“Alcohol has been seen as a gift of God, and it’s also something that’s been seen as a gift of the Devil,” John Finneran, PhD, said.

According to Finneran, a Health Science professor at Keene State College who has his PhD in Psychology: Alcoholism Studies, alcohol is one of the oldest substances known to mankind; it has been used for food when water supplies have been undrinkable, as well as celebrations and religious ceremonies.

However, its consumption comes with negative repercussions, including (but not limited to) death, injury, assault and sexual abuse.

According to research by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, more than 80 percent of college students drink, and almost 50 percent report binge drinking in the past two weeks.

They define binge drinking as, “a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels to .08g/dL. This typically occurs after four drinks for women and five drinks for men in about two hours.” Despite these generally concrete numbers, Finneran explained how there is much more science to drinking than just counting your drinks. “Alcohol is a liquid that has a very simple chemical formula to it. This very simple chemical formula allows it to go to many places in the body. As a matter of fact, alcohol will go to any place in the body that there’s water, it’s water-soluble. If we count the hydrogen bonds in the human body, about ninety-five percent of our body is water. So any place there can be water, there can also go alcohol,” Finneran said.

He continued, “Assuming we’re drinking it, it usually takes about fifteen minutes or so before you start to feel the effects of a drink. That’s because it takes this long for the alcohol to make its way to the stomach and then to the small intestines. And that’s when it starts to be absorbed by the bloodstream. Once it’s absorbed in the bloodstream, the blood in its coursings will travel up to the brain.”

Finneran said that once the alcohol is in the brain, it can depress the Central Nervous System if it is not metabolized quickly enough by the body. This can put to sleep reason, judgement, metabolism, motor functioning, coordination and even our heartbeat and breathing. This happens when the extra alcohol is held in the blood stream.

“It takes about an hour to metabolize about an ounce-and-a-half of alcohol. But if I drink more than one drink in an hour, then the alcohol that is not metabolized is put on hold in the blood system in the blood stream. That’s where it will start to go to the brain and do its magic,” Finneran explained.

KSC junior and Substance Abuse minor Nicole Demers said that students in the Health Science department may have more knowledge about this process than other students.

“We get to learn how it affects our body and our brain and what it actually does to us. More than just getting the high, we know how it really can control some people and then not really affect others,” she said. Demers also said that some students are just not aware of all the consequences of alcohol.

“I feel like our campus has a wide variety, where there are people who are very responsible with it, then there are people who go out and do abuse it. But I’m assuming that they don’t know they’re abusing it or don’t know that they can be harming themselves in those specific ways,” she said. Finneran explained that students also may not be aware of the true consequences because of how they do learn about this information.

“Students have a lot of opinions about substances, but where do those opinions or ideas come from? Don’t we learn from our peers?” Finneran said.

“When students are initiated into the use of alcohol or other drugs, are they doing it in isolation or are they doing in a social context?

Photo Illustration by Jake Coughlin / Administrative Executive Editor & Tim Smith / Photo Editor

Sometimes when people are in groups, the group exerts a kind of pressure . . . We get a lot of information and experiences from others. Sometimes we get really good information from them. But sometimes we can get really bad information from them too. I would imagine that a lot of students have this common fund of knowledge about using various substances, alcohol included.”

Holocaust and Genocide Studies major Megan Penney said that she knows about how alcohol affects people after they drink it, including consequences such as alcohol being a depressant, addictive, dangerous and causing people to lack common sense as well as lower their inhibitions. She said she learned this kind of information from her peers during her first year at KSC.

“My minor (Psychology) gives me more info than anything else. Other than that I haven’t gotten anything about it, just stuff that I’ve already known,” Penney said. Both Demers and Finneran said that a program for incoming first-years would be the ideal solution to this lack of knowledge. Finneran explained that many years ago, there used to be a First-Year Experience program, where students lived in groups in the dorms, and took classes with each other with the same professors.

“There’s been some talk about trying to bring that back,” Finneran said of the program. “[It] helped make that first year transition a much more meaningful one. If you have that ritual and that container of community, then it might help students who will experiment. You’re expected to experiment when you’re a young adult and when you’re a teenager. You have to decide how you’re going to use psychoactive substances for yourself. But if it was done in a way where you could do it kind of safely, it may not have some of the negative consequences.” Demers agreed, and said that what KSC does now is good, but that students should take it more seriously.

“We have that alcohol survey we have to do. People really don’t take their time and be very sincere on it. They just blow through it to get it over with. If they actually take their time and realize how much they’re drinking or how much drugs they’re using, that could affect them a little bit more.”

Demers said alcohol will be a part of the college lifestyle for a long time, but she does not think drinking responsibly is a hopeless cause.

