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Vol. 70, Issue #22 Thursday, March 22, 2018
THE EQUINOX The student voice of Keene State College
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RELIGION SEE B2
ATHLETES JUGGLING ACADEMICS SEE B8
Winner of a 2017 Pacemaker Award
Keene State College presents LAURA ROMANIELLO / ART DIRECTOR
Outstanding Women of New Hampshire RACHEL VITELLO
Equinox Staff
ANGELIQUE INCHIERKA / PHOTO EDITOR
Benajil Rai, an exchange student from Nepal, addresses the audience after accepting a 2018 Outstanding Woman of New Hampshire Award.
“Nevertheless, she persisted,” was the theme of this year’s 28th annual Outstanding Women of New Hampshire award ceremony. The ceremony took place at Centennial Hall in Keene State College’s Alumni Center on Monday, March 5. This ceremony is in celebration of Women’s History Month and is in partnership with the National Women’s History Project, a similar national event. Each year, KSC honors five women who have shown courage and made a difference in the state of New Hampshire. This year’s five honorees included New Hampshire State Representative Ann McLane Kuster, Franklin Pierce University Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Retention Jill Bassett, KSC associate professor of Women and Gender Studies Dr. Patricia Pedroza Gonzalez and KSC exchange students from Nepal Benajil Rai and Puja Thapa. The ceremony included some remarks from KSC Interim President Melinda Treadwell and Associate Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Equity and 2017 honoree, Dr. Dottie Morris. “Their lives demonstrate the
power of voice, taking action and believing that meaningful and lasting change is possible in a democratic society,” Treadwell said. The first honoree presented was New Hampshire Representative Ann McLane Kuster, who could not be in attendance at the event. Kuster has represented New Hampshire’s second district since 2015. Her nominator, Jane Eklund, read her citation. “Honorable Ann McLane Kuster has made fighting discrimination against women a key piece in her legislative portfolio...She is working in a number of ways to bring oversight, transparency and accountability in curving and responding to sexual harassment and assault in Congress and beyond,” Eklund said. A video was prepared by Kuster, thanking KSC for the recognition of her work and apologizing for not being able to attend. Both Rai and Thapa, who are attending KSC through their involvement with the Little Sister’s Fund, gave their speeches at the ceremony. According to the organization’s website, the Little Sister’s Fund helps underprivileged Nepalese girls through eduANGELIQUE INCHIERCA / PHOTO cation, mentoring and community Puja Thapa, an exchange student from Nepal and recipient of SEE WOMEN, A2
EDITOR
the award, speaks of how her mother has inspired her to be an outstanding woman.
Graduation ‘tradition’ may come to an end
Future Owls KSC president searching for $35,000 to provide senior class with hoods encouraged to civically engage JESSICA RICARD
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As commencement draws nearer, seniors at Keene State College are ordering caps and gowns, customizing their sashes and preparing to walk across the stage on the Fiske Quad, diploma proudly in hand. However, graduate regalia could look different this year or next than it has in years past. Over the past few years, there have been conversations surrounding whether the graduation hood is necessary. It is typically worn by graduates at the KSC commencement ceremony to represent which academic school each student is graduating from: the School of Professional and Graduate Studies, the School of Sciences and Social Sciences and/or the School of Arts and Humanities. Since KSC Coordinator of College Ceremonies and Events Rebecca Dixon arrived at the college in 2015, she said there have been many
conversations about getting rid of them all together, mainly because wearing them as an undergraduate is not in line with what other institutions do. “We have to try to bring it back in line with our other sister institutions and make sure that it’s in line with what other undergraduates receive when they graduate,” she said. The University of New Hampshire, Plymouth State University and Granite State College don’t distribute undergraduate hoods at their commencement ceremonies, but KSC has done so since its 75th anniversary. Since 1984 had marked the 75th anniversary of the college, at the time, the hoods were meant to add more color and festivity to the ceremony, Dixon said. Although she said she’s not sure why it became a KSC tradition, it became a regular part of the commencement regalia, and the newly established “tradition” continued. Typically, hoods are reserved for those who have obtained a degree beyond a bachelor’s degree, and they generally denote scholarly and professional achievements, according to the History of the Hooding Ceremony on the Cameron University website. Master’s degree hoods are generally worn more than once, according to Dixon, and KSC undergraduates likely would not wear them again, especially considering the gowns are 100 percent recyclable and the hoods are not. The fact that KSC distributed them for undergraduates, Dixon said, is “unusual.” While Dixon said she’s been working with
JESSICA RICARD
nEwS Editor Marches, walkouts and protests have taken over U.S. schools with the intention of spreading one message: change, both in schools and within the law. Keene State College has hopped on-board to encourage current and prospective students to civically engage. Safer schools and gun law changes have been at the forefront of students’ minds after a gunman opened fire on Feb. 14 in Parkland, Florida, and 14 students and three teachers were killed and many others were seriously at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Speaking up and taking action have emphasized students’ mission – demanding the massacre in Parkland be the last. On Feb. 26, Keene State College released the following statement on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: “We want to share that civic engagement is a critical core value at Keene State College. We support students who take constructive action on issues that are important to them. Participation in peaceful protests will not affect admissions decisions for potential students.” Director of Admissions at KSC Peg Richmond suggested the college release a statement after learning that not only herself, but other college admissions officers were getting phone calls from high school students asking, “What if I were to participate in this rally, walkout or protest? What would happen?”
SEE HOODS, A2
Index
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Section B: Section A: News .....................1-3 Student Life............1-4
A4: Celebrate woman every day A8: Taking the stage one last time B1: Alternative Break B8: Innings out of town
Opinions ................4-5 Time Capsule.............5 A&E............ ...........6-8 Sports.....................6-8 Associated Collegiate Press
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Thursday, March 22, 2018
LIMITED LEGISLATION: STAFF COLUMN
Dartmouth lecturer speaks on religious influence TAYLOR BEAVEN
Equinox Staff How much did religion and evangelicalism influence our vote during the 2016 presidential election? Professor Randall Balmer of Dartmouth College gave a lecture on Tuesday, March 6 that discussed this idea in the Mason Library at Keene State College. Professor Balmer started off the lecture by defining evangelicalism and honoring its roots in the Presbyterian, Puritism and Pyism Movements. Balmer defines Evangelicals in three ways: Somebody who: 1. “Believes that the Bible is God’s revelation to humanity, and therefore should be taken very seriously to the point of interpreted literally.” 2. “Believe in the centrality of the conversion of the born-again experience.” 3. “Takes seriously the mandate to evangelize, or bring others into their faith.” Originally, this meant Evangelicals were people who tried to change society and make it fitting for the return of Jesus Christ. Social reform and holding high positions of power in the church and state were the the long-practiced ways of changing the world. However, the late 19th century altered the idea of social reform as the way of doing this shifted towards individual change. Balmer detailed this by quoting Billy Graham: “The only way to meaningfully change society is to change Man’s hearts,” meaning change can only be created by first changing the individual self, and people will follow suit. This was, as Balmer put it, “The motto of Evangelicals moving into the 19th and 20th century.” So how does this apply to politics? Balmer spent a portion of the lecture discussing how Donald Trump, and others like him, use the idea of a religious right to push racist rhetoric based on selfish means. Balmer’s statement on this should be clarified, as he doesn’t mean that all evangelicals are racist, but rather evangelicals often lean towards racism because of their selfish views in the modern day. On top of this, Balmer discussed the idea of victimization and the deception that Trump used to get many of his supporters to think he was a man of family values. Trump gained support not because he had political experience, worked hard throughout his life or had ideas and thoughts above others. He gained his support because he appealed to the idea of modern Evangelicalism, as defined by Balmer, noting that the individual reformation and perspective is actually more selfish and becomes a form of racism as they put themselves, and others like them, above others. The questions many took away from Balmer’s lecture were, “Am I a modern Evangelical? Do I put my personal needs and beliefs above that of the nation when I cast my vote? And, more importantly, will I do the same in the upcoming midterm election?” Too often, people put themselves before the country. Voting for what is better for the nation doesn’t mean destroying your financial situation or going against what you necessarily believe in, it means doing what you think will be best for everyone. Professor Balmer’s lecture is an important lesson for everyone when considering their vote for the next election, on the local or presidential level.
ANGELIQUE INCHIERCA / PHOTO EDITOR
KSC President Melinda Treadwell stands with four of the five women presented with the 2018 President’s Outstanding Women of New Hampshire Awards. The awards were presented to (left to right) KSC first-year Benajil Rai, KSC first-year Puja Thapa, Franklin Pierce University Assistant Dean of Student Affairs
and Retention Jill Basset and KSC Associate Professor of Women and Gender Studies Dr. Patricia Pedroza Gonzalez. Not pictured is New Hampshire State Representative Ann McLane Kuster, the fifth recipient of the award.
OUTSTANDING WOMEN Cont. from A1
support. Thapa said she felt “uplifted and loved” upon receiving this honor. She also described how, in Nepal, it is considered a bad omen for women to speak publicly, and a gathering such as this one would be extremely rare to find there. Thapa also said of her mother back in Nepal, “I cherish her more than anyone in my life. She is bull strong, warm and persistent… she has always been the perfect example of an outstanding woman.” Rai also thanked her mother for the courage she passed down to her, and that she is sorry her mother never had the oppor-
tunity she now does. Rai said, “Without this scholarship opportunity, I could be married and starting to have kids, like many of my friends in Nepal did at the age of 15 and 16.” Rai, who was also celebrating her 20 birthday that same day, said she felt very fortunate to be receiving the award and to be a part of the Keene community. Dr. Pedroza Gonzalez was nominated as an outstanding woman because of her longtime advocacy for women’s rights. Gonzalez focused her acceptance speech on the power of “peace, love and understanding” and the power of minority groups who have risen above oppression throughout the years. “Social transformation is not impossible, it is inevitable,” she said. “It is an honor, it is inspiration to keep going in my vision and commitment to work for equity in all aspects of social life. It is also a responsibility of civic engagement, which I am more than happy to engage.” The last acceptance speech was given
Cont. from A1
STUDENT ASSEMBLY SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN
ExEcutivE Editor
Sebastien Mehegan can be reached at smehegan@kscequinox.com
Rachel Vitello can be contacted at rvitello@kscequinox.com
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Taylor Beaven can be contacted at tbeaven@kscequinox.com
On March 20, at 6:30 p.m., the Student Assembly was called to order. President of Owl Nation Maria Aiello represented the organization asking for a $6,000 transfer from Non-Automotive Rentals account and Equipment (Over $1,000) to be transferred into the club’s supplies account. The request was approved on the grounds that Owl Nation needs more supplies for events including spot lights and a new Hooty the mascot costume. A funding request was then proposed by three representatives of the Feminist Collective in the amount of $750 to support their new movement: Keene Says #Enough. The money requested will go towards their day of action on April 20 to share in solidarity with national walkouts in support of gun reform. Brandon Mathieu announced Emerging Leadership Training has been rescheduled for March 31. Mathieu also said that student organization budget requests are due this Friday at 11:59 p.m..
by Bassett, who received the Monadnock Region recognition. Bassett is the Vice President of New Hampshire Violence Against Women Campus Consortium, guides Title IX education and is an active advocate for the LGBTQ community. Bassett said, “I was so proud that Keene State Owls considered a Franklin Pierce Raven for the award. It just goes to show you what happens when the community puts away any competitiveness and comes together for a common good. I wish some in the White House could take note.” Similar to Thapa and Rai, Bassett also thanked her mother for being an example of a strong woman. [Full disclosure- both Thapa and Rai are members of The Equinox editorial board.]
LUKE SWEENEY / EQUINOX STAFF
HOODS Cont. from A1
the senior class’ executive board to make this decision, Class of 2018 Secretary and senior Emma Hamilton said the conversation came about because they were told the decision had already been made during a meeting the executive board wasn’t originally in on. After the Class of 2018 Executive Board collectively spoke with Dixon, Hamilton said the cost of the hoods began to play a role. With the new Barnes & Noble Bookstore ownership, purchasing hoods for the entire senior class would cost $35,000, according to Treadwell, and would have required the Class of 2018 to contribute about $15,000 from their account. However, Hamilton said the executive board members wanted to ensure they were able to provide seniors with other experiences, such as a class trip, graduate gifts and a class gift to the college. Additionally, they felt $15,000 was a lot of money and voted to either not pay anything at all and leave it in the hands of the college or
Many prospective students, she said, were concerned about how that might affect their admissions offer. “[It’s] not that I don’t want [prospective students] to be concerned about it, I’m glad that they were, but I want to make sure that they understand that we do acknowledge their right to gather peacefully,” Richmond said. “I really do applaud them for really taking that initiative and thinking about that.” Although Richmond said she only received a “handful” of calls from concerned prospective Owls, she said she began to think about the students who didn’t, and wouldn’t, pick up the phone to call. “There were a number of different reasons why I didn’t want them to have to call us,” she said. Richmond passed the message along to the Marketing and Communications Department. The statement was written by Director of Strategic Communications and Community Relations Kelly Ricaurte and then it was released. Richmond stressed the importance of a statement like this, saying although situations such as what occurred in Parkland may not be happening directly in students’ backyard, it still has an affect on everyone. “We want [students] to be sensitive to the fact of no matter where it’s happening, it’s still affecting your life,” she said, “and you should be aware of it. How you respond to that awareness is personal.” Actions such as a peaceful protest or rally are important at Keene State College, and Richmond said she wants prospective students to know that. If anybody were to attend KSC, she said, “we would support that kind of response
ask students to pay $5 each. “We came to an agreement that it wasn’t acceptable to be asking students to pay for commencement regalia because they already pay for the sash, so why add more money onto it?” Hamilton said. However, Treadwell met with the Class of 2018 Executive Board on Tuesday, March 20 and told the class that at this point, 46 days before graduation, she thinks it’s too late in the year to take away this tradition at KSC. Graduates took professional graduation yearbook photos earlier in the academic year wearing the hoods, which Treadwell said furthered her concern. Treadwell’s next steps, she said, are to meet with the finance team this week to try and find the funds to purchase hoods for this year’s graduating class. If $35,000 is not found, the class will not wear hoods during the ceremony. Hamilton said if Treadwell ends up needing some contributed funds, the Class of 2018 Executive Board will offer $5,000 from their account. Treadwell told the executive board, however, that she is trying her best to make sure they do not have to contribute any money.
