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BCA presents divestment proposal to Trustees
Last Friday, students from Bowdoin Climate Action (BCA) met with members of the College's Board of Trustees in the Cram Alumni Barn to discuss BCA's proposal for the College to divest from the top 200 publicly traded fossil fuel companies within five years.
Four members of BCA—Allyson Gross '16, Matthew Goodrich '15, Bridget McCoy '15 and Claire Belitz '17—gave a 25-minute presentation followed by about 20 minutes of questions and discussion with the trustees in attendance.
"I think our presentation couldn't have gone better," said Goodrich. "I think it's a victory alone that we were able to present to the Trustees."
BCA's presentation focused on four different topics: climate change, the history of divestment, the financial logistics of divestment and the ethical argument for why Bowdoin should divest from fossil fuels.
Questions and comments from trustees focused on both the consequences of climate change and the Board's position when considering divestment.
"We had some questions we hadn't necessarily anticipated," said McCoy. "Some of them were climate change-related and we were more expecting divestment-related questions."
Trustees pressed BCA representatives on other issues, such as the extent to which the Board might consider environmental consequences in the rest of its investments, why most institutions have not divested, and the differences between past divestment movements, like the divestment from Sudan.
Most trustees were impressed with the students' level of professionalism and effort during the meeting, according to Chair of the Board Deborah Jensen Barker '80 P'16.
"I think it was exciting and refreshing for the Board to see a group learning about a subject, following their passions, and continuing to learn and engage," said Barker.
BCA is hoping for an answer from the trustees by December, or a vote from the entire Board on divestment by February.
"Barry [Mills] has been an outspoken critic of divestment in the past; things have changed since then," said Goodrich, referring to the faculty letter published last week in which 70 faculty members gave their support to the divestment movement and efforts to mitigate climate change.
President Barry Mills organized the meeting between the Trustees and BCA last April after being presented with a student petition calling for divestment. Mills chose not to attend the meeting on Friday in order to allow a freer discussion among the students and trustees.
Mills expressed that while his stance on the issue has not changed and that he respects the activism of BCA, the petition to divest from fossil fuels is inconsistent with the College's precedent for divestment set in 2006 when the College's Advisory Committee on Darfur set "guiding principles" for considering issues of divestment.
Mills was unsure if the topic will be discussed or voted upon when the Board of Trustees convenes in February and explained that the Trustees always have the potential to address the issue.
"They listened to the students," said Mills. "The decision to divest is always in the Trustees' court—it didn't move, it was always there, it's always been there."
The Trustees, however, told BCA the next step would be to consult Mills on the matter.While various committees of the Board of Trustees normally meet simultaneously, the Student Affairs Committee held this meeting at a separate venue and time in order to allow available trustees to attend if they wanted to. Approximately half of the 44-member Board of Trustees attended.
Upon exiting, the trustees were greeted by a crowd of approximately 60 people holding signs and posters, thanking them for holding the meeting with the students. Barker explained that while the Trustees were not sure what to expect, they were cheered for and thanked by the students and community members outside.
"It was a positive tone to really appreciate the fact that they listened to the 1,200 students who asked for this meeting," said Gross.
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- October 24
BCA presents divestment proposal to Trustees
Last Friday, students from Bowdoin Climate Action (BCA) met with members of the College's Board of Trustees in the Cram Alumni Barn to discuss BCA's proposal for the College to divest from the top 200 publicly traded fossil fuel companies within five years.
Four members of BCA—Allyson Gross '16, Matthew Goodrich '15, Bridget McCoy '15 and Claire Belitz '17—gave a 25-minute presentation followed by about 20 minutes of questions and discussion with the trustees in attendance.
"I think our presentation couldn't have gone better," said Goodrich. "I think it's a victory alone that we were able to present to the Trustees."
BCA's presentation focused on four different topics: climate change, the history of divestment, the financial logistics of divestment and the ethical argument for why Bowdoin should divest from fossil fuels.
Questions and comments from trustees focused on both the consequences of climate change and the Board's position when considering divestment.
"We had some questions we hadn't necessarily anticipated," said McCoy. "Some of them were climate change-related and we were more expecting divestment-related questions."
Trustees pressed BCA representatives on other issues, such as the extent to which the Board might consider environmental consequences in the rest of its investments, why most institutions have not divested, and the differences between past divestment movements, like the divestment from Sudan.
Most trustees were impressed with the students' level of professionalism and effort during the meeting, according to Chair of the Board Deborah Jensen Barker '80 P'16.
"I think it was exciting and refreshing for the Board to see a group learning about a subject, following their passions, and continuing to learn and engage," said Barker.
BCA is hoping for an answer from the trustees by December, or a vote from the entire Board on divestment by February.
"Barry [Mills] has been an outspoken critic of divestment in the past; things have changed since then," said Goodrich, referring to the faculty letter published last week in which 70 faculty members gave their support to the divestment movement and efforts to mitigate climate change.
President Barry Mills organized the meeting between the Trustees and BCA last April after being presented with a student petition calling for divestment. Mills chose not to attend the meeting on Friday in order to allow a freer discussion among the students and trustees.
Mills expressed that while his stance on the issue has not changed and that he respects the activism of BCA, the petition to divest from fossil fuels is inconsistent with the College's precedent for divestment set in 2006 when the College's Advisory Committee on Darfur set "guiding principles" for considering issues of divestment.
Mills was unsure if the topic will be discussed or voted upon when the Board of Trustees convenes in February and explained that the Trustees always have the potential to address the issue.
"They listened to the students," said Mills. "The decision to divest is always in the Trustees' court—it didn't move, it was always there, it's always been there."
The Trustees, however, told BCA the next step would be to consult Mills on the matter.While various committees of the Board of Trustees normally meet simultaneously, the Student Affairs Committee held this meeting at a separate venue and time in order to allow available trustees to attend if they wanted to. Approximately half of the 44-member Board of Trustees attended.
Upon exiting, the trustees were greeted by a crowd of approximately 60 people holding signs and posters, thanking them for holding the meeting with the students. Barker explained that while the Trustees were not sure what to expect, they were cheered for and thanked by the students and community members outside.
"It was a positive tone to really appreciate the fact that they listened to the 1,200 students who asked for this meeting," said Gross.
- October 24
Bates cancels popular holiday party to limit binge drinking
When Bates decided to enforce its existing alcohol policy by banning a longstanding Halloween tradition called Trick or Drink, students decided to fight for their right to party.
In an email sent to students on October 14, Bates' Office of the Vice President for College Advancement wrote that the college was ending the annual event because it "facilitates binge and underage drinking." In response, members of Bates' senior class created a petition stating their intention to withhold senior gift donations unless the administration allows Trick or Drink to continue.
According to Niche—an organization that rates and ranks colleges—Trick or Drink is an event during which a group of upperclassmen living in off-campus houses host themed parties for the entire campus. Students travel from house to house, imbibing a different mixed drink at each location.
The October 14 email said that President of Bates Clayton Spencer and Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Student Affairs Josh McIntosh "will convene a group of students, staff and faculty to lead a comprehensive effort toward a healthier campus culture. The decision to end Trick or Drink is consistent with the work this group will embrace."
