Renting an apartment can have its perks and its problems.

As summer approaches, one of the problems some Keene State College (KSC) students face is finding people to sublease their rooms while they head home for the summer break. On that same note, others are looking for places to exclusively rent during the summer.

Samantha Moore / Art Director

Coordinator of Student and Community Relations Robin Picard said her office gets calls often around this time of year about students looking for places to live for a few months while they complete a class, internship or job. She said she advises students to look online or on social media outlets. In addition, a new website called Places4Students is currently a project in the making. “Over the summer, we’ll have a brand new website up with subletting options available,” Picard said.

She explained there are many reasons for students looking to sublease, including taking a semester off, for safety reasons such as keeping an apartment active to prevent break-ins, working during the summer or studying abroad. She said for students who want to both live off campus and study abroad, they are taking a risk going into it. “If they can’t find someone to sublease, they’re required to pay for the months they’re gone, so a lot of students live on campus,” she said.

However, Picard said the option of switching with another student can help. “But it’s not something you do lightheartedly,” she said. “It’s a good idea to vet the person.” Picard listed ways of doing this by talking to others who might know the person in question or by looking them up online to see what kind of person they are.

KSC junior Olivia Indorf said not knowing the person who would be moving in would be one of her concerns. However, she said she found subleasing to be beneficial. “I’ve considered it myself,” she said. Indorf said the only other thing she would be concerned with would be the person leaving a mess. “If people have to move out, they should move out all their stuff as well,” she said. However, she said she didn’t think this issue is too prevalent.

Picard brought up that there are certain steps a student looking to sublease needs to take. One of these steps is writing up a legal contract between the one subleasing and their potential replacement. “You’re responsible for that person,” she said.

Picard acknowledged that the other tenants should get involved as well since they’ll be the ones living with the replacement. She noted that often, it can be better if the person looking to sublease is more of an acquaintance than friend, saying this can even pertain to students who aren’t looking to sublease but live together. “You don’t have to be best friends living together. Sometimes it’s better not to be,” she said. “You can sign up to live with your best friend, but that doesn’t mean you’re compatible living partners.”

Picard noted the biggest factor in subleasing one’s apartment is getting their landlord on board. “A lot of leases say it’s not allowed unless with special permission,” she said. “The best way to go about subleasing is to have your landlord sign them on.”

Property Manager of Keene Cribs Trevor Grauer said he’s open to subleasing. “I understand it’s beneficial, so I try to be accommodating,” he said. Grauer acknowledged it’s much more a benefit to the student than landlord. “It can be a burden for the landlord. It’s a lot more paperwork and more internal issues,” he said.

He said for the most part, it all works out. “There’s at least one every year or a few in the summer,” he said. Grauer said he appreciates knowing what’s going on just in case there are issues, however, he said that even if he does know, the responsibility always falls on the person subleasing. “It’s up to them to get the money,” he said. “I make it very clear. I have a contract with Cribs that states it’s between themselves.”

He recommended a subleasing student to get a security deposit from the new tenant as well. Grauer said, “Just because you sublease a room and leave doesn’t mean you don’t have any responsibility left.”

Dorothy England can be contacted at dengland@kscequinox.com 

The odds were not in the Owls’ favor on April 29. The Keene State College (KSC) baseball team lost both games they played against No. 25 University of Southern Maine (USM) in the Little East Conference (LEC) doubleheader.

Game one

The Owls started with two hits, one from KSC sophomore Mac Struthers and another from John Tarascio. However, three errors equated in four unscored runs.

On the Huskies’ side, Sam Stauble started them strong with a 1-0 lead in the first. The points quickly added up to 4-0 in the second inning after a bunt single from Devin Warren and a two-RBI hit by Andrew Olszak.

Shelby Iava/ Sports Editor

It was the strength of the underclassmen that brought the score to 4-3 in the third inning. KSC first-year Sam Czel played back strong on the Owls’ side with a bunt single and run home after KSC first-year Tom Meucci’s double hitter to right-center. Meucci then went on to third on KSC sophomore Mac Struthers’ left single, eventually scoring on a wild pitch. Struthers followed suit, scoring on KSC sophomore Connor Walsh’s sacrifice fly to center.  In the fourth inning, Keene State missed the chance to tie the game when Tarascio singled and stole second. Shortly after, KSC sophomore Nate Rossi reached on a fielder’s choice, but a hit from Meucci went into a 6-4-3 inning, ending double play.

The Huskies added five more points in the innings that followed. The fourth inning had both Zack Quintal with a single hit and score on an error and another RBI was completed by Warren in the fifth. It was the seventh inning that brought No. 25 Southern Maine to a successive lead. Three more runs came out of bases-loaded walk and a two-RBI single from Quintal.  It was a tough loss for the Owls’, especially for KSC senior Michael Crimi. He struck out three times in 4.2 innings. Additionally, KSC senior Nate Pedersen let three runs go unearned in two innings. This resulted in a final score of 3-9 with USM taking the win.