“I feel like alcohol will always be something that’s here. It’s something for people to do and get together . . . students just need to be responsible and conscious of what they’re drinking and how much they’re drinking, and how many nights of the week they’re actually drinking. Everyone is smart, everyone can take care of themselves.”

Finneran had similar thoughts. He said, “Alcohol can bring great joy, as many other substances can in a particular social context. It can also bring great sadness and suffering. Know that before you go into something, think, think, think. It [alcohol] can be associated with some of the happiest times of your life, but it can also be associated with some of the saddest times of your life.”

Diana Pimer can be contacted at dpimer@kscequinox.com

Three days after the United States entered World War I on April 6, 1917, 15 Keene men, most of them seniors at Keene High School, had signed up for the U.S. Navy and were ready to ship out the next day.

According to the April 9, 1917 Keene Evening Sentinel, the students were all in their teens, but “full in their patriotism.”

A week before the declaration of war on Germany, the Keene militia looked to add bodies to their unit to maximize peace strength. State militias, or military forces, were formed by the National Guard starting in 1914. As war approached, more men were needed for New Hampshire’s branch.

Man.  Married.  Of good strength. 18 to 45 years old.

These qualifications were given by the Adjutant General of New Hampshire, the senior military officer who commands the state’s military forces. While 150 of these men were being recruited, “a patriotic mass meeting rallied in Keene.” Citizens came out to support President Woodrow Wilson’s decision to go to war.

The meeting took place at City Hall, which stood in the same location it currently does — 3 Washington St., exactly where Central Square meets Washington St. at the end of Main St. in downtown Keene.

For the Keene residents left behind, the first year of America’s involvement in the war produced a home front defined by sacrifice and civic or financial contributions.

Next door to City Hall, at 16 Central Square, was the Keene Gas & Electric Co. The company was the first to start supporting President Wilson and the declaration of war. “Join the Plant a Garden Army,” an advertisement read. “Do your part to prepare the country against disaster. A garden full of good things to eat makes you secure against advances in price by many food necessities.”

In May, Wilson appointed Herbert Hoover director of the Food Administration Act, an effort to ration food, increase its rate of production and equally distribute it to citizens, troops and allies.

Throughout the month, Keene residents supported the act by making “comfort kits” for the troops and planting seeds in gardens to produce more food.

Citizens were asked to increase crops and save food, seed, labor and land.

The Keene Evening Sentinel exhorted citizens to the fact, “the whole nation is awakening to the fact that there is a shortage of food; the starvation is possible and even probable unless immediate measures are taken to conserve what we have and to produce more.”

On May 10, 1917, the City of Keene held another mass meeting about “food production and safety of the city.”

The city held the meeting to ensure there would not be any starvation during the time of the war, when prices would significantly increase.

In a time when a loaf of bread was 5 cents, a box of chocolate candy was 39 cents and a half pint of potatoes was 25 cents, the people of Keene showed many levels of sacrifice.

Sacrifice food, sacrifice money, or sacrifice a life; these were the options Keene residents faced in June 1917.  Various ways to make these sacrifices were provided. However, for those who gave a life, June 5  was a special day — a day many residents would not forget.

At 7 a.m., church bells rang in Registration Day. A large American Flag was raised as a number of men registered.

In accordance to the Selective Service Act of 1917, all male inhabitants aged 21 to 31, alien or citizen, had to register. The federal government needed to increase the number of men in a national army for America’s entry into the war.

By 2 p.m., 576 Keene men had registered for the draft.

By June 6, 792 men had done their civic duty. The City of Keene had the most men register in Cheshire County, with Walpole a distant second with 205 men.

As these men offered their lives, other citizens offered their money. While citizens tirelessly planted seeds and picked crops, all local banks were advertising for people to also purchase Liberty Loans, war bonds used to support America’s efforts in World War I.

According to FederalReserveHistory.com, citizens bought loans that would be paid back to them after the war. The money was used by the government to help fund America’s military efforts. By June 6, $200,000 worth of Liberty Loans had been purchased by Keene citizens.

Buying a Liberty Loan was how citizens showed their patriotism for their country.  Also, they could purchase a five-by-eight foot American flag from the Keene Skirt Company, or they could donate dollars to the government.

The month of July brought draft messages to Cheshire County.

During this time, registered men were actually drafted into the war and for Keene, their draft numbers stayed small because on July 21,  the first draft day for Keene, citizens were informed that only four Keene men were drafted into the nation-wide army of 687,000 men.

All registrants were given a number, and numbers were picked randomly for the draft.

“The smallness of the number was a surprise, but a very welcome one,” a Keene Evening Sentinel article said. The first man drafted, Guy T. Tacy, would start a trend for the rest of the month of a select few men being chosen.

Three days later, it was announced that Keene gained a small draft quota again; with Cheshire County having the smallest numbers in the state.

In total, by the end of the process on July 25, 2,300 men from the County were drafted.

