Nominations are being accepted for Campus Contact for New Hampshire President’s Awards.

The three awards, which are given out annually, are President’s Leadership Award, President’s Good Steward Award, and President’s Community Partner Award.

According to a press release from the President’s office Chief of Staff Patricia Francis, they are presented to students, faculty, staff, and community organizations for involvement in community service, service-learning, or civic engagement.

According to the press release, the mission of Campus Contact is “to be a catalyst to integrate community service and civic responsibility throughout the academic and student life goals of its member institutions”.

To learn more about these awards, visit the Campus Contact for New Hampshire website.

Devon can be contacted at droberts@kscequinox.com

On Tuesday, February 16, a disturbance occurred involving a local homeless man in the Mason Library.

According to Keene Police Department, the man was involved in “a disturbance of some sort”.

The man was ultimately given a no-trespass order for campus.

Devon can be contacted at droberts@kscequinox.com

The smell of spices and sizzling sound of exotic foods could be noticed throughout the Student Center last Monday.

As a part of the The Global Chef program run by Sodexo, chefs from around the world will visit Keene State College and other colleges to teach the dining hall staff how to make dishes from their countries.

General manager of the dining commons Josef Quirinale said that KSC has brought in chefs from about 15 countries over the past ten years this program has been on campus.

This week featured Piotr Bronikowski from Poland and Naveen Achanta from India.

Bronikowski served Polish pancakes with Blinis, served with sour cream and caviar.

Tim Smith / Photo Editor

“It’s posh because caviar is expensive so you won’t see it in a Polish home, but you can certainly get it in a restaurant,” Bronikowski said.

Regarding the differences between food in Poland and in the U.S., Bronikowski said that food here is much more diverse.

“You have all sorts of dishes from around the globe really, because there is influence of immigrants, and each of them bring something to it,” Bronikowski said, “Our food is not as vibrant…we only really use salt and pepper, whereas you guys will use loads and loads of spices.

Additionally, Achanta prepared a lamb curry served with rice.

In contrast to Polish food, Achanta said that Indian food was very diverse, mainly due to the use of spices.

“We have a lot of choices, a lot of varieties, blends of spices together, different colors in the dishes…just a mix-match of everything with a lot of diversity,” Achanta said.

The global chef program teaches chefs at the dining commons to learn how to make these dishes so they can continue to serve them to students, according to Quirinale.

Quirinale said that the global chefs come in and train dining staff from here and other colleges to prepare these exotic cuisines with the purpose of introducing students to foods from other countries.

Tim Smith / Photo Editor

“When you go to the DC and have paella, [a global chef] came from Spain four years ago and taught us how to make it the real way…That’s the neat thing, the chef’s come and teach us how to make the foods from their country and then the food’s keep showing up in the DC,” Quirinale said.

Concerning student response to the global chef program, KSC senior Abbie Sweatt said that she was pleased with the selection of exotic food.

“It’s really good. It’s fun to have different food,” Sweatt said. In addition, KSC sophomore Selena Lefebvre said that she likes the idea of the program. “I like having this opportunity to try different foods from different cultures. I’ve never tried any of this stuff before and it really kind of opens my mind to different cultures.

Looking forward, Quirinale said that Achanta will return to KSC on the week of Feb. 29, to bring more Indian cuisine to campus. “Look for more dishes coming up,” Achanta said.

As for the student response, Lefebvre said that she would definitely try exotic foods from global chefs again.

“These are amazing. I’m probably going to get another one of those pancakes,” Lefebvre said.

Devon can be contacted at droberts@kscequinox.com

Governor of New Jersey and 2016 Republican candidate Chris Christie appeared at the Keene Elks Lodge last Thursday.

Christie discussed a number of topics, including his weight.

According to the Union Leader, Christie said that the Democratic party’s biggest question is how to spend taxpayer money.

Christie is currently polling at 6 percent for the New Hampshire primary.

Devon can be contacted at droberts@kscequinox.com

Senator and 2016 Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders visited Keene last Tuesday to discuss his policies.

