September 25th, 2008

John McCardell, president emeritus of Middlebury College and organizer of the Amethyst Initiative, will speak at Keene State College on Tuesday, September 30, at Keene State College’s forum “Why 21? Is It Time to Debate the Minimum Drinking Age?”

The forum will start at 6 p.m. in the Mabel Brown Room, Young Student Center, and the community is encouraged to attend and participate. Chuck Weed, KSC political science professor and NH state legislator, will also speak. Daniel Saucier, KSC Student Body president, and Geoff Ness, KSC Student Assembly chair, will moderate the forum.

This summer, 129 college and university chancellors and presidents signed the Amethyst Initiative, which states that there is a culture of dangerous binge drinking on many campuses and that the problem of irresponsible drinking by young people continues, despite the minimum legal drinking age of 21. The initiative calls for an exploration of the consequences of current alcohol policies and invites new ideas on how best to prepare young adults to make responsible decisions about alcohol use.

Keene State College President Helen Giles-Gee did not sign the statement but called for a campus-wide forum to discuss the issue.

“The College believes in a philosophy of liberal education that develops character as well as learning,” Giles-Gee said. “Students demonstrate character when they behave responsibly and make good judgments, and one of the tenets of character building is to provide students with enough information so that they can make good judgments.”

McCardell is also founder of Choose Responsibility, a nonprofit organization founded to stimulate public discussion about the presence of alcohol in American culture and to consider policies encouraging young adults to make mature decisions about the place of alcohol in their lives .

For more information on the Amethyst Initiative, visit http://www.amethystinitiative.org/.

Chuck Weed came to Keene State 36 years ago after teaching and coaching middle- and high-school students. He has represented Cheshire County in the New Hampshire House of Representatives for eight years.

For more information on the forum, contact Dr. Andrew Robinson at 603-358-2107, arobinso@keene.edu.

Courtesy photso
John McCardell, Chuck Weed

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On Wednesday, October 1, Dr. Diane Levin will explore the impact of media on children and teens and the sexualization of childhood in “So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What We Can Do About It.”

The lecture, part of Keene State College’s Diverse Lectures from the Field series, will start at 7:30 p.m. in the Mabel Brown Room in the Student Center.

Levin will give parents and educators the information, skills, and confidence they need to play a proactive role with children around sexual issues, including:

• stories that demonstrate how children internalize what they see and hear
• guidelines and sample conversations for talking with children about these sensitive subjects
• practical strategies for counteracting the disturbing messages that bombard children every day

Dr. Levin is professor of education at Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts, where she teaches the summer institute “Media Madness and Children,” and she speaks around the world on the impact of violence and media on children, families, and schools. Her work has been covered widely in the media, including the Boston Globe, Time Magazine, The New York Times, USA Today, and the Washington Post. More information on the speaker can be found at http://www.dianeelevin.com/.

Levin has written or co-written eight books, including So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids (with Jean Kilbourne); The War Play Dilemma; Teaching Young Children in Violent Times: Building a Peaceable Classroom; and Remote Control Childhood? Combating the Hazards of Media Culture.

Keene State College’s Diverse Voices from the Field lecture series is dedicated to bringing speakers who represent diversity in education to the College. For more information or to request accommodations for a disability, please contact the Education Department at 8-2301.

Courtesy photo
Diane Levin

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From Bill Menezes, Redfern: Shakespeare & Company will make its New Hampshire debut at Keene State College’s Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond with Shakespeare’s Hamlet on Tuesday, October 7. The company will perform for area schools at 9:30 a.m. and again for general audiences at 7 p.m. The production is co-presented with the Colonial Theatre of Keene.

This pared-down, revved-up version of Shakespeare’s uncontested masterpiece will be an evening of stunning theater for audiences across the country. The company’s portrayal of the human struggle between two opposing forces — moral integrity and vengeance — was hailed as “galvanizing and bold” by Variety.

For tickets contact the Redfern box office 8-2168 or online at www.keene.edu/racbp.

Courtesy photo
Shakespeare & Company

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From Frederick Wolf, Physics: On Thursday, October 2, Professor Laurence Gould of the University of Hartford will present “ A Convenient Falsehood: Myths, Methods, & Consequences of the Global Warming Hoax,” at 8 p.m. in the Mabel Brown Room.