At 6 a.m. the next day, a record-breaking crowd gathered on Main St. and Central Square. They were sending off the soldiers to “somewhere in France.”

Summer, today, still brings times of happiness and camaraderie.

In 1917, times were no different. On Aug. 16, the Red Cross organized a patriotic concert at Normal Hall, a Keene State College academic hall at the time, at 8 p.m. Admission was 25 cents, all proceeds went to making comfort kits and gifts for the soldiers.

These included toothbrushes, toothpaste, pencils, thread, soap, mirrors, jackknives, combs and handkerchiefs.

According to the Keene Evening Sentinel, “there was a small audience but the concert was a success.”

Along with a 28-person chorus, soloists performed well-known songs to boost spirits. Perhaps the most anticipated song of the night, “The Star Spangled Banner,” was performed by soloist Annie Chadon. She also performed a popular song at the time,  “Sweet and Low.”

Other soloists included Alvira Casillo, who sang patriotic songs and “Love’s Old Sweet Song,” and Marion Parker with “Blue Bells of Scotland.”

As the singers faced a supportive crowd, the members of the First New Hampshire Regiment, who were not even in battle yet, faced tough conditions at camp.

Stationed in Concord, food was scarce and the men needed to clear away stumps and brush in order to create a base camp.

They performed tough training, including digging trenches, and lacked uniforms to wear. “Many had to work in their ‘Sunday clothes’ which were all they had.”

However, according to an early August edition of the Keene Evening Sentinel, conditions were beginning to brighten up, partially as a result from the citizens back home in Keene.

The concert helped the Red Cross order 200 more comfort kits for the troops. On Aug. 21, they were sent to soldiers in New Hampshire camps.

In September, another movement to comfort and support the soldiers began.

The camps were requesting books and magazines, so that the soldiers could continue reading.

The material would help speed the lonely hours, and the goal was to provide them with a library. “Books Banish Blues,” a Sept. 22 ad read.

On Oct. 12, cablegrams said, “Keene men were safe in Europe and began to have a sense of security.”

Despite this, the soldiers were still in need.

October weather brought a cold, rainy and windy atmosphere to Keene. The month also brought the second Liberty Loan efforts.

According to the Museum of American Finance, when businesses were initially advertising for Liberty Loans, they were working for the federal government’s First Liberty Bond Act.

October brought the Second Liberty Bond Act, which was organized because the first did not raise enough money to fund the war efforts.

The government tried again with advertising likely to get most citizens’ attention.

One October ad from the Liberty Loan Committee of New England read, “Can You Sleep Tonight knowing that young Americans across the water are hurling their living bodies against steel bayonets for your protection that they are facing poison gas and liquid flame to keep America safe, fighting that our women may not be the playthings and our homes the plunder of autocratic militarists and You Have not Bought a Bond [Loan]?”

Loans were sold at $1 a week and could be purchased at any local bank. On Oct. 26, the banks stayed open late to accommodate Liberty Loan purchasers on the final day. On Oct. 29, it was reported the Liberty Loan total for Cheshire Country was $738,450. A total of 2,578 people had donated. Keene had the highest donation of the county, totaling $545,750. Marlborough was second with $47,550.

While the Second Liberty Loan Act came to a close, citizens were still asked to support the war. On Nov. 9, a community meeting was held at City Hall. According to an article from this day by the Keene Evening Sentinel, the goal was to “show appreciation for your boys.”

Participants at the meeting discussed the Red Cross’s efforts to give every soldier a Christmas present.

Six days later, the deadline for donating to this cause resulted in over $1,000 raised.

Nonetheless, there was even more efforts of conservation and support. The Food Administration Act was on-going, and the federal government had volunteers make public demonstrations about conserving food and increasing patriotism.

Irene Weed, the Hoover food demonstrator for Keene, said there needed to be extended effort to conserve fats for the war on Nov. 26.

Some local businesses were in full support, as a restaurant called BON TON’s ad read, “meatless and wheatless days.” The restaurant worked with local hotels to have a few of these nights every week where people did not eat meat and made bread with other grains.

The efforts from the citizens were appreciated by the soldiers, however, the worst of the war had yet to come and support was a continuous need.Capt. Walter C. Ellis of Co. H, affirmed this in a letter home to his wife. He wrote, “If it were not for the Y.M.C.A., letters from the boys over here would be few and far between. They are doing a great work for the boys and should receive the hearty support of the people over home. Their huts are furnishing the only places where the men can get warm, and they are giving away all the paper and envelopes.”

The Keene Evening Sentinel then added, “Have you helped your bit yet?” While the soldiers were thankful, they remained in need. As the year came to a close, the support continued. The Keene Red Cross held a dance to further help the soldiers. Attendance rose to a record-setting number for any Keene dance, and proceeds went to the Keene soldiers.

