Volume XXVIII
Issue 3
November 5, 2021
penmenpress.com
THE
PENMEN PRESS Writing SNHU’s Story
05
07
15
Dining Hall Disaster
NE-10 Player of the Year
SNHU Prepares to “Rock the Night Away”
2 | News
MEET THE
STAFF Co-Editor-in-Chief Sofia Barassi
Co-Editor-in-Chief Stefan Karlberg
Business Manager
Events Manager
Online Manager
Senior Copy Editor Bailey Arnold-Fuchs
Andrew Wilson
Lifestyle Editor
Julie Armstrong
Ryan Barrett
Now Hiring!
photo Manager
media Manager
NEws Editor
Sports Editor
A&E Co-Editor
A&E co-Editor
Opinion Editor
Layout Editor
Faculty Adviser
Orlagh Skafas
Devin Pouliot
Christopher Kelly
Jack Drolet
Taylor Posik
Jon Boroshok
Hannah Black
Now Hiring!
Joshua DiNapoli
The Penmen Press | 3
THIS MONTH’S
EVENTS
Friday, November 5 Diwali space reservation 11am Pursuing Primary Sources: Historical and Data Research 12pm
Greek Day of Service 4pm Volleyball vs Pace 7pm Karaoke in the Pub 8pm
Saturday, November 6 Greek Day of Service 6am Penmen for Patriots 5K 10:30am Volleyball vs Adelphi 1pm Art Club Meeting 8pm
Nerds unite Monthly meeting 8pm Jewelry Making in the Pub 8pm
Tuesday, November 9 Military Equipment Display 8am Study Abroad and NSE Info Session 3:30pm
Rehearse with a Coach AI ToolSession Four 3:30pm Exploring Industries: A Business Research Primer 6pm AMA and DECA Shark Tank Night 6pm Intramural Soccer 7pm Com Club & HR Mca Joint Monthly Meeting 7pm
CAPE’s Thanksgiving Writing Workshop 7pm Law & Disorder Club Meeting 8pm
Wednesday, November 10 Military Equipment Display 8am UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter 10:50am
IGC General Meetings 2pm Math Club Event 2pm 39th Army Band Concert 5pm Intramural Volleyball 7pm
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
4 | News
News
The Penmen Press | 5
Dining Hall Disaster Lillian Nelson Staff Writer Students have recently noticed some issues in the dining hall with long lines, food quality and moldy products. Sodexo responded to the complaints in an interview with Sodexo’s General Manager, Daniel VanAvery. As seen on social media platforms such as the SNHU Barstool Instagram, students have reported receiving moldy bread, salad with plastic in it, uncooked steak, uncooked chicken, and rubber bands around broccoli. “It was a mistake. I think we got it all squared away. For a week it happened regularly,” said VanAvery when asked about the moldy bread. VanAvery explained that some deliveries were marked with the wrong dates when shipped at the beginning of the semester. The Sodexo team uses the same method of putting out food as grocery
stores do; food expiring sooner goes to the front and food expiring later goes to the back. Thinking the bread was only one day old, as it was labeled, it was brought to the front. In reality it was three days old and was served to some students. VanAvery also commented when asked out students finding rubber bands around their stalks of vegetables. He said Sodexo struggled with staffing throughout the pandemic and his staff is “working back-to-back shifts” and putting in long hours at the dining hall, so a couple meals were missed in production and served to students. Longer lines have also been a problem in the dining hall, even longer than in previous years on campus. When asked about the matter VanAvery said, “70 percent of their staff is new....We had 50 job openings,
staff retired and then the pandemic happened.” Sodexo staff is working long shifts to get through the nearly 30,000 transactions in just a week. With new staff needing to be trained and other staff needing to be in different areas in the kitchen, the lines got longer. Staff shortages and delivery issues caused a stir in the dining hall since returning to campus. “It was a mistake….It’s not okay. At no point is it okay and...of course, it’s not [Sodexo’s] standard. Our goal is always to serve the best food. Good food every day,” said VanAvery. While VanAvery stated that the staff had gotten it “squared away,” and that this issue was purely due to suppliers and mislabeled food, the image attached to this article was taken in late September, after the supply issue had been dealt with.