of a peaceful rally. [It] is a very mature, responsible way to respond to these kinds of situations.” With good comes the bad, and although Richmond said she hasn’t gotten any backlash from the statement directly, some people tend to lose sight of what a statement such as this truly means. “The people that might be concerned about the statement are thinking, ‘What if there’s the student that all of a sudden turns this peaceful rally into something else?’ That’s different, that’s not peaceful,” she said. “It’s like, people, focus on the peaceful part of it.” KSC President Melinda Treadwell agreed with Richmond and said, as a public university, it’s natural to have many different opinions, so it’s important, as an institution, there is space given for that. “Hopefully it’s contentious, we have space for discourse that might bring a broader awareness for those affected by strong speech,” Treadwell said. Additionally, Treadwell said KSC values and supports free speech for all. KSC senior and psychology major Jenna Barton said standing up for something people believe in is something KSC values and respects. “I think it was a very good idea to not only show support for the Parkland students, but also encourage young students to use their voice and fight for things they believe in. The message portrays KSC as a school devoted to doing the right thing and always supporting students and their decisions,” Barton said. In terms of what this statement says about KSC’s commitment to civic engagement, Richmond said it says “everything.” “This really says who we are, that this is who we want our students to be,” she said. “We want you to be aware.” Jessica Ricard can be contacted at jricard@kscequinox.com
Next year, Treadwell said she plans to begin an earlier conversation about potentially not offering them to the Class of 2019 and those beyond. Dixon and Treadwell said they are working with the Class of 2018 Executive Board to develop communication to the entire senior class. Graduating seniors can pick up their caps, gowns and sashes at the Commencement Fair on March 28 and 29 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the KSC Bookstore. If Treadwell is successful in finding funds to provide the Class of 2018 with hoods, they would be picked up at a later date. The Commencement ceremony will be held on the Fiske Quad on May 5 at 1 p.m.. Note: Emma Hamilton was a former editor for The Equinox, but given her role in student government, was interviewed for the story. President of the Class of 2018 Alayna LaBaire was not available to comment. Jessica Ricard can be contacted at jricard@kscequinox.com
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New Hampshire Representative ‘Malicious’ damage done to student art sculptures speaks at KSC on gun control
Vandalism yet again PUJA THAPA
BuSinESS ManagEr
“On March 3, at about 1:30 in the morning, Campus Safety officers were notified of an individual who was vandalizing some of the student sculptures,” Director of Campus Safety and Compliance Jeff Maher said, “and they were successful in identifying the person who we believe committed that offence.” Keene State College Sculpture Professor Miles Warner said it was sad to know about the sculpture vandalism. He said, “Students worked really hard. That’s [about] six weeks of work,” he said. “[These are] the sculptures we spent half the semester working on. It’s our mid-term project. We have more projects to do,” KSC senior Inja Diamond said. Maher said Campus Safety was on patrol in the area at the time, which is when they came across some of the things as they were happening. Maher said. “These projects were obviously projects that other students spent a significant amount of time working on, and to have [them] destroyed, I’m sure, will have adverse effects on them and their experience here at Keene State College.” Diamond said the actions were upsetting. “It was pretty upsetting to think that a student would
come by and destroy five weeks of work of every student. They didn’t think of the time and energy that goes into it. They didn’t really have respect for the art,” Diamond said. “It is a little discouraging to think I put all the work into it and to have it just broken away,” Diamond added. However, she said Warner told her class that putting the sculptures outside meant there was a risk of it getting broken. More people would get to appreciate it, and he thought keeping it outside rather than inside, where it would never get broken, was better. Inside, not as many people would see it. Warner said, “[Putting the sculptures outside means] you run the risk of one person destroying all your work… but you also get the opportunity to get lots and lots of people in the community throughout the college in terms of faculty and staff and students to see what’s going on in the sculpture studio, which is the whole point of putting them out there. I don’t think we are ever going to stop [putting sculptures outside], that’s for sure.” This is not the first time KSC students have experienced such vandalism. Warner said they have had little incidents before, but usually the damage could be fixed. “This one was pretty malicious,” he said. Maher said the role of Campus Safety is to investigate the offense, document it and to refer it to
another department, which is the Office of Student Conduct in this case. “Only one individual has been referred to the Office of Student Conduct,” he added. “If a student is accused of violating the Code of Conduct, we have a hearing for that. The hearing would determine if they are responsible or not responsible for violating college policies,” Director of the Office of Student Conduct Matt Salter said. “I hope the person gets some repercussions,” Diamond said, adding that she doesn’t think it’s fair if they get just a warning. “No matter what,” she added, “even if that person does feel bad about it, it doesn’t fix the sculptures that were broken.” Diamond said more appreciation of art may help prevent such happenings in the future. She added, “Everyone was kind of mad and sad; everyone was really upset that someone would do that to their sculptures.” Warner said, “It’s a hard thing to get past, but that’s what you do. You are not going to think about it forever. You can go and you make another one, you make it better, and you put it outside again.” Puja Thapa can be contacted at pthapa@kscequinox.com
GREEN LIFE: STAFF COLUMN
College to offer composting incentives
KATHERINE GLOSSER
Equinox Staff Food is a main source of energy no living thing can be without. However, for some people, it can be difficult to come across. In America, people are often reminded of the starving children in third-world countries who would gladly take the food they don’t eat. As true as this is, people in America are continuing to waste their uneaten food. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, food waste makes up between 30 and 40 percent of the food supply. Additionally, in 2010, people wasted around 133 billion pounds and about $161 billion worth of food. Most of this food goes into landfills, and Keene State College is hoping to help change the amount of food people waste. In June of 2016, Zorn Dining Commons (DC) Service Managers Jeanny Aldrich and Penny LaPalme and General Manager Josef Quirinale came up with an idea to reduce food waste at the dining commons by creating an incentive program. Aldrich wanted to pursue the program after seeing that many of the dishes being put on the dish rack in the DC still had food on them. Aldrich said while some students make the effort to be less wasteful, other students do not. “Some students will do it because they know it is a good thing to do that is environmentally sound, that it’s sustainable, but just like half our population, the other half is not driven by that. They are driven by monetary value or some kind of a value that they can walk away from feeling like they gained something physical or tangible by that,” Aldrich said. “So in order to do that, we created an incentive program thinking that that would reach those students that didn’t always grasp or feel like they were a part of the environmental sustainability movement and get them on-board with it because they would be given some form of a benefit for doing this.” Recycling Coordinator Matthew Bacon, who is helping with the incentive program, said the overall goal is to reduce food waste, including compost. Bacon said seven tons of food is turned into compost and produced at the DC every two weeks. “With the com-
post going into the trash, we see a reduction in costs, so that’s saving the school some money,” Bacon said. “But we still are wasting the food because it’s being put into the compost and that’s being turned into compost- a waste product. So what we and the DC wanted to do is lessen the amount of food waste even being composted so we’re throwing out less food in general.” Bacon and Aldrich said people can reduce their food waste in the DC by asking for samples before taking the food, so that if someone doesn’t like the food, they won’t get it and waste it. They can also take small portions, and when they want more, they can go back for seconds. If someone doesn’t like how a food is seasoned, they can ask to have the food without the seasoning on it. Once the DC sees there is a significant reduction in wasted food, they plan to create a suggestion box for students to vote on what food incentive they hope to receive. KSC sophomore Evan Boczenowski said while it’s tough to not waste food in the DC, he would make more of an effort to do so. Boczenowski composts his food at home. He said it is important to not waste food, even if it ends up being composted. “I think, regardless, reducing waste is more important than just putting it all into compost. Obviously, there is a way you should compost it. I think, overall, just kind of reducing that is probably more beneficial,” he said. KSC junior Mackenzie Donovan also agrees with the incentive program and said it can not only reduce the amount of food wasted, but it can give students a reason to go outside their dorm more. “Food incentives are a big way to get people to come out and do things. So having some kind of food reward is definitely, I think, a step in the right direction for the DC if they wanted to achieve their goals for reducing waste,” Donovan said. Aldrich said the program was already approved and will begin sometime after spring break. Katherine Glosser can be contacted at kglosser@kscequinox.com.
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But we still are wasting the food because it’s being put into the compost and that’s being turned into compost- a waste product. So what we and the DC wanted to do is lessen the amount of food waste even being composted so we’re throwing out less food in general. Matthew Bacon KSC Recycling Coordinator
ALEXANDRIA SAURMAN
Equinox Staff In schools across the country, lives have been taken by bullets. This has sparked a nationwide conversation on gun control between many. Some believe the United States needs more gun control, but others, like New Hampshire Republican Representative Jim McConnell, representing Richmond and Swanzey, think differently. On Wednesday, Feb. 28, McConnell attended a press conference held by Keene State College journalism professor Dr. Marianne Salcetti’s Print Journalism class. Before serving as a New Hampshire representative, McConnell said he worked on Wall Street, served in the Air Force and acted as the secretary of a conservative party in Manhattan, among other jobs. He graduated from Pennsylvania Military College in 1968 and U.S. Army War College in 1986, according to his biography on the New Hampshire General Court’s website. McConnell said he identifies as a “very conservative, libertarian republican.” Multiple topics were discussed at the press conference, but the main conversation focused on gun control. Students asked questions in regards to a New Hampshire House Bill that would legalize the carrying of pistols and revolvers on public college campuses such as KSC. In a previous assignment, students of the class conducted a survey of almost 400 KSC students regarding the bill. Over 80 percent of surveyed students said they would not feel safe if people were allowed to carry guns and pistols on campus. Nearly 75 percent said they would not support the bill. Although the bill did not pass, McConnell said he supported the bill. “I believe that, quite frankly, more firearms make the world a safer place,” McConnell said. “If you were carrying a gun right now, it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest.” When McConnell was asked if the survey results would change his view, he said they would not. At least one student, sophomore journalism major John Budenas, said he was “not surprised” by McConnell’s comment. However senior communications major Vicky Papadopoulos, had other thoughts. “He was really straightforward, and at the same [time] he didn’t really care about other people’s feelings when he was speaking,” Papadopoulos said. McConnell also said he wants to “end gun-free zones.” “[Gun free zones] are an invitation for people like [Parkland school shooter Nikolas] Cruz who want to do harm,” McConnell said. On Feb. 14, Cruz shot and killed 17 people at his former high school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla. According to CNN, it’s one of 12 school shootings in 2018. In the case of school shootings, McConnell said he does not believe more thorough background checks would have prevented shooters like Cruz from obtaining a gun. “You know there’s a black market in a lot of things, including firearms, and if somebody really wants to get one, they can,” he said. Additionally, even if there was a more tedious process to obtain guns, McConnell said he believes the number of school shootings would not change. Moreover, McConnell said if guns were harder to obtain, those who “suddenly need them” wouldn’t be able to get them. “If you suddenly felt that you were at risk of being raped, I’d want you to be able to get a gun to protect yourself. Period. I don’t want to hear it. Period,” he said. “You should have a right to protect yourself.” McConnell said he does not carry a gun on him for protection. “I’ve never felt the need or never been interested in [carrying a gun for my own safety]. But if, as I mentioned, if all of a sudden we had a series of rapes here in Keene, yeah, I’d carry.” He said carrying a gun would be “too much trouble,” and described carrying a holster as “cumbersome.” Though McConnell does not carry, he said he does own various guns that he uses for bird hunting. He did not state the number of guns he owns. He said he is also a lifetime, benefactor member of the National Rifle Association (NRA). Despite not carrying, McConnell said he’s a “strong proponent of people carrying, particularly women.” When asked if simply the idea of being able to carry gun might instill fear into someone, McConnell said “absolutely.” In one example, McConnell said he was driving in Florida when he saw a woman being pulled into a car by two men. He confronted the men, and asked them what was happening. He said the men exchanged a “this is not good” look because “they assumed [he] had a pistol,” since Florida allows a concealed carry. “They looked at me and that’s clearly what motivated the horrified looks,” McConnell said. In other business, McConnell also discussed voting rights in New Hampshire. “Everybody who has a commitment to the state of New Hampshire should be allowed to vote,” he said. However, he said he is strongly against those who vote in both New Hampshire and another state and wants to “prosecute” said individuals. Other topics discussed included his voting on opioid-related bills, sponsoring of a bill to legalize huffing. His thoughts on the draft, he said, should only include men. According to McConnell, women can only be used in “so many places,” such as “sitting at a computer console.” “But when you’re out in the bush, the weather’s miserable. There are snakes all over the place, leeches all over you. It’s filthy. It stinks,” McConnell said. “It’s hard enough for the men to deal with, and quite frankly when you’re out there, the men are all going to be worried about you… no offense ladies, I love you, there are only so many places we can use you when it comes to the non-technical services.” For Budenas, the press conference wasn’t surprising until McConnell talked about the draft. “I guess I was just really taken back on his view on men and women being drafted into the military and definitely would like to hear more about how he feels about that now that we also know about how he stands carrying firearms on campuses,” Budenas said. Alexandria Saurman can be contacted at asaurman@kscequinox.com
LAURA ROMANIELLO / ART DIRECTOR
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OPINIONS
Opinions / A4 Thursday, March 22, 2018
EDITORIAL
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Celebrate women everyday Women across the world make outstanding achievements all year long, so why should celebrating these accomplishments be confined to a single day? International Women’s Day takes place on March 8, during Women’s History Month. While setting aside a day to acknowledge all the significant women in your life and abroad is important, we should also remember to recognize these women’s achievements everyday.