While the new year would bring new battles, the amount of support needed from hometown Keene remained the same. Citizens would still be asked to sacrifice food, money and more. Some would even sacrifice their lives.

In fact, it would be another seven months before Keene residents learned news about the first battle death of one of their own.

On November 18, 1985, New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor sacked Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann. At the point of the sack, Theismann suffered from a compound fracture in his leg; he never played again.

On April 28, 2012, Keene State College baseball catcher Matt Boulay tagged a Southern Maine hitter at home plate. At the point of the tag, Boulay suffered from torn ligaments off  his thumb — but he played again.

In the world of sports, injuries come in a variety of severities. Whether it is a fractured leg or torn thumb ligaments, some athletes recover and others do not.

While Theismann’s fracture kept him off the field forever, Boulay’s tear kept him off the diamond for eight weeks and an entire summer.

Nonetheless, he had the opportunity to take this journey back to baseball.

Boulay explained that this was only the first of a series of season-ending injuries.

“It was the last regular season game of my sophomore year when I tore the ligaments off my thumb. I ended up having surgery. Then last year during our first game down in Florida I broke my hand and missed all of last season. Then I played three weeks of summer ball and broke my hand again, so I missed the rest of summer. Then I finally got back to playing in the fall,” Boulay said.

Teammates Vinnie Mangiagli and Shawn Egan described his injuries and his comeback to baseball.

Brian Cantore / Equinox Staff:
Boulay running from home plate in a game against Rhode Island College on Saturday April 12, 2014.

“It’s terrible,” Mangiagli said, “I couldn’t even imagine breaking my hand. Just from knowing him for so long I knew how tough he was and that he was going to be okay in the long run. I just hoped for the best recovery for him.”

“His sophomore year he was playing very well before he got hurt. He was hitting over .300. He was performing at a high level. It is difficult to see somebody of such importance go down. But once they come back and play at such a high level again it makes you happy to be friends with him and to know him,” Egan added.

After eight years of playing baseball with Boulay, [the three played four years of baseball together at East Catholic High School in Manchester, Conn.] it seems that his teammate’s confidence in him was accurate.

So far this season, Boulay has caught 15 of 39 opponents stealing home plate.

This 28 percent success rate is the highest of any Owls player.

Aside from his statistics as a catcher, Boulay is also second on his team for batting average and runs.

He is one of four players currently achieving a batting average above .300.

KSC Head Baseball Coach Ken Howe credited Boulay’s success to his mental proficiency.

“I think he just has a general knowledge of the game and ability to call the game. He sees everything in front of him, as a catcher needs to do. The catcher is the field-general out there. He has that ability to control the game,” he said.

Egan, a pitcher for the Owls, agreed with Howe.

“I love throwing to him. I’ve thrown to him for eight years so he knows my game. If I were to throw 100 pitches in a game I’d maybe shake him off twice. He knows exactly what pitch I want to throw in any situation. I have no problems throwing to him,” Egan said of Boulay’s talent as a catcher.

“On the field he is a very confident catcher behind the plate,” Mangiagli added.

However, while Boulay has quickly proven himself as a player, he has spent his whole life developing into a teammate, mentor and friend.

“Off the field he is going to be a person who is going to be supportive of what you ask him. If you ask him how to change something on the mound he’ll give you a straight-up answer and that’s respectable. He’s going to answer any questions younger kids have and anything that people have concerns about he’ll be able to converse and talk with you about,” Mangiagli said.

Egan added, “I’ve known him since my freshman year in high school; we started playing baseball in the spring of 2006. This will be the eighth year I’ve known him and we’ve always been really good friends since we’ve met. I see us being friends for probably a lifetime. He’s great — he’s a really funny kid. He always keeps you smiling and laughing.”

Even teammates Boulay hasn’t known for eight years admire him just the same.

“He cares a lot about the game of baseball and puts a lot of effort in on-and-off the field. He has shown us what it’s like to come back from an injury and what it takes to make a full recovery,” senior Andrew Gummow said.

“He’s a great kid, he really is. He is one of the hardest working players I’ve ever had and that says a lot in twenty-eight years. I don’t think there is anybody more prepared to catch forty games out of a forty-game season than Matt Boulay,” Howe said.

Diana Pimer can be contacted at dpimer@keene-equinox.com

Brian Clemmenson contributed to this story.

It is not uncommon for Keene State College to produce successful athletes. Just last year, Janel Haggerty won the women’s pentathlon at the NCAA championship, making a name for herself as a national champion.

Further, it is not uncommon for KSC to produce successful freshmen athletes.

One thing that may be uncommon for any college, however, is producing two stellar freshmen at the same time, for the same sport.

Nonetheless, the KSC Women’s Softball team is looking to change this.

According to the KSC athletics website, Owl freshmen Aliza Guerrero and Kayla Votto are currently first and second, respectively in team statistics for batting average, stolen bases and home runs.