A Dining Hall chicken sandwich served with mold (image courtesy: Calie Wilbar)
6 | Sports
Sports
The Penmen Press | 7
Natalie Kallmunzerova Rallies for NE-10 Player of the Year Award Adam Dufault Staff Writer SNHU graduate student and tennis standout Natalie Kallmunzerova (‘22) earned her third NE-10 Player of the Week honor of the season. This was following the week of Oct 10 before being named NE-10 Player of the Year on Oct 21. Coming from Prague, Czech Republic, Kallmunzerova and other international teammates are diversifying SNHU’s tennis roster. Now, she stands atop her competitors with a 16-0 record in a singles play with a trip to the The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Nationals in Rome, Georgia. When asked about his player’s success, 16-year tennis coach Gregory Coache had nothing but high praise toward the undefeated Kallmunzerova. “She likes working hard. Every practice she takes very serious….If she’s not hitting well in practice, she asks for additional hitting. Sometimes we say we’re coming to an end, but she asks for a little bit more....There’s not a coach out there that wouldn’t love that,” said Coache. Before coming to SNHU, Kallmunzerova first left the Czech Republic to study and play tennis at Florida Atlantic University. Coache was referred to her by Magdalena Hubickova (‘23), a fellow SNHU tennis player from the Czech Republic. The two were teammates back home and haven’t missed a beat in their time apart. It takes a win-or-go-home mentality to find the success Kallmunzerova has found. “If something goes wrong, [she’s] going to work hard to make it better. She doesn’t get discouraged, she gets more motivated,” said Coache. “I’ve had...five or six amazing girls that have come through our system that really dominated…and Natalie is right at the top.” Joining the SNHU tennis program was a huge step in Kallmunzerova’s career. First, she left her home country for the opportunity to study and play at the same time. Then, she transferred to
SNHU from Florida Atlantic University to prolong her academic and athletic careers. “If it’s practice or a match…giving 100% maximum effort is the key if you want to succeed, no matter if it’s sport or professional life,” said Kallmunzerova. She spoke on her time at the national tournament in Georgia, which took place the week of October 11. “It was a little bit different…I got used to being surrounded by my teammates, which gives me confidence,” said Kallmunzerova. While she was individually winning her matches, she understands that a
team is like a family. To qualify for nationals, she had to earn her spot as the single NE10 qualifying player at the regional tournament in New York, which was no easy task. “Four days full of tennis. We ended up playing four matches per day. So, after, I was exhausted….It was physically and mentally very tough,” said Kallmunzerova. Accolades are coming in from all directions for the Czech tennis player. “It’s kind of like a satisfaction for your hard work,” said Kallmunzerova. “I don’t like talking about my past successes… I feel like the future is what’s important.”
Natalie Kallmunzerova at SNHU photo day (image courtesy: Jim Stankiewicz)
8 | Sports
Men’s Golf Looking Forward to Spring Regionals After Successful Fall Season Chris Tutt Staff Writer The SNHU men’s golf team had a season to remember this fall. Taking first place in three of their five matches, it’s safe to say this team is going into the spring with vigor. The team of eight has confidence, with each member a strong player. Five of the eight are selected to go to tournaments. “Our biggest strength is that any one of the five [who go to matches] can win the tournament,” said golfer AJ Cavotta (’24). Cavotta, the reigning NE-10 player of the week, is satisfied with the team that he is a part of this season. “Our team is very good this year,” said Cavotta. “It’s a good group of guys who like each other. We had five tournaments and four individual winners; we have a lot of depth. We’re going to be even better in the spring.” The team took third place at the
NE-10 tournament, but senior captain Matt Conti (’22) believes that his team can only go up from here. “We’ve had some underclassmen step up,” said Conti. “We are definitely happy with the expectations that we had set. We are confident going into regionals and, hopefully, nationals.” With conference play finished for the year, the team has new goals going into the spring. “First, we have to win regionals; that’s our goal right now,” said Cavotta. “If we win regionals, we’ll go to nationals. We’re just taking it one step at a time.” While it is clear that the golf team is solid on the course, Conti believes that it’s what happens off the course that has led to success. “Our team chemistry is really good...It helps because every player wants each other to do well,” said
Conti. Living in New England presents many obstacles for golfers. With playing outside being nearly impossible over the winter, these Penmen need to adapt and find ways to keep their game sharp for the spring. “I’ll mostly play indoor golf...My swing coach back home [in Saratoga Springs, NY] has simulators, so I’ll practice with him. It’s not even close to being actual golf, but I will make the most of it,” said Cavotta. Going forward, every aspect of the team’s game is going to be tested. Conti, being a leader and veteran of this team, has an important message that he wants his team to keep in mind. “Keep it up,” Conti said. “We have been putting in a lot of work and I know that it will pay off when the time comes.”
