Smoking at Keene State College is a habit on campus that’s hard not to notice. For many, it appears that everyone on Appian Way is walking around with a cigarette in their hand.

KSC freshman Nick Sweet-Mackin started smoking during his junior year in high school.

“I was hanging out with a group of friends after school and they all busted out cigarettes,” Sweet-Mackin explained, “They asked if I wanted to try it and I decided I might as well.”

After only a year of smoking, however, Sweet-Mackin said he decided to quit.

“I stopped because I noticed that a lot of people didn’t really enjoy it when I smoked around them,” Sweet-Mackin said, before adding another reason.

“A lot of good people died from smoking cigarettes. I lost my grandfather, my grandmother, my aunt and my uncle,” Sweet-Mackin said.

Jenna Barton, a freshman on campus, said she has never smoked a day in her life.

Philip Bergeron / Graphic Design Editor

“The smoking on campus really bothers me because secondhand smoke is so unhealthy,” Barton said, “It’s just gross.”

The law at KSC states that smoking is prohibited within 25 feet of all buildings on campus — a law which appears to be broken daily.

“I have a friend who lives in Carle, near the front of the building where everyone smokes,” Barton explained, “When she leaves her window open, all of the smoke goes in her room and makes her clothes and her bed smell like cigarettes.”

Samantha Provencher, a junior at KSC, lives off campus in Arcadia Apartments, where the rules are a little different.

“You cannot smoke inside at all but you can smoke outside,” Provencher explained, “Our landlord is not a fan at all, though. He always posts signs where the people who smoke stand, with facts about smoking cigarettes and the negative effects of it.”

Knowing the consequences, Sweet-Mackin hasn’t had a difficult time turning down cigarettes since he arrived on campus.

“I have a few friends who smoke, but I just say no when they ask me,” Sweet-Mackin said, “I’ve had a couple cigarettes since I got here and thought about smoking again, but that would just be an idiotic thing for me to do.”

Some KSC students admitted why they started in the first place.

“I had my first cigarette offered to me at work,” Robert Rein, a freshman at KSC, explained, “We’d get five or ten minutes off for a break and we’d just go out for a smoke.”

For Rein, it had started out as a social habit.

“It sounds really stupid to say, but it kind of relaxed me,” Rein admitted, noting that he had only been smoking for less than two months before he decided to quit. “It wasn’t that hard for me to stop,” Rein continued, “I’m going on two weeks without buying a pack right now.”

Freshman Nate Wolf said that he doesn’t smoke and his friends don’t either. Wolf explained that he does, however, always keep a pack of cigarettes on him.

“It’s mostly for social aspects,” Wolf noted, “If I’m at a party and someone asks me for a cigarette, I’m able to offer one up. It’s just another way of meeting people while I’m out — people I probably wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

While Wolf doesn’t mind being around those who choose to smoke, Sweet-Mackin, Barton and Provencher can agree: hanging out with students who smoke is something they’d rather avoid.

“It bothers me when people smoke as they walk to class,” Sweet-Mackin said, “All the smoke they blow goes right into the wind and into my face. If you’re going to smoke, then sit down and smoke.”

“I’ve had a couple friends that smoked and I would always discourage them,” Barton explained.

Provencher added, “I do choose to not regularly be around people who smoke.”

Provencher, despite choosing to stay away from smokers, said she doesn’t have an issue with the habit.

“I do notice a lot of smokers on campus, but I don’t really have a huge problem with it,” Provencher said, “It’s their life. Who am I to judge?”

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@keene-equinox.com

With November around the corner and the 2014 midterm elections on the horizon, Keene State College students are stepping up, getting involved and making their voices heard.

The upcoming election, is to be held on Tuesday, Nov. 4, is becoming heated as the date approaches, while Jeanne Shaheen of the Democratic Party and Scott Brown of the Republican Party are running against each other for senator.

KSC students across campus each have their own reasons for speaking out as the election gets closer. Katie Barnaby would have been a senior at KSC this fall semester, but has decided to take some time off.

