biomedical research in New Hampshire and is funded

by NIH. Program manager of NH-INBRE Lynn Arnold said, “A lot of what we’re doing with INBRE is trying to get researchers started and get research off the ground so they can apply for these big grants.” Arnold also said her position involves keeping track of the budget and where the grant money is being spent.

As for what research the grant is specifically being used for, Arnold said, “He’s working with these flatworms, but finding things that connect to human health that could be very significant to managing and treating human diseases.”

Haley Zanga, a KSC senior biology major who is working alongside Pellettieri said, “Our biggest question we are trying to answer is how regeneration works… The planarians, flatworms we work with, serves as a good animal model to study.”

Rachel Vitello can be contacted at rvitello@kscequinox.com

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

Administrative Executive Editor: Sebastien Mehegan | smehegan@kscequinox.com Managing Executive Editor: Alexandria Saurman | asaurman@kscequinox.com

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News / A2

Thursday, February 22, 2018

BRUDER HOUSE

SENTENCING

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conduct, a breach of trust.’ But he said letters filed on Lord’s behalf and her cooperation with police helped convince him jail time was not needed in this case.” Cuno-Booth also reported Assistant Cheshire County Attorney John Webb mentioned her young age, her cooperation with the police, her regret and her consequential leave from KSC as contributing factors to the plea agreement.

Lord was also placed on probation for two years. The original sentence also included terms for payment of restitution which was made in the amount of $6,757.64 to Delta Xi Phi and it was, therefore, removed from the sentence.

In November, Bridgette Lord was charged for “theft of unauthorized taking” of over $1,501 from the dues submitted by members of Delta Xi Phi, according to a Superior Court Complaint document.

Also in November, The Equinox reported Officer Matthew Bomberg calculated the total of missing members’ dues to be $1,114 from the fall 2016 semester and $4,340 from the spring 2017 semester.

Coordinator of Fraternity & Sorority Life and Student Leadship Brandon Mathieu was unable to comment.

According to House of Corrections Sentence document, Ruoff holds the ability to “impose or terminate the sentence or to suspend or further defer the sentence for an additional period of three years.”

Because of the severity of Lord’s charges, if she is caught stealing again, she will be automatically charged for a class A felony.

After the first year, Lord will be able to petition to have the sentence suspended.

Lord’s Attorney Richard Guerriero said, “At the hearing she apologized to members of the sorority who were in attendance.”

During Lord’s parole, she is allowed to belong to clubs or nonprofits, as long as she does not hold a position that includes financial responsibilities.

Lord did not respond for comment.

Sebastien Mehegan can be contacted at smehegan@kscequinox.com

DEFICIT Cont. from A1

This, then, allowed the society to submit grants and fundraise for full purchase.

According to Development Director of the Historical Society Rick Swanson, the society launched a capital campaign to repair, improve and expand the Bruder House facilities.

They raised $2.4 million and reached their target in 2017.

In spring of 2017, the Historical Society notified KSC they were ready to consummate the purchase, and a check was written from the Law Office of Thomas R. Hanna on Dec. 19, 2017 for $199,958 to the University System of New Hampshire.

The property value has decreased over the years, however.

In February of 2009, the house was first appraised by Susan E. Tierney at $265,000, according to the right to know request submitted to Newton.

In February of 2014, the property was appraised again, this time by Mary-Ann D. Robator, at $237,000, and in March of 2017, the most recent appraisal date, the property’s market value, also by Robator, had reached $199,000.

Mazzola said the building is in “rough condition,” and is unusable for anything in its current state.

However, Swanson said the Historical Society will require several hundred thousand dollars worth of work to renovate and make

suitable for use. Renovations will begin in which proved impractical because of its historiApril, as it’s currently in the design phase. cal aspects, the society opted to purchase the Bruder House from KSC instead.

Future Plans for the Historical Society of Cheshire County Future Plans for KSC The Historical Society of Cheshire County plans to renovate the building, which sits adjacent to the Wyman Tavern, and use it as a cultural heritage center to welcome individuals and families to both the society and the city of Keene. “We see it as two-fold, Swanson said, “welcoming people to the Historical Society, but also welcoming people in terms of tourism and economic development.”

It’s purpose is far from simple, however.

“About five years ago, we kind of made a decision, our Board of Trustees made a decision, that the future of historical societies or historical house museums like the Wyman Tavern was not in being like a dusty archive where somebody might come once and take a look, but more like the the idea of a cultural heritage center, where people want to come back again and again because history is coming alive, through performance, through music, through dance, through reenactments, food, all of that kind of stuff and helping find relevance and a sense of place,” Swanson explained.

In order to roll out more programs, the Historical Society needed more space. Rather than renovating and expanding the Wyman Tavern,

In terms of other buildings on the KSC campus, President Treadwell said the Bushnell Apartments and Randall Hall need a lot of infrastructure updates. Taking them “off our books” may benefit the college, she said.

An immediate asset write-off of the buildings, meaning closing them or taking them down for more green space, would not only provide an immediate budget reduction, but would allow the college to recover depreciation, which she said has been put in the budget for several years.

Randall Hall, she said, needs almost $15 million in investment to make habitable.

Overall, however, students and community members can expect to see both new and traditional programs at the Historical Society’s newly-purchased cultural heritage center.

Jessica Ricard can be contacted at jricard@kscequinox.com

GRAPHIC BY LAURA ROMANIELLO / ART DIRECTOR PHOTO BY COLTON MCCRACKEN / SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

“We need to think creatively,” Treadwell said.

Phase two also includes “strategic investments” and “organizational structure,” according to the presentation.

The final phase, or the “sustainability/vitality” phase, “focus[es] on the future,” according to Treadwell. The phase examines questions that relate to KSC’s commitments, niches, structure and core business. Treadwell said she wants KSC to “become a campus for students and an employer of choice or staff and faculty.”

“It was not that long ago where Keene State was a place where everyone felt very positive, very excited all the time. We feel that now, but we need to feel it everywhere, and we need to feel confident about it and that is achievable for us,” Treadwell said.

What next?

Although KSC is “on target” to close the deficit, there’s still work to be done.

“We still need to keep our eye on the future,” USNH Vice Chancellor for Financial Affairs and Treasurer Catherine Provencher said. “We have a plan right know, but you know the hard work isn’t over.”

Provencher has been working alongside Treadwell in the past months. “The work that’s been done by, frankly everyone on the campus in the past seven months, has been remarkable,” Provencher said.

Treadwell said the school’s focus should be on “missions, students [and] community.”

“One of the main focal points I’ve made since the beginning is we need to invest in the student experience and the student support systems,” Treadwell said.

To help with enrollment, Treadwell said a search will begin for a Vice President of Enrollment Strategy and Constituent Communications. Treadwell called the position a “critical hire,” and said it would affect many areas of the college: admissions, student accounts and financial aid packaging.

In addition, Treadwell said retention strategies, including curriculars and co-curriculars, are being discussed. Treadwell also said she wants to schedule listening sessions with students to discuss what KSC is doing well, and what needs improving.

“Our history is strong and I am not telling you something you don’t know. This has been a hard couple of years for Keene State,” Treadwell said. “Keene State is a strong institution that will be here for the duration. We are an important institution and our future is bright. I am confident of it… we just need to continue to move forward.”

Alexandria Saurman can be contacted at asaurman@kscequinox.com

STUDENT ASSEMBLY SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN

AdmiNistrAtive executive editor PUJA THAPA busiNess mANAger

On Feb. 20 at 6:30 p.m. the Student Assembly was called to order.

Coordinator of Fraternity & Sorority Life and Student Leadership Brandon Mathieu reported Interim President of Keene State College Melinda Treadwell addressed all who attended at an all campus meeting on Feb. 16 to announce 55 members of faculty and staff took the voluntary separation

agreement.

As one of the results, Jen Ferrell, formerly Director of Student Involvement, had a title change to Director of Campus Life.

Mathieu also reported Treadwell will be hosting a town hall meeting in Keene on Thursday, Feb. 22 to address the recent vandalism in KSC dorms.

Sebastien Mehegan can be contacted at smehegan@kscequinox.com Puja Thapa can be contacted at pthapa@kscequinox.com

COLLEGE SENATE

JESSICA RICARD

News editor Keene State College will implement a new grading system, incorporating (+) and (-) grades, rather than A, AB, etc. letter grades. Additionally, discussion surrounding the College Senate’s program elimination guidelines was discussed and pushed to a later date during the College Senate’s meeting on Feb. 14 in the Mountain View Room.

With the college’s new grading system, effective Aug. 27, 2019, all courses that were offered prior will use the current system, and all courses offered after that date will use the new system. No grades for courses offered before Aug. 27, 2019 may be changed to a (+/-) grade.

The new grading system was unanimously approved by the College Senate.

Additionally, in discussion regarding the College Senate’s program elimination guidelines, the Executive Committee decided now would not be the best time to proceed in discussing changes to be made. Senator Sue Castriotta spoke and suggested with the three-school system changing to two, and the fact that the names of those faculty and staff taking voluntary separations from the college has still not

been made public, it’s best to hold off on having the conversation until the “dust has settled” with the college.

With the growth of the college’s widespread learning outcomes, Jo Beth Mullens, professor of geography, addressed the senators, on behalf of the committee of six, regarding the new outcome of sustainability. After distributing feedback forms, she asked for all suggestions regarding the language of the outcome. However, she said the committee wanted there to be three definite focuses: awareness, responsibility and action.

Two open forums will be held on Feb. 22 and Feb. 28 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. to acquire feedback.

The College Senate will discuss the possibility of using financial aid to fund summer courses. The hope is for students to apply their financial aid to the summer session by the summer of 2019. The concept has been sent to individual committees for discussion.

In terms of new business, Senator Castriotta shared that the Dean of the School of Professional and Graduate Studies Karrie Kalich and Academic and Career Advisor Jen Drake-Deese expressed interest in making KSC a Yellow Ribbon school.

The program “allows institutions of higher learning (degree granting institutions) in the United States to voluntarily enter into an agreement with [Veteran [Affairs] to fund tuition expenses that exceed either the annual maximum cap for private institutions or the resident tuition and fees for a public institution.

The institution can contribute up to 50 percent of those expenses and VA will match the same amount as the institution,” according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs website.

The reason for doing so, Castriotta said, would be to consider KSC a more veteranfriendly institution compared to others.

Provost William Seigh said, “We need to have a policy in place that takes care of our vets.” If student veterans were to be deployed, he said, what would happen to their credits?

Senator Kim Schmidl-Gagne said the topic is likely to be put forth during the College Senate meeting in March.

The College Senate will meet once again on March 21, 2018 in the Mountain View Room of the L.P. Young Student Center.

Jessica Ricard can be contacted at jricard@kscequinox.com

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Thursday, February 22, 2018

It’s worse than we think Impoverished students lack financial resources ABBY SHEPHERD

Social MEdia dirEctor Nationwide, young people struggle with affording their education. For many low-income students, obtaining college degrees comes with financial hardships that some might not be aware of.

Food insecurity and homelessness among college students is on the rise, and many believe that financial aid institutions are not prepared to handle these issues.

At 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 15, Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab, a professor of Higher Education Policy at Temple University presented about the cost of higher education in the Mabel Brown Room.

Goldrick-Rab is is also a leader in research of the intersection among economic insecurity, college affordability and a failing financial aid system.

Keene State College students filled the Mabel Brown Room in equal numbers as faculty and community members.

Dr. Goldrick-Rab didn’t just come to KSC to speak, she said in the presentation.

She was there to “recruit for a movement” about making college more affordable. While speaking, she reflected on policymakers and the importance of painting a true picture of college students nationwide. Dr. Goldrick-Rab critiqued the lawmakers who don’t spend time on college campuses, and how they depict college students as selfish and entitled.

She told the true story of a young woman named Chloe who was trying to afford an associate’s degree at a community college in Wisconsin.

Her expected family contribution from the FAFSA was 10 percent of her mother’s meager income, and Chloe didn’t want to take out a high loan to go to school. Chloe tried to work to make ends meet while attending the college, but eventually dropped out after being put on financial probation.

After Dr. Goldrick-Rab told the story, the room was quiet and solemn. “If this story took place in New Hampshire,” she said, “the situation would’ve been even worse.”

Dr. Goldrick-Rab projected charts about the increase in college costs and the stagnation of financial aid money nationwide, which contributed to Chloe’s story. Following that, she focused on the school at which she was speaking.

She showed calculations of the cost of attendance at KSC, and how little this school’s financial aid office provides to their students.

The chart she made showed that it takes 56 hours a week of minimum wage work ($7.25 per hour) to cover the cost of attendance at KSC. This is after the average financial aid package KSC offers.

“It’s very easy to be pessimistic... but these are easy problems to fix,” Dr. Goldrick-Rab told the audience. She continued to play her slideshow, emphasizing the importance of campus resources to help students in financial trouble.