Matt Conti (‘22) marks his ball during the Franklin Pierce Fall Invitational (image courtesy: Jim Stankiewicz)
The Penmen Press | 9
Lifestyle
10 | Lifestyle
Dealing With Burnout Taylor Posik A&E Co-Editor With the transition to campus, staff and students have been experiencing burnout over the course of the semester as schedules and workloads have grown. “I feel like there’s definitely times where I’m stressed out,” said Olukee Viakinniu (‘25). “I have a lot of work I need to get done and have, like, a lot of extracurricular activities that I have to manage as well.” After a year of remote learning, staff and students are having to readjust to life on campus. Because of this, everyone is lacking a sense of normalcy. “Burnout is feeling emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted,” said Elyse Peredna, Assistant Director of Counseling Services. It is a product of an overabundance
of stress that seems impossible to manage. People experiencing this will feel unmotivated, be prone to procrastination, and will lose interest in the activities they enjoy. Burnout is created by an overwhelming amount of stress. “It’s also this state of just not being invested and not feeling purpose in what we’re doing,” Peredna said. After returning to in-person classes, students may be feeling overwhelmed with social pressure. “Over the last year and a half they were behind a screen....There weren’t as many in-person events and meetings,” said Peredna. “Now that they’re back on campus, they’re excited for those things but also
they’re just feeling really exhausted by a lot of that, too, so it’s okay to take time for yourself.” Tips: Practicing self-care can help to prevent the effects of burnout. This can include getting exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, and getting enough sleep. Having a daily routine and setting work and social boundaries can give a sense of control. Additionally, taking the time to unplug and participate in activities outside of school and work can be beneficial for a person’s health. Students can seek support from their advisor, the Learning Center, or can contact the Wellness Center at 603-645-9679 or wellness@snhu. edu.
Wellness Center (image courtesy: Taylor Posik)
The Penmen Press | 11
Not Your Average “Aussie” Adam Dufault Staff Writer At the start of his freshman year, Trevor Turmel (‘23) decided to create a new identity. He stepped into class on the first day of school with a heavy Australian accent. For two years, Turmel put up the façade of a foreigner before all of his SNHU peers. The purpose of his social experiment was to create inclusivity and get to know people. Turmel did it not to elicit attention, but to observe how people act when around someone of different qualities. “I noticed that not a lot of people would communicate with me, or thought I was interesting…I thought, ‘What if I changed the way I talk?’” Turmel said. “For the past two years, I’ve been putting on different accents from around the world….A lot more people are actually communicating with me more just because of the way I talk.” Turmel envisioned college to be a place of interaction, but it wasn’t as he thought it would be. “I work in a hotel, so I work with people that are from different countries, from all over the world,” said Turmel. “Immediately, if they hand me a passport from a different country or speak a different language, I always ask them, ‘Where are you from?’ or, ‘What language are you speaking?’” At first glance, Turmel is a normal college student studying for classes and doing homework. What his peers didn’t know was that he was conducting research on how to be Australian and how to capture the role he wished to portray. “I actually did a lot of research on not only the accent itself, but also the culture of Australia....I looked up how a childhood in Australia is different from a childhood in the US,” said Turmel. Turmel decided to call it quits after two years of living two different lives. Living two lives took a mental and emotional toll on him. “For a while I was actually considering going to a psychologist about this situation…I knew if I continued doing this, I was going to
develop my own form of imposter syndrome,” said Turmel. “I realized that if I didn’t have the accent, I don’t think my self esteem or my outgoing nature would have been as strong.” Imposter syndrome can be described as a lack of confidence to play the role of yourself. “I felt like I didn’t have...good self-esteem... because I didn’t think I was interesting enough. I didn’t think people would find me interesting,” said Turmel. Now that he’s finally coming clean after two years of using an accent, Turmel had some closing words for how he wants people to view this illusion. “I know people will feel indifferent about it,” said Turmel. “I know there
are some people who live on campus who are from these countries that I’ve been portraying, but I want them to know I wasn’t trying to offend them…I can’t change how people think about it…I’ve come to terms with that.” Turmel knew his plan wouldn’t always work, but he wants people to know this was merely an experiment that he could have gone without doing. “I want people to understand that even though you might not think that you’re interesting…there are going to be those people that go out of their way to make sure that you’re included,” said Turmel. “Embrace yourself, and let people know who you really are.”