“I can’t afford to go to college this semester,” Barnaby explained, “So I was looking for an internship—something to keep my skills sharp while I wasn’t in school.”

As a solution, Barnaby decided to intern for the New Hampshire Democratic Party and said she got involved thanks to an on-campus group called KSC Democrats.

“My friend [New Hampshire Democratic Party Campus Organizer] Kay Montplaisir is really passionate about the group. She’s the reason I got involved,” Barnaby said.

The KSC Democrats group meets at  7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays in the Media Arts Center in room 155, but members of the group are active daily.

“Kay made me realize the importance of the election. It affects people like me,” Barnaby said, “I can’t afford to go to college, but I have the ability to change that.”

Barnaby said she is hopeful for the upcoming election and the possibilities that it offers.

“Something needs to change,” Barnaby said, “I want everyone to have the opportunity to go to college without having to pay such ridiculous costs.”

Tim Smith / Equinox Staff

Besides the high cost of education, students have other reasons for being involved and passionate about politics.

Elizabeth Arnell was a freshman at KSC in 2012 during the Obama campaign and said she decided to get herself involved then.

“I was new on campus, just like all the other freshmen, and I walked by the campaign table in the student center early in the year. My roommate and I decided to volunteer,” Arnell said.

Not sure if she would continue after the Obama campaign was over, Arnell said she saw an opportunity for a fellowship and thought it would be beneficial.

“I did it in 2012, so I already knew a few things about it,” Arnell explained, “The candidates who I’m supporting all care about what they’re running for. They care about college students.”

Arnell was adamant about getting students involved in voting.

“We have a table in the student center almost every day and we do something called ‘dorm storming,’ which is where we’re going around the dorms, knocking on doors and asking people if they’re voting. We’re also asking them to sign a pledge to vote card. It doesn’t say that they’re going to vote for any particular candidate, just that you’re going to get your vote out there,” Arnell said.

Arnell noted that students can register to vote on the day of the elections.

“There will be shuttles taking students to and from the polls,” she added.

Arnell continued, “I just think it’s important for everyone to vote,” she said, “I know that I’m a member of KSC Dems, so it’s important to me that these candidates win, but everyone needs to know who the candidates are and what they’re representing. It’s our future now.” Cassie Stepanek, a member of the KSC Republicans group on campus, has different political views but similar feelings towards the importance of politics in students’ lives, as well as on campus.

“I initially got involved because a friend of mine, Allie Bedell, had started the KSC Republicans and invited me to join,” Stepanek said of the Republican group on campus.

Stepanek, who identifies herself as an Independent, said that she shared some views with the Republican Party so she began attending the meetings.

“The Millennial generation, which includes KSC students, should be involved in politics because it directly impacts their lives,” Stepanek expressed. “I know how busy being a student can get, but it is important to make sure that our voices are heard and our opinions are represented by our elected officials.”

When asked about current political issues that affect students directly, Stepanek mentioned health care policies, student loans and the increasing national debt to be among the many.

“I think many students feel insulated from these types of issues,” Stepanek added, “but we are going to be feeling the consequences of the decisions made today for years to come.” Stepanek also mentioned how the KSC Republicans are targeting students to get them involved on campus. “The Cheshire County Republican Committee has been working hard to spread awareness of the upcoming elections in the Keene area and frequently hold voter call nights to talk to citizens about voting on November Fourth,” Stepanek stated, “They also hold door-knocking events on the weekends to bring local candidates face to face with voters.” Stepanek continued, “The group has been working to help support their efforts. We’ll have a table at Pumpkin Lobotomy on October seventeenth and we hope that anyone who is interested in getting involved will come talk to us.”

Like KSC Democrats, the KSC Republican group is composed of students who are passionate about their respective views and like to advocate for their beliefs.

The KSC Republicans group meets on Mondays at 5 p.m. in room 308 in the Student Center.

“I think it’s important for college-aged students to be aware so that they can make informed decisions when voting,” Mandy Black, a KSC alumnus from the Class of 2010, said. Black said she continues to follow up on politics where she lives in Connecticut. “We need to keep in mind that the votes we cast, or don’t cast, will impact our futures in one way or another,” Black said.

