October 30th, 2008

Homecoming celebrations brought Owls, alums, and 2,000 pumpkins from Gardiner, Maine, to campus this weekend. Director of Student Life Paul Striffolino reports that 2,000 students carved pumpkins on Friday: “At the height of the event there wasn’t a square inch of Quad grass to be seen!”

Forty student organizations offered everything from pizza to caramel-covered apples, donuts, and cider to nourish the carvers, and for the second year no cuts were reported due to the introduction of “kiddie’’ carving knives.

Photo: Annie Card

President Helen Giles-Gee, Children’s Literature Festival director David White, and artist Michael Dooling with the Children’s Literature Gallery’s 100th Owl (in the blue coat), unveiled this weekend in honor of KSC’s Centennial celebration.

Photo:Annie Card

President Helen Giles-Gee, former KSC-USNH trustee Bob Mallatt ‘58, and former faculty member Nancy Coutts ‘66 discuss the plans for the new Alumni Center at the site dedication. The ceremony took place on October 25 as part of Homecoming festivities. Work is expected to begin on the project in the spring of 2009 with an opening of the center in the spring of 2010.

Photo:Annie Card

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Kristallnacht, the “night of broken glass,” will be remembered on Thursday, November 6, at 7 p.m. at the Colonial Theatre in downtown Keene. This event in Germany in 1938 marked the beginning of the Nazis’ systematic persecution of Jews and served as a prelude to the Holocaust. The KSC Chamber Singers, the Chamber Singers of Keene, and MoCoArts of Keene will all be part of the evening of Remembrance.

This year’s event will feature Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and Chambon Foundation president Pierre Sauvage. A child survivor of the Holocaust and a child of Holocaust survivors, he is best known for his 1989 feature documentary Weapons of the Spirit, which tells the story of a mountain community in France that defied the Nazis and took in and saved five thousand Jews, including Sauvage and his parents. Sauvage himself was born in this unique Christian oasis, Le Chambon, at a time when much of his family was being tortured and murdered in the Nazi death camps. It was only at the age of 18 that he learned that he and his family were Jewish and survivors of the Holocaust.

Kristallnacht, sponsored by the Keene Interfaith Clergy Association, the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies at Keene State College, Congregation Ahavas Achim, the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Planning at Keene State College, and the New Hampshire Humanities Council, is free and open to the public and is suitable for children ages 10 and up. Please call Tom White, 8-2746, or visit http://www.keene.edu/cchs for more information.

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A memorial for Dr. Charles Hildebrandt, Keene State College emeritus faculty and professor of sociology, will be held on Monday, November 3, at 4 p.m. in the Redfern Arts Center Alumni Recital Hall.

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From Bill Menezes, Redfern: Keene State’s performance of Inspired by Kaddish: A Celebration of the Arts will be dedicated to the memory of Professor Charles Hildebrandt.

Inspired by Kaddish will showcase the talents of area musicians, singers, and Keene State College faculty and students at the Redfern Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 1. There will be a performance for area schools at 10 a.m., Friday, October 31. For tickets, call 8-2168 or visit www.keene.edu/racbp. The first 200 KSC students presenting a valid ID will be able to attend free of charge.

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From Connie Lester, Redfern: The Keene State College Concert Band will perform “Musical Postcards: A Journey in Sound,” on Wednesday, November 5, at 7:30 p.m. at the Redfern Arts Center.

The band will play pieces from Scotland, Ireland, England, and Italy, depicting such scenes as a rural country setting, an amusement park, and a roller coaster, concluding with a hymn to the beauty of our American homeland. The program will include Andrew Boysen’s Kirkpatrick Fanfare, Warren Barker’s Deir In De, and Percy Grainger’s Ye Banks and Braes and O’Bonnie Doone, as well as pieces by Frank Ticheli, Aaron Copland, Otto Schwarz, Gabriel Fauré, and more.

KSC music education major Tom Spencer (euphonium) will be a featured soloist. Melanie Prisby, a senior music education/flute major, will assist, conducting Warren Barker’s Deir In De and Kenneth Alford’s Army of the Nile. The concert band is directed by Jim Chesebrough. In addition to conducting the band, Chesebrough is assistant professor of music at Keene State, where he teaches classes in music education, conducting, and applied music. Tickets are available through the box office at 8-2168 or online at www.keene.edu/racbp.