Dr. Goldrick-Rab also told the audience that the students at colleges and universities are the ones who are the most aware of issues among their peers, and that their student fees shouldn’t rise to try to solve these problems.

Senior Aaron Bartlett attended this program for his Health Promotion Practice class. He’s an in-state student. In his opinion, college affordability isn’t as bad in New Hampshire as it is in other states.

Bartlett said that private colleges and out-of-state choices elsewhere in New England are much more difficult to afford.

He said that while KSC isn’t “astronomically high” like other schools, people still have a hard time paying for it.

Allison Gioielli, a senior at KSC, came with her peers because she was interested in the subject of affordability. She is from Massachusetts, and she said that out-of-state tuition at KSC is very expensive.

She agreed with Bartlett, though, that higher education in general is expensive. Gioielli said she knows students firsthand who struggle to afford school and living expenses. She said she is friends with someone who has “gone from seven [in the morning] until nine [at night], working just to be able to afford rent.”

Gioielli’s friend’s struggles are not unique, and that night’s presentation reflected the issues that arise from financial insecurity among college students.

The presentation was sponsored by the Open Education Collaborative through the University System of New Hampshire.

Abby Shepherd can be contacted at ashepherd@kscequinox.com PRIYA CHETTRI / EQUINOX STAFF

GREEN LIFE: STAFF COLUMN

B-corporations encourage local sustainability KATHERINE GLOSSER

Equinox Staff Major corporations and businesses play a large role in society and culture. When we watch our favorite tv shows, we see ads that pop up now and again. People can often recall or describe mainstream fast food joint slogans and ads, or remember claims from soap ads, and they often buy from them.

However, when it comes to the ethics of where the materials of their products are coming from, it is often a topic of controversy. ConAgra foods is a perfect example.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, ConAgra foods, a major food distributor to supermarkets and restaurants, was sentenced for violating the Clean Water Act in 2006. This came after the company failed to report and document temperature readings of non-contact cooling water, which is used to cool air compressors. That liquid flowed from their facility into the Vermont River.

While there are many mainstream corporations with questionable business practices, there are some corporations that have made an effort to give back to their community and environment.

In 2006, the same year ConAgra foods was convicted, a new type of corporation emerged: a benefit corporation, or b-corp.

Keene State College Environmental Studies Professor Dr. Thomas Webler said these corporations have a goal of maintaining and contributing to the public interest and even set a goal on what they want to positively impact.

So how do b-corps tie into environmental sustainability?

Webler says a lot of b-corps have the goal to be sustainable and have low impact on the earth.

Many, he said, are small and family-owned.

“They tie in because sustainability is one key common interest that we all have. It’s in our common interest to live sustainably on this planet, and b-corporations can help us figure out how to do that,” Webler said.

Webler said not only do b-corps make an effort to give back to the community, they also make an effort to treat their workers fairly. Some b-corporations let their employees bring their children to work, sometimes even their dogs.

Often their workers get benefits as well.

Badger Balm, a company in Gilsum that was b-corp certified in 2011, is one of the corporations that allow their workers to bring their children.

Coordinator of Sustainability and Community Coordinator for Badger Balm Jessica Baum said the company facilitates a daycare program for the children of the employees. Even infants of employees can come with them to work and also gives mothers extended maternity leave that lasts between 6 weeks and 6 months. Badger Balm also

does community service and donates 10 percent for what they want through their dollar. “Every of their before-tax profits to non-profit organiza- time you choose to buy something, like Dr. Brontions. ners over something like Dial or Dove, it creates a In order to become a b-corporation, the com- better market for these companies,” Levick said. pany must go through a process. To become cer- “Your money is going into the market showing tified, according to their website, they must first that it’s more important to you than a company meet performance requirements. that has very destructive behavior.”

The first thing they explore in that first step is to assess the impact the company would have on Katherine Glosser their stakeholders. After that, they must set up an can be contacted at assessment review and get a background check. kglosser@kscequinox.com Then the company must meet legal requirements.

Webler and Baum said this process takes a long time to go through. The minimum score that must be reached in the requirements to become a b-corp is 80. Badger Balm received a score of 141.

Baum said the company does an impact assessment every two years and does a waste assessment four times a year. The assessment, Baum said, found that only 5.4 percent of Badger’s waste goes into landfills while 94.6 percent is recycled or put into use. “We do all that because we want to make a difference in the world. That’s really our purpose here. We want to make a difference in the world and create a better healthier future for the people of the world and the planet itself,” Baum said.

Baum said she recently met with Keene State College Director of Sustainability Cary Gaunt and KSC Recycling Coordinator Matthew Bacon and talked about how they engage the community with their sustainable activities. They also compared ways Badger Balm and KSC manage waste.

Gaunt and Bacon came on one of the days the company was doing a waste assessment to observe how it’s accomplished. Baum said in the future, she hopes Badger Balm would partner with Keene State and purchase their renewable energy credits, which KSC produces.

Marketing Manager of the Monadnock Food Co-op Emerald Levick said the they sell products from 20 b-corporations. Some of the products that b-corporations offer are not always food-based.

Preserve, a b-corporation, sells razors, toothbrushes and other products that are made from recycled number five plastic, which can be recycled again and again. Even some of the soap, like Dr. Bronner’s, comes from b-corporations in the store.

Levick said she enjoys marketing those products. “I market the products and I feel good marketing those products because I know they are doing something better for the earth than alternatives,” Levick said.

In the end, Levick said everyone votes LAURA ROMANIELLO / ART DIRECTOR

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OPINIONS

Opinions / A4 Thursday, February 22, 2018

EDITORIAL

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KSC safety protocol

The school should be prepared in case of an active shooter Equinox Staff

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THE EQUINOX

NI EL LO LAUR A RO MA

The recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida on Valentine’s Day leaves the nation asking the same questions they’ve asked too many times before: what can we do to prevent this from happening again?

Keene State College needs to ask itself the same question and give their students and staff a clear answer.

The Equinox’s Abbygail Vasas wrote an article titled “Assessing KSC’s emergency protocol” in October of 2017.

In that article, Vasas wrote, “This system sends emergency messages to members of the campus community, Crossman said, they could contain information about the situation such as, ‘What’s going on, where it’s happening and advice on what to do, such as flee the area or hide.’”

Having a well-known system to follow in case of an emergency on campus, such as a school shooting, would put a lot of student’s minds at ease.

Just because the KSC campus seems like a safe place does not mean it always will be.

In case of a fire, students go through fire drills in their dorms, so how come KSC does not practice lockdown drills in case there is a gunman on campus?

Every four years, students come and go through the gates of this campus, and some of these students have never heard the emergency alarm that sounds from on top of the Spaulding Gymnasium when a lockdown is in progress.

Unfortunately, sometimes people do not take action until it is too late.

Instead of instilling intense safety drills and precautions after a tragedy takes place, practice safety beforehand so no one has to be hurt in this type of situation again.

Not taking action in response to a problem of this magnitude is unacceptable at this point.

There have been several school shootings already this year.

Who is to say where the next one will take place?

It is hard to properly define what a school shooting technically is.

Some people say there have been up to 18 this year while others say there have only been six.

Either way, the number is too high.

KSC needs to take action to ensure that this campus will not be the next to suffer from this tragedy.

Although KSC does have a Emergency Notification System, we can do more than just send a text message and turn on a siren.

Receiving a warning through a text may seem like a good idea, but if an active shooter was to come on to campus and students were out on Appian Way, where would they go?

Obviously, you are supposed to run away and seek shelter, but shouldn’t there be a designated safe space that students are aware of?

Or what if you are in a building that is mostly windows such as the Zorn Dining Commons or the Lloyd P. Young Student Center?

Where should these students seek shelter so they are not completely vulnerable to the threat of a gunman?

One step KSC could take to make students feel safer on campus is to start discussing these issues during orientation.

Having regular campus lockdown drills, like we have fire drills, would clear up confusion students might have about how to behave during that circumstance.

Also similar to fire drills, more maps should be present with a clear outline of where students can go during an emergency.

Another precautionary step would be installing metal detectors in the entrances of each building. Yes, installing that many metal detectors may be pricey, but what is worth more: the well being of students or the money it would take to install them?

In a world where school shootings seem to be the new normal, KSC needs to think about the safety of their students.

You can never be too prepared when it comes to preventing a tragedy, especially a school shooting.

Creating campus-wide guidelines where students would know where to go and what to do in case of that event would be beneficial to everyone.

Not only would students feel safer, parents would not have to worry about their child as much.

In a life or death situation, students should know what to do to ensure they will emerge safely.

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Thursday, February 22, 2018

STAFF COMMENTARY

Truth in the news

STAFF COMMENTARY

What is a sport?

LAURA ROMANIELLO / ART DIRECTOR

Differentiating real and fake sports Chloe Giarraputo Opinions Editor

LUKE SWEENEY / EQUINOX STAFF

Advertising companies are pulling ads from unreliable websites IZZY MANZO

Equinox Staff Fake news is a phrase that’s become kind of iconic; I can faintly hear Donald Trump leaning way too closely to a microphone to interrupt a reporter asking a question about one of the many, many compromised situations he’s gotten himself into.

“No, no,” Trump says, wagging his finger around like it has the force to shut the entire room up. “That’s fake. Fake news, all lies.”

At this point, I feel like most people have become desensitized to “fake news” and “false media” because there’s such a gray area between a news article just stating facts, even if they hurt someone’s image, and genuine made up lies.

The only real fake news at this point is satire, and even cute old people who don’t know how Facebook works fall for those.

Unilever, which owns brands such as Dove, Ben and Jerry’s and Lipton, apparently has their panties in a bunch because of fake news.

Marketing boss Keith Weed said that platforms such as Google and Facebook are failing to properly filter content, and is threatening to pull advertising.

Eighty-five percent of Facebook’s revenue comes from corporate posts, according to CNN, so for Weed and Unilever to follow through with their claims would definitely sting.

No filtering system will be perfect. It’ll just never happen, one picture or video will always manage to slip through the cracks and end up being seen by someone who shouldn’t have clicked on it.

It’s totally within a company’s rights to choose what platforms they want to have ads on.

They’re just attacking what’s already a very flawed system that also depends on people’s help --

there’s just too much stuff on the Internet to successfully keep track of and filter out what Unilever described as a “swamp” of racism, fake news, homophobia, and sexism.

After a certain point, it just depends on people either alerting the systems or just monitoring what children can go on and see.

And it’s not like Google and Facebook are just reclining back and letting extremism run rampant either -- according to CNBC, Google has announced that 10,000 staff members will be dedicated to finding explicit content, and Facebook will be using artificial intelligence to track down images, videos, and texts related to terrorism.

The “fake news” part is the one that gets to me the most.

It feels vaguely 1984-esque in ways that I can’t put my finger on.

It’s just become such a politically-charged statement, there’s really no way to say that seriously

anymore without echoing Trump’s sentiments about how everyone’s out to get him.

On the flip side, there’s no way to say that seriously anymore without echoing sentiments of how Russia rigged the elections.

It’s just odd to hear those words used almost strictly in a political sense and then have a company that makes soap and Cherry Garcia ice cream turn around and use it.

It’s some risky business that Unilever could get themselves involved in.

They’re such a monster company that there’s no way this can be responsible for their downfall, but it’s just an odd phrase to use that can easily be used against them.

Izzy Manzo can be contacted at imanzo@kscequinox.com

Winter sports are currently a hot topic thanks to the 2018 Olympics taking place in Pyeongchang, South Korea. At Keene State College, sports are usually a large topic of discussion thanks to our Owl athletes. But what is a sport?

Everyone seems to have their own opinions about what they consider to be a “real” sport.

I have heard some people argue over professional sports because one person does not consider that activity to be worthy of being called a sport when the other person does. KSC athletes are also subject to these kinds of debates. Many people have criticized cheerleading of not being a “real” sport just because the rules of cheerleading do not line up with rules of other activities they consider as sports. A sport is defined as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” So, technically, anything that involves some sort of physical activity is considered a sport. If more people knew of the exact definition of a sport, it would prevent a lot of disagreements.

Just like cheerleading, there are some winter olympic activities that people do not view as a real sport. One sport featured in the winter olympics that is under scrutinization is skeleton. This sport is similar to luging, which is essentially sledding down a chute. Where luging is done feet first, skeleton is done by the racer taking a running start and then going head-first through the

chute. Some olympic spectators do not view this as a sport since they just look at it as sledding down an icy hill. But these sports, like any sport, require a lot of careful thinking and preparation that the average person does not see.

In terms of KSC athletics, there are a few activities that are listed as club sports that some people believe should be an official sport at the college. For example, rugby and hockey are both listed as club sports at KSC. According to KSC’s official website, “The purpose of the Club Sports Program is to provide students an opportunity to participate in an organized team or individual sport program and to enhance their skills in a particular sport.” By having an option for students to participate in a sport that is not at a varsity level, they can participate in what might be an off season for a varsity sport.