The turn out for the event exceeded capacity of the Colonial theatre on Main Street, with overflow being sent to Brewbakers coffee shop next door to hear a live stream of the event.

Among topics, Sanders discussed the state of the economy, climate change and education.

This was Sanders’s second visit to Keene since the start of the academic year. He has also visited Nashua, Manchester, Derry, Durham and Concord in the week leading up to the New Hampshire primary.

Devon can be contacted at droberts@kscequinox.com

October at Keene State College brings with it a number of fall-related campus activities and events for students to participate in.

It can also draw non-KSC students to visiting their friends on campus and staying as guests in the residence halls.

This year, a no-guest policy was put into place for on-campus students for the last three weekends in October.

Vice President for Student Affairs Kemal Atkins said that while the policy is not new in terms of not allowing guests for a specific time, it is new in the sense that it is being enforced for these particular weekends.

“While we typically throughout the course allow guests in our residence halls, the activities and events for October are focused more on students in our community,” Atkins said. “[It’s] a way for us to reinforce our expectations for students across campus [during] certain times of the year where behavior’s a little bit more unpredictable.”

Atkins continued, “I think without saying a number of people understand how we’re moving forward with regards to October this year.”

Students had mixed reactions regarding this policy.

Sophomore Cecelee Young said that while there are many who are unhappy about the policy, something needed to be done.

“I know a lot of people don’t like it, but I think that it was necessary this year because of the events of last year,” Young said. “We are Keene State as a whole, and we represent one another as peers. I think that the actions of our peers do represent every single individual and we do have to have consequences to what we participated in as a school.”

Additionally, sophomore Jon Savina said that there might be a better way to handle the problem, yet he understands why the policy is in place.

“When my friends came up last year, we weren’t involved in the rioting at all. In fact, we helped clean up the night of. But, it’s understandable,” Savina said.

On the other hand, first-year students who were not members of the KSC community during this time last year had opinions on the policy.

First-year student Callie Grotton said that she finds some things about the policy unfair.

“I think something is definitely necessary, but I feel like the people who are incoming freshman, it’s not really fair to us because we’re starting off not with a clean slate,” Grotton said.

In addition, first-year student Connor Haller said that the policy is understandable, but also unfair.

“We didn’t really have anything to do with it…Maybe they could [implement it] more for the upperclassman dorms and not for the freshman dorms,” Haller said.

Atkins said that there was a no-guest policy enacted for residence halls during the time of the Super Bowl last year, and that this is not a new idea.

“Every year is different, and as we look at information [from] previous years…if we feel with all that information and all that input that we need to put certain policies or practices for a period of time we’ll do that,” Atkins said.

Senior Natasha Young said that she is supportive of the policy.

“It’s in place for a reason, and I think that Keene State felt that they had to take some sort of action in response for the events that took place last year,” Natasha said. “I think students are upset about it…but at the end of the day they understand that Keene State did what they had to do and did what was necessary to take some sort of preventative measures to make sure what happened last year doesn’t happen again.”

Aside from support from the student community, Atkins said that he believes that the larger community of the city of Keene supports this among other measures KSC has taken.

“We’ve gotten a lot of support from the city and residents about a number of the measures the college has taken with our students, not against our students but with our students, to assure that we have the best possible environment,” Atkins said.

Atkins continued, “It’s a part of our larger efforts as a college to provide a supportive and safe environment…There are times where activities and events should essentially be with the family and we think of ourselves as a family here at Keene State.”

Devon can be contacted at droberts@kscequinox.com

Campus was full of excitement this past Friday when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came to address students and community members in the Mabel Brown Room through a discussion on gun violence and a question-and-answer session.

According to the polls on realclearpolitics, Clinton is currently the top democratic candidate for the upcoming primary election.

The Mabel Brown Room was packed with spectators, including a number of Keene State College students.

KSC senior Zach Brown said that he was there to ask Clinton about her stance on climate change.

