Shots didn’t necessarily “ring out” in the evening of Friday, Feb. 28, 1975, but several campus members were concerned when a BB pellet struck a Huntress window.

The third-floor window was part of 17-year-old Judy Brown’s dorm room, whose reading was interrupted by the shot at around 9:30 p.m.. Although she was not injured, she was concerned because the resulting hole was comparable to the size of a .22 caliber slug.

Officer Pierre LaGrenade investigated the scene and determined that the hole was not caused by an actual slug because, after searching the scene for a half an hour, no bullet could be found. La Grenade determined “the shot probably bounced off the window after impact and disintegrated.” He also said that the shot most likely originated from the science center due to the angle of which the window had been struck.

Custodian of the science center Roger LaMothe said that this wasn’t the first time BB shots had been fired at buildings. LaMothe said, in recent months, several windows in the science center were broken by a BB pellet; he added “one shot just missed a student.” He also speculated that the culprits were local middle school and high school kids. LaMothe said he knew of several neighborhood kids who owned BB guns and had also caught some kids in the science center after it had been locked up.

Although, Huntress resident assistants Margaret Dixon and Janet Sauer said that Friday night had been “crazier than usual.” Sauer said there were people she did not recognize outside the building and there were two males setting off fireworks and causing a disturbance. They also said that rowdiness and general drunkenness had increased on campus recently because fraternity parties had closed down several weeks prior.

Despite this, and the fact that another window was broken by a BB pellet on Sunday night, KSC security guard Ivo Radicioni did not believe it was a dangerous person and said it was “just a bunch of kids fooling around.”

I couldn’t help but wonder: what if that “bunch of kids” didn’t have BB guns but instead had gotten ahold of a real gun? Judy Brown’s life could have very easily ended that night.

We’ve seen what young people can do given a dangerous weapon. In the 1970s, most of the “school shootings” were done by disgruntled adults or gangs, not young people. College students of the 70s were worried more about shootings like what occurred at Kent State, where four students were shot while protesting the Vietnam war when the National Guard opened fire on the students. It wasn’t until the 1990s when student gun violence was being perpetrated in schools, which finally culminated in Columbine High School, where two students shot and killed 12 students and one teacher in 1999, completely changing the nation’s perspective on gun violence and school shootings.

It’s easily argued that Columbine prompted much reform in the way of school security and police response procedures to active shooters. But has it been enough? We’ve had almost 20 years to perfect the technique of keeping students safe so why are shootings like Sandy Hook and Marjory Stoneman Douglas still happening?

I feel like we have the right to demand an answer for that. School shootings are not a recent problem, they’ve been happening for decades. History has shown us, time and again, what not to do and what to look out for but apparently we, as Americans, have a difficult time with the concept of keeping weapons away from schools and away from children or seeing the signs of a troubled young person.

Gun control and school violence isn’t something a person can suddenly think of a solution to, in order to solve a long-standing problem you have to take a lesson from history. If not, and the information provided by past tragedies goes ignored, then the victims would have died in vain.

Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com

On Feb. 16, 1923, archaeologists opened the Tomb of King Tutankhamen, which had been sealed since about 1400 B.C.E..

Pulled from flickr

In the early 1900s, many archaeologists flocked to Egypt in search of ancient tombs which had not already been pillaged by tomb raiders. Finally, in Thebes, their years of searching payed off when British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the undisturbed tomb of King Tut.

Eyewitness to History describes the tomb as a time capsule from ancient Egypt. King Tut had been laid to rest with all the trappings of life as a Pharaoh, including golden chariots, statues of gold and ebony, a fleet of miniature ships, his golden throne, childhood toys, bottles of perfume, extravagant jewelry and more.

Eyewitness to History also included a passage from Carter’s journal he kept of his experience in Egypt.

In the passage, Carter described the first moment the tomb was cracked open.

As the crew peered into the darkness, the warm air pouring out of the breech in the chamber wall, they were slowly able to see what untouched treasures they would soon reach. Carter, continuing to describe the experience, said, “As my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold – everywhere the glint of gold. For the moment – an eternity it must have seemed to the others standing by – I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously, ‘Can you see anything?’ it was all I could do to get out the words, ‘Yes, wonderful things.’”