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From John Ratliff and Andy Robinson, 2008 KSC United Way Campaign Co-chairs: You will soon be receiving information and pledge cards for the 2008 United Way’s “Blaze a Trail” campaign. We hope you will take a minute to review the information provided and see how your generous support benefits the Monadnock community.

Last year alone, 1,400 people in the region received help with housing and more than 5,600 people received some kind of fuel assistance. Your gift will make a difference right here in our local community. Thank you so much for considering a gift to the United Way.

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From Mary Pleasanton, Elliot Center: Please encourage students to attend the upcoming Career Connections for Sciences/Business/Health/Technology on Wednesday, November 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Science Center Lobby.

This event is open to all classes and majors. Students can bring a resumé or questions and meet with local and regional hiring companies. Students wishing to prepare a resumé should contact the office at 8-2500 to schedule an appointment with a career advisor.

Sponsored by BIA (Business and Industry Association) and NHHTC (New Hampshire High Technology Council) and coordinated by the Academic and Career Advising Department.

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From Kim Schmidl-Gagne, Academic Affairs: Silvia Hernandez and Chris Thomas, teachers from Oaxaca, Mexico, will visit KSC to share stories of teachers organizing to build a powerful movement for democracy and accountability. They will be speaking in the Student Center’s Madison Street Lounge on Friday, November 7, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. (The film Granito de Arena will be shown following the event.)

Hernandez and Thomas wrote Teaching Rebellion: Stories from the Grassroots Mobilization in Oaxaca, a book of firsthand testimonies regarding the 2006 events in Oaxaca, Mexico. What began as a teacher’s strike demanding more resources for education quickly turned into a massive movement that demanded participatory democracy beyond the ballot box.

Silvia Hernandez is a sociology student who was active in the takeover and management of state media in Oaxaca during the social movement in 2006. She continues to work for alternatives to neoliberal development in southern Mexico. Chris Thomas spent two years collaborating with the autonomous school system in Zapatista communities in Chiapas. Learn more about this speaking tour at http://teachingrebellion.wordpress.com/.

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From Jim Draper, Purchasing: We are cleaning out one of our ceramic studios, and on Saturday, November 1, from 8 a.m. to noon, we will sell the following items:
• Pottery Wheels
• All types of clays
• Assorted finished pottery
• Free used hard kiln bricks
• New G-23 insulating soft bricks
• Ceramic kiln bricks
• Mixing buckets
• Mixers

The sale is on campus at the end of Wyman Way, next to Whitcomb Garage. All is first come, first served, and all sales are cash and carry. Bring a friend, bring a truck, and walk away with a bargain!

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The October issue of KSC Newsline has updates on the new director of Alumni and Parent Relations, the new Alumni Center, Keene State’s new “green” laundry equipment, and more.

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From Kim Harkness, Human Resources: This October, faculty and staff participated in two Lunch ‘n’ Learn workshops held for KSC employees and sponsored by KSC Human Resources.

The first, presented by Public Service of New Hampshire, provided information about how to make your home more energy efficient. Here are three great tips PSNH shared with KSC folks:
• Use energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs if you’re lighting particular areas for over three hours a day. Compact fluorescent bulbs come in a variety of sizes and should help to lower energy costs.
• A programmable thermostat lets you control the temperature in your house automatically and can make a significant impact on your household expenses. You can program the thermostat according to your schedule, and it will automatically turn the heat down during the night or when you are not at home and turn it up just before you get up in the morning or come home from work, so your house is comfortable only when you need it to be.
• PSNH also suggested that you consider having an energy audit. PSNH offers Energy Saver Audits through the Home Energy Assistance Program. For those who qualify, PSNH will help you identify and understand your high electric use and recommend how to use energy more efficiently, which includes insulation, air sealing, electric hot water measures, health and safety measures, and more. More information on cost savings and the many programs offered by PSNH can be found on their website.

Consumer Credit Counseling Services of NH & VT conducted the second program. The presenter challenged folks in these tough economic times to be prepared by making a budget and sticking to it. The “budget do’s” include budgeting for savings, establishing long- and short-term financial goals, and reviewing your budget regularly. The best place to start is to track your expenses for a full month to learn where your money actually goes.