Having a set day to celebrate all women, nationally and internationally, does remind people of the amazing women in their lives and how they shaped them into the people they are today. But if these women are so important, then the celebratory mentality people have on International Women’s Day should last throughout the year. There seems to be a national day for everything nowadays, whether it is for pizza or puppies. Important days, like International Women’s Day, should not be lumped in with all of the random days that celebrate miniscule things. According to womenscouncil.com, the purpose of International Women’s Day is to celebrate “the economic, political and social achievements of women in the past, present and future. It is an occasion for looking back on past struggles and accomplishments, and more importantly, for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.” On days where international events are celebrated, social media is flooded with posts from people who are more than likely uneducated about the true meaning of the significance of the day. International Women’s Day is not a day to go on social media and bash men, brag or place women above men. It is not a day to just cel-
ebrate being a woman for the sake of being a woman. It is a day to recognize and celebrate how far women have come in history and remember what still needs to be done. A question that is often asked when people talk about International Women’s Day is, what about International Men’s Day? International Men’s Day takes place on Nov. 19. While there are many men who achieve great things, people only seem to question why men are not being celebrated when another group is receiving a little bit of recognition. Important achievements, made by women as well as men, should be identified and celebrated. Limiting recognition of impressive accomplishments to one day almost takes away the achievements of those who have contributed to society and benefited it. Those celebrating International Women’s Day should be mindful of their word choice when discussing womanhood. Not all women, biological or transgender, can become pregnant or go through a menstrual cycle. By equating being a woman with these experiences, people are actually excluding a group of people who are just as much a woman as the next. It is difficult to pack appreciation for an entire group into a month, week or day. These international celebration days should serve as a reminder to acknowledge those women who have impacted your life as well as others. Let International Women’s Day serve as a reminder that people should take a day to recognize those who deserve admiration and continue to celebrate outstanding women throughout the year. ANGELIQUE INCHIERCA / PHOTO EDITOR
On March 8, students gathered in the Mabel Brown Room to celebrate International Women’s Day. Pictured above is Logan Symonds, a studio art major, who created various pieces displaying the female form.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR In the February 15th publication of the Equinox, an article was published about the Holocaust and Genocide Studies major. This article portrayed our major as nothing but barbed wire and unavailable staff. It provided false information on events happening at the college and the availability of degrees in this field at other schools. We would like to address these inaccuracies and provide a true portrayal of the Holocaust and Genocide major here at Keene State College. As Holocaust and Genocide Studies majors, we found barbed wire as a representation of our major to be disrespectful. The use of barbed wire to portray our studies and epitomize the Holocaust was appalling, untasteful, and insensitive. As well, the article featured an image of the Yellow Star of David Badge, which was referred to as if it was any simple artifact. The badge itself holds much importance and should have been given the proper historical recognition. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum refers to the Yellow Star of David Badge as
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a way, “to stigmatize and humiliate Jews but also to segregate them and to watch and control their movements. The badge also facilitated deportation.” It is no ordinary artifact, it was donated to the Cohen Center by a Holocaust Survivor, which we are extremely grateful for. The Holocaust and Genocide Studies staff are well known, published scholars of their fields. Dr. James Waller is much more than an author, he is a member of many organizations related to genocide prevention, including the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation. Dr. Hank Knight and Dr. Ashley Greene were not even mentioned in this article, which overlooked the amount of diverse fields our major offers. Michele Kuiawa, the Senior Program Support Assistant for the Cohen Center, was asked to comment on subjects that do not relate to her professional responsibilities. Within the article only one Holocaust and Genocide student was cited, giving a narrow perspective of the program. Most members of the major would have been more than happy to contribute their opinions to the article if they were asked. There are various professions
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that one can pursue with a Holocaust and Genocide Studies degree. This major is made up of diverse students with different backgrounds and life experiences. We are human rights activists, genocide prevention lobbyist, supporters of the Jewish community, world travelers, and much more. The inaccuracies in the article were too extreme for us not to address. The ‘informational event’ that is mentioned was not a public event nor a Holocaust and Genocide Studies department event. This was a teaching workshop for secondary school educators run by the Choices Program at Brown University. It was sponsored by the Cohen Center. This event was to help educators approach the teaching of genocide. There was no information about similar programs or graduate studies at this workshop. This workshop did not discuss the possibilities of post-graduation opportunities and only one Holocaust and Genocide Studies major attended this event because of her second major in Secondary Education. It should be made clear that Keene State College is
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MISSION: The Equinox exists to promote the free flow of information, to protect the First Amendment, to stimulate high standards in the practice of journalism and to foster excellence among student journalists.
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the only school that specifically offers an undergraduate degree in Holocaust and Genocide Studies. As students studying this, we take pride in this fact and want it to be recognized. The University of Florida offers a certificate in Holocaust studies. This only requires 18 credits compared to the 36 credits required at Keene State. At St. Cloud State University, Holocaust and Genocide studies is only offered as an individualized elective degree. At Clark University, there is only a concentration in Holocaust and Genocide Studies within a degree in History. As a liberal arts college that offers a degree in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, we need to be more thoughtful in our decisions which is why we thought it was best to open a dialogue so that we can take the time to engage in conversation with others and listen to one another. Sincerely, Nate Wolf, Laurel Farr, Samantha Brault, and Alexis Sanborn
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Thursday, March 22, 2018
STAFF COMMENTARY
Walk outs make a difference Students should not be punished for protesting ABBY SHEPHERD
Social Media director Ever since the massacre that left 17 people dead at a high school in Parkland, Florida on Valentine’s Day this year, high school students and their educators have been planning protests and walkouts to draw attention to the inaction by legislature to prevent school shootings. While many are passionate about this issue, it is natural that some high school students may fear college rejection should they be suspended or even arrested for engaging in civic action. Many colleges and universities, big and small, are sharing with the world that students’ protesting will not affect admission. On Feb. 26, Keene State College posted on their official Facebook page that they would not deny or revoke admission to prospective students if they should face punishment due to protesting. While the post gathered 162 likes in just a couple days and a good amount of supportive feedback, some alumni have commented that it is disappointing their alma mater is supporting student protests. One said KSC was encouraging students to be “a bunch of snowflake victim mentality whiny babies.” I believe their disappointment and name-calling is misplaced. If you don’t want high school students to break the rules, then how would you suggest that they engage civically? If a nationwide walk-out is organized to protest gun violence and students are punished for walking out, we are therefore teaching students to conform and to comply instead of fighting for justice. While these protests are in their formative stages, many social movements were organized by young people and students. Teenagers were mowed down by fire hoses and arrested in huge numbers for protesting segregation in the 1950s and 1960s, and students at Kent State University were killed by the National Guard for protesting the draft in 1970. Many people look back at these protesters 50 years later as those who should be celebrated for fighting for what was right. They weren’t “snowflake whiny babies,” and they didn’t have
a “victim mentality.” They were people going in the direction of progress and imploring the government and the other adults in power to make a change. What they did worked. Similarly to the social movements of the 1960s, young people are facing inaction by legislatures. They are also facing violence and even death, be it the Vietnam War or their high school cafeteria. My little sister is a senior in high school, and she is one of the smartest and most passionate people I know. She and her friends inspire me in the way they participate in protests and social movements, both in-person and digitally. She is planning on walking out of school on March 24. One alumni commented that high school students will look for any reason to skip class, and therefore protest organizers are making them “pawns to be manipulated.” My sister is not a pawn. She is an activist, and she knows exactly what she is doing, just like all of these students across the country. Give high schoolers more credit. They are real people who fear going to school because of these tragedies. We may joke about them eating laundry detergent in 2018, but they will vote in 2020. They will make KSC proud, should they choose to attend this school, and I’m glad that KSC is making a place for them.
Abby Shepherd can be contacted at ashepherd@kscequinox.com
BRANDON MOULTON / EQUINOX STAFF
STAFF COMMENTARY
STAFF COMMENTARY
Cultural appropriation and celebrating are different
Natural disasters of the past
of a dominant culture, like the U.S., systematically oppress minority groups but also take elements from their cultures and adopt them as their own. Holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo are definitely interesting because of how huge they are in the U.S. compared to their native countries. They’re hardly worth celebrating in Ireland and Mexico, and even the original reasons people began celebrating them in the U.S. (to celebrate Mexican and Irish heritage) has been watered down. It’s become such a huge party here, but now people hardly know why they’re celebrating or think that it’s for all the wrong reasons. It’s slightly problematic, to say the least, and it wouldn’t hurt for people to know why the holiday exists in the first place (besides giving them an excuse to chug some margaritas at an office party). Izzy Manzo can be contacted at imanzo@kscequinox.com
Chloe Giarraputo can be contacted at cgiarraputo@kscequinox.com
W O N K T ’ N O D I M ’ I T WHA G N I T A R B CELE LAURA ROMANIELLO/ ART DIRECTOR
Holidays can often be celebrated with the wrong intentions IZZY MANZO
There’s something kind of fascinating about watching people totally disregard cultures that aren’t their own until it’s convenient for them. I’m willing to bet that a bunch of people don’t know the actual reason behind celebrating Cinco de Mayo, for example. Or they think it’s a celebration of Mexican independence, which is actually Sept. 16. The short version is that Cinco de Mayo is symbolic of the day the French tried to invade Mexico and were subsequently driven out. The long version is that in 1861, Mexico was going through a bit of a financial crisis and Napoleon thought that it was a lovely day to expand his empire. They were successful at first and marched towards Puebla de Los Angeles, where then-President of Mexico, Benito Juárez, was waiting with an army of 2,000 men who were, by then, probably very angry with the French. Mexico won, but the battle was more
like a symbolic victory which gave the resistance movement a little bit of a confidence boost. Outside of Puebla, where the battle took place, it’s not really celebrated according to Independent.co.uk. Cultural appropriation is obviously a problem, and there’s a slight issue with people celebrating a holiday without understanding its true meaning. I understand that this basically goes for any holiday now, but a lot of people know the origins of Thanksgiving or Christmas before consumerism took over and lead to people getting into fist-fights in Walmart parking lots. Cinco de Mayo, specifically, is an interesting example for me because, outside of the actual place where the battle was held, it’s not really celebrated in Mexico. It’s like their Arbor Day. Alternatively, it’d be like celebrating a national holiday on the day of the Battle of Gettysburg. A second fourth of July, where we can all get drunk at 2 p.m. and throw elaborate, expensive parades in the name of Ulysses S. Grant. To be fair, in the U.S., Cinco de Mayo seems more like a celebration of Mexican
heritage, rather than a commemoration of a battle. This is also a tricky subject to handle because some may question whether it is possible to consider something as cultural appropriation if the group that’s allegedly being discriminated against hasn’t voiced their concerns. St. Patrick’s Day has also becoming something that’s been misrepresented and blown up out of proportion so people have an excuse to get trashed. It was originally a celebration of St. Patrick converting the Irish from Paganism to Christianity. The three-leaf clover was used by St. Patrick to explain the Holy Trinity to pagans, and the day is associated with heavy drinking because the Catholic rules of eating and having alcohol during Lent are lifted for the day. I’m willing to bet that you didn’t know any of that until now because no one cares about the original meaning anymore either. Like Cinco de Mayo, the original intent of celebrating has been widely thrown away as an excuse to party and drink. It’s cultural appropriation--members
opinionS editor In the last few years, it seems like there have been more natural disasters than we can count. News of a hurricane quickly turns into news of an earthquake, which then turns into news of a mudslide. Something that seems even harder to count is the cost of the damage from all of these natural disasters. Relief efforts for victims of these events seem to be coming and going as quickly as these disasters are occurring. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), “There were 16 weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding one billion dollars each across the United States” in 2017. These natural disasters were on all ends of the spectrum – from droughts, flooding, wildfires, freezing temperatures, and tropical cyclones. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the damages caused by these events had a combined cost of at least $306 billion. Being that victims of these events had their entire lives swept away, they do not have the means to rebuild their homes and lives on their own. This is where the general public steps in with fundraisers and donation events. Donating to organizations such as the American Red Cross and UNICEF, which offer aid in the event of a natural disaster, might help, but it only helps so much. Because these events happen so frequently, it is easy to forget previous victims when the next natural disaster strikes. It is easy to get swept up in wanting to help after a hurricane or other natural disaster. There seems to be a cycle that takes place every time a storm or other event takes place. The storm hits, pictures of the victims and the affected area spread virally, organizations post how you can help them, thoughts and prayers posts are typed and then everyone moves on. Then the next natural disaster hits and the same thing occurs. People get so caught up in posting about the next area they need to #PrayFor, they forget about the previous victims of past natural disasters. There are still homes that have not been fully repaired in New York from Hurricane Sandy in 2012. It is the same situation for people in Texas after Hurricane Harvey and now in New England after the recent Nor’easter. Yes, it is important to provide help for those affected by these current catastrophes. But it is also important to keep those affected by past disasters in mind as well. These people have to rebuild their entire lives and often depend on donations from citizens across the country. The year 2017 put the idea of climate change in perspective because of the vast types of events which have occurred. From flooding in certain areas to droughts and wildfires in other areas, it is imperative, now than ever, that we need to be mindful of our actions. For natural disasters that have occured in 2018 and for those that have yet to occur, it is important for everyone to remember. Remember those who cannot help themselves and remember to assist when you have the chance.
E M S S I K
equinox Staff
CHLOE GIARRAPUTO
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Thursday, March 22, 2018
STAFF COMMENTARY
The creation of music Managing a band RACHEL BLUMBERG
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ALEXANDRIA SAURMAN / EQUINOX STAFF
Chock Full O’Notes performing their a cappella set at their spring concert last year in the Mabel Brown Room.
‘Chock Full O’Notes’ prepares for the future ERIN MCNEMAR
Arts & EntErtAinmEnt Creating music without instruments is a daunting task that one group at Keene State College does not shy away from. In fact, they strive to do it. Chock Full O’Notes (CFON) is KSC’s only a capella group. The group rehearses about five hours a week, twice a week. However, depending on upcoming shows, the group will add practice time as needed. Senior and current club president Emma Simpson described the structure of rehearsal. “A typical rehearsal consists of ‘housekeeping,’ where we discuss any performances coming up and make sure everyone has all the information they need about upcoming events/rehearsals, and then we warm up together as a group and get down to business,” Simpson explained. “We generally learn about five or six new songs per semester, so about half of our rehearsals are dedicated to learning new material and a little choreography. The rest are spent making adjustments, adding proper dynamics and just overall making sure the music is in tip-top shape for when we perform it.” To add to the challenge of singing without instruments, senior Erin Conti expressed that most of the group’s songs are learned without sheet music. “One way we differ from some a capella groups is we learn most of our songs by ear with no sheet music which is pretty cool.”
