With the arrival of warm weather and a countdown to graduation in the back of everyone’s minds, the final stretch of the spring semester is adding stress to most Keene State College students’ lives.

An increased workload, coupled with procrastination, is a recipe for disaster that KSC students know all too well.

Photo illustration by Luke Stergiou

KSC junior Nathaniel Wolf said while he procrastinates on most assignments, he can’t really pinpoint a reason as to why he does it.

“I guess at this point, it’s just force of habit,” Wolf said. “I actually find when I’m working under the pressure of time, I produce better work as I know I can’t get any more distracted so I guess it’s beneficial in that instance.”

Wolf said procrastination doesn’t typically lead to stress until the end of the semester, when more assignments are due and deadlines are fast approaching.

KSC junior Nick Stapleton added, “The end of the semester is when scholarships have to be filled out and classes have to be registered for,” in addition to final papers, projects and exams.

Stapleton noted that a real problem for him is how the increased workload at school interferes with his work schedule.

“I need the money to pay for my education, but it subtracts more from the time I need to do work on projects, forcing me to procrastinate in a way,” Stapleton said.

Stapleton is no stranger to procrastination.

“[Sometimes] I get so overloaded with work that when I’m nearly caught up, I need time to blow off steam and relax. Usually instead of doing my work, I’ll catch up on sleep, read a book or hangout with some friends. Sometimes, I’ll go for a run or a bike ride,” Stapleton said. “I tend to keep my procrastination under control so that it doesn’t impact my grades or school work, although it can put me under immense stress.”

Stapleton added that at the end of the semester, there’s less time for him to procrastinate, though that’s when he feels like he needs to most.

KSC senior Will Hadden said that while he doesn’t procrastinate with everything, when he does, he usually underestimates how long something will take.

“I occasionally will procrastinate to the point where things become an emergency and must be taken care of immediately,” Hadden said. “And generally, when I’m not doing the work that I should be, I’m watching Netflix or trying to find something good to eat.”

Hadden said the key to combating procrastination is motivation.

“I often need the motivation that comes with deadlines. Deadlines appear most frequently during the end of the semester,” Hadden said. “Toward the end of the semester, I reach a peak in my level of motivation.”

Dakota Umbro, a KSC junior, said she typically procrastinates on things that she has the option of putting off.

Umbro said, “I think I procrastinate because I know that what I am putting off could be done at another time. But whatever I am doing in the moment is the most important.”

When she’s procrastinating, Umbro said she’s often doing other assignments she put off, but that the key is prioritizing.

“I think toward the end of the semester, more things are due and there are more things to do, specifically with projects or extracurriculars,” Umbro said. “I think the spring semester each year is pretty stressful, especially if you are a junior or a senior. Life really starts to hit you in the face.”

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@kscequinox.com

Keene State College journalism professor Rodger Martin started writing poetry when he was in middle school—it was a passion of his that has followed him throughout life.

Recently, Martin was notified that a monument was being created in honor of him and his poetry across the globe in China at the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics (SUIBE).

As a KSC alum of the class of 1977, Martin began working as an editor for the Worcester Review, where he did a considerable amount of work editing and translating Chinese poetry.

It was during this time that he met Zhang Ziqing, a professor of English at Nanjing’s Institute of Foreign Literature in China.

Rodger Martin / Contributed Photo

Martin (The Equinox’s co-advisor) explained that he had been working with Zhang, editing and translating poetry, since the 1980s. They met in person for the first time in 1990, when Zhang came to America.

“In the 1990s, my friend Professor Michael True, the founder of “The Worcester Review,” introduced me to [Martin] during my stay as a Fulbright scholar at Harvard University,” Zhang said. “At [Martin]’s invitation, I visited him and met a group of the local poets, now Monadnock Writers’ Group.”

Zhang would later introduce Martin to Dr. Wang Guanglin, dean of the school of languages at SUIBE. It was on campus at SUIBE that Martin was inspired to write his poem titled “The Anchor.”

Martin said that he first went to China in 1967 as an American soldier in the Vietnam War.

“[China] was everything I had imagined and heard about, and I always wanted to go back,” Martin said.

In 2012, after 30 years of editing and translating Chinese poetry, Martin was invited back to China—this time, as a poet.

“I was invited to come and present a poem as part of an international art festival near Shanghai,” Martin said. “It was a whirlwind visit. I arrived and left in just four days. It was a wonderful taste.”

Three years later in 2015, Martin was asked to come back to China for the summer and give a series of lectures at the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics (SUIBE). It was during this trip that Martin wrote his poem “The Anchor.”

“It was a reflecting poem written during my time at SUIBE,” Martin explained. “There’s a giant anchor about 40 miles inland in a reflecting pool on campus. I was curious as to why it was there, so I wrote a poem about it.”

After asking about the anchor, Martin discovered that the original campus was almost on the docks of Shanghai. When the campus moved, they brought the anchor with them to keep the memory of the campus’ original roots.

Martin showed his poem to Wang, and it was soon worked into the curriculum for SUIBE students.

“English is a required language,” Martin explained. “All the students are very curious about American poetry. They were practicing translation skills by translating “The Anchor” from English into Chinese.”

Two years later, just a few weeks ago, Martin received an e-mail that his poem was going to be carved in stone, right beside the reflecting pool where it was written in 2015.

“I always wanted something of mine carved in granite, but I thought I would have to pay somebody to put it on my tombstone,” Martin joked. “But I can cross that off my bucket list now.”

Martin said that while he knew students were working with his poem and translating it, he had no idea that a monument was being created until he received the e-mail.

“We first held a translation competition among our students, trying to let more students enjoy the poem, and the students are very enthusiastic,” Wang said of Martin’s poem. “The event is known in the campus, and I lobbied to the president and vice presidents to help design a memorable monument or something like that to be set up close to where [Martin] once stayed. We asked a designing company to design this for us, and they are improving, as I told them I want the best effect.”

“I love the permanence of the idea – that someone, somewhere saw my poetry and saw value in it,” Martin said.

