There was once a time when the National Football League (NFL)  meant spending Sunday afternoons on the couch, relaxing with family and just simply enjoying the game. Football used to be something that could unify viewers, despite their race, orientation, religious views or political stance. However, recently the media has exploded over the recent trend among many NFL players who now kneel for the flag during the National Anthem.

It all started when the 49er’s quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the anthem to protest against police brutality and the wrongdoings towards people of color in this country. His actions not only sparked a movement among many NFL players, it also sparked outrage from many fans and people all across the country. However, Kaepernick told the NFL media he was not doing this to be disrespectful, but rather to stand up for what he feels is right.

We at The Equinox feel that this issue has gotten blown out of proportion. We feel that a player kneeling during the anthem isn’t disrespectful. We would like to compare this kneeling to the same type of kneeling that happens in sports games when a player gets injured. The other team kneels out of respect. Kneeling during the anthem isn’t necessarily disrespectful. What football fans and other viewers need to realize is that every football player who kneels has his own motives for why, just like every football player who stands. People also need to keep in mind that every team does different things during the national anthem. For example some may link arms, like the New York Jets last Sunday in their game against the Miami Dolphins, while others may have their hands over their chests. Many teams, like the New England Patriots, have some players who stand and some who kneel. What a player does during the National Anthem is a personal preference. In fact, there is no rule in the NFL handbook that claims players must stand during the anthem. The NFL released a statement shortly after Colin Kaepernick first kneeled stating players are “encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the national anthem.”

The official Keene State College Department of Athletic’s stance on the current situation is, “Keene State values free expression, social justice, equity in our community and open discussion of differing perspectives and opinions… an athlete’s choice to take a knee during the National Anthem is a personal expression. It does not represent the views of the college, the department of athletics or other student athletes.”

We at the Equinox agree with this, in the sense that each athlete should be able to express his/herself as he/she wants. What we do not agree with is what the Steelers did during their game against The Chicago Bears on Sunday night. While the National Anthem played, all but one player, former veteran Alejando Villanueva, stayed in the locker room. We feel that players have the right to express themselves, but they should at least be on the field. We feel that it was disrespectful on their part because they are not even acknowledging the flag.

What we’ve noticed from this issue is that no matter who does what, someone is always wrong in someone else’s eyes. People argue that U.S. veterans fought for our rights and that it is extremely disrespectful to kneel. Yet others argue that U.S. veterans fought for our rights to do what we want during the National Anthem.

President Abraham Lincoln once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” and this couldn’t be anymore true. It seems as though many Americans can’t even have a simple conversation anymore or reach a resolution on anything. It’s easier for people to bash each other in the comments section on Facebook than to sit down face-to-face and actually listen to someone else’s opinion without immediately jumping down their throat.

All in all, we feel that this country needs to come together again. We are sick of how divided this country is on every single thing that happens. Players should be able to kneel if they want without risk of being called names or being booed. We need to remember that everyone has a right to their opinion; it’s their First Amendment and we really just need to learn to respect each other.

We at The Equinox are upset that the Main Street Pumpkin Festival’s permit is being reconsidered. We have staff members who grew up in Keene and have their fondest childhood memories of carving pumpkins in middle school and looking for theirs on display on Main Street. They have memories of looking forward to a weekend where their community could happily come together and enjoy the wonders of fall and the city itself. But now it seems the word “Pumpkinfest” will continue to have the word “riots” attached to it.

Sean Kiziltan

This year will be marking three years since the Pumpkinfest riots took place in Keene, and despite the fact that time has passed, the reputation surrounding Keene State College students still remains.

KSC Interim President Melinda Treadwell recently said a very low number of KSC students were arrested during the riots that year. There were 155 students who were all disciplined, and some were expelled. Not only would we like to move on from this and put what happened in the past, considering next year will bring in the new wave of students who didn’t even go to school at KSC in 2014, but we also want to see the community rebuild from this and go back to having the downtown Pumpkin Festival be a family-oriented, fun event.

We are upset for the community as a whole. With the location of Pumpkin Festival being on Main Street, many businesses made their biggest sales in the past on Pumpkin Festival weekend. But this year, if it is scaled down and is solely being held at the Cheshire Fairgrounds like the past two years, then businesses won’t do nearly as well, seeing as there won’t be as much foot traffic downtown.