Conti then spoke about the musical independence that can be found in CFON. “Pretty much all of our songs are arranged by members of the group. I, myself, have done a few, and it’s pretty cool to write an arrangement and hear it come to life when the group does it.” However, an arrangement does not always sound the way the composer envisioned it, which is what Conti finds most difficult about a cappella. “Sometimes when we have a new arrangement, it doesn’t turn out how we planned and we have to work hard to make it sound how we want and sound like a full song even though we only have our voices,” Conti said. As students start to get a glimpse of the end of the spring semester, CFON has began planning for the club’s future. Junior Morgan Sulham will be replacing Simpson as club president next year. “I am really excited to be president next year. I am a little bit nervous too, but Emma Simpson, the current president, has done such a great job of preparing me and answering any questions I have,” Sulham explained. “And I won’t be doing it alone either, which I am glad about. Everyone on e-board [executive board] really supports each other and it won’t be just me making big decisions for the group or anything like that. I am really excited to help us all be the best group we can be.” With the hope of expanding the group, Sulham explained that Chock Full O’Notes is looking for new members for next semester. “We are looking for a lot of new members next year. If
you have auditioned before, please don’t hesitate to come back. We will hold them within the first month or so of next year, so you have time to prepare a couple of songs to sing. Be on the lookout for us at the Student Involvement Fair.” As for the future of Chock Full O’Notes, Sulham expressed that she has some proposals. “We have been talking about some ideas for the future, but none of them have been set in stone yet, so I don’t want to say anything too early.” While Sulham is gearing up to take on her new responsibilities as the club’s president, the seniors in their the group are saying goodbye to their fellow members. “I’m going to miss performing as having that outlet, it’s been such a big part of my life. And I’m going to miss the family CFON has given me,” Conti said. Simpson added her hopes for the future leadership of the club as she looks towards graduation. “I’d just really like to acknowledge Morgan Sulham and Brendan Goodwin, who will be taking over the group next year as President and Music Director when Brendan Hoar and I graduate. They’re really wonderful people and I’m so thankful to be leaving the group in such capable hands.” Chock Full O’Notes will be performing in their spring concert on Sunday, April 22 at 3 p.m.. Erin McNemar can be contacted at emcnemar@kscequinox.com
In fall 2015, after touring the campus literally four times and falling in love with everything about the film major, I came into Keene State College knowing that I was going to be a dual major of Film Production and Film Critical Studies. I would have never guessed that I would also be managing a punk band. As a sophomore in late 2016, I was a learning assistant for film professor Lance Levesque’s Production 1 class and was given the task of curating and hosting the fall event, Music Video Night, where filmmakers get a chance to showcase their music video making abilities in the Putnam theatre. The word got out and people packed every seat in the house with their love for both film and music. The next semester, I was asked back to curate and host the program, yet this time, with a twist. Levesque had the brilliant idea of challenging the makers to only include original songs for that semester, forcing filmmakers to seek out musicians, either around campus or in their own lives. I absolutely fell in love with this idea. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for music videos and the idea of filmmakers and musicians coming together, so, of course, I wanted to participate in the event with my own video. I proposed this idea to my friend, Mike, who had mentioned to me a while back that he was the drummer of Keene punk band, Gray Haven. After the others said “Hell yeah,” they picked their single “Orcas,” we came up with a quick idea and I shot and edited it all in a matter of two weeks. A week after yet another packed house and successful showing for the Spring 2017 Music Video Night, I was reminiscing about the vibe on set and how we all seemed to click, me with the camera and them goofing off for the camera, and I decided to look into some shows around the area for them. I later messaged Mike that I had found two shows in VT and NH for them and they later asked me if I wanted to be their manager. And the rest is history. I often get asked after telling this story of ‘how I became a manager of a punk band,’ first, “What the heck, how?” and second, “Did you ever think you wanted to be a manager of a band?” To that I say, no freakin way. If you had told me as a firstyear in college that I was going to spend my sophomore year and on with this crazy group of four of the most nerdy rock stars, book them shows which would then turn into
a month long tour in the summer of 2017, and become not only their manager, but best friends with all of them - no freakin’ way. But I’m really glad I did. Being a manager of a band means believing wholeheartedly in the band you’re working for. It means getting their music out there, and not only pushing others, but pushing themselves to believe in what they’re creating musically. When we decided to go on tour, I remember the four of them having these huge ideas of what the ideal situation would be, tour truck and all, and the dream cities they’d want to hit, especially NYC, Boston and Philadelphia. The whole time while they were all going back and forth on these big ideas for their first tour, I knew it was my job to get them there. We not only hit those cities, but played a total of 15 shows and recorded three new songs at Rancho Cucamonga Studios all in a threeweek span, and all crammed in one truck from Manchester, NH to Philadelphia, PA, and everywhere in between. I have honestly never been so proud of any group of people than I was of Gray Haven on every single night of that tour. Watching them play for three weeks straight in front of new crowds that had never heard of them, but were rocking out and making them feel like true rock stars, made me realize that being a manager is so much more than just promoting your band’s music. It’s about getting your band opportunities and experiences that they’ll never forget. It’s about exposing their music to loads of different people that they’d never expect. But most importantly, it’s about finding this weird group of nerds who make really great music together, becoming best friends, and being apart of the epic journey, wherever it may us after we all graduate this May. I never in a million years would have expected to be part of a band when coming into Keene State, but to the guys of Gray Haven - thanks for letting me be a part of the band (even though I know they’ll always deny that I’m actually “in the band”... but we all know I am). Gray Haven and their summer tour will also be featured in a documentary about the collaboration between musicians and filmmakers through music videos, premiering in the Keene Colonial Theatre on Sunday, April 22, made by yours truly. Rachel Blumberg can be contacted at rblumberg@kscequinox.com
Poems by Isabel there was a time of purity and innocence before all of this, cherry blossom lips had yet to smoke Marlboro 27’s and know the taste of the drugs he had taken that night. we fall into the same patterns, boys with long hair and addiction problems that we wish we couldn’t relate to. they put their clothes on the same way, forget to kiss you goodbye the same way. they feel broken, unsolvable (unfixable). we want to fix them, solve them like a jumbled up jigsaw puzzle. write shitty poetry about them to burn, hoping they’ll smell the fire and come running to rescue us… until we realize, we are them, too. we’re addicted to the pain. we become emotionally unavailable,a game of cat and mouse that maybe we don’t want to win. and we stay clueless, until we realize, we don’t kiss the other boys goodbye.
Isabel Tisdale is a sociology major who found her love of writing after a fourth grade poetry project. Since then, she spends her time writing poems and creative non-fiction as a way of self- expression.
Her inspirations include Rupi Kaur, Christopher Poindexter and Warsan Shire. She uses her life experiences to write poetry, with a strong emphasis on the use of motifs, symbols and imagery.
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Thursday, March 22, 2018
STAFF COMMENTARY
The work of art
Rachel’s Reviews
Imposters ANGELIQUE INCHIERCA / PHOTO EDITOR
RACHEL BLUMBERG
Equinox Staff
ANGELIQUE INCHIERCA / PHOTO EDITOR
According to Mehegan, art professors will expect students to work a minium of six to eight hours a week on projects outside of class.
A student’s account of her dedication to art Equinox Staff
KSC PUZZLES
Most, if not all, college students understand the dreaded line of questioning that comes hand in hand with meeting new people or conversing with relatives. The most familiar of all questions, in my experience, tends to be, “What are you majoring in?” My response, Studio Art, is then consistently followed by, “And what are you planning on doing with that major?” What accompanies this question, generally, is a patronizing stare and compassionate hand clasp as if the questioner has already accepted your failure and wants a head-start on consoling you through the inevitable poverty that will follow graduation. If this is not a familiar experience, you either have a familial support system to be envied by all, or you have chosen a major that society has deemed beneficial and proper. As an art major, I have been asked this question consistently by every person I meet, whether they be a relative or stranger. I have been asked it in job interviews, by cousins, aunts, co-workers, parents. Of course, when it comes to parents I understand, they’re making sure I’m not setting myself up for failure, that is their job after all. What baffles me is the strangers, the people who think of art as something one does for fun, who think of art as the easy way out of a “real” education. Let me tell you: an art degree is most certainly not the easy way out. I will not say it is the most difficult major — considering that art is the only major with which I have any experience, it would be presumptuous and without
grounds for me to say that my major is more difficult than anyone else’s. However, I can say that it is not easy. First there is the cost. Art supplies are incredibly expensive. A single tube of paint can cost as much as $50. A single quality canvas can cost $80 or more. My first painting kit cost about $350, not including canvas costs, and that is just a single class. Needless to say, having a job throughout the school year is a must, although, with class and studio work, finding the availability to work is quite a challenge. One does not commit to the astronomical cost and time commitment of majoring in art lightly. Each Studio Art class is two hours and fortyfive minutes long, and meets twice a week. Each professor expects, at minimum, six to eight hours of work outside class per week (although to achieve an A-AB, one should spend at least 10 to 15 hours, if not more). This would be simple if one could graduate only taking one studio class per semester, however, scheduling conflicts may require up to three studio classes at once, a situation I have encountered twice now. With three studio classes at once, 10 to 15 hours per class each week becomes 30 to 45 hours spent in the studio working, in addition to whatever homework your fourth and sometimes fifth classes happen to supply. Claiming to live in the studio is not an uncommon joke, and I have heard people tell stories about having to sleep there to make deadlines. I personally have found myself working in the studio or in my room on projects as late as three or four in the morning, because even with 40 hours spent outside class, to complete a project to the expectations of the professors, it is not rare that last
minute all-nighters will still be required. The professors know what you are capable of, and they expect your best every time. The boundaries on what defines art are constantly being pushed. To a person who does not take the time to ask questions about works they don’t necessarily “get” at first glance, many present-day works might appear effortless and even thoughtless. I assure you, despite all appearances, even works like these take time. The professors know the difference between low-effort and abstract. In order for an abstract work that appears low-effort to be accepted, there are countless discussions of ideas to be considered. As in writing, artwork often comes in iterations, drafts — studies and sketches — hours of problem solving, discussions with peers and careful planning. Of course, when creating work that is meant to appear low effort, it is understandable that a viewer would consider it to be — as it appears — low-effort. It is not. Admittedly, it is easy to discount what one does not understand, and even artists do not always understand each other. Therefore, especially for one who is not interested in art, it cannot be expected that they put in the time and energy to learn about the art movements of the day. Nevertheless, one does not have to understand the work nor the ideas behind it to know and respect the time and effort it takes, not just to create a single artwork, but to complete college with an art degree. It is difficult, to say the least, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Emma Mehegan can be contacted at emehegan@kscequinox.com
Rachel Blumberg can be contacted at rblumberg@kscequinox.com
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION
EMMA MEHEGAN
For a show about constant heartbreak and deception, Bravo’s “Imposters” is surprisingly funny. It begins with stunningly accented Ava, who cleans out her nice, Jewish husband, Ezra, of all his savings. When all he’s left with is a website URL from her splattered in lipstick on his freezer and a folder containing blackmail about his father, he attempts to kill himself. Yet, the show deals with the scene as comedy – showing how frustrating it is to stick your head in a modernday oven or making a noose out of an extension cord, both of which aren’t successful in the episode. With the vast amount of TV shows about con-artists these days, “Imposters” is able to stand out with its complex, layered plot and the elaborate performance of main Israeli actress Inbar Lavi (“The Last Witch Hunter,” “Prison Break”). At first, it’s the story of Ava who left Ezra in the dust. But it’s later discovered that the story concerns conwoman Maddie, who has taken on the identities of Belgian beauty Ava, conservative Alice and rebel CeCe in a cross-country marrying spree that follows the same structure every time: Find the mark, make the mark fall in love with you and then disappear with everything they own. Watching Maddie play the game adds a level of disgust to the romantic comedy because we know that every encounter is planned, yet still fall for the vulnerability of the relationship just as much as her target. While Maddie is busy working on another mark, Ezra, played by Rob Heaps (“Death in Paradise”) is met by one of her former lovers, Richard (Parker Young). Together, they embark to seek out her real identity. These two form an uneasy and hilarious partnership, where Ezra is sensitive and romantic and Richard is a masculine bodybuilding jock. Before the duo even has
the chance to be boring, “Imposters” adds the third element to the road trip, Jules (Marianne Rendon), her ex-wife. Jules is the perfect addition to the group and the dynamic trio is easily the most enjoyable relationship of the entire TV show. “Imposters” was created by two writers who not only set out to deceive the characters in their story, but the audience as well. Paul Adelstein and Adam Brooks had an interview with Deadline after the release of the show. Brooks said, “One of the fun things about a con-theming series is that the rug can shift under the audience’s feet every now and then. We wanted to have that reality where the audience’s sympathy is constantly shifting.” Their intention is well-received, especially as the story goes on and the exes become more involved in the game. We see the slow evolution of the sappy, heartbroken exes turn into minor cons themselves, stealing credit cards and forging signatures to get the money to find Maddie. As they search for the woman who conned them, they slowly begin to become who she was to them. In response to the prominent complex character development, Brooks shared, “The characters are reinventing themselves in ways that are unexpected and, in the way they reinvent themselves, can sometimes make you sympathetic to them in a way you weren’t before.” Season one ends with just enough lingering questions and cliffhangers that challenge the viewer to think they are in on the fun when, ultimately, you were tricked just as much as the characters were, which leaves you needing more. And the audience is in luck – Season two premieres April 5 on Bravo.