Game two

The Huskies started strong with three scores in the first two innings, but Keene State struck back with a five-run third inning. Meucci and Struthers each had a single play leading up to KSC sophomore Connor Longley, bringing them home with a double down the left field line.

KSC first-year Connor Walsh walked, followed by KSC junior Christian Bourgea slamming a home run down right center for a 5-3 lead. This was Bourgea’s third home run of the year. The Huskies brought the game to a tie after a single to the right from Warren in third and Dylan Hapworth with a RBI double in the fourth.

The Owls were reluctant to let this fly. Czel opened the sixth inning with an infield hit before stealing second and moving to third on a left flyout from Meucci. Rollins walked shortly before Longley had a triple threat to deep right, bringing the Owls back on top with a 7-5 advantage in the sixth.

The sixth came to an end with a 1-6-3 double play from Stauble and KSC senior Alan Schiff. But the seventh inning was not on Keene State’s side with the Huskies bringing the game to a tie with 10 batters to the plate and Paul McDonough hitting a two-run homer. The seventh inning was when the Huskies struck gold with six scores in the bottom of the inning, eventually taking the lead with a 11-8 win.  The ninth welcomed another home run from Bourgea, but the game ended with Tarascio grounding out to short.

The Owls are scheduled to play Friday, May 5 at home against Eastern Connecticut State University. They have to win at least one of the doubleheaders against the Warriors to secure a spot in the LEC tournament. If accomplished, this will be the first time the Owls are back in the tournament since 2013.

Dorothy England can be contacted at dengland@kscequinox.com 

Keene State College (KSC) women’s softball played a doubleheader against the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Dartmouth, but they only stuck one win in the round on April 29.

First Game

The game started with KSC’s Molly St Germain striking out seven balls and pitching five hitters. However, that was just the start for the KSC sophomore who then lit the scoreboard with a solo home run after hitting the ball smack over to the left-field fence. This was in the bottom of the first.

In the fourth inning, St Germain kept any hope of the Corsairs pounding a basepath nearly impossible. Even when Corsair player Cierra Sheerin had a hitting chance, it was cut short with a 1-6-3 double play ending the inning.

Luke Stergiou/ Senior Photographer

UMass Dartmouth was reluctant to give up. In the fifth, they tied after Lexi Pereira opened with a double to the right, then a swift move to third on a bunt play by Brittany Polk. Then, a wild pitch gave McKenzie Joyce a score for the Corsairs.

The Owls brought the game to a win when KSC senior Kayla Votto followed in suit of St Germain and plowed through the bases on her first home run of the year. Both her and St Germain had two hits in the first game while KSC junior Brittany DaMota had her own. The ending score was 1-2 with KSC taking the win.

Game Two

UMass Dartmouth started strong after the first game’s loss. In the top of the second, Polk scored on a RBI single in addition to making a 4-0 on a three-run homer accomplished by Marissa Spinuzzi in the third.

The Owls couldn’t catch a point until the bottom of the sixth where the table was set for KSC junior Olivia Indorf, who had a single up the middle after St Germain and KSC junior Shae Crosby both singled prior to Indorf’s play.

Shortly thereafter, KSC first-year Brooke Arruda had her own single hit to center, bringing the score to 4-2. KSC first-year JoEllen Racicot then provided a two-RBI single to bring the game to a tie.

At the top of the ninth with an RBI single by Spinuzzi, the Owls kept at it. St Germain scored another point after walking to first, moving to second on Indorf’s single and then made it home on Arruda’s left curve single hit.

This, however, wasn’t enough to keep UMass Dartmouth at bay. Maxine Vincent and Emily Colton each passed on a single with Spinuzzi getting her second three-run homer in the game in left center, bringing the score to 8-5.

At the bottom of the ninth, both St Germain and Crosby walked, but with no avail. Indorf hit a pop ball getting to second base and Arruda hit to the left, ending the game.

The ending score was 8-5 with UMass Dartmouth taking the win.

The Owls are fifth in the Little East Conference standing out of eight teams.

Dorothy England can be contacted at dengland@kscequinox.com

Plymouth State University

Keene State College’s (KSC) men’s lacrosse team set the goal for the season with 24 strikes against Plymouth State University  and their sixth consecutive win on Wednesday, April 19.

In doing so, the team came into sole possession of the first place title in the Little East Conference (LEC) with a perfect 4-0 record.

The Keene State Owls struck gold with their first goal within the first two minutes of Wednesday’s game. KSC senior Bryan Rotatori started the team off with four goals and one assist. Rotatori only needs four more assists to break Keene State’s all-time assist record of 104.