A physicist, Professor Gould is one of the most knowledgeable individuals in all of New England, outside a handful of climatologists, on the subject of global warming. He will present a side of the issue that is rarely heard within the context of political verbiage and the mainstream media. The lecture is free and open to the public. A question and answer session will follow. For more information, contact Frederick Wolf at 8-2584.

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From Heather Jasmin, Continuing Education: As we prepare for the 2008 election, the Office of Continuing Education invites the entire community to join in four free discussions of global issues. A 45-minute lecture is followed by moderated discussion.

Schedule:

10/2 Iraq End Game
Moderator: Wes Martin, KSC Assistant Professor of Political Science

10/16 Latin America: Shift to the Left?
Moderator: Chuck Weed, KSC Professor of Political Science

10/30 Russia
Moderator: Patrick Dolenc, KSC Professor of Economics

All discussions are free and open to the public. Discussions will be held on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Rhodes N120. Attendees are encouraged to purchase Great Decisions 2008, which provides a synopsis of the issues to be discussed ($18, available at the KSC Bookstore), prior to the first night’s meeting. For more information contact hjasmin@keene.edu.

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From Mark Long, English: On Wednesday, October 8, writer, independent scholar, and poet William Fox will present “Terra Antarctica: The Art History of a Continent, or How Cognition Transforms Land into Landscape.” This slide presentation and talk will start at 7 p.m. in 110 Morrison Hall and will examine how human cognition transforms space into place in the world’s most otherworldly environment.

William Fox conducts fieldwork with artists and scientists in extreme environments. His nonfiction books include Terra Antarctica: Looking into the Emptiest Continent; In the Desert of Desire: Las Vegas and the Culture of Spectacle; and View Finder: Mark Klett, Photography, & the Reinvention of Landscape.

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As part of the comprehensive safety and emergency plan developed by the College, both the siren warning and the CityWatch emergency notification systems were tested on Thursday, September 25, between noon and 1 p.m.

The siren is intended for exterior areas and may not be heard inside some buildings. It will be tested at least once a year, and the campus will be notified each time. Other than the tests, it will be used only in the event of an imminent danger that requires immediate action.

CityWatch sends messages via SMS (text), cellular telephone, telephone, and/or e-mail to registered users. If you have not yet registered for notification through CityWatch, you may still do so through the following site: http://www.citywatchonline.com/csbsignup/communitysignupkeene.asp

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From Steven Spiegel, NIEC: The National and International Exchange Center (NIEC) will hold a study away photo contest from September 29 to October 3 in the Student Center daily between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The contest is open to any student who has studied away (nationally or internationally) through NIEC and has not submitted the same photos for previous NIEC photo contests.

Photographs in four categories (Keene State Students Away, Scenery/Landscape, Academics, and Culture) will be on display in the Student Center and will be voted on anonymously by KSC students, faculty, and staff.

The grand-prize winner will receive $100, and there will be four first-place prizes of $50.

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Many of the printed publications produced by College and Media Relations are posted online (by the Online Communications folks). Check out the 2008-09 Viewbook.

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From Tiffany Matthews (Health Services): On Monday, September 29, Phoenix House Keene Center and the Keene State College Center for Health and Wellness will sponsor “Real People, Real Recovery” in celebration of the nineteenth annual National Recovery Month nationwide.

This event will take place at Keene State College in the Mabel Brown Room from 6 to 8 p.m., and will provide an opportunity for the public to hear stories of experience, strength, and hope from community members who have been affected by addiction and have made progress towards long-term recovery. Community members, people in recovery, parents, policy makers, teachers, students, and all whose lives may have been touched by addiction are invited to participate.

The event will include a variety of speakers from the local area sharing their stories of recovery and recounting how community agencies in the Monadnock Region have supported them in achieving long-term abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Community social-service agencies will also be attending and providing educational materials about their services and volunteer opportunities.

For the 22.6 million people in the United States who suffer from substance-use disorders, asking for help and finding treatment is essential to getting back to a healthy, fulfilling life through recovery. Recovery Month is a nationwide celebration of people in long-term recovery from substance-use disorders and their families, and is supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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Coming events with a Centennial influence:

9/28: Centennial Wellness Fair on Appian Way at the Clarence DeMar Marathon: Health! Wellness!