Trevor Turmel (‘23) in Florence, Italy (image courtesy: Trevor Turmel)
12 | Lifestyle
Hanover Street Chophouse: A Pricey But Incredible Meal Andrew Wilson News Editor Fine dining is not usually a staple of the college experience, but from time to time there is the need to have a fancy dinner. Be it an anniversary, a birthday, or even graduation, the Hanover Street Chophouse is the place to go. As the name implies, it is located on Hanover Street in Manchester, approximately 15 minutes from SNHU’s main campus. They offer incredible dishes of steak and fish cuts, along with a robust wine and whiskey menu. Their selection of the appetizers, sides, and main courses is relatively small, but what the menu lacks in quantity is made up for in quality. Their bacon-wrapped sea scallops served with their house horseradish mustard is sublime. The maple bacon blending with the salty scallops and the kick of the horseradish mustard make for a wonderful start to the night. Other appetizers include the Colossal
Crab Cocktail: crab served with avocado and fritonaise sauce; HSC Meatballs, served with a celery root puree, mushrooms and grana padana; and Wagyu Beef Carpaccio, served with arugula, Worcestershire aioli, truffle, parmesan and crostini. Their main courses are the real show-stoppers. Most dishes offered are steak, ranging from prime New York sirloin to prime Delmonico. A selection of steak add-ons complete the meal, some of the best being the truffle butter and the bacon maple bourbon jam. The filet mignon with bacon maple jam has a perfect combination of flavors. It cuts like butter and is topped with the rich flavor of the jam. They also have some other house specialties ranging from swordfish steak to chicken parmesan. To add on to the meal selection, the Hanover Street Chophouse also has a variety of sides to go with the
main course. These include roasted mushrooms, baked mac n’ cheese, hand-cut French fries and truffled tater tots. The Hanover Street Chophouse also hosts an impressive collection of wines, whiskeys and cocktails. With a full wine cellar beneath the restaurant, there are an overwhelming number of options to choose from. However, the servers are happy to help. Their cocktails are not half bad as well. Their B’s Knees is sweet with a punch, and nobody can go wrong with a classic Old Fashioned. Make no mistake, this is fine dinning. A meal at the Chophouse will run a pretty penny, with their least expensive steak cut, an 8-ounce filet mignon, costing $42.00. However, when the time comes for an above-average meal for a celebration, the Hanover Street Chophouse is the place to go.
Sunday Steak Dinner (image courtesy: Hanover Street Chophouse)
The Penmen Press | 13
A&E and Opinion
14 | A&E and Opinion
McIninch Gallery Features Artist Nicole Eisenman Logan Mock Staff Writer
Nicole Eisenman’s prints on display (image courtesy: Logan Mock) Robert Frost’s McIninch Art Gallery is featuring prints by artist Nicole Eisenman until December 21. There are 17 prints displayed, including “Tea Party,” “12 Heads,” and “Fleet Week.” They can be seen in-person or virtually. Viewers of the virtual exhibition will be able to use the guided tour feature provided. The gallery description of Eisenman’s prints says, “Eisenman evokes wit and sentiment to the human condition as a way to dissolve prejudices of individuals who identify in any number of ways…Eisenman employs a mixture of surrealism and expressionism, which reveals the highs and lows of the human experience. The artist creates a complex world of love, melancholy, appetite, spirituality, and desire.” Eisenman will also participate
in The Portrait: Real and Imagined webinar on November 17 at 5pm. The webinar will focus on their works. Guests will be able to analyze their influences, inspiration, and meanings behind their pieces. “[Their art] really speaks to human nature, and I love [it],” said Andrew Chronister (’25). Eisenman began as a traditional artist and painter, influenced by classic artists like Pablo Picasso. In 2011, they gave up painting and experimented with their art style. They eventually found an affinity for the medium of print. Eiseman’s works have earned them several awards, granting them the MacArthur Fellowship status. The results of Eiseman’s art are often dark and humorous in tone, drawing inspiration from the world around them. In an interview after winning the
fellowship, Eisenman said, “I think the external world filters into my work, and all the themes are in there because I’m taking everything in.” The McIninch Art Gallery’s mission statement for the permanent collection is “to encourage curiosity and applied critical thinking about art and its role in society through curated learning paths and original works of art.” Sign-ups for the webinar will be available soon, and updates can be found on the gallery Instagram page @snhu_mcininchartgallery. More information on Eisenman’s works can be found in the McIninch Gallery, along with the McIninch website (libguides.snhu. edu/McIninch/NicoleEisenman). Viewers can find the virtual showing at artspaces.kunstmatrix. com/en/exhibition/1183584/ nicole-eisenman-prints.