Martin continued, “Poetry has a seat [in China] that it doesn’t have here. Maybe, someday it will… Their sense of timelessness and the value of their language is certainly recognized in how they approach things.”

“Rodger has made a great contribution to the Chinese and American cultural exchanges as a non-governmental ambassador of peace and literature,” Zhang said. “And as a leader, he has got the Monadnock New Pastoral Poetry entered into the poetry history. He deserves this honor in an everlasting way.”

Wang added, “[Martin] is an emotional person, very dedicated to his poetry and also has a great love for his students.”

This dedication was also noticed by Kathleen Fagley, an adjunct in the English Department at KSC, who has known Martin since 2000 when she joined a critique group he was leading in Dublin, New Hampshire.

Fagley said, “The number of poets fluctuated from four to 14 over the years. I was a member. We met once a month to critique each other’s poems. It was a welcoming, positive experience and my self-confidence as a poet grew under his leadership and direction.”

Of the meetings lead by Martin, Fagley added, “Throughout the years, and even today in these Sunday afternoon readings, [Martin] creates a comfortable and supportive space to not only emerging, but well-established poets [as well]. It is a place to try out your voice, meet new poets, buy poetry books and enjoy tea, coffee and dessert with like-minded lovers of poetry.”

Fagley added, “Rodger is enormously important throughout the state in promoting poetry and poets. I consider him a mentor. He set the example of how a poetry workshop can be successful and promote helpful conversation among the participants about the project of a poem.”

Fagley noted, “His poetry is often informed by historical events, his travel and life experience. It is noteworthy for the sensory images and precise diction.”

“His landscape and pastoral poems are excellent, not only because of his vivid description with a superb skill, but also his provoking philosophical thinking,” Zhang added. “He often brings you with a sense of deep peace and spiritual enlightenment in his poems.”

Wang said that Martin is an emotional person, and it is those emotions that add so much depth to his poetry. “[Martin is a] good poet, not so talkative it seems to me, but has all the emotions and poetic talent as revealed in his writing,” Wang said. “He likes to talk to the students and loves to make friends with the poets here and also has a great love for Chinese landscape and culture.”

Of the recognition Martin has received across the world, he said that he is grateful—but the recognition is not the reason he writes.

Martin said, “I think if you care about the thing you do and you do it as well as you can, the recognition comes whether you want it to or not. And you can’t let that interfere with what you do… Recognition comes and goes pretty quickly. That’s not why I write. It’s about the language, not the recognition.”

“The Anchor” monument is expected to be complete at SUIBE by early July 2017.

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@kscequinox.com 

With the conclusion of spring break 2017 comes the final stretch of another semester at Keene State College (KSC), and seniors especially are counting the days until May. Three KSC students spoke with The Equinox about their feelings on graduation, what they would like to do before they graduate and what advice they have for underclassmen.

Pat Homer, a KSC senior, will have his BA in music this coming May. Following graduation, his plans are not yet set in stone.

“I plan on freelancing as a musician and continuing to build up my music composition portfolio. I want to eventually go get my masters for music composition or percussion performance. In order to do that, I need a strong portfolio to show,” Homer said.

Homer added that he is both ready for and terrified of his graduation on the horizon.

Samantha Moore / Art Director

Homer said, “I have adored my time at Keene, but I am ready for the next step in life. I have been here for five years and that is plenty for me. I am terrified to not have my exact plan for where I am going to end up after May. I do not know if I will move back to my hometown or venture out on my own.”

Homer said that he has had a great time in his five years at KSC and has seen and done some amazing things.

“I have climbed Mount Monadnock, played at Saturday Night Jive, had drinks with my mentors, done a pub crawl, gone to rivers to swim over the summer, played some of my favorite pieces of music [and] sat at Sunset Rock with the woman I love,” Homer said, before adding, “If I were to find anything [to do before graduation], I would want to see the sunrise from the top of Mount Monadnock.”

For those he is leaving behind when he finally graduates, Homer offered a piece of advice. “My biggest advice for underclassmen is to, above all else, be kind to everyone. When I say everyone, that includes you too. Treat yourself with love and respect, be there for your friends, and show up for people you care for and people you do not know.”

Homer added that KSC has made him who he is today.

“I have become much happier and stronger through all that I have experienced here. It was not always easy, and it was an uphill battle for some time, but you get through it and it feels awesome when you do,” Homer said.

Sean Stinehour, who is graduating after only three years at KSC, will have a degree in computer science and a minor in math come May.

Stinehour plans to go into software engineering after leaving Keene and is currently looking at job offers and interviewing at different companies.

“I’m wicked excited to get out there. [Graduation] can’t come fast enough,” Stinehour said.

Stinehour’s KSC bucket list includes three things he’d like to do before he graduates: “Get a drink with the whole computer science department, do a trust fall with Kemal [Atkins] and get everyone on campus to say, ‘It’s a great day to be an Owl.’”

Reflecting on his three years at KSC, Stinehour said, “I’m glad I got involved on campus; it really enhanced my time here. I went from living off campus, only going to classes and working, to being on campus involved in dozens of things. It’s way more fun and you get to meet a lot of awesome people.”

When Marisa Hope Benson graduates from KSC in May, she will have a dual degree in Holocaust and genocide studies and exercise studies.

“After graduation, I hope to take an internship in Washington, D.C. with an organization called The Sanctuaries. Its work is with diverse groups of people using creative arts to catalyze social change. After the summer internship in D.C. I plan to spend a few months in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I will be working at the Center for Peacebuilding in Sanski Most,” Benson said of her post-graduation plans.

With mixed feelings of what is to come, Benson is excited to start her future, but anxious as she tries to balance everything and live in the moment.

Benson said, “I am on the cusp of something extraordinary and completely unknown. This dichotomy makes it easy for fear to sneak in, but I am trying to trust the universe.”

Among Benson’s favorite KSC memories are the little and seemingly inconsequential moments: slumber parties with friends, late night talks about life, tears and laughter… Benson added, “It’s hard to compete with authentic, refreshing honesty and kindness from real friends.”

Before she leaves Keene, Benson said she wanted to express her sincere gratitude and respect for the faculty and staff on campus.