Following in his footsteps, KSC senior Tyler Reilly scored two goals and four assists.

Shelby Iava/ Sports Editor

Shortly after, KSC junior Hunter Arnold and first-years Dave Wiedenfeld and Rob Hart each added in a hat-trick with Hart aiding two helpers.

The first goal from the Plymouth State Panthers came a little under five minutes left in the first quarter. Mac Tetrault charged past the Owls’ defense to connect with the net. Tetrault ended up with three goals and two assists. His teammate Nicco Sorrentino scored six times with one assist.

However, this was not enough to keep the Owls at bay. The first quarter slid into the second one as the Owls hit five goals in, one right after another. KSC senior Tyler Reilly topped the consecutive lineup off with a goal that brought the score to 9-1 with the Owls in the lead.

The Panthers fought back quickly. Sorrentino passed to Terault and cut down on the point difference, but the Owls struck back hard when both Wiedenfeld and KSC junior Frank Bacarella each scored. Plymouth State did the same and scored two straight goals. However, the Owls held a 14-5 advantage as the game’s break came up.

The Panthers final score was 11, never quite catching up to Keene State. In all, 12 Owls connected with the net while others made saves and lifted ground balls. KSC sophomore Steve Hamal grabbed six ground balls, making it a team-high and KSC junior Matthew Howe completed seven saves. The ending goal was claimed by Wiedenfeld.

On Plymouth State’s side, Adam Haversat scooped up 13 ground balls and Jayson LaRiviere made 15 saves.

The Owls’ next LEC game was scheduled for Saturday, April 22 at 3 p.m. against the University of Southern Maine Huskies.

Dorothy England can be contacted at dengland@kscequinox.com 

Southern Maine University 

The Keene State College (KSC) men’s lacrosse team continued their winning streak when they out-shot the University of Southern Maine Huskies, 20-2. Junior midfielder Hunter Arnold led the Owls with strong offensive scoring.

Arnold had six goals and one assist, while senior Robert Hart had six points, as well as three assists. Eight other Keene State players also scored goals.

Hart opened up the first quarter with two goals and junior Frank Bacarella had one.

The Huskies managed to get one goal in before the quarter ended by rookie Jake Schoenberg. Keene State had the lead 3-1 at the end of the first.

The Owls scored the first three goals of the second quarter, including man-up goals from Bacarella and junior Paul Beling to bring the Owls up 6-1.

Southern Maine’s Keegan Smith also received a man-up goal for the Huskies, scoring what was their final point of the game.

Hart found the back of the net for the third time with 2:48 left in the half. The Owls remained in the lead 7-2 at half time.

Keene State scored 13 unanswered goals while holding the Huskies without a score in the last two quarters.

Arnold shot all five of his goals in the fourth quarter, and the Owls took home the win and have extended their streak to 38 consecutive Little East Conference victories.

Shelby Iava can be contacted at siava@kscequinox.com

Outside, there were rainy and grey skies, but inside the Madison Street Lounge, a rainbow of cupcakes awaited.

It was a day for conversation, acceptance and food. It was Friday, April 21 and on the agenda was a Queer Pride Picnic.

The room was decorated with bursts of color and the smell of hot dogs roasting.

In addition, tables were littered with origami how-tos and little baskets filled with slips of paper promoting conversational questions.

One read, “What’s the worst thing you’ve ever tasted?”

Tim Smith / Photo Editor

“Broccoli,” Keene State College [KSC] first-year Jenna Hall said right off the bat.

On a more serious note, Hall said this event occured to provide a time and space for LGBTQ+ individuals to get together and just have fun. “One of the big things about activism is being aware and staying visible,” she said.

She said this event was also for allies to understand that transgender or queer individuals are just like everyone else; they want to celebrate and eat good food while conversing with others.

For KSC junior Sam Whitaker, he said vegemite spread was the worst thing he had ever tasted. “It’s supposed to be put on bread and I tried it blindfolded,” he explained. “It smelled liked ketchup and tasted like doo doo.”

Whitaker said he came to the event because he wanted to be there for his friends and other queer individuals. “We’re showing that there’s a place where your identity can actually be noticed and supported. It reinforces people’s coming out,” he said.

Whitaker is the president of KSC Pride.

Another executive board member of the group was also at the event, KSC Pride’s Event Coordinator Laurel Mendelsohn, who wasn’t able to physically talk because of an illness, but wrote her responses down.

She explained she came to the event because it reinforced the tight-knit community feeling she finds at KSC. “I find that Keene State has a lot of great resources,” she wrote.

Mendelsohn also stated she found this event to be a sort of celebration. “This provides an opportunity to have one last free moment to spend with people before finals and summer,” she wrote.