The chamber Carter and his team were peering into was filled with what Eyewitness to History described as “the greatest collection of Egyptian antiquities ever discovered.”

Beyond that room was more rooms. The archaeologists discovered several more rooms also filled with Egyptian treasures before they eventually reached King Tut’s actual burial chamber.

When archaeologists cataloged their findings from the chambers, many of the artifacts were given to museums.

After some cultural unrest, the Metropolitan Museum of Art volunteered to give 19 artifacts from King Tut’s tomb back to Egypt, according to a 2010 article from the Telegraph.

The items were set to be returned to Egyptian antiquities chief Zahi Hawass. Hawass, quoted in the article, said, “Thanks to the generosity and ethical behaviour of the Met, these 19 objects from the tomb of Tutankhamen can now be reunited with the other treasures of the boy king.”

Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com

Feb. 14 is commonly associated with romance, chocolate, flowers and winged babies shooting love-arrows; despite its wide reach, not many people know the history behind the holiday.

Pulled from KSC archives

Valentine’s Day, as many things which have their origins rooted in ancient history, has many theories surrounding its birth and early practice.

Generally, there are two schools of thought: Christian and Pagan.

According to an NPR opinions article by Arnie Seipel, our modern “day of love” may have sprouted from some pretty dark traditions.

In that same article, Seipel drew a connection between Valentine’s Day and what he, and many others, believe to be the Roman origin of the holiday, Lupercalia.

Originally celebrated on Feb. 15, the ancient Roman holiday of Lupercalia (from the root-word lupus, meaning wolf) is described by Encyclopædia Britannica as a fertility festival which was believed to be in honor of the she-wolf who cared for abandoned infant brothers Romulus and Remus, who would later become the founders of Rome.

The celebration consisted of several ritualistic practices.

First, there was a ritual in which a presiding group of priests, called Luperci, sacrificed goats or dogs, smeared the bloody knives on the foreheads of two other Luperci and then wiped the blood off with milk-soaked wool.

All while the two, young, blood-covered Luperci laugh, according to Encyclopædia Britannica.

The Luperci would then cut whips from the hides of the animals they had just slaughtered and run around town, smacking women with the whips to make them more fertile.

Some historians, such as classics professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder Noel Lenski, say the men ran around naked while others say they wore only loincloths.

A publication in the University of Chicago Classical Philology journal, titled, “The Lupercalia in the Fifth Century” by William M. Green describes the transition of the holiday from Pagan to Christian.

In 494, as the Catholic church was becoming more established, Pope Gelasius oppressed the Pagan religions and replaced Lupercalia with the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, also known as Candlemas.

According to Encyclopædia Britannica, Candlemas celebrates the day that Mary went to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice and present Jesus as her firstborn son.

As Christianity grew, the February holiday became more and more like the Saint Valentine’s Day we know today.

Sources such as Spiegel’s NPR article and Green’s publication identify the most likely point of origin for the Saint Valentine lore was a priest in Rome, who was executed on Feb. 14 on the order of Emperor Claudius II.

Claudius decided that, in order to keep a strong and loyal army, he couldn’t let his young soldiers marry and start families; and so he made marriage, for young men, illegal.

A particular priest in Rome named Valentine objected to the law, according to History.com, and married young couples in secret.

When his covert weddings were discovered, he was imprisoned, beaten to death with clubs and subsequently beheaded.

History.com also reported that, while the priest was in prison, he left a note for the jailer’s daughter, who had become his friend.

The note was signed, “From your Valentine,” the message seen in many modern Valentine’s Day cards.

At Keene State College, in the 1970s and ‘80s, students could attend mixers, send Valentines to fellow students and even profess their love through ads, such as the full-page love note from Charlie to Gwen in 1981.

Although Valentine’s Day has become highly commercialized in modern times, many still consider it a day of romance and love.

Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com

Imagine taking a class where you had to pay little or no money for your textbook or materials. What if you could shape your own learning to what interests you, and you had the opportunity to share your hard work with professionals? All of that and more could be possible in an Open Education classroom.

Open Education has been spreading to classrooms across the Keene State College campus and provides a variety of opportunities for students that they may not get in a traditional class.

The Director of Academic Technology at KSC Jennifer Darrow has been raising awareness about Open Education at Keene State for the past three years. Open Education can take many forms, but at Keene State, the primary focus is on Open Pedagogy and Open Educational Resources (OER). “What really makes Open Education successful is the blending of Open Pedagogy and OER,” said Darrow.