Black recalled the 2008 presidential elections in her days as a KSC student. “I wasn’t nearly as informed as I am now, but I do remember how significant and monumental the debate was, with Obama running. Everyone had an opinion that they wanted to share,” Black said.

Black stressed the importance of being an active voice in her community.

“The outcome of the elections affects everyone, even if you’re not seeing immediate results,” Black said, “Every voice counts and if you don’t stand up for what you want, no one will do it for you.”

Black said she is passionate about her opinions and plans on voting in the upcoming elections in Connecticut, where she is a registered voter.

Like Black, others are getting prepared for the impending elections.

Matt Derrickson, a political science major and a New Hampshire native, is a senior at KSC this year. Derrickson said he’s been interested in politics since he was in high school.

“I found out that I was pretty passionate about politics and that I get pretty fired up about the issues a lot,” Derrickson said, “It’s been a passion of mine for a long time and it followed me to Keene.”

When asked what he thinks are important topics in today’s political debates, Derrickson was able to rattle off a few, such as campaign finance, global warming, abortion and the idea of health care being a right versus being a privilege. “I find competing viewpoints very interesting,” Derrickson noted, “I love the comparative aspect of politics.” Derrickson stated that he believes in the importance of getting students to vote, but mentioned that it was more of a numbers game than anything else.

“I think that voting counts for our age group, but for a specific reason. Not necessarily because our votes are going to make the difference, but it does matter in the sense that if enough young people vote, it forces politicians to notice and listen to the group more, because they understand that we’re active and that we vote,” Derrickson said, “When those numbers add up, it’s a critical mass thing. When there’s big numbers of a specific group voting, politics are forced to listen to them. I’m not sure what the numbers are, but college voter turnout is pretty abysmal. It’s important, because it lets the system know that you’re there. And that’s the first step in terms of being participatory, is you have to be there first, and once you’re there you can try and put your foot down a little bit on an issue.”

As far as being aware, Derrickson said he believes it to be a “civic duty.”

“I just think it’s important to have somewhat of a sense of what’s going on the world around you, and be able to form an educated opinion,” Derrickson said, “If you’re aware of what’s going on, you can do something about it.”

Like Derrickson, Courtney Perron, who is also senior at KSC, said that being a political advocate was a passionate subject for her. Along with Arnell and Barnaby, Perron is an active member of KSC Democrats.

Perron said she thinks it’s especially important for college students to start exploring and forming their own views.

“I think that especially college students, just coming of the voting age, don’t realize quite how important it is. For the most part, they just got out of their household, where maybe they didn’t really have an opinion that they could voice. But we’re legal adults now. You can have your own opinion. You do have a voice, and it does matter,” Perron said. Being an advocate for her political party, Perron admitted to being very verbal with her beliefs.

“I’m very open about my political views, but I try not to push them onto other people,” Perron stated, “I’m just trying to stress the importance of why it’s not only good to vote, but to be an educated voter.”

Perron went on to explain the importance of developing an interest in politics early on.

“It’s important for students to get involved and know about politics because we’re the younger generation. At some point, it’s going to be us running the government, because that’s just how life goes. If you don’t get interested now, I feel like it’s harder to get interested in it later in life because it becomes more of a habit after a certain point,” Perron explained, “It’s like, why care later if you can care now?”

“My one hope,” Perron concluded, “Is that students start to take themselves seriously and realize how influential they can be once they apply themselves.”

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@keene-equinox.com

The fall semester at Keene State College began with the promise of more convenient printing options for students.

Laura Seraichick, chief information officer at KSC, was enthusiastic about the new printers that were recently installed on campus with the intention of making printing easier for all students.

“It was initially students who raised the concern,” Seraichick said, noting that the idea was proposed at the Student Assembly last year.

Seraichick continued, “They didn’t like the lines or the hours.”

Philip Bergeron / Graphic Design Editor

Holly Falzo, a lecturer for communication and philosophy at KSC, said she looks forward to the effects the new printing options will have on her students.