Program Support Assistant for LGBTQ+ students Hunter Kirschner, who was the one responsible for making this event happen, said the ultimate goal of this picnic was for community building with a celebratory feel to it. “The population of LGBTQ students are wanting folks to meet each other and build relationships,” he said.

In addition, Kirschner said it’s helpful for other individuals to see each other together in normal settings in public. “Seeing others hold these identities makes it a possible thing for them; experiences can resonate for folks,” he said. “There’s something about being in a room with other folks who are trans or gay that makes you feel acceptable and comfortable.”

Kirschner brought up his own personal experience.

“For me, coming into my trans identity, the real kicker was realizing what helped me; what made sense for me was based on getting to know people who had different life experiences,” he explained.

He said that being out there in the public eye has its purpose. “A lot of pride events, or any kind of visibility, streams from this struggle of invisibility with our cis-heteronormative society,” he said. “Queer and trans individuals are not always seen as belonging, so we have to continually make our presence known.”

KSC sophomore and transgender male Dante Diffendale said seeing the people in the Madison Street Lounge making an effort to give support moved him. “They show they understand, even if they haven’t personally gone through what I have. I realize that this is not something I need to be ashamed of or quiet about,” he said.

Director of the Counseling Center Brian Quigley was one of those there to offer support. “This gives us a chance to connect and have a social opportunity, especially near the end of the semester,” he said.

Quigley said he’s seen KSC come into a more accepting environment over the years and suggested for anyone who is heading home over the summer to a place where they may not feel as accepted, they should keep in touch with those who do fully support them. “It’s always important to reach out to people,” he said.

Managing Editor of Marketing and Communications Lucy Webb echoed Quigley’s words. “One thing that’s really nice and different being a person now versus in the early 90s is social media. There’s a lot more contact; even though you’re not physically around, you can connect much more easily,” she said. “You’ll find support if you seek it out.”

Dorothy England can be contacted at dengland@kscequinox.com

Keene Police arrested a Keene State College (KSC) student after the student said he deceptively made charges on his friend’s mom’s credit card back in January of this year.

The Keene Sentinel reported KSC first-year Forrest Spinney was “arrested and charged with three misdemeanor counts of credit card fraud, according to Keene Police Lt. Shane C. Maxfield.”

Spinney used information from Dover resident Kimberly Milliken’s credit card.

Milliken’s son, Mattias Milliken Keyser, had his mother’s card in his wallet when Spinney took it, according to Maxfield. Among purchases for Domino’s pizza and online apps, the 19-year-old also spent “a couple hundred dollars for concert tickets,” Maxfield said.

Maxfield said Spinney was let go on a $1,500 personal recognizance and is set to appear in 8th Circuit Court District Division in Keene on May 18.

KSC Associate Director of Campus Safety Stuart Mitchell said he didn’t have any information on the case.

Dorothy England can be contacted at dengland@kscequinox.com

Her tiny frame nestled against the backdrop of a much larger office, displaying in its possession photos of dancers mid-leap, orchards bathing in water and books upon books on the art of movement.

Tim Smith / Photo Editor

Marcia Murdock was ready. The Theater and Dance Resident Artist  had bustled in, leaving one conversation to start another in a room that has become so familiar to her, but will soon be void of her continual presence.

After 32 years at Keene State College (KSC), Murdock is retiring. However, she is not stopping on any account for her love of teaching dance.

“In terms of movement… I teach a dance class for people with Parkinson’s Disease,” she said. “My students first started [the program] because I was too busy…[but] now I’ve been leading it for probably four years.”

In addition, Murdock will be training Contract Lecturer for Theater and Dance Cynthia McLaughlin, who will be temporarily taking her place. Murdock will be helping especially with dance education for kindergarten through 12th grade.

KSC Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs William Seigh spoke about how proud he is of Murdock making this link between education and dance at the college.

“She began what is now the only undergraduate dance education certification program in the state,” he said. “….Our students are certainly prepared for studio teaching and the education program also prepares them to get into the classroom to use movement as one of the tools for helping students understand a wide variety of curricula.”

He said Murdock has helped create amazing students because of her vision of what the dance program should entail. “We have students who are dance therapists and who own their own studios and students who have taken what they’ve learned from dance and built that into the exciting careers based on that knowledge,” he said. “She’s an amazing colleague and we are very fortunate to have her, and the campus will not be the same when she is moved on to the next exciting things in her life.”

Tim Smith / Photo Editor

One of these new exciting things for Murdock is getting to spend more time with her granddaughter in Colorado. “I’m going to go dance with her,” she said.

Why dance matters

Murdock said dance at any age is important. “It’s the honesty of who we are,” she said. She said we start off so comfortable in our bodies, then grow out of that comfort and begin to lose a sense of movement. She likened it to someone giving a presentation at work. “Your words could be really convincing, but your body may make your audience not believe what you’re saying,” she said.