Cheer is not just the only sport criticized for not being an “actual” sport. People also critique activities such as dance, golf, bowling, fencing, and frisbee to name a few.

All of these sports are competitive and require a certain level of skill and physical exertion in order to complete them. Executive Director for Boston’s Center for the Study of Sport in Society Dan Lebowitz said, “I’m big on, ‘Sport is a competitive endeavor that involves athleticism in which the goal is to win.’” So, whether you are competing at an olympic or college club or varsity level, you are still participating in a real sport.

Chloe Giarraputo can be contacted at cgiarraputo@kscequinox.com

STAFF COMMENTARY

STAFF COMMENTARY

Midterm Election

Representation matters: The 2018 Gerber Baby

New House Bill will impact some student voters TAYLOR BEAVEN

Equinox Staff If you’re a student planning on voting in the 2018 Midterm elections, you’re going to want to pay attention to what’s going on in NH’s legislature. Republican Brian Stone, Representative of District Rockingham 1, is trying to push a bill that would increase voter restrictions for the state of NH, and it directly affects out of state students attending college here.

Stone is the main sponsor of the bill that would remove the ability for students to declare New Hampshire as their domicile for voting and not register as a bona fide resident.

As stated by Fosters.com, the bill would require outof-state students to show that he/she “intends to make this state his or her home for the time being.” With NH’s midterm election day set for Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018 and Keene State College students having a busy schedule, it’s a good idea to be aware of the voting opportunities, and even more so to be aware of the candidates you’ll be voting for.

New Hampshire doesn’t have any Senate seats up for grabs. Both Representative seats are being either replaced or allowing Democratic Representatives Carol Shea-Porter (District 1) and Ann McLane Kuster (District 2) to reclaim their spots.

Alongside this, large topics like Net Neutrality, Immigration, Gun Control, Tax Reform and Healthcare are all stealing the spotlight in both Congress and Trump’s Administration, therefore it’s safe to say that the 2018 Midterm election will be a huge deciding factor for how our country moves forward these next few years.

And this bill could make it more difficult for the Democrats to take the hill if less people are able to vote, thus granting Trump and the GOP more opportunity to push their agenda.

Considering this legislation heavily affects more than just college students, the Democratic party’s claim that Republicans are attempting to restrict certain groups from voting seems to hold up. The GOP’s refute being the recent controversy with the 2016 Presidential

Election in terms of voter fraud, requires more identification requirements in order to restore confidence in the voting system. This debate between parties isn’t a new one, both have been pushing their own agenda on the voting requirements. The Republicans calling for more identification and restrictions while the Democrats advocate for looser conditions in the hope that voting numbers would go above the 58 percent we saw in the 2016 Presidential Election. Although the question is raised; will this bill genuinely lower the number of voters throughout the US? In the NH election it obviously would be lower, but citizens of the US are still able to vote for their home state’s legislators later this year by applying for an “absentee ballot.” This ballot allows people to vote via mail, however, it is recommended that you request the option from your hometown 60 days prior to the election. This absentee ballot allows people to vote regardless of their position in the country, the only downside is it requires more effort on the voter’s part. So I ask you, in hopes the answer is yes: Will you be voting in the 2018 Midterm Elections?

Taylor Beaven can be contacted at tbeaven@kscequinox.com

“

[The bill] would remove the ability for students to declare New Hampshire as their domicile for voting and not register as a bona fide resident.

Taylor Beaven Equinox Staff

ANGELIQUE INCHIERCA

Photo Editor With over 75.7K likes on Instagram, the new face of Gerber Baby is bringing awareness and positivity to a community often recieving demeaning remarks.

Since the Gerber Products Company announced its 2018 spokesbaby Lucas Warren, the news has spread across social media.

Aside from his award-winning smile, the 18-monthold has another unique quality to him. Warren is the first Gerber Baby to have Down Syndrome.

After scrolling through dozens of the post’s comments, I’ve discovered that Warren is surely adored by the public.

He has also appeared on television with his parents who were invited to share their reasoning for participating in the contest and their hopes for more acceptance of babies born with genetic disorders.

Growing up, I was always told that everyone should be accepted no matter who they are and should not be judged on clothing, skin color or behaviors, even if they didn’t reflect my own.

I had always been surrounded by people who would have been considered disabled or handicapped.

Unfortunately, for most people, it is difficult to be understanding because we have unfair expectations for others.

In elementary school, I remember many phone calls I had with an uncle of mine.

Because I was young, I thought it was humorous that he laughed at everything I said.

I also believed that his letters written in broken English were just because he was bad at school work.

It wasn’t until I was in middle school that I fully understood why, even though he was older than me, he always acted so much younger; my uncle has Shaken Baby Syndrome.

He may be older, bigger, and stronger than me, but mentally my uncle will always be around eight or nine years old.

Although Shaken Baby Syndrome is not a genetic

disorder, my experiences with my uncle have taught me to always be friendly towards everyone under similar circumstances.

I was able to view my uncle and other family members living with physical and mental disorders as people and not as cases to be dealt with, and I’ve learned to treat others with the same level of understanding and respect.

I quickly found out that not everybody was kind towards those with disabilities.

In school, my classmates criticized their speech and behaviors, labeling them as “speds.”

Throughout my whole life I have seen grown adults with a variety of mental or physical diversities laughed at on television, and portrayed as unintelligent and unable to be independent.

If children with Down Syndrome and other disorders were portrayed in a positive manner on all medias, I believe more people would be accepting of them.

If society could normalize genetic disorders, it wouldn’t shock us every time someone connected to a syndrome did something extraordinary.

We would be amazed by the work done by the person, not because someone with “special needs” surpassed a social expectation.

We all go through life a little differently.

No matter how we were born or what happened after, we are all on this earth together.

CNN.com said, “[Lucas’ mother Courtney] Warren told the TODAY show she hopes that having [her son] as a Gerber Baby will shed some light on the special needs community.”

Angelique Inchierca can be contacted at ainchierca@kscequinox.com

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Thursday, February 22, 2018

‘The Steinberg Duo’ returns to the Redfern PUJA THAPA

Business Manager On Sunday, February 18, music lovers from all over the Monadnock region came together in the Alumni Recital Hall of Keene State College’s Redfern Arts Center to see the famous Steinburg Duo. “Technically perfect and musically profound” as described by Jerry Levy, a retired sociologist from Brattleboro, Vermont.

KSC Music major and senior Jacob Huggins said he could speak for everyone that was there; everyone spent their Sunday in the best way they could.

The Steinburg Duo -- Louisa Stonehill on the violin, and Nicholas Burns on the piano -- performed a “New Year’s Gathering” theme of music by Tchaikosvsky, Brahms, Liszt and Grieg.

Levy added that the Brahms is very difficult to play, but there was the sweetness, the congruence and the insight.

He said musically, the Brahms was just ethereal, the texture of the piano; the support that the piano gave to the violin was amazing.

He said that he hadn’t seen a string player having better balance than Louisa had.

Burns said it was a real challenge for Louisa to play because she is due to have a baby in 2-3 weeks.

“That’s why she was sitting, she would normally not be sitting and, also because she’s pregnant, her hands are quite swollen,” Burns said, “We have ice packs and all

PUJA THAPA / BUSINESS MANAGER

The Steinberg Duo came to the Redfern Arts Center for their annual performance on Sunday, Feb. 18.

sorts, backstage to make it kind of happen.”

According to the Steinburg Duo’s webBurns said that they met through music. site, in the Summer of 2016 the duo emi“I was conducting an orchestra and grated to Keene, New Hampshire.

Louisa was the celloist. It’s a real cliché,” He “It is not an exaggeration that we plucked laughed. it of the map,” said Burns. He said they were

Get where you need to go in a warm, comfortable bus!

googling best places to live in New England and dropping pins on the Google map and that’s when they found Keene.

“It is very well situated, and I really don’t want to live in a city anymore.”

They have since repeatedly appeared at the Redfern Arts Center at KSC according to the website.

“They have performed here several times as rental clients,” said Theatre Operations Manager of the Redfern Arts Center Lara Shields.

She said the show was successful, “but the weather probably, the snow from last night, may have kept some people away; We were hoping for a larger audience but the people who were here really enjoyed the show,” Shields said, “The Steingburg Duo has a great following in the Monadnock region.”

The Steinburg Duo has been telling musical stories on stage since 2007 through imaginative programming, emotive interpretations and captivating performances according to the Steinburg Duo’s website.

Huggins said he was learning just by listening to what they were doing.

In November, 2018, they will be traveling China according to their website.

“It’s going to be an interesting experience, because it’s 8 concerts in 11 days,“ Burns said.

“They are both, without a doubt, world class players, they have total control over their instruments, on what the piano and the violin are capable of,” said Levy.

Puja Thapa can be contacted at pthapa@kscequinox.com

KSC Puzzles

Stops at 7 on campus locations:

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

Off campus stops:

Target Starbucks Dick’s Sporting Goods Walmart Market Basket & more!

MONDAY - FRIDAY

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

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

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

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Thursday, February 22, 2018

Former Voice competitor comes to KSC ERIN MCNEMAR

Arts & EntErtAinmEnt Editor The Night Owl Café at Keene State College filled with music on Thursday, Feb. 15, as country singer and former NBC Voice contestant Angie Keilhauer played an acoustic set of both original and covered songs. The singer opened with the Amy Winehouse classic, “Valerie” and concluded with “Gravity” by John Mayer.

Making connections with the music she performs and experiences in life, Keilhauer explained why Ed Sheeran’s song “Perfect” is currently her favorite song to play. “I know [Ed Sheeran] got engaged, and I find context in songs. I feel like I wrap myself around them more. Knowing that he just got engaged made the song more intense to listen to,” Keilhauer said.

During the show, Keilhauer took requests from audience members playing a diverse set from Dolly Parton to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. When an audience member requested Keilhauer play Aerosmith, she did not shy away from the challenge. Impressing many listeners with her rendition of “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” first-year Lindsey Ljungberg identified that song in particular as her favorite. “I loved it she was really good. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but probably the Aerosmith song was the best,” Ljungberg said.

Throughout the performance, Keilhauer told stories about her musical voyage, and how she ended up where she is today.

Teaching herself guitar from YouTube, Keilhauer began on her path of becoming a professional performer after she quit her job at an auto- salvage yard and signed a contract to be a full-time musician on a cruise ship. The job involved her playing three to four hours every day for six months. After

returning from the cruise, the singer went on tour and later competed on The Voice in 2016.

“It was an incredible, unexplainable moment,” Keilhauer described the feeling when she saw the chairs turn around. “I remember being like, ‘You know what? I’m just going to love this experience and stop worrying about what’s going to happen afterwards. Just enjoy the moment,’ Keilhauer said. “I looked up at the crowd, and it felt like the crowd got louder when I looked up, and I remember getting lost in that sound and then all of a sudden looking down and three judges had turned around.”

Although three judges (Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Pharrell Williams) turned around for Keilhauer, her journey on the competition show did not begin there. Keilhauer had auditioned multiple times to be on the show, but had not made it past the blind auditions until the 2016 season. However, Keilhauer did not view her failures as a reason to give up, but as a reason to try again. “I think that you have to have a relationship with failure, and actually seek it,” Keilhauer said. “You have to play the odds and fail often to get the success you want.”

Keilhauer has recently signed a contract with a manager from Nashville, and is scheduled to release a new album this summer, adding her total original music albums to three.

First-year Kim Kalis attended the KSC show, and was blown away by the singer’s performance. Kalis expressed, “I thought she was really good, I really like her. I’m probably going to listen to all her music right now. I was really impressed.”

Erin McNemar can be contacted at emcnemar@kscequinox.com COLTON MCCRACKEN / SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Former voice competitor Angie Keilhauer performed an acoustic set in the Night Owl Café on Thursday Feb. 15. The artist featured both original and covered songs, as well as requests from the audience.

Music, mugs and more Rachel’s Reviews

The Fundamentals of Caring RACHEL BLUMBERG

Equinox stAff

BENAJIL RAI / MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR

Students went to the Night Owl Café for the coffee house event put on by the student activities council.

SAC transforms the NOC into a coffee house VANESSA NICHOLS

Equinox stAff ERIN MCNEMAR

Arts &EntErtAinmEnt Editor Free mugs, coffee, food and music.

What else could you ask for on a Sunday night? On Feb. 18, the Social Activities Council brought the style and feeling of a typical coffee house to the Night Owl Café.

The night began with a performance by the Keene local band, Burr, who was followed by performer Abe Parker. During the performances, student were encouraged to enjoy some coffee, s’mores, draw on the tables and grab a complementary mug supplied by SAC. Junior Rachel Graves, who is a member of SAC, explained what went into created the event. “First, we needed to find a headliner, and this year it’s Abe Parker. We found him at NACA [National Association for Campus Activities],” Graves said.