She described Open Pedagogy as, “The practice of empowering students to cultivate their own learning.” One of the ways that Open Pedagogy is utilized by KSC students and faculty is a website called KSCopen.org. KSC Open is designed to allow students to post self-authored articles into the public realm. According to Darrow, student writing has improved on KSC Open. “They’re writing for a real audience, not just their professor.”

The second aspect of Open Education at Keene State is the use of OER, which not only helps further students’ education, but also helps save them money. OER are free and openly licensed, meaning they have a Creative Commons license on them. A Creative Commons license means the author of the work is allowing the consumers to share, use and adapt the materials.

Dr. Karen Cangialosi, a professor in the biology department, frequently uses OER and Open Pedagogy practices in her classes. Cangialosi said in her classes, “Students can have choices instead of a laundry list of assignments.” Her students utilize blog posts, such as KSC Open, and Twitter to share their learning, interests and research both with other biology students and professionals in their field.

Cangialosi’s interest in Open Education first began when she attended a conference about it in November of 2015. She brought many of the concepts she learned about back to KSC and began spreading it throughout the entire biology department where “it had great reception.” She encourages the spread of the Open Education outside the biology department, however, she added, “We’re not trying to force it down anybody’s throat, we just think it’s great… we encourage other faculty to look into it.”

Students taking Cangialosi’s classes are able to take part in creating the syllabus, designing assignments that appeal to them and completing self-assessments. Cangialosi also said that many other biology professors also use Open Access textbook options, such as OpenStax, which is a nonprofit based out of Rice University that provides free online textbooks and low-cost class materials for a variety of subjects such as math, science, social sciences and the humanities. “Many biology students don’t have textbooks,” said Cangialosi. “They get the option to buy the textbook or not.”

Darrow estimated that by using Open Access materials, the biology department has saved students over $80 thousand in textbook and material costs. A few professors outside of the biology department also use Open Pedagogy and OER, but according to Darrow, “The more we can advocate for OER, the more [students] can lobby for it.”

KSC junior Simone McEwan has taken two of Cangialosi’s Open Education-style classes: Tropical Marine Biology and Invertebrate Zoology. The courses often required students to create blog posts and use Twitter to share their ideas. When they create material to post, McEwan said, “We get to decide what we write about based on the topics we talk about.”

She said the Open Education style is effective. “You’re more engaged in your learning if you get to pick and choose.” She found that the level of engagement was paramount in the classes. “It’s really a matter of putting forth the effort… You get as much out of the class as you put in.” They also completed periodical self-assessments that, according to McEwan, “help you see where you need to improve.” She also added that being able to interact with the information through discussions, blogs and Twitter posts is “a lot nicer than having to sit there and do flashcards every day.”

Both Darrow and Cangialosi agreed there could be more Open Education opportunities for students if they asked for it. Darrow said, “It can’t come from one person; if students get involved for more OER, then KSC and its students will be in a better place.” When it comes to using Open Access textbooks and materials, Darrow said she feels “attention needs to be paid to the burden on students… students need to voice their opinions about textbook and materials cost.”

Cangialosi also said she wants students to get involved and push for the use of Open Pedagogy and OER. She predicted, “Students are going to lead this movement more than faculty.”

Students who are interested in learning more about the cost of higher education are directed by Darrow to the book titled, “Paying the Price: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream,” by Sara Goldrick-Rab. Goldrick-Rab will be at KSC on Feb. 15, to talk about student debt and access to education.

Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com

If tragedy were to strike on campus, as it did in Las Vegas on Oct. 1, Keene State College’s Campus Safety Department and the Keene Police Department (KPD) have protocols in place to keep administration, faculty, staff and students safe.

The Assistant Director of Campus Safety Leonard Crossman said there are three main steps to their emergency protocol, but before the protocol can be activated, Campus Safety has to be notified. This can be done by either the Blue Light phones or, he said “Everyone has a cellphone these days…we could be notified by telephone calls to either here or KPD.” Crossman also added that when the Keene Police Department (KPD) gets a phone call Campus Safety is also notified.