We also learned about credit scores: what can help improve a score, what can hurt your score, and how doing something to improve it isn’t always in your best interest financially. The CCCS rep recommended that anyone choosing to use a credit counseling service make sure that the counselor is licensed by an organization such as the New Hampshire Banking Department. More information and helpful financial tools can be found on the CCCS webpage noted above.

Watch for more Lunch ‘n’ Learn opportunities, including sessions on Wills and Estates, Elder Law, Real Estate Law, and Parenting Issues.

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From Forrest Seymour, Counseling Center: KSC students living with mental illness will share their challenges and successes at “The Challenge of Coping with a Mental Illness at College,” a student panel and Diversity Luncheon, at noon on Wednesday, November 5, in the Madison Street Lounge, Student Center.

A free light lunch will be served. This event is hosted by the KSC Diversity Commission and sponsored by the KSC Counseling Center, the Center for Health & Wellness, the Office of Disability Services, the Campus Commission on Multiculturalism and Diversity, the Active Minds Student Organization, the Psi Chi Psychology Honors Society, the Granite State Monarchs Peer Support Organization, and the NH Branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. For more information, please contact Forrest at 358-2047.

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From the IT Group: As we wrap up October IT Security Awareness month, one of the most important topics involves identity theft. While identity theft has been around for a long time, the explosion of the internet has increased its frequency. The older methods of stealing identities like “dumpster diving” and “phone scams” have given way to spam, phishing, spyware, and keyloggers. These newer methods take advantage of the speed of the internet, the accessibility of internet resources, and the large volumes of personal identifiable information (PII) data stored insecurely.

While breaches of PII at various companies and institutions are out of your control, UR at the center of your own secURity, and one of the more important ways U can reduce the risk of identity theft is to practice safe computing practices:
• Keep your antivirus software up to date.
• Keep your operating system current with the latest security patches.
• Password protect your computer against unauthorized use.
• Use strong passwords.
• Run antispyware/antivirus programs regularly.
• Use a personal firewall.
• Avoid using unsecured wireless networks.
• Avoid file-sharing software.
• Be smart while surfing the internet.
• Do not open attachments in emails from someone you don’t know.
• Do not click on links in emails, IMs, social networking sites, blogs, and wikis.

Read more here about how to protect yourself and what the actual costs to you can be if you are a victim of identity theft.

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From Kathleen Halverson, Mason Library: The library will host a special music event at 2 p.m. on Friday, November 7. Come to the Wood Reading Area and enjoy the melodious sounds of KSC’s Flute Ensemble. The members of the group include seniors Jessica Heller, Melanie Prisby, Gayle Ravlin, and Anne Waidelich. Light refreshments will be served.

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From Klaus Bayr, Geography (emeritus): The geography department published the Connecticut Atlas for 4th Graders last month.

It is the fifth such atlas Klaus Bayr and his students have produced. The others were on New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

All of these atlases conform to the standards for social studies in each state and include approximately 20 maps of physical features and notes on the state’s history and cultural aspects. Statistical data on population and area of each town and photographs taken by Bayr and Stephanie Straittiff are included.

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From the IT Group: If you are planning an event on campus (a faculty recital, site dedication, or a large, campus-wide event), and know you will need media equipment to make it sound great, please put your request in as early as possible.

If you think you might need technical support from one of our media technicians or wonder if you’ve requested all of the right equipment for your event, don’t hesitate to contact the HelpDesk. We make every effort to provide the support you need, but we cannot guarantee support for last-minute requests.

Please contact the HelpDesk with your media event support requests in plenty of time for us to help you. Call 8-2532, email helpdesk@keene.edu, or stop by our office on the second floor of Elliot Hall if you have any questions concerning this or any other technology issue.

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On October 18, Phyllis Benay (Interdisciplinary Studies) presented and chaired a session entitled “Writing Program Administration: Models of Success” at Hofstra University’s Who Owns Writing? conference. Her paper, “Raising Writers: It Takes a Whole Academic Community,” discussed the roles of faculty, tutors, and administration in helping students take responsibility for their writing.