After choosing Parker as the headliner, Graves said that SAC then looked for an opener, and decided on Burr. “We chose Burr because they

actually won Rocktober fest this year, which is another event we put on we put on.”

After explaining coordinating that went into creating the event from ordering food to setting up decorations, Graves indicated that she was excited to see the turn up the Sunday event received. “I’m extremely happy with the turn out I’m glad that we can serve so many people on campus,” Graves said.

Headliner Parker, who as been part of the NACA organizations for years, explained that he was no stranger to a coffee house event similar to the one on Sunday. “Most of the time with colleges I’ll play a coffee house type event and I’ll play solo.”

Parker then added, “I also do tour a lot and play with a full band.”

Parker began playing music when he was young, and with the encouragement of his parents, who were also musicians. “My mom plays the banjo, and my dad plays ukulele. I started with the ukulele when I was five, and I kind of just spiraled downhill from there,” Parker joked. “I got an electric guitar when I was ten, and I started writing songs and playing

in lots of bands.”

Senior Sam Whitaker attended the coffee house, and was impressed with the music by both Parker and Burr. “I loved it. I thought Abe Parker had a great voice, and I’ve seen Burr multiple times, so Burr was good. I really like it.”

During Parker’s performance, he tried to get the audience involved with singing and dancing around the NOC, which Whitaker said was his favorite part.

After his performance, Parker commented on the excellence of the staff and the students that were responsible for the event. “It was awesome all the staff here were super great. All the students that helped put it on were just really hospitable very friendly. It seems like everyone who came really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed it.” Parker continued, “I’d love to come back.”

Vanessa Nichols can be contacted at vnichols@kscequinox.com Erin McNemar can be contacted at emcnemar@kscequinox.com

The indie-comedy, The Fundamentals of Caring (2016) just marked its anniversary for two years of streaming on Netflix and if you haven’t watched it, you need to. Not only is it based on Jonathan Evison’s 2012 novel, “The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving,” but the film stars Ant-Man’s Paul Rudd and the British up-and-comer Craig Roberts. It’s a story that gives comedy clichés a crowd-pleasing workout as a recently divorced man and a foul-mouthed teen with Muscular dystrophy come together and embark on a road trip to see the world’s deepest pit.

It begins with a retired novelist, Ben Benjamin (Rudd), who spends most of his days literally running away in any way he can from signing his wife’s divorce papers. To distract himself from his own emotional pain, he enrolled in a class on how to be a caregiver and applies this to take care of eighteenyear-old, Trevor (Roberts).

Trevor’s sarcastic humour and rapid insults immediately take you inside his persona and slowly reveal his insecurities about doing anything other than his daily routine of eating waffles, watching the news, and making Ben, as he states it, “wipe his ass.” Ben eventually finds a map with Trevor’s markings, a map where he collects research about eccentric American landmarks that he wishes to see, but never plans to visit. Ben seizes the opportunity to take Trevor on this trip to initially help him see the world, but ends up helping clarifying himself equally through his own struggles.

The Fundamentals of Caring is a classic “lesson” movie, one that begins with the characters in grief and sadness and evolve towards contentment.

Although an overdone concept, there’s something to be said about films that do this well - and this is one of those times. It teaches us the valuable lesson that

STREAMING Cont. from A8

about it.’”

With Netflix now having the ability to instantly release movies and or television shows with only a few hours of notice to the public, people are left asking, How could this change the entertainment industry?

If Netflix, Hulu or Amazon can simply release blockbusters straight to their streaming platform, then what’s the point of even leaving the house?

If online streaming continues in this new concept, the money movies make in the box

office could be severely affected.

Studios are already struggling to get moviegoers into the theaters, and Netflix’s experiment with the online release of The Coverfield Paradox could put these industries in further jeopardy.

As technology advances, it will be interesting to see how studios handle this change.

Will they team up with streaming companies, or try to fight against them?

Erin McNemar can be contacted at emcnemar@kscequinox.com

we are all capable of more than we think.

Seeing the relationship between Ben and Trevor begin as a banter between two conflicted strangers to a father-son wit allows us to remember how powerful cinema is, as a so-called “empathy machine,” if you will. The characters are merely strings waiting to pull at your heart. However, it’s not so much the plot that tugs at your emotions, but the bond between the characters, conveyed through the astounding acting.

Director Rob Burnett, formerly known as the executive producer for “The Late Show,” shared in an interview with IndieWire on how he went about his directorial choices throughout the production process.

He said, “I will listen to anyone that has anything to offer: From actors to production assistants to the guy working the craft table. Sometimes the best idea is mine, often it is not.” It’s this collaboration with the rest of his crew that allowed the characters to seem to move so freely and comfortable on screen, especially in one of the last moments they share within the van.

Burnett shared that the location he had initially planned to wrap the story with ended up being too expensive for his indie budget. As a result, he and his cinematographer decided to extend a shot of Ben and Trevor in the van, ultimately the space where their journey mainly occurred, anyway.

He said, “I decided I could achieve the emotional downbeat by simply extending Craig and Paul in the van. Less about the camera, more about the actors which is almost always better.” The Fundamentals of Caring premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and can now be found on DVD or under the “Comedy” section on Netflix.

Rachel Blumberg can be contacted at rblumberg@kscequinox.com

Poems by Isabel believe in love self material internal and external love. notice the sparkle in people’s eyes and marvel at the wondrous insights we are able to make. understand the light radiating from your pores and extending to those who have been hiding in the dark. for too lon`g i was worried about who i would crawl into bed next to at 2 am who would kiss my bruises and wipe my tears. but today i realized that i am brave everytime i step out of the housetoday is going to be ok. i am going to be more than ok, i am going to be extraordinary.

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

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Thursday, February 22, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT

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Facing the music

STAFF COMMENTARY

The impact of online streaming ERIN MCNEMAR

artS & EntErtainmEnt Editor

COLTON MCCRACKEN / SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER

Music education majors express the stress they feel each semester due to the demanding program. Despite the stress, students continue to follow their passion for music.

Music education majors talk about the demanding program KIANA WRIGHT

Equinox Staff Keene State College offers a wide variety of majors and minors to students. According to the admissions office at KSC the most enrolled majors are education, safety and psychology. But what about music education majors? Sandra Howard, Ph.D Associate Professor of Music at Keene State College, said out of the 71 students enrolled in the music major, 33 of them are in the music education program. The mixture of music and education majors makes student have to buckle down, especially with the abundance of classes and other required lessons. Students soon realize whether they are going to commit to this major, or if another version will better suit them. Keene State College first year Alyssa Taylor during her first semester determined that another type of the education major would complement her better.

Taylor switched her major over winter break from music education to elementary education. She had a semester to try it out, but in the end she realized it wasn’t for her. “Yes, I switched to elementary education. I knew that I wanted to be a teacher and music was my passion, but music education just was not for me,” Taylor said. The music education program is very intense, with multiple classes and lessons it makes it an easy road to stress city, Taylor said., “I was way too stressed out and could not keep up. I maintained passing grades, but I had to work extremely hard and I felt like I was always behind.” Taylor said that for her first semester here she had to take seven classes, not including vocal lessons and they were all for very little credit per class.

Even though Taylor loves everyone in the music department, she said, “I felt that my stress reliever was becoming the source of my stress.” While stress can weigh someone down, her love for music had been a trend throughout her life that won’t stop any time soon.

In addition to being the president of her choir in high school, Taylor is also self taught in guitar and piano. Taylor likes to write her own music as well. Taylor said, “I also grew up making a lot of YouTube videos and recording my own music on the side, but I have yet to release them.”

Taylor explained that switching her major to elementary education only gives her more time to focus on the music she

really enjoys.

“Having spare time has given me the opportunity of focusing more on my personal music and I have decided to stay in concert choir as well,” she said.

Sophomore Jayce Barone went into KSC as a declared music education major as well. “I went into freshman year taking music classes right off the bat,” Baronesaid.

Barone said that she wanted to be a music education major because of her love for music and because it gives her the chance to show other students how special it can be to them as well. “I knew that I wanted to be a music major… and music [education] let me purse music for myself, but also have the opportunity to be a part of the process of teaching other kids to love music as much as I do,” she said.

Barone explained that even though she takes many more classes, they are not as long and do not count as the same amount of credits as a typical class. “I usually expect about 11 [classes] a semester, but some of them are an hour instead of the usual one hour and 45 minutes,” she said. Like Taylor, in high school Barone participated in multiple music activities that were all over her agenda. She was in the Honors Chamber Choir, the Western Regionals of Connecticut choir, the Connecticut All State choir, Concert Choir, and Women’s Ensemble.

Even though she has a lot of past music experience, when asked if she ever gets the feeling that being in this major is too hard to purse Barone said, “Oh all the time… pretty much everyday haha. It’s an insanely hard major but definitely worth it.” Matthew McGinnis is a senior who is close to graduating with a degree in music education. The past four years that led up to this were not extremely hard because he knew that he was in it for the long run. “I’ve been doing this all my life.” Matthew said. As he progresses through his music education program, his love for music did not nearly start freshman year at KSC. “[Music] was the place I found home in in high school.”

McGinnis explains that just like the past two students he has also had a long background with music in high school.

“I was in choir, I did all the musicals and plays. I was president of the theater department, so that was cool. I was heavily involved. It was a lot of fun, found my niche there,” McGin-

nis said.

Pairing both music and education is what makes the program more intense, as any double major would be, but McGinnis said he’s had such an amazing musical upbringing and that’s what makes this degree completely worth doing. “I’ve had a really really good lineup of music teachers throughout my schooling and I just really wanna give that back to my future students,” McGinnis said.

McGinnis said that he usually takes about ten to 12 classes per semester. The first couple years start out with the basic principle classes. “At the beginning you have your kind of like foundational music classes like Music Theory, Aural Skills, Piano. You’ll always have your lessons. So I take voice and piano lessons,” McGinnis said. “Then as you progress on it becomes more about the educational stuff.” McGinnis said he had to take a class on curriculum and assessment and a class on adaptive music, which is teaching students with learning differences. He also had to take classes on how to teach choir, band, and general music specifically. At KSC, there are classes in education for music more particularly as well.

As a final assessment, McGinnis is student teaching in the Keene Middle School. “I’m doing middle school chorus [which is] sixth, seventh, eighth grade chorus. Then I teach band sectionals.” McGinnis goes to KMS Monday through Friday and spends about eight to nine hours there a day.

Even though McGinnis never thought this major was too hard to work towards, he does agree that multiple aspects of this major makes it challenging, but in an enjoyable way.

“Definitely intense, but a good intense,” he said.

McGinnis said the music education program is hard work, but these classes and teachers are just trying to drive you in the right direction. “If you ever feel like your being pushed too hard, it is definitely from a place of wanting you to excel and that is something that it kind of took me a little while to realize. Because I was like, ‘Wow I’m being pushed to my brims sometimes, but then after the fact I could reflect and realize that it was because my professors really wanted me to succeed and they saw something in me.”

Kiana Wright can be contacted at kwright@kscequinox.com

We are currently living in a world of instant gratification. With a click of a button, or a tap on a screen, media consumers are given their desired entertainment within seconds after requesting it.

Online streaming platforms such as Netflix and Hulu put the power back in the hands of the viewer by giving them the ability to watch what they want, when they want to watch it, whether it be a network program, or the streaming platform’s original series.

Back in 2009, when my family first signed up for Netflix, I excitement struck my house when the movie we were all waiting to see finally arrived in the mail.

All of us gathered around the TV and watched whatever movie we had requested and then, a few days later, it would get sent back in the mail.

However, after a year or so, my family canceled the DVD shipment because of the growth of instant online content.

According to the Los Angeles Times, in 2016, DVD sales decreased by seven percent since the previous year and subscriptions to online streaming platforms increases by almost 23 percent.

This data reflects the claim that consumers are no longer interested in ownership, but rather instantaneous access.

With the growing accessibility of online streaming, media consumers are seeing a rise in independent programs, or straight to Netflix series.

Some of the most popular television series within the last year have been Netflix’s originals.

At the 2017 Emmys, the only network that won more awards than Netflix (20 awards) was HBO (29 awards).

In comparison, all together, the streaming companies of Netflix, Amazon and Hulu took home 32 awards at the 2016 event.

However, streaming companies’ abilities to produce original content does not reach only as far as television shows.

On Dec. 22, 2017, Netflix released the anticipated film, Bright.

The film starred Will Smith, and Joel Edgerton.

Upon the film’s release, it became one of the website’s most streamed programs ever, although it did receive harsh reviews from critics.

Netflix’s capability of making content instantly available to viewers surprised the public during the 2018 Super Bowl.

When the company aired a preview for an upcoming movie, viewers were shocked to see that the movie, The Cloverfield Paradox, would be immediately released after the game.

The movie’s release came with no previous information that it was even being created.