In a separate email sent to students who live off campus, McIntosh wrote that the College will contact lease holders regarding the student conduct process should students attempt to host an event that facilitates binge and/or underage drinking. He also wrote that student-athletes will be held in violation of the Department of Athletics Alcohol Policy, and could be suspended from participating in the Bates Atletics program.
Spencer, who has been the president of Bates since 2012, voiced her support for stricter enforcement of the school's alcohol policy.
"The status quo that has prevailed the two years that I have been on this campus is not acceptable with regard to alcohol," Spencer told The Bates Student, Bates' student-run newspaper. "It has been dangerous; it has resulted in an enormous amount of property destruction, of injury to students and others, and the idea that we are taking a clearer approach to enforcement—that we are actually writing up more—is necessary and has my full support."
Alyssa Morgosh, president of Bates student body, said that although the alcohol policy has not changed, Bates is "beginning a wider conversation about healthier behavior."
Morgosh said this conversation began as a response to two tragic accidents. In February, a student died while abroad in Rome and in October 2012, another student died after falling down a flight of stairs.
"We have had some student deaths—some alcohol related, some not—and some disruption in the community," said Morgosh. She characterized the changes as "the administration's feeling like it is time to do something about it and it is time to make some changes."
"The school, in response to tragedies on campus—out of necessity—had to change its stance on alcohol from a relaxed policy that had just a ban on hard alcohol to a very campus-wide, strict policy of no underage drinking at all," said Ben Smiley, co-president of Bates' senior class, adding that in the past "if beer was consumed moderately and appropriately in a dorm setting on campus, then there usually weren't any issues [with college disciplinary action]."
At an open forum held on Wednesday, students expressed their main problem with the cancellation of the event: the fact that the administration did not involve students in the decision-making process.
"Widely what I think the student body is asking for is just a process to involve students along the way as decisions are being made. Students want to be a part of that conversation," said Morgosh.
Smiley said that although the forum was a step in the right direction, many students are still not satisfied. He said that their discontent is directed at McIntosh, who has been working to make Bates safer and healthier since his arrival over the summer.
"There is a disconnect with the speed with which [McIntosh] is working and keeping the students up to date as he is going," Smiley said.
Students have started a Facebook group named "Save TrickOrDrink" that had 477 members at press time. Senior Sean Murphy created a change.org petition—signed by 577 students and alumni—offering an ultimatum to the administration. Murphy could not be reached before press time.
"The only evident way to make our voice heard on this issue is to withold [sic] all Senior Gifts until a productive dialogue is started between the administration and student leaders, and fun, responsible alternatives are approved," the petition reads. "We the undersigned pledge to refuse to donate to Bates in any way until this issue has been approprately [sic] and adequately resolved."
The group of students, staff and faculty that Spencer and McIntosh promised to create to address campus health issues will first meet in November, according to Morgosh.
Morgosh and Smiley said that the fundraising committee has yet to meet and has not made any decisions about the senior class gift.
Bowdoin's Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster declined to comment on both the TrickOrDrink controversy at Bates and the school's increased enforcement of its alcohol policy.
Regarding the drinking culture at Bowdoin, Foster emphasized the importance of students taking responsibility for their own safety and well-being as well as the safety and well-being of their friends.
"I think our students largely make responsible choices and decisions around alcohol," Foster said. "I think if you push down too hard on enforcement, you run the risk of driving dangerous and irresponsible drinking underground and that can jeopardize student health and well-being."
Foster said that although the College's policies undergo an annual review, the events at Bates are not likely to impact Bowdoin's alcohol policy.
"There is not a plan to revise our alcohol policy and I actually think that our current alcohol policy serves us quite well, thanks to leadership of students and the good choices and decisions students make," said Foster. "There's a culture at Bowdoin that our students have defined—that you step in when you're concerned about somebody—and that's really important."
—Meg Robbins contributed to this report.
- October 24
Hubbard room dedicated to Pickering '53
Close to 40 students, faculty and members of the Class of 1953 gathered in Hubbard Hall on Monday for the dedication of the Thomas R. Pickering Room, named in honor of Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering '53, H'84. Previously called Hubbard 2 West, the classroom is used by the government and legal studies, economics and history departments.
The Class of 1953—led by class secretary J. Warren Harthorne '53—initiated the dedication. Renovations to the room were made possible by a $100,000 donation from Harthorne and a $150,000 grant from the George I. Alden Trust.
The dedication on Monday was not the first Bowdoin tribute to Ambassador Pickering, who was awarded an honorary doctorate of law degree from Bowdoin in 1984 as well as the Bowdoin Prize—the highest honor the College offers—in 2005.
Pickering has served in a number of influential diplomatic positions, including tenures as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President George H.W. Bush and the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs under President Bill Clinton.
"Ambassador Pickering has lived his entire life in support of the common good and in service to our country. He is a shining example to all of our students of the important work one can do for our government and foreign service," President Barry Mills said in a speech at the dedication event.
Lining the tables were framed letters from former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright H'13, former National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, former Senator George Mitchell '54, Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government Professor Nicholas Burns, and former Senate member William Cohen '62 that echoed Mills' praise for Pickering.In his speech, Harthorne spoke with affection for Pickering, his Bowdoin classmates and the importance of leadership and public service.
"The genesis of this room was partly in the hope that the students who study here will see the value of a life devoted to public service," Harthorne said.
Harthorne said that after studying at a place like Bowdoin, students have a responsibility to give something back to the world.
"If I had to make any change to this room, [I would] print the expression 'noblesse oblige'—'from those of noble birth, much is expected,'" Harthorne said.
Pickering also spoke at the dedication. He said he loved his time at the College and recalled studying in the room that is now named after him.
"The school offered a lot of things I didn't expect to find and opened doors to me in many ways," Pickering said.
Though the whole room is a tribute to Pickering, Mills said that the nook of couches and chairs in the back of the room especially reflect Pickering's character.
"This part of the room is much a testament to Tom [in that] people [can sit] quietly…carefully considering the important issues of the day," Mills said.
The renovations are part of a larger plan for Bowdoin classrooms to better equip students and teachers with the proper space and tools to evolve with changing teaching methods.
Bowdoin's grant proposal to the George I. Alden Trust highlighted the College's intentions to improve classrooms according to "modern pedagogical practices."
Bowdoin's "strategic plan for classroom refurbishment" aims to "preserve the history integrity" of the classrooms, while furnishing them with lighting, flexible furniture and technology "conducive to today's more interactive pedagogies."
Many of the Pickering Room's renovations are subtle. They include LED lights and uplighting in the bookshelves, a projector and screen with a control panel hidden in the bookshelf and hidden acoustic panels lining the walls.
"We really tried to preserve the integrity of the room," said Dean for Academic Affairs Cristle Collins Judd.
Suggestions to lower the ceiling to better the acoustics were dismissed to avoid altering the aesthetics of the room. The acoustics presented one of the biggest challenges to the renovation. Professor of Government and Legal Studies Allen Springer said he teaches his lectures in the Socratic method and found that students previously had a difficult time hearing each other talk.