We still have some T-shirts available to folks who send us trivia question about the history of the college (with verifiable answers). Include your mailstop, please, for easy shirt shipping. [lwebb1@keene.edu]. And join us for the DeMar Marathon and Centennial Wellness Fair, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Rhodes Hall on Sunday!

Cheer, win prizes, enjoy refreshments, talk to Ted of Ted’s Shoe and Sport, meditate, learn a yoga pose, see a massage therapist (or chiropractor, or podiatrist).

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From Recreational Sports: Faculty and staff (and their spouse or domestic partner) can still purchase memberships to use the facilities and programs in the Recreation Center. There are several different membership options available.

If you are a benefits-eligible employee and have your health insurance through the College with Harvard Pilgrim, you can use the Wellness Connection program, which will cover the cost of your membership as long as you work out a minimum of eight times per month. If you do not have health benefits through the College, then the cost of the Recreation Center membership is $480 from now until the end of August. This entitles you to use all the facilities and programs we offer.

We do offer faculty and staff the option of purchasing this membership by the semester, $180 or academic year, $360. The other memberships available are the Walking Track/Aerobics membership for $100 per semester, which allows access to the walking track and group fitness program, and the Spaulding Gym membership, which allows use of the swimming pool during Rec Sports swim time and the racquetball court at no charge. Faculty and staff can sign up for a membership at the front desk of the Recreation Center.

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From the IT Group: As you have already heard and may have seen in the public computing places on campus, we are well on the way to migrating the campus to Office 2007. Not only is Office 2007 available in our public computing areas, but all new workstation upgrades include the new Office suite.

If you are not due to receive a new computer in the near future but would like to install Office 2007 on your current machine, navigate to this link http://www.keene.edu/it/helpdesk/o7kregform.cfm to place your request for the software download.

Once your form is reviewed, you will be contacted directly by the HelpDesk. There are many support options available to you, such as our new Office 2007 training website, the “Get Started” tab located on the Word 2007 ribbon, as well as other information on the HelpDesk website. The IT Group plans to migrate the entire campus to Office 2007 by Fall 2009, so we strongly encourage you to make the move early and begin using Office 2007 now.

Don’t hesitate: Call the HelpDesk at 358-2532, stop by our office on the 2nd floor of Elliot Hall, or email helpdesk@keene.edu with questions regarding this or any other technology need.

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From Kimberly Harkness, Human Resources: Our Open Enrollment Benefits and Personal Services Fair will be held on Friday, October 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Mabel Brown Room.

The event is co-ordinated with a Wellness Fair at the same time, allowing you to talk to our benefit providers, chat with local businesses and organizations that offer services that might be of interest to you, and remind yourself of the importance of taking care of yourself. The Wellness component is being sponsored by Nancy Puglisi from USNH with Harvard Pilgrim’s Healthy Returns health screenings available at that time. Look for more information on all of this coming soon.

And after a long break, we are pleased to announce a return of Lunch ‘n Learn! Lunch ‘n Learn invites guest speakers to campus to present on topics of interest to you in your personal life. Future sessions will include legal topics (i.e., wills, estate planning, trusts, family law, and elder-care issues); financial planning (retirement, social security, budgeting); parenting; and more. Come spend your lunchtime and learn with us! Light refreshments and water will be provided.

Upcoming Lunch ‘n Learn Programs:
Friday, October 3: “How to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient,” presented by Public Service of New Hampshire. To be held in the Madison Street Room of the Student Center, offered from 12 to 1 p.m. and again from 1 to 2 p.m.

Friday, October 24: “Be the Boss of Your Own Budget!”, presented by Credit Counseling Services of New Hampshire, offering helpful information and ideas about building and sticking to a budget and managing your debt in these tough economic times. Rhodes Hall N120, offered from 12 to 1 p.m. and again from 1 to 2 p.m.

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From Keith Boucher, Athletics: The KSC women’s basketball team would like to thank the campus community for their generous support of our charity car wash last Saturday. The team raised $470 for the BETTYS organization. This group of students and parents is raising money to help improve the facilities at Monadnock Regional High School.

