Volume XXVIII
Issue 9
April 13, 2022
penmenpress.com
THE
PENMEN PRESS Writing SNHU’s Story
05
06
09
SNHU’s ‘22-’23 Academic Calendar
It’s Time For A New Fitness Center
Stark Hall to be Demolished by Fall Semester
2 | News
MEET THE
STAFF Co-Editor-in-Chief Sofia Barassi
Co-Editor-in-Chief Stefan Karlberg
Business Manager
Events Manager
photo Manager
Online Manager
Senior Copy Editor
NEws Editor Taylor Posik
Devin Pouliot
Lifestyle Editor
Sports co-Editor
Sports co-Editor
Opinion Editor
Layout Editor
Faculty Adviser
Julie Armstrong
Ryan Barrett
Now Hiring!
Orlagh Skafas
Bailey Arnold-Fuchs
Adam Dufault
Christopher Kelly
Jack Drolet
Chris Tutt
Jon Boroshok
media Manager Hannah Black
A&E Editor
Joshua DiNapoli
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LETTER FROM THE
EDITORS
Goodbye, From the Co-Editors-in-Chief Sofia Barassi and Stefan Karlberg Co-Editors-in-Chief As our school year comes to an end, we want to reflect on the year that we had, not only as a school, but as a newspaper. We transitioned from 18 months at home to a completely in-person school life with athletics, events, and classes where we were all quickly trying to discover ourselves again. The transition from opening up our laptops to meet virtually, to meeting most members in-person
for the first time, was something that no one has had to do before. As co-editors-in-chief, the daunting task of renewing the paper was one that we were up for and couldn’t have completed without our fantastic team. Thank you to all of our members who stuck with us through this uncertain year; we could not have done it without you. We are very excited to pass the torch to our next co-editors-in-
chief with all of the excitement of producing news for our school. Thank you to all of our readers throughout this school year for reminding us why we do what we do. As we leave these positions to our teammates, classmates, and friends, we are so happy to have had this opportunity and the people surrounding us. Thank you. From, Sofia Barassi and Stefan Karlberg
e Southern New Hampshire University Penmen Press is a news publication produced by Southern New Hampshire University students and funded largely by the Student Government Association of the University. It is our responsibility to inform the SNHU community about events on and around campus. e Penmen Press will print any material found to be factual and in good taste by the editorial sta of the paper. e views published do not necessarily reect the views of Southern New Hampshire University. e Penmen Press is published monthly during the academic year and is printed on campus by Copies Plus. To contact the newspaper, please email us at penmenpress@snhu.edu
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News
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SNHU’s ‘22-’23 Academic Calendar Lillian Nelson Staff Writer SNHU’s academic calendar is changing for the ‘22-’23 school year, affecting the start dates of each campus semester. Online and on-campus courses will be aligned, allowing the option for campus students to take in-person classes and online classes. Vice President of Student Affairs, Heather Lorenz, said, “Students will have more flexibility to mix and match in-person and online classes as needed or desired to incorporate co-curricular experiences such as internships or study abroad into their schedules.” Lorenz also explains the benefits of the change. “The goal [is to reduce] costs to students and [give] time to complete their degree requirements. It will also allow us to streamline operations and financial
aid administration, allowing us to deliver student services and supports more efficiently,” said Lorenz. The Fall 2022 semester starts Monday, August 29. Returning students are set to move in on Sunday, August 28. Course registration for Spring 2023 will take place during the week of November 7. Meanwhile, the Spring 2023 semester is set to move in on Sunday, January 1, and begin classes on Monday, January 2. Registration for classes for Fall 2023 will take place during the week of March 27. The spring semester ends a week early to make summer longer. Thanksgiving Recess, winter break, and spring break, as well as various national holidays throughout the academic year, will continue to be observed. Important
dates will be added in the upcoming weeks to update the information page on SNHU’s parent and family information page. “The July 2022 academic catalog will have, for the first time in SNHU’s history, one unified set of academic policies, terms, and program offerings for all SNHU students,” said Lorenz. SNHU has assembled a working group of academic and student experience staff to create a plan that supports students and their families. Information regarding the academic calendar will be sent out by email leading up to the start of the semester as well as be in print during move-in. Additional information on the schedule for the ‘22-’23 school year can be found on mysnhu.edu.