Benson said, “They have made my time here wonderful and I cannot thank them enough. I feel I have made the best of my college experience, but I could not have done it without the support of the amazing people I’ve met.”

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@kscequinox.com

College students are no strangers to budgeting. When it comes to balancing grocery shopping, weekends out socializing and, in some cases, rent, there’s usually not any room to spend money on anything else. However, more and more college students are finding themselves having to cut into certain aspects of their budgets just to afford textbooks.

The cost of college textbooks has risen 1,041 percent since 1977, according to an NBC News article published in 2015. A single textbook can cost anywhere between $20-$300, and when most students find themselves enrolled in three to five classes a semester, it all begins to add up.

Keene State College junior Megan Weltler is no stranger to this struggle.

Andrea Cuzzupe / Equinox Staff

“There have definitely been times where I’ve had to choose buying my textbooks or buying groceries for that week,” Weltler said. “As an independent student who does not receive any financial help from my parents, this creates a very stressful situation and I’ve found that I have to buy my books at different times so I can ration my money out properly to be able to afford both.”

At the end of the semester, Weltler said she can’t even count on returning her textbooks.

“I’ve definitely experienced troubles every single semester when it comes to book buy-back time. I’ll get denied because either the school has too many copies and won’t buy anymore, or I will get such a small fraction of what I paid for that it’s not even worth it to sell them back.”

Alternatives to buying textbooks are no help, according to Weltler, who said, “The price to even rent textbooks is sickening.”

KSC senior Danielle Croteau said that a decent number of her professors at KSC have been sympathetic to the overwhelmingly high cost of textbooks required for their class.

“Textbooks have never been optional for any of my classes, but professors will [opt not to] have one if they feel it’s too expensive and just scan materials to give through Canvas,” Croteau said.

Croteau said she used to get her textbooks from Barnes & Noble because the price was a little more manageable.

“Recently, I’ve kind of given up and just buy from the [KSC] Bookstore,” Croteau said. “I haven’t attempted to sell them back yet, but what I’ve heard is that you don’t even get half your money back. It’s unfortunate.”

KSC junior Chris Oblon spent nearly $300 on textbooks this semester alone.

“[$300] is rather expensive for a thing I spend more time using to prop up my slightly off-level armchair than actually reading,” Oblon said.

Upon buying textbooks, Oblon said, “I can’t help but think of all the things that money could have gone to, like a new armchair or 10 new legs for the armchair I already have.”

Oblon said more often than not, he buys his textbooks from the on-campus bookstore because the purchase is quick and easy, but selling them back at the end of the semester? Not so much.

“Buying and selling textbooks is the biggest rip-off since hotel minibars; never before have I seen something charge so much for so little in return,” Oblon said, adding that at the end of the semester, he can really only count on getting about $5 back from the initial $300 he spent.

When it comes to the inflation of textbook prices, Oblon can’t wrap his head around it.

“I just don’t understand how we can live in this technological wonderland where all the information you could ever want is just a Google search away and still need to buy expensive textbooks,” Oblon said. “Books of any kind have no business being $100 or more, and if they must be, at least let people sell it back for a similar price.”

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@kscequinox.com

Across America, students are feeling especially compelled do well in school and receive good grades. Whether these pressures come from family, financial circumstances or even students themselves, it is a common feeling amongst most college students.

Four Keene State College students spoke up on where this pressure comes from and how they’re managing it.

KSC junior Savannah Dube feels the pressure from most adults in her life to do well while she completes her architecture degree.

Samantha Moore / Arts Director

“My parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles will constantly ask how I am doing. While they would still congratulate me even if I didn’t do well, I can feel the pressure to give them good news and to tell them that I am doing well in school,” said Dube, who added that this often leads to her putting pressure on herself to do well.

“I don’t see getting less than a 3.8 GPA as an option. Each semester, I will make sure that I only get an AB in one of my classes just so that I can keep my GPA [where I want it],” Dube said.

Dube, who has two younger sisters, wants to set a good example.

“My mother loves to brag about me and my sisters so she definitely puts pressure on me to do well so that she can tell her friends that I’ve made Dean’s List every semester,” Dube, a self-proclaimed “good” student, said.

“I hope [my sisters] will see that it is possible to do well in school so that they set goals for themselves to do well,” Dube said.

Dube explained that she doesn’t want people to compare her and her sisters to one another, and that makes the pressure a little harder.

“If they don’t do well in school and I do, then people may judge them for that and even worse, they may judge themselves and think that they aren’t good enough,” Dube explained.

Dube’s husband, a U.S. Marine, is proud of his wife for what she has already accomplished, though he is always encouraging her to do better.

“[The fall 2016] semester, I was so close [to receiving a 4.0]. I received a 3.9 and I thought [my husband] was going to be disappointed in me because it wasn’t the 4.0, but he was really proud of me and told me that this semester I will reach that goal,” Dube said.

KSC senior Sean Stinehour receives a lot more pressure from his school loans than his family to do well in school.

According to Stinehour, his main focus after graduating will be getting a job to pay off his loans.

Being the youngest in his family, Stinehour said that it was nice watching his siblings go through college before him.

“I’ve been able to take the good and learn from their ‘bad,’” Stinehour said, adding that time-management was a common theme.

“I laid out all my classes in my first semester and kept reviewing it ever since to make sure I was trimming fat and not wasting time,” Stinehour explained. It was that kind of oversight that is allowing Stinehour to graduate with a major in computer science and a minor in mathematics an entire year early.

Stinehour’s sister is a KSC alumna, and his half-brother is currently a KSC student as well. With that being said, Stinehour has never really been compared to the others academically.

Stinehour explained, “My sister pursued education and English, while my half-brother pursues economics. So, the areas don’t overlap too much and I’ve been able to create my own path.”

In the end, Stinehour said that he feels like he’s making his family proud.

Stinehour said, “I’m involved on campus, I get good grades and I have awesome friends. That’s a win for me.”

KSC junior Nathaniel Wolf said that the pressure to do well in school roots back to his days in high school.