One thing that is important to remember is the “Pumpkinfest Riots” did not happen right downtown for families to see; they happened on campus. However, the idea of college students rioting a few blocks away from the festival was enough to turn people away, and we don’t see it fair for all of the community members to be punished for one mistake that happened three years ago. We want to see Keene move forward from this incident and instill the once-exciting tradition back into the community again.

The New Hampshire School District 29, SAU29, which includes Keene, Chesterfield, Harrisville, Marlborough, Marlow, Nelson and Westmoreland, is seeking to raise funds to hold the Pumpkin Festival taking place on Main Street.

According to the Pumpkin Festival website, the district has a goal of $26,550, which goes towards pumpkins for 3,400 children and city expenses. As of Sept. 17, they have already raised $24,269 towards the event.

We think having the downtown Pumpkin Festival is important because it benefits the businesses in downtown Keene more than the Monadnock Pumpkin festival, which will be happening at the Cheshire Fairgrounds. The Monadnock Pumpkin festival won’t draw everyone away from downtown, but the businesses won’t have as much involvement.

Though both festivals are an opportunity to bring the community of Keene together, we would like to see the City Council vote to keep the festival downtown so that we can watch our local businesses thrive that weekend and so that the town and community both can move past what happened in 2014 and go forth in a more positive direction.

Ingredients

• Cooking spray, for pan
  

  Recipe and photo by Delish

• 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1 15- oz. can pumpkin purée
• 3/4 c. evaporated milk
• 2/3 c. sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• Whipped cream, for garnishing

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º and line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Spray them well with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined.
3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together pumpkin purée, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs and vanilla until completely combined.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet and completely combine.
5. Pour mixture into greased cupcake liners until 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 25 minutes, then let cool slightly (cupcakes will sink!) before chilling in fridge to set.
7. Garnish with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice before serving.

Nearly two decades of dominance lies behind the Keene State College women’s cross country team. For the past 17 years in a row, the women’s team has dominated the Little East Conference (LEC), winning every single conference final.

Now looking upon a younger team, and what some are calling a rebuilding year, the cross country team looks to continue their amazing run of success. Coach Tom Pickering said neither he nor the team will allow the past to distract them from their goals.

Pickering said, “One of the team goals is to continue to thrive in our conference and compete for that top spot each year,” but that the pressure of past accolades won’t distract his runners.

Colton McCracken / Equinox Staff

Pickering admitted the team is in a “transition year this year,” with nine of the 15 runners on the team in their first year of running. Despite the inexperience of his team, Pickering remains confident they can succeed. Pickering’s optimism comes from the strength of the program that has been built over the past two decades, of which he has been the coach for the past three years.

Pickering said the key to a successful program is the players “buying in,” and working hard every workout.  He knows that he and his team will have to rely on leadership from his returning runners to be successful this year. He pointed out runners such as senior Katharine Lynch, whom he says has come back from a summer of great preparation, as well as others such as sophomore Lynne Hebert and junior Alana Olendorf, among others, who will help lead the team this year.Pickering thinks these leaders will be essential to lead such an inexperienced team if they want to continue the legacy of success that Keene State cross country has created.

Speaking with one of his young runners, first-year Emma Brown, the confidence of their coach is matched by his runners. Brown said she believes the girls have a great shot at success this year. She said the “girls team and the freshman are really strong,” and that despite their youth, they can continue their run of success. She does admit that coming on as a first-year to such a successful team can be intimidating.

Brown said the transition to college has been a lot of hard work and that she has succeeded so far by setting her mind to pushing herself harder than she ever has.  She also said the coaching staff is a great resource and helps by always being positive and pushing the runners to their maximum potential. Brown said this first week they “are just trying to stay really positive and have been doing a lot of team bonding.” Brown said she believes this team bonding will help the team stay strong and run well this year. This focus on a strong team over individual running skill was echoed by junior Brittany Gravallese.

Gravallese said the team has been focusing on “running more in groups, rather than as individuals.”

Coach Pickering is aided in his efforts by two assistant coaches, Nikolas Athanasopoulos and Meggie Donovan who are providing the team with lots of expertise and leadership.