“It’s frustrating when you’re trying to collect things, or if you’re trying to use them in class and students don’t have them,” Falzo stated in regard to the issue of students not having assignments in on time.

Falzo expressed her complications with the library having the only printing stations available during this past summer semester.

“This summer, we had a number of students who went to the library and both printers there were jammed,” Falzo said, “Students just couldn’t get their stuff printed.”

Now, only a month into the new semester with three new stations, Falzo said she has already seen a positive change.

“I haven’t seen as many problems with printing as of this fall. I think the majority of the problems we’re seeing now come from students waiting until the last minute, then having to stand in line when they try to print,” Falzo said.

Falzo is willing to take into account the fact that some things are not in the students’ control.

“If they come to class and the printer’s not working, I will take assignments via email,” Falzo admitted, “Sometimes the students can’t help it, but I also know sometimes they wait until the last minute.” However, some professors are not as understanding as Falzo.

Jordan Shepherd, who recently transferred to spend his junior year at KSC, explained that his professors were much more strict than Falzo.

“Everything has to be printed, on time, or it’s an automatic zero,” Shepherd reported, “They don’t accept emailed assignments.”

Shepherd uses both the printers in the library and his own personal printer in his dorm.

“The printers on campus are easily accessible and cheaper. Using my own is more expensive, but I don’t have to leave my room to print,” Shepherd said.

Shepherd was unaware that new printers were installed on campus, but mentioned that they sound convenient and he looks forward to using them in the future.

Another student, Jillian Bower, who is a senior at KSC, has always used her own printer.

According to Bower, it was the library’s hours that she was initially concerned about when it came to using the printers.

“It’s nice not having to worry about making it to the library before an 8 a.m. [class]. If it’s two in the morning and I need to print something out, I can print it.”

Printer troubles and expenses, however, are things to add to the list of cons when it comes to maintaining her own.

“It costs about fifty-bucks yearly to restock the paper and ink,” Bower stated, “And I dropped it once, so it doesn’t always work correctly.”

Bower continued, “I usually just hit it a couple times and it’ll start printing again.” In the few times she’s made the trip to use the library’s printers, Bower has never had problems.

“The new system this year is kind of interesting. I guess that makes it more efficient,” Bower admitted.

“I like the campus printers,” Dylan Myles said, a first-year student at KSC.

“They’re really convenient to use, they’re really easy to work with and it saves me the expense of having buy a printer and all the materials necessary to use it,” Myles stated.

Myles has not had any issues with the campus printers, but admits that most of his assignments are required to be digitally submitted.

“I do have a friend, though, that I’ve had to walk to the library [with] late at night,” Myles recalled, “The library doesn’t open until 8 a.m., so she didn’t have time to get things printed in the morning. Hopefully, she’ll be able to utilize the new printers. I hear they open at 7 a.m.”

According to Seraichick, the five printers in the library open at 8 a.m. Three new printers in the Rhodes Hall lobby, the Putnam Science Center lobby and the Technology Design and Safety [TDS]  Center lobby all open at 7 a.m. The printers are checked and maintained daily.

“The student-techs go out and check the printers daily, making sure that there are no jams and that the paper trays are full,” Seraichick explained.

“Anywhere a student can pull up their web browser, whether it be in their residence hall, out on the quad, even off campus, they can choose which building to send their prints to, then go pick them up,” Seraichick explained of the new system in place.

Seraichick was able to share some of the statistics on the new printers.

“Since the start of this semester, 186,846 pages have been printed using 120,888 pieces of paper,” she shared, “Only one-and-a-half trees have been consumed by the campus so far.” With the student traffic at the library being so high, Seraichick was excited with the new system in place. “The old system just didn’t meet student needs,” Seraichick said.

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@keene-equinox.com

Appian Way was decorated in purple, the awareness color of the Alzheimer’s disease, as supporters gathered the morning of Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014. 

Individual walkers and teams in coordinated shirts walked up to two miles, starting on Appian Way and proceeding up Main Street. Some were pushing fellow participants in wheelchairs, while others held hands.