Murdock said much of this has to do with many people not understanding their own body and how to move it, or “embodied knowledge” as she called it. “And unless you practice it, you lose it or you won’t trust it,” she said.

Murdock said dance is applicable for any program of study. “A lot of times, it’s a way into a material,” she said, using the words ‘enclose’ with her arms wrapped tightly around herself and ‘exclude’ with her arms shooting out and away from her body as an example for a lesson in vocabulary.

Murdock said she identifies as a teacher first and foremost. “I just adore working with this age group, they are, as freshmen, certainly not the same people I meet next semester,” she said. Murdock said she would miss the students the most out of everything. “I learn a lot by them,” she said.

A recent example of Murdock’s interaction with students was the four-day performance of An Evening of Dance held from April 12 to the 15 at the Redfern Arts Center. The event included 10 pieces, starting with a solo dance and ending with Murdock’s choreographed piece, ’Because you Get There.’

Tim Smith / Photo Editor

An inside look at the pieces performed

The first piece included KSC junior Jen Riley, using dance in response to KSC junior Karver Bosela beatboxing and imitating musical instruments. Riley moved back and forth from an observer to a participant, concluding the piece with her sitting on the floor watching Bosela’s vocal imitation.

Many of the pieces included dancers filling the negative space allotted by their partners. Students climbed over each other and formed different shapes, then eased into new ones. In the piece entitled ‘Zoomie,’ dancers carried each other on their backs and stomachs as they rolled across the stage.

KSC senior Bethany Peterson was one of the choreographers and dancers in the An Evening of Dance. She said she loved being involved with the event. “I loved showing my piece,” she said. “It’s exciting to share such a professional stage.”

She also explained that the evening was a bit of a mournful one because of Murdock’s retirement, meaning this was the last ‘Evening of Dance’ she would direct. “The department is going to be sad to see her go,” she said. “She’s a tough teacher, but she gets us to challenge ourselves.”

Peterson spoke on what dance means to her. She explained, “There’s a freedom in dance that you can’t always express in words.”

Peterson danced in a piece which was one of the few that included dancers speaking out to each other. At the beginning of ‘It is a question,’ a catalog of expressions were called out and dancers’ feet and hands matched each expression. Dancer’s digits bent forward in grief and shook with nervousness, while others folded their feet and hands over themselves at the word of love.

Throughout the piece, members spoke out on the formation of the skull and how its bones pulsate like breathing, as well as exploring the topic of contentment and how it’s not always so easily found.

Tim Smith / Photo Editor

KSC sophomore Kelsey Walsh was one of the 14 dancers in the piece. Her grandfather and audience member Tom Walsh came to see her. Walsh said he loved that he could see her dance, but that most of the concepts went over his head. “I was a physical education teacher, so I know dance is important, but I didn’t click with a lot of the pieces,” he said laughing.

Coming full circle

Murdock’s piece was intended to connect with people beginning a new stage of their life, such as starting college. “It’s scary as can be because you don’t know where it’s going,” she said. “And then the journey itself is so messy, so filled with interruptions and half-starts.” However, Murdock explained these interruptions are necessary, since they cause us to explore ourselves  more deeply.

In her choreographed pieced, there were many interruptions that flowed from one onto another. The piece began with a student singing a capella, then went swiftly into upbeat circus-themed melody with dancers intertwining through each other like the accordion notes that played as they moved.

The music shifted as the piece went on, dancers slapping their feet quickly across the stage, reaching outward, then enveloping back into themselves.

Murdock said she had to personally look within herself to finally see what she had achieved in all these years at Keene State. She explained An Evening of Dance initially started under the direction of Alta Lu Townes. “It has been going on for 42 years and I’ve been part of it for 32. I’ve always thought of it as Alta’s, but last night (opening night) for the first time, I acknowledge that I’ve been in charge of it for longer than Alta; it was a weird realization,” she said.

Murdock said she had recently read from the original template of Townes as a way of paying her respects, but now understands that she has come to forefront, that she is now the one others look up to. She said, “There’s this sense of lineage that is really quite satisfying, but last night (opening night) made me… feel full circle, complete.”

Dorothy England can be contacted at dengland@kscequinox.com

A committee tasked with evaluating the academic system at Keene State College has come up with three alternative models, one of which will potentially have a future at the college.

According to the committee’s report, the committee known as the Committee to Align Vision and Structure (CAVS) was asked to answer this question: “What are possible structural redesign options in Academic Affairs that could enhance and contribute to the fulfillment of the liberal education vision at Keene State College?” They were then tasked with presenting their findings in a public report.