Academic Calendar (image courtesy: Taylor Posik)
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Stark Hall to be Demolished by Fall Semester Taylor Posik News Editor SNHU’s Stark Hall is set to be demolished and replaced by green space by the Fall 2022 semester. Stark Hall was constructed in 1971. Comparing it to modern building standards, “the building type construction [is not] as well built or energy efficient,” according to Lawrence Yassanye, Assistant Director of Capitol Projects. “The value required to sustain the buildings has become unsustainable. The long-term environmental impacts to retain the building was taken into consideration, too.” The building did hold classes during the Fall 2021 semester; however, no classes were held in Stark Hall in Spring 2022. Courses for the Institute for Language Education,
which previously took place in Stark, have been moved to Belknap Hall. The remaining offices located in the building, such as the Office of Study Abroad, will be transitioning out during the summer. Plans for relocation remain up in the air. “We’ve been in transition, frankly, since the pandemic started. It’s never easy moving, but I’m hopeful that we’ll be in a great location,” said Allyson Snell, Director of International Programs and Experiences. “The one upside to being here is that we are… in a good location so students can find us easily…I’m actually excited about the possibility that we’ll be in an even more accessible and centralized location.” According to Associate Dean of
Stark Hall (image courtesy: Taylor Posik)
Student Affairs Sue Elsass, relocating offices in Stark may affect other departments. “This has created that opportunity to take a look at space and say what makes sense and where we’re going to move people,” said Elsass. Future projects that have been discussed include Exeter Hall; however, plans have not been confirmed. “We don’t know when Exeter’s going to come down. We know we will take it down at some point, but we don’t have a plan for that. We are going to move…student financial services, HR, [and the] registrar’s office…out of there,” said Elsass. IT and Media Services will remain in Exeter Hall for the time being.
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Professors John McCannon and Pamela Jordan Deliver Discussion-Based Ukraine Seminar Matthew Pendleton Staff Writer Associate Professor of History and Political Affairs, John McCannon, and Associate Professor of Politics and Global Affairs, Pamela Jordan, held a seminar discussing the Russian/Ukrainian conflict on Wednesday, March 16. During the seminar, McCannon said, “Putin presents himself as the Judo Master, able to calculate force and motion in a precise way. Smaller interventions like in Georgia and the border of Moldova were invasions that were able to be carried out without aggravating the west because of that.” McCannon also expressed that Putin’s psychology is erratic and ever-changing, another concern his students harbored. “Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, Putin has undergone this great emotional change that’s led him to surrounding himself with yes-men,” said McCannon. “He sees himself as a leader of this values war against the west, and the architect of this grand Russian destiny in a way that’s more emotionally driven than what Putin-
watchers are used to.” When asked about how this conflict came upon the world so fast, McCannon said, “People were expecting that younger Putin, who was more in control, would be the one in control now.” According to the professors, this seminar was student-driven and put together to address their specific concerns. Jordan noted that students were expressing interest in this conflict long before the seminar underwent planning. “We were already speaking in class on the methods of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and we were very concerned about the threat to us and the future of our democracy,” said Jordan. The professors were careful to note the nature of this conflict and why they believed it was important to discuss. Professor McCannon also addressed the most popular concern among the classes: nuclear war. “There was a lot of talk in the news about this conflict reaching the nuclear level, and that’s not a dimension you normally see in the
brushfire conflicts around the world, so we felt it important to drive that story as much as we could. Our students were very concerned about that,” said McCannon. Aside from the professors’ explanations regarding the conflict’s evolution, misinformation was Jordan’s largest worry. “I really encourage students to read sources that are accurate and contain accurate information about these extremely complex events,” said Jordan. “We wanted to promote discussion about this event not because we thought this event was more deserving, but because there were a lot of possible repercussions to us. Despite that, there is a very low chance of imminent nuclear threat to America,” McCannon added. While much of this conflict will continue to unfold as days go on, McCannon and Jordan made sure to remind the SNHU community that while fear runs rampant across the nation, the facts show that there is no immediate threat to the country.