Gravallese said that Meggie Donovan, who ran cross country for Dartmouth, is an excellent role model for these athletes. Gravallese said that Donovan is always “very positive, and always pushes us.” That positivity stems from their head coach who has his eyes set on more than just the LEC title.

Pickering said that he believes his team has the potential to compete on a national scale, and that the conference isn’t the only thing they are training for. He remains undaunted by the idea of this being a “rebuilding season,” instead preferring to think of the players as “tabula rasa, you know, they’re blank slates and we can really start right now working towards the future, an opportunity for change, opportunity for new goals.”

Along with this line of thinking, Pickering and his team are looking past this year and to the future when his new block of first-year students will be veterans, and possibly even more dominant than they are now.  Even as the cross country team seeks their 18th straight conference title, they dream of a larger stage and greater accolades to leave their mark on Keene State’s storied program.

Simon Burch can be contacted at sburch@kscequinox.com

On Thursday, April 27, The Equinox contacted several members of the Lloyd P. Young Student Center Administrative Office staff regarding the retirement of Student Involvement Support Assistant Deborah Edwards and the effect her retirement will have on the student center. Initially, Edwards was willing to speak with The Equinox and scheduled an interview. However, in an e-mail dated May 1, Edwards stated, “I really don’t have any information on this issue.”

Similarly, Director of Student Involvement Jennifer Ferrell said that she would be happy to speak with The Equinox, but that she first needed to “route this request” through Director of Strategic Communications and Community Relations Kelly Ricaurte. In an e-mail dated May 1, Ferrell stated, “I won’t be able to share any additional thoughts with you at this time however, I have been assured that the college is looking closely at each position and determining how to move forward, based on the needs of the college and students.”

The Equinox also contacted Edwards’ Student Involvement Assistant Bryanna Pearson on Thursday, April 27 for comment. On Saturday, April 29, Pearson replied to The Equinox stating that she had no comment and referred the reporter to Ferrell. In an e-mail dated Monday, May 1, regarding Pearson, Ferrell stated the exact same text in a second e-mail, almost as if copying from a script. “I just wanted to follow up on your note to Bryanna. I won’t be able to share any additional thought with you at this time however, I have been assured that the college is looking closely at each position and determining how to move forward, based on the needs of the college and students,” Ferrell stated.

The Equinox contacted President Anne Huot on Thursday, April 27, and a second time on Sunday, April 30, regarding staff replacement. The Equinox did not receive a reply until Tuesday, May 2. The e-mail, which came from Executive Associate of the President’s Office Cindy Krautwurst stated, “The quickest way to get a response to interview requests is to go directly to Ricaurte who works with reporters to facilitate these requests. President Huot wants to help and due to her schedule, the best way at this point to do this is by sending her the questions, and she can reply by email as her schedule permits.”

Because of the barriers created by the KSC Marketing and Communications Department and the inaccessibility of staff for public comment, The Equinox has been prevented from telling the story of a long-standing and valuable staff member and the effect her retirement will have on the Young Student Center.

Although this is personnel issue, the difficulties The Equinox faced in attempting to tell this story exemplify a pattern of suppression and obstruction that has been building since Fall of 2015.

Restricted Access 

Student journalists work hard and diligently to provide a service and produce content for students and the campus community. The Equinox follows a strict code of ethics, and its mission is to be “Fair, Accurate and Complete.”

With that in mind, interviews are essential to the news-gathering process and help to provide balanced and informed content. Answers given during an interview help shape the story. However, when student journalists are denied the right to interview administrative, faculty and staff members, it makes it very difficult for student journalists to do their jobs and cover all needed bases for a fair story.

When public relations’ policies and processes create barriers for the student press, vital stakeholders and information cannot be included, thus making for an incomplete product.

In general, journalism students have been redirected and ignored when asking for interviews and information. This not only affects writers for The Equinox, it also affects students in journalism classes who are covering stories for a grade and any other campus member who might be impacted by that story.

Regardless of the nature of the story, The Equinox aims to serve its community by providing relevant information through an unbiased lens. Above all else, The Equinox values good journalism and expects the same of its editors and staff. But teaching and doing good journalism is all but impossible when campus community members seem to feel obligated to remain silent.

