Author Archives | Alexandria Saurman

Graphic design major mixes paper and PC for portfolio

In a world where technology is evergrowing, the art of drawing and writing on paper can be overlooked.

For one Keene State College (KSC) graphic design major, combining the two sets her apart from everyone else.

Senior Christina Lyons took Graphic Design 2 with Associate Art Professor Rebecca Davis-Kelly during the summer of her sophomore year at KSC. The course focuses on hand-drawn typography.

Photo illustration by Alexandria Saurman / Arts and Entertainment Editor

Photo illustration by Alexandria Saurman / Arts and Entertainment Editor

“The first thing that sucked was we were working with calligraphy and I’m a leftie, so there’s really no left-handed calligraphers…so I’m ambidextrous so I taught myself how to do calligraphy right-handed,” Lyons said.

After doing some research, Lyons said she discovered that calligraphy didn’t have to be so “formal” and that there were more fun ways to do it.

“Then I realized, ‘Hey, I can make it look good on the computer though. I can bring it in the computer. I can clean it up and I can make it look like it could be design-ready though,’…It was that wonderful convergence in design where you take off the computer and you get it on the computer and you’re creating something completely different and great,” Lyons said.

“A lot of students just stay on the computer. We have some students that do hand-drawn type, but [Lyons] really tries to find a way to incorporate it. The students that stay on the computer sort of have one look-ish and I find the contrast between hand-drawn and computer really nice, especially when they’re merged together,” Davis-Kelly said.

In Graphic Design 3, Lyons created a mock clothing company called “Poli.” The company’s purpose was to create “transformative clothing for young, professional women” and to  “celebrat[e] the modern woman,” according to Lyons.

She took inspiration from many sources, from renaissance sketches, representing the idea of a “renaissance woman” to her time abroad in Italy, basing the name of the company off of the Italian word meaning polyhedral.

“I wanted something that was very warm and something that was welcoming and relatable and not so corporate and scary-looking when you see with some high-quality fashion brands.”

Lyons said that she was “fed up” with doing many logo designs for her brand, so she turned to a computer software, Adobe Capture, that allowed her to take a picture of her work, transferring it to the computer.

Eventually, she came up with a design that she liked and settled on a concept for the whole brand.

“I’m really proud of this little brand,” Lyons said. “I cussed a lot and I swore a lot; it was a lot of frustrating moments, but it was good. I felt good after it.”

Senior BFA in graphic design major Rachel Carbone had class with Lyons this past semester.

“When I look at [her] stuff, [she] ha[s] that sense of style…she developed this handwritten type where I can pick it out anywhere,” Carbone said.

Lyons is currently finishing up her BFA portfolio along with 25 other graphic design majors. As a part of the graduation requirement, these students must prepare a senior exhibition in only one semester.

“We have to get our portfolio prepared [and] assembled ourselves ready for a show. We have to self-brand ourselves, design resumes and websites,” Lyons said.

The name of the senior exhibit, Twenty-Six, was a concept developed by Lyons and her group.

Both Carbone and Davis-Kelly said that Lyons was a leader.

“She knows how to not take charge in a bad way, but [she] take[s] the initiative and [she’s] an advocate for [her]self and I think that’s a great role that [she’s] the leader of our portfolio review,” Carbone said.

“[She] handle[s] it great and like nobody else would have the patience or the leadership roles to be able to handle that job,” Carbone said.

“She is such a natural leader and art director…she’s really good at helping other students resolve issues [and] concepts,” Davis-Kelly said.

Speaking on the senior exhibition, Lyons said, “It’s called The Twenty-Six because there’s 26 designers that are graduating from the BFA program…It’s in the numbers.”

“We’re proving to people at this exhibition that… we work f—- hard… we aren’t just drawing and clicking around on the computer and we’re not these floozy artists that we’re working hard and that we’re not to be f—– with. We work hard.”

The graphic design senior exhibition will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 21 in the Media Arts Center and is free and open to the public.

“We’re the 26,” Lyons said. “It’s us as a group. We’ve been through this together.”