Olivia Belanger / Adminsitrative Executive Editor

Contacting KPD is also the first step in Campus Safety’s protocol for emergency situations, such as an on-campus shooter. “They’re tasked with stopping the person,” said Crossman. “We do more of crowd control and making sure everyone else is safe.”

This task of crowd control involves the second step of the emergency protocol, contacting students, administration, faculty and staff. Crossman said this is done through either sirens or an alert through text or email.

The texts and calls are sent via the KSC Emergency Notification System. This system sends emergency messages to members of the campus community, Crossman said, and they could contain information about the situation such as, “what’s going on, where it’s happening and advice on what to do, such as flee the area or hide.”

KSC senior Emma Simpson has been signed up to receive emergency notifications throughout her time here at KSC. “A few times, it’s been an alert about something suspicious that turned out to not be a big deal, but I think it’s better to be safe than sorry in those kinds of situations,” Simpson said.

Campus community members can register to receive emergency notifications by going to keene.notifypanel.com and clicking “Create New Account.”

Campus Safety can also get an emergency message out quickly by using the siren on the top of the Spaulding Gymnasium. The siren is tested twice a year to make sure it works in the event of an emergency and can both emit an alarm and provide verbal instructions and information. The siren has been used in the past to alert students of a potentially violent person off-campus and also to warn students of incoming severe weather.

After students and faculty are warned, the next step, according to Crossman, is to lock the campus down. “Everything is connected to Campus Safety,” said Crossman. “We can flip a switch and everything’s locked so we don’t have officers running around manually locking all the buildings.”

Although KSC does have an emergency system in place, Crossman added, “Preventing these incidents can be more important than responding.”

KSC has several ways of preventing violence on campus.

To begin with, the Dean of Students Gail Zimmerman is involved in assessing threats to the campus community. “First and foremost, we have what we call the CARES team,” said Zimmerman. “There is an online referral form; anyone in the community who has a concern about a student, and you’ll see on the form there’s academic concerns, physical concerns [and] emotional concerns, they can fill that form out and submit it. Those come directly to me.”

Zimmerman said she reviews the referrals, but added, “It’s not meant for emergency situations… 911 types of situations need a 911 call. The forms are reviewed when the come in, but not on a 24/7 basis.”

There are several natures of concerns, such as faculty members reporting when students suddenly stop showing up for class. Zimmerman also receives concerns that are more on an emotional level, such as if “somebody submits a referral because a student has made some kind of statement about self harm or threat to others and/or exhibited some behaviors that indicate emotional distress.” When Zimmerman receives referrals such as those, she responds to many of them herself and reaches out to the student.

“If there is a significant safety concern,” continued Zimmerman, “then we also have a policy on campus called the Mandated Safety Assessment.” Zimmerman added when students make statements or exhibit behaviors that may suggest self-harm or harm to others “they are called in to meet with me, and then we require that they meet with a counselor for a safety assessment and with one of our nurse practitioners in the Center for Health and Wellness for a safety assessment. I’ve been here, now, since 2009, and in that time period, I can think on three incidents where we had a concern of threat to others.”

Simpson affirmed the need for safety protocols, “I think it’s important to have that system in place in regards to active shooter situations because of the issue of gun violence that plagues our country.”

According to a New York Times article from 2016, “Comparing Gun Deaths by Country: The U.S. Is in a Different World,” the United States has significantly more gun violence than many other advanced countries such as Germany, Austria, England, Poland, China, Japan and the Netherlands. The article, written by Kevin Quealy and Margot Sanger-Katz, said, “In a nation where the right to bear arms is cherished by much of the population, gun homicides are a significant public health concern. For men 15 to 29, they are the third-leading cause of death.”

Although New Hampshire has an open carry law for weapons, Zimmerman pointed out that “We have a weapons policy on campus. They are not allowed on campus.” If a student is found having a weapon on campus, even in their rooms, “The weapon is confiscated and is held at Campus Safety until the student can take it off campus.”

When it comes to keeping students safe on and around campus, Zimmerman said, “We always encourage our students to be mindful of their surroundings and aware of safety issues, not walking out late alone.” Not only should self-safety be practiced, but Zimmerman added, “If you see something, say something. Report.”

Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com

The question of Macintosh (Mac) versus Windows PCs has been present practically since the dawn of computers, but with modern technology progressing rapidly, it is becoming more difficult to make a decision.