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ARTS
ENTERTAINMENT
A&E, A8
Thursday, March 22, 2018
KSCEQUINOX.COM
TAKING THE STAGE ONE LAST TIME
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The end of Warped Tour could be the beginning of something amazing. I am so excited to experience this last year, knowing that the crowds are just going to be that much better. Jordan Pierce KSC Junior
GERALD ALFIERI / EQUINOX STAFF
KSC students’ thoughts on the final Vans Warped Tour ERIN MCNEMAR
Arts & EntErtAinmEnt Editor It’s the end of an era. Music lovers across the country are saying goodbye to the now 23-year summer tradition of the Vans Warped Tour. The first Warped Tour was held in 1995, but it wasn’t until 1996 that Vans began sponsoring the tour. It originated at an alternative music festival and gradually shifted into a celebration of pop-punk music. While pop-punk still remains the tour’s main focus, a wide variety of genres are featured each year from metal to rap. However, on Nov. 15, the tour’s founder, Kevin Lyman, announced that the summer of 2018 would be the final cross-country run of Warped Tour and said, “I am so grateful to have worked with more than 1,700 bands over the last 23 summers… I wish I could thank every band that has played the tour.” Warped Tour has been providing fans with the
opportunity to see a wide spectrum of bands in one place for 23 years now. For some attendees, it has become a summer tradition. Keene State College junior Jordan Pierce began going to Warped Tour in 2014, and will be attending the final one this year. Pierce has been to the tour multiple times and explained why 2015 held her favorite memory. “When we were waiting to get into the venue, it was pouring rain. The minute the doors opened and they started scanning tickets, the rain stopped and it turned into a super sunny day,” Piece said. “Pierce the Veil was performing much later in the day. When they were singing their first song, it started pouring. The rain lasted until they were done performing. It was surreal; it kinda felt like a movie. The rain added to everyone’s excitement and made the concert that much more wild.” On March 1, the final Warped Tour lineup was released, which left the public overwhelmed with an array of emotions. While some stated online that they were disappointed with the lineup, first-year Paige
Mickiewicz expressed her approval of the lineup, claiming it reminded her of her first Warped Tour back in 2016. “I think it’s a really good line up. It’s a lot like 2016 Warped Tour. There’s a lot of new bands and still some old bands. It’s a good line up, I’m excited,” Mickiewicz said. Pierce was also happy with this year’s lineup. “Personally, I am pleased with the lineup. Mayday Parade, This Wild Life, We the Kings, All Time Low… they are all bands that I grew up listening to. It will be extremely sentimental,” Pierce explained. While the experience of Warped Tour has become a ritual for some, others will be experiencing the concert for the first and the last time. Sophomore Janis Gaudreau will be attending her first Warped Tour this summer, but is no stranger to those who have performed. “I’m obsessed with Paramore, so I always watch their old [Warped Tour] performances on YouTube,” Gaudreau said. Although she has yet to attend the event, Gaudreau
expressed the sadness she, as well as others, feel about the end of Warped Tour. “I’m very sad that it’s their last year, but they’re definitely going out with a bang. I have a good feeling they’ll bring it back in 10 or 20 years,” she added. When Mickiewicz was asked how she felt about seeing the tour come to an end, she responded with a similar feeling that most fans have been expressing since they heard the news. “I’m really f------ sad. I want it to last forever.” When Pierce was asked the same question, she responded with the same sadness, but a hopeful outlook for the future of the legacy Warped Tour has been created. “The end of Warped Tour could be the beginning for something just as amazing. I am so excited to experience this last year, knowing that the crowds are just going to be that much better.” Erin McNemar can be contacted at emcnemar@kscequinox.com
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Student Life / B1 Thursday, March 22, 2018
KSCEQUINOX.COM
Alternative Break KSC students comment on volunteer work around the country BAILEY ST. LAURENT
CommEntary The focus of our Alternative Break trip was sustainability. On March 10, our group traveled to Earthaven Ecovillage in Black Mountain, NC to devote a week to sustainable living and environmental consciousness. Founded in 1994, Earthaven is located on 329 acres and home to 150 people on 58 home sites. Earthaven is dedicated to caring for people and the Earth by learning and demonstrating a holistic, sustainable culture. The village is self-governing and has a council and committee structure. There are many businesses operated by community members which include solar-system installation, plumbing and consulting. The group of 10 students who traveled to Earthaven included: First-year Genevieve Joly, firstyear Lauren Christie, sophomore Anna DePasquale, sophomore Sara Olson, junior Danya Guttman, junior Jenna Egan, junior Samantha Riley, senior Sarah Parece and leaders and seniors Monica Doorley and Bailey St. Laurent. Our AB team arrived at Earthaven on March 11 and was greeted by the host family we stayed with for the duration of the trip. A family of four welcomed us with open arms and a hot meal cooking on the propane stove of their two-story, Earthplaster home. Julia, Jonathon, and their two kids, seven-year-old Oakley and six-month old Jasper created a sense of community beyond our wildest expectations. During the week, we worked on the land every day for six hours. This work included gardening, turning up rocks to create a pasture, constructing a drainage system using on-site materials from the forest, milking cows to make ice cream from raw milk, hoeing fields to prep for seeding, spreading compost, creating biochar to be used in gardens, clearing, hauling and burning brush, building a fence out of cut down trees, and clearing space for a parking lot and garden welcome area alongside a river. In addition, we had a three hour long discussion with community member Chris Farmer, where we debriefed on the importance of devoting yourself to a sustainable culture and the approaches in doing so. Following the week of intensive labor, we also took part in a 3 hour reflection with our contact
GILLIAN SHANNON
CommEntary
CONTRIBUTED BY NORTH CAROLINA AB TRIP
partner, NikiAnne Feinberg, in which we focused on being a sustainable human being attempting to navigate the busyness of life while simultaneously integrating methods of self-care. The hard work all of the members of this team displayed was truly amazing and recognized by the entire ecovillage. NikiAnne told us of many voicemails left by members extremely grateful and in awe of the perseverance and dedication we had to the physically demanding work we were asked to participate in. Earthaven was immensely thankful for the work we did, but I ensure you that we were even more thankful for them. We grew as leaders, students and teammates throughout the week more
than we anticipated. We met true role models for whom we had all made a connection with in different ways. Some of us were simply thankful for the fact that after a hard day out in a pasture lifting massive rocks, we came home to the happiest six-month-old to play with and de-stress. Our work was valuable for the inhabitants of Earthaven, but this was not comparable to influence the village had on our group. Team member Anna DePasquale had this to say, “Spending a week at Earthaven was an experience that is difficult to compare to anything else. I went in expecting to learn a lot, which I certainly did, but the life lessons that I was able to take away from it were even more valuable. Having the opportunity
to see things from their perspective on topics such as sustainability, mindfulness, and self-care taught me way more than I could have ever thought. The warm sense of welcome we all felt since day one, combined with my amazing team members and leaders made the trip unforgettable.” As a group, we plan to discuss our experiences with partners on campus to take some of the practices we learned at Earthaven and integrate them at KSC. We, as a campus, need to continue our commitment to sustainability, not because anyone is saying we have to, but because it is important.
STEPHANIE JONES
CommEntary Over Spring Break, eight KSC students traveled to Asheville, NC to study youth development and the importance of serving a community. We worked with the YMCA of Western North Carolina, which expanded our knowledge on our social justice issue. The mornings consisted of property work, which included painting interior rooms, clearing out and organizing storage closets, and digging out the large drainage pipe for the creek. In the afternoon, we were given the opportunity to work with children directly to be positive mentors and aid in group activities such as games and cooking. We were also lucky to have Florida State University working and living with us for the week. They shared their knowledge on food insecurity and gave new perspectives. Asheville was an amazing city with incredible people. We will never forget that everything you do, no matter how small, will always leave a handprint on a child’s heart.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT
There are many reasons why I choose to participate in Alternative Break trips. Being a part of one of these trips is unlike anything that I have ever experienced. I have learned so much about myself from each and every different trip that I have been on. Originally, when I first applied to alternative break, I did so because I wanted to volunteer and help out a community. I never imagined the friends I would make, the lessons I would learn and how this experience would change my path in life. As a sophomore, I have had the privilege of going on four different alternative break trips throughout my two years at Keene State. Over the 2018 spring break I led one of these trips to Pittsboro, NC to volunteer at the Carolina Tiger Rescue. I was thrilled when I found out that I would be leading this trip with my good friend, Sydney Olson. Going to the Carolina Tiger Rescue was the first AB trip that I have ever been on and the reason why I love these trips. The Carolina Tiger Rescue is a sanctuary for exotic wild cats who have been abused, neglected or abandoned. They currently have forty-nine predators on the facility and they range from ten different species. These animals were pets, tourist attractions and one that was even used in a haunted house. Their mission statement is, “Saving and protecting wild cats in captivity and in the wild. We work toward a day when wild cats are living in their native habitat and are not exploited by humans.” On this trip, we did a variety of outdoor work to help the sanctuary to run as smoothly as pos-
sible. These things ranged from cleaning out the giant freezers, gardening, setting up electric fences and taking apart old enclosures. Even though the work was often different, we were still surrounded by these incredible animals every day that we were there. We learned many things about these animals and the sufferings that they face. Many people wish to own these animals as pets but aren’t aware of how dangerous that is for them as well as the animal. Even if they are raised from birth, these animals are still wild and maintain all of their wild instincts. Not to mention that a fully grown tiger playing with you could still kill you by accident very easily. It’s dangerous for the animals because more often than not, the owners don’t have the means to properly take care of them. Without having the funds and knowledge that it takes to care for one of these animals, they are often neglected and suffer from malnourishment. An example of this at the rescue is Elvis the serval. He was abandoned in a dog crate on the property with a note stating that he became too large to continue being a pet. Elvis was incredibly underweight and in very poor condition. Part of the experience of going to the Carolina Tiger rescue is being educated about why sanctuaries like this have to exist and why we need to do what we can to prevent more of these stories. I would highly recommend going on an alternative break trip to anyone that is willing to work hard, expand their knowledge and break out of their comfort zone. It is incredibly rewarding to be part of these trips and I can’t wait to go on more.
OLIVIA BELANGER
Equinox Staff The city of New Orleans, Louisiana, is vibrant and lively, from listening to live jazz on every corner, indulging in spicy foods to conversing with the people submerged in the culture. However, one could be easily fooled by how upbeat the community has stayed after Hurricane Katrina and not realize how much damage is still there. As a volunteer with the United Saints Recovery Project over spring break, I was able to hear the heart-breaking backstories of those impacted by the storm who may go unnoticed. Driving to our volunteer service in the lower ninth ward, there was empty lot after empty lot, where houses used to be filled with neighbors, friends and lovers. In certain areas, you would think the storm happened a few weeks ago. When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, it overwhelmed several of the city’s unstable levees and drainage canals. By nine in the morning, the lowlying places, such as the ninth ward, were under
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY OLIVIA BELANGER
such massive amounts of water that people had to scramble to attics and rooftops for safety. Eventually, nearly 80 percent of the city was under some quantity of water. The rebuilding of the city has been ongoing since 2005, and I was able to be a part of it. I worked on one of these houses in the span of a week, with seven other Keene State College students. We became carpenters overnight, between ripping off roofs, putting up tar paper and then siding on the back half of the home. We also volunteered at a no-kill animal shelter and stepped in for a community clean up in a neighborhood that was neglected by the city. The home we worked on was owned by a woman who struggled to
house several other family members. While her situation was not ideal, she did not let it define her. She was rooted in kindness, constantly asking our group throughout the work day if we were okay or if we needed anything. It truly put into perspective that happiness is not found in material things. Meeting people with such appreciation for what they have, no matter how small, proves all that we take for granted. Alternative Break allowed me and other students and to step out of our own world, where we have been given everything we could ever ask for, and dive deep into another. It shows that some of the most positive people have been through hell and back, but use their experience for the better, rather than the worse. No matter the battle you face, there is always a chance to see the good in any situation. You can always rise above. Olivia Belanger can be contacted at obelanger@kscequinox. com
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STUDENT LIFE / B2
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Conversations about religion Religious representatives speak to students ASHLEY ARNOLD
Equinox Staff The Lloyd P. Young Student Center was buzzing last Tuesday, March 6 with casual conversations about various religions “to promote acceptance and true cooperation in the midst of so much division in our nation,” according Keene State College’s website. “Ask a __”, pronounced, “Ask a Blank”, was held in the student center on Tuesday, March 6 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.. Seven tables were set up with knowledgeable representatives from various religious backgrounds. The tables were labeled with the respective religion of the representative. The religions presented at the event included Atheism, Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Protestant. According to Diversity and Multicultural Student Support Hunter Kirschner, cultural and religious foods were funded through Sodexo and honorariums were given to spiritual representatives that traveled from far away, although most representatives were local residents. As students mingled their way through the atrium, they were welcomed to ask the religious representatives any questions that came to their minds. Kirschner said that the goal of the event was to expose students to different religions and cultures, and give students the chance to learn about spiritual practices they were unaware of. “It’s not often that you can be in a space and know what someone's faith is, but just [to] feel empowered to ask questions, in a way that you aren’t afraid of being offensive or feeling awkward about asking a question. That’s what the event is about... [it’s] not about converting anybody to any particular religion, but about exploring and understanding more about all these different ways that people celebrate and engage in their faith,” he explained. Kirschner also added that the diversity of faiths at the event offered students a chance to gain acceptance of the different religions people on campus are connected to. “Granted we didn’t have every single possible faith represented, but having a
good range, in part reflects different experiences and religious identities people hold on campus [and] also normalizes that fact that, yes, there is a whole range of spiritual practices that people may engage in,” he said. Kirschner said that the student center served as a great setting for this event because of the atmosphere’s flexibility. “The student center atrium is such a great place just in terms of traffic, and accessibility, and ease. It’s the idea that the conversations are suppose to be more… comfortable,” he explained. Kirschner said that the Office of Multicultural Student Support and Success would happily sponsor this event again in upcoming years. Sophomore psychology major Tali Kutzen said the environment allowed her to feel casual conversing with the religious representatives. “I think the atmosphere made me feel better about talking to people and asking questions… If I didn’t feel comfortable having a conversation, I wouldn’t have learned as much as I did,” she said. She continued by saying the event gave her a new outlook on people with different religions. “Being able to talk to someone with different spiritual standards gave me a better understanding of them, and their religion, and their background,” Kutzen added. First-year Tommy Cressey attended the event as well. He said that the variety of religions at the event intrigued him and that was enough reason for him to begin a conversation. “I liked this event because it had a lot of different religions… It’s cool to learn about things you don’t know about and I’ve never even heard of Baha’i, so immediately that table grabbed my attention,” he said. This was the second year “Ask a __” was held on the KSC campus. The event was sponsored by Keene State College organizations including the Office of Multicultural Student Support & Success, the Newman Center, the Catholic Student Organization, Cru, Delta Xi Phi Multicultural Sorority and the Panhellenic Council. PUJA THAPA / BUSINESS MANAGER
Ashley Arnold can be contacted at Representatives from several religious backgrounds spoke to KSC aarnold@kscequinox.com students.