In addition to improving the acoustics, the old tables and chairs were all replaced with movable, lightweight ones to allow for easier reorientation of the room for more interactive classes like Springer's.
"You can teach here in the most traditional way possible [or the] tables can be pushed to the side [for] a function room," Judd says.
"This room is a shining example of old Bowdoin mixed with new Bowdoin," Mills said. "The technology in this room is pretty special and allows our faculty to do important work in today's style of education."
Pickering echoed Mills' sentiment of the past and present.
"This is the best combination of the old and the new," Pickering said. "I feel very strongly that the new must prevail."
Pickering said he thinks that the new room could have benefits that extend beyond Bowdoin.
"If [this room] can interest [students] in any way [to look] at the service to your country," Pickering said, "my sense is that this room is more than a reward for me and indeed for Bowdoin, but for the country as a whole."
- October 24
College weighs proposals for accounting, Russian courses
The economics department considers a financial accounting class affiliated with the Tuck School of Business; Russian department thinks about partnering with universities with strong slavic programs
The Office of Academic Affairs is currently considering two proposals—one to offer a finance class at the College and another to revitalize the Russian department—that would give Bowdoin students the opportunity to collaborate with other institutions.
Both proposals are still in their preliminary stages and must pass through review by faculty curriculum committees and academic departments in order to be implemented.
The first proposed program consists of a partnership between the economics department and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth to teach financial accounting at Bowdoin.
Dean for Academic Affairs Cristle Collins Judd described the proposed class as a "blended course,"—students would be taught in the classroom by a Bowdoin professor, with some visits from a Dartmouth faculty member. Some of the course's components would be taught online.The proposed financial accounting course could be offered as soon as next semester, according to Judd.
Judd said that she did not see the proposed addition of an accounting class as a contradiction to the College's liberal arts mission, pointing out that Bowdoin has taught accounting classes in the past and that most of its peer schools offer similar programs. Judd emphasized that the course would be taught "in a way that fits fully within the Bowdoin curriculum."
"There are versions of accounting courses that can be very narrow and very vocational," she said. "Part of the reason we've been in this conversation with somebody from Dartmouth is making sure that we're understanding the course in the context of the liberal arts."
Judd emphasized that the course would prepare students for careers in a wide variety of fields."It's a course that in many ways is a foundational course for any study of finance," she said.Jiaqi Duan '17, who plans to major in economics and eventually work in finance, expressed enthusiasm about the proposed course.
"Especially now that I'm starting to look at internships, I do feel sort of at a disadvantage for applying to finance internships because I don't feel like I have a strong background in finance at all," she said. "A lot of Bowdoin students have to really do the homework themselves to bridge the gap between them and students who are going to school for finance."
Duan felt that a financial accounting class would provide a useful entryway into the subject and that it would not conflict with Bowdoin's liberal arts mission.
"I don't think it's going to be steering away from our liberal arts focus," she said. "I feel like giving students more options for learning is always a good thing."
The second academic proposal—also still in its early stages—is designed to give new life to Bowdoin's Russian department following the retirement of two professors in 2012. The proposal involves the College partnering with a larger institution with a strong Slavic language program to offer Bowdoin students the ability to study Russian and do Russian research.
Judd said that such a program would "allow us to create greater capacity for what we offer with Russian at Bowdoin." She declined to describe what the partnership with a larger organization would look like, since the proposal is still in its early stages.
Nick Tonckens '16, a Russian major, said that he supported the idea of expanding the range of courses offered by the department, especially since the lack of classes often makes it difficult for students to complete the Russian major. However, he also expressed some reservations about partnering with a larger institution.
"What I might be concerned about is that they're trying to use this as an excuse to outsource the Russian department," he said.
Jenny Goetz '15, a Russian minor, expressed a similar sentiment. Although she supported giving Bowdoin students more opportunities to study Russian, she also hoped that the proposed partnership would not replace the College's own department.
"I don't think that partnering with another institution is the same as having full-time professors here," she said. "It's definitely nice that they're trying to make an effort, but the real solution would be to reinvigorate the faculty here."
- October 24
Trustees hold first of three annual meetings
The Board of Trustees met on campus last weekend for the first of its three annual conferences, receiving updates on a number of ongoing projects at the College and meeting with student leaders of Bowdoin Climate Action to discuss their divestment campaign. Individual committees met early Friday, and the whole Board of Trustees convened Friday afternoon and Saturday to hear from the committees.
"It's very important for the Trustees to visit campus and to be fully engaged in what's going on here," said Scott Hood, vice president for communications and public affairs.
The Trustees heard presentations from Bowdoin professors regarding the Coastal Studies Center and the Digital and Computational Studies Initiative, both of which are in the midst of fundraising campaigns.
"It's an opportunity for the Trustees to get first-hand information from the faculty about what they're teaching, why they're teaching it, why they think it's important, why they think students need to know this, and some of the benefits that students are getting out of both of those programs," said Hood.
An email to Bowdoin employees and students reported that the Presidential Search Committee has identified a list of candidates and is in the process of reviewing them, but the candidates remain confidential. Trustees received a similar update this weekend.
Additionally, the Trustees approved up to $1 million of renovations to the historic Harriet Beecher Stowe House, but no specific plans have been made.
The Trustees also received an overview of Bowdoin's economic and community impact in Brunswick and in Maine. The College is the 11th largest taxpayer in Brunswick and pays a total of $66.1 million in salaries to faculty, administrators, support staff and employees. Bowdoin spends $24.8 million annually on Maine goods and services and Bowdoin students contribute an estimated 60,332 hours of community service a year.
"While there's no earth-shattering news that comes out of this Board of Trustees meeting, it's still important and worthwhile," said Hood.
- October 24
BSG pays for refreshments, funds Epicuria taco truck
At its second meeting of the academic year, Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) unanimously approved two routine motions.
The first was to spend $200 to fund refreshments at the "Food for Thought" student lecture series, organized by BSG's Committee on Academic Affairs. In past years the lectures have happened on Monday evenings in the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library. Educational, but generally lighthearted affairs, previous presentations have included talks on volcanoes, boy-band fandom, and even conspiracy theories regarding President Mills' nefarious designs on Bowdoin's squirrel population.
The assembly also voted to retroactively put $500 toward the cost of the taco truck that was stationed outside of Ladd House during Epicuria. According to BSG President Chris Breen '15, the student government split the overall cost of the truck with other campus organizations like the Office of Residential Life.
Breen said helping to fund the truck made sense, given BSG's mandate to provide services to the student body.
"Any time that there's an event on campus that we think many people will attend, we try to chip in. It was also a safety consideration," he said.
BSG began its Wednesday meeting in a closed Executive Session at which Chair of the Judicial Board (J-Board) Jacques Larochelle '15, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Leslie Levy, Associate Dean of Student Affairs Meadow Davis, and Director of Gender Violence Prevention and Education Benje Douglas reviewed last year's judicial proceedings and explained how the J-Board functions.
BSG typically meets with representatives from the J-Board early on in the academic year for this purpose. During the year, the assembly also appoints a BSG member to provide input during the J-Board selection process, which happens in the spring semester.