In addition, statistics from the Little East Conference website showed they are currently sixth and ninth respectively in the batting average statistics for the entire LEC Conference.

Only one other freshman in the conference is in the top ten on this list.

“It’s kind of cool that we’re both freshmen and that we play on the field at the same time, and on the same side of the field too. She’s behind me, she plays left [outfield] and I play short [shortstop] so just the fact that we’re kind of next to each other really helps,” Votto said.

“I think outside of games we definitely get along well, that definitely helps. We’re also in different parts of the lineup which is a good thing,” Guerrero said.

She added,  “When she does something good I think, ‘Oh, good for Kayla.’ And then I think ‘Let’s do this freshmen thing and keep building on it.’”

“I think they’ve had a really big impact, especially as freshmen, stepping up and filling the positions that they need to,” sophomore teammate Heather Pelletier said.

In particular, the pair has combined for 16 of the team’s total 22 stolen bases for the season.

“They’re both good at getting on base, so they have the opportunities to steal bases,” Pelletier explained.

Votto said she developed this talent with the help of her father.

“When I used to steal, I never really got a good lead. Then my dad told me I needed to get a better jump. It’s kind of like cheating a little, you are leaving a little earlier. That definitely has helped me get more stolen bases than I have in the past,” Votto explained, “I have a good knowledge for the game.”

Guerrero also commented on stealing bases.“I love it, stealing a base is such a pride thing. Especially when you’re not getting called out, that’s the best part about it,” she said.

Guerrero credited her success in stolen bases and the season in general to her fitness and mindset.

“I definitely think working out on my own has helped me a lot and that’s what I was hoping for so I’m really happy about that. I also think it has to do with not really focusing on where I go in the season; I’m kind of just going with it. I think just having a clear mind in the season is helping me,” Guerrero expressed.Guerrero said she plans to continue this mindset throughout the rest of the season.

“Individually I just want to stay clear mentally and just take everything step by step. I don’t want to look ahead but I also don’t want to overlook the future,” she said.

Votto described her goals for the team as a whole to wrap up the season.

“We work together fine, we’re just struggling, we don’t really know where. We’re in a little rut but as soon as we get a winning streak going our spirits will be higher. The goal is obviously to make the LEC and NCAA tournaments,” Votto said.

Diana Pimer can be contacted at dpimer@keene-equinox.com

Cross country runners are a select breed of athletes: they have endurance to run races over three miles long, skill to conquer obstacles on the course and mental toughness to give their all for an entire race. 

Nonetheless, when you take a cross country runner off the course and put them onto the track, their entire state of mind changes.

“So many cross country runners complain about just running around an oval,” Keene State College Head Cross Country and Track and Field Coach, Peter Thomas, said.

Contributed Photo:
Samantha Goldsmith competes in the steeplechase event in the George Davis Invitational in Lowell on April 12.

According to Thomas, however, there is one event in collegiate track and field competition that emulates all the challenges of a cross-country race: steeplechase.

“For the track, what most athletes and coaches will say is that steeplechase is the closest thing you can get to cross country on the track,” Thomas said.

Further, according to Kaley Mientkiewicz, a junior steeplechase runner for the Owls, steeplechase is set up differently than all other track events.

“It’s just under two miles, it starts at the back stretch so it’s seven-and-a-half laps. Each lap has four dry steeples, which are just big hurdles, and then one water pit where the runner steps on the steeple and jumps over water. It’s deeper really close to the steeple area and gets shallower further away, so the objective is to jump as far out because the water is going to slow you down,” Mientkiewicz said.

According to Thomas, this is not an event that is typically offered in high school competition, so he seeks out certain runners from his team he knows can do well in the event.

“Steeple is only run after the season in Connecticut and not anywhere else in New England. So we usually look for someone who just has a hurdling background. We also look for the coordinated athlete that is strong, has some speed and that is mentally tough. We look for people like that,” Thomas said,  “Some years we have them and some years we don’t.”

This season, Thomas said he has two female runners that have the ability to compete in Steeplechase: Mientciewicz and sophomore Samantha Goldsmith.

“With Kaley’s  [Mientkiewicz] hurdling background she was a natural. For Sammy [Goldsmith] I just had a feeling she could do it,” Thomas said.

“Last year Pete [Thomas] just asked me if I’d like to try it and I said, ‘sure why not. It will be kind of fun.’ It’s a long distance event and it gives me something different to try,” Goldsmith said.

Melinda Noel / File Photo:
Runners say the steeplechase is the closest track event to outdoor running. They also say it takes a certain set of skills to excel in the event.

“I ran it once last year and I loved it so he said, ‘let’s put you in it again’ and I loved it again. I’m hoping to keep up with it this season, I’m excited for it,” Goldsmith continued.