Alexandria Saurman can be contacted at asaurman@kscequinox.com

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Keene State College baseball wins 2 in busy week

Keene State College (KSC) baseball had their home opener on Thursday, April 13 against Salve Regina University (SRU) for a non-conference game. Earlier this season, they had faced each other and KSC lost, 7-3.

Game 1

To start off the game, there was a foul ball caught by KSC junior Christian Bourgea to make the first out of the game. KSC got a double play, which ended the top of the first inning.

Nate Pederson started the second inning as pitcher for the Owls. Salve Regina’s number 14 Dylan Ketch tried to steal second, but got thrown out. No runs were made by SRU in the top of the second. KSC first-year Connor Walsh started the bottom of the second with a double from a line drive to left field. Sophomore Owl Devin Springfield hit a fly ball deep into center field, but unfortunately it was caught, ending the second inning.

Salve Regina’s number 3 Brody Santilli laid down a nice bunt advancing to first base in the beginning of the third inning. Ketch hit the ball into center field, giving him two RBIs. KSC sophomore Nate Rossi hit a double to start off the bottom of the third and SRU made a double play to end it. The score was 0-2, Salve Regina.

To end the top of the fourth inning, KSC first-year Brian Vieira had a double play. Following this, KSC’s Connor Longley hit to right field, advancing him to second. No runs were scored in the bottom of the fourth, just one hit by KSC.

During the sixth inning, Bourgea, third baseman for the Owls, made a play at home plate, preventing a run for Salve Regina. Seahawk number 9 Hunter Sleeper had one RBI in the top of the sixth. Following this, in the bottom of the sixth, Sleeper made an error, allowing KSC’s Tom Meucci to get on first. KSC’s Zach Rollins had a hit driving in a run, but got out at home. At the bottom of the seventh, SRU’s number 6 Alex Perry had an RBI and the score was Salve Regina, 5-0.

At the top of the eighth, the Seahawks laid down a bunt, advancing the runners on first and second. Salve Regina’s Sleeper had a hit, creating two RBIs and making the score 7-0. At the bottom of the eighth, KSC John Tarascio advanced to second due to an error by Salve. KSC sophomore Mac Struthers and first-year Connor Walsh both had RBIs, putting the Owls on the board with three runs.

During the bottom of the eighth, all bases were loaded and the score was 7-3, Salve Regina. At the top of ninth, Salve’s Christian Vargas had an RBI. Then, KSC scored, making the final score 8-4, Salve Regina. The Owls’ next home game is on April 22 against the University of Massachusetts Boston at 12 p.m..

Adriana Sanchez can be contacted at asanchez@kscequinox.com


On Saturday, April 15, the Keene State College men’s baseball team took on Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) at the Owl Athletic Complex in two games.

Game 1

In the first game, the WCSU Colonials batted first. After a hit from Colonial Bill Buscetto, Clete LoRusso scored a run. Buscetto was still on base by the time the team struck out.

KSC Owls Zach Rollins and Connor Longley scored two runs off of hits from Connor Walsh and John Tarascio, respectively. The Owls struck out, leaving two men on base.

Owls’ Tom Meucci, Mac Struthers and Rollins all scored in the fourth inning, bringing the game score to 6-1 in favor of the Owls.

Colton McCracken/ Equinox Staff

Colton McCracken/ Equinox Staff

No additional points were scored from either team until the bottom of the eighth, when Owl Nathan Rossi scored his 20th run of the season. Meucci and Rollins also scored runs in the inning before the Colonials took the field for the last time in the game.

The Colonials did not score again; the bottom of the ninth was not played.

Michael Crimi pitched a total of eight innings, managing seven strikeouts and giving up only one run.

Colonial pitchers Daniel Hedden and Erik Nicholson faced a total of 41 batters between them, striking out five.

The Owls won the game 9-1.

Game 2 

For the second game, the Colonials started at bat again, but did not score until the fourth inning when Colonial Frank Vartuli hit the ball, allowing LoRusso, who had stolen second, to score.