According to Vanity Fair, a few hours before the Superbowl, the actors had a conference call with the film’s producer J.J. Abrams when he finally informed the cast about the title of the movie, and it’s plan to release after the Superbowl; neither of which the cast had any prior knowledge of.

Abrams explained during a London screening of the movie, the film’s surprise release was, “We thought, what was the most fun way we could surprise people with this. We went and had this totally weird, top-secret, creepy meeting with Netflix, and they were so great.

They thought it was an amazing idea. And in six to eight weeks, this went from ‘could we do this’ to ‘this is on, and we just need to shut up SEE STREAMING, A7

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Student Life / B1 Thursday, February 22, 2018

KSCEQUINOX.COM

The Hungry Owl A new on-campus food pantry will open in March LUCAS THORS

Equinox Staff Some students at Keene State College don’t know where their next meal will come from.

KSC students and faculty are creating a new charity on campus in the hopes to provide food for students experiencing poverty.

Dr. Susan Whittemore is a biology professor who said that with rising tuition costs, students are having a difficult time affording their next meal. “New Hampshire students have the highest student debt in the nation,” Whittemore said. This creates what Whittemore calls food insecurity. The Hungry Owl hopes to end food insecurity for students by supplying free food to those who need it. Whittemore along with Associate Dean of Students Kent Drake-Deese, the Student Nutrition Association and the Pre-Med club are getting the charity underway. The Hungry Owl food pantry will open in the back of Randall on March 25. Drake-Deese said he wants students to get the assistance they need. He said that students are less inclined to go to external charities because of the stigma associated with it.

The pantry hopes to “present it in a way that is attractive to students,” DrakeDeese said.

Whittemore said a recent study at Keene State College showed that 3 out of 25 students surveyed had food insecurity. It is a problem that Whittemore and Drake-Deese said has been overlooked. Drake-Deese said, “Students aren’t open about their financial situation or food insecurity.”

Whittemore said Sodexo and local grocers are planning to donate food to the pantry, but anyone is encouraged to donate.

The Swipe Out Hunger initiative is another program that wants to help students.

Whittemore said it would allow students to use their meal plans to swipe other students into the dining commons.

This is a “nationwide effort to share meal plans,” Drake-Deese said. Plymouth State University and The University of New Hampshire have already adopted this program, according to the colleges’ websites.

“People aren’t going to learn if they are hungry,” Whittemore said.

Whittemore doesn’t want students to worry about their next meal.

Instead, she wants them focus on their education.

Drake-Deese said it is often difficult to tell whether a student is choosing not to eat, or whether they are financially incapable of eating consistently.

Drake-Deese said he wants students to be aware and realize when their friends aren’t eating enough and encourage them to seek assistance.

“I definitely know people who will eat the same thing over and over again, or won’t have enough money to eat anything healthy,” Keene State College senior and head of the Pre-Med club Haley Zanga said. Zanga is the facilitator of The Hungry Owl and also one of the students who came up with the idea. “Some students often have to choose between eating a good meal or affording reading materials for their classes,” Zanga said.

“Am I going to buy this textbook or food for the week?” Zanga explained that many students who are financially unstable are not open about their situations.

As of now, the majority of textbooks required in the biology department at KSC are online and free to access, according to Zanga. “We want to move towards open education,” Zanga said.

Students and Faculty involved with The Hungry Owl hope to put boxes in the Science Center and in Joslin where people can donate food that will be used for the pantry Zanga said. Zanga said she wants people to “spread the word about the pantry and how people can donate.”

Zanga said that she hopes The Hungry Owl will be beneficial to people at KSCand will eventually become accepted, especially among the student community. “Being a senior is sad because I won’t be able to see [The Hungry Owl’s] full potential. Eventually, I hope this will be something that everyone on campus can utilize,” Zanga said.

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Lucas Thors can be contacted at lthors@kscequinox.com

Diversity at Keene State College COLBY DUDAL

StudEnt LifE Editor February is Black History Month, and with that leads to discussions and events on campus regarding the history of black people.

One major topic involving black people has to do with diversity on our own college campus.

According to the College Factual website, Keene State College is “below average” in ethnic diversity. Statistics also show that 85.9 percent of the KSC campus is white with the next most prominent race being Hispanic with 3.6 percent of the campus breakdown.

President of the Common Ground Multicultural Club Brianna Neely said that the main goal of Common Ground is to promote diversity on campus. “Our role on campus is to educate people and let them know what are some of the different experiences for people out there. We want to provide a support system to talk about any issue or current event they want to discuss,” Neely said.

Neely said some who are of diverse races or ethnicities have mentioned feeling as though they are an outsider at KSC. “I think one of the reasons the diversity num-

bers are so low is because diversity breeds diversity. More diversity on campus will lead to more students of different backgrounds willing to come here. As numbers start to trail off, I think that makes people feel less comfortable and like an outsider,” Neely said.

Neeley said, “One of the things that we have to try to do and we talk about too is sort of bringing to light that diversity so that people can see that they wouldn’t be an outsider here on campus.

They would be accepted, they would be included, there’s a place for them and I think once we get that message across we start increasing the diversity and more diverse people will come.”

Vice President of Common Ground Kate Chestna said in order to make the school more diverse, the school needs to be diverse in the first place.

“People have even considered switching schools and transferring out of Keene because of both the lack of diversity and the lack of support for diversity on the campus which is hard to hear,” Chestna said.

Neeley said one reason there is a small amount of diversity on campus is because those who are diverse feel so on the outside that they stick to themselves causing people to not see the

diversity on campus.

Neely said Common Ground puts on events throughout the year to promote diversity such as Holi Celebration which is also known as a festival of colors.

Neely said that it is an event that takes place on the Lloyd P. Young Student Center lawn and the basis of the event is to celebrate all colors and types of people.

Along with Holi Celebration, Common Ground also puts on a holiday festival just before winter break to celebrate all the different holidays that students may celebrate such as Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice and more.

Neely said while KSC is doing some things to help promote and bring in more diversity to the campus, there are still more things that they could be doing that would make an impact.

Associate Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Equity Dottie Morris did not respond for comment in time for publication.

Colby Dudal can be contacted at cdudal@kscequinox.com

SEBASTIAN MEHEGAN / ADMINISTRATIVE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

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Thursday, February 22, 2018

Ask/Listen/Act

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXANDRIA SAURMAN / MANAGING EXECUTIVE EDITOR

New Keene State College program teaches about signs of depression COLBY DUDAL

Student Life editor A new program at Keene State College beginning this spring will teach students signs and symptoms of depression.

Counseling Center Director Brian Quigley said the Ask/Listen/Act (ALA) program is available for any class, club, organization or group on campus, where the counseling center will speak to the group for an hour and 45 minutes regarding signs of depression and the importance of reaching out to the counseling center.

Quigley said the idea began when a 2016 American College Health Association survey completed by KSC students showed 37 percent of students said that in the previous 12 months they had felt so depressed it was difficult to function.

The same survey showed 11 percent had seriously considered suicide.

The National Alliance for Mental Health shows that one in four college students have a diagnosable mental illness and 40 percent of them do not seek help.

Quigley said the main focus of the program will help friends become better friends when it comes to mental health. “In our culture we stigmatize mental health challenges. We stigmatize the idea of reaching out to individuals. The second largest reason people come to the counseling center is because a friend referred them.”

Quigley said a different program used at KSC called the Student Support Network has already proven to be successful in helping students to become better friends when it comes to mental health.

The Student Support Network is a seven

week training program in which the counseling center trains students who are elected by faculty.

Those students are trained on how to be aware of various types of mental health issues whereas ALA is specific to depression.

Active Minds is a club on campus that deals with mental health issues. President of Active Minds Courtney Heck said it is important to bring more light to the issue of mental health.

“1,100 college students commit suicide each year in the U.S.… each September we have a candlelight vigil to remember those who committed suicide in the previous year,” Heck said.

Quigley said it is important to teach college students about signs and symptoms of depression and suicide along with helping

to give them resources.

“Young adulthood is a pretty critical time where we’re transitioning in our own development psychologically, physically and maturity wise. We transition to a time of dependence to a degree. So many decisions need to be made at this point in our lives and so many demands are placed on us. It requires a lot of stress and struggle,” Quigley said.

Heck said during Active Minds meetings, many of the students see the club as a safe place to talk about mental health issues that they face.

Modern Therapy is an online health care provider that is aimed mainly to help college students with issues regarding mental health.

Brandon Christensen is a co-founder of Modern Therapy and said the program

allows users to be matched up with a counselor whom they can text and call throughout the day about their issues.

Christensen said people are more comfortable online and makes it so users don’t have to take the time out of their day to drive to a counseling center.

Co-founder Cassi Christensen said mental health is the center of everyone’s well being and it is important to remove the stigma of getting help.

To sign your class, club, team or organization up to participate in the Ask/Listen/ Act program you can go to the KSC website and fill out the WooFoo form.

To learn more about Modern Therapy, go to Moderntherapy.online Colby Dudal can be contacted at cdudal@kscequinox.com

Sustainable product and design major at KSC LYLE BELLAMY

equinox Staff For adroit learners, the Sustainable Product Design and Innovation (SPDI) major was a great choice for two students.

Junior Madison Boerner is working on a project that could help those with visual or auditory disabilities.

Through the use of biomimicry, she hopes to make it easier to help the lives of blind or hearing impaired people by helping them adapt from things used within nature.

Her project, which is still in the research phase, could adapt concepts such as echolocation used by bats to help human beings adapt to their surroundings.

The major is extremely hands-on, focusing on manufacturing products to make people’s lives easier.

From ergonomic whisks that make it harder for food to spill while mixing, to 3D-printed leather lids and phone cases, products designed by students could be of use to anybody, whether the consequence be of ease or necessity.

Brandt Adley, also a junior, is currently working on a walking stick for hiking that serves many different utilities. Among the original purpose, the walking stick may also serve as a chair and/or a one person tent in dire emergencies. His was inspired through his love of hiking when he was trying to find a way to improve hiking safety. The project, which is in the prototype phase, has its fair share of problems however.

“It’s a great idea, but probably the biggest problem

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY WILL WROBEL

Keene State College Sustainable Product Design and Innovation majors get hands on experience.

I’m having right now is that it’s too bulky and very topheavy,” Adley said.

He continued by saying he might need to switch building materials of the stick to something like carbon fiber.

Adley, who is also the president of the outdoors club, thinks that, if he can perfect the design, it could help hikers in certain situations.

The hands-on work of the SPDI program is what brought both of these students to the major.

Adley, who transferred from UMass Dartmouth, used to be a Civil Engineer before he came to Keene.

His main criticism was that it was all learning by the book, with no physical work.

He also claims his time at a technical high school helped him form a basis which led him to join the pro-

gram.

In high school, he spent every other week working in engineering shops which is something he came to enjoy. The same goes for Boerner, who came to Keene originally as a Political Science major but chose SPDI because of her wide array of interests.

“I chose SPDI because I like to do hands on work, and I also have many different interests. In SPDI one day I can make an ergonomic whisk, then my next project involves biomimicry, so I don’t really get bored,” she said.

A project in SPDI typically follows three different stages. Firstly, the student engage in extensive research of what they want to make.

Then, during the prototype phase, they began to lay out their design.

Lastly, and probably the most important stage is actual manufacturing of the project in their shop where they have the proper tools including 3D printers to bring their ideas to life.

They have many resources in the shop,with equipment that can work with anything such as leather, metal and wood.

Manufacturing is a huge focus in Keene’s SPDI program, so it comes as no surprise that this is the most important phase.

Upon reaching out to Professor Lisa Hix, she did not respond to emails about the program, so a professor opinion was not heard.

Lyle Bellamy can be contacted at lbellamy@kscequinox.com

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Thursday, February 22, 2018

The Human Library returns ASHLEY ARNOLD

Equinox Staff Keene State College students challenged stereotypes and biased opinions through meaningful conversations and interactions at The Mason Library and The Office of Multicultural Student Support’s first Human Library event on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 13 and 14.

The Human Library is an international organization that began in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2000. People are offered the option of reserving a “human book” for a 20 to 25 minute conversation.

The “books” explain their story, as the “reader” is allowed to ask them questions about their life experiences.

The event strives to create positive interactions that confront prejudices and stereotypes, according to the Human Library Organization website.

KSC’s event offered the readers a choice of nine human books. A summary of the human book’s stories were presented at the library’s front desk.

Students could select the human book they desired to speak with and a time slot was reserved for their conversation.

The human books consisted of KSC faculty, students and staff, as well as a couple of members from the local community, Diversity and Multiculturalism Student Support, Hunter Kirschner said.

The event was advertised in multiple places in the fall, when interested people applied to become human books.

Kirschner continued by explaining his past experience with the Human Library and how he believed it would benefit the KSC. “We’re always trying to think about new and interesting things to bring to campus. I participated in a Human Library at my previous institution... I thought it was a neat

that from what we hear or see, not necessarily from people we know. Even a 20 minute conversation, in some ways, can get you to think a little bit about an issue in a way you haven’t thought about it before,” she said.