- October 24
- October 17
College proposes changes to sexual misconduct policy
Over the past several weeks, Bowdoin students were invited to voice their opinions on proposed changes to the College's sexual misconduct policy in order to improve compliance with the federal government's Title IX requirements.
Title IX is an amendment to the Higher Education Act that prohibits sex discrimination in education.
Benje Douglas, Bowdoin's new director of gender violence prevention and education, has been working closely with students to craft these changes.
"We have taken recommendations from students and put them back into the policy. Now we are reviewing it with the College council and then other members of the professional staff," said Douglas.
According to Douglas, the changes fall under three main categories: revisions of formal policy and the panel review process for misconduct cases, confidentiality, and the addition of a gender-based violence category. The Gender-based violence policy responds to federal requirements to specifically target dating violence, domestic violence and stalking.
These types of misconduct were were covered under the previous policy, but there was no formal pathway for reporting sexual assault. The policy changes dictate a more specific process under provisions of Title IX that is proportional to the seriousness, according to Douglas.
In his new position, Douglas not only creates new policies, but also counsels students who have been victims of sexual misconduct and works with student organizations like Safe Space, Bowdoin Men Against Sexual Violence (BMASV), and V-Day on educational programming.
Douglas expressed enthusiasm for working on sexual assault prevention at Bowdoin.
"There were already so many powerful things already going on campus, that, as a professional, made it exciting to come to a place that was already doing a really solid job on these issues."
Leah Alper '17, co-leader of Bowdoin's chapter of V-Day, an international organization to stop violence towards women, said that sexual misconduct continues to be a pressing issue on campus.
"Sexual violence is often not talked about in our society, and it's also talked about in one image," she said. "There is a very stereotypical idea of what a sexual assault is, and that's not really true, People who have experienced sexual assault—it changes them—but not always in a negative way."
Alper believes the proposed changes greatly to Bowdoin's commitment to the issue. She said that although the College is doing a satisfactory job in regards to sexual violence, there is always room for improvement.
Alper also said she supports an evolving policy that is not a one-size-fits-all approach. She believes the changes will bring more clarity to sexual misconduct victims, giving them more power and the ability to act and take control of their situations.
Alper added that she believes the College can improve its response to sexual misconduct by making sure students are aware of the numerous resources that are available to them.
No official changes to the policy have been made yet. Douglas said that instead of having the administration unilaterally change the policy, he wants to give all students the chance to share input before the new policy is finalized.
- 1 days ago
Kicking the can: Closed minds ask to close borders: remedying Ebola paranoia
A couple weeks ago, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal issued an executive order directing state officials to monitor travel between West Africa and his state, while also prohibiting recent travelers from leading a normal life—like not being able to visit grocery stores. The federal government has not done enough to "prevent the entry of the Ebola virus disease into the United States of America," Jindal asserted while warning of a potential "public health emergency" stemming from the virus' ability to spread from one infected person to many others. Governors in other states, including Chris Christie in New Jersey and Andrew Cuomo in New York, followed suit with draconian executive actions targeting Ebola. Here in Maine, the state is prepared to go to court to force a nurse—who has tested negative for the virus—to be quarantined.
People in Louisiana, Maine and around the nation are irrationally paranoid about this disease. The quarantine orders are sure to ignite more controversy, more fear and inspire more states to treat the one Ebola-related death and two transmissions within the United States as a state of emergency. Given that some in the conservative media have taken to calling Obama "President Ebola," I am tempted to think that the orders and other elite calls for strict containment are purely cynical and cheap political stunts.
Let's pretend that, contrary to all expert opinion I've heard, Ebola is more than a negligible threat to the United States and that something must be done about it beyond the capabilities of our existing public health institutions. If so, Jindal's actions and insinuations—coupled with the rants of other far-right politicians and pundits—fit perfectly with the conservative narrative as of late. Got a problem? Seal the border.
Tea Party-style populists who claim to support a free market invariably leave their convictions at the border. Too few jobs? Seal the border and keep manufacturing here. Illegal drugs being imported? Seal the border and shoot everyone heading north in a speedboat near San Diego. Refugee children from Central America seeking a peaceful existence? Seal the border and send them right back to their parents. Working in Washington this summer, one of the more unbelievable calls I received was from an individual worried about little immigrant children bringing Ebola across the border as part of an intricate ISIS plot. The caller demanded that the government immediately act to seal the border. He said that no elected official in Washington would receive his vote unless they immediately grabbed a gun and went down to defend the border. Sealing the border, the narrative goes, keeps America America—to hell with everything else.
The problem here is that sealing the border is incompatible with a globalized society and an international market economy. In such a world, border closures are rarely a good way to deal with anything—even a scary disease with a slim chance of exposure. Closing borders inhibits the exchange of goods and ideas, leading to lower output. Closing borders promotes xenophobia and encourages a jingoistic dislike of people and cultures. Closing borders furthers an us-versus-them mentality that degrades cooperation, reduces trade and closes off opportunities for our own people and for human beings around the world. America is what it is today in large part because of its interaction with the rest of the world, not in spite of it. I, alongside other more liberally inclined commentators, never tire of reiterating that the U.S. is a nation of immigrants and that most of our border-crazy counterparts badly need a history lesson.
Nigeria recently solved its Ebola problem. It did not do so by closing its borders. It did so by quickly identifying the sources of the disease and quarantining infected patients. It did so by smartly tracking how the disease entered the country and identifying who could have caught it. Nigeria does not have nearly as advanced a public health infrastructure as the United States, and it has managed to solve its own Ebola crisis. It did not need to resort to absurd, isolationist measures to remove the disease from its country.
We live in an open society. Admitting outsiders and foreign goods has never destroyed America. In fact, in almost all cases, it has enriched our country. We are a nation that imports goods from many countries, then sends a crate of our own products back. We bring students, workers and refugees from all corners of the world, and then our own children go abroad to learn and contribute in other parts of the globe. Panic-driven isolationism will never solve our nation's problems. Instead, we must share information, goods and services with as many people and nations as possible to gain a deep understanding of the problems facing us. Then—inside our borders and out—we will prevail.
- 1 days ago
Doing it wrong: Enabling the self through conscious reflection
This past weekend, I was one of 500 student activists who attended the National Students for Justice in Palestine conference at Tufts. I attended a workshop on Black Liberation, which introduced the following quotation to us: "Caring for myself is not self indulgence, it is an act of self preservation and that is an act of political warfare."
These are the words of Audre Lorde, the renowned black, feminist and queer poet. These are words that are important for any woman, person of color or anyone else who has ever been marginalized in any capacity, to hear.
We exist in a society that marks idleness and lack of activity as laziness, acts of self-care as selfish. Marx argues that conscious labor is essential to our humanity. I propose that in addition, conscious acts of meditation and peace, as opposed to unthoughtful ones, are just as essential. Too often my breaks from work consist of scrolling through a social media feed, or going to a party I feel an underwhelming desire to go to.
In our action-oriented lives, there is too much time spent doing and not enough time spent thinking. We are always expected to define who we are and what we want to do, but not allotted enough time to really think about these things in an independent way. We tire ourselves out trying to do everything we can fit on our plate, and so we are not able to give ourselves over fully to those things and people we really care about.