There is no denying that both types have good and bad aspects to them, so for most college students, it will come down to personal preference.

When it comes to picking out your next computer, a big factor to keep in mind is cost. Computers are expensive, but Macs are generally more expensive than Windows computers. A Macbook or Macbook Pro could cost from $1,299 to $1,799, and a desktop iMac could cost as much as $2,299. On the other hand, you could buy the Microsoft Surface laptop, the Acer Swift 3 or the 2017 Dell XPS13 for less than $1,000 from the Microsoft store, and these can be even cheaper if bought from the Amazon Marketplace. If you feel so inclined, you can also build your own Windows computer by buying individual parts online for fairly low prices, and you will be able to personalize almost every aspect of your computer while also spending less money.

Photo illustration by Sebastian Mehegan / Multimedia Director

Personalization can be very important to many computer users, especially those who spend a lot of time in front of their screen, whether it be for work or play. According to Business Insider, computer gamers generally use Windows PCs because of their ability to be customized. Serious gamers frequently update the hardware on their computers to make them faster, hold more memory or make graphics look cleaner. On a Windows PC, it is relatively easy to buy extra memory or a better graphics card and add to or replace the existing hardware in the computer. On a Mac, changes like that are almost impossible. Another aspect of this is being able to replace parts of an old computer that start slowing down or breaking, rather than being forced to buy a whole new computer.

Another important factor to keep in mind is what you plan on doing with your computer. Macs may look cool and trendy, but it may be best not to judge a computer by its shell. Macs have traditionally been used for artistic projects like graphic design and photo or video editing, but according to Roberto Blake of Creative Pro, a website that provides information and resources to creative professionals, Mac use may be just that: a tradition.

In his article “Is Mac or PC Better for Graphic Designers?” he states, “The reason many designers gravitate to buying a Mac and are looked down on in the industry if they don’t is mostly a matter of tradition, not substance. Most people who have been in the industry with 20 years or more of experience have a preference for Mac, because for a very long time it was the only option, and in their minds it still is.”

It is important to remember that Mac is no longer the only option for graphic designers and visual editors. The tradition of using Macs started because digital typography and the first version of Photoshop were designed on a Mac Computer in the 1980s. However, computer processing and display have come a long way since the ‘80s and Blake points out in his article that Adobe products, such as Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator, were not made to perform better on certain operating systems; rather, they require certain computer specifications such as processing power and memory size. Blake himself uses both Mac and Windows computers for his graphic design work and has said that as long as both computers have similar specifications, there is little to no difference in his ability to complete his work. Blake also adds that sometimes Macs are needed in his field, especially when it comes to managing workflow across multiple devices.

Apple products are great at communicating with other Apple products. However, many people run into issues when a Mac needs to communicate or share information with a Windows PC or vice versa.

When choosing your next computer, pay attention to what kind of computers your peers and professors use. Here at Keene State College, our Information Technology Group has the ability to work with and support both Macs and Windows PCs, but it is important to note that the Smartcarts in most classrooms come with a permanently installed Windows PC and laptop hookups that may not be compatible with Mac ports without an adapter. TechCrunch, a website dedicated to informing users about Tech News and reviewing new products, released an article last year by Lucas Matney titled “Apple’s new MacBook Pro kills off most of the ports you probably need.” One of those ports that was removed from their laptop design was the USB port, the one practically everyone uses for a variety of things such as plugging in a flash drive, transferring videos, music or pictures to or from their phones or other devices, or using an external keyboard or mouse. Many Mac users may need to purchase extra adapters or cables to use the existing ports with other devices. This is not the first time that Apple products have been missing staple pieces of hardware, such as the iPhone 7, which has no headphone jack, thus requiring consumers to purchase bluetooth earbuds. Matney said in his article that “losing the headphone jack on the new iPhone 7 or ditching the old USB on the new MacBook have created a bit more of an uproar among users that aren’t psyched about needing a dongle on-hand at all times to connect their device to things they need.”