The Alzheimer’s Awareness Walk was an event to raise awareness for the disease.

Ella Schwotzer, public relations coordinator of four years with the Alzheimer’s Association, stated that they had been expecting more than 40 teams to be participating that morning, not including the many individual walkers who registered and donated the morning of.

“My grandmother had Alzheimer’s disease,” Schwotzer noted, when asked why she initially got involved with the association.

The walk is hosted at KSC annually. “It definitely takes the wonderful committee of volunteers that we have from the Keene area to put on the event,” Schwotzer said. “They’ve done such a phenomenal job.”

This year’s Alzheimer’s Walk at KSC was Paul Lefebvre’s second year participating. He first heard of the event on Facebook.

“I’m walking for a number of reasons,” Lefebvre explained, “My mom passed away from Dementia three years ago.”

Tim Smith / Equinox Staff

Lefebvre works as a program manager for Chesco, a local non-profit agency in Keene that helps to support individuals in the area with developmental disabilities.

Lefebvre stated that the adults he works with were another reason that he walked, “Some of our folks are also experiencing Dementia and Alzheimer’s, so those are the two big reasons that I walk.”

Lefebvre was the team captain for his group, named after Chesco.

Jessica Smith, who came from Westmoreland, N.H. that morning, walked for a similar personal reason.

As a member of Team Howard, Smith initially started participating in the KSC event in support of a friend.

“I started walking this event with my friend Christine. We do it for her mom, Pat Howard,” Smith stated.

Smith, who used to work at an assisted living facility in Newmarket, N.H. called The Pines, mentioned participating in previous awareness walks, like the one hosted in Portsmouth, N.H.

“I think this is my sixth year,” Smith recalled, referring to the event at Keene.

When asked on why she keeps coming back, Smith shared her strong opinion of the disease.

“Alzheimer’s is a disgusting disease and we just have to find a cure for it,” Smith stated, “I don’t think we put enough emphasis on it.”

While Smith is a veteran at these walks, the event at Keene this year has attracted some newcomers, as well.

Melissa Malone is a Unit Support Assistant at Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital, where she first heard of the walk.

“I know two people who have passed away of Alzheimer’s,” Malone stated, after mentioning that she spends much of her time at the hospital working in the in-patient unit. Malone is a member of Team Beast, who gathered that morning to walk to show their support. This was Malone’s first time walking.

Schwotzer stated that the goal for this particular event was to raise $50,000. According to the Alzheimer’s Association website on the morning before the event, the 46 pre-registered teams had already raised over $30,000.

“We do continue fundraising into November 1, so people are welcome to still continue to donate and support the organization,” Schwotzer encouraged.

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@keene-equinox.com

“Let’s first focus on the smells, or lack thereof, in the first few pages of the novel,” said Emily Robins Sharpe, a Keene State College English professor, as an opening discussion to the Keene Is Reading meeting that took place at noon on Friday, Sept. 12, 2014.

The group is a book club that meets once a month and is open to students, faculty and members of the community.

Last Friday’s hour-long meeting consisted of a literary discussion from a group of about twenty-five people who contributed to the conversation.

Sharpe explained that the novel chosen this year is called “Americanah,” written by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

“We looked through lots of books,” Sharpe said.

“We chose Adichie’s ‘Americanah’ for its important themes of race, gender and education in a global context. We knew it would tie in well with many ongoing conversations here in Keene,” Sharpe said.

Sharpe started working at Keene State College a year ago and joined English Professor William Stroup as co-coordinator of Keene Is Reading.

Charlotte Guyer, a Keene resident of 22 years, said she was enthusiastic about the book.

Tim Smith / Equinox Staff

This was her first time meeting with the Keene Is Reading group.

“I was delighted that Keene Is Reading chose this book,” Guyer stated after the meeting.

Guyer also mentioned that “Americanah” was a novel she had given to her daughter last Christmas.

Guyer mentioned that she had heard Adichie speak on Fresh Air, an NPR podcast and read the book with a “little bit of a different take” because of that.