The system we are a part of privileges a very specific type of person. We all know him well: the straight, white, upper class, cisgendered man. As a believer in the whole "gender/sexuality are a spectrum" thing, I'm unsure if this elusive man really exists. The important thing is, however, he exists as an ideal. Not an ideal in the way Beyoncé is an ideal because she seems perfect, but an ideal in the way that it is easiest to succeed when you are that aforementioned person. People who do not fit that ideal often feel the weight of the system working against them, consciously or not. So to care for ourselves, in a society that has, in some respects, failed to care for us, is like Lorde said. It is an act of political warfare.
Preserving ourselves, caring for ourselves, spending time thinking about ourselves—these actions, when done consciously, make us better fit to serve others. There are endless ways to actively engage in a healing process, whether it is through reconnecting with nature, taking a yoga class, going for a run, or just being alone and thinking about who we are. The important thing is that we attempt to feel some sort of renewal and introspection and resist a society that tells us we must be productive at all times.
We often partake in processes that have the potential to be healing, but unless we go in with the intention of trying to revive something within ourselves, they won't fulfill their healing potential. As I attempt to approach life in a manner of "self-preservation," I encourage readers to do the same. We can't be agents of change or resistors of oppression unless we enable ourselves to be resilient, and caring for ourselves in a conscious manner is essential to that.
- 1 days ago
Responding to Honegger '15 and Brunswick citizen Ed Knox
Gogol once remarked: "It is sad not to see any good in goodness." In a op-ed to the Orient in early October entitled "Step Up to Support Amtrak," Mr. Ed Knox called on all of us to accept the information and decisions of the Federal Rail Administration, Amtrak and the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) as the truth and nothing but the truth. We should not question, analyze or research the background of the information provided from the "responsible" parties involved. This is an amazing statement. Mr. Knox goes on to label any statements critical of the rail authorities as mudslinging, bullying and ad hominem attacks. So, we should all bow down to the greater wisdom of those on high? I don't think that approach is fruitful or responsible in a democratic society. Patrick Rael's recent remarks in response to Mr. Honegger on the subject of the antics of Amtrak/NNEPRA were based on factual research.
Contrary to Mr. Knox's lack of backup information, we do know certain facts. Namely, the Brunswick West Neighborhood Coalition—a group of ordinary citizens that live in the affected area—did help in the Maine Department of Environmental Protection's decision not to accept the Storm Water Runoff application sent in by NNEPRA. We do know that the value of houses in the affected area have dropped. We do know that some of the recent buyers were not told of the planned construction of the maintenance and layover building measuring approximately two times the length of Whittier Field. Ask any realtor. We do know that the folks in Attleboro, Massachusetts took about 10 years to get their MLF moved to Pawtucket, Rhode Island. We do know that neighbors in Bradford, Massachusetts have fought to remove their MLF for nearly 20 years. We do know that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) issued an Enforcement Action against the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) that cited idling trains as a violation of air quality laws, and this forced the MBTA to install power units that must be used by engineers to turn off their engines after 30 minutes.
We always expect our "responsible" parties to act responsibly and forthrightly, but we also know that we have to live by the old motto so often quoted, but true, "Trust but verify."
Sincerely,Robert N. Morrison '52
- 1 days ago
Letter to the editor: Vote yes on Question 1
To the Editors:
Cruelty towards both wildlife and people has no place in Maine. Chasing shy and gentle black bears through their forest home with GPS-collared hounds and then shooting these panicked bears out of a tree is not fair chase hunting; it is persecution. Any decent human being who witnessed a pack of dogs attacking a wounded bear who had been shot out of a tree would realize why Mainers are being asked to put a stop to this cruelty in our forests.
Bears are intelligent and sensitive beings. To kill them in this way should not be acceptable human behavior. Snaring black bears at a site baited with junk food and then shooting the trapped bear at point blank range is an execution and not true hunting. Baiting itself is nothing more than cheating. There is no challenge in shooting a bear while it is feeding on human junk food—that's why many other proud hunting states have banned baiting.
Maine people have a unique opportunity to stop cruelty and injustice in our forests, while still allowing for fair chase hunting. For decency and fairness in the Maine woods, please vote yes on Question 1.
Sincerely,Robert GoldmanSouth Portland, Maine
- 1 days ago
Letter to the editor: In response to Mead '16
To the Editors:
While reading Julia Mead's article about Trader Joe's, I found myself remembering my own trip to a somewhat similar store. Over the summer, I was lucky enough to accompany my father to the wonderland that is Costco. Like Trader Joe's, Costco only stocks one brand of each item, though that is really where the comparison ends. See, my dad goes to Costco because he is a fiend for deals of the bulk variety.
The mistake that Julia makes is equating lack of choice within the store to lack of choice at all. Some people like Trader Joe's for its unique products at a marked-up price (I do too, sometimes), while others prefer the ability to buy as much as they want for as little as possible.
So when I walked down the aisles of Costco marveling at my ability to buy unwieldy amounts of Kirkland Potato Chips for cheap, I swelled with pride for the American system of capitalism. I didn't buy the chips, but I felt heartened knowing that I could. And that is why we won and they lost. That is why America is the land of the free and the home of those who eat way too many potato chips.
Sincerely, Adam Lamont '16
- October 24
Editorial: Full account
Why a financial accounting class offered through the Economics department would need to be in keeping with the liberal arts ethos
- October 23
Left of lipstick: There is no best shampoo: why a Marxist loves Trader Joe's
I love Trader Joe's. I probably went there every other day this summer. The sliding doors would open to the kind of music my dad and I like, maybe James Taylor or Emmylou Harris, and a Hawaiian shirt-clad kid I went to high school with. He would greet me by name.
We got a Trader Joe's down the street the summer before I left for college, and it almost made me want to stay. Why go to Maine when you could buy cookie butter at whim? The closest one used to be in Cincinnati, so whenever my family went up to go to the art museum or a concert or a professional sporting event (you can't really do these things in Kentucky), we would stop by and get oatmeal cranberry dunkers. It was fucking special.
"Man, Trader Joe's is the shit," I sighed, spraying crumbs of blue corn chips across my brother's dash on our way home from a TJ's stop.
"Julia, people don't say that anymore. You're so lame," he said, swigging French berry lemonade from the curvy, glass bottle. "Also I thought you were a communist now."
"Yeah, but those little fancy-ass pigs-in-a-blanket are so good."
"Aren't you a vegetarian now too?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't make the pigs-in-a-blanket less good."
Clearly he didn't get it. I like Trader Joe's because I'm a communist. He was probably worried that I was going to put a Lenin statue on my desk or drop out of college to move "off the grid." But what anti-capitalism (or communism if you like) means to me is to look at our economic system, see who it's hurting and how, and figure out how we can do it better.
A few weeks ago, I was in the Portland Trader Joe's with my roommate Olivia. We strolled through the aisles and felt our type-A minds unwind.
"Liv, I feel…relaxed."
"Me too. It's weird. Do we need more tea?"
"Yeah, let's get some ginger pear. And possibly some mint?"