The Penmen Press | 15
SNHU Prepares to “Rock the Night Away” Joshua Dinapoli Opinion Editor RadioSNHU will be hosting the “Rock the Night Away” event at the Last Chapter Pub on December 4. This year’s occasion will be bringing in students from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. “Rock the Night Away is a night for students to come and enjoy some great live music in the Pub,” said Zachary Davidson, President of RadioSNHU (’22). “This will be a 4-hour event featuring several different genres of music.” The collaboration with Berklee will go beyond bringing in musicians. RadioSNHU expects to bring in a sound technician from the college to help with audio mixing.
“This means we are going to have really great soul coming from the stage, and everything will be mixed professionally,” said Davidson. Davidson also spoke highly of the performers themselves. “They are all top-performing musicians at Berklee, some of whom have sponsorships and endorsements through major bands,” he said. “Many of them have been on tour around the world before.” RadioSNHU is the sole sponsor of the event. However, Davidson stated that the club is open to cosponsorships. Additionally, the club has no plans to broadcast it but will consider streaming.
As the event draws closer to its date, RadioSNHU will make an effort to promote it across campus. Strategies include hanging up flyers and photos. Beyond that, the club has considered producing a promotional reel summarizing the event. Since this is not the first time the “Rock the Night Away” event has been held, RadioSNHU wants to ensure it sticks out this year. “We are hiring very talented musicians and sound tech,” Davidson says. “This means the caliber of music coming from our artists, as well as the sound in the Pub, will be on a much more professional level than what we have previously hosted.”
The RadioSNHU logo (image courtesy: Brendan McGuire)
16 | A&E and Opinion
Time to “Begin Again” With the Release of Taylor’s Version Albums Taylor Posik A&E Co-Editor
Taylor Swift’s “Red” Album (image courtesy: Taylor Posik) Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is set to release her album, “Red (Taylor’s Version),” on November 12. It will include all of the songs from her “Red” album (2012) along with an extended 10-minute song and unheard selections from the vault. Tracks from the vault will feature Chris Stapleton, Phoebe Bridgers, Mark Foster, and Ed Sheeran. “I can’t wait til we can dust off our highest hopes and relive these memories together. We’ll also be making a bunch of new ones, too,” Swift said in a social media post. Since the beginning of 2021, Swift has been working on releasing all her previous albums re-recorded. “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” was released in April and has risen to the number one spot on The Rolling Stones Top 200
Album Chart, according to Rolling Stones Director of Charts, Emily Blake. Swift also released a re-recorded single from her “1989” album, “Wildest Dreams” in September. Next in the music lineup will be the release of more Taylor’s Version albums, including “Red,” “Speak Now,” “1989,” and “Reputation.” However, Swift will have to wait until 2022 for the latter due to the contract with the previous record label, Big Machine Records. Controversy sparked after the artist left Big Machine Records and signed onto Republic Records and Universal Music Group in 2018. In an article explaining why she is re-recording her album, journalist Jessica Sager wrote in Parade, “Swift would later reveal
that she attempted to negotiate with Big Machine to gain ownership of the masters of her first six albums but was turned down.” This included her not being allowed to perform her old songs at the 2019 AMAs after winning Artist of the Decade. However, the artist was able to perform her original setlist, including the following titles: “The Man,” “Love Story,” “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “Blank Space,” “Shake It Off,” and “Lover.” Despite the setback, Swift has recorded three albums, including “Lover,” “Folklore,” and “Evermore.” Fans and other music lovers can listen to her music on streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, or can download them from the iTunes Store.