“[She] put in this energy plan called Challenge Grants. It’s something I’m pretty interested in hearing. I want to hear what she has to say about our specific town in general,” Brown said. “It’s like a rewards system…I’m just wondering what she will do to reward our towns for going green.”

KSC sophomore Alyssa Flattery said that, although she was attending for a Communications class, she is also a Clinton supporter.  “I think we need a woman in office,” Flattery said.

KSC first-year Toby Riffle said that he was there to hear what Clinton had to say and become more informed.   “I’m kind of weighing out between Bernie and Hilary. I’m still a little undecided so hopefully this will clear things up,” Riffle said.

In addition to curious students, there was a group of protestors outside of the student center prior to the town hall.

Among these protestors was KSC Republican president Kate Sharon.  “Diversity of opinion is good, I think Republicans are underrepresented here at Keene State, so that’s why I’m here,” Sharon said.

Clinton said her campaign was focused heavily on gun control and gun violence, a topic that was introduced with KSC graduate and gun control activist Clai Lasher-Sommers sharing her story.

Lasher-Sommers said she was a survivor of gun violence and was shot by her stepfather when she was 13 years old.

“It’s not easy for me to talk about my own personal experience, but it’s important that people really, really understand the effects that gun violence has on not only the people who are shot, but on the community as a whole,” Lasher-Sommers said.

Lasher-Sommers said that she was shot in her bedroom, and then was brought to Old Keene Hospital, which is now the Elliot Center on campus.

“Today, decades later, I still feel the effects of gun violence and domestic abuse,” Lasher-Sommers said. “I feel it like a flashback, with every shooting in New Hampshire and across this country.”

Lasher-Sommers said that she refuses to believe that we should all live in fear of being shot, which is why she supports Clinton and her views on gun violence.

“This is not a new fight, but it’s a winnable one,” Lasher-Sommers said.

Clinton said that she wants more people to hear stories like Lasher-Sommers’s in hopes that it will inspire better gun control laws and practices.

According to Clinton, 90 people a day die as a result of gun violence.

“As president, I will push and achieve universal background checks, something that a majority of Americans support, and something that a majority of gun-owners support,” Clinton said.

Clinton continued and said that she would go as far as to use executive action if necessary to achieve this goal because of its significance.

Following the discussion on gun violence, Clinton answered a number of audience questions. She addressed issues such as student debt, education reform, drug-related concerns, equality in the LGBT community and environmental issues. Clinton said that student debt was another important issue to her.

According to Clinton, there are over 40 million Americans with student debt, but it is also possible for them to refinance that debt.

“Everybody else can refinance their debt, corporations can refinance their debt, you can refinance your mortgage, you can refinance your car payment, why is it students can’t refinance their debt?” Clinton said. “Too many people are being held back because of this debt.”

Clinton said that those in debt could pay a percentage of their income and not have to worry about high fixed rates they could not afford if she were to be elected.

Additionally, Clinton discussed student loans.

Jake Coughlin / Administrative Executive editor

“I think the FAFSA application is absurd,” Clinton said. “The application turns people off, and it penalizes people like your parents, so it’s a lose-lose.”

Clinton said that if students could work part-time that her goal would be to provide debt-free tuition to those students for public colleges.

“The federal government should not be making a profit off of student loans,” Clinton said. “The hardest part about going to college shouldn’t be figuring how to pay for it.”

Additionally, education reform was discussed. “We have to do more to actually pay attention to what educators tell us about what will work in the classroom,” Clinton said. “It’s too much about the latest fads, the latest products, the latest models, instead of taking a deep breath and talking to experts who have done an enormous amount of research about what really works.”

Clinton said that early education is important because the first five years of a child’s life is a vital time for learning. She said that she was looking forward to working with teachers and parents alike.

Another major concern addressed was the drug problem in the country. Clinton said that there is currently a heroin epidemic that affects the lives of so many, and in order to progress there would have to be changes made to the way that it is handled.

“I really believe it’s a public health issue,” Clinton said. “It’s really about the lives that are affected, and all those who are trying to help their loved one or trying to cope with the fact that they can’t.”