The Owls managed to score earlier in the game at the bottom of the second. Christian Bourgea, John Tarascio and Devin Springfield all scored hits, but only Bourgea scored a run.

Bourgea scored again in the bottom of the fourth off of a hit from Springfield.

In the sixth inning, LoRusso and Joe Daigle scored two runs for the Colonials.

The Owls mirrored the Colonial’s runs in the same inning with a homerun from Tarascio, which led to a run from Walsh, who was on first at the time.

The Colonials only scored once more while the Owls scored four more runs.

Once again, the bottom of the ninth was not played.

Tim Coppinger and Jeff Lunn served as pitchers for the Owls, pitching 6.2 and 2.1 innings, respectively.

Each Colonial pitcher, George Bielizna, Matt Fasoli and Taylor Donofrio, allowed the Owls to score one home run. Bielizna pitched for 5.1 innings–a majority of the game.

The score ended 8-4 in favor of the Owls.

Head Coach’s 550th Win

After the win from game one, Owls’ Head Coach Ken Howe received his 550th win of his career.

Howe is a Keene High School and KSC alumnus who also attended the University of Central Florida, where he played baseball. In 2008, the Little East Conference (LEC) named Howe the Coach of the Year, according to his bio on KSC’s athletic website.

Per the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Baseball Coaching Records, in 2016, Howe was ranked 32nd in highest number of victories in Division III, with a total of 524 wins.

As of Sunday, April 16, Howe has a total of 551 career wins.

Alexandria Saurman can be contacted at asaurman@kscequinox.com

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Jazz Ensemble set to perform

On Wednesday, April 26, the Keene State College Jazz Ensemble will be performing their annual spring concert.

The ensemble will be led by Steve Cady.

Cady was selected to be the new director of the jazz ensemble following the retirement of Don Baldini after the fall 2016 semester.

Cady is a KSC alumnus who was not only a member of the band, but also a student under Baldini.

During the concert, the band is scheduled to play “Contemporary and Traditional Big Band Jazz Music,” according to Cady.

Cady also noted that Maynard Ferguson, Snarky Puppy and Sammy Nestico will be among the artists whose songs are played on the evening.

Though one guest trumpet player will be playing the band, the ensemble mainly consists of students.

Alexandria Saurman can be contacted at asaurman@kscequinox.com

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‘An Evening of Dance’ to return

On Wednesday April 12, the Keene State College Theater and Dance Department will perform their 42nd “An Evening of Dance.”

This four-day event is directed by KSC Theater and Dance resident artist Marcia Murdock and features 10 original dances.

Doppelgänger Dance Collective (DDC), an outside dance duo, will perform “The Head or the Hair.” DDC performed at KSC on Thursday, March 30.

Three of the dances, “Because You Get There,”  “Phantom Spaces” and “It’s a Question” are choreographed by KSC Theater and Dance faculty Murdock, Contract Lecturer Cynthia McLaughlin and Lecturer Shaina Cantino, with her dancers, respectively.

In addition, KSC students senior Makayla Ferrick, senior Brittany Powers, junior Bethany Peterson, junior Emily Posner, junior Jennifer Riley and junior Amanda Untracht choreographed their own dances that will be performed during the event.

Two of the pieces, Ferrick’s “Boiled Frogs” and Peterson’s “ab origine,” were recently performed at the American College Dance Association (ACDA).

The event runs from Wednesday, April 12 to Saturday April 15 and begins at 7:30 p.m. each night in the Redfern’s Main Theatre.

Tickets are $5 for KSC students with a student ID and range from $5-$10 for others, per the Redfern’s website.

Alexandria Saurman can be contacted at asaurman@kscequinox.com

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KSC to host dance duo

On Thursday, March 30, Keene State College’s Redfern Arts Center will host the Doppelganger Dance Collective (DDC) in the Main Theatre.

Started in 2015, DDC features the duo of Shura Baryshnikov and Danielle Davidson, according to their website. Baryshnikov and Davidson founded the project.

Baryshnikov has performed with numerous dance companies in the past, such as Lorraine Chapman the Company and Lostwax Multimedia Dance.