She continued by comparing the Human Library to a real library, saying that both have the potential to change the ways in which people think about a certain subject.

“Anybody who walks into a library can interact with the people, and the books, and the computers in ways that will be different for each person but have this real potential to transform them in what they choose, what they read, what they look at. So, I think of the Human Library the same way. I think that every person you sit down and talk with can transform you in the way that a book might,” she explained.

KSC sophomore Matthew Sena said he attended the event for one of his classes and believed the experience gave him knowledge about an identity he was unfamiliar with.

“I mean, the whole experience was just really eye-opening. Sometimes I feel like I’m really quick to judge people but after coming to this event, I realized I need to change that,” he said.

The human books remained anonymous and the conversations shared were asked to be kept private, therefore, no human books were contacted for an interview.

Both Rabinowitz and Kirschner agreed BENAJIL RAI / MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR they intend to sponsor the event next year.

The Human Library event in the Mason Library allowed KSC students to talk to “Human Books” for a 20-25 minute session.

Students, faculty, staff and community members are welcome to apply to become way to have one-on-one conversations about “When you’re talking to an actual person, itz explained how people have certain human books in the fall. a personal experience or an identity with of course, you get a lot more depth and tex- presumptions or beliefs about different Applications will be available on MyKSC, somebody who doesn’t have those experi- ture… and so hearing an actual narrative or experiences and the Human Library enables class Facebook pages and through email. ences or identity,” he said. story, rather than the flatness of an identity… students to have a deeper comprehension of This event stressed the importance of helps people think critically and challenge people with unique lives.

Ashley Arnold conversation when making meaningful con- those assumptions that we make about “We think we know about how homelesscan be contacted at nections with different people, Kirschner other people,” he said. ness or addiction, or anything else really, added.

Mason Library’s Dean Celia Rabinow- affects a person. But we really only know aarnold@kscequinox.com

T H I S

Humans of KSC

If you were a book, what would your summary say?

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“I’d want to be a children’s book.

The summary would have something to do with fruits going into a salad. Yup, becoming a salad.”

-Matthew

“I haven’t always had one direction.

Especially being in college, I’ve went through my twists and turns. I came here as an education major but then I really got doubts and I felt like I wasn’t good enough for it so I kept changing to different majors and different things and then I ended up back in education. And I also found I loved geography along the way too.

I found two passions here and just that it’s been such a roller coaster for me and I am doing student teaching now. It’s just been a really exciting part of my life.”

-Katie V.

W E E K A T

“A series of riveting adventures and a constant sense of dread” -Dylan

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Thursday, February 22, 2018

Community remembers KSC alumni

SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN /

ADMINISTRATIVE EXECUTIVE EDITOR

On Sunday, Feb. 18, a rock, paper, scissors tournament was held in honor of Silas “Sy” River Bennett. Bennett was a journalism major at Keene State College who passed away from cancer at age 28. Bennett is remembered in the Keene community for his interest in photography. Through photography, Bennett shared his illness and what was happening in the world around him. The tribute fund-raiser was started

by Bennett’s mother as a way to carry on his generous spirit. The event took place at Kilkenny’s Pub in Keene, NH.

GLOBAL CHEF SHARES

THE FLAVORS OF SLOVAKIA PRESENTED BY CHEF LUKÁŠ SOĽÁR Chef Lukáš Soľár loves to be creative and feature flavors from different cultures when he’s cooking.

For more than 10 years, he’s served as a Sodexo Chef in Michalovce, a city in Eastern Slovakia along the beautiful Laborec River. Chef Soľár prides himself on being flexible and positive and enjoys challenging himself to learn and use new techniques and ingredients in the kitchen.

When: February, 27th 4:00-8:00 p.m.

Where: Zorn Dining Commons www.keenestatedining.com @KSCEQUINOX Template 022308 JJP

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Time Capsule / B5

TIME CAPSULE

Thursday, February 22, 2018

KSCEQUINOX.COM

Drug education on campus ABBYGAIL VASAS

Copy Editor/timE CapsulE Editor The youth of the 1960s and ’70s are known as hippies, stoners and dope fiends. At Keene State College, students and administration took steps to understand each other’s stance on the culture of drug use.

Throughout several weeks in February, 1971, The Equinox educated students about several aspects of drug use through a running educational section called “Dope Notes” and other editorials and graphics. They mostly covered marijuana and opioid use, and included several perspectives on the subjects.

On Feb. 24 they published a Dope Notes piece compiled of information from the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare about commonly asked questions regarding opiates.

It defined narcotics and narcotic addictions first, as pain-killing drugs made from opium which cause the user to require more doses and larger quantities to feel satisfied.

The piece focused mainly on the effects of heroin, described as having a relaxing, anti-anxiety effect on the user, and how it affected the lives of the users. It described the life of a heroin addict as being centralized on one thing: getting more heroin.

The piece states, “an addict may have to spend up to $75 to $100 to buy his day’s supply of heroin.” Because of that high cost, and an addict’s continued need for more heroin, they often turn to a life of crime to fund their habit.

Not only that, but heroin users could also get in serious legal trouble from simply possessing the substance. For the first offense, the person could face two to ten years in jail, five to 20 years for the second offense and ten to 20 years for further offenses.

Another Dope Notes publication from February based on information from the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare focused on marijuana, which seemed to be a hot-topic on campus at the time.

The article reported that, according to the President’s Commission on Crime, marijuana arrests had doubled since 1960. However, it also said that, unlike narcotics, marijuana was not found to be physically addicting and studies could not draw a direct correlation between current marijuana use and future narcotics use, rather that using any kind of drug makes a person more likely to try others because of their increased likelihood of exposure or access to such substances.

Despite these facts, the punishment for having, giving or selling marijuana was a felony and is treated as severely as extremely and addicting narcotics.

A marijuana user may face a federally mandated sentence of two to ten years in prison for their first offense, five to 20 years for the second offense, and ten to 40 years for any subsequent offenses; all sentences may also include a fine of up tp $20,000.

Despite the potential legal ramifications, students and faculty at KSC seemed to show a lot of support for marijuana and its users.

The KSC Health Service Director of 1971, Dr. Jacob Wolterbeck, told The Equinox that both the Health Center staff and the administration wanted to be supportive of those suffering from drug addictions. “A person’s illness becomes public domain in a hospital. The police might be notified if a person comes into a public hospital suffering from a bad trip,” Wolterbeck said in an interview, responding to a comment about students’ fear of reprisal for seeking medical attention while on drugs.

Wolterbeck continued, “I’d like to think that I can cooperate with the administration here, that we could speak about the fellow’s problem, speak to him personally before any trouble started.”

Wolterbeck pushed the point that he wanted students to feel comfortable seeking medical attention on campus even if they have been using drugs, without fear that the police would have to get involved. “By and large we’ve been

accepting of student drug use, I mean we consider it a personal problem with the student and try to help him work it out,” Wolterbeck said.

Towards the end of the interview, Wolterbeck said something which many people still say today. He said, “The public has to be further educated about the fact that a drug abuser is in need of medical attention, no bars.” Wolterbeck lectured at an in-service training program for police officers to educate them about how to handle drug users and had also spoken with students in Carle Hall about KSC’s views on drug use.

Support for marijuana was shown in other ways as well. An Equinox Letter to the Editor, titled “George did it,” identified founding father George Washington as an avid hemp supporter, and thus rationalized its use in America.

There was also a small promotion for “Fake Marijuana.” This product, a 21-inch high fauxpot plant, could be purchased for $2 to help aid the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in its fight against the repressive treatment of marijuana users.

All of the money raised through these plastic plants went towards funding the Marijuana Civil Liberties Project (MCLP), a national legal effort which contested unjust marijuana laws, provided legal defense to those facing criminal charges related to marijuana possession and appealing such cases to higher courts.

What people understood about marijuana in the 1970s is much different than what we know about it today. The Dope Notes piece reported that marijuana was used thousands of years ago in India as medicine and China to ease the pain of medical procedures.

However, it added, “Unlike other drugs it has no known use in modern medicine. It is used mainly for intoxicating purposes.” While that may have been true at the time, our knowledge on the plant has grown.

Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com

PULLED FROM KSC ARCHIVES

KSC reeling from fourteen bomb threats KYLE MCNAMARA

Equinox staff The utter chaos associated with an incident like a bomb scare being called in to a college is luckily something that Keene State College does not frequently experience.

However, in 1973, the school experienced not one, but over a dozen bomb scares called in to campus buildings within the span of one week.

Throughout the week of Feb. 26, fourteen separate bomb scares were called in to eight different Keene State College campus buildings, seven of them occurring within one day. The buildings involved included Carle Hall, Randall Hall, the Student Union and Monadnock Hall, where three of the bomb

scares took place on Friday.

While most of the calls were placed using pay phones, one passed through the town’s switchboard, and another was made directly to the Keene police station.

An article from The Equinox about the bomb scares detailed what Douglas Fish, a detective employed by the Keene police department at the time of the incidents, had to say regarding the motivation behind the calls.

“This person making the calls is doing it for a purpose and not a joke,” Fish said, adding that the caller was “trying to inconvenience everybody.”

After the second bomb scare, which was called in to Carle Hall, the building was evacuated and promptly searched by Keene police

sign to warn him.”

Although marijuana plants, contraband and paraphernalia were confiscated during the bomb searches, Ficke was adamant that the rumors going around about police raids disguised as bomb sweeps were false.

The possession of marijuana plants was a felony, and though officials could have prosecuted the students who were allegedly guilty Pulled from KSC Archives of this act, Detective Fish explained that the police had no intentions and fire officials. Controversy arose and fire officials were done so in of pursuing legal process. He also after private rooms in the residence the name of safety. said that the confiscated marijuana “Suppose it was a stop sign. Look plants were to be destroyed in a hall were searched without permission, where officials confiscated at the loss of life stealing them controlled burning. property including marijuana could cause,” said Donald G. Ficke, the Keene Police Chief at the time, plants and stolen street signs.

Kyle McNamara The stolen street signs that were said. “A stranger might not stop can be contacted at also confiscated by Keene police at an intersection, if there were no kmcnamara@kscequinox.com

1974: Campus Pub created in Student Union A new organization established itself in the Student Center (formally known as the Student Union) that many students welcomed with open arms and empty glasses. In February 1974, a Pub was incorporated onto the campus.

Planning and organization of the Pub began a year prior, with campus members deliberating the logistics of the establishment such as membership and location.

The Pub came into being from the efforts of students forming an organization to make their dreams a reality.

There was some misunderstanding over what exactly the group had to do to make the Pub official.

At first, it was thought that the group had to be an organization on campus for at least a year before it could acquire a liquor license, but after reviewing local and state laws, it was discovered that all the organization had to do was become a corporation.

During the planning process, Pub President Rick Pare said, “As soon as our constitution is ratified and we become incorporated, we’ll be ready to go.”

Over the planning process, Pare said he had visited the successful on-campus pubs at Franklin Pierce College, New England Col-

PULLED FROM KSC ARCHIVES

ABBYGAIL VASAS

Copy Editor/timE CapsulE Editor

lege and the University of Massachusetts Amherst to get ideas for KSC. Pare and the rest of the organization had a lot of support from the student body. According to a campus poll from when the idea was first introduced, 456 people were in support of the Pub while only 12 were against it.

Pare said that the poll also indicated the Student Union to be the most desirable pace for the establishment.

Pare also announced that the Pub would be entirely student owned and operated and all the revenue pulled from the Pub went back to the Student Union.

Despite the potential benefits of the Pub, there were still some on campus who believed that an on-campus drinking establishment would lead to nothing but trouble. According to an editorial in The Equinox during the

planning process, there were concerns that intoxicated students would regularly cause trouble.

One specific concern was what would happen when concerts were hosted in the Mabel Brown Room; with alcohol so accessible, students could easily get extremely drunk and cause a disturbance at the show.

Another concern was for the TV room and commuter’s lounge in the Student Union.

“No one wants to watch Masterpiece Theatre or study while being hassled by inebriated students,” the author of the article wrote.

Other than the concerns for social disturbances, there were also concerns of physical destruction such as vandalism. Those who had concerns advocated for the Pub being built elsewhere. “The overwhelming majority of the students favor the Pub, and we recognize that one is going to be built somewhere.

But the Student Union is absolutely the worst possible site.”

Despite concerns, in the first week after KSC’s President Leo F. Redfern cut the red ribbon, the Pub did extremely well according to Pub’s operation manager Paul Lassens, who announced, “about 99 percent of the reaction to the Pub has been favorable.”

Lassens said that only four mugs and two pitchers were lost or broken in their first week of operation and they have yet to encounter a student disorderly enough to be kicked out.