Active minds discussion panel returns to KSC ANGELIQUE INCHIERCA
Photo Editor Keene State College is home to hundreds of events every year, and one event in particular is making an effort to break the stigma surrounding mental illnesses. KSC’s Active Minds collegiate chapter hosts events that spread awareness on mental health and is the gateway for acceptance and finding help for students currently suffering from daily struggles with mental health issues. Every semester, Active Minds and Psi Chi (Psychology Honor Society) pair together to hold the “Mental Health Discussion Panel.” This spring, it was rescheduled to March 20, 2018. This semester’s participants were scheduled to speak on many subjects, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, various eating disorders and other daily struggles students face. KSC senior and early childhood education and psychology double major Isabelle Rose attended last semester’s panel and said she held the same excitement for this one. “I feel like [the panel] is a very beneficial event,” she said. Rose added that mental illness is not talked about enough, so the panel is a great event in terms of getting awareness spread. Rose said students get a lot of different perspectives when attending the panel. “I feel like this event is eye-opening to a lot of people,” she said.
“A lot of people don’t realize how many of us struggle.” She added, “[The panel] really benefits everyone who goes because you realize we’re all more connected than we are different.” KSC senior, psychology major and Psi Chi president Thomas Davis said the panel is one of the most important events held by Active Minds because of the large number of students who only have a prior knowledge of mental illness from the television and the cinematic world. “You get to really see that human aspect [of mental illnesses],” he said. “It’s not this dramatized, stigmatized version that everyone thinks of.” One panelist said she is very passionate about getting the word out about mental health and getting others to listen to those needing help. “It’s one thing to go to a therapist, but when you approach a friend saying, ‘I’m having this issue and I really need someone to talk to,’ people need to know it’s not this huge scary thing,” she said. “All you need to do is sit there and listen.” She said one reason for joining the panel is to show students what problems some people go through on a day-to-day basis. KSC senior, psychology major and Active Minds president Courtney Heck said, “[It’s important] to have students you see walking around campus, who are in your classes, or you see in the [Zorn Dining Commons] talk about their experience because it kind of brings it home for people.” Heck said Active Minds’ goal at the end of each
panel is to show students on campus that they are not alone. To help achieve this goal, the panelists shared a wide variety of different mental illnesses. One of the panelists, said she has dealt with depression, anxiety and an eating disorder for many years. She said it is important that students hear and see individuals with similar stories to them. “Everybody who’s on the panel definitely has loads of advice they’d love to share,” she said. “We all have tips we can tell you about how to recognize when you or a friend are struggling, how it feels to reach out to someone [and] how it feels to have someone reach out to us. It’s all very important.” The panelist said the panel is also there to give students a way to look out for their friends and see signs for very dangerous situations. Psi Chi president Davis, said those who suffer from depression are not in a constant state of sadness or wanting to commit suicide. He said others are often confused by seeing people labeled as “depressed” be able to show happiness instead of a constant sadness. “[The panel] is important to not only show what mental illness is, but what it isn’t,” he said. Davis also said it is easy to ignore the signs of a potentially dangerous mental and/or physical state, especially when common misconceptions of mental illnesses can cause people to invalidate student’s emotions and what they are dealing with. Davis said it’s scary being in situations where students may be suicidal and others have to ask the ques-
tion, “Are you thinking about killing yourself? He said because they are scared of the answer being yes, people end up avoiding the question and inviting their friend to go out to drink or to other social gatherings. Davis said that avoiding or invalidating the problem does not solve it. “You learn to close off and just not tell people about it,” he said. “People just end up pushing it off and saying, ‘Eh it’s nothing,’ and that’s what we are trying to get rid of.” Davis added, “We try to say, ‘Please don’t push it off,’ because you never know what it could be.” While everyone participating in the panel has a similar goal to reach out to students here on campus and push them to take the first steps into healing, one panelist said there is nothing wrong with asking for help. She said that people may feel inadequate and may be too afraid to ask, but once a student takes the first step in asking for help, she said the next few steps are a lot easier. The panelist said, “The biggest thing we hope people take away from this is that it is okay to struggle... There is always someone willing to listen.” Angelique Inchierca can be contacted at ainchiercca@kscequinox.com
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STUDENT LIFE / B3
Thursday, March 22, 2018
PokémonGo on campus LUCAS THORS
equinox Staff
Beautiful Lengths will return to KSC COLBY DUDAL
For some students and locals of Keene, Pokéemon Go is more than just an online video game. “I lost 10ten or 20twenty pounds just walking around and finding different pokéemon,” senior U.S. History Major William Poling said. Poling said he has been playing Pokémon Go since July of 2016, but he also enjoyed the card games and the original show since he was a child. Not only did Poling say that Pokémon Go was a great way to stay active, but he also said that he has formed many strong friendships from playing the game. “The game [Pokémon Go] really helps people with first interactions and allows them to connect with each other immediately,” Poling said. “I have met tons of great people through Pokémon Go that I eventually became great friends with.” Additionally, since the game has so many different Pokémon to catch, Poling said the game really never gets old. “I have several thousand Pokémon already, but to battle and beat the best Pokémon, you really have to work together with your friends,” Poling said. “It’s all one big group effort.” Poling said that the first two weeks of every month is when most people play Pokémon Go because that is when the raid battles are. According to Poling, raid battles are battles in which players group together to defeat a challenging opponent. Poling said that raid battles often draw the largest crowds. During the raid battles, Poling said that he has seen as many as 50 people in one group playing Pokémon Go. “You ever see that massive group of people walking around with their phones out? Yeah, that’s us,” Poling said. Over the years, Pokémon Go has acquired “a solid and reliable fanbase,” according to Poling. Poling said that people who have played the game for a while are devoted to it and most people play it often. Lately, Poling said the game has gained new ground on college campuses. “It really caters to college students. There are special Pokémon on campus that you can’t find around town and it takes teamwork to beat them,” Poling said. Poling said that 75 percent of people he plays Pokémon Go with are Keene locals, and the other 25 percent are Keene State students. Poling said Pokémon Go breaks the boundary between students and locals. “I have met some great people from the town that I would have probably never met if it weren’t for the game,” Poling said. In the past, Poling said that he has caught Pokémon in many different places, including York, England. Nicholas So, a first-year biology and music major, said he has played the game since it came out over a year and a half ago. So said he started off playing the Pokémon card game and watching Pokémon on television, then he eventually went on to play the video games. So said that Pokémon Go has encouraged him to interact with many
Student Life editor
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ANGELIQUE INCHIERCA / PHOTO EDITOR LAURA ROMIELLO / ART DIRECTOR
other people, both students and locals. He also said he has walked over 2000 kilometers and has over 20,000 Pokémon in his collection. He said he has caught Pokémon in Asia and even got lost in the woods while trying to find a rare Pokémon. “I really think that I will play Pokémon Go for as long as it exists, and if they don’t make another generation, it would make me really sad,” So said. Lucas Thors can be contacted at lthors@kscequinox.com
Humans of KSC
What is something you do or have done that has brought you out of your gender stereotype? COMPILED BY ANGELIQUE INCHIERCA
“I listen to Rhianna a lot.” -Matthew
“I’m majoring in physics, which is mainly a male-dominated field. I do a lot of things that aren’t in my gender stereotype; I dress a lot more (modest) than female, that is my gender.” - Kaitlyn
“I’m an engineering student which is very outside the gender stereotype for women… If there’s heavy lifting, I do it myself. I don’t prefer guys to do it for me, even though I have a boyfriend now.” -Jessica
On Saturday, April 7, Keene State College students, friends, family and community members will get the chance to donate their hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, an organization that makes wigs to give to cancer patients. Junior Maria Aiello is running the Beautiful Lengths event this year, which will take place during KSC’s Relay For Life. Aiello said students can either choose to pledge to donate their hair online or they can show up on the day of the event and donate. The donation must be a minimum of eight inches, but Aiello said participants are welcome to donate as much as they want. Aiello said the group donating will meet up beforehand, and then go into the gym and have their hair cut off by a family member or friend in front of the people who are at Relay For Life. Aiello said her first year of college, the participants would go to SuperCuts in Keene and have it cut there, but she wanted the event to be bigger. “It wasn’t really a big event on campus and we wanted to bring it back on campus so a bunch of people could see it and it would be more of a celebration of having hair cut off and donating it,” she said. Aiello also said after participants get their hair cut by their friend or family member, they will have it styled by a SuperCuts stylist. Already about 15 people who have pledged to donate. The Beautiful Lengths group started promoting the event earlier this year than last year to give people more time to grow out their hair. Anyone who donated on or before March 23 will receive a t-shirt, said Aiello, who also said
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY JOSH JOHNSTON
this year, there is, once again, a sorority challenge. “The sorority challenge tries to get a lot of sorority girls to donate their hair, and whichever sorority has the most members donate receives a prize basket,” Aiello said. Aiello said she chose to join Beautiful Lengths because they don’t charge cancer patients for the wigs while some other places do. Aiello said the event is important to her, and she has donated her hair multiple times in the past. “The purpose for me would be just to donate and help somebody in need in a really unique way that is free to you and is something that is so personal that it is a cool touch to know that your hair, which is something that you grow on your own, is going to someone in need. It might be a confidence booster for them. It will go towards making them live a happier life,” Aiello said. Aiello said she joined Beautiful Lengths her first year and wanted to become more involved with it so took a more leadership role during her sophomore year and this year. Colby Dudal can be contacted at cdudal@kscequinox.com
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STUDENT LIFE / B4
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Truth or Dare ball pit
SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN / EXECUTIVE EDITOR
The truth or dare ball pit is currently located in the L.P. Young Student Center on the first floor. The ball pit was an idea by the authenticity project and has been going on for a couple of weeks. The ball pit includes both truths and dares and they will tell students to either complete a task or tell a truth. One example of a ball included posting a photo of oneself in the ball pit to twitter. Any student, staff or faculty member is welcome to take a ball from the ball pit at any time they stop by the Student Center.
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TIME CAPSULE
A look back at the history of KSC and the world around us
Time Capsule / B5 Thursday, March 22, 2018
Amelia Earhart ABBYGAIL VASAS
Copy Editor/timE CapsulE Editor
Almost eight decades ago, a set of female skeletal remains were found on a remote Pacific island. Since their discovery, the bones remained unidentified, but some people speculated that they might have belonged to the famed pilot Amelia Earhart. Finally, on March 7 of this year, a new study revealed that it was extremely likely that the remains, found on the island of Nikumaroro, belonged to Earhart. Amelia Earhart was an American aviation pioneer of the early 1900s. According to her biography on History.com, she started breaking traditional gender roles at an early age. As a young girl in Atchison, Kansas, she played basketball, took an automotive repair course and even spent a short time enrolled at Columbia University in New York as a pre-med student. She fell in love with flying during her time as a Red Cross nurse’s aid in Toronto during the first World War while watching the Royal Flying Corps training in a local airfield. She began taking flying lessons in January of 1921. Later that year, she purchased her first airplane – a yellow, secondhand Kinner Airster, which she called “the canary.” In December, she passed her flight test and earned her National Aeronautics Association license. In 1922, she became the first woman to fly solo over 14,000 feet. She also became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean solo, the first woman to fly nonstop across the United States and was the first person to make a solo flight from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland. After crossing the Atlantic, she became the first woman to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, which is a military decoration awarded for “heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight.” In 1929, Earhart helped form the Ninety-Nines, an international organization for the advancement of female pilots which is still around today and represents female pilots from 44 different countries. She was the first president. On June 1, 1937, Earhart took off on what would be her final flight. She and her on-board navigator Fred Noonan were attempting to circumnavigate the globe. They left from Oakland, California, and flew east. In a little more than a month, they had flown about 22,000 miles and had only 7,000 more miles to go before returning to California. The last time Earhart and Noonan were seen alive was when they were departing Lea, New Guinea, for Howland Island, their next refueling stop. Between those two islands, Earhart and Noonan lost radio contact with the U.S. Coast Guard and their aircraft disappeared. Despite the massive two-week search, authorized by former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself, neither their bodies nor their aircraft were immediately recovered, and they were declared lost at sea on July 19, 1937. Countless theories have been formed about what might have happened to the pilot and her navigator, but they, as well as Earhart, can finally be put to rest. The recent study of the recovered remains was conducted by Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of
KSCEQUINOX.COM
How the Nursing Major at KSC Began ABBYGAIL VASAS
Copy Editor/timE CapsulE Editor
PULLED FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Amelia Earhart standing before her Lockhead Electra; the plane she would later disappear in.