She currently works at Brown University, but has worked at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Salve Regina University, among others, in the past.

Davidson, a graduate of L’Ecole Superieure de Ballet du Quebec in Montreal, currently works at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.

Besides performing for many companies and festivals, Davidson has had her own works presented in places such as The fringe Festival of Independent Dance Artists (fFIDA) in Toronto, Brown University, and The Gibney Dance Center in New York City.

The Redfern’s website states that “Doppelgänger Dance Collective (DDC) is a duet project between two dancers of similarly versatile technique, powerful physicality and eagerness to create compelling and dynamic work….DDC fosters the creation and performance of original contemporary dance, often performed with live music.”

DDC will perform “an evening length program of mixed repertory,” at the Redfern, per DDC’s website.

The dance begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for KSC students with an ID and range from $12-$20 for others.

Alexandria Saurman can be contacted at asaurman@kscequinox.com

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‘MADE IN CHINA’ comes to the Redfern

Addressing sensitive, uncomfortable issues isn’t always easy, but for one New York City theatre company, their goal is to do just that.

On Thursday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m., Wakka Wakka Productions performed “MADE IN CHINA” at Keene State College’s Redfern Arts Center.

Wakka Wakka Productions was founded in 2001 and aims to “push the boundaries of the imagination by creating works that are bold, unique and unpredictable…All of Wakka Wakka’s productions have been highly physical, overlapping in a wide range of styles, including grotesque, absurd and clown, incorporating elements such as object manipulation, puppetry, masks and original music,” according to the evening’s program.

Tim Smith / Photo Editor

Tim Smith / Photo Editor

“A darkly comedic puppet musical inspired by true events, MADE IN CHINA is a fantastical exploration of human rights, consumerism and American-Chinese relations as told through the unlikely love story between an odd middle-aged American woman and her Chinese ex-pat neighbor… MADE IN CHINA features 30 puppets, seven puppeteers, music inspired by both American and Chinese traditions and animated video,” per Wakka Wakka’s website.

The show uses a mixture of nudity, cursing, crude visuals and language, comedy and songs to convey the message to its audience.

As audience members filed in, they were greeted by a dimly lit panda puppet eating bamboo in the middle of the stage. The stage sides and front were adorned with bamboo stalks and a sign that read, “Love Me Don’t Bother Me.”

The show started off with a recording of President Donald Trump saying the word “China,” or phrases regarding China, over and over as the panda sat there imitating him.

When the brief opener was over, the main character, Mary, ran onto the stage completely naked. She sat on her couch, talking to her dog, Lily, eating macaroni and commented on the cuteness of the pandas being shown on the television.

Mary broke into song, talking about how she lives a “life of decay,” and how she needs to break the cycle, “but not today.”

Overhearing her Chinese neighbor, Eddie, playing loud music, Mary confronted him and his grey dog, Yo-Yo. Eddie quieted the music and decided to call his children. He asked them to visit and told them how he taught Yo-Yo to talk.

Members of the audience laughed as Eddie told Yo-Yo to say, “I love you,” but Yo-Yo only responded with “hello.”

In the following scene, a now-dressed Mary took Lily out for a walk and encountered Eddie and Yo-Yo. Both Mary and Eddie lost control of their dogs, and Lily and Yo-Yo took off running. The dogs were caught by their respective owners, but not before Yo-Yo humped Lily.

Mary made her way to a store, where she bought Christmas decorations. When she arrived back at home, she discovered a handwritten note in one of the bags.

The note was from a Chinese labor camp prisoner. It asked the reader, Mary, to report the note to a human rights organization and said, “They beat us, kick us, not enough sleep, not enough food to eat.” Mary understood that it implied the fact that the prisoner was being tortured.

She felt compelled to do something about the note, so she went to Eddie. Eddie, who thought the note was a joke, yelled at Mary told her she was the problem.

Mary began to believe she was the problem, and tried to flush the note down her toilet.

When the note got stuck, Mary reached for the plunger, but was shocked when it began to sing, along with her food, house phone, handgun and other objects. They sang about how they were made in China, and Mary became ill.