“Powder Hollow Archeology,” a poem by William Doreski (English) is one of 12 finalists in the Times Literary Supplement (London) poetry competition. The poem selected by reader vote from the finalists wins 5,000 pounds. All 12 poems appeared in the October 24 issue of the TLS.

Dr. Jerry Jasinski (Chemistry) was featured on WMUR-9’s hometown heroes segment last week. You can see it here.

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From Karyn Kaminski, Human Resources: Please welcome the following new employees to KSC: Micki Harrington (formerly complementary), Library Services Assistant, Mason Library, and Michael Wade, Grounds Attendant, Physical Plant.

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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. Charles Hildebrandt, emeriti faculty, professor of sociology at Keene State College for nearly 30 years, and founder of the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies at Keene State College, died on October 21.

“It is with great sadness that I confirm the death of Dr. Charles (Chuck) Hildebrandt, who, according to his family, battled Alzheimer’s disease and dementia for the past ten years,” President Helen Giles-Gee wrote in a message to the campus. “We are grateful for his inspiration, vision, passion, and commitment to this important work. Dr. Hildebrandt’s legacy extends from our campus to students, scholars, and colleagues across the country and the world.”

Henry F. Knight, director of the Cohen Center, said he never met Hildebrandt, but feels the founder’s profound influence. “From my very first days at Keene State College and the Cohen Center, I’ve felt the gentle shadow of Chuck Hildebrandt,” Knight said. “Everything about it has been rich and powerful. Like many others in our community, I am proudly in his debt.”

On sabbatical in 1982, Hildebrandt traveled to Jerusalem to study at the Yad Vashem to develop a course on the Sociology of the Holocaust and to prepare to establish a Holocaust Resource Center at Keene State. That year he traveled around the United States collecting books and materials for the Center. Today, as one of the nation’s oldest Holocaust resource centers, the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies is recognized as a “center of excellence” by the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous. It has a strong collection of print and media resources, holds a biennial residential summer institute for educators, and supports a minor in Holocaust studies at Keene State College.

Paul Vincent, a former director of the Center and professor of Holocaust studies and history at Keene State, was a long-time friend of Hildebrandt’s. “The Center so much reflects the vision that he had,” Vincent said. “His goal was to remember, and to teach. That was very important to him, and it’s something I’ve carried with me.”

You can add a personal remembrance or tribute of Chuck Hildebrandt on the Cohen Center site here. Arrangements for a memorial will be announced at a later time. Gifts in his memory can be directed to the Charles Hildebrandt Holocaust Studies Award Endowment, Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies, Mason Library, 229 Main St., Keene, NH 03435-3201. For more information, call 8-2940 or visit www.keene.edu/cchs/.

Courtesy Photo; Dr. Charles Hildebrandt

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From Bill Menezes, Redfern: Thanks to a generous KSC Pepsi Grant, the first 200 Keene State students who request student tickets can attend the Inspired by Kaddish: A Celebration of the Arts performance for free on Saturday, November 1, at 7:30 p.m. at the Redfern Arts Center. The performance will showcase the talents of area musicians and singers and Keene State College faculty and students.

Inspired by the stunning debut last spring of composer Lawrence Siegel’s Kaddish, the artists will unite their talents to create a celebration of the arts at Keene State. Excerpts from Inspired by Kaddish will be played by a chamber orchestra and sung by a choir and soloists, and the music will be enhanced by original dance works and special readings from the original score throughout the evening.

Like its inspiration, the November 1 performance, through the words and memories of victims, survivors, and bystanders, creates a series of musical and spoken vignettes of the Holocaust. However, the production is not only about the past, but also about exploring our humanity and responding ethically to intolerance and injustice today. It culminates in a message of hope and peace that extends beyond the lines of religion, race, and ethnic background.

The artistic director of Inspired by Kaddish is KSC theatre and dance professor Marcia Murdock. Murdock has also created new dances for 12 KSC dance students to enhance the music.

Professor of music Elaine Broad Ginsberg, who conducted the choir for the premiere of Kaddish, will conduct the 14-piece chamber orchestra, the 32-voice KSC Chamber Singers, and the eight members of the community chorus who performed in the premiere.