“I was a pretty bad student then [and] didn’t care about my grades, so my parents were pretty tough on me,” Wolf said.

Wolf added that when he began to put the pressure on himself, he began doing better in school.

In addition to the internal pressure, Wolf doesn’t want to lose his scholarship by letting his grades slip.

“I have two little sisters, one goes to a private university and the other aspires to go to Columbia University. By keeping my scholarship I can take a little economic pressure of my parents,” Wolf said.

The pressure of having two younger sisters never really affected Wolf until he came to KSC.

Wolf said, “When I was in high school, I was the example of what kind of student my parents did not want [my sisters] to be. However, as of late, I have become a better example to them about setting goals and achieving them.”

Wolf added that he can definitely say that he has made his family proud.

“As a Holocaust and Genocide Studies major, I do a lot of work with social justice and activism, a field my mother has been heavily involved in over the past four years or so,” Wolf explained. “The uniqueness of the major was able to secure me an internship with the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism—an extraordinary opportunity that I feel I could not have reached without the pressure of my family.”

KSC film studies junior Kevin Ayotte said that having a “more accomplished” younger brother definitely turns up the pressure on his own education.

Ayotte explained, “My brother often gets straight A’s, so if I am any less, I am often met with ‘the look of shame,’ so to speak.”

In specifics, Ayotte said that a lot of pressure comes from his father’s ideas on college.

“My father constantly [tells] me that college is near worthless and I should quit before I get myself into debt, which worries me because unless I do good in college, I am essentially digging myself into a hole of debt and failure,” Ayotte said.

Ayotte continued that he always felt like he should have been paving the way for his younger brother. Ayotte said, “Though, since he has found his own success, that whole feeling of leadership and being a guide for my little brother has been taken away.”

In spite of all of that, Ayotte said that his recent successes have definitely made his family, as well as himself, proud.

“I was able to join Sigma Pi and sort out a lot of my life for the better. Since I met Sigma Pi, I got a well-paying job, good friends, people skills and got the resolve to learn about the things I don’t know,” Ayotte said. “Overall, I am happy with my life as it is now, but no matter who you are, there is always a pressure to succeed, whether it be from family, friends or from yourself.”

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@kscequinox.com

Each year, about 2.2 million students apply as first-years to colleges and universities across the country, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In the United States alone, there are over 7,000 post-secondary institutions. With that kind of choice, it can be hard to pick the right college or university on the first try.

Three Keene State College students spoke up on what it was like to transfer after realizing that the first college they chose wasn’t the right one for them.

Sadie Wright, who plans on graduating from KSC in May 2019, attended River Valley Community College (RVCC) for a year and a half before coming to KSC for the spring 2017 semester.

Wright said that attending a community college was the cheapest option for getting her general education classes out of the way.

“[RVCC] is just one building. Finding my way around at KSC is a little harder,” Wright said. “I transferred to KSC because I was running out of classes that I could take at RVCC and [KSC] has a lot more options for me to choose from.”

Samantha Moore / Art Director

At KSC, Wright is continuing to work towards a biology degree.

“My plan since I started college is to be a veterinarian,” Wright said. “A degree in biology will give me a good start and will look good on veterinary school applications.”

As a transfer student, Wright said that she is enjoying her classes so far, but adapting to a new college and meeting new people is the hardest part.

However, Wright is enjoying the change of pace as far as teaching styles go at KSC.

“… being a transfer student, you get to see how different professors from different colleges teach and gradually learn the teaching styles that fit you best,” Wright said.

KSC sophomore Ashley Chapman initially chose to go to Curry College in Massachusetts when she graduated high school.

Chapman said that she wanted to get out of New Hampshire.

“It was very close to Boston. I figured since the college was so close to the city, there would be lots to do in my spare time and on the weekends,” Chapman explained. “They also offered me a great amount in scholarship.”

In spite of her initial thoughts on the school, Chapman quickly realized that Curry College wasn’t right for her.

“Curry [College] had very low student involvement, and no feeling of community,” Chapman said. “It seemed like no one was proud of their school, and everyone left on the weekends to go home.”

Chapman said that she often found herself lonely on campus. “I did not live close like many people, so traveling home each weekend like everyone else was a hassle for not only myself, but my family and friends who came to get me.”

After talking with a few KSC students and alumni, Chapman said that she gathered a good feeling when she was in the process of looking at schools again.

Chapman added, “[KSC] has a wonderful sense of community, and that was what I was looking for in a college. Ever since I transferred, I have been much happier and excited to be on campus. I could not be more excited about all of the opportunities Keene has to offer that I did not find at Curry. It was a great choice to transfer.”

But for Chapman, the benefits that came from transferring were not immediate.

“The hardest thing that I encountered transferring to Keene was the fact that everyone already had a group of friends,” Chapman said. “By coming in later than everyone else, I missed the orientations with the rest of my class and all of the beginning of the year bonding. The first few weeks [I was here] were very hard, and I felt isolated sometimes not knowing anyone.”

Chapman explained that after she started to become more involved, she was able to meet people and start building her home at KSC.

With that being said, Chapman said that her semester at Curry College gave her a better appreciation for the community that KSC offers.

Chapman explained, “I think one of the best things about being a transfer, at least in my case, is having a different kind of appreciation for the school… By knowing that some colleges are not as lucky to have all of these opportunities and activities to participate in makes me appreciate everything that Keene does offer.”

Chapman said that transferring to KSC was the best thing she could have done for herself.

KSC transfer student Emma Ayotte plans on graduating in May 2018.

Before coming to KSC, Ayotte attended the Young Americans College of the Performing Arts (YACPA) in Corona, California.

Ayotte said that she initially chose YACPA because of its intense music program and opportunities.

“After high school, I wasn’t sure exactly what direction I wanted to take in terms of career choice,” Ayotte explained. “I grew up doing musicals and playing music, so I knew YACPA would be a good place for me and would also give me an opportunity to see if I wanted to make music my career or follow another one of my interests.”

After six semesters at YACPA, however, Ayotte decided that an education major was the path that she wanted to take.