She went to throw up in the toilet after the musical number, and was sucked in.

Moments later, Eddie showed up at Mary’s house and found Lily alone. He heard Mary’s cries for help and was led to the toilet. He, too, became sucked in.

The two arrived on top of a mountain in China. Once they made their way to the ground, Mary’s naivety toward Chinese culture became evident.

They met a rich individual named Dick Mills. He and his wife denied the claims of there being a labor camp where human rights are violated, but once Mary and Eddie left the stage, Mills and his wife began talking about them.

While Mary continued to break cultural rules, Eddie warned her to stop, but they were eventually arrested.

While in prison, they encountered many individuals, from Eddie’s deceased brother to Uncle Sam, before they escaped and were eaten by a dragon.

The story also unveiled Mary and Eddie’s love for each other, which was shown through one of the last scenes where the two had sex.

Post-coidal, Mary and Eddie decided they were going to publish the note on Facebook and send it to newspapers and news networks to get the word out. “All we need is to tell our story. All we need is to take a stand,” one of the puppets said.

Sophomore nutrition major Samantha Bryant was one of the many attendees of the show. “It was really interesting,” she said. “It was a cool commentary on just working together and making a difference and seeing the other side of things.”

First-year studio art major Emma Johansen said, “It was really funny. Yeah, it was good.”

After the show, six out of seven of the puppeteers, Ariel Estrada, Andy Manjunk, Stephen J Mark, Lei Lei Bavoil, Charles Pang and Peter Russo, along with Executive Producer Gabrielle Brechner hosted a Question and Answer session, where audience members could make comments and ask questions.

Russo, who played Mary, said, “I think we all have a personal attachment to this.” Originally, he hadn’t intended in being Mary, but gave it a shot. He said his inspiration came from his grandma.

Estrada, the puppeteer behind Eddie, mentioned that he is an immigrant child. “I’ll never know the kind of sacrifices they had to go through,” he said, telling one story of how his Philippine father faced blatant racism.

The cast members mentioned how they received mixed reactions from previous audiences.

Mark, who played various characters, spoke on one of the audience member’s comments regarding this.

“[Our director] talked about how it was good that you were confused…it forces you to have a critical eye of us, what our perspective is, and what your perspective is and what is going on in the world…”

He also mentioned how the recent election affected the audience reaction.

“And it was amazing how what’s going on in the world in this country influenced us and the audience reaction to things… The audience reaction [to the panda being accompanied by Trump’s voice] before the inauguration was hilarious and people really thought it was really, really funny in New York… and then after the inauguration, it was like too much…,” Mark said. “And there were definitely ideas in the finale that got shifted around based on what we were doing.

In addition to simply acting and singing, the puppeteers helped create and develop the show, puppets, stage and props.

“I don’t think a year ago I would have told myself that I would be doing a puppet show ever in my life, but that just that if you are open to what opportunities are presented to you, you’ll really surprise yourself with what you can accomplish using the skills that you’re learning,” Mark said.

Alexandria Saurman can be contacted at asaurman@kscequinox.com

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Musical recital features two KSC students

On Sunday, March 26, the Keene State College Music Department hosted a junior/senior recital in the Alumni Recital Hall.

The event featured junior music performance major Eric Dill and junior music performance and music technology major Matthew Marzola on various percussion instruments.

For Marzola, playing the drums began in middle school.

Colton McCracken / Equinox Staff

Colton McCracken / Equinox Staff

“I have an older brother who had a drumset and it was kind of a monkey-see-monkey-do thing. My brother used to just play drums for fun and I just wanted to be like him, so I started playing drumset.”

He mentioned that he was fascinated by his high school’s drumline and ended up joining the marching band.

Dill has been playing music since ninth grade and was also involved in the marching band.

“My sister asked me to join the marching band. I had no prior experience to music and had no interest in going into really any field. I didn’t know what I was good at yet, so I went to my marching band’s first rehearsal, learned how to read music and went from there– [it] kind of took my heart,” he said.