Trader Joe's is great because there's only one kind of anything. We didn't have to choose between ten brands of mint tea, ultimately deciding on the one with the most appealing packaging but wondering if maybe we should have gone with Tazo or Celestial Seasonings.We escaped what Barry Schwartz calls the paradox of choice. It's a quirk of consumer capitalism we've all experienced. You're standing in the shampoo aisle at the drug store where there are so many options it makes it difficult to choose. You pace down the aisle, double back, pace some more as variables tumble through your head: price, scent, packaging aesthetics, your past experience, what your roommate uses, advertisements you've seen, until you glance at the time and realize you've been stuck for five minutes—paralysis.
The shampoo aisle scenario provides a preponderance of choice. Does A, B, or C suit my needs better? In reality, there is negligible difference between the dozens of options. The whole shampoo aisle is owned by Unilever, Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson (seriously, look it up). And let's face it: how much do these consumer choices—Dove vs. Secret, Patagonia vs. Mountain Hardware, PBR vs. Rolling Rock—matter to the cores of our lives?
The ideology of choice preaches that people can make themselves happy by making the right choices, consumer and otherwise. You have the power to choose your own path: college, career, life partner. This logic works in reverse as well. If you're unhappy, you must have made the wrong choices.
But no choices exist in a vacuum. Social pressure, explicit or internalized, affects every choice. Despite the myriad and disparate factors influencing choice, we strive to make an ideal one. But when you're choosing laundry detergent, there is no best choice.
So that's why this baby Marxist (shoutout to Professor Gouda for the label) loves her some TJ's. We live in a world with too many kinds of shampoo, and critical ideology can help us understand it. I guess a full-grown Marxist wouldn't want corporations at all, but that shining, elusive, ever-distant vision doesn't do much for me. I am thankful for a quick decision made confidently and without regrets. I am thankful for the respite from paralysis. I love Trader Joe's.
- October 23
My 77 Cents: What's in a 10? Stop ranking people numerically
As students at Bowdoin and as young adults in the modern world, numbers are an inevitable and undeniable fact of life. We are constantly getting feedback that places us within a system of gradations and numbers: grades, GPA, weight, height, team scores and clothing sizes, to name only a few examples. Now, numbers are not entirely irrelevant by any means, for they provide some semblance of order to an otherwise incomprehensible web of information. However, assigning numbers to something or someone—in this context at least—is inherently a reductive act.
Objectifying a person's worth to and for them not only distills the worst elements of our culture but also provides an incorrect and illusory understanding of a person that, ironically, neglects their actual value as a human being. We constantly make assessments of other people. This fact seems unavoidable.
What worries me is the language with which we pass such judgments. When I hear someone assign a number to someone else outside a party, it doesn't seem cool or funny. It looks more like a symptom of self-conscious anxiety about physicality and appearance. Clearly, people contain more multitudes than their looks or grades can possibly capture in any fulfilling way.
These numbers lose all power in light of how arbitrary they actually are. What does 10 represent? What does it actually mean to be a 10? To be perfect? How can we agree upon the terms? I recently had an argument with a friend who insisted that the ranking system is making important leaps and strides in recent years: "now you can factor in face, body and personality so it's fair." Even still, what is 10? What is one? There is no reference point and thus no meaning at all behind these numbers. Not to mention that the concept of ranking personality and of ranking these aspects separately is an almost laughable, and, I hope, fleeting phenomenon.
To rate someone—and more so, to allow yourself to be swayed by someone else's ranking—is to allow someone else's narrative to override your own. It is to allow one's complexity to be overridden by a particular, narrow and unimportant analysis that conforms to the essentializing and superficial standards of our society. It seems to me that these issues are important ones to consider when thinking about how we talk about one another.
The way we learn to talk about beauty stays with us. When men rank women, women begin to compare themselves to other women using the same format. They judge men in the same way. If one can make a person disappear behind a number, this makes them less of a threat; it gives the ranker the power.
And admittedly, it feels good to have that power sometimes, to be the wielder of assessment. As if we have any real control over another person's looks, over our own, over the intricacies of interpersonal attraction. If we believe in the ranking system, it means that our peers can decide whether or not we are sexually desirable, not based on their own subjective attraction, but rather on an arbitrary numerical scale. And that's frightening.
Though it would be impossible to keep anyone from expressing their opinions about another person's looks—and frankly, you wouldn't want to do away with that altogether—I think it's important that the way we talk about this subject changes. Numbers are not the way to do it. At their best, they are empty; at their worst, they can be incredibly hurtful. To conform to the system of ranking is to succumb to the societally conditioned conception of what it means to be "hot": a conception that lacks nuance, and which wrongfully evaluates and oppresses us all.
- October 23
Conforming to the gender binary restricts everybody
We are writing to claim responsibility for the bathroom signs around campus yesterday. Hopefully you all noticed them. As a group project for the Anthropology of Social Movements course taught by Professor Melissa Rosario, we chose to confront the restrictions of the gender binary in an effort designed to start a campus-wide conversation about gender. It was meant to be unexpected. It was meant to get you thinking.
There are groups on campus dedicated to educating students about the spectrums of gender, sex and sexuality. But these messages do not reach everyone on campus. This is in part because the participants in these conversations are self-selecting. For many students it may never occur to them to seek out conversations about gender. Maybe your gender identity fits in with the binary options that society gives us. Maybe you have been privileged enough to have never felt excluded because of your gender expression. Many might see these issues as primarily concerning trans and gender non-conforming people. However, we believe that the gender binary restricts everyone.
There seems to be a growing dialogue at Bowdoin about how our social codes of masculinity and femininity limit our range of self-expression and use of space. Last year an anonymous first-year student wrote in the Orient about the dubious "pretty test" for girls at the doors of male-dominated off-campus houses. In a recent conversation started by the op-ed entitled, "Why we need a Men's Resource Center," two male students recognized how men have felt alienated when it comes to discussing issues of masculinity. Both of these articles raised the sometimes tacit, and sometimes explicit ways in which we enforce gender standards within ourselves and among each other every day. They illustrate how every person's gender identity is held hostage by society's norms.
By papering doors across campus with bathroom signs yesterday, we hope that everyone was confronted with the fact that gender affects us all in almost every aspect of our lives. We want everyone to recognize their stake in the struggle for society to accept a more diverse range of gender expressions.
Trans and gender non-conforming people showcase the potential for greater freedom of expression beyond traditional maleness and femaleness. In our society, however, these groups have been systemically marginalized for daring to challenge the norms. The lengths to which many people will go to enforce the gender binary has resulted in bullying, harassment and violence towards those who are perceived as its transgressors. In the case of gendered public bathrooms, we see not marginalization, but rather a lack of recognition of their legitimate identities. On campus, for instance, students living in many dorms cannot find gender-neutral bathrooms in their buildings.
Gender issues are everyone's concern, and there are only gains to be made by engaging in dialogue with one another. Whether or not you came to the discussion last night, we hope this action will inspire you to have a conversation with a friend, a professor, a coach, a family member. Engage with people who do not share your gender identity. Women, ask a man how he experiences expectations of masculinity. Men, ask a woman how her gender influences the way she is treated on campus. Everyone, do not be afraid to ask people what their preferred gender pronouns are and what gender means to them specifically. Think about what gender means to you and ask yourself, when does gender limit you? When does it empower you? As Bowdoin students, we want to challenge ourselves to creatively undo gender oppression on our campus and in our lives.