Tennessee Richard Jantz. According to a recent article from CNN, Jantz used a new technology in the field of forensic anthropology called “Fordisc” to estimate the sex and general ancestry of heavily decomposed remains. Jantz wrote in his report, “I reassess (bone measurements) with realistic assump-
tions about who could have been on Nikumaroro island during the relevant time.” Jantz compared the bone measurements to measurements of Earhart’s body taken from tailored clothing kept at the George Palmer Putnam Collection of Amelia Earhart Papers at Purdue University, which included seamstress mea-
surements. After comparing Earhart’s measurements to the recovered remains, Jantz concluded that “the only documented person to whom they may belong is Amelia Earhart.” Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com
History of Teach-Ins as a Form of Peaceful Protest ABBYGAIL VASAS
Copy Editor/timE CapsulE Editor TIME CAPSULE 1965 — This week holds a special place in history for those who want to be student-activists. A form of peaceful protest common on most college campuses, known as the “teach-in,” came to fruition as a way for professors and students to work together and enact change. On March 24, 1965, the first ever teach-in was conducted at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor as a way to protest American involvement in the Vietnam War. According to “Michigan in the World,” a publication featuring information and research about the history of the University of Michigan, the idea originated from a group of professors who had formed the “Committee to Stop the War in Vietnam.” Initially, they wanted to form a “work moratorium,” also known as a strike, but they received a lot of backlash from the administration and state government when the group of 58 professors presented their idea in a document called, “An Appeal
to Our Students.” Those against the idea were reported as thinking that the participating professors were lazy and just wanted a day off from their classes. Michigan governor at the time, George Romney, believed a strike would be the “worst type of example for professors to set for their students.” Because they weren’t able to simply stop working, they decided instead to organize a teach-in. Regular classes for the day were cancelled and replaced by rallies, speeches and anti-war seminars. Teach-ins have since been used by colleges and universities across the country. Even Keene State College has begun practicing this form of educating its community. KSC’s first teach-in was on Feb. 1, 2017, and it featured a wide variety of topics. Keene State College President at the time Anne Huot opened the event by saying, “What we’re doing today comes out of your concerns.” An article about the event in The Equinox, written by Grace Pecci, described the rest of Huot’s opening speech as discussing “the importance of reflecting on values, listening to multiple perspectives and unifying the campus.” Some of the featured topics were immi-
gration, journalism, reproductive rights, the impact of social media, environmental issues and the political climate. KSC’s second teach-in was later that year on Sept. 27 and was titled “Insider/Outsider Dilemma.” In an article in The Equinox about the event, written by Emma Hamilton, Interim President Melinda Treadwell said, “It’s the chance for us to extend our classroom and to engage our students in real, open conversations of topics you might not get in a class. It’s the chance to make our classroom walls fall apart, disappear and students actually getting conversation in a different way.” Treadwell said she heard a lot of positive feedback about the event and hopes to keep it going in the future. “Our students love it from everything I am hearing. If it’s as strong for students as it is for me and my staff and faculty, then I definitely want it to keep happening,” Treadwell said.
TIME CAPSULE 1988 — It was announced in The Equinox on March 23, 1988, that Keene State College would be offering a bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN). For it’s first two years, it had a budget of $70,000 and then $80,000. The Chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) at the time, Claire A. Van Ummerson, said the cost of the program would be split between KSC, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and Cheshire Medical Center. The program combined academic resources at KSC and UNH and also utilized the clinical resources of Cheshire Medical Center. In a press release about the program, it was explained that it would be conducted through a preexisting bachelor’s degree at UNH and those who participated would therefore receive a UNH degree. Van Ummerson stated that all non-nursing classes would be hosted at KSC and meet the general education requirements of the program through the “quality academic programming and resources at Keene State College.” President of Cheshire Medical Center at the time, Robert G. Langlais, predicted that, by 1990, “there will be a shortage of 400,000 BSN prepared nurses.” Langalis said that he thought enrollment to the program would be high. He reported that about 100 nurses who were employed at Cheshire Medical Center at the time who did not hold BSN degrees would qualify for the program. Langalis also predicted that many students who were interested in nursing and attending the New Hampshire Vocational Technical College in Clairmont would also be drawn to the program. Langalis said those interested in nursing would be able to “take lower level classes at Clairmont and higher level courses at Keene.” Also in the press release, it was stated that credits for the program would be awarded for practical experience in the nursing world (such as those students who were working at Cheshire Medical Center) and students would be able to “challenge” courses by taking, and passing, exams instead of taking the class. Van Ummerson announced that the program would not be ready to immediately accept students right out of high school, but was rather looking for non-traditional students and registered nurse students. President of Keene State College at the time, Judith A. Sturnick, said that KSC was open to pursuing “something down the road that will provide a more generic nursing program.” All information in this article about the past nursing program was obtained from the 1988 press release about the program reported in The Equinox. In 2012, KSC admitted its first class of nursing students into its own accredited program. On the KSC website, it is stated that the program earned approval from the New Hampshire Board of Nursing in October, 2011, and accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). According to the KSC nursing homepage, the mission of the nursing program is to “educate future nursing leaders to provide innovative, high quality, accessible academic programs in the geographic regions of Keene and beyond. We teach practices that promote the health and wellbeing of diverse individuals, families, communities, populations and systems. We graduate competent nurses who make sound clinical judgments, communicate effectively and make practice decisions using the best evidence available.” The homepage also included part of a report from the Institute of Medicine called, “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.” The report stated that the proportion of nurses with baccalaureate degrees would increase to 80 percent of registered nurses by 2020. In KSC’s current nursing program, students can be admitted as “pre-nursing” majors right out of high school as long as they had a GPA of at least 3.25, maintained grades of “B” or above in their math and science courses and had an SAT math score of at least 530 or ACT math score of at least 22, according to the KSC nursing homepage. From there, they can advance through the program, becoming a “pre-licensure” major while completing their clinical courses. They can put their nursing skills to the test in their junior and senior years at Cheshire Medical Center, the Cedarcrest Center for Children with Disabilities, Brattleboro Retreat (a psychiatric facility), Dartmouth Medical Center, the VA Medical Center, Home Care Services, local schools and clinics. Next month, from April 11-13, the KSC nursing program will be re-evaluated by visitors from the CCNE. For more information on the site visit, see the article in The Equinox by Jessica Ricard, titled, “Program to be Re-Evaluated in April.” Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com
Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com
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Sports / B6
Daily Disc Slingin’
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Sophomore with promise “
I love being a part of baseball. It’s like having a family away from your family. Andrew Houde KSC Sophomore Pitcher
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY SARAH SMITH
SPRING BREAK ADVENTURES ETHAN PLATT
Senior MultiMedia Bodies and suitcases piled into three vans, for 16 hours of driving, and we set off on our journey to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for our 2018 spring break. Stopping every couple hours to swap drivers and to fuel up the vans, we slowly, but surely, made our way down the eastside of America. After a couple of McDonalds purchases and a lot of coffee, we finally arrived at our home for the week. We quickly piled out of our vans and made the oneminute walk to the beach, where we were finally able to stretch and walk around. After the beach, we had a team meeting where we went over rules and what we would be doing for the week. Our first order of business was going to the grocery store to stock up on meals for the week. Everyone was in a rush to get everything they wanted, which mostly consisted of Ramen Noodles and Hot Pockets, so we could get back to the beach and soak up all the sun that we’d been missing out on in the North. Then came Monday, the day that High Tide, one of the biggest Ultimate Frisbee tournaments in the country, began. Monday was the beginning of the hat tournament, which placed everyone who signed up on different teams in a couple of pools. Winners of the pools played each other and the final winning team got special hats. My team had just won our second game when it started to downpour, forcing the people in charge to enforce a twohour delay. Soaked and shivering, we ran back to the vans where we all decided to head to lunch and go back home for the day. As soon as we got back to the house and showered, the rain finally stopped and we were all pretty bummed that we would be missing the rest of the day. Tuesday was the first day of the official team portion of the tournament. We had a rough start, going 1-2 for the day. We were able to turn it around on Wednesday when we went 3-0 playing some very good teams. Our team was playing as well as it ever has, as one unit. Thursday, our team was able to do something we’ve never been able to do: We went 3-0 once again and we won our brackets’ championship game. It was one of the most exciting moments of my and my teammates’ lives. This weekend we will be driving to Saratoga Springs, New York to compete in another tournament, where we will have a blast playing frisbee and meeting new people. Ethan Platt can be contacted at eplatt@kscequinox.com
PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY ALEXIS THOMPSON (PHOTOS BY LEX)
Sophomore Andrew Houde talks about his experiences on the Keene State College Baseball team and his summer contract with the Keene Minor Leeague SwampBats.
Houde takes charge in KSC baseball and in the Keene SwampBats CAROLINE PERRY
SportS editor Most athletes start out at a young age and build their way up to success, which is very similar to the background story of Keene State College sophomore and pitcher Andrew Houde. Houde is a sophomore baseball player who first got into the game of baseball at the age of five at his local little league. He kept with the sport until he made varsity baseball at Newport High School, where he was the three-time most valuable player (MVP) of the game. Now a KSC player, Houde is going into his second year as an experienced player for both KSC baseball and the Keene SwampBats. Last year, Houde made 17 appearances and five starts on the mound as a first-year, pitching 48 innings and striking out 42 batters. He also pitched four hitless innings out of the pen with six strikeouts against Curry College. On top of that, Houde recorded a save, to which he tossed a perfect ninth with two strikeouts in a Little East Conference (LEC) tournament which KSC won against Southern Maine University. The KSC pitcher broadened his experiences by playing for the Keene SwampBats last year and will continue to when he plays for them again this coming summer. Houde said that being able to play on other teams broadens the competition,gives him the abil-
ACADEMICS Cont. from B8
a Saturday game but that’s a sacrifice you have to give up to be a student athlete by staying in on a Thursday and Friday night,” Sancomb said. Junior Ryan Pelligrinelli is the new vice president/president of the rugby team while the team’s acting president, Casey Brackett, is studying abroad. This is Pelligrinelli’s third year on the rugby team and he said during the main fall season, “Practice takes up to 10 hours a week, weekend games take up to at least six hours, including traveling and playing. Spring practices only take up four hours a week. Lifting isn’t mandatory for rugby, but I go to the gym for myself, which is about another eight hours a week,” Pelligrinelli said. As for the impact on his grades, Pelligrinelli said balancing school and sports can “of course be difficult at times.” Specifically, “being a film
ity compete more and allows him to see how he stacks up against opponents. Houde said the most important lessons baseball taught him are how to work with other baseball players and how to communicate effectively. “Especially as a pitcher, you have to rely and trust others to help you win games,” Houde said. On top of being able to play with others, Houde said the coaching staff is key to personal success. “Coaching is always a critical part because they can see things you are doing that you can’t see. They help you become better with everything, it’s nice having more sets of eyes watching you trying to help you,” Houde said. Along with the practices, games and coaches, Houde said being a part of baseball means a lot to him. “I love being a part of baseball. It’s like having a family away from your family. It’s a great way to make friends and I love the game.” The pitcher added that baseball is fulfilling, both physically and mentally. “You have to be able to throw, catch and hit but you also have to think out situations you are in almost before you are in them. This is also the challenging part because there is always a lot going on even if it doesn’t seem like it,” Houde said. President of the Keene SwampBats Kevin Watterson has been a part of the franchise for 21 years. The Swamp Bats are part of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) and also one of the top collegiate wooden bat league franchises in the country.
major, doing projects for class requires a lot of physical and mental time. Having rugby in the middle of the day inhibits the quality of work I’m able to produce for class. Having practice also inhibits the amount of time I can implement into my projects, while trying to maintain sports and somewhat of a social life,” Pelligrinelli said. Regardless, he said, “Being on the rugby team has introduced me to a lot of people both on and off the team. My least favorite thing about being an athlete is that I don’t have enough time to pursue other interests. At the same time being a part of something bigger than you is always rewarding, it provides purpose and being.”
Julia Eichman can be contacted at jeichman@kscequinox.com
Watterson said Houde is among the top baseball talents to play at KSC in the past 20 years and that, as a pitcher in particular, Houde possesses an exceptional gift. “His fastball, at 90-94 mph, is in the professional range. His size, at six feet four inches, is what pro teams look for in a pitcher. Additionally, Andrew has great command of the strike zone. Lastly, he is extremely athletic,” Watterson added. Houde went to the SwampBats near the end of last summer after concluding a very successful season in the Virginia League (a minor league baseball team). The KSC baseball Coaches Howe and Testo, felt strongly that Houde was capable of helping the SwampBats in its “push for a playoff spot,” Watterson said. “He pitched very well for us, proving he belonged in the NECBL. We are excited to have Houde coming back this year. He will serve in multiple roles, including that of a starter,” Watterson said. Watterson added that Houde has shown great resilience in the past two years. “He is serious about his craft. He was an extremely hard worker on the field, and playing with multiple teams over a 12-month period has exposed Houde to some of the great players across the U.S. – coming from Vanderbilt, University of Virginia, University of Georgia, to name a few,” Watterson said. The President of the SwampBats added that Houde's challenge, at this point in his baseball life, is to continue to work at making
himself a better player and to continue to represent KSC as a top student athlete. The SwampBats are proud to call Andrew Houde a member of its 2018 team, said Waterson. The KSC Associate Head Baseball Coach/ Pitching Coach, Marty Testo, said Houde came out of high school as a highly-recruited pitcher and possesses a lot of good qualities including a good arm and a competitive edge. Testo added that Houde is a very good teammate and cares a lot. “He’s not very vocal but he shows up and does his work. He cares a lot and has a burning desire to compete,” Testo said. Last summer, Testo helped Houde get into the Virginia League, where he dominated stated Testo. Houde started the All Star game at Virginia and played well, Testo said. After that, Testo got Houde a short contract with the Keene SwampBats. “I think the highest level of competition that Andrew has faced was in the SwampBats. It was just a small sample but he adjusted well,” Testo said. Testo said the most important thing for Houde to do now is to mature and realize the importance of working on his craft every day. “He was blessed with ability and just needs to work harder. As we say in baseball, he was given some tools and now just needs to keeping working.” Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com
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Caroline Perry (802) 522-4738
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Sports / B7
Facing senior season “
CAROLINE PERRY
SportS Editor
Tara Kilderry KSC Senior Lacrosse Player
SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN / EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Keene State College men’s and women’s lacrosse seniors reflect on their time at Keene and how it feels to be in their final seasons as Owls.