Prior to the recital, both Dill and Marzola said they were not nervous.

The event started at 3:00 p.m..

The lights dimmed and Dill walked onto the stage. He began the performance with a number on the snare drum. “The Pine Cone Forest,” by John S. Pratt, lasted only a few moments.

Following Dill’s first number, Marzola walked on stage and approached the timpani. He played “Master Study No. 2,” originally written by Al Lepak.

Colton McCracken / Equinox Staff

Colton McCracken / Equinox Staff

After giving the audience a chuckle, Marzola walked to the snare drum while people applauded. Anders Lynghoj’s “Styx” was played and, at one point, involved the tapping of the snare’s rim.

Marzola then headed off stage. Giving Marzola a pat on the back, Dill walked up on to the stage, and took his place in front of the marimba. Using four mallets, he played “Caritas II. Solemn,” by Michael Burritt.

For the next number, Marzola, again, played the timpani. This time, the song, Mitchell Peter’s “Suite for Timpani,” involved two sets: “I. Lament” and “II. Blues Sketch.”

Following “Suite for Timpani,” Marzola played “Nancy,” by Emmanuel Sejourne on the marimba.

Dill performed “Raga No. 2,” by Bill Cahn, on the timpani after Marzola’s number.

According to the event’s program, “Raga No. 2 is loosely derived from the musical idiom of North Indian tabla…the real emphasis in this piece is on the ‘tala’ or rhythm, derived from the rupaktala (beat subdivisions of 3+2+2).”

Marzola played the next two pieces, “Marimba Dances for Solo Marimba II” and “Diddles” before Dill took the stage to play a song written by KSC professor Christopher Swist.

“[Etude No. 1] ‘Layers’ is the first of three etudes written by Professor Swist in 1997 and published in 2009,” according to the program.

After Dill’s last solo performance of the recital, Marzola performed his. He played “Suite for Drumset IV” and “IX” on the drumset.

For the final number, Dill and Marzola joined together to play “Ghanaia for Marimba Solo,” by Matthias Schmitt. Dill was on the marimba while Marzola remained on the drumset.

The two took bows at the end of the performance, which lasted a little over an hour, and received a standing ovation from some members of the audience.

Junior biology major Collin Coviello was one of the over 60 audience members at the show. “I thought it was really interesting,” he said.

“There were a lot of different kinds of textures going on and I had a good time watching it. It seems like something that wouldn’t be like captivating, but they used all kinds of different instruments, different styles, so I thought it was really good.”

Marzola’s roommate, junior criminal justice major Grant Frohock, said,“I thought it was fantastic.”

Alex Salter is a friend of both Dill and Marzola. “They were great, I know they’ve been playing for a long time, but they’ve improved a lot recently and Matt and Eric both did a great job,” he said.

Swist, who is the percussion instructor, also commented on the event. “They did absolutely fantastic…I thought they played great. It was a good mix and exceeded our expectations.”

Alexandria Saurman can be contacted at asaurman@kscequinox.com

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What to do when pulled over

I was 18 years old the first time I got pulled over by a police officer. I had been driving for over two years at that point, but was a little scared and intimidated by the presence of the blue lights.

It was around 10 p.m.. I was taking my friend home from work when out of nowhere, we heard sirens and saw flashing lights behind us. “I’m going to get a ticket,” I thought to myself, even though I was pretty sure I had done nothing wrong.

The road was dimly lit and nearly empty. I pulled my car into the parking lot of a shopping center, sitting idle in one of the parking spots.

I put my hands on my wheel, making sure not to move too much. The police officer came to my window and asked for the license and registration. After reviewing them, he informed me that one of my lights was out, something I had known but forgotten.

Samantha Moore / Art Director

Samantha Moore / Art Director

I promptly apologized. Thankfully, he only gave me a warning, and was on his way.

My dad taught me how to drive. He’s the kind of person that takes 30 minutes to run a five minute errand to the grocery store because he drives so carefully. None of the accidents he’s been in have been his fault. For him, the speed limit is the speed limit, and any speed more than five  miles per hour over or under is illegal.