- October 23
Letter to the editor: Vote for Kathy Wilson
To the Editors:
At the polls on November 4, please cast your vote for Kathy Wilson for Brunswick Town Councilor At Large.
Kathy is a local small business owner on Pleasant Street who was born in a maternity clinic right on Longfellow Avenue. She is a progressive who has observed many changes in Brunswick over the years and welcomes change to come, as long as it is thoughtfully managed. She is an outspoken advocate for education, appreciating that we must invest in the youth in our community. At the same time, she is for wise spending of Brunswick's limited resources so that high taxes do not discourage young families from settling here, drive seniors from their homes or force businesses to locate elsewhere.
Kathy loves Brunswick and has served it well as a member of the Downtown Master Plan Implementation Committee and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee. Kathy will be dedicated and hard-working member of Town Council. She's a big-picture person, willing to listen to all views, who will work for the common good of all Brunswick, not just the interests of a few.
For more about Kathy, visit her website: www.KathyforCouncil.weebly.com.
Alison HarrisBrunswick, ME
- today
Dining enlists housekeepers to recover stolen silverware
Each academic year, Bowdoin Dining Services loses roughly 960 knives, 1800 forks, 2400 spoons, 800 mugs and 1500 cups. While some of this loss is due to general wear and tear, diminishing amounts of dining hall utensils are due to student removal of those items."Technically, maybe, it is [theft]," said Head of Dining Service Ken Cardone. "But that's not the intent."
Dining Service understands that students, faculty and staff will all take cutlery from the dining halls throughout the year and they try to prepare for it. With roughly 23,000 meals a week, the dishes and silverware get quite a lot of use.
Operating budgets for each dining hall allocate thousands of dollars for dish and silverware replacement and Cardone said Dining Services spends about $12,000 to $14,000 per year on replacing china and silverware. However, it is hard to tell how much goes to replacing missing dishes and silverware versus those that are worn out.
The reality is that Dining gets very few of the missing dishes and silverware back once they leave the dining hall and they do not want the dishes and silverware to be thrown in the garbage. It can be a frustrating experience for Dining, especially when they've just acquired a new set of commercial china, which is more costly than residential china.
In order to help recover cutlery and china, Dining has enlisted the help of Bowdoin's housekeeping staff.
If housekeepers find dishes or silverware belonging to the dining hall in a common area of a dormitory, they can put them in a milk crate, and exchange a full milk crate for a free meal."It could take me a month, it could take me two months [to fill a crate]," said Sabrina Bouchard, housekeeper in Coleman Hall. "On average, during the year, I fill maybe a couple of crates."
"I have a crate downstairs that I started at the beginning of the school year and it's about three-quarters full."
Dining reached out to housekeepers who often find dishes in common areas within student dormitories.
Bouchard said she enjoys the exchange.
"I usually bring my own food so it's a treat for me to go the dining hall," she said.
Joyce Mayer, housekeeper for buildings on Federal Street, cashes in on the deal in the summer after students move out and leave behind many dining dishes and silverware. At the beginning of the summer, it is very easy for housekeepers to fill multiple crates.
"I find dishes in the trash and I'll pick them out, but I don't go looking for them," said Mayer. "I just want to thank Dining for doing that and to keep it up!"
Hope Marsden, housekeeper for Baxter House, prefers to pass her dishes along to other housekeepers.
"I give them to other people since I don't eat in the dining halls," said Marsden.
The removal of dining hall dishware and cutlery is increasingly becoming an issue on other college campuses.
Cardone said that the University of Montana recently reached out to other institutions of higher education via a Listserv email explaining that Montana had been experiencing an increased amount of theft in their facilities. The cost of replacing stolen items was starting to add up quickly, and they asked other schools for advice.
According to Cardone, the food service director at the University of Connecticut responded, "Chopsticks, order chopsticks."
- today
Behind the Name tag: Divination, dining are fast-track Staples
Students on the run in Smith Union will recognize Brandy Staples as the woman who provides their lunchtime nourishment to go.
Staples ("like the office supply store," she said) works at the counter of Fast Track at Jack Magee's Pub, a weekday lunchtime operation that serves bagged meals to students in a hurry.While Staples enjoys the job overall, it is not always easy. She serves between 200 and 250 patrons on any given day during her 3.5 hour shift.
"You do not stop. Once you get here, you continue to go," Staples said.
In addition to working at Bowdoin, Staples owns her own business. She hand makes and sells dowsing pendulums, which are crystals or stones at the end of chains that are used for divination and spiritual activities. Staples sells most of her products via online retailers such as Etsy and Ebay.
"I make everything from scratch. If it is not handmade by me, I make sure it is handmade," said Staples.
Staples has a close connection to Maine. She grew up in nearby Phippsburg and returned there after living in Massachusetts for a time.
"Maine is a nice place to live and raise a family. People up here are more genuine [than in Massachusetts]," she said.
Staples earned an associate's degree in travel and hospitality. She also has a certificate in medical billing and coding. As for her past work, Staples has consistently worked in the retail and food-service sector.
Almost three years ago, Staples ended up at Bowdoin by what she describes as "the lines of fate." During her time here, Staples has interacted with many members of the Bowdoin community and especially enjoys getting to know Bowdoin students.
"I can't believe how polite you guys are," she said. "[Bowdoin students] are so funny: I'll accidentally grab the wrong thing and you guys will apologize to me. It's just funny because you are apologizing to me when I made the mistake."
Staples is impressed by Bowdoin students' tendency toward environmental awareness, noting how students have pushed for reusable lunch bags.
"There's a lot of things here that I've really picked up from you guys," Staples said. "People here are very intellectual, they're always trying to learn new things and find better ways to do things so I'm glad we get to play off each other."
In her free time, Staples is involved with activities at her church and describes herself as an "avid reader."
"My goal in life is to finish all the books on my bookshelf before I die," she said.
- today
Bottom of the Barrel: Zinfully good: this bargain rosé has impressive taste
This week we decided to step out of our comfort zone and try out a White Zinfandel. While Brandon is not particularly fond of rosés, we felt it was only fair to add variety. While perusing our favorite wine section at Hannaford's, we settled upon a Sutter Home White Zinfandel.
White Zinfandels come from Zinfandel grapes, but are processed differently to create a semi-sweet rosé instead of a heartier red wine. Our particular wine was actually created by mistake on the part of Sutter Home Winery. The accidental creation of this sweet pink wine proved to be incredibly valuable—White Zinfandels are now the third most popular type of wine in the U.S.
When Bryce first smelled the wine he initially noticed vanilla, but it matured into lighter floral and berry notes with undertones of melon. Overall, not the most exciting nose to date.
Let's just say that this wine is easy to drink. It is sweet—akin to a Riesling—but far from a true dessert wine. Our White Zin is delicious on its own, by the glass or bottle, but could pair with anything you have on hand in your dorm for snacks, such as Wheat Thins or White Cheddar Cheez-Its. But honestly, snacking just takes time away from drinking.