In addition, these runners agree with Thomas that it takes certain physical and mental aspects to be competitive in steeplechase.

“I think being tall definitely helps. Kaley is a lot taller than me but we both have really long legs. I wouldn’t say it’s impossible for people who are shorter, but you need enough power to get over the hurdles and push yourself so I think people with long legs probably have an advantage. But I do think anyone can do it,” Goldsmith said.

However, both athletes think it is more of a mental event than a physical one.

“It’s a really mentally tough race because when you’re tired you can’t just go around the steeple. You’re probably just going to go straight down (into the deepest part of the water pit), which I’ve done before. It’s definitely a different race mentality, it’s more than just getting through it running-wise. You have to be in it the full-time, you can’t just zone out and focus on someone’s back. You have to be alert the whole time, which is what is so draining about it,” Mientkiewicz said.

“It forces them to think and not zone out,” Thomas added, “You know there’s twenty-eight hurdles they have to do so they really have to focus.”

So far in their careers, both Mientkiewicz and Goldsmith have established themselves as successful steeplechase runners.

Last season, Mientkiewicz qualified for all of the postseason meets aside from the national championships in the event.

“I haven’t gotten the start that I want so far, but I’m coming off an injury from cross [country] so I can’t get down on myself too much. I’d like to see myself making all three postseason meets which is Division Threes, Division Ones and ECACs. Nationals is a far goal but I’d like to be at least in the top one-hundred in the country,” Mientikiewicz said.

While Mientkiewicz has experience in the event, Goldsmith is more of a rookie. Nonetheless, she explained this is not preventing her from being successful.

In her first time running the event this season, Goldsmith has already qualified for the ECAC championships in May, and is currently ranked 22 in the country.

“I’m hoping to see how close I can get down to 11:00 and just try to gradually take time off as much as I can. I also want to do well in the 5K so I’ll be focusing on those two events and just trying to the best I can in this season,” Goldsmith said.

“She’ll get close to that national qualifying time,” Thomas said of Goldsmith’s future in the event, “She may have to take twenty to thirty seconds off her time but I think she’s got a chance.”

“Sammy’s [Goldsmith] having a great season. When she steepled on Saturday, it was only her second time ever running. She came out and ran a great first steeple race for the season. She’s just kind of on fire,” Mientkiewicz said about her teammate.

Diana Pimer can be contacted at dpimer@keene-equinox.com

On October 27, 2004, a curse was broken: “The Curse of the Bambino.” The Boston Red Sox had failed to win a World Series since 1918.  When the Red Sox reversed this curse by winning the 2004 World Series, another began a mere nine years later.

To many, this was seen as the curse of excessive celebration which took a victory too far and executed destructive behavior. In the world of sports, victory celebrations have become increasingly dangerous on college campuses as the years go on.

On October 30, 2013, the Boston Red Sox won their third World Series title in ten years, further proving that they had broken Bambino’s Curse. On that night, however, students at Keene State College rioted on campus in response to the Boston team’s success.

Erin D’Aleo / Graphics Editor

According to Karina Barriga Albring in an article in The Equinox from November 7, 2013, a female student was struck by a rock and injured, a car was flipped and there was excessive yelling and broken glass.

Even though these events took place six months ago, the memories of this night still remain with some KSC students, like KSC senior Tyler Tambascio.

“There were people knocking over trash barrels, ripping sign poles out of the ground, climbing on buildings and cars, and there were cops everywhere,” Tambascio said.

Similarly, on April 7, 2014, students at the University of Connecticut rioted after their men’s basketball team won the NCAA National Championship title.

According to an article by Zach Cox from the New England Sports Network, cars were flipped, property was damaged and fireworks were lit off.

“There were parties happening after we [the men’s basketball team] got into the Final Four and I guess there was a riot after that part. On Monday night when we got into the championship, every student was in Gampel [Pavillion] and we were able to watch the game. It was packed, and after that everyone rushed into the middle of campus and it was basically a riot again. But then the next night after the championship game it was complete chaos on campus,” Kara Patterson, a UConn sophomore, said.

However, despite the damage being done, Patterson said there was not a point where she felt unsafe.

“People just wanted to watch the game and go crazy; there were times when people were definitely a little bit nervous. But after the game, once you found a place to be, no one would bother you if you didn’t really want to be in the center of it all,” Patterson said.

Further, Patterson said the university tried to keep the students in one area, in an attempt to ensure safety to all students.

“There was a DJ in the center of campus, so right when you exited the stadium, the DJ was right there. Everyone was in that one spot, around the DJ and the Union. They definitely tried to keep students on-campus rather than off-campus,” Patterson stated.

Similarly, KSC students said they were also contained on campus.

“They kind of trapped us. They lured us to the student center because they had ice-cream,” KSC junior Lindsey Day said.