His values became the basis of his teaching, and with that teaching came what to do when being pulled over by a police officer—remain calm, do as the officer says, be polite and don’t start a fight. The other information, such as what to do if you don’t feel safe when being pulled over, I learned from reading the Pennsylvania Driver’s Handbook.

How would this have been different had I taken a driver’s education course (driver’s ed)? Would I have known what to do? I don’t know, because I’ve never taken driver’s ed, and I probably never will. But what I do know is that teaching drivers what to do when they get pulled over is a must.

According to the 2011 publication by the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration titled “Driver Education Practices In Selected States,” driver’s ed is required by 29 of the 50 states in America. While Pennsylvania is not one of these states, New Hampshire is.

A document titled “STATE-BY-STATE OVERVIEW: Driver Education requirements, Online DE authorization, Requirements Post-18” on leg.wa.gov states that in NH, “Teens under 18 must take a driver’s education course with 30 hours of classroom instruction. They must also complete 10 hours of driving with a certified driving instructor, and observe their peers driving for six hours.”

But what exactly is included in these courses, not just in NH, but in general? In August 2016, according to DNAinfo, Illinois passed a bill requiring that driver’s ed instructors teach students proper procedures for being pulled over.

However, there are no reports available on the success of the new law due to its initiation date (2017-18 school year).

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ Special Report “Police Behavior during Traffic and Street Stops, 2011,” 26,433,330 of US residents were pulled over in 2011. Of those, only 9 percent were ages 16-17 or about 2,379,000 drivers. During the same year, crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov reports that 12.6 million individuals aged 15-20 were legally driving on the road.

Even though young drivers make up a small percentage of individuals who are pulled over, it’s still essential to teach them what to do if it were to happen.

There is a chance that at some point in a driver’s life, even if he or she is a safe driver, the individual will be pulled over. And when that happens, they must know what to do.

Alexandria Saurman can be contacted at asaurman@kscequinox.com

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What to do when pulled over

I was 18 years old the first time I got pulled over by a police officer. I had been driving for over two years at that point, but was a little scared and intimidated by the presence of the blue lights.

It was around 10 p.m.. I was taking my friend home from work when out of nowhere, we heard sirens and saw flashing lights behind us. “I’m going to get a ticket,” I thought to myself, even though I was pretty sure I had done nothing wrong.

The road was dimly lit and nearly empty. I pulled my car into the parking lot of a shopping center, sitting idle in one of the parking spots.

I put my hands on my wheel, making sure not to move too much. The police officer came to my window and asked for the license and registration. After reviewing them, he informed me that one of my lights was out, something I had known but forgotten.

Samantha Moore / Art Director

Samantha Moore / Art Director

I promptly apologized. Thankfully, he only gave me a warning, and was on his way.

My dad taught me how to drive. He’s the kind of person that takes 30 minutes to run a five minute errand to the grocery store because he drives so carefully. None of the accidents he’s been in have been his fault. For him, the speed limit is the speed limit, and any speed more than five  miles per hour over or under is illegal.

His values became the basis of his teaching, and with that teaching came what to do when being pulled over by a police officer—remain calm, do as the officer says, be polite and don’t start a fight. The other information, such as what to do if you don’t feel safe when being pulled over, I learned from reading the Pennsylvania Driver’s Handbook.

How would this have been different had I taken a driver’s education course (driver’s ed)? Would I have known what to do? I don’t know, because I’ve never taken driver’s ed, and I probably never will. But what I do know is that teaching drivers what to do when they get pulled over is a must.

According to the 2011 publication by the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration titled “Driver Education Practices In Selected States,” driver’s ed is required by 29 of the 50 states in America. While Pennsylvania is not one of these states, New Hampshire is.

A document titled “STATE-BY-STATE OVERVIEW: Driver Education requirements, Online DE authorization, Requirements Post-18” on leg.wa.gov states that in NH, “Teens under 18 must take a driver’s education course with 30 hours of classroom instruction. They must also complete 10 hours of driving with a certified driving instructor, and observe their peers driving for six hours.”