The performance will also feature four soloists: Keene State music professors Diane Cushing (soprano) and Pamela Stevens (mezzo-soprano), who performed in the premiere. Baritone David Ripley, who appeared in the original production, is widely known for his oratorio, recital, chamber opera, and early and contemporary music programs. The tenor is KSC music major Mike Cassese.

The performance is made possible by the generous support of the offices of the KSC Provost and the Dean of Arts and Humanities and the Redfern Arts Center on Brickyard Pond. KSC students will need to show a valid 2008 – 2009 ID at the box office to pick up a ticket.

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From Stuart Kaufman, Sports Information: A capacity crowd of Madness neophytes and veteran night owls packed the gym for a night of hoopla and hoops at the 12th annual Midnight Madness celebration last Friday at Spaulding Gym.

From the opening national anthem (where the students sang along with the Chock Full O Notes group), through the contests and exuberance, to the confetti-blasting finale, Madness 2008 ushered in the basketball season in grand style.

There was something for everybody: A sumo-race, a motorized-toilet race through an obstacle course, a near miss on a $10,000 half-court shot, stellar displays of basketball skill, and performances by the KSC cheerleading squad and dance team.

The large cheerleading squad — consisting of 22 members, including 14 freshmen — kicked off the festivities and brought the house down with their fabulous routine.

At the stroke of midnight, the Owl basketball teams entered the gym and the players treated the fans to hot-shot and dunk competitions. Cody Snow, a flying freshman from Leyden, Mass., won the contest. Not to be outdone, several members of the women’s team hoisted Michele Boudreau up on their shoulders so the senior guard could attempt a slam.

The dance team brought the Madness to a close with a nifty number that concluded with a cannon blasting red and white confetti all over the court. “It’s our biggest event of the year,” said Amanda Currao, a senior from Salem and one of 24 dance team performers. ”We like being on last and finishing Madness with a bang.”

Photo: Mike Phillips; KSC Midnight Madness

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From Steve Spiegel, National and International Exchange Center: The winners from the NIEC photo contest are:
Grand Prize Winner: “Venice,” by Carleen Ryan.
KSC Students Away Category: “The Lone Sailboat,” by Ketura Rich
Culture: “Sahara Excursion,” by Patricia DaSilvia.
Academics: “Keene State Students in the School Patio,” by Jessica Williams.
Landscape/Scenery: Patricia Danilova

The grand-prize winner received $100, and the four first-place winners each received $50.

Photo by Carleen Ryan, NIEC Photo contest grand prize winner “Venice.”

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From Bill Menezes, Redfern: GrooveLily, one of the hottest cabaret/musical theatre ensembles in New York City today, will make its area debut at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 8, at the Redfern Arts Center.

GrooveLily is a trio of creative musicians who inhabit a contemporary space that ignores the boundaries laid down by such words as rock, folk, jazz, and pop. With backgrounds in classical music, musical theater, jazz, and rock, they toured the Indie music circuit for several years. GrooveLily is now making a new music that’s all its own.

The success of their first concert-musical — the critically acclaimed and award-winning off-Broadway holiday show, Striking 12 (liberally adapted from Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Match Girl) — has led them further into the world of theater, where they have carved out a unique niche as a rock band writing and performing shows. Watch and listen to an excerpt from Striking 12.

Striking 12 has led them to such commissions as Toy Story the Musical for Disney and Sleeping Beauty Wakes for Deaf West Theatre/Center Theatre Group, where it won two 2007 Ovation Awards, including World Premiere Musical. To read more about GrooveLily, see blogs from the members, and hear samples of their songs, go to http://www.groovelily.com/. Tickets are available through the Redfern box office (603-358-2168) or online at www.keene.edu/racbp.

Courtesy photo, GrooveLily

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The first Keene State College Children’s Literature Festival was held on a snowy April Fool’s Day in 1978. Today, hundreds of teachers, librarians, illustrators, and writers gather annually in Keene to celebrate and learn about children’s literature.

This year’s festival is on Saturday, November 1. Events will be held at various campus locations. This year’s featured speakers are: Steven Kellogg, Andrew Glass, Eric A. Kimmel, Carolyn Coman, Rob Shepperson, and Jerry Pinkney. For more information, visit www.keene.edu/clf/, or contact David White at 8-2302.

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