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Craig Sylvern attended the 2008 Cardinal Saxophone Workshop at the University of Louisville this past July. The workshop attracts professional and student musicians from across the country and includes performances by individuals, chamber groups, and a large ensemble made up of all the participants. This year’s large ensemble included saxophones from the tiny sopranino to the monstrous contrabasso. Craig participated in several performances, one of which included the world premiere of Dance for Two Tenor Saxophones and Piano, a piece written for him by Walter S. Hartley.

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We are rebuilding our Faculty Experts section on the web and need your help. Our information will be listed on our website and in a database for journalists working on local and national stories. Please take a minute to update your information, add to your list of publications and accomplishments, and send it to rdutcher@keene.edu.

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Dr. Dottie Morris has been appointed Interim Chief Officer for Diversity and Multiculturalism at the College.

“Dr. Morris brings an exceptional resumé with a strong combination of academic credentials and life experience, and well-grounded preparation and understanding in the areas of diversity and multiculturalism,” President Giles-Gee wrote in an announcement to the campus.

Morris worked most recently as associate dean for Student Learning at the World Learning SIT Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, Vt., and as director of Student Affairs/Core Faculty at the Clinical Mental Health Program at Antioch University, Keene. She has worked at Keene State as an adjunct faculty member in the psychology department, and was named one of Keene State College’s 2008 Outstanding Women of New Hampshire.

The Chief Officer for Diversity and Multiculturalism will recommend institutional practices and policies that foster a welcoming and inclusive campus community. Reporting directly to the president, she will provide support and resources to the College’s deans, commissions, department chairs, administrators, staff, and students in matters related to the advancement of the College’s goals for diversity and multiculturalism. Dr. Morris will begin on September 29, 2008. Her office will be located on the first floor of Hale Building.

Courtesy Photo
Dr. Dottie Morris (seated far right) with the 2008 recipients of Keene State College’s Outstanding Women of New Hampshire (standing, l. to r.): Helen Giles-Gee, Jan Cohen, Jahleh Ghanbari; seated: Juliana Eades

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This semester KSC has sent more than 40 students to Australia, Ecuador, England, France, Galapagos Islands, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, and across the United States through the National Student Exchange Program. The College has also welcomed a dozen new exchange and international students who will be on campus for stays ranging from one semester to four years. The matriculating students are from Japan and Taiwan, while the exchange students are from England and France and domestically from Oregon and Idaho (through the National Student Exchange program). Anyone unable to attend the fair to learn about the many programs and designations where students can study is encouraged to visit the National and International Exchange office located on the third floor of Elliot Center.

Students gathered in the big tent in front of the Student Center on September 17 to learn about KSC Study Away programs at the Study Away Fair.

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Stuart Kaufman (Sports Information) has received two District 1 writing awards from College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) in the 2008 Fred S. Stabley Sr. Writing Contest. The District 1 region includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick.

The writing contest has five categories (athlete feature, general feature, coach/administrator profile, event coverage, and historical feature), and the 2007–08 contest drew 388 total entries.

Kaufman received a second place award under “event coverage” for “The Right Track: Keene State Jumper, Runner Win NCAA Titles,” a story about the KSC women’s track team national championships. He received third place under “general feature” for “Blaisdell Knows the Rules,” a story about alum Peter Blaisdell that appeared in Keene State Today.

Courtesy photo
Stuart Kaufman

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From Bill Menezes, Redfern: The Georgia Guitar Quartet (GGQ) will open the 2008–09 season at Keene State College’s Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond on Saturday, October 4, at 7:30 p.m. The Redfern is dedicating this season of music, theatre, and dance to Keene State’s year-long centennial celebration. The Quartet will also conduct a free and public lecture demonstration at noon that Saturday.

GGQ’s Redfern performance will feature classical works by Michael Praetorius, Domenico Scarlatti, Frédéric Chopin, Edvard Grieg, and Federico Moreno Torroba, among others. In a more contemporary vein, GGQ will play compositions by Kyle Dawkins, Vince Guaraldi, and Nikita Koshkin. Audio clips of GGQ performance excerpts are available at their website. For tickets call 8-2168 or visit www.keene.edu/racbp.

