As seniors are preparing to graduate, they also are preparing to enter a new chapter in their lives, whether that be finding their place in a new career or pursuing graduate school.

This can often be the cause of much stress and worry, but there are resources at Keene State designed to help students.

Academic and Career Advisor Beverly Behrmann recommends students start preparing for the job search and deciding on graduate school the summer between their junior and senior year.

She emphasizes using keywords or phrases in resumes or cover letters to show employers the skill set you have is what they are looking for.

“I think that is is a good idea to start looking at the jobs that are out there, even though you wouldn’t be applying to those jobs necessarily that early, it’s good to see what employers are looking for,”  Behrmann said. “Otherwise, I would just encourage students over winter break [their senior year]  to seriously start looking for jobs and applying for jobs.”

The college recently hosted the Your Future Fair in the Spaulding Gym on-campus, allowing students to drop in and meet directly with potential employers for internship and employment opportunities.

An array of graduate schools were also present.

Photo Illustration by Colton McCracken/ Equinox Staff

Seniors Jessica Markarian and Brianna George chose two different paths for post-graduation. Markarian, a communications major with four internships under her belt, is on the search for job opportunities. George, an English and elementary education major, said she has opted to pursue graduate school.

George chose graduate school to help increase her chances at a future career as a teacher.

“I wish they offered more advice about grad school. I feel like the only way I’ve really gotten information is [by] me seeking it out or [in] my classes. Especially with education, getting a masters is very common,” George said.

With such a busy schedule, George felt as though she had to actively seek out information on graduate school herself, rather than have multiple fairs and events held by the school that further things such as career opportunities

Bahrmann said, “We only offer one grad school fair in the fall. This year it was combined with career and internships and academic majors.  Students can make individual appointments to talk with a career advisor about looking for grad school programs and can stop in during one of our career clinics where we discuss any or all things career related on a drop in basis.”

There is another internship fair on Thursday, March 23, but no graduate school opportunities will be there.

Markarian is constantly on the lookout for career opportunities that may pop up within her internships.

“[With the] companies that I intern for, I’ll always look to see if they have positions that they’re hiring for,” she said. “It’s just the one goal I’ve had throughout college is just to have a job when I graduate and have it set in stone. I feel like I’m on the right path for it.”

Meridith King can be contacted at mking@kscequinox.com

Across the country, sightings of “creepy” clowns have driven the social media world, as well as many communities, into a frenzy.

Videos, sightings and photos have popped up on social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram.

Recently, even the KSC community was affected when a twitter account tweeted a claim that one such clown was on campus.

Director of Strategic Communications and Community Relations Kelly Ricaurte gave a statement on behalf of Campus Safety, stating Campus Safety worked closely with the Keene Police Department, conducting a full investigation about the claims made on social media.

No evidence of any clown was found.

Ricaurte urged students to stay put and report any claims, on social media or otherwise, to Campus Safety.

Students should not to try and follow or investigate claims made on social media.

“At this point, and I believe the Sentinel reported on this as well, Keene Police and the Campus Safety Department here are not overly concerned about this incident,” Ricaurte said.

Some areas around the country, however, are taking a more preventative approach in light of the panic following the abundance of online posts.

According to ABC News New Haven, Connecticut schools have put a ban on all clown costumes and “symbols of terror” during Halloween.

Boston.com reported that Merrimack College initiated its emergency response procedures at approximatley 9:30p.m after receiving a report of a clown on campus.

The dormitory that the alleged clown was in was evacuated and other students were ordered to shelter in place.

Later that evening around 10:15p.m, another clown was spotted at the University of New Hampshire.

The clown was reportedly yelling through a bullhorn near first year dorms.

Samantha Moore/ Art Director

According to Boston.com, University spokesperson Erika Mantz said the clown “left the area, and police were not able to find him or her when they arrived at the scene.”

Boston CBS local reported that police Emmanuel College received “an inundation of calls” about clown sightings on campus late evening on Oct. 4.

Director of Emmanuel College Campus Safety Jack Kelly sent out an email to students saying the clown threats were not credible, CBS local reported.

KSC students have weighed in on the clown craze as well.

When asked about her feelings on the supposed clown sighting on campus, first-year Alexandra Ambrose said, “I was freaked out, but I don’t feel like I’m gonna die. I’m just gonna walk away [if I see a clown].”

Sophomore Zachary Howe said, “…I’m not really that freaked out about it. I mean I’ve read all the cases of that happening over in Mass[achusetts], things in Pennsylvania, all around the United States. There have been reports, but not really actual proof,” he said.

Both Howe and Ambrose said they are still planning on going out on Halloween weekend.

Meridith King can be contacted at mking@kscequinox.com

Between getting caught up in studies and balancing a social life, staying active and getting involved on campus can often be a struggle, especially for first-year students. Keene State College is helping to address this lack of physical activity and on-campus involvement through a program called, “Take Time Tuesdays,” which meets every Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the gym.

Coordinator of Wellness Education Tiffany Mathews and her intern, health science and nutrition major Alexandra Fitzgerald, put together the program this semester. Featuring a different physical activity each week, from volleyball to yoga to basketball, Fitzgerald said she hopes to help students stay active and get involved.

Tim Smith/ Photo editor

“People get so caught up in their studies or they come from high school where they’ve played sports, and they’re not on a team here and they kind of don’t know what to do,” Fitzgerald said. “So we are trying to bridge that gap and help them make connections with other organizations and clubs on campus.”

Mathews said she expects the program to help connect like-minded students to connect and explore resources on campus together.

“Students are interested in learning about the physical activity options in our community, but might not know what is available or accessible to them. Take Time Tuesdays introduces students to a variety of activities and connects them with like-minded individuals to explore healthy options together,” Mathews said.

This past Tuesday’s activity was a local nature walk at the cross country track, near the Owl Complex. Unfortunately, only about two students attended this session compared to around 16 on the program’s first day, featuring volleyball games.

First-year Brandon Paul attended both the hike and the volleyball game and said he will attend more sessions in the future.

“It’s something to do to just get out of my room and meet people, I guess,” Paul said.

“It was cool to see that trail; I’ll definitely start using it more.”

Even with the small turnout of last week’s hike, Fitzgerald said she is happy with the positive connections students made.

“As far as what I took away from the hike, it was nice to be with the two students because it was very personal and we were really able to talk and connect,” Fitzgerald said. “With talking to the two of them, they figured out that they live in the same Residence Hall, which I thought was funny that they figured it out at a program only the two of them went to.”

For more information or for the weekly event schedule, students can visit the KSC Center for Health and Wellness Facebook page.

Meridith King can be contacted at mking@kscequinox.com