“While I enjoyed making music, I knew it wasn’t what I was meant to do. While studying at YACPA, I had the opportunity to teach children music, and I found passion in that,” Ayotte said. “I knew how strong [KSC]’s education program is, so I knew it would be a good fit for me.”

According to Ayotte, the difference in faculty involvement was huge between campuses.

“[KSC]’s faculty is a lot more involved in student life than at my previous school. Communication is a lot easier and clearer, and the support and understanding that I feel I receive from all my teachers is enormously helpful,” Ayotte said.

Ayotte said that starting over at a new school was bittersweet for her.

“The best part of transferring is you get to relive the wonder of being new on campus, making new friends, discovering things to do at your school [and] finding new clubs or sports to join. College flies by, and getting a chance to reintroduce myself to it has been a great adventure,” Ayotte explained.

On the other hand, Ayotte added, “The hardest part of transferring is starting over. Leaving friends and the comfort I found at my old school was really hard, and I do miss it most days, but the friends I have found here have made the whole process better.”

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@kscequinox.com

Finals week is upon Keene State College students and winter break is on the horizon.While the end of a semester is usually associated with a release of stress, couples on campus are feeling more stress begin to pile on as the holiday season approaches.

All of this stress can be embodied in one, seemingly simple question: “What are you getting your significant other as a gift?”

KSC juniors Rachel Reekie and Nickolas Stapleton have been dating for about ten months and are looking forward to celebrating their first Christmas season as a couple.

Reekie said that she used a combination of Pinterest and her own brainstorming to come up with the gifts she is giving Stapleton.

After that, Reekie took her ideas to the stores.

“At first, I had no idea what to get Nick because I never know what to get guys, but then I got a few ideas. I took my best guy friend shopping to help me pick out a couple things to get a male perspective on the things I liked,” Reekie said.

According to Reekie, she doesn’t “have anything spectacular planned,” but hopes that Stapleton will like what she’s putting together.

Stapleton said that Reekie is not an easy person to figure out gifts for, and she agrees.

“I’m the most unhelpful person when people are trying to buy me gifts. He has asked me a bunch and I just keep telling him something impractical,” Reekie said.

Stapleton added, “It can be really tricky to shop for my girlfriend because she never wants me to get her practical things, even if she needs them. I’ve always got to put lots of thought into my gifts to her and focus on them having a deeper or more romantic meaning. If I was to ask her what she wants, I always get the same, impossible answer…a puppy.”

According to Stapleton, he’s really feeling the pressure to get Reekie something she’ll appreciate.

“We weren’t together last Christmas, this is our first one, so there’s plenty of pressure, especially since it’s her favorite holiday,” Stapleton said.

In spite of the pressure and the difficulty coming up with gift ideas, the couple is staying optimistic.

Stapleton, a self-proclaimed “hopeless romantic,” said, “I have a few ideas for gifts and, not to toot my own horn, but I think they’re going to be pretty great.

I can’t say much else because the surprise must remain.”

Reekie said, “I’m not stressed at all and I hope he isn’t.

Gifts are fun, but Christmas is about being together and eating a whole lot of food and watching Christmas movies.”

Stapleton offered some advice for all couples shopping for their significant others this holiday season:

“Don’t get too crazy with gifts because you’ll always need to try to top them next year.”

KSC junior John Hancock has been in a relationship with his girlfriend for almost three years.

Like Stapleton, Hancock said that Christmas shopping for his girlfriend is difficult because of her responses when he asks her what she wants.

“She [always] tells me one of three things: I don’t want anything, I want this, but don’t get me it, or it’s completely unrealistic.”

This year, however, Hancock was able to get his shopping done with little to no hassle.

Hancock said, “She finally told me what she wanted and I’ve been trying my best to pay attention to hints, or things she says off-handedly.”

With that being said, Hancock said that he’s not an easy person to shop for either.

“[My girlfriend] has the hardest time trying to buy gifts for me because I’m the type of person who doesn’t want anything from anyone.”

Lauren Marple, a junior at KSC, has been with her boyfriend for three and a half years.

“It’s impossible to shop for him because if he wants something, he always gets it himself leaving me with no ideas,” Marple said.

“I get my gift ideas from the little things he mentions throughout the year. It makes the gift more special that way I think. I’m pretty sure he gets ideas from his mom asking me what I want or just straight up asking me…I honestly stress out about getting him gifts until I get to the store and immediately find 20 things that he’d like.”

Last Christmas, Marple said that she was completely blindsided, yet thrilled, when her boyfriend surprised her with a trip to Mexico.

Marple said that this year, her boyfriend doesn’t want to exchange gifts.

“That won’t stop me from getting him one, obviously, but we’ll see what happens.” Marple said.

KSC junior Savannah Dube has been with her now husband for just under four years.

Despite the length of their relationship, Dube still has a hard time shopping for him.

“He doesn’t want a lot of things and he is very limited to what he is allowed to have and what would be easy to bring along with him since he’s in the military and he changes duty stations often,” Dube said.

“This year I thought I had the perfect gift and he went out and bought it for himself a week ago. It was very frustrating.”

The couple usually sticks with practical gifts.

Dube said, “[Last Christmas, he] got me pajamas and I got him a suitcase. They were things we both needed.”

While her husband can be hard to shop for, Dube has several outlets that help her brainstorm potential gifts.

“I get my gift ideas from Pinterest, friends of mine and definitely sneakily worded questions and a little bit of Facebook stalking,” Dube admitted, “[My husband] gets his ideas for me from his female friends.”

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@kscequinox.com

The Keene Pumpkin Festival, fondly referred to as Pumpkinfest, was hosted every year on Main Street in Keene from the year 1991 up until its secession following the 2014 festival.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Keene’s second annual Pumpkin Festival set the original world record for the most jack-o’-lanterns lit and on display in 1992 with 1,628 pumpkins.

In the 22 following years after the city of Keene held the Pumpkin Festival, the record was broken eight times, climbing up to the current record of 30,581 pumpkins established in 2013.