The taste of the wine itself is like creamy strawberries with a slight nuance of watermelon. This wine has the unique ability to be sipped or—in Brandon's case—guzzled. Like a good lover, this wine has a gentle and smooth mouthfeel that makes you want to keep drinking more. The body was a little thin for Brandon's taste, but Bryce preferred its lightness and found the wine to be more delicate than thin.
You may have noticed this column is less snarky than usual. This is probably due to the fact that we loved this wine so much, we could not think of any disparaging comments about it. For those of you who know us, please try to contain your shock at this revelation that we have found something that truly pleases us both. This poses a difficulty in terms of any criticism, but we believe that what has occurred here this evening can only be labeled an epiphany. What had we been doing with our lives before we discovered this wine?
We had been lost on a path strewn with Barefoot Pinot Noir and Franzia Crisp White, but tonight we have found the one true wine and it is Sutter Home White Zinfandel. If you are partial to Franzia's Sunset Blush, set down that filthy bag and grab a bottle of this wine. We promise you won't be disappointed.
Additional NotesBrandon: "This wine is definitely a keeper. I can see myself in 20 years coming home from a long day of therapy to a screaming child and perpetually disappointed husband, sneaking into my kitchen, popping off the cork to a Sutter Home White Zin and enjoying a well deserved glass of 'juice'."Bryce: "Why this wine isn't in Capri Sun-like packaging is beyond me." Nose: 3 Mouthfeel: 3.5Body: 3Taste: 4.5 Grab some Sutter Home White Zinfandel before we drink it all. Hannaford: $7.99.
- today
Revisiting classics through a class audit
In "Moby Dick," Herman Melville wrote about a "Nantucket Sleighride," a term used by Nantucket whalemen to describe what happens immediately following the harpooning of a whale. The whale, distressed by the harpoon, attempts to flee and thus drags the boat along with it. The run lasts for as long as the whale can swim before it becomes exhausted.Well, the seminar which I'm auditing at Bowdoin this fall ("Living Deliberately") often feels like a Nantucket Sleighride, despite the serene setting: a room on the first floor of Massachusetts Hall, the College's oldest building.
Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, our brave band of inquirers (10 students, three auditors and the professor) gather around a long table and go about our appointed task: discovering what it means to "live deliberately" by wrestling with the ideas of great thinkers and writers down through the ages.
The authors on the prodigious reading list run the gamut: Thoreau, Kant, Friedrich Schiller, Michel Foucault, Oscar Wilde, Thomas Mann, E.M. Forster, Sapphire, Emmanuel Levinas, Soren Kierkegaard, Ignazio Silone, Nadine Gordimer, Tracy Kidder and Bill McKibben. We've read everything from scholarly treatises—some accessible, some, er, not—to readable novels to compelling nonfiction. I haven't totaled the number of pages because I don't want to know the answer.
But—a big but—the course is always fascinating, never boring. And much of the credit goes to the masterful teacher, David Collings, professor of English. Collings combines the passion of Pavarotti with the conducting skill of Toscanini. Every student—and auditor—speaks up at least once in every class. Collings treats every offering by every person with respect, sometimes exclaiming, "That's brilliant!" or "Thanks for taking us there," or, simply, "Yes!" He skillfully ties in the ideas of the writers discussed earlier with the writer of the day. And he does so with delight, in the spirit of play. And that's the operative word: play.
In 2004, Collings gave the Bowdoin convocation address: On Learning as Deep Play. An excerpt from that talk gives a sense of the philosophy behind the man and the message behind the course. "But to participate in this kind of deep play, to embrace the unknown, to dance with an unforeseeable future, is not a matter of what we normally consider recklessness. It's not about rebellion, or frivolous play, or drinking a keg of beer all by yourself. Paradoxically, once you deepen play by risking yourself, you alter the nature of the risk you take: the gamble only works if you're paying attention, intent on coming to grasp that unknown thing; it transforms you only if you are truly at stake in what you ask. The more intent you are in your gamble, the greater the discovery. This kind of risk, it seems, is a form of serious play—so serious, in fact, that if you aren't giving your full attention on every level of your being to what you are learning, you may miss the moment when your real calling becomes clear. You wouldn't want to be in the position, as an old saying has it, of gaining the whole world and losing your soul."The students in this seminar get this message; they thrive on the challenge; they love the play. Put simply, they're amazing. I've asked some students how the demands of this course compare with their other courses. They acknowledge that the reading load is a bit heavy, but claim that the course is very manageable. I also asked if they minded having auditors present in class. Surprisingly, they like it—or at least they say they do. One student said, "I really like it when auditors speak up in class, because they have more to say about life than we do. They've lived more of it."
Even Collings, himself, admits that he's still wrestling with the questions discussed in this course. "Who am I?...What really matters?...What can I learn from the past?...What does it mean to be human?... How should I spend my life, my energies, my gifts?"After every class, I take the long walk across the quad with one of the other auditors, a fellow member of the Bowdoin Class of 1964. We recap the ideas discussed that day. We marvel at the professor and the students. And we head home to prepare for the next class, just hoping we can survive the next time the harpoon finds its mark.
David Treadwell is a Brunswick writer and reader for Bowdoin's Office of Admissions. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. This piece was reprinted with permission from the Brunswick Times Record.
- today
Security donates unclaimed bikes to charity
Security no longer has to spin its wheels about what to do with unclaimed bikes. Bikes are the most commonly stolen items on campus, and Security recovers dozens of them each semester. Security has implemented effective procedures to help owners retrieve their bikes.
"Everything from emails, phone calls, Digest postings, that sort of thing—we do everything we possibly can to match the owner up with the bike," said Director of Safety and Security Randall Nichols. "We check our databases, we check our stolen bike reports, we check our lost property reports. Many of the bikes we are able to get back to the owners."
Registering bikes on Security's website makes the process of linking owners to their bikes significantly easier. Registration is free of charge and students are given a blue decal and a unique number that identifies their bike.
The bike is then entered into Security's database, so that both Bowdoin and off-campus agencies—like the Brunswick Police Department—can identify its owner if it is recovered. Without registration, the process of matching bikes to owners is far more complicated."When the bike is not registered, it becomes very difficult because [when] we take it in we have no way of identifying who it belongs to, and the person who owns the bike often has a difficult time," said Nichols. "It may not be easy for them to prove that they own the bike."
To reduce bike theft on campus, Security collects and stores bikes left out during academic breaks.
"If it's registered, then we will let the owner know we have it and they can pick it up when they get back," said Nichols. "If it's not registered then we hope the owner will contact us. Often, we take students to our bike storage room and have them go through the bikes and see if they can find theirs."
Nichols said that the Bowdoin community is vigilant about bike theft. There have been several occasions when people have been caught in the act of stealing a bike.
"We had one of our officers interrupt a bike theft in progress and actually run down the person on the bike. He was able to prevent the bike from leaving campus and the person was charged with theft," said Nichols.
There are currently around 60 bikes in the bike warehouse, 40 of which are being donated to Northeast