According to Clinton, only one in ten seeking treatment for heroin addiction have access to it. Clinton said that in Laconia, NH, drug addiction is beginning to be treated as an issue of health and that those suffering from addiction are provided with access to treatment rather than serving jail time.

Furthermore, Clinton touched upon the LGBT community.

“Largely because of my strong opposition to discrimination of any sort and my personal relationships with a lot of people over the years, I certainly concluded that marriage equality should be the law of the land,” Clinton said. Same-sex marriage was federally legalized this past Summer, and Clinton said she is pleased with this outcome. Moreover, environmental issues were discussed. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) was one topic an audience member brought to light.

Clinton said that she would want more research done, because there are certain instances where GMOs could be helpful, such as in the case of drought-resistant crops.

However, she said that this research would be necessary because there is so much that is unknown about GMOs. “I’m a huge believer in safety and the right to know,” Clinton said. “I’m not pro, forward, no questions asked…but I’m also not anti, no questions asked.”

Clinton said that she supports the Department of Agriculture labeling products and providing information to the consumers.

The Town Hall with Clinton was possible due to the American Democracy Project (ADP). ADP is an organization that supports informing and engaging college students in democracy, encouraging them to become engaged in their communities. Student body president Bobby Graham is involved with ADP. Graham said that through ADP he has worked closely with a number of professors and has had opportunities to travel and present at conventions.

“[ADP] really focuses on civic engagement, and the importance of civic engagement here at Keene State College. It has opened so many doors and so many opportunities for me,” Graham said. Those interested in involvement with KSC’s chapter of ADP can contact KSC economics professor Patrick Dolenc at pdolenc@keene.edu.

Devon can be contacted at droberts@kscequinox.com

The purpose of Campus Safety is to ensure students remain safe by providing services that can establish a feeling of comfort and security to them. One of these services is escorting students from different points on campus, or even to their off campus residences, be it by car or by foot.

Amanda Guthorn, director of Campus Safety, said that these escorts are primarily for the safety of students. “We will give escorts to people from campus to off campus to their apartment or residence within a certain area. That’s anytime … I mean with finals week labs are open until around two in the morning so we would do escorts,” Guthorn said. During certain hours there is a shuttle that can fit up to seven students, which is available for transportation. “The idea of the shuttle was to support the academic mission of the college so we want to support students getting back and forth during class times and also for students that live on campus that don’t have access to a vehicle so that they can go food shopping or pick up necessities, those types of things,” Guthorn said.

The hours of the shuttle are Monday through Thursday from 7:30 p.m. until 1:00 a.m., Saturday from

Tim Smith / Photo Editor

noon until 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 6:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. While these hours are helpful to many students, there are some whose requests for rides fall outside of these limited windows of time. These students can still end up in situations where they do not feel comfortable walking alone, and have run into some issues regarding attempts to find an escort. Karissa Dunn, sophomore, said she has requested multiple rides from Campus Safety this academic year and while many of her requests have been met, there are a number of issues that she has also faced.

Dunn said she lives in an Owl’s Nest, and arrives in the Winchester lot around 1:00 a.m. many nights out of the week, where she phones Campus Safety for a ride.

“I’ve had numerous occasions where they’ve told me the shuttle is not running and hang up the phone so I’m left at one in the morning without a ride,” Dunn said.

On these occasions, Dunn said she parks her car in the Owl’s Nest lot and moves it in the morning before receiving a parking ticket, rather than walking down the bike path alone. She has only ever received one ticket that she is currently attempting to appeal. “It’s their fault I got the ticket in the first place because they wouldn’t provide me with a ride,” Dunn said. The appeals office denied Dunn’s initial request, but she is continuing to fight the ticket. Sarah Lennon, sophomore, has also run into issues regarding ride requests from Campus Safety.