Ukraine/Russia Conflict Seminar (image courtesy: Psychology Professor Peter Frost)
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Sports
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SNHU To Repurpose Former Pool Room; It’s Time For A New Fitness Center Chris Tutt Sports Co-Editor In 2021, SNHU decided to close the pool in the Athletic Complex. According to the Director of Athletics and Recreation, Anthony Fallacaro, this decision was not made lightly. “The pool wasn’t really being used by our students,” said Fallacaro. “It was really something we were just maintaining and was a community based [area]. As we were looking at things, if this campus starts to get bigger, what do our students want? It was pretty clear that a pool is not what they wanted. It was a tough decision and the community wasn’t happy with me, but the future of SNHU has been [to] lower the tuition and make education more accessible. We know the campus population will go up and that’s prime space.” The subsequent question is: how will the pool room be repurposed? One idea is to construct an improved fitness center. When SNHU built Penmen Stadium, used by the soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, and track teams, it included the brand new Strength and Conditioning Center built for all athletes. The intent of this space was not only for athletes to improve, but for the Fitness Center in the Athletic Complex to get some breathing room. “Nineteen teams were trying to use the Fitness Center while the entire campus was, as well,” said Fallacaro. “When we built the stadium, it was a good opportunity to get the athletes out of that room.” There have also been significant efforts to make the Fitness Center as accommodating as possible for SNHU’s growing student body. “We have updated [the Fitness Center] and the equipment in it periodically,” said Fallacaro. “Thirteen years ago we put in all the cardio equipment and we have a lease agreement where, every five years, we replace them with new machines.” Along with these lease
agreements, the school has been trying to install workout facilities in the new residence halls. “We’ve tried to increase some of the offerings in the residence halls,” said Fallacaro. “On some of the floors we’ll have a [cardio] area and that’s been part of the push for what we’ve seen more use of. When we charted that room, we realized it was cardio that was getting the most use. There seems to be more of that need on campus, so every time we’ve built a new residence hall, we’ve tried to include that equipment in that space as well.” The issue, however, is comfort within the space. According to statistics provided by the Fitness Center, between 750-850 people used the facility consistently throughout the spring semester. At only 5,500 square feet, the Fitness Center may
not be large enough to provide the space needed for a comfortable workout. As the pool room opens up, a new fitness center may be a logical addition. “That’s prime space there for whatever the students need. I would say we really approached it from a standpoint of we know that what it is now is not really beneficial to our campus. For the future of SNHU, I think that space is going to be valuable. Right now, we’ve emptied the pool out and are assessing the whole building,” said Fallacaro. “We’d like the university to be the one that determines: what do our students need, and what can that space do for them?” With the demand for a larger, more accommodating fitness center, the newly available pool room is a viable opportunity.
The Fitness Center in the Stan Spirou Field House (image courtesy: Jim Stankiewicz/SNHU Athletic Communications)
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SNHU Baseball Starts Strong Adam Dufault Sports Co-Editor The week of February 28, women’s basketball and men’s ice hockey took on the pressure of playoff competition as number one seeds and faced off against opponents throughout the NE10. Pressure has risen as of late for SNHU athletics to remind their competition that they should not be counted out and that they won’t go down easily. SNHU guard Adriana Timberlake (‘23) of Braintree, MA, is averaging the second-highest points-per-game average on the women’s basketball team this season (13.3) and is ecstatic to be part of a championship-caliber team. “This year has been extremely special; this team is very close and we all mesh very well together. This has made it easy on the court because we have great team chemistry,” said Timberlake. The team endured a year off due to COVID that seemingly hindered their chances at contention this season, but the squad didn’t let that get to them. “I feel that many teams had doubted us from the start because we had not been together for over a year due to COVID. This had given us a disadvantage over other teams who were practicing together all last year,” said Timberlake. Nevertheless, the team has come out making shots when they need to and has continued to stay ready for big games. “I am very excited to be a part of a team that has won the league championship and hope to continue this success,” said Timberlake. “Playoffs has a cool atmosphere because it’s like the start of a new season. Everyone is now 0-0... We have a giant target on our back since we are in first.” SNHU women’s basketball was on the attack all season, but their playoff push came to a halt with a loss to Southern Connecticut State University in the NE10 quarterfinals on February 28.