“There were cop roadblocks, they blocked off the end of Appian Way; when I tried to walk home the archway was blockaded with five different cop cars and people. It was crazy, as soon as the cops saw us get bored in one area you could see the cops just speed out and block a different area. They were trapping us on campus. This made it safer, it was definitely a good idea.” Day said.

While these two campuses had serious damage after the victories, the students who witnessed and participated in the events said that the intent was not destruction, but simple celebration.

“It was kind of cool because even though we’re not close to Boston this is still Red Sox Nation. It was a fun time, I don’t regret it, I’m glad I was a part of it,” Day said.

Just as the KSC students expressed they were proud of the Red Sox, the self-described Huskies are proud of their accomplishments.

“I think that it was really just pride in the team and school. When everyone was in Gampel and we were down by one, you could feel everyone’s spirit kind of go down. But then when the team picked it back up everyone was honestly just so excited. We’re just so proud of our school and everyone on the court,” Patterson said.

After more than 30 arrests and a series of negative publicity, the Huskies are trying to rebuild their reputation and keep the focus on the two national championship basketball teams.

“It was really good seeing everyone come back yesterday; we all got to listen to Shabazz [Napier] and Kevin Ollie speak. Then when the women’s team came home, there were speeches in the middle of campus so it was good to have that too,” Patterson said.

“Our students know how to be responsible, but it only takes one person for something to go wrong. I hope our pride in our teams will help us put our campus and our image back together. That’s where Undergraduate Student Government can help in keeping our positive image strong in the upcoming months,” UConn Student Body President Edward Courchaine said. Courchaine added that he spoke as a UConn student, not as a representative of the university or the Undergraduate Student Government.

Diana Pimer can be contacted at dpimer@keene-equinox.com

For some individuals, substance and alcohol abuse have become major issues on college campuses. However, two colleges in New Hampshire are working to solve this problem. 

Together, the Monadnock Voices for Prevention, Dr. Anna Adachi-Mejia of Dartmouth College, Keene State College and Franklin Pierce University are working to find new strategies that will help prevent alcohol and drug abuse.

To help achieve this, the institutions were given a $571,617 grant from the N.H. Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Services.

According to Polly Morris, Regional Public Health Network Substance Misuse Prevention Coordinator for the Monadnock region, KSC and FPU have been working on this grant plan since November of 2013.

“It’s a two-year grant that already started in November and goes until July first, 2015. Both colleges have certain strategies that they are trying to implement, so we’re still in the planning stage for some of them and we’re actually starting to implement a few,” Harris said.

Erin D’Aleo / Graphics Editor

“The long-term goal is for the schools to develop a campus-wide strategy for prevention,” Director of the Center for Health and Wellness at KSC, Christine Burke, said in a press release issued November 21, 2013.

Harris continued, “Nobody has a quick fix for college students who drink too much, and so this was a great opportunity for the two schools to analyze the issue, collect some data and see what will work.”

According to Coordinator of Wellness Education at KSC, Tiffany Mathews, the groups plan to accomplish this by using three strategies:  appreciative inquiry, alcohol screening and media campaigning.

“Appreciative inquiry is a groupthink session. It’s basically having people from a community comment on things that are working very well in their environment. So, it’s really trying to focus on the positive. Some people normally think of all the things that are going wrong, but appreciative inquiry is to help appreciate the things that are going right,” Mathews said.

Morris compared this concept to recent news. “In life, we look at people like Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan where the media focuses on the negative,” Morris said,  “We focus on what’s bad with Keene State College and Franklin Pierce as far as substance use and misuse.”

Mathews said the appreciative inquiry group sessions will occur in October, and students, staff and community members will all be invited to participate.

“A piece of the grant is to get the community to change their perception and see the benefits of having the campus in their community. We’re trying to bridge the gap between the college and the Keene community at large,” Morris added. The second strategy involves students, especially those who live off-campus, taking brief alcohol screenings.

However, according to Mathews, this is not an easy task, and the grant will help advance this project.

“We do outreach to off-campus students, but it’s not as consistent and thorough as it is with the undergrads. We don’t do as many reports, but we also don’t have the staff that is needed to implement these services. So, we find that with the basics piece we are going to be hiring a coordinator to facilitate these service, the grant money is paying for that for one year,” Mathews said. Next, Mathews said she sees media campaigning as another opportnity for people to come together.

She said the main aspect of this strategy is photovoice, where students and community members will take part in creating a film.

“They’ll go out and take pictures of what they think the positive side of how substances are being used in the community is, and then the negative side of that. Then, the students will come back and share those pictures or videos and have a group discussion about why they chose these things and what the images mean to them,” Mathews said.

Mathews added that after this, the media will be edited into a movie with voiceovers from the students explaining their work.

However, despite these strategies and a series of other smaller programs on campus at KSC, the organizers of this project said they are not trying to tell people what to do.