The reason given by Provost Seigh for why the CAVS was charged with this task was because KSC is at a place where three of the four deans are in interim positions and Dean of Science and Social Sciences Gordon Leversee is set to retire, so no dean would have to lose a permanent position. “Right now where jobs are in question are numbers of deans,” he said. “I’m not sure at the end of this discussion, we’re going to have five deans, so will we lose a dean’s role, or two deans’ roles or three deans’ roles? Possibly. So I think these jobs may go away. Will the work go away? No, someone has to do the work.”

As for all the associate and assistant deans with each program, Seigh said every year is different for the amount of people within each program. “So these jobs are more fluid depending on what the needs are and who’s available to fill these positions. [In] my 20 years here, the number of associate or assistant deans has varied,” he said.

The current system at KSC entails a three school system of Arts and Humanities, one of Professional and Graduate Studies and a third of Sciences and Social Sciences. At the end of March, the CAVS report came out with an altered three-school model, a two-school model and a one-school model (to read a detailed summary of each, go to B6).

Chair of the CAVS and KSC History Professor Greg Knouff was asked if the positions of the deans were the only factor that went into coming up with three different models. He said he didn’t feel at liberty to say since he was just following the charge to the committee. “I’m the wrong person to ask about that because I’m [with] the committee,” he said

Regardless, Seigh said that the current deans have been very helpful. “Our current deans are so focused on doing the incredible work that they’re doing and the incredible work they’re doing as deans and looking to the interest of the institution,” he said.

A dean’s perspective 

Dean of Professional and Graduate Studies Anne Miller said she didn’t have any concerns with any of the proposed models or with her job position. “I’m confident we’re going in the right direction,” she said. Miller also said she would be retiring in December of 2017.

Miller said there was no one model she favored for the time being, however she liked the idea of an interdisciplinary approach. She likened it to being in highschool where a student learns a variety of topics. “You might feel like you’ll never really all of these subjects, but as you go you’ll see the interconnections of knowledge. It’s a richer experience,” she said.

However, Keene State already has an interdisciplinary program known as the Integrative Studies Program or ISP.

The CAVS Chair Knouff acknowledged that the ISP is very similar to what the committee came up with, especially for the two-school model and one-school model.

Miller was quick to say that not every course needed an interdisciplinary approach.  “Students need to have an understanding of depth and breadth, meaning they understand their specific focus and then have other materials to add to their education,” Miller said.

She gave an example of this by saying a student majoring in architecture could understand movement and beauty by taking a dance class. “I personally have a lot of belief in the interconnectivity,” she said. “It’s similar to how we have all these departments on campus, but as a whole we have this community.”

Miller said there needs to be more open discussions so that people can understand clearly what will be implemented. “It takes a lot of time. We need to be sure we’re thoughtful and get the benefit of many different perspectives,” she said. Miller said this was especially important because the CAVS report is about exploring different foundational structures. “There are many steps we need to take,” she said. According to Miller,there also needs to be more support from all across the campus. “There hasn’t been a lot of support, but that comes through in all three models,” she said.

What does this mean for students

One element of support that has been said to be the main focus for the work of the committee is student support.

The committee held an open forum for students and Provost Seigh visited Student Assembly earlier in the year to discuss the CAVS’s work.

KSC junior and member of Student Assembly Adam Geddis said that it was a little difficult to remember everything Seigh discussed since what Seigh said to Student Assembly was so far back, but that he thought it was important to consider different options. “I haven’t heard too much about it, but I’m interested in how it will play out,” Geddis said.

Geddis said he personally feels that whichever decision is made, he doesn’t think it will hurt students or their learning.

At different points, both Seigh and KSC President Anne Huot have said the potential restructuring is to help students, first and foremost, have the best learning opportunity they can at KSC.

In the eight problems listed concerning the current system in place, there is only one that connects to students. That problem listed was was that it is unknown how well the current structure helps students “navigate their way through the college, or attract new students to the college,” according to the CAVS report. The other issues dealt with workload, possibly having too many positions for similar jobs and the distribution of startup packages.

In addition, Seigh said he finds that KSC is already an effective school for students. “I really do believe that we are serving the students well,” he said. “The data that we continue to see, that our students are… pleased with their education. They are finding work, we are ranked really high as a student body, it’s really exciting.”

He also said that many students wouldn’t really see a change on whichever proposed model was implemented. “The college is going to continue to have majors and departments and I think the way our students connect with the college is largely going to remain the same,” he said.

Upon being asked as to how students would be directly impacted by the changes seen in each model, he said in fact the most changes to be seen would not be about students. “For example the three school model… these changes are mostly administrative within the schools and in fact to be honest, a lot of changes in the models are administrative within the schools,” he said.

