Despite recent attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) around the nation, efforts continue to make Keene State College a supportive and diverse environment for students from all walks of life.
One example of this is the selection of a new advisor for Keene State’s Pride Club. Over the summer, Mel Adams was approached by the club and asked to take on the role. She said it felt like an opportunity for her to step in and help.
Adams, chair of the Human Performance and Movement Sciences Department, said with her 14 years of experience at the school, she is planning on being a “cheerleader” for the student-run organization.
“I’m well-established on the faculty, I know a lot of people,” she said. “I think I can be the advocate for this group when they hit a roadblock on an administrative side.”
Sophomore Rue Curtin, event coordinator and e-board member of KSC Pride, shared her thoughts on the club’s new advisor, “It makes us feel really comfortable because obviously, as a club, we’re safe from DEI stuff, but with what happened with our last advisor [Ian Kaplan], it’s obviously really good to have someone so secure to help us.” Curtin explained. She continued, “We don’t know what’s going to happen, but Pride Club is going to stick around, and we want it to be as secure as possible.”
As listed on Campuspride.org, KSC Pride was established in the 1980s and has thrived in recent years. The club focuses on programming, as well as offering resources and support to any student, whether a community member or ally. The club’s priority is the promotion of a safe environment that encourages acceptance and acknowledgment of current issues. Ultimately, the club members want to be as welcoming and open as possible to the greater campus community.
Kaplan, the former advisor for KSC Pride and Coordinator for Community and Belonging, stepped away at the end of the summer. In his farewell email, Kaplan stated that “Although I am stepping away from Keene State, I will continue to uphold some roles within the community in Keene. I will continue to collaborate with Keene Public Library and Keene Pride, which are great organizations you can (and should!) access while you are a Keene State student and/or Monadnock region resident.”
Kaplan added that students are welcome to reach out to find out ways to keep in contact.
When asked about the Pride club’s impact on Keene State students, Adams said, “Knowing that this group exists, even if they don’t necessarily feel like they want to be a member or do the activities, but knowing there are people that have similar backgrounds, similar experiences, they’re here. It’s just nice knowing that it exists on this campus.”
KSC Pride has already begun making its mark on this academic year. According to Adams, the group has some new branding going on – including an updated logo – and will have its own booth at the Keene Pride Festival, taking place on September 21, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., in downtown Keene.
Regarding DEI, Adams said, “Including others- how can that be a bad thing? The current political climate is making DEI sound like a bad word.” She went on to say, “This [KSC Pride] is an opportunity for us to hold a mirror up to us as a community and be like, ‘is this what we want to be?’… holding a mirror up to people and reminding them that, you know, we’ve always been here.”
Furthermore, Adams shared her thoughts on recent actions against DEI in the New Hampshire community:
“The essence of what we do isn’t changing just because this law says we’re not supposed to do it. We’re still talking about being a welcoming community, about identifying differences among people and how you learn from them, not how you can continue to separate yourself.”
The Office of Community and Belonging has new leadership as well, a result of the departure of Kaplan, former coordinator for student support. Janina “Nina” Zienkiewicz is now taking over the role.
Zienkiewicz worked in the Office of Community and Belonging as a student worker from January 2023 to May 2024, under a few coordinators. Last year, she worked as a part-time program assistant alongside Kaplan.
“Going into this year, it’s just me, so it’s going to look a little different,” she explained.
According to Zienkiewicz, she was able to assist in bringing back previously lost programs like Crafternoon, as well as introduce new ones such as Watercolor Wednesday and Talk to Us Tuesday in her previous role. She hopes to continue the office’s usual mission and add something to it:
“A lot of supporting our community comes out of making sure our mental health is okay. So, we might take a shift towards that, but definitely we want to keep inclusivity and belonging.”
The addition of Mindful Wellness Activities won’t change the Office of Community and Belonging’s goals too much. Ultimately, Zienkiewicz said she aims to keep Keene State students’ needs met.
“I’m here for individual student support, so if students want to come in and talk about the world, life, anything … I’m here for that. I’m also offering these programs, like Crafternoon, so students can bring friends, make friends,” Zienkiewicz said. She continued, “Students can come in and talk to us about bias they’re experiencing on campus, any sort of community issues, if people feel the institution isn’t meeting their needs, we connect them with resources to fix those issues.”
When asked about some of those resources and how the office plans on supporting students, Zienkiewicz said, “We have things like the name change form, anti-bias reporting. When students aren’t being identified the way they want, or feeling community as they should be, we take steps to make that happen for them.”
Contributing to Keene State’s retention rates is another priority of the office this year.
“When students feel they belong, they’ll make it to that graduation stage. And that’s what we want!” Zienkiewicz said.
Samantha Menard can be contacted at