Lennon said she was at the Hannaford Plaza on West Street when it suddenly became really dark and began to downpour. “I didn’t want to walk home in it, I was going to have to walk down Pearl Street or Island Street which are a bit sketchy and I didn’t really feel good about it, so I called Campus Safety and asked if there was anyway somebody could pick me up and they just said no, sorry. I was like, what if something happened when I was walking home?” Lennon said. Emily Conrad, junior, is another student who has faced problems when phoning Campus Safety for a ride. “A few weeks ago, I had broken my toe and was on campus. I live off campus, by Ramuntos and had called campus safety around 2 a.m. and told them what had happened. I was not intoxicated, I just simply could not walk home on my toe. I had asked them for a ride from Butler to my house after explaining I did not feel I could walk and their response to me was, ‘Yeah, unfortunately we are not able to do that’ and hung up with me. I was very disappointed, considering we are always told Campus Safety is there for us and is always just a phone call away,” Conrad said.

Guthorn addressed these types of complaints and said that the issue mainly comes down to staffing. “I’ve told my staff that’s a priority, safety is a priority for our department, to get people home,” Guthorn said. “We do about ten thousand rides a year between the two shuttles and we’d love to see students use them during the hours more often. In terms of after hours, it’s about safety from campus because we’re supporting the academic mission to their home.”

Guthorn said that students in areas such as the Winchester lot would take priority over students in safer areas. “If we have multiple calls … and there’s somebody at the Winchester lot, that person is going to take higher priority because they’re out there, they’re not in an area that’s protected as opposed to an occupied building so the officers will prioritize based on that,” Guthorn said.

Additionally, Dunn said that she requested a ride from the Winchester lot after returning from her Praxis exam for her Education major in Concord one evening, and it was outside the operating hours of the shuttle. “I had called Campus Safety for a ride, and they had once again told me the shuttle wasn’t running and hung up the phone, and I had to walk back to my nest alone,” Dunn said. Guthorn said that these types of issues have to come to her in order to be fixed.

“Without knowing the specifics, it’s really hard for me to address,” Guthorn said. “When I do get that information, I act upon it right away. I’ve made it very clear to my staff that those requests need to be honored.” Lennon said that she thinks that students calling for rides should always be met. “People don’t like to interact with Campus Safety for no reason, and I feel like people who call for rides usually really need them,” Lennon said. “I think that I shouldn’t need to tell Campus Safety that I don’t feel safe and that I need an escort. I think that if I call and say I need a ride then that’s good enough. I wouldn’t be calling if I felt safe and didn’t need an escort,” Dunn said.

“Since we were freshmen, we have been told we can call campus safety for any reason. I think what can be done to fix this is for campus safety to stay true to their word and when a student of Keene State calls them for help they do what they can to help,” Conrad said. Guthorn said that students going out at night should think about where it is they are going before doing so. “When you go out, you make choices about where you’re going and when you’re going and who you’re going with. If you know you’re going to be out late, you need to take that into consideration,” Guthorn said.

Devon Roberts Can be contacted at droberts@kscequinox.com

This week’s student assembly was the last meeting of the semester. The agenda included elections for three open positions on next year’s Eboard, and a potential new committee was discussed.

The open positions included treasurer, secretary, and speaker. The first to be decided was treasurer.

Christine Nigzus, current treasurer, was nominated to serve again next semester.

She ran unopposed, with a unanimous decision to re-elect her. Secretary was the next election, and the nominations were Dominique Vallaincourt, Bethany Peterson, and Laura Grahm.

All three candidates have been on student assembly for the same amount of time, and had the same amount of experience.

Graham was voted to the position. “I want the extra work . . . I feel like I can do more on assembly,” Graham said.

The final election was for speaker. The nominations were Vallaincourt and Bridgette Normadin won the election. “She’s really good at stepping up when she needs to,” Kristen Reid, member of student assembly, said.

Bobby Graham, student body president, spoke during reports about the overall year they had. “Really good job this year guys. This was one hell of a year. We got thrown a couple curve balls … There’s still a lot of work to do, but we’re heading in the right direction,” Graham said.

Student government is wrapping up the academic year this Thursday with the carnival to be held on campus.