Currently, student journalists must go through Ricaurte to interview with any of the cabinet members, or to cover a story on “significant institution-wide or departmental-wide issues” and safety concerns on or off campus, according to Marketing and Communications Student Media Interview Guidelines for Staff Members.

This should mean that staff members are free to participate and speak freely in student media interviews regarding all other matters without going to Ricaurte first. We will continue to work around any barrier the administration creates and if denied access, we will be taking note.

Denied Funding

With a staff of more than 100 student journalists that have rotated through our newspaper during this current academic school year, The Equinox serves as the “Student Voice of Keene State College.” On April 14, KSC Student Assembly Treasurer Casey Matthews informed all student groups and organizations of their awarded budget for the 2017-2018 academic year.

Of the four organizations with the largest cuts to their budget, three were student media: The Equinox, WKNH and Kronicle. Out of all student clubs and organizations, WKNH and The Equinox had the largest cuts.

The allotted money available for student clubs and organization budgets was cut by 12.5 percent between this academic year (‘16-’17) and next academic year (‘17-’18), dropping from $800,000 to $700,000, despite the fact that student fees will increase by five percent next year.

While the majority of student clubs and organizations did lose funding, others remained the same or even received increases to their budgets. The budget cuts, however, were not done equally. For example, The Equinox’s budget was cut by 45 percent, whereas the Social Activities Council’s (SAC) budget was cut by only 19 percent. In total, the budget cuts to these four organizations: SAC, The Equinox, Kronicle and WKNH, amount to $124,385. That amount, to only these four organizations, exceeds the $100,000 cut to available funding for all student clubs and organizations.

The Equinox understands the necessity of making budget cuts and is willing to make equitable sacrifices. But to notify a student organization late Friday afternoon, two weeks before the end of the semester, that their budget will be cut by 45 percent ($48,400) with no explanation, speaks volumes, especially, when the budget The Equinox was awarded will not cover operating expenses which includes printing, stipends and software licenses.

An appeal made Wednesday, April 19, was denied, but during a follow-up meeting with FCSA on Tuesday, May 2, the FCSA urged The Equinox to access the reserves and would fully support The Equinox during the process.

The Finance Committee on Student Assembly (FCSA) makes the final decisions on which clubs are cut and by how much. Student Assembly Treasurer Casey Matthews said, “When we sift through it [budget requests] and look at everyone’s requests, the money gets prioritized to what is benefiting most students and the whole student body.”

If this statement is true, the cuts the media groups on campus received would then be contradictory to their method of divvying up funds because The Equinox is open to all students, regardless of major.

With a weekly print readership averaging 1,300 and an online readership averaging 500, the newspaper benefits any and every student, faculty, staff, administrator, alumni or community member who decides to stay informed about what’s happening at Keene State College.

It is the duty of the student press to hold the college and its administration accountable.

April is sexual and domestic violence awareness month, but having discussions and bringing about awareness is only the first step. As important as it is to highlight and bring awareness to this, oftentimes, silenced issue, it’s not enough. Action needs to be taken.

According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. Keeping this in mind, the majority of victims are 30 years old, with 54 percent being between the ages of 18-34. With college students being at such a high risk of becoming sexual assault victims, preventive measures need to be taken on campus.

Photo Illustration by Adam Urquhart / Opinions Editor

Pamphlets reading statistics and providing emergency hotline numbers is a great resource, but in those cases, we’re reaching out to potential victims when we need to focus on potential predators, so to speak. A focus on working with ways predators can better control their temper, anger, emotions etc. needs to be emphasized just as much as ways for victims to reach out for help. We need to provide services and education to those who may act out aggressively. We need to educate people on how to balance a healthy relationship first before we educate them on how to reach out for help once caught up in an unhealthy relationship. Both sides are equally important and deserve the same attention.

However, sexual and domestic violence prevention resources are widely available both on Keene State College’s (KSC) campus and in the greater Monadnock region. We’re fortunate in that regard because not every area of the country has the same amount or quality of resources available. On a national level, more needs to be done for sure, but when looking at this locally, the Monadnock region does pretty well.

Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention (MCVP), located on Court Street in Keene, New Hampshire, serves all of Cheshire County and 14 towns in western Hillsborough County. MCVP offers resources and support for victims of sexual and domestic violence such as a 24-hour crisis hotline, peer counseling in-person and over the phone, referrals and more. Also, they also provide victims with temporary shelter at confidential locations. KSC also offers prevention resources.

Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Peer Educators, which is coordinated by the Counseling Center at KSC, conducts programs and events across campus from Greek organizations to residence halls. According to KSC’s Sexual Violence Prevention & Intervention page, “Any student interested in helping MVP with it’s mission, ‘Students Helping Students End Sexual Violence,’ is welcome to contact the MVP Advisor Forrest Seymour (fseymour@keene.edu, 603-358-2047) or fill out the online application.” The Sexual Assault & Violence Education (SAVE) Committee is also available and open to the entire KSC community working in collaboration with MCVP. Together, they work to put on events throughout the year. According to KSC’s Sexual Violence Prevention & Intervention page, “These events include the ‘Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Men’s March to End Rape, Sexual Assault and Gender Violence,’ the ‘Shout Out Against Sexual Assault,’ the ‘Silent Witnesses’ and more.” Along with these events, every year for orientation, KSC puts on the student production No Zebras, No Excuses. This production focuses on bystander mentality in scenarios that are presented including sexual assault, violence and other issues that may arise on a college campus.

As important as it is to encourage sexual and domestic violence prevention, we at The Equinox feel encouraging those in risky situations to speak out is equally important. Incidents involving sexual and domestic violence are frequently brushed under the rug. Victims should not be silenced, and with all the resources available in our region, those voices can be heard. Victims should be encouraged to speak out and hold predators accountable for their actions. We need to find effective ways to nail home the fact that violent behaviors are unacceptable at a young age. We need to embed this in the minds of children before they even have the chance to get involved in their first relationship. We need to start young and not wait until it’s too late, when these habits and behaviors are already learned. Teaching people methods of balancing healthy relationships at a young age may lead to a reduction in sexual and domestic violence.

The increased inflation of tuition rates is occurring across the country at colleges and universities, and Keene State College (KSC) is not excluded from this trend. With tuition rates climbing slightly year after year, some fear the extra debt they’ll find themselves in once they’ve earned their degree.

Regardless of one’s loan, that borrowed money will eventually start to accumulate interest if payments aren’t met. With an increased hike in tuition fees, these loans that are taken up will be greater, resulting in more potential interest fees. The increase in tuition fees may be very minimal, but over time, it will add up when looking at the grand scheme of things. This is especially true if the increased tuition rate trend is to continue in the future.

As of right now, according to http://www.keene.edu, the 2017-2018 rates are $11,188 for a full-time matriculated year for an in-state student and $19,934 for a full-time matriculated year for an out-of-state student. For some, these figures are affordable, but for others, even just a semester’s price tag is steep. This price tag could potentially become even steeper if next year’s tuition rates climb once again.

Samantha moore/ Art director

KSC’s factbook states the tuition rates are increasing by two percent for in-state students and by three percent for out-of-state students. Previously, tuition for in-state students was frozen. Although it seems a small increase when looking at it from a financial standpoint, this money actually matters. When looking at these percentages, that means that next year, tuition for in-state students will cost $11,411.76, which is $223.76 more, and out-of-state will cost $20,532.02, which is $598.02 higher. Bear in mind this doesn’t include the expenses for other fees that come along with schooling such as dining plans for example.

However, keep in mind the college itself is not necessarily to blame for these increases. The University System of New Hampshire (USNH) board of trustees’ members are actually the ones who approve or disapprove the tuition costs annually for the following public institutions: the University of New Hampshire, Plymouth State University, Granite State College and Keene State College. So, we Owls aren’t the only New Hampshire students who face these increases.

It appears troubling that while our tuition increases, financial aid and scholarships only cover so much. Yes, money is provided through them to be put toward schooling, but as rates go up, some may wonder whether or not financial aid and scholarships will too. Any sum of money small or large is greatly appreciated in the eyes of most students. College students, like most people, would rather acquire cash than dish it out, but as college costs more and more annually, are students going to be footing a heftier bill for the same quality education as previous years? While everyone’s financial situation is unique, not all get assistance from parents or family members. Some students end up having to pay for their education all on their own while others receive help paying their loans back. However large or small the tuition rates increase, it’s still more money for students in the long run if rates continue to rise.

We at The Equinox hope to see the trend of tuition rates rising annually come to an end. Ideally, it would be great if they were to decrease or even be tuition-free as Bernie Sanders wanted for us so desperately. But realistically speaking, we would like to see tuition rates remain consistent so students and their families can better afford to put their children through school. For any students with questions regarding their own tuition situation, visit Student Accounts in the Elliot Center.

Often times, news organizations will all jump on the same story at once, making a huge deal of it and then let the topic become forgotten. The story will get buried for a while before coming back into the media’s spotlight. It’s important to bear in mind that just because the news media isn’t currently focusing on a topic or issue doesn’t mean it isn’t occurring.

We’ve seen this play out quite recently through the examples of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and Flint, Michigan’s, water crisis. Both topics were highlighted across the board on mostly all news outlets.

However, at the peak of the DAPL’s popularity, with people eagerly paying attention to the protests back in November and December of 2016, it seemed to hide away from the headline’s shortly after. It has reappeared recently now that we’ve come to learn that it’s been given the green light to go ahead and be constructed.

Samantha Moore / Art Director

We’ve also seen Flint, Michigan’s, water crisis get turned into a huge deal in the media. However, once news organizations put a halt on running articles about the situation, people’s attention was geared elsewhere, away from this persisting problem that still affects residents today.

Issue’s like these two aren’t solved overnight or in the time it takes to publish a weekly paper. Just because more timely news is reported upon, doesn’t mean the old news corrected itself. That’s important to remember while taking in news from many different outlets.

It’s important not to fall victim to this trend of suddenly caring about an issue to forget about it in the following weeks or months that come. A classic example that comes to mind is Kony 2012. Perhaps, some of you may remember this brief but inspirational campaign. It may have come too late, but many were moved by it before, all of a sudden, it was a thing of the past.

We at The Equinox have noticed that as soon as the media stops bringing an issue or topic to light, people’s’ attention to that issue or topic will cease as well. If something occurring in the world hit home to you while reading a news article, don’t give up on it just because it’s no longer getting as much media coverage as it once did. Look elsewhere to stay up-to-date on whatever it was that sparked this interest. Research outside of news outlets and delve into other forms of gathering information such as those who utilize Twitter to provide real news in real time.

Twitter and livestreaming have the ability to broadcast vital information before reporters and news stations have the opportunity to get the word out. Today, news is able to be covered constantly 24/7 through different platforms. With information constantly being shared, sometimes news becomes old news fast as new stories stack. If a topic or current event means something to you, investigate it for yourself and form your own conclusions, rather than letting that care conclude at the bottom paragraph of the most recent article published online. We at The Equinox encourage you all to stay informed on different topics that interest you.

Often times, news organizations will all jump on the same story at once, making a huge deal of it and then let the topic become forgotten. The story will get buried for a while before coming back into the media’s spotlight. It’s important to bear in mind that just because the news media isn’t currently focusing on a topic or issue doesn’t mean it isn’t occurring.

We’ve seen this play out quite recently through the examples of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and Flint, Michigan’s, water crisis. Both topics were highlighted across the board on mostly all news outlets.

However, at the peak of the DAPL’s popularity, with people eagerly paying attention to the protests back in November and December of 2016, it seemed to hide away from the headline’s shortly after. It has reappeared recently now that we’ve come to learn that it’s been given the green light to go ahead and be constructed.

Samantha Moore / Art Director

We’ve also seen Flint, Michigan’s, water crisis get turned into a huge deal in the media. However, once news organizations put a halt on running articles about the situation, people’s attention was geared elsewhere, away from this persisting problem that still affects residents today.

Issue’s like these two aren’t solved overnight or in the time it takes to publish a weekly paper. Just because more timely news is reported upon, doesn’t mean the old news corrected itself. That’s important to remember while taking in news from many different outlets.

It’s important not to fall victim to this trend of suddenly caring about an issue to forget about it in the following weeks or months that come. A classic example that comes to mind is Kony 2012. Perhaps, some of you may remember this brief but inspirational campaign. It may have come too late, but many were moved by it before, all of a sudden, it was a thing of the past.

We at The Equinox have noticed that as soon as the media stops bringing an issue or topic to light, people’s’ attention to that issue or topic will cease as well. If something occurring in the world hit home to you while reading a news article, don’t give up on it just because it’s no longer getting as much media coverage as it once did. Look elsewhere to stay up-to-date on whatever it was that sparked this interest. Research outside of news outlets and delve into other forms of gathering information such as those who utilize Twitter to provide real news in real time.

Twitter and livestreaming have the ability to broadcast vital information before reporters and news stations have the opportunity to get the word out. Today, news is able to be covered constantly 24/7 through different platforms. With information constantly being shared, sometimes news becomes old news fast as new stories stack. If a topic or current event means something to you, investigate it for yourself and form your own conclusions, rather than letting that care conclude at the bottom paragraph of the most recent article published online. We at The Equinox encourage you all to stay informed on different topics that interest you.

Keene State College’s Fair Trade Club has started a petition calling upon President Anne E. Huot to recognize and acknowledge KSC as a Fair Trade college. With many sustainable strides taken so far, members of the The Equinox wonder why this simple step has yet to be taken.

Keene State has placed a great emphasis on sustainability with its efforts toward building and incorporating eco-friendly, sustainable structures and practices into place. The college prides itself off of its use of biofuel to heat buildings on campus, the TDS center using solar panels and the new Living and Learning Commons building. The college has the opportunity to embrace and carry out one more environmentally-friendly initiative, but has yet to take action.

Samantha Moore / Art Director

KSC started selling Green Mountain Coffee back in 2008, making it the first Fair Trade product to be sold on campus. The Fair Trade Club began on campus back in 2011. Since then, many more members have joined and all sorts of Fair Trade products can be found on campus. To carry out a Fair Trade campaign and have a college/university be officially recognized as a Fair Trade school, there are steps that need to be completed. In short, these steps include building a team, reaching out to campus outlets, sourcing Fair Trade at events and meetings, committing to Fair Trade education and finally passing Fair Trade resolution. The Fair Trade Club here on campus has done all but the last of those steps, and we need Huot’s help in order to move forward in becoming officially recognized as being a Fair Trade certified college.

For years, the Fair Trade Club has worked toward accomplishing this and is quite close to reaching their goal. The core values of Fair Trade campaigns also align with what Keene State is all about, so it’s rather peculiar that President Huot hasn’t jumped at this opportunity. We at The Equinox would like to see President Huot take action and help our school be officially recognized as a Fair Trade certified college, especially since the school is already following along with what it takes to be one in the first place.

Fair Trade goes much further than just paying farmers and food production workers a fair wage for the products and services they supply. At the core of Fair Trade’s values are empowerment, integrity, sustainability, innovation, excellence, personal development, community, fairness and impact. All of this is something KSC encourages. According to fairtradeusa.org, “Through direct, equitable trade, farming and working families are able to eat better, keep their kids in school, improve health and housing, and invest in the future.” Through Fair Trade, local communities are strengthened, organic agriculture is encouraged for the health of the farmers, consumers and planet and those involved are compensated fairly.

In some instances, farmers are neglected and taken advantage of, receiving bare minimums for the products they plant, tend, harvest and supply. Much of our food comes from poverty-stricken parts of the world, so to further take advantage of these workers only perpetuates the impoverished cycle they find themselves living within. This exploitation isn’t a factor when purchasing a Fair Trade certified product. According to theethicalsilkco.com, “When commercial buyers pay fair premiums, these farmers no longer live in extreme poverty. Instead, they earn sufficiently to provide and protect their families, as well as strengthen their overall communities through finances, adequate nutrition and education.” Fair Trade also stands against child labor, which is crucial, as many children in parts of the world are tending fields for little or no pay. According to theethicalsilkco.com, “Fair Trade requires compliance with domestic and international labor laws, which include the prohibition of child and forced labor, as well as child trafficking.”

Fair Trade seeks for better equity all around, for the one planting the seed, to the one purchasing that produce and all those in-between with a more sustainable and transparent model for international trade. We at The Equinox admire all that Fair Trade is about and encourages and would like to see Keene State College sign off and become officially certified as a Fair Trade college.

*Correction made 2/20/17: Paragraph 7 – changed “e-” to “about and encourages and would like to see Keene State College”*