KSC athletes reflect on their last season SportS Editor With spring upon the KSC campus, senior lacrosse players look to conquer their last season as KSC athletes and as students. With each team being a few games into their seasons, the reality of time and what they have left in their college careers is hitting some seniors a little hard. Senior women’s lacrosse player Tara Kilderry said she can’t believe it’s her last season. “I feel as if me and the three other seniors just finished our first game ever as freshmen, and now we just recently finished our first game of our last season,” Kilderry said. The road to becoming a senior has included many challenges and rewards, one of the biggest upsides being her team, Kilderry said. “I cannot stress, or thank, my teammates enough for the best four years of my life. My current teammates, and previous teammates, have always played major roles in my life,” Kilderry said.
She added, “Being on the lacrosse team has given me something more than teammates, but close friends,” Kilderry added. Being a student-athlete has its challenges, but Kilderry is taking each challenge one by one and learning important lessons from her craft. Kilderry has even set personal goals for herself, one being to be more open to different ideas and different people. “Different people see different things, which has really opened my eyes to alternative ways to go about lacrosse, as well as everyday life,” the senior said. On top of that, Kilderry hopes to be more consistent throughout this season and to leave everything on the field. “I want to walk off the field on my last game knowing that I have put everything out there with my teammates, and know I allowed myself to have the best time as possible while doing it.” Lacrosse has always been fulfilling, Kilderry said. The sport never failed to push her limits. “Lacrosse has always challenged me to be a better person by teaching me not
give up when I am failing, and to collaborate and work with others better,” Kilderry said. Now as she faces her last season as a KSC Owl, Kilderry said that is important not to take anything for granted, because it goes by in what feels like a blink of an eye. “Never hate or walk through the motions even during cold practices, the endless amount of sprints, the 8:00 a.m. practices, everything that seems to be the bad parts of being an athlete, because time truly does fly by.” Senior and member of the men’s lacrosse team Greg Shawinsky is facing his last season after a unique lacrosse career. Shawinsky started his lacrosse career out at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut, where he was a starting faceoff specialist in a program where half of the players were still learning how to catch and throw. “I enjoyed my time there and got a ton of experience there but, seeking something bigger, I came to Keene State,” Shawinsky said. After coming from Connecticut with a
personal record of 55 percent of wins out of 341 faceoffs, Shawinsky didn’t make the cut at KSC, but returned the next year to try out again, and this time made the cut. “Since then, personnel have changed. I've been added to and removed from lineups, put into and taken out of games. Playing college lacrosse has been unpredictable to say the least,” Shawinksy said. However, the senior said he’s found the true reason he plays is to be a contributing part to something that is bigger than himself. “If I've learned one thing in four years, the reason why you do something is more important than what you do.” The rest of the seniors from the women’s and men’s lacrosse teams did not respond. Facing the last season as an athlete and student can be challenging, but offers a lot of lessons and a four-year story to remember. Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com
Shadeck makes it to the NCAA’s CAROLINE PERRY
SportS Editor After a few days on the waiting list, sophomore Kyle Shadeck received some good news which will be sending him to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Swimming and Diving Championships. The championship will take place Indianapolis, Indiana for a three day period starting from March 21 to March 24. Shadeck will be competing in the 200 meter butterfly, which has been very successful in so far this year. His qualification for the NCAA Division III Championship marks the ninth straight year that a member of the Keene State men’s swim team has successfully qualified for the overall championship. Shadeck had a very successful regular season, finishing it up with a qualification time of 1:49.18. This time set a new school, meet, and pool record on Feb. 18 at the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association Championships at the University of Rhode Island. The top 16 times in the country qualify automatically, and Shadeck's time had been 17th, leaving him as an alternate for the meet. After waiting to see how the final
result, Shadeck qualified and found his name on the list. Shadeck’s overall swim career has been overall abundant. Before coming Keene State College Shadeck was a YMCA Nationals Finalist, the Southern Connecticut Conference Champion, and a Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) State Open Qualifier. As a first-year at Keene State College, Shadeck won the 400 yard individual medley at the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association (NEISDA) Championships, while also finishing as the runner-up in the 200 fly and third in the 200 IM relays. Now a sophomore, Shadeck will travel to Indiana and compete in a three day NCAA Championship, in hopes to bring back a title to Keene State College on March 25 or 26. Shadeck said that his main goal of the season was to qualify for the NCAAs, especially since he faced some struggles and injuries during regular season. “It feels good to have your hard work pay off and to be recognized in your sport. It’s just a good way to end the season,” Shadeck said. Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com
Ski & Slopes A Skiers Bucket List
Never hate or walk through the motions even during cold practices, the endless amount of sprints, the 8:00 a.m. practices, everything that seems to be the bad parts of being an athlete, because time truly does fly by.
CAROLINE PERRY
Thursday, March 22, 2018
PUJA THAPA / BUSINESS MANAGER
Sophomore Kyle Shadeck qualifies for the NCAA Division III Championship.
There are so many places all over the world that are paradises for advid skiers. There are honestly too many resorts to count in America, but there are some beautiful ones that should be on any skier’s bucket list. Jackson Hole Resort in Wyoming is a sight to see. With 80 trails to adventure down and varying terrain, this resort is perfect for an adventure-seeker. Jackson Hole has incredible terrain, ranging from long, steep couloirs, amazing open face, and incredible tree skiing. The resort also gets, on average, about 475 inches per season, which is a skier’s dream come true. With a beautiful landscape and fresh powder all season, it’s definitely the place to be. Located in British Columbia, Canada, is another breathtaking ski resort called Whistler Blackcomb. There are 38 lifts and over 200 trails, making this resort incredible just because of its sheer size. There are endless possibilities, any day could be the best day of your season when skiing at this resort. Whistler Blackcomb gets an average snowfall of 396 inches, which means vast trails that are very well-groomed. Next on the list would be Squaw Valley in California. With an average snowfall of 350 inches, 30 lifts and 170 plus trails, this resort also holds a lot of possibilities. Not to mention it’s located in a great area, making the view from an elevation of 9,050 feet pretty spectacular. Squaw Valley offers various terrains that skiers can spend a whole day on. Squaw Valley is thought to be the prettiest ski resort on the planet, making it a perfect candidate for a skier’s bucket list. Another beautiful resort is Snowbird, located in Utah. With 11 lifts, 85 trials, an average snowfall of about 500 feet and the most famous tram, Snowbird offers all kinds of things for skiers. The Tram is said to be the best lift in the world because you get all the goodness of Snowbird all from one lift. You can also access almost the entire mountain and ski three to four times as much steep terrain in one run, as opposed to smaller resorts, which is, of course, a giant perk. Next on my personal bucket list would be Big Sky, which is located in Montana. Big Sky has over 300 trails and an average snowfall of 400 feet, not to mention it is famous for its steeps. It has a total vertical drop of 4,366 feet and 56 degree steeps, which is a snowy paradise for very experienced skiers. One last resort that is worth taking a look at is Silverton, which is in Colorado. Colorado is known for its amazing mountains, and Silverton definitely lives up to that sentiment. There is an average snowfall over 400 feet and the mountain reaches an elevation of 13,487 feet. But there’s a twist to this resort. Silverton has one lift and no trails, which makes it the most pure skiing experience that people can find. Much like helicopter skiing (where a helicopter drops skiers off at the tops of peaks/mountains) there are no distractions often seen at ski resorts. All you have is the snow, the mountain and your skis. Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com
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Sports / B8
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Innings out of town KSCEQUINOX.COM
The KSC baseball team travel to Florida for spring training CAROLINE PERRY
SportS Editor The KSC baseball and softball teams faced some weather delays on their spring training trip to Auburndale, Fla. With a large snow storm sweeping over New England, numerous flights were cancelled and delayed, causing the KSC teams to embark on their trip on Friday, March 9, instead of Wednesday. Nonetheless, each team made it to the sunny state with high hopes. Going down to Florida meant a lot for each team. This annual trip in March gives each team the chance to compete and pick up extra points before the regular season, which was a huge goal, as well as finding team chemistry, junior and men’s baseball pitcher Connor Johnson said. Before the trip, Johnson said that since all of the team’s games count towards their regular season record, they are focusing on competing with everyone they face. “Ideally, we would like to win all ten games in Florida. We try to play the best baseball we can every day,” Johnson added. The trip to Florida gives the team a lot of advantages they wouldn’t otherwise have in New Hampshire, such as playing in warm weather earlier and giving the new team in-game experience, Johnson said. “Florida is where we move players around in the lineup and the field in order to get a good idea of what our everyday lineup should be. As a unit, we already have a core of go-to players but
we tend to give everyone an opportunity to show what they can do and earn a spot; especially the pitchers,” Johnson added. With ten games to play in eight days, the team had to pull together and find that balance. “The trip gives us a better sense of who our everyday guys should be. Another big part of the trip is that the overall physical durability of our guys is better in warmer weather. You’re warm, you’re loose, and you feel good,” Johnson said. Junior and pitcher Brandon Heath said the trip offers a lot to the team. “I think a big thing we will be focusing on is working on the little things early in the season to prepare for conference games. Having a good approach at the plate and executing simple plays goes a long way,” Heath said. Heath added that the goal in Florida is to play as much as possible and to really figure out each player’s role on the team. Heath added that this trip prepares the team for the rest of the season by giving players more at bats and for pitchers to get the chance to pitch in-game situations. “We have a lot of guys in the bullpen and the freshman haven't pitched at the college level so it is a good chance for them to get use to pitching to college hitters,” Heath said. Despite the numerous goals the team hopes to accomplish, Heath said the trip is definitely worth it. “We get to spend a lot of time with our team mates and play the game we love for a week and half in the beautiful weather of Florida.”
Associate Head Coach and Pitching Coach, Marty Testo, said that the team hopes to create competition, as well as receive it in Florida. Testo added that the trip will hopefully solidify team chemistry, as well as give the team the chance to focus on baseball and only baseball. A lot of work goes into each Florida trip, but Testo said that the team hopes to win games. “It’s a week to look at things and see where we stand,” said the Associate Head Coach. Despite numerous attempts at contact, the softball team did not respond or comment. Although there were some major weather delays and two injuries involving two strong hitters, Heath said that the trip was still very successful. The KSC baseball team walked away from Florida with a 6-2 record. “I think we played pretty well for the most part. We always expect to win when we take the field but that doesn’t always happen,” Heath said. He added, “A few losses here and there is okay as long as we learn from our mistakes and get better,” Heath said. Heath said that the team did face some early adversities, such as missing two of arguably their best hitters due to injuries, which played with their lineup. However, the team dealt with the tough news and the other team members took the opportunity to step up and fill the two injured players spots, Heath added. “We had several good games, but the games that stood out to me is when our offense put up a
ton of runs. That puts pressure on other teams and makes it almost impossible to come back,” Heath said. With pre-season wins already under the baseball team’s belt, Heath said that the trip was and is great for the team because it gives them the chance to play and see who is going to be their best option for certain positions come conference games. “The team bonding is also very important to playing together as a team and making friends and memories that will last a lifetime.” Now that spring has arrived, the baseball team hopes to keep up the hard work and continue to win, Heath added. “We put a lot of hard work in and just need to continue you that in the regular season,” Heath said. Caroline Perry can be contacted at cperry@kscequinox.com
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The trip was and is great for the team. Brandon Heath KSC Pitcher
PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY KSC BASEBALL ILLUSTRATION BY LAURA ROMANIELLO / ART DIRECTOR SEBASTIEN MEHEGAN / EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Athletes juggling academics Student athletes have many responsibilities and dedicate a lot of time to one’s sport during the school year, although education is supposedly top priority for all student athletes at Keene State College. Time management and organization are essential skills to obtain, especially as a student athlete. Junior and men’s hockey team member Tyler Duquette on the Men’s Hockey team said the team follows a set schedule every week and that “makes it easier to accomplish school work and makes me more organized.” As far as a weekly schedule goes, Duquette said the players spend at least five hours on the ice for practices and games combined but “this does not include the other activities, we also help the community at the Learn to Play hockey program, teaching kids how to play hockey.” As students continue in their studies at KSC become an upperclassmen, courses and classwork generally become more difficult. Adding athletic responsibilities to the mix, as well as academic responsibilities, finding a balance may be difficult for some but not all. “I don’t really have much trouble balancing my schoolwork with hockey. If anything, I think playing hockey helps me balance my time better and that correlates to achieving better grades for me,” Duquette said. Like for all successful things, finding a groove takes time, practice and focus. Duquette said his study habits now are “much better compared to freshman year, because I utilize the library more often and
ask my professors whenever I need help.” For both student athletes and other students, being a part of a group and practicing teamwork can be important life skills to have in and out of college. Duquette said he does not regret anything and is happy he played hockey for KSC. “I believe that being a part of the hockey team here at Keene State has only enhanced my experiences here and I would never change that. My favorite part about being a student athlete is just always being with my teammates and having a great time together.” Likewise, student athletes who are not currently in-season have similar thoughts on balancing school and sports, such as senior Michael Sancomb. Sancomb said he has been a “walk-on the last two years,” his junior and senior year, for the men’s soccer team at Keene State. Sancomb also said the soccer team had a very busy season with either “a practice, a game or a team lift alternating each day, Monday through Saturday, with Sundays off.” At times there are some weeks that can feel a little overwhelming, but our coach would always emphasize to us that school is more important[...] Sancomb added, “You know when your practices and classes are, so you might have to sacrifice hanging out with friends and enjoying the college social life so you can stay on top of your classes,” Sancomb said. Busy schedules for both school and sports combined can impact grades for better or for worse. Personally for Sancomb, he said, “I get better grades during season
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than out of season.” He also said utilizing the library and studying was a large part of his good performance in classes. “Being a student athlete 110 percent improves my performance in school because of the library hours we have to meet at each week.”
Although, advantages and disadvantages can come from being a student athlete. Sancomb said his favorite part of being on the soccer team is “making friends from being part of a team, going through it all together, and getting lifelong experiences
from it.” As for his least favorite part, “We have this thing called the ‘48 Hour’ rule, which means we can’t enjoy the social life of going out, for example, two nights before
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