Open forums for open opinions

There were three open forums held for the KSC community to share their opinions on the report submitted by the CAVS. The Equinox was only able to attend two meetings, the first one on Tuesday, April 11 and and the last held on Thursday, April 13. During the meetings, some people supported the models and what they symbolized: a move to restructure KSC’s academic structure. Others did not. Many people asked questions revolving around the motto “if it ain’t broke, dont fix it,” as stated in the first meeting held on Tuesday.

Seigh said later in an interview with The Equinox, “This action is not happening because something is broken and we have to fix it. It’s happening because we’re in pretty good shape where we have the opportunity to be even better and stronger.”

Other concerns expressed at the forums included the fact that although the student population is getting smaller, it seems as though more faculty and staff leadership roles are being made. Another issue people at the forum found was that the models didn’t necessarily address what is best for students.

KSC Director of Corporate Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives Daniel Henderson said he personally didn’t think any of the models would be applicable for students. “Nothing from these models helps form internships or jobs” he said. “Hypothetically, the one school system helps because of the interdisciplinaries.”

In addition, Henderson said that conversations with students about their future at college should be addressed as soon as they enroll. He said, “Today’s students are graduating with students from all over the world. What are things they need to have so they’re hired?”

However, others liked the models and thought there could be something beneficial made out of them. KSC Biology Professor Karen Cangialosi said during the meeting that she felt change would be good. “Higher education is shifting really fast, we can’t just keep doing what we’ve been doing,” she said. “We have this opportunity as we restructure to redefine what we really mean.”

After the meeting, Cangialosi spoke with The Equinox. “I think this has been a great discussion,” she said. “But the three models don’t go far enough in redefining our institution. We have such an opportunity to put our students at the forefront.” Cangialosi said the school needs to ask students what they need or want from them. “If we don’t change, we’re going to be in trouble.”

CAVS report breakdown

Dorothy England can be contacted at dengland@kscequinox.com 

Alexandria Saurman can be contacted at asaurman@kscequinox.com

Katie Jensen can be contacted at kjensen@kscequinox.com 

Mercedes Boucher was ordering fries when it happened.

Prior to this, the Keene State College first-year had wrapped her phone securely in her jacket, pushed the bundle to the furthest corner in the seat and left it there while she went up to order food. In the time it took her and her boyfriend to order their food, someone had stolen her phone. Along with that, her $50 phone case was gone too.

“I’m a little bit of a scatterbrain, so I thought maybe I misplaced it,” Boucher admitted. “But I was like, ‘No, I had it, I’m sure.’” She explained how they used her boyfriend’s phone and the app Find my iPhone to locate her missing device.

Samantha Moore / Art Director

“It was right around the corner, so I took his phone and I left,” she said, laughing. “And he ended up following me and they were sitting outside on the steps with McDonald’s food, so I went up and I was like, ‘Hey did you guys find a phone?’”

The two girls, who Boucher said looked to be in their early 20s denied the accusation, saying they had their own phones. “I was like, ‘I don’t know, it’s telling me it’s right here and I’ve got a tracking device in it.’” Again, the girls denied it.

At this, Boucher’s boyfriend Jean-Luc Valdivia spoke up, telling the girls if they complied, there would be no trouble. “And so they gave us my phone, but they had it wrapped up in a scarf…and my $50 case was missing,” she said.

The couple asked about the case, to which the girls replied that someone else had it. “Which doesn’t make sense, like somebody took my case and left my phone and then somebody new came and took my phone?” Boucher said. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

The couple resorted to calling the cops. “They were getting kind of angry and I didn’t want to deal with it anymore,” Boucher said. The cops arrived, spoke with Boucher and Valdivia, then talked to the girls.

“I guess they had taken my case and thrown it in the trash can at McDonald’s, which the cop went and found and then he came and brought it back to me,” she said.

Boucher said she didn’t recognize the girls at all and had no problem confronting them. “I was so mad, it’s almost violating is what it is. I didn’t really think too much about what I was doing, I was just like, ‘No, they took my stuff, I’m going to get it back,’” she said.

Boucher said she learned her lesson. “I’m from a small town, so I didn’t think it would happen anywhere, like I could leave it on a table in a McDonald’s right out in the open and it wouldn’t have happened,” she said.

She said, after speaking to the police officer, she realized it might be more common than she originally thought. “It seems like something that happens quite a bit. He didn’t seem surprised at all,” she said.

She said if she had been alone, she would have just called the cops right away. Luckily, her boyfriend was there. “I actually saw the two girls come in while I was ordering food,” he said.

I didn’t see them take it though.”

Valdivia said initially, he was certain Boucher had just misplaced or dropped her phone. “I was like, ‘It’s here, it’s here,” he said.