What is remembered 

Luke Stergiou / Senior Photographer

Keene State College students, alumni and members of the community spoke with The Equinox to reflect on how the city of Keene has been moving on since the last Pumpkin Festival. Joe Tolman, owner of Bulldog Design on Winchester Street in Keene, graduated from Keene State College in 1993. In one way or another, Tolman has been to every Pumpkin Festival held in the city of Keene.

“I have no bad memories [of the Pumpkin Festivals],” Tolman said. “It was always a lot of fun. We used to like going more on Community Night, which was the Friday night before the big Saturday event [and was] not nearly as crowded.”

Tolman is not only a KSC alumnus and business owner in the community, but he has two children–one who is currently a student at KSC and one who has graduated.

Senior Danielle Croteau, who transferred to KSC to start her sophomore year in 2014, experienced her first and only Keene Pumpkin Festival that year. Despite negative memories and hard feelings that many said surround the 2014 Pumpkin Festival, Croteau said that she associates it with one of her fondest memories.

Croteau said that she feels for the families and businesses who were affected by the town’s decision to move the festival after the rioting in 2014, and she doesn’t think this was a fair decision.

“It’s so unfortunate that the businesses and families who enjoyed it were punished because of the actions of a few students. A lot of people who were downtown had told me they did not have any idea anything was even occurring at the college,” Croteau said. “The incident was rather isolated. I feel as though Keene has lost a great part of its culture.”

KSC senior Jessica Eschelbach said that she was never actually able to attend a Keene Pumpkin Festival, but working at the Cumberland Farms on Main Street in Keene allowed her to feel like she was in on the festivities anyway. “My memories from the last Pumpkinfest are lines, food, food and lines,” Eschelbach said, adding that she was on cooking duty for six hours straight that night.

Eschelbach said the night was complete chaos inside the convenience store because of the sheer traffic of customers. She said that cashiers ended up switching registers all night because it was far too busy for them to even close their drawers.

A more in-depth look 

File Photo / Tim Smith

The secession of the Keene Pumpkin Festival hasn’t really affected the Cumberland Farms on Main Street or any of the workers, according to Eschelbach.

“Smaller businesses are probably struggling, but my store is so busy on a daily basis anyway it doesn’t really affect us financially,” Eschelbach said. “All of our employees were really happy that Pumpkinfest stopped in Keene. It was required for everyone to work, including managers and employees from other stores.”

Eschelbach estimated about 40 to 50 Cumberland Farms employees would work each day during any given Pumpkin Festival. Like Cumberland Farms, Tolman said that his business wasn’t financially affected by the Pumpkin Festival, or lack thereof.

“It was a lot of work–months of prep work and design work and printing. Though we sold quite a lot of T-shirts on that day, the overall profit of that day wasn’t really significant. It was more for the fun of it and it was a lot of fun,” Tolman said, adding that family and friends would volunteer to help out around his store during Pumpkin Festival weekend.

“It [Pumpkinfest] being gone doesn’t affect my business,” Tolman said. “It was the restaurants, the hotels and the bars, as well as nonprofits that really suffered the most.” Though Tolman was sad to see Pumpkin Festival go, he said that he felt like the festivities had run their course.

“It escalated over the last couple years it was held–every year, the partying on campus and off got bigger,” Tolman said. “I think maybe [the festival] got a little too big for its own good. Keene is a small town and…the college leant itself to partying and drinking…the sort of things that caused Pumpkin Festival to have to come to an end, even if it wasn’t solely the students at KSC. It allowed the other groups to come in here.”

As a KSC alumnus from the class of 2015, Jordan Shepherd said that he attended Keene’s Pumpkin Festival every year since he was eight years old up until it was moved from Keene. All of Shepherd’s memories of the annual festival were good ones, he said. “I always loved being there with my parents and friends. The atmosphere was always a feeling of home and adventure. The ample styles of pumpkin carvings always fascinated me. I always remember stepping out of the car for the first time and smelling the foods and brisk fall air. I miss it,” Shepherd stated.

Shepherd said that after the riots that took place during the 2014 festival, he was disappointed in his peers and was at first worried about what would become of KSC’s reputation. That worry was quickly dispelled.

Shepherd explained, “After hearing about the overwhelming support to repair the community and [the] KSC name, I felt proud and hopeful people would see the redemption story rather than that of destruction and disrespect.” The repair that Shepherd referred to happened the Sunday morning after the 2014 Pumpkin Festival, when students and Keene locals came together to clean up the community.

Tolman added, “I saw all the students the next day that went out and picked up trash and cleaned up the community–that didn’t really get publicized all that much. But I did see it and, like I said, I had kids there so I know what was going on and what was being said. I also know what the faculty, staff and coaches did to go out of their way and help as well.”

The reputation left behind

In spite of these efforts, Tolman said he thinks the reputation of KSC has been changed in the eyes of some people.

“I think there’s definitely some hard feelings from the community toward the students,” Tolman said, adding that he feels he has a better understanding of the situation as a whole, being a KSC alumnus, a parent of KSC students, a business owner in Keene and a member of the Keene Downtown Group.

“I know that the percentage of KSC students involved was not very large, so I know better than to judge the college on that. I don’t think it’s fair to blame the students – there were a lot of people coming from out of town,” Tolman said.

Tolman continued, “There are people who live and work in the community whose property and livelihoods were affected…and then there are people in the community that just blame the college kids for the Pumpkin Festival going away.

There are a lot of people in the community that loved the festival and they’re upset that it’s gone, so they blame who they can blame and the first people in their mind are the students here because this is where it happened.”

With that being said, Tolman said that he, as well as other members of the Keene Downtown Group, are trying to do other things to help bring back something good for the community. Tolman hinted that perhaps these events might include the college in an attempt to strengthen the relationship between KSC and the community.

Shepherd said, “I am very empathetic towards the businesses that can no longer benefit from the festival. As a supporter of the movement towards shopping and consuming local, it is saddening to see such a great town suffer economically and emotionally.”