“We’re not in the field of telling people what’s right and what’s wrong; we want to say, ‘here is the information,’” Mathews said.

“My thoughts are that I think it’s going to create awareness,” Morris added, “I think the campuses both know that there are issues among use — any college campus has these issues — but the perception of the use can be misconstrued.”

Mathews referred to the theory of social norms, which she described as people doing and following what they see and believe, regardless of accuracy.

“When people only know about negative behaviors and they think they are widely followed by a majority of people, then people are more likely to behave negatively. The social norms theory says that there’s complete misperception about what the actual behaviors are. If people knew that most people are making healthy decisions, then more people would make the same healthy decisions,” Mathews said. In addition, the program wants people to come together and get involved; they encourage students to take the brief, anonymous survey that appeared as a pop-up in their MyKSC accounts on April 6.

After completion, students can then send their name in to win a chance to win one of four $100 gift cards to Amazon.com.

Diana Pimer can be contacted at dpimer@keene-equinox.com

In the 2013-2014 winter season, Keene State College students experienced one snow day and several official delays and cancellations by the college for weather.

Waking up to a snowy Keene winter-wonderland, some students might drift back to sleep. With a warm and welcoming option like this, getting up, putting on a pair of sneakers and bracing the brisk air to go to the gym may sound like a version of a nightmare.  With dipping temperatures and icy sidewalks, some students find it hard to be physically active during the winter months.

Keene State College junior, Taylor Luther, said, even though she is a frequent exerciser, being active in the winter months is a challenge. “I like to run outside—in the winter you can’t really do that. Also, getting to the gym is harder—it’s cold outside and you don’t want to walk there,” she said.

“It’s harder because a lot of the paths aren’t clear. There’s a lot of ice,” sophomore Douglas Young added, “Just in general, the winter weather can affect your body and make you not want to exercise.”

Despite the toll winter takes, students at KSC are still making time for physical activity. Director of Recreational Sports at KSC, Lynne Andrews, said, “Even at six a.m. in snowstorms, our gym is still packed.”

While going to the gym is not the only way to stay active, recreational sports host events throughout the year that provide students with goals to work towards with different ways to exercise.  According to Body Works Manager at Spaulding Gymnasium, Christine Miles, one of these events is the third annual indoor triathlon, which took place on Saturday. “It’s something fun and different,” Miles said. “We do it right before spring break so students have something to train for during the winter. We want people to have fun. It’s something to look forward to.”

While students no longer have the opportunity to compete in the triathlon, they can move on to completing a challenging team event come May. “In the spring we have our gauntlet fitness challenge. It will be on May second. It’s an outdoor event, it will be a little warmer and the snow will be gone. You participate in teams; it involves running and various physical challenges. Again, the idea is to give people something to train for and to have fun,” Miles said.

In addition to large events, recreational sports promote many weekly intramural leagues with a variety of different sports to choose from such as basketball, soccer and volleyball. Intramurals offer frequent competition, physical activity and social interaction.

According to Recreational Athletic  Coordinator and Evening Facility Manager, Katie Stewart, “Intramurals are a great way to continue the sports you loved to do in high school without the same high competitive level of a varsity or club sport.”

KSC senior Leddy Gallagher, who participates in intramural soccer, agreed with Stewart. “Soccer is a sport that I don’t get to play here at KSC, because I play a varsity sport in the fall and soccer is a fall sport. It lets me play a sport that I used to play when I was little and I get to stay involved in that,” Gallagher said.

Aside from having fun and competing, Gallagher said intramurals have the ability to give students a real workout. “I am exhausted after a soccer game, it’s a half hour of literally cardio,” she said.

Both Gallagher and Stewart agreed that intramurals are beneficial and enjoyable for students. “I think more people should do intramurals, it’s just a fun way to get exercise,” Gallagher added.

In addition, Miles described the importance of keeping active, especially during the winter. “In the winter, we’re all faced with the colds and flu. But the healthier you remain, the better you can ward off that kind of thing. I think exercising during these months is absolutely crucial,” Miles said.

While getting exercise during the winter is important for health, these activities have a variety of other benefits. “Our programs contribute to successful student life. They lead healthy lifestyles, help with stress reduction, help students utilize their time better, help them with their studies and it’s great social interaction,” Andrews said.

Despite the challenges of snow and cold weather, KSC students are still finding ways to be active. However, intramurals and large competitions are just a couple of ways students are getting exercise. Miles encouraged all students to make a visit to the recreation center to try to find a new activity. “I think students should try different things, whether it is group fitness classes or intramurals. They may find things they like and make it fun,” she said.

“There’s a lot to offer here; if you’re not interested you won’t seek it out, and if you don’t seek it out you’re going to miss out,” Miles added.

Diana Pimer can be contacted at dpimer@keene-equinox.com