Cristian Valentin
Equinox Staff
On Wed., Feb. 13, the Keene State College Senate held a meeting in the Student Center to hear reports about budget, upcoming events, and revisions to classes.
The meeting began with an update from Keene State President Melinda Treadwell. During this update, Treadwell spoke about the upcoming annual teach-in, which will focus on “freedoms, responsibilities, and free speech.” Treadwell said this is important and will help bring together recommendations from last fall’s listening sessions.
Treadwell then discussed how the school is currently exceeding its undergraduate student enrollment targets but is falling behind on its graduate and continuing education full-time financial equivalent students. In addition, Treadwell said that Keene State has been admitting more students than ever before between summer admission and fall enrollment, causing them to over-award financial aid, which caused the current budget projection for the end of the year to be off by 500,000 dollars. Treadwell said that they are working hard to fix this. “It’ll be a little turbulent as we bring this jet down the runway,”Treadwell said.
Treadwell then said that the school has 20 more students from the fall to the spring semesters when they typically lose students in that time. She said that “We have tremendous interest in Keene State. The acceptances that we’ve offered are for a very very high quality student population, so we’re excited and looking forward to the admitted students days.”Despite this growth, she said they are staying true to their history as a Liberal Arts College.
Treadwell closed by saying that, “Budget level at the state level is about to start ramping up,” and she has prepared some press statements. Treadwell also said that the College is expecting an appropriation of nine million dollars to benefit Keene State in the governor’s budget. Treadwell will be in Concord next week “providing requests for Keene State through the legislative hearing cycles.”
After Treadwell’s update, several other members spoke about what their respective committees are doing and planning. Senator At-Large of the Executive Committee John Sturtz said an artist/ human-rights activist from Argentina is coming to Keene State on March 20, in the Mabel Brown Room. Sturtz also said there will be an exhibit gallery opening the same day at the Thorne, and they will be doing workshops with students all of that week as well.
Curriculum Committee senator Jeannie-Marie Brown said there will be a play called “A Dream Play” Feb. 27 to March 2 with “approximately 50 students involved.” Chair of the Curriculum Committee Fitni Destani then mentioned that there are both men’s and women’s basketball games this Saturday. Destani also requested that the curriculum committee be allowed to make revisions to several majors including Sustainable Product Design and Innovation (SPDI), Holocaust and Genocide Studies, American Studies, and more. All of these revision requests were unanimously agreed to.
The next Keene State College senate meeting will be held on March 20 in The Mountain View Room.
Cristian Valentin can be contacted at cvalentin@kscequinox.com.