Courtesy photo: Georgia Guitar Quartet

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Coming events with a Centennial influence

9/28: Centennial Wellness Fair on Appian Way at the Clarence DeMar Marathon: Health! Wellness!
10/24 – 25: Homecoming: Pumpkins! Alumni!
10/25: 100th Owl Presentation: Owls! More Owls!

And now, announcing the first-ever Campus News Centennial Trivia Contest!
Periodically, we’ll offer a Centennial T-shirt to people who correctly answer questions posed here.

For our first contest, we’re making it easy for you (and us). We’ll give shirts to the first 12 people who send us a trivia question about the history of the college, with verifiable answers. Include your mailstop, please, for easy shirt shipping.

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From the IT Group: It is midnight on a Saturday night and the entire network is down. Or maybe you come in Sunday afternoon to catch up on some work and notice the telephones aren’t working. Do you know who to report this to?

The IT Group HelpDesk is always your first point of contact when there is a technology issue on campus. But what if the HelpDesk is closed?

As with many other campus-wide situations, the Department of Campus Safety is the place to call. The IT Group has developed an “off hours” protocol to respond to technology issues: Campus Safety will contact the appropriate person to respond to the problem. By reporting the situation as soon as it develops, the IT Group will receive early notification and respond promptly to the situation.
So, don’t feel you need to wait until Monday morning when the HelpDesk is open — report the issue to Campus Safety, and they will be sure the IT Group is notified.

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From Stuart Kaufman, Sports Information: Walking used to be a major ordeal for Nancy Bleam. A member of the athletic training staff for the past 12 years at Keene State, Bleam readily recalls a time when, unable to breathe, she had to stop three times while walking down Appian Way.

Bleam has no problems walking these days. In fact, she plans to be front and center on Sunday in Middlebury, Vt., for one of the most important walks of her life — the Walk for a Cure — a fundraiser for polycystic kidney disease (PKD).

Bleam will be among thousands of people who will take part in the three-mile walk that will begin simultaneously at noon at 23 sites around the country. Wearing T-shirts that say “survivor or fighter,” participants will begin their route by walking through a field of flowers, bought in honor of or in memory of someone who has died from the disease that destroys working kidney tissue.

Teaching athletic training classes and helping more than 300 student athletes recover and recuperate from injuries on a daily basis, Bleam began experiencing major health issues in 2006. Twenty-five years ago, she was diagnosed with PKD, the same disease that caused the death of her mother, Evelyn Berry Bleam, and has been found in her younger sister, Monica Roney, and nephew, Justin, who live in St. Joseph’s, Michigan.

She had both of her kidneys removed in July 2007, when doctors at Dartmouth-Hitchcock transplanted her cousin Jenny’s left kidney into Bleam. “I went from dying to completely new,” Bleam said. “She’s 10 years younger than me, so I got a good deal. It’s a gift I intend to keep.”

After taking some time off to build up her immune system and her strength, she returned to full-time work in October 2007. Bleam, who calls athletic training her passion, says she literally grew up in a training room. Her father, Don, worked for the Detroit Lions, the Baltimore Bullets, and the University of Michigan before moving back to his hometown and working as the athletic trainer at Adrian High School.

Bleam can now walk as fast as she wants and no longer gets winded or feels pain when she is stretching Keene State athletes. She has no dietary restrictions and, except for few anti-rejection pills and a need to take a flu shot once a year, is back to living as normal a life as can be expected, given her life-changing experience.

Little things are no longer taken for granted. “This means so much to me,” she said about Sunday’s walk. “I’ve never been able to do it. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to breathe and walk.”

Courtesy photo
Nancy Bleam

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From Forrest Seymour, Counseling Center: If you, or any students you know (particularly guys) are interested in attending this year’s Ending Violence Against Women Conference sponsored by the NH Violence Against Women Campus Consortium (of which KSC is a member), please let me know ASAP. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to attend. The conference runs 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday, October 24, at UNH in Durham. It is free, and they have reserved 14 spaces for us, so let’s fill them up! Contact Forrest Seymour fseymour@keene.edu, 8-2407.

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