Much like the women’s basketball team, the SNHU men’s ice hockey had an impressive season finishing their campaign as regular season champions. George Thurston (‘23), a forward for the Penmen, has been a critical part of the Penmen’s success. He believes the SNHU hockey program has championship potential. “Our team feels very calm and confident, but [we] also have a sense of urgency going into the playoffs,” said Thurston. Being the number one seed comes with many advantages, and Thurston is pleased to take advantage of them. “It’s a big advantage that we got the first-round by,” said Thurston. “Every team has to come to us, and being at home in front of your home crowd and not being on the bus helps more than people think. It also helps a lot of guys out; we had a lot of guys with little injuries, and everyone can get treated during the week off and come back ready to go and be 100%.” Championship-caliber teams don’t just appear. They are built from the ground up, and Thurston
believes that his team is ready for the challenge. “We have been waiting for this opportunity for a long time now so we are ready to go,” said Thurston. “We need to play our best game in all aspects.” The end goal is always a championship, and the hockey team can nearly taste the ring. “We accomplished what we wanted to in the regular season, but great teams are remembered for winning a championship,” said Thurston. “We have a really special team and a really special opportunity to make history in a lot of ways.” The team was eliminated from the playoff tournament by Post University in the NE10 semifinals on Tuesday, March 1, but with the momentum they have, their championship push is sure to resume next season. With high-seeding winter season teams coming out of the SNHU athletics program, fans can only wait another year for basketball and hockey to resume. After a season just short of the finish line, next season should be promising.
SNHU’s Men’s Baseball Team (image courtesy: SNHU Athletics)
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SNHU Men’s Tennis Collects Win After Win Francisco Riveraotayza Staff Writer The SNHU men’s tennis team remains undefeated after a victory over Assumption College at home on April 5. Ahead of the 2022 season, the team was in constant preparation. Head coach Greg Coache and rookie Jonathan Berling (‘25) spoke about the team’s expectations for the season. Berling notched both NE10 Player of the Week and his third NE10 Rookie of the Week on the week of March 22. Coache is optimistic about what the team is doing and has great expectations for this season. “We have three freshmen starters,” said Coache. “We are a very talented team and have some great senior leadership. The combination is fantastic. We’re stronger than we have ever been, but also knowing the
competition, the NE10 conference is strong. We’ve got to do our job this year.” What makes a freshman class so strong is strong recruiting. Coache mentioned that when it comes to recruiting athletes, he focuses on their character more than anything and then builds chemistry within the team. “More than just building chemistry, I recruit personalities and abilities. Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of talented players, but they wouldn’t fit. I look more at the cohesiveness that we put together. I’m very watchful of that,” said Coache. Berling acknowledges how fortunate he is to be in his current position, and that he is thankful to have had this success thus far.
“I’m blessed that we have a really good coach,’’ said Berling. “Being able to play my way, pushing [myself] hard, and, at the same time, have [chemistry] with the other players on the team.” Berling also talked about his NE10 Player and Rookie of the Week recognition, and how it takes more than just one player to achieve goals. “Being nominated for that is a blessing, but I don’t focus more on that. I think that the whole team should also get recognition because I couldn’t do this without them,” said Berling. To earn both awards in a single week doesn’t happen often. As long as Berling, Coache, and the rest of the men’s tennis team maintain their current mindset, their chances of success can only increase.
Men’s tennis player Jonathan Berling (‘25) hits the ball during practice (image courtesy: Jim Stankiewicz)
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SNHU Men’s Lacrosse Preview Francisco Riveraotayza Staff Writer The SNHU men’s lacrosse team has been preparing for their 2022 season, in which they opened with a loss against Saint Anselm College 13-21 on Saturday, March 12. Head coach Paul Calkins and captain Nolan Isabella (’21) spoke on the preparation that went into this season and what the team is expecting of themselves. Calkins emphasized that the early start to the season will be beneficial, and explained that it is an advantage. “Preparation has been pretty good,” said Calkins. “It has been a long run for us because we started pre-season a little bit early. We’ve had a lot of young guys that missed out on the fall. All the sophomore
guys only had a spring season. Now that we have a full season this year, it’s going to be super beneficial for us starting pre-season early.” Calkins has high expectations that include ending the season high in the rankings before the NE10 tournament. “The [only] step is forward coming into this season, and we expect to get to that conference tournament and to be in the top four best teams of this conference. That’s our goal,” said Calkins. Captain Nolan Isabella is confident that the team is going to push its limits and show how they’ve improved from last season. “We, as a team, are looking
forward to proving [everyone] wrong in this conference… and the way we do that is one game and one practice at a time. We’re very excited to show a lot of people what we can do and how much we improved from last season,” said Isabella. Isabella believes that the team has a newfound mentality that will allow them to reach the goals they have set out to accomplish. The proper mindset may just be the one missing piece that the team needs for an even more successful season than the last. “This team has a different mentality; we have common goals [and] we always have each other’s backs,” said Isabella. “This separates us from other teams.”
Men’s lacrosse captain Nolan Isabella (‘21) on defense (image courtesy: Jim Stankiewicz)