But it wasn’t. Valdivia said it was a strange situation to deal with. “It’s just one of these things you don’t think you have to do,” he said. “It was a really surreal experience; I’ve never had this sort of thing happen to me before.”

Keene Lieutenant Steven Tenney said this sort of thing is common. “We do deal with this a lot,” he said. He said if students are concerned with their items getting stolen, they should lock their car doors and keep their personal belongings close by. “Really, it’s common sense,” he said. Tenney said no one should ever feel like they’re wasting an officer’s time. “Nowadays, a phone has a lot of personal information on it, and while we may not be able to get it back, we can use that information if it happens again and we can figure out more about who did it,” he said.

McDonald’s declined to comment on the issue.

Dorothy England can be contacted at dengland@kscequinox.com 

His orange jacket contrasts sharply with his tanned and hairy skin.

He hurries over to me, urgency in every step. He’s not who I’m expecting, but I greet him with a smile and open-mind, because reputation is everything in this business. Right off the bat, he asks about our services. His accent is thick like the cream we use. I tell him about pregnancy, hot stone, Hawaiian styles and Thai Yoga. At each he shakes his head, his frizzy curls bouncing side to side.

I stop. His hand is held up, a universal sign of stopping. “Do you offer arctic massage?” he asks me. I try not to let my confusion show as my brain racks the possibilities: it’s been cold lately, maybe he means using winter ice to help with inflammation, or maybe he means cold stones. Maybe I’ve just never heard of the term, damn my education, I think.

I ask him to repeat himself. He speaks slowly and deliberately. “Do you (he points at me) do erotic massage?” I’m shocked and frankly relieved that he hasn’t pointed below for the other noun in his sentence. I also want to laugh, badly, but I can’t. I pull an arctic face. “No sir, we do not.” I show him the door ignoring his comments of ‘why not?’ (Because it’s illegal) ‘Where else he can go?’ (The cops maybe?) ‘Are you sure?’ (Seriously? Get out.)

We don’t even look like the kind of place to “maybe” offer these types of services. We’re in a Chiropractic office where nutritional supplements line the shelves and people lay on devices that stretch their vertebrae like a slow moving accordion. Elderly women are our most frequent customers.

This is just one misconception about massage therapy: that we border on the kinky. But there are others and it’s my belief that these misconceptions hurt my chances of being successful in this field.

The other day a regular of mine came in. As always, I ask what to focus on. She shakes her head and shrugs, “You know best, Wonder Woman.”

Later while she’s on the table, I find the same problem I typically do: tension in the wrists and hands. “Oh yeah, that’s really tight,” she tells me, “I think I might have carpal tunnel.” This is not the first time, nor will it be the last that she says this. It’s not because she’s dumb and forgets, no, more so it’s because she’s lead to believe that only I can fix her problem so she has to once again remind me of it.

It’s a two-way street however. I’m not with my clients even a quarter of the time- they are with themselves. I can’t massage them every time they’re in pain or discomfort. So really, it comes down to their responsibility of working with me to take care of them. It comes down to them doing stretches or self-massaging techniques in their own time away from me.

On the other side of this coin, my job is often perceived as a “fluffy” one. When I go out and tell people I’m a massage therapist, one of two things happens. I’m either asked to massage that person right then and there, or I’m told how nice it must be to get a massage. “Oh what a luxury,” they say. “How relaxing,” they say. “I’d love to go to the spa,” they say.

All of these can be true, just as they can be false. It really depends on each individual.

I have a client who can’t tie his own shoes unless he gets a massage. He comes in, his shoes messily slopped on his feet. I spend two hours working to stretch, increase circulatory flow and bend his legs in positions he can’t do on his own. Meanwhile, he’s breathing deeply and talking to distract himself from the pain incurred. It’s like getting a splinter out, it hurts while it’s being done, but afterwards it’s all better.

Once the two hours are up, he gets up slowly with his body sore from the treatment, but he’s relieved. He ties his shoes in a simple bowknot and comes out to show me. He’s as proud as a first grader who’s just done it for the first time.

For this client, massage therapy isn’t a relaxing, hot towel on the neck and scents of jasmine aromatherapy type of deal. This is way to manage his pain.

Massage therapy is an individual experience. Some people do get more of the relaxing types of massage, but for them, it helps with their anxiety and depression. I’ve spent a good half hour just on a person’s scalp, where people feel emotional tension rolling around.

But massage therapy is not often what people think it is. There’s a lot to it and I just don’t “rub” people’s’ bodies for a living. I help them, and if they’re willing to work on their own issues, it’s a team effort. Massage therapy isn’t intended to be a sexual, all-powerful or just a nice, relaxing treatment. It’s intended to bring awareness to individuals about themselves. And in my opinion, that’s the best you can offer for the road to recovery of any kind.

Dorothy England can be contacted at dengland@kscequinox.com