When asked about the reputation of KSC, Shepherd was adamant that the negativity surrounding the final Keene Pumpkin Festival won’t be around forever. Shepherd said, “The riots can’t define Keene or KSC. If a history book defined a country for an event deemed negative or evil, than the future of that country will never change. It happened and now it’s time to see what Keene can and will do in the future to better society.”

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@kscequinox.com

For college students, Halloween is no longer about who can get the most candy trick-or-treating – it’s about who shows the most skin. Despite temperatures beginning to drop as Autumn sets in, young women in Keene could be seen walking around Keene in what seemed like less clothing than ever before.

Seven Keene State College students spoke up on the pressure to be sexy, where it comes from and how it affects them.

KSC senior Katherine Scott said that as she’s gone through college, the pressure to be sexy has decreased.

“When I was a [first-year], I felt more of a pressure to be sexy. I felt this pressure because this was a new place with new people. I occasionally feel this pressure still when dressing up for events, but this is less frequent than a few years ago,” Scott said.

She continued, “I think that KSC is a lot like other colleges, where being sexy is considered a valued trait, and that has an influence on the costumes that women choose to wear for Halloween. I personally feel like society has a distorted view of what sexy is or what it should be. Someone that is caring and smart should be what we consider to be sexy.”

Scott said that she’s noticed women’s costumes for sale are either provocative or frumpy, and there’s not usually much of an in between.

Scott said, “I don’t like these choices; I would much rather make my own costume.”

Scott added that this year for Halloween, she wore a Coca-Cola t-shirt and her boyfriend wore a Captain Morgan t-shirt.

“It was a cheap way for us to do Halloween and still have fun dressing up. It didn’t have anything to do with sex appeal,” Scott said.

Rachel Belcher, a sophomore at KSC, said that sex appeal didn’t influence what she chose to be for Halloween.

“I have three costumes for Halloween. One is a wine bag, a dad and I’m wearing pajamas one night. I chose these costumes because they were creative and cheap, rather than choosing something sexy,” Belcher said.

With that being said, Belcher believes that sex appeal does play a huge role in the average female student’s wardrobe, especially around the October holiday.

“I do think though for other girls, sex appeal has a lot to do with what costume they choose to wear. I’ve seen plenty of girls wearing virtually nothing as costumes. I don’t necessarily agree with this culture, but if someone chooses to wear a sexy costume and feel confident, then good for them,” Belcher said. “I don’t think that everyone should have to feel pressured to dress sexy for Halloween though.”

Belcher said that while the pressure to be sexy doesn’t directly affect her, it affects many others, which bothers her.

Belcher said, “Halloween should not be sexualized. Instead, it should be a night to dress up however you want and not have to worry about how much skin you are or aren’t showing.”

KSC junior Savannah Dube said that it has become the norm for young women to wear revealing costumes for Halloween.

“An employee asked what I was being for Halloween and when I said a pumpkin, she gave me a weird look. So I added that I was going to be a slutty pumpkin and the employee’s reaction changed entirely to being approving of the costume,” Dube said.

The pressure to be sexy is very present around Halloween, Dube said, noting that many “girls are freezing their butts off in stilettos, shorts that look more like underwear than shorts and the smallest shirts you’ve ever seen. Girls purposefully purchase items they would never wear in public to wear on Halloween night. The culture is one that is to be expected of college-aged females, so I’m not really surprised.”

Dube added the disclaimer, “I sort of enjoy it since I don’t have anything against girls dressing up to feel attractive.”

When it comes to costume choices at Halloween stores, Dube admitted that she was a little disappointed.

Dube said, “Guys have all the funny and joke costumes. It’s almost as if females are supposed to dress sexy and males are supposed to wear a gag costume… It would be nice if they had funny, non-sexy costumes for females. It’s almost impossible to find a costume if you were going to a kid-friendly gathering.”

KSC senior Karlie Marrs said that while she doesn’t necessarily feel a pressure to be sexy, she believes that appearance is very important in today’s society.

Marrs said, “We base self-efficacy on whether or not we are appealing to others rather than if we feel appealing to ourselves. I often feel that I must ‘be sexy’ when I am trying to impress a guy, or want to be noticed for an accomplishment that a pantsuit might not draw attention.”

While Marrs believes that these pressures come from everywhere, she thinks that the media is one of the top contributors.

“There are constant commercials of weight loss programs, beauty products [and] lingerie advertisements showcasing what the ideal beautiful woman should look like. Because of this pressure to look a certain way, in my opinion, girls are starting to lack self-respect, exposing themselves to fit this criteria that is displayed everywhere,” Marrs explained.

Marrs added, “Guys play a part in this pressure as well because faithfulness is almost nonexistent. In both genders, we feel insecure within ourselves that we look for other companions to fill a void.”

Emma Coffey, a KSC sophomore, added, “I feel like the pressure to be sexy today comes from the media. We, as females, are under this predisposition that we must look sexy in certain situations because that [is] what we grew up learning. Halloween especially proves this right as costumes targeted towards females rarely can be found covering over 75 percent of our body.”

KSC senior Lydia Randall said that she thinks the whole idea of Halloween has been taken over, and that it has turned into a holiday solely for young women to dress sexy.

“I really like the idea of being creative and showing your own originality, but at the same time it has been blown out of proportion,” Randall said.

“I feel that girls at college do feel this pressure to look a certain way and show sex appeal. For example, different bars or parties even give a prize for the sexiest costume. I think this culture has become worse and worse, but it is hard to create a new culture when the media is a certain way.”

As a young woman in college, Randall said that there is an overwhelming pressure for her cohort to have some sort of sex appeal.

“I feel as a girl in college, there is always a pressure to present yourself in a sexy way. Covering yourself up is not the norm, especially in the bar scenes. The pressure to be sexy I feel comes from the ‘going out’ scene in college, not so much [the] everyday walking to class scene,” Randall explained.

With that being said, Randall said that she personally doesn’t feel pressure to dress any certain way.

“I do dress and present myself in a way that represents [me] and how I want to dress,” Randall explained. “That might mean one night I wear a long sleeve top and jeans or one night I will wear shorts and a crop top.”