“[Adichie] spoke of being an African black versus being an American black,” Guyer said of the interview, “So I read the book with that in the back of my mind.”

Guyer also said that she hopes “Americanah” is a book that others will choose to read.

Like Guyer, last Friday’s meeting was Michael New’s first experience with Keene Is Reading as well. As an English and American Studies Professor at KSC, New said he first heard of the group through the English department.

“I love this author,” New said when asked about his feelings toward the book so far. “Adichie is one of my favorite writers in African literature.”

New was particularly interested in the settings of Adichie’s novel and was able to bring some of his own background to reading the story.

“I love West Africa. I’ve actually travelled there,” he recalled.

He continued, “I spent an undergrad semester abroad in Ghana and also did two week-long seminars in Lagos, Nigeria.”

New was able to add some cultural-depth to the discussion on the novel, thanks to his travels.

During the meeting, Sharpe mentioned that Adichie will be coming to Keene in the near future.

“We’re trying to set the date. It should be sometime in the spring,” Sharpe said.

He also noted how excited he was for the highly esteemed Nigerian author to visit the campus.

Sharpe said the next Keene Is Reading meeting will take place Oct. 3 at the Young Student Center in the Atrium Conference Room at 12 p.m.

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@keene-equinox.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014: the day incoming Keene State College first years had been looking forward to (or dreading) since putting down their deposits back in May. 

The day wouldn’t have been complete without a thousand or so over-packed cars, more than a few crying parents and siblings and traffic flooding the town from Franklin Pierce Highway through Winchester Street.

Freshmen Jess Vandevord and Avery Black both said that they were surprised by how friendly everyone on campus was.

“Everyone on campus says hi to you,” Black said, “I made three new friends on my way to the DC for dinner yesterday.”

Outgoing people are not only found walking down Appian Way ­— they’re found behind the closed-doors on campus as well.

“My roommate is lovely,” Vandevord said, stating she was pleased with how compatible the two of them are.

Vandevord continued, “It’s not exactly what I expected it to be but it’s wonderful, nonetheless.”

Katie Van Veen, a neighbor of Vandevord’s on the third floor of Fiske Hall, said she was surprised by the willingness people have to help those around them.

“Whether it’s students or faculty, everyone’s there for you,” Van Veen said, “Everyone is so approachable. There’s a really strong sense of community here.”

But the qualms of college life amongst first years were not confined to the social aspect of this new lifestyle.

Another freshman, Holly Geno, said she expected to be drowning in homework by the end of the second week. “It’s not too bad yet, but I do always have my nose in a textbook,” Geno said.

Geno also noted how easy she felt it was to make friends with the Open Door Policy, where students are encouraged by Residential Life to keep their doors open while they’re in the room, that her dorm enforces.

Jack Chase / Equinox Staff

“It gives us the opportunity to meet and talk to pretty much everyone on our floor. Our RA had us paint doorstops at one of the floor meetings,” Geno said.

Geno continued, “With my door open, one person stopped by to compliment the music I had playing and we’ve been hanging out ever since.”

According to Geno, this upcoming year, as well as the three that will follow, are definitely going to be years to remember for her.

Sean Kiziltan, who said he made a strong group of friends the first night on campus with a volleyball game, noted that he can’t wait to spend his freshman year of college at KSC.

“I just knocked on everyone’s door the first night and invited them to come join the game. I connected with people I had a lot in common with. It just kind of clicked,” Kiziltan said, before mentioning his plans to join intramural sports.

Van Veen said that she is excited to try new things.

She said that college life calls for many adjustments, and she was enthusiastic about her new routines. “I’ve started going to the gym since I got here,” Van Veen said, “I’m excited to start a healthier lifestyle.”

Vandevord said that she can’t wait to become her own person and learn about herself in her time away at school.

“I can’t wait to learn more about myself in this environment. Everything’s so new and crazy,” Vandevord said.

“What am I excited for in the next four years?” Black said, “Well, hopefully I’ll get my degree.”

Jill Giambruno can be contacted at jgiambruno@keene-equinox.com.