Devon Roberts can be contacted at droberts@kscequinox.com

Keene State finished its series of presentations relating to the 20th anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide with “Building Hope in Rwanda and Healthcare for All,” an event addressing the need for health care for the LGBT community in Rwanda.

On Monday, April 22, students, faculty and community members congregated in the Mabel Brown Room for a presentation regarding the Health Development Initiative [HDI] in Rwanda and what we in the Keene community can do.

The event included presentations from students enrolled in professor Therese Seibert’s Sociology of Genocide class.

The students covered Rwanda’s geography, early, colonial, and post-colonial history, the 1994 genocide, post-genocide Rwanda and HDI’s background.

In addition to the student presentations, there was Rwandan food and music, a silent auction of crafts and a speaker representing HDI.

The food included samosas and fried plantains, provided by a number of campus organizations and departments that supported the event.

These organizations include the Fair Trade Club, Habitat for Humanity, Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Club and the Campus Commission for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

The departments that took part were Holocaust and Genocide studies, sociology, anthropology, and criminology.

Mark Di Ianni, KSC alumnus, attended a trip to Rwanda organized by Seibert last summer where the art for the auction came from. They worked closely with Never Again Rwanda, an organization founded to prevent genocide from happening in Rwanda again.

“Their commitment is to empower youth to build critical thinking skills in order to prevent conflict,” Di Ianni said.

“So we learn about all the social and psychological factors that contribute to conflict and learned about what you can do to step in and prevent those factors,” he continued.

Heather O’Brien / Equinox Staff

Di Ianni attended the trip with four other KSC students, five students from Utah and nine Rwandan participants.

Among these participants was Kelly Christianson, KSC alumni.

Christianson recently won the Susan J. Herman award for Holocaust and Genocide awareness and has been accepted to work with the Peace Corps in Rwanda.

Shannon Cavanaugh, junior, will be going on the same trip this summer.

Cavanaugh majors in psychology and holocaust and genocide studies, and said that her genocide class sparked her interest in Rwanda.

“I never knew that students had the opportunity to go to Rwanda, and that’s somewhere where I had always wanted to go based on knowledge of the genocide,” Cavanaugh said. She said that they were going on a two-week peace-building trip with Never Again Rwanda to participate in post-genocide reconstruction.

“I’m hoping to get a more personal connection with the genocide because we’re going to potentially have presenters who have survived, and were alive during the genocide. I’ll get to see what it’s really like living in Rwanda and what it was like for these people,” Cavanaugh said.

Aflodis Kagaba, co-founder and executive director of HDI, spoke on behalf of the organization and educated those in attendance about their vision and mission.

HDI aims to build a healthcare facility that is a safe place for the LGBT community, where they will not be discriminated against.

While there are no laws against homosexuality in Rwanda, there are prejudices and stigmas associated with it that prevent many in the community from having access to healthcare. “We want to provide services to everyone, to all these marginalized groups,” Kagaba said.

“Maybe what we are calling homophobia at this level could also be ignorance. That’s why I think for me, this investment needs to be done in times of creating awareness, times of creating opportunities, times of creating services and then people progressively are going to change.”

According to Allison Picone, Sociology of Genocide student, Architecture students at KSC have already contributed to HDI’s mission.

“The architecture department at Keene State actually made designs for the facility and they went over there during Winter break,” Picone said.

Seibert also hosted an event earlier this semester featuring a Rwandan Genocide survivor.

“This was one genocide that I felt some shame over given the role of the United States during this genocide. A refusal to call it genocide, a refusal to support troops going there . . . Our record on this genocide, I felt ashamed about,” Seibert said.

Kagaba said that with the help of the Keene community, he hopes the facility will be built by 2017.

“We ask all other African countries to take a step forward and avoid disconnecting it’s own people,” Kagaba said. “It’s complicated, but slowly people are going to start to understand.”

According to Seibert, anyone can help with projects such as HDI by spreading the word, attending fundraisers, or making donations. Students can also partake in one of these upcoming trips to Rwanda.

Devon can be contacted at droberts@kscequinox.com