Randall said that she is frustrated by the choices that costume stores have for young women, and in general, they are usually sexual and sexist. Randall said, “All of the costumes are sexual and very sexist toward women in general.”

KSC senior Samantha Brown agrees with Randall, but added that sexy costumes don’t surprise her anymore.

“I am just so used to it by now,” Brown said, joking that she probably wouldn’t bat an eye if she saw a “sexy Donald Trump” walking around this Halloween.

Brown added that she is sad that this has become the norm.

“I hope that the individuals wearing these costumes aren’t doing it for the wrong reasons,” Brown said. “When making a sexy costume, the only aspect that makes it this way is by just wearing minimal costume. Showing skin has always been [a girl’s] go-to for a sexy Halloween costume.”

This Halloween, Brown dressed up as a cat, as she has done for the last several years.

“For me, sex appeal does not have anything to do with it, but I do feel that sex appeal is a huge influence in a lot of the women’s costumes. Every costume you see, there is always a sexier version of it,” Brown said.

Brown said that she believes one of the main issues with Halloween is that young women are letting social pressures determine how revealing their costumes are.

“With having so many women today experiencing low self-esteem, I don’t believe that these women are wearing costumes that are making them feel strong and beautiful,” Brown said. “Personally, these pressures make me question my self-esteem and the physical aspect of who I see when I look in the mirror.”

In spite of all the self-esteem issues Brown thinks underlie the pressure to be sexy around Halloween, Brown said that she is sure of one thing: “I am thankful to have wonderful friends who love me for who I am.”

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@kscequinox.com

While some disabilities are visible to the naked eye, many people go through life fighting invisible battles.

One such “invisible” disability is anxiety disorder, which affects 18 percent of the population, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA).

The ADAA also states that while anxiety can be a highly treatable mental disorder, only one third of those suffering receive treatment.

Keene State College students spoke out about what it’s like attending college while battling an anxiety disorder.

KSC junior Avery Black said that like most others with anxiety, she has her good days and her bad days.

“When I first came to Keene, I was extremely bad, and then there was a point when going home would cause a great deal of stress for me,” Black stated.

Black said that initially, the hardest part about having anxiety was not having a name for what she was going through.

“I [was misdiagnosed with] ADHD at one point, [then] I was a problem child and then I was just sad,” Black explained. “It’s hard to handle something when you don’t even know what you’re dealing with.”

Black said she was finally diagnosed with anxiety three years ago.

Tim Smith/ Photo Editor

In those three years since her diagnosis, Black said she has found a close group of people who are supportive and understand what she’s going through.

“I know some of them experience the same symptoms [as I do] and we take care of each other,” Black explained.

Black added that for her, it’s helpful to keep those supportive people around her whenever possible.

“I think advice I would give to [other students with anxiety] is always have someone who knows what’s going on with you because days when it’s getting really hard you’ll always have someone to hold your hand through it,” she said.

In addition to her close-knit group of friends, Black said that her comfort pet, a rabbit named Scout, does wonders for her anxiety.

“[Scout] helps keep me super distracted and she’s also a good hugger,” Black said.

As a junior at KSC, Kevin Aruilio has been living with an anxiety diagnosis for fourteen years.

Aruilio said his anxiety is often socially driven and it was hard for him to make and keep friends when he was growing up.

“I couldn’t ask people if I could go and do stuff with them because over time, I figured that was rude or intrusive,” Aruilio explained.

According to Aruilio, it was in high school when he became more self-aware with what was going on inside his head.

“Joining the school drama club and participating in the musicals [in high school] did help a bit,” Aruilio said.

“It wasn’t a tremendous leap forward in overcoming my anxiety, but I accomplished so much in theater that I couldn’t have been more proud of myself,” he said.

Aruilio said that after joining theater in high school, college was the next big step for him and his anxiety.

“[Now that I’m in college], I no longer participate in theater, but my anxiety has gone down significantly,” Aruilio said.

“I still struggle with my anxiety, but it’s not as much of a problem like it was three years ago,” he said.

Having anxiety, Aruilio often worries about his future.

He said, “I often feel like I won’t be able to accomplish my dream as a filmmaker and I’ll be stuck at a stable job where I won’t be happy.”

“When you have three severe disorders (ADHD, Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder and an anxiety disorder), it’s kind of hard to be confident on a major set,” Aruilio said.

All that aside, Aruilio has found ways to manage his anxiety when it feels like too much.

“Think before you act,” Aruilio said.

“The situation isn’t always as severe as you think it is. Remember to breathe, don’t be afraid to ask anything and always be yourself, even if you’re not perfect,” he said.

Junior health science major Kelly Hanley  has been handling her anxiety since her freshman year of high school, six years ago.

According to Hanley, her diagnosis has affected many aspects of her life, including her social and academic well-being.

“Anxiety has prevented me from being as successful as I would like to be in school because I often struggle to even get to class some days,” Hanley said.

“Anxiety has affected many friendships of mine because sometimes people confuse my anxiety and take me not being able to always hang out, personally,” she said.

While Hanley’s experiences with anxiety can sometimes be crippling, she believes that she is making progress in spite of what others might see as a disability.

“My anxiety definitely used to hold me back from many things,” Hanley said.

“I think the hardest thing about having anxiety is that no one realizes I have it and I am very good at masking it,” she said.

Hanley added that the community at KSC has been extremely understanding to her situation.

Hanley said, “I have always been open about my anxiety and I think letting your professors know about what’s going on in your life is extremely important…at the end of the day, professors are people too and they may be more understanding than you think.”

Hanley’s advice to other students is to not let their anxiety, or other diagnoses for that matter, define them.

“Yes, anxiety is a part of me and many [others as well], but it is not the biggest part of me or the part that defines me,” Hanley said.

“I would recommend students to be open with their peers and professors about their anxiety because chances are the person next to you might have anxiety too, or at least be close to someone who suffers from anxiety.”

Hanley added that her anxiety almost prevented her from being interviewed by the Equinox for this article. However, she was able to overcome it.

Hanley said, “I chose not to let the fear of the mental health stigma control my actions about speaking out.”

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@kscequinox.com