But what exactly is included in these courses, not just in NH, but in general? In August 2016, according to DNAinfo, Illinois passed a bill requiring that driver’s ed instructors teach students proper procedures for being pulled over.

However, there are no reports available on the success of the new law due to its initiation date (2017-18 school year).

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ Special Report “Police Behavior during Traffic and Street Stops, 2011,” 26,433,330 of US residents were pulled over in 2011. Of those, only 9 percent were ages 16-17 or about 2,379,000 drivers. During the same year, crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov reports that 12.6 million individuals aged 15-20 were legally driving on the road.

Even though young drivers make up a small percentage of individuals who are pulled over, it’s still essential to teach them what to do if it were to happen.

There is a chance that at some point in a driver’s life, even if he or she is a safe driver, the individual will be pulled over. And when that happens, they must know what to do.

Alexandria Saurman can be contacted at asaurman@kscequinox.com

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Women’s lacrosse kick-starts the season

MIT

The Keene State College women’s lacrosse team started off their season with a 24-16 loss against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Engineers. The game was played at MIT on Wednesday, March 1.

Within the first five minutes, both teams attempted two shots on goal. KSC senior Kelly Chadnick was the first to score, with an assist by first-year Gabby Smith. Less than three minutes later, a foul was called on the Owls, leading to a free position shot and goal for the Engineer’s first-year Rayna Higuchi.

By halftime, the Owls had managed to score eight goals, attempting 14. The Engineers attempted 20 goals and made 14.

Tim Smith/ Photo Editor

Tim Smith/ Photo Editor

The Owls also had 23 fouls by the end of the first half, while the Engineers only had 10. The Owls started off the second half with a goal in the first minute from sophomore Chelsea Lewis.

Five shots were attempted by the Engineers before the sixth one went in. The free position shot was made by sophomore Emily Young.

After that, 17 more fouls came for the Owls, giving them a game total of 46 fouls. The Engineers had 19 fouls. The Owls managed to score eight times in the second half, while the Engineers scored 11.

The last goal of the game came from Chadnick. The game ended with a score of 24-14.

Lewis was the highest scoring player for the Owls, making seven of her nine shots on goal. Lewis also had five draw controls and two turnovers during the game.

Junior Taylor Farland was the second highest scoring player for the Owls. She had seven shots on goal, scoring four of them. With four draw controls and five turnovers, Farland also had two assists.

Roger Williams

The Keene State College Owls’ women’s lacrosse team took on their second game of the season against the Roger Williams University (RWU) Hawks. After originally being postponed, the game took place at WRU’s field on Sunday, March 5.

The game started off with possession and an attempt on-goal from the Hawks. After the Owls gained possession of the ball seven separate times, KSC sophomore Chelsea Lewis scored the first goal. The goal was a free position shot.

The second shot of the game came three minutes later from RWU sophomore Emily Stoeppel.

The Hawks managed to score four more goals, all made by RWU junior Kaelin Hogan.

By halftime, the Hawks had 21 fouls, while the Owls only had 13. In addition, the Hawks had 12 shots on goal and five saves in goal. The Owls had 10 shots on goal and four saves.

Although the Hawks started with the ball, the Owls made the first goal of the second half within the first two minutes. The score was 5-2, in favor of the Hawks.

Less than one minute later, the Hawks responded to the Owls’ goal, attempting and making a goal of their own. Stoeppel made the free position shot, bringing her game total to two goals.

As the game continued, the Owls scored two more shots before the Hawks scored again. KSC seniors Kelly Chadnick and Chelsea Lewis both scored goals, respectively. Junior Tori Weinstock assisted Chadnick on the goal.

The Hawks scored five more times throughout the game; the Owls scored four additional goals.

The game ended with a score of 11-8, with the Hawks winning the game.

Three out of the Owls’ eight goals came from Chadnick, who also managed to have four shots on goal. Junior Taylor Farland also had four shots on goal. Farland and Lewis both made two goals during the game.

Alexandria Saurman can be contacted at asaurman@kscequinox.com

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