The Equinox 3.1.18

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THE EQUINOX

WORD OF THE WEEK IN ONE OF OUR STORIES, WE HAVE HIDDEN THIS WORD: FLABBERGASTED

The student voice of Keene State College

Vol. 70, Issue #20

THE EFFECTS OF INJURIES SEE B6

RELATIONSHIPS IN REAL TIME SEE A5

Winner of a 2017 Pacemaker Award

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Vandalism hits KSC

Swastika and transgender bias apparent in residential halls JESSICA RICARD

News editor SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN

AdmiNistrAtive executive editor During the month of February, vandalism has been widespread on the Keene State College campus. On Feb. 8, a swastika scratched into the surface of a wall in Owls Nest 6 was reported to Campus Safety. Additionally, a series of incidents regarding a transgender-related bias have been reported in the Living and Learning Commons (LLC) throughout the month. The exact date in which the incidents began is unknown. Swastika Director of Campus Safety Jeff Maher said Campus Safety first responded to the incident in early February, and the symbol in Owls Nest 6 measured about 2 inches by 2 inches. He described it as “faint,” and it not being the first thing people would see if they were to walk into the building. “Because of that,” he said, “it was difficult to find out how long it had been there.” Maher said Campus Safety officers took a report and spoke with a number of people in the building. The swastika was ultimately covered up and painted over. In response, Interim President of Keene State College Dr. Melinda Treadwell sent out a campus-wide email on Monday, Feb. 19 with notice of holding what she called a Town Hall meeting to “discuss and re-commit to [KSC’s] values, mission and goals to create a community rooted in civility, respect and equity.” The meeting was held on Thursday, Feb. 22.

Maher said the meeting was really a presidential response, which speaks volumes in terms of how campus individuals choose to respond to such incidents when they do happen on our campus. “When you have what might be perceived as bias-related incidents that impact members of our community or, at times, marginalize members of our community, it’s important that there be dialogue and discussion about that. It’s important that there’s an awareness about how these type of acts affect members of our community, affect their feelings of acceptance here, and so [the Town Hall meeting] is but one response,” Maher said. This is not the first time KSC has seen a campus-wide meeting on such a topic, however. In December of 2016, Associate Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Dottie Morris said the first meeting occurred, in which the idea for the KSC Teach-In was formed. The goal of the Town Hall meeting, Morris said, was to talk about behavioral expectations, among other things. “It’s also just a time to come together within community and support each other and to be there for each other and just to show that we care… For me, that’s the main goal, is that we come together, we show support, we show care and then we think about ways that we can be even a more respectful community and show compassion for each other,” Morris said. “It’s time to recommit to the values of this institution and recommit to co-creating a welcoming environment for everybody.” Transgender bias Additionally, Maher said the LLC has seen a series of incidents that “seem to be suggestive of some bias towards members of our transgender community.” After a number of educational programs were put on by resident assistants (RA’s) in the LLC related to identity terminology, specifically an event called “Lingo Bingo,” Maher said some displays have been ripped down or removed from walls, which may indiSEE BIAS-RELATED VANDALISM, A2

PHOTO BY ALYSSA BOERENKO / EQUINOX STAFF

GRAPHIC BY LUKE SWEENEY / EQUINOX STAFF

Student model destroyed in Rhodes Hall KSC Nursing Program to JESSICA RICARD

News editor On Wednesday, Feb. 14, a collaborative student-made model was vandalized in Rhodes Hall. The model portrayed The Thomson Center for Sustainable Work and Scholarship, which was meant to “promote the general goal of sustainable, local development.” The model acted as a more sustainable campus model to promote sustainable practices and potentially “have a positive long-term impact on our college, our students, our community, and our natural environment,” according to the project description. The sustainable campus vision was assembled in a display table, containing different models of buildings, trees and resources, such

as solar panels and green houses. It was on display on the second floor of Rhodes Hall until a couple weeks ago, when it was destroyed. Professor of Sociology Dr. Brian Green said he walked by the model every day on the way to his office, but it was different last time. When he walked by, all parts of the model were either damaged or missing, he said. Additionally, someone folded over a piece of cardboard, wrote “REMOVE” in large letters and placed it on what was left of it. Although the representation wasn’t enclosed in glass, “everyone seemed to respect it,” he said. A few years ago, the model was created by students in both the sociology and architecture departments. They presented it at the Academic Excellence Conference, it became the center of mul-

tiple senior student projects and the model was the focus of an innovative video, presenting the new sustainable campus idea. The Thomson Center for Sustainable Work and Scholarship was ultimately Green’s idea for a new sustainable campus. He said it would allow for more integrated and interdisciplinary learning at the college with effort to integrate all programs on campus and build a greater focus on sustainability. “I wanted to build the model as a way of physically showing anybody who would be interested, other professors, administrators, etc., what we could do if we decided to [implement it], and the students got into it big time. I have to tell you, it’s probably the most enthusiastic I’ve ever seen students about a project,” Green said. SEE RHODES MODEL, A2

Correction Omission: “Probation for TKE” published Feb. 22, 2018. The article published in the Time Capsule section of the Equinox omitted the year of the event and probation. The Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) probation occured in 1971 and not the present day.

Index

Top Headlines

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

A4: Post-graduation planning A8: Safety on campus B1: Facing the music B8: Breaking records

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

be re-evaluated in April JESSICA RICARD

News editor The Keene State College Nursing Program is preparing for a national site visit in mid-April. From April 11-13, three visitors from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) will be at KSC, Director of Nursing Dr. Patricia Shinn said. They will be from the University of Southern Indiana, Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital in Kentucky and Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan. Additionally, two individuals from the New Hampshire Board of Nursing will be present for the site visit as well. Over the course of the visit, the individuals from the CCNE and the New Hampshire Board of Nursing will meet with students, faculty, the dean, the provost and the college pres-

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ident. They’ll have the opportunity to observe student clinicals and classes, and on the last day, they’ll conduct an exit interview to share their findings with Shinn. In preparation for the visit, Shinn said she and the nursing faculty have been writing a comprehensive self study over the course of the year that describes the nursing program and how KSC students are meeting the learning outcomes. It’s been a “group project,” with faculty meeting each week to work collaboratively on the report. In August of 2018, Shinn will officially find out whether KSC’s nursing program has been granted national accreditation. If achieved, the next reaccreditation visit would not occur until 2028. Jessica Ricard can be contacted at jricard@kscequinox.com

Contact Us Newsroom: 358-2413 Executive Editor: 358-2414 Advertising/Business: 358-2401 Newsroom: Questions? Contact 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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