Lassens reported that, in the first five days of operation, students and guests consumed about 18 kegs of beer and spent about $1,200 on beer, sodas and snacks.

On its first Friday and Saturday nights, the Pub was filled with, what Lassens describes as, “happy singing groups.”

Although some patrons did get a little rowdy, Lassens believes that students are not the ones causing trouble.

“The great majority of members seem to respect what we are doing. It’s a club, and members have certain responsibilities,” Lassens said. The two dollar Pub membership cards allowed for more than just loyalty discounts.

The cards allow for the Pub to be operated as a private club, and Lassens said that about 500 students, faculty and staff have purchased membership cards; those who have memberships can vote to have the Pub’s constitution amended or run for the board of directors.

When week one came to a close, the Student Union Director James C. Milani said, “[the opening] really was delightfully surprising… Students have behaved and reacted as though the Pub has always been there.”

Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com

Probation for TKE ABBYGAIL VASAS

Copy Editor/timE CapsulE Editor After a racy performance in a skit show, the Keene State College branch of the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) fraternity received a 30-day social suspension.

After six hours of deliberation by the Interfraternity Council (IFC) Judiciary Board on the charges brought against TKE by Student Senate President at the time Frank L’Hommedieu, TKE received a social suspension from Feb. 20 to March 22.

The charges L’Hommedieu presented to the IFC were that a TKE skit show, presented earlier in February, had nudity and obscenity in it, that TKE expected and condoned it but did nothing to take responsibility for it and that the perversion involved in the performance violated an IFC pact with the College Senate.

The Judiciary Board officially concluded that, “While nudity did not occur, it is the belief of the Judiciary Board the pledges were inadequately clothed, TKE did expect and condone it, but did not state that it did not accept responsibility for what occurred.”

The Judiciary Board also decided that TKE should submit formal, written apologies to all those involved.

The President of TKE at the time George Nostrand released a statement after the Judiciary Board made its decision.

“The intent of the TKE skit is for entertainment and not to be offensive,” Nostrand said.

He also gave no indication that this mishap would impact the fraternity’s pride.

“We were acting as human beings, and will continue to exist as a strong fraternity, as an integral part of the college community in the future,” Nostrand said.

Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com

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Sports / B6

The Art of Exercising

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Behind the scenes of softball

It’s Not All That Bad CAROLINE PERRY

SportS Editor Exercising is one of those words that either makes people happy or makes people cringe.

Personally, I’ve know several of each type and I’ve even been each type myself.

Exercising is hard. Hard to get up and do, hard to find the motivation to do, hard to find the time to do and even scary to get into.

However, it’s really not all that bad if you start out slow and work your way up.

I started working out daily when I was at a young age. From soccer season to basketball season to indoor soccer and then to summer ball.

Going through practices everyday for three hours a day was just a familiar cycle that I learned to love and hate.

The key to exercising is to be motivated. You have to want it, you have to have the drive to push yourself past your limits because it’s the only way you’re going to get better. Take it from me, working hard gives amazing results.

However you have to start somewhere, so why not talk about getting abs.

There’s a lot of exercises you can do that give you abs.

Sit ups (crunches), bicycle crunches, side plank, cross body climbers, the regular plank, mountain climbers, leg lifts, and down-dog to plank.

These are a lot of terms, but they are are pretty simply exercises that if you regularly do, will guide you to abs.

All of these exercises will help you burn some extra calories and lose your belly fat, which will eventually lead to abs if you stick with it!

There are other exercises you can start off with as well, such as running, cycling, zumba and even lifting. Whichever one interests you the most!

Although I wish I could say that by doing simple workouts you’ll always get abs, a lot of it has to do with what you eat.

Eating the right foods and sticking to healthy proportions is one of the biggest factors that could help lead you to a leaner, in-shape body.

Protein intake is very important.

Lightly prepared chicken is a good energy booster, but your vegetable intake should be higher than your meat intake.

Fruits are also a great substitute for fattening treats that people often turn to.

Overall, a good place to start when trying to get in shape is finding a workout that fits you, pushing yourself and evolving your food intake to match your exercise routine.

And remember, exercising really isn’t that bad when the end result is wo rewarding. So find the motivation and hit-up the gym; the visit will be well worth it.

Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com

The KSC women’s team goes into depth about pre-season practices CAROLINE PERRY

SportS Editor Spring sports are just around the corner, meaning pre-season for softball is in full swing. Now is the time for the whole team to focus on conditioning and skills in order to get themselves ready for regular season.

Keene State College senior Shae Crosby said the preseason is the time that the team starts working with Sarah Testo, who is the Strength and Conditioning coach.

With the new exercises and focus on improving physically, Crosby said Testo is really helpful with designing programs and workouts that are specific to the softball teams skills and movement.

For the team, having that starting foundation and guiding leadership is important with helping them become faster and stronger players before the winter's end. The work is hard, though, and every practice pushes each athlete to their maximum potential Crosby said.

“The workouts are tough, and can seem tedious, but it is all because we are just so ready to start practice and

games. Pre-season is really the time to get in shape. Our workouts are so intense that they motivate us to get be in the best shape that we can be,” Crosby said.

The softball team has to cover a lot in limited time, so they try to focus on hitting specific pitches, bunting, small ball, as well as defense such as ground balls and fly balls. “We try to make it as realistic as possible indoors,” Crosby said.

Pre-season primarily focuses on conditioning and physically improving, but Crosby said it is also a time where team bonding occurs. Crosby said that pre-season is a time to build team relationships, especially with the incoming first-years who are awaiting the start of their first college season. “Pre-season it is a less intense version of the season, so a time to practice time management and balance all aspects of life before crunch time really begins,” Crosby added.

Sophomore Alli Canavan said that pre-season is the foundation that helps the team build up for the rest of the year. The pre-season allows each individual player to grow and improve physically, as well as bond with other

players through practices Canavan said. Team bonding especially makes the first-year students feel more welcomed and a part of the team, which then gives them more confidence during the regular season.

Pre-season is also a time when the team’s schedule is more flexible, which allows the team to do community service, such as chaperoning middle school dances at the Keene Park and Recreational Center and also helping with Special Olympics Bowling at Yankee Lanes.

Overall, pre-season really helps the team get back into the routine of things, as well as getting ready for softball in general, Canavan said.

Team members Mikayla Pacy, Katelyn Hill and Cassie Woods were unable to comment.

With the spring right around the corner, the softball team hopes to cover a lot of ground and get into the thick of practices so they can be ready to win during the start of regular season, added Crosby.

Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com PUJA THAPA / BUSINESS MANAGER

The KSC women’s softball team talks about the work that goes into pre-season and the conditioning that pushes them to improve individually and as a team.

KSC RUNNER Cont. from B8

she feels like she has a standard to run up too.

Gravallese wants to break her time of 2:23 at the New England Division III Championship.

Assistant coach Nick Athanasopoulos has been the one that’s been working with Gravallese more.

He explained she’s a very diverse athlete and she’ll do anything you ask her to do.

“She can go anywhere from the 200 meter up through a mile if you ask her to. It good to have that type of diversity,” he explains.

He said she’s the person she is because of the time and effort she puts in.

Pickering and Athanasopoulos agreed that Gravallese never complains, never misses a practice and she never makes excuses.

Gravallese practices Monday through Friday and on Sunday’s

she goes for a run with other people on the team even though she’s not obligated too. It’s not mandatory.

Gravallese said she loves track and field because of the team’s mentality.

“It’s different being on a team sport like a part of a soccer team, it’s a different dynamic. Although you have your individual times, your individual performance, and you have your relays -- you’re always cheering people on in their events,” Gravallese said.

Gravallese said her friends on her team are her biggest supporters.

She explained she could always go to her parents if she’s ever feeling down.

However, her parents can’t relate to her as much as her friends who play the sport can.

“They’ve been there and give me the confidence,” she said.

Gravallese said she switched from soccer to track and field in middle school because her father noticed how much she loved to

run. Since then, she hasn’t stopped.

When Gravallese first came here she did not know what to expect.

She did not know where she would stand with the team.

“I didn’t know if I would be last or in the middle so not just feeling out the competition but how people on my team were doing,” she said.

The next meet is the New England’s in Springfield.

Pickering has high expectations for Gravallese.

“I think she has a chance to run a personal best in the open 800 which would be very exciting and I think that we have a very good chance to run our fastest in the 4x4 of this season as well so I’m looking for her to lead the group and run her best of the season,” he said.

Adriana Sanchez can be cotacted at asanchez@kscequinox.com

Are you interested in writing for Sports or The Equinox?

Caroline Perry (802) 522-4738 @KSCEQUINOX Template 022308 JJP

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Sports / B7

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Pre-season polls set KSC apart Ski & Slopes “ We expect to be first in the LEC every year. It’s a goal to win it and not necessarily lose any of our LEC games.

Hunter Arnold Men’s Lacrosse Senior Captain

BRANDON MOULTON / EQUINOX STAFF

With Some Fun, Comes Some Danger CAROLINE PERRY

SportS Editor

BENAJIL RAI

/ MUTLIMEDIA DIRECTOR

The men and women’s KSC lacrosse teams rank in the top ten for the Little East Conference Champonship pre-season polls, predicting each team will be a threat.

Keene lacrosse teams rank high in the LEC championship polls JULIA EICHMAN

Equinox Staff Now it’s just icing on the cake, a cherry on top, the tip of the iceberg. Whatever you want to call it, returning champions of Keene State College’s Men’s lacrosse team were ranked first in the Little East Conference (LEC) poll recently, but they are not alone. On Feb. 8, the women’s lacrosse team was also ranked high up in the coaches’ preseason poll at third place in their conference.

Senior captain Hunter Arnold spoke about his team’s reaction to the poll.

“It was a good feeling knowing we were ranked first. We expect to be first in the LEC every year. It’s a goal to win it and not necessarily lose any of our LEC games. We feel like we are the strongest in the conference, and we want to keep it that way.”

Junior Steven Hamel also commented on the poll and said, “It was good and kind of expected because we’ve won it for the past four years and now it’s just a challenge to us.”

As for the girls, senior captain Tori Weinstock said she was both excited and humbled to hear the coaches’ preseason thoughts. “I think it was good for us hearing we were ranked third in the preseason poll, coming off kind of a really tough season last year, but it doesn’t put too much pressure on us especially having like a dozen newcomers this year. I think it’s a good place for us to know that we want to move up but we still have a lot of work to do. We are really excited to

PROTECTING Cont. from B8

The Sexual Misconduct Policy covers sexual violence, unwanted sexual contact, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, intoxication or incapacitation for the purpose of sexual activity, invasion of privacy, voyeurism, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual harassment, relationship violence, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, Incapacitated Sexual Contact, confidentiality and consent, according to the KSC handbook.

Each phrase has a definition, ensuring that full clarity is provided. Contact information regarding how to report such incidents is also provided, giving athletes and students a personal and confidential way to report safely.

In the school year of 2013-2014, the University System of New Hampshire did a press briefing which explained that they were not going to tolerate any unacceptable sexual misconduct, explained Tredwell, which was the start of really trying to make critical changes and fix faults within the college system.

Apart from enforcing each policy, Keene State College works to make sure that each and every figure on campus is aware of the requirements surrounding sexual assault and harassment.

prove ourselves in the conference this year,” Weinstock said.

Both teams working hard in the preseason, are making a point to achieve titles by the end of the season.

For the women, junior Samantha Sullivan said, “Since the preseason started we have been working hard at practices, lifting and conditioning, yoga and swim workouts to make sure we are best prepared to come out on top of the LEC.” Sullivan continued by saying their team “lost in LEC semi final last year,” and that the returning players have been emphasizing what it feels like to not get rewarded for a season of hard work. “We are all helping each other improve and stay motivated and I really think the team support and unity is what’s going to take us to the championship game,” Sullivan said.

The men’s preseason is similar to the women as far as practice and training goes.

“Just doing the little things everyday. In and out of practice, on the field and off the field.

Getting there on time, working hard while we are on the field with coaches and then off the field, it’s hitting the weight room to get better everyday,” Arnold said.

Both teams’ first games are coming fast.

The men’s first season game is on Saturday, Feb. 24, and the women’s lands on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

“Big thoughts on our first game against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute [RPI]. It’s the one team last year that beat us that we should

Director of Athletics and Recreation Dr. Kristene Kelly said each KSC employee is required to attend a Title IX training meeting with the Office of Human Resources and department employees also have to do annual training conducted by the Title IX coordinator outlining their role and responsibilities to reduce elements, which may contribute to a hostile or threatening environment.

“Our athletes are made aware of how to report a sexual violence complaint and are trained by the Mentors in Violence Prevention manually,” added Kelly.

Every coach and staff member goes through a background check, which helps ensure the students, athletes, and public’s safety said Kelly.

The Department of Athletics has a responsibility to provide a healthy and safe environment for our students to study and perform their craft, added Kelly.

The Student Athlete advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant program (MVP), are working on developing a comprehensive educational program that focuses on sexual violence, which they hope will make athletes feel more support when reporting sexual assault cases, as well as educate coaches and staff.

Ensuring safety for all athletes

have absolutely roasted,” Hamel said.

Sullivan said the women’s team is also excited for their first game and they “always look forward to playing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [MIT] because they are a very talented team.” Sullivan continued, “It is a good matchup for us. Losing to them the past two years has motivated us in practice, and I think everyone feels prepared for the game to show how much we have improved from our fall ball season.”

With the preseason rankings, as well as the past seasons under their belt, the upperclassmen players discussed their expectations for this season and the pressure that comes with it.

“We have high expectations. There is a lot of new guys on the team this year. A lot of new faces that’ll be on field. We feel like every single one of them can step up big time and play big roles on our team this year.” He also added, “This is my fourth year-- three titles since I’ve been on the team so far. If we win it this year it will be five in a row for the program,” Arnold said.

Hamel added, “I hope for the team that we take everything one step at a time and get to the LEC’s and win. After LEC’s there is NCAA’s. Our LEC championship is a bid into the NCAA’s and then from there we play for the national championship, we work our way towards it.”

Sullivan spoke for the women’s team and said, “There is definitely a lot of pressure to perform since we weren’t LEC champs last

is vital, especially when connecting student athletes to coach relationships. KSC sophomore and member of the women’s swim and dive team Madison Pechulis said it’s scary to think that a coach that you trust and look up to could act in a way that harms you physically and, even more, mentally. “It’s sad to think about how someone could look like a completely different person in public than they are in private,” Pechulis said.

All KSC athletes have briefings on the Title IX policy, which Pechulis said she is aware of.

Men’s basketball coach Ryan Cain said the Title IX policy is applicable from the equality standpoint and works to ensure the safety of each and every Keene State College Athlete. “We have a lot of resources for our athletes, and our coaches try to create a general awareness, such as making sure that we have dialogue with our players so that they know the expectations and are trying to be a positive influence,” Cain said.

It’s important to send a message and to motivate each player instead of intimidate them, added Cain. “It’s so important to see each player as an individual and teach them. Not every player will learn the same way so it’s our jobs as coaches to teach them what is right and required,” Cain said. Cain added that Keene State College has

year. The juniors and seniors have both experienced coming out champs and falling short, and we have made it very clear that one feels much more gratifying than the other. We are all expected to work hard on and off the field with the common goal of winning, and our senior captains are the driving force.”

Stepping into their roles, senior captains Arnold and Weinstock talked about the current positions they hold, and goals they have for the 2018 season.

“I’ve been playing since my freshman year so I have to step up with all these new guys, kind of switching into a mentor and help coach...because some of them hadn’t really had all the experience that they need to play at the next level. It’s good to help them and tell them the little things that they might not see on their own,” Arnold said. Weinstock, one of four senior captains on the women’s team, said, “Now being a senior and a captain with the three other seniors, I think it’s a new role with having the younger girls looking up to me and it’s awesome to have other people with the same vision as me. We are all on board.” As far as team goals go this year, Weinstock said, “With our senior class leadership and having so many younger people, we really want to change the program and make it more consistent and we hope to leave the program a lot better than when we came in.”

standards regarding each type of report and will take the necessary steps to ensure the athletes safety.

“There’s different protocols for each situation, but the important part is making sure that that athlete’s voice is heard.”

Jeffrey Maher, Coordinator of Title IX and Director of Campus Safety, said that the coaches and Title IX program have a weekly communication. “We have always maintained a close partnership with the coaching staff. The athletics are very relative to our role and entitlement,” Maher added.

Right on the Keene State web page is a reporting link, which allows athletes who aren’t comfortable in confiding in friends or trusted adults to report in a safe way, Maher said. “You can make the report completely anonymously and it will tell you it goes directly to me. So that’s one of the ways that helps make the process easier,” Mahar said.

Mahar also designed a meeting that specifically addresses the Title IX policy with the coaching staff in order to ensure full knowledge of the regulations and standards.

“We ensured that all affiliated staff of the athletic department participated in the in person training or the online training. We make sure each and every member has the knowledge they need in order to support athletes,” Mahar said.

Julia Eichman can be contacted at jeichman@kscequinox.com Since the 2014 incident, Keene State College has made it their mission to reinforce correct policies and really make their athletes feel safer. Treadwell especially finds this cause moving.

“This is a really significant issue to me to not have a culture on campus where any victimization or power dynamic that creates a victimization on this campus. I need to know if it’s happening. So, for me, the biggest thing if anything happens please report it so we can act because we don’t tolerate it,” Treadwell said.

KSC is moving towards continuously improving the system and making sure that no athlete feels powerless in the light of sexual assault or harassment.

“Any individual who has a negative experience can go directly to the rest of the team, go to their faculty advisors, or anybody here at the college – they don’t have to go to campus safety, they don’t have to go to anyone particular, just anyone they feel safe towards,” Treadwell said.

In order to help each athlete it is vital that we provide safe ways and policies that can help athletes reach out. Education builds our athletes power, and the power to report can save lives.

Although skiing is a fun and usually laid back sport if you’ve been skiing a while, there are still several dangers that you can be faced with while going down a trail.

While it’s important to have fun, it’s also extremely important to be aware of possible dangers that can occur during skiing, and how to avoid them all together.

The first danger to look out for is skiing off a cliff or off a trail. In some cases, you can go off the trails.

If you are an experienced skier, like one of my good friends, you’ll find enjoyment going through wooded areas or on black diamond trails.

However if you are not, going down a black diamond trail or off a cliff can be extremely dangerous and even life threatening.

It may seem far fetched to fly off a cliff while skiing, but if you don’t know how to properly stop, lack training on how to avoid obstacles, or aren’t aware of trail markings, then this danger can be more realistic than not.

If you’re a beginner, start slow and if you’re not positive about trail markings, then try going skiing with someone who is more experienced and willing to help you out.

Snow Immersion Suffocation (SIS) is another danger that is actually more common than avalanches.

However this is still incredibly rare.

SIS is when skiers fall into tree well (a void or area of loose snow around the trunk of a tree), which is often hidden from view.

As the skier falls into the well, the snow can bury them and prevent them from escaping. The lack of oxygen and pressure of the snow can cause skiers to suffocate in a matter of minutes. In can be easily avoided if you are aware of your surroundings, avoid hitting trees, and ski with a partner.

It’s important to dress warm in order to prevent frostbite.

You’re in a higher altitude when on top of a mountain, so always remember to wear gear that will help protect you from wind, the cold and snow. Frostbite is caused by inadequate coverage and mostly affects the fingers and toes.

It takes thirty minutes of being exposed to wind chill to start seeing the effects of frostbite, according to Hix Magazine.

If you wear thick gloves with good insulation, your fingers will stay toasty and frostbite free. Thick socks should also be used. Skiers should avoid taking off their boots at all costs, as that is a surefire way to experience frostbite.

Other dangers to look out for are concussions (falling on or hitting your head, a.k.a. Wear a ski helmet), broken legs (usually from crazy tricks or landing very wrong), skier’s thumb (occurs when a skier attempts to break a fall with their hand, will extend to brace for the fall, but with the pole also in the hand, the thumb will hyperextend on the impact, causing the ulnar collateral ligament to tear), and Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tears.

Although all of these injuries are pretty rare, they do still happen. So next time you hit the slopes, be careful and cautious.

For more information, visit Hix Magazine’s website.

Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com

Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com

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SEE B6:

BEHIND THE SCENES OF SOFTBALL

Sports / B8

Thursday, February 22, 2018

SPORTS

SEE B7:

PRE-SEASON POLLS SET KSC APART

KSCEQUINOX.COM

Keeping athletes safe

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY COLBY DUDAL / STUDENT LIFE EDITOR

Working to help athletes prevent sexual assault CAROLINE PERRY

SportS Editor Trust is a key component which goes into every coach-to-athlete relationship. Trust is the foundation of communication, a vital component that leads to growth, and what every athlete looks to have. But with so many recent scandals involving sexual harassment with athletes, the question is how does Keene State College keep its student athletes safe?

In the recent light of Larry Nassar, who was a gymnast doctor for the USA women’s Olympic team, as well as a coach at Michigan State University, it’s hard to understand why anyone in a position of power would manipulate an athlete. However, this is a scene that still occurs, and without support it can go unreported for years.

In 2014, Keene State College had sexual harassment issues surrounding the Title IX compliance, which pro-

hibits gender discrimination in any of its programs or activities. This policy also covers issues including sexual misconduct and relationship violence, according to the KSC handbook. Due to these issues, KSC has strived to reinforce these policies and make them known to each athlete, student, professor and faculty member.

KSC has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment. The zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment entails that an individual will be dismissed from his or her position (of coach, staff, faculty or student) if the college finds out that he or she committed any act of sexual harassment that is unlawful. The individual does not receive warnings or disciplinary action regarding unlawful behavior, does not benefit from a three-strikes rule, and does not have the right to a probationary period.

One instance of sexual harassment could lead to an immediate termination. That policy isn’t always fol-

lowed, though, and can often be manipulated, as seen in several breaking news stories regarding accusations of sexual assault. This definition can be found on the KSC Title IX page. So how can KSC ensure that each and every student and athlete knows about these policies and the resources they can reach out to in order to seek out help?

Interim President Dr. Melinda Treadwell said KSC has set out to enhance the zero-tolerance policy and zero-tolerance expectation by working on resources to which athletes can go to, as well as building that staff in the Title IX department, which will more thoroughly handle reports.

“Two times a year all the campuses (Keene State College, University of New Hampshire, Plymouth State and Granite State College) come in and talk about reports, the nature of the reports and the actions taken.

Our one concern is ‘Are people reporting, do we have a culture?’ and making sure that individuals don’t feel

powerless,” Treadwell said. KSC, as well as the Board of Trustees is striving to keep improving the systems set in place to prevent sexual assault, as well as give stability to any athlete or student that needs to reach out.

“The challenging thing with Keene State is a few years ago, we had some serious issues in regard with Title IX compliance. The good news is we did a lot to build systems because of that. We are reinforcing a culture of expectation, zero-tolerance, and if anything happens, you have to tell,” Treadwell said.

The Sexual Misconduct Policy, which encompasses sexual harassment, sexual violence, and sexual exploitation at KSC, is another policy that strives to cover many situations and provide information in order to help people.

SEE PROTECTING, B7

Gravellese truimphs in the finals ADRIANA SANCHEZ

EQUINOX STAFF

Keene State College junior and sprint/mid-distance runner Brittany Gravallese has done nothing but excel in her athletic ability.

Going from holding KSC school records in relays, Gravallese has now won her first-ever individual 800meter run.

This past weekend, Gravallese set a personal record of 2:23 at the Little East Conference (LEC) that led to her winning by .23 seconds in the 800meter race.

She said that she was a bit worried when she first started off because she ran a little too fast. “It was pretty close.

I wanted it really bad because I knew my seating was really high so I wanted to live it up to that expectation,” Gravallese said.

Gravallese holds KSC records in the 4x2 sprint relay (four people running 200 meters in relay) and the 4x8 middle distance relay (four people running 800 meters in relay). She said it’s an honor to hold titles like these.

“It’s special to us to see Brittany come on and take over the mantel for us as our best 800 [meter] runner,” KSC Women’s Track and Field Coach Tom Pickering said.

She’s willing to participate in any event at any time if it means helping the team out. He said she has run multiple times in her career; The 4x2, the open 800, the 4x8 and the 4x4 (four people running 400 meters in relay).

“That’s a lot of races in a short period time and she does well,” Pickering said.

Pickering explained since Gravallese runs cross country in the fall, she falls under a special group that works on sprints but also a bit of distance.

“She practices with the long sprints group but then she races at 400 meters, 600 meters, 800 meters which are long sprints and middle distance so she practices with runners that are also running 400 through 800’s,” he said.

Pickering said the 800-meter race is the event for her. “It’s the one she has raced the most in big meets and I think it’s probably the one that at this point in her career she has the most potential,” he said.

“She’s grown a lot in terms of her stamina from running cross country and that’s really helped with the season as she’s gained speed through the track workouts,” Pickering said. He added Gravallese’s competitive side comes out as the seasons pass. Pickering said Gravallese’s teammates look up to her because she is fearless in meets.

Gravellese said running cross country has helped build her stamina which helps her in the 800 meter race, but she prefers track and field because of the fast paced nature of the sprints.

“I definitely try to stay on pace with each lap and the 800 is a very hard race for me and I think it’s one of the hardest events in track so I just keep strong mentally that I have to push through the next one and not get boxed in by others,” she said.

Having the 800 meter race being her main event gives her a lot of pressure.

She knows she can do well in it so SEE KSC RUNNER, B6

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY KIANA WRIGHT / EQUINOX STAFF

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