When choosing your next computer, you may find it useful to do your own research before you break out the credit card. There are a number of websites that regularly review new technology and offer advice to those searching for their next computer. Although there may only be a few Mac products to choose from, there are hundreds of options for Windows PCs based on your main interests and activities. Windows computers range greatly in price to accommodate the college student budget and are compatible with most of the permanently installed computers on campus. I personally use a Windows desktop PC and laptop for all of my photo and video editing, writing, research and video games and I have yet to experience any major issues. When my computers do occasionally break or malfunction, rather than having to bring it to a specialist like with most Mac products, I can simply call one of my more tech-savvy friends to give a diagnosis and teach me how to fix it. Most accessories or extra parts I might want are relatively affordable too. Whether you are a computer genius or just starting out, your dream computer is just a click away.

Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com

Imagine working at a company that supplies clothes to department stores. Everything is going smoothly until, suddenly, one of your coworkers makes a mistake, and now instead of sending 200 shirts to a local outlet, they’re actually sending 2,000. They become so distressed by their mistake they have a heart attack and die right there in their cubicle. This may sound absurd to most people, but when it comes to construction, even a small mistake could mean the difference between life and death.

Jacob Paquin / Photo Editor

According to a report by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 20 percent of worker fatalities in 2015 were in the field of construction. That may not sound like much, but as the Bureau of Labor Statistics discovered, when compared to other industries, the private construction sector had the most fatal injuries of that year.

Both OSHA and the Bureau of Labor Statistics agree that construction is one of the most dangerous occupations a person can have today, so what is being done to make it safer?

KSC  Associate Professor, WorkWiseNH Project Manager and faculty to the Safety & Occupational Health Applied Sciences (SOHAS) Program, Wayne Hartz is submitting a new program for approval that is aimed to keep construction workers safe. The proposed program, Construction Safety Sciences, will have many core concepts in common with the current SOHAS Program, but there will also be many new and exciting changes.

As of fall 2016, the SOHAS Program was the second largest department at the school with 1,020 graduate and undergraduate students enrolled. When commenting on the size of the program, Hartz said, “Our program and classes grew so fast that we lost some of the things that are important in teaching.” Those lost things, which he is hoping to reintroduce with this new program, are rigor and accountability.

To design this program, Hartz teamed up with an advisory committee comprised of KSC faculty and active members of the construction and construction safety industry to create something to best prepare students for the reality of the workplace.

The most noticeable change is the creation of nine new courses specifically dealing with construction safety and additional required courses, such as Elementary Spanish. These changes brought the major requirement from 44 credits to 100 credits. Although there is more content, the program is designed to be completed in three years by utilizing two required summer sessions and two construction internships.

Brady Keene, who completed his undergraduate degree at KSC and is now working for WorkWiseNH doing construction safety, thinks the rigor of the new program will put our students ahead of the curve. “The program will be focused towards that student that’s willing to put in that 110 percent effort,” said Keene. “We’ll be the first ones in the country to introduce a program that really produces high quality construction safety students, someone that’s ready to go right when they get in the field.” According to Keene, this new program will better prepare construction students for future job sites, both mentally and physically.

There are a number of requirements that students would have to meet to remain in the new program. Those requirements include maintaining an average GPA of 2.80, honoring KSC’s Code of Conduct, joining the student chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals and joining Rho Kappa Sigma, the National Safety Honor Society. That may sound like a lot, but KSC graduate student Nate Stitchell thinks it would be good for upcoming construction safety students. “Not everyone’s an athlete, so not everyone’s a part of something bigger than just that course,” said Stitchell, “so being able to be part of a group that actually means something and can improve not just your education but others, I think, is huge.”

So what needs to happen for this program to become a reality?

The main obstacle is money. If the program obtains 25 new students per year for the first three years, the program will be cost-neutral. However, the initial start-up cost for those first three years still has to be paid and it’s difficult to get companies to invest in a program that has yet to be approved by the College and Senate curriculum committees. However, the Associated General Contractors Education Resource Fund (AGCERF) is willing to support the program on a financial level and has begun fundraising by accepting donations and pledges, but there is still a long way to go before they get what they need.

The program proposal has been drafted and was sent to Dean of Professional and Graduate Studies Dr. Karrie Kalich for approval this week. From there, it must go to the School Curriculum Committee for an evaluation and approval of its content. If it is approved, the Senate Curriculum Committee will then review and analyze the academic value of the program. If it has all three approvals, Construction Safety Sciences hopes to be made available by fall 2018.

Abbygail Vasas can be contacted at avasas@kscequinox.com