Heather O’Brien
Equinox Staff

Student Assembly discussed the fiscal year 2017 fee increases for multiple departments on campus at this week’s meeting on Tuesday, December 8th.

To start off the meeting, the Recreational Sports Department manager Lynne Andrews attended the assembly requesting a four percent fee increase for the department. This increase will help off set mandatory increases in full-time professional staff salaries, physical plant operations, maintenance charges and administrative service charges.

“A lot of our budget is really surrounded around running the facility, payment of the facility, payroll for either student employees or full time,” Andrews said.

The facility did not have to reduce any facility hours or program offerings this academic year.

In addition, Andrews stated that the department usually spends 35,000 to 45,000 dollars either to replace older equipment or to purchase new equipment and hopes that they can make some of those purchases for next year.

The assembly endorsed the proposed amount for the Recreational Sports department.

In other business, Director of Campus Safety Amanda Guthorn is requesting a five percent increase for the Campus Safety, Parking and Shuttle Services.

The department has provided approximately 10,000 rides each academic year.

The shuttle service now offers a Friday shuttle from 6 to 10 pm and this will run until the Friday before Spring Break.

Member Casey Matthews asked if this request is solely in regards to parking and the shuttle service. Guthorn said that the officers deal with parking management and enforcement. There is a portion of their salaries that come out of the parking budget.

The assembly endorsed the proposed amount for the Campus Safety, Parking and Shuttle Services Department.

Next, Chief Information Officer of the Information and Technology Group Laura Seraichick requested a five percent increase.

The department is looking for a way to reduce some of the equipment in the computer labs because students tend to bring their own technology to class. The Information and Technology Group plan to work with faculty in order to find ways to provide the software that students need in order to access these services on their own devices.

The assembly endorsed the $21.73 increase for the Information and Technology Group.

Lastly, Director of the Counseling Center Brian Quigley informed the assembly of prevention services they are offering on campus and that the Department is not proposing any budget increases.

The counseling center is working toward the way they approach the prevention side of their work. Staff and faculty are trained to recognize signs for distress and how to have conversations around a sensitive topic.

“The other part of what you’re doing at this stage in life is trying to figure things out and figure out who you are and how to feel good and navigate relationships and develop into successful healthy young adults,” Quigley said.

Quigley added that the department develops programs and initiatives on campus to support students and to help navigate expected challenges that may be experienced as young adults.

Taking a photo has become more accessible and less creative as the years have gone on. It may not seem like there is much that goes into taking a picture, but there are many technicalities that make the process more effective and can increase the quality of your photos.

I have had a passion for photography since high school, and I never knew how to use half of the buttons on my camera until I started my internship at Keene State College.

That being the case, I blame cell phones for the loss of creativity. The downside of an iPhone is that you can’t adjust your International Standard of Organizations (ISO), shutter speed or aperture. I’m willing to bet that most people who have a camera or iPhone don’t even know what those three words mean.

Now, I don’t expect everybody to know digital camera lingo. But I wish that people would take more of an interest in what it takes to capture a great photo. Becoming familiar with the settings on a camera, in order to compensate for the current lighting situation, will make for better photos.

Each setting affects each other, so if one setting is adjusted you may need to adjust the others as well. Aperture controls the amount of light that is let in through the camera lens. A smaller number for an aperture means more light will pass through and there will be less depth of field. According to cambridgeincolour.com, depth of field is the range of distance which appears sharp. The website added that the depth of field varies on the camera and the print size can influence perception as well.

ISO is the film speed. By adjusting the ISO, the film can become more or less sensitive to light. Setting a camera to ISO 800 is usually best for most places where it may not be very bright.

The shutter speed is how long light is being let in. A lower shutter speed will capture more motion and objects will become blurred. A higher shutter speed will keep the object still without being blurred.

I admit that I had no idea what any of these terms meant or how they worked when I first started learning about them. I’m still getting used to adjusting each setting in order to capture a good quality photo.

I believe social media apps like Instagram and Facebook have been the cause of the lack of creativity in photography. They have allowed anybody to create an account and post whatever and whenever they want. These apps make uploading pictures easy because you can take a photo and upload it within seconds. Throw a filter on there, crop it a little bit and the picture is good to go. As technology has progressed it’s made it easier for anybody to feel like a professional photographer. You take one “artsy” picture of your cat and before you know it you have 50 likes on Instagram and you’re feeling confident about your picture-taking abilities.  There are not very many cellphones anymore without a camera. This has  opened a door for people to show where they are, what they’re doing and who they’re with. Award-winning, London based Mexican photographer Antonio Olmos said that the iPhone is taking people away from the viewers experiences.

I agree with him to a certain degree. I don’t think there is anything wrong with people taking pictures to capture moments because I like to do the same thing. It becomes less of an experience when a person is consumed with taking a good selfie at the beach instead of taking pictures with friends. Sometimes it would be a good idea to put the phone away and cherish the moment while it’s there.

Taking pictures on my camera makes me feel more in control because I can choose my focus point and adjust whatever setting that needs to be adjusted. I feel accomplished when my photos come out good because I know that I worked for that and was able to figure out the right settings.

Heather O’Brien can be contacted at hobrien@kscequinox.com

As a parent, wondering if it’s beneficial to send your child to preschool has been a frequent question.

According to The New York Times, an evaluation in Tennessee showed that children who attended Pre-K had gains in math, language and reading.

I think that attending Pre-K can be beneficial under all circumstances because the child learns subjects and how to communicate with their teachers and classmates. The evaluation of the children in pre-K tracked them until their third grade year.

There was no evidence that they had benefited from preschool. However, even though the students didn’t retain much from attending pre-K doesn’t mean that students in different parts of the country couldn’t either.

The New York Times stated that a randomized study showed that pre- kindergartners in Boston gained up to seven months of progress in reading and math. Everyone is different and there are a variety of ways to learn. I attended pre-K and loved it; I made friends there and grew up with them throughout the school system in my home town. One of my friends who attended the same pre-K school as me is now one of my roommates.

There is nothing wrong with a little extra schooling to get your child’s mind thinking about subjects such as math or reciting the alphabet.

Given that, quality happens to be the difference between these Boston and Tennessee schools. Vanderbilt professor and the Tennessee study’s co-author Dale Farran stated that Tennessee doesn’t have a coherent vision. He added that each teacher is inventing pre-K on their own. In Boston, the teachers receive coaching from knowledgeable veterans. The head of Boston’s public preschools Jason Sachs said that unlike Boston preschools, the adults usually do all the talking while the children sit in a circle.“Here, the children take much more of an active role. They learn about the concept of length by comparing the shadows they cast when lying on the ground.

They learn about measurement by producing a guide to making light blue,” Sachs said.

I remember being hands-on in my pre-K classes. I also remember sitting around in a circle and learning about how many months are in a year and how many days are in each month.

By the way, children in New Jersey who happened to be poor attended pre-K and are now in fifth grade receiving an achievement gap of 20 to 30 percent between poor students and the nationwide average.

This goes to show that different schools and teachers have many ways that they can provide knowledge to their students that could have long lasting effects. There are people in my life who never attended preschool and are presently receiving high grades in college. I don’t feel that pre-K can necessarily set a child up to pass or fail throughout the rest of their academic career.

It all depends on who is teaching the class and what kind of experience they have, just like the teachers in Boston who work with people knowledgeable in that area to benefit themselves and their students. I do feel that attending pre-K can present positive opportunities for children to start thinking about aspects of life that maybe they can’t get at home at such a young age.

Allowing your child to attend Pre-K could help better their communication and relationship skills while learning how to be respectful and responsible.

Heather O’Brien can be contacted at hobrien@kscequinox.com

The separation between genders has recently caused customers of Target to publicly post their concerns/issues with its marketing of some in-store products. Specifically speaking, kids toys.

An article from the Washington Post stated that the aisles of Target will no longer have colored backdrops to indicate gender. “We never want guests or their families to feel frustrated or limited by the way things are presented,” Target’s press release stated.

I don’t see an issue with Target wanting to satisfy the complaints of its customers. If any complaint is brought up to a business it isn’t wrong of them to correct the problem.

I have paid more attention to the way gender is displayed ever since I took a Women and Gender Studies class during my first year at Keene State College. Items in most stores are gender-specific. I’m sure it is to make shopping easier when buying for a boy or girl.

The same article from the Washington Post embedded a Youtube video of a young girl named Riley voicing her opinion of boy and girl toys. “Why do all the girls have to buy princesses?” Riley asked.

She continued to talk about how some girls and boys like both princesses and superheroes. It’s interesting to hear an opinion such as this coming from a young girl because most kids play with whatever they’re given as long as they have something to keep them busy. On the other hand, when a child is born either a boy or a girl, they’re given items that represent their gender according to the norm of society; girls get pink and boys get blue. I’ve known people to say that that’s how it’s always been and it shouldn’t be a big deal if a toy or the toy aisle is labeled gender-specific.

I agree with how Target is changing their aisles so that they’re not labeled to a specific gender. I don’t think it is necessary to change the color of the backdrops because children shouldn’t be determined by a particular color. Fortune Magazine posted an article about clothing retail moving towards androgyny and the deconstruction of gender.

The author of the article, Ryan Daly, said that retail stores have a profound effect on the way people construct visions of gender through fashion. When an aisle is geared toward a certain gender it can make the opposite gender feel as though they don’t belong there because that is what society has taught us.

In reference back to the Washington Post article, Abi Bechtel, mother of three boys, had tweeted a picture of an aisle in Target labeled ‘Building Sets’ and underneath on the same sign was written Girls’ Building Sets. Bechtel said that her boys used to have no problem playing with dolls, but now say, “Eww, I’m not going in that aisle, that’s girl stuff.”

I don’t think that there needs to be as much of a focus on the separation of gender. Leave it up to the customers to decide what type of items they want to shop for. There doesn’t need to be a line physically separating girls from boys.

Heather O’Brien can be contacted at hobrien@kscequinox.com

After a long winter of endless snow, the sun has been breaking through, adding some heat to our final weeks at school before the end of the semester.

Tank tops, shorts, skirts and sandals are the fashion during the days of beautiful weather hinting at summer. It is clear how moods change when the sun shines up above, but what is it about the first signs of warm weather that affect the moods of the students on campus versus the moods during the more frigid and snow filled months?

I’ve heard stories of doctors telling their patients that they should go tanning to get their source of vitamin D in the winter. Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins for our bodies.

According to webmd.com, vitamin D is produced by the body in response to skin being exposed to sunlight.

Being cooped up all winter long is not something that I enjoy.

Winter is exciting at first because I get to break out the cute sweaters and watch the snow fall.

After the long winter we’ve had, it’s about time that it’s over.

The first couple of days of summer are cheery, but once the heat tags along, those cheerful moods may turn into something else.

In 2013, there was a link found between aggression and higher temperatures, according to psychcentral.com.

Higher temperatures made intergroup conflicts rise by 14 percent, while interpersonal violence rose by four percent researchers found.

I’m not sure exactly why this might be. Is it because people get all hot-and-bothered and decide they want to get violent? Sit in front of a fan and chill out.

This same website also states that springtime is a season of hopelessness for some. Suicide peaks for workers inside during the summer and spring for outdoor workers because of the sudden increase in daylight and temperature.

This is really shocking to me because I’ve never known or heard of someone who was impacted negatively by summer.

Spring and summer are my favorite seasons. I enjoy the school year, but once it’s summertime I am able to work and spend time with my family.

Most of my friends agree that spring or summer is their favorite season.

According to hercampus.com, summer allows us to eat more fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables. They said that eating these foods benefit how we think and feel.

“These effects include physical effects like good digestion and clear skin as well as harder-to-measure effects like mental clarity, alertness and energy,” HerCampus states.

The variety of food and treats in the summer is another reason why I think summer is one of the most enjoyable seasons. Who doesn’t enjoy going out for an ice cream?

Learning that suicide rates can be high in these seasons is almost unbelievable.

Learning this certainly came as a shock to me because I can’t understand why someone wouldn’t enjoy a time

Sarah Morrison / Equinox Staff

as beautiful and relaxed as summer.

I think that all the research about weather affecting people’s moods can be accurate, but it depends on the audience that is being surveyed.

Each person is different in their attitudes, opinions and behaviors so it is understandable that every season has a different effect on people as individuals.

I enjoy our changing seasons here in New England.

Some people come here and comment about how there are so many trees or how they’ve never seen a snowfall.

This topic of weather affecting our moods lead me to think about Alaska. Borrow, Alaska experiences seven to 10 days without sunlight.

The loss of daylight brings depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder.

According to nytimes.com, in a study from 1992 they found that 10 percent of Alaskans suffer from the disorder.

Symptoms include a desire for sleep, craving carbohydrates, fuzzy thinking, feelings of melancholy and a few others.

The Alaskans are used to their months of dark and light. An article from accuweather.com, said, “We plan our activities around the cultural calendar, and the calendar is based on the months of dark and light.”

I feel lucky that there are practically equal times of light and darkness in New England. I can’t imagine living in the pitch black for weeks. I believe that all seasons have different things to offer, both good and bad.

Without the change in the seasons, we would not be able to fully appreciate what each season brings.

Harsh winters certainly make us better enjoy nice warm summers.  And scorching hot summers make us eager for chilly fall temperatures as well.

Heather O’Brien can be contacted at hobrien@kscequinox.com

It isn’t always easy coming back from a war and it isn’t any easier suffering from Post-traumatic Stress (PTS). According to the National Institute of Mental Health, Post-traumatic Stress can occur after an ordeal that involved physical harm or a threat of physical harm. 1.64 million U.S. troops have been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001.

Post Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) are the two biggest combat-related concerns according to rand.org. I think that PTS is something that the military has been working on for years, but it isn’t something that you can prevent. It is important for soldiers to talk to a medical professional when experiencing symptoms.

According to newrepublic.com, U.S. soldiers experience PTS at rates of 21 to 29 percent.

A study commissioned by RAND research corporation reported that 14 percent of soldiers report depression.

U.S. Army Sergeant Henry Cruz was in Iraq in 2005, according to the Washington Post, when he heard an explosion and went to assess the situation.

Another soldier didn’t want him to go alone, so they went together. The soldier who tagged along ended up getting killed; Cruz held him in his arms as he died. Cruz was forced into medical retirement because he had symptoms of PTS while struggling with survivor’s guilt. Is this fair?

He had a career of almost 11 years and didn’t want to leave the Army. I understand why the military would decide not to deploy soldiers with medical conditions, but what was the degree of his condition?

The article never stated the degree of his PTS when he was discharged, but, on top of PTS, mentioned his diagnosis with TBI.

Making people unwillingly retire may cause their lives to spiral such as Cruz’s did. He struggled with many problems, but was able to pick himself back up.

I can’t say that I understand why they get survivor’s guilt. I would hope that any man or woman who comes back from a war knows that they are a hero, no matter what has happened.

Newrepublic.com also said that U.S. Soldiers are younger than most soldiers in other countries. Many of these soldiers who develop PTS are not able to cope and have a hard time working up the courage to talk to someone about it.

I think that anyone who develops PTS has a hard time accepting and dealing with it. The military is trying to teach their soldiers how to handle these issues.

In the movie “Unbroken,” the Olympian Louis Zamperini was stranded at sea for 47 days and spent two years in a Japanese prison camp. He ended up developing PTS while also having a problem with alcohol. On westernjournalism.com, a teacher at the University of Southern California said, “In real life, Zamperini’s postwar story has a tremendous ending.”

They said, “He endures years of alcoholism and PTS before a religious awakening.” I hear so many negative stories of people with PTS and how they struggle with it because there isn’t an easy cure. This is a much improved story for current soldiers and citizens to look up to, knowing that there is more to life than PTS.

In the 40s, doctors weren’t as knowledgeable about PTS as they are today. Zamperini was able to cure himself. I don’t think it’s fair for the people that develop PTS to point fingers at the military. All the military can do is raise awareness, advise soldiers to seek medical attention and train their men and women to be the best.

Many soldiers don’t try to get help because of all the stories they hear about people getting kicked out, such as Cruz did.

I believe that the first step to getting better is understanding the illness and accepting it. I can only hope that they realize their reason for living. “I kept telling myself, you’re such  hypocrite. You made it back, and now you’re going to end it? There’s always a way. There’s always a solution,” Cruz said.

Heather O’Brien can be contacted at hobrien@kscequinox.com

It’s bad enough that our jobs and lives depend on technology. Why must our schools and institutions depend on it as well?

I have had one class in my four semesters that hasn’t required me to do any work that required a computer. All of my classes have required reading online materials and completing homework or in-class assignments online.With our world being technologically advanced, I think the current issue is that most schools require students to have a laptop in order to complete online tasks. Yes, there is a library that provides the campus with computers and printers, but if a majority of students couldn’t afford a laptop, how might this affect the school and the way they decide to educate the students?

According to science.opposingviews.com, having technology in the classroom is a significant cost for any school. “Though ‘bring your own device’ policies may relieve the school of some of these costs, the policies shift to students and their families, who may not be able to afford the hardware and software.” I understand that our world depends on technology in order to do research while also using it as a way to advertise and communicate with certain audiences. How is it fair that students who may already be awaiting debt after college have to spend extra money on technology just to take classes that are only a semester long?

Matt Zupanni / Equinox Staff

It’s one thing to need access to the internet or a computer to complete assignments, but what about when those assignments are not uploaded correctly on Canvas or Blackboard?

In one of my classes, an assignment was uploaded to Canvas, but it wasn’t until the next day that professor realized the document on Canvas wasn’t working properly. Some students were able to access the assignment and others weren’t, one of those students being myself. The group of students that I was in had fewer days to complete it than the other half of the class.

It’s unfortunate that I can’t be given a hard copy of an assignment. It would make the students and professors worry less about whether their document was uploaded or not. I like hands-on learning and I think it is the most effective type of learning there is.

I’m not one hundred percent against the use of technology in the classroom; I think many students can use it to their advantage in a positive way. Having the internet allows for students to take online classes. But class time can sometimes become wasted because of technical troubles. There have been countless times where lessons in class have been prolonged or postponed because the sound on the computer doesn’t work or the wifi is slow.

However, technology in general can act as an aid. If I don’t want to confront someone in person, the iPhone allows me to hide and send a text instead. Anyone can take a walk through campus, a store or anywhere seeing faces tilted down, looking at a screen.

It’s almost rare to be able to have a conversation without either person checking their phones or getting distracted. My dad always tells me and my sister that our phones are our lifelines. I always laugh and make the same comment to him whenever he uses his phone. It is so true. I barely go anywhere without my phone and I know all of my friends are the same way.

I’m sure I am guilty of being distracted during a conversation by my phone, but I try to make it a point to put my phone away so the speaker knows that I intend to give them my undivided attention. I think most people are guilty of overusing at least one form of technology. It’s important to understand when it is acceptable to use it and when it’s just plain rude.

I don’t think schools should get rid of or stop using technology because I know that would never happen, but don’t let the great world of technology become a negative distraction. We all have one shot at life — don’t let it be from behind a screen.

Heather O’Brien can be contacted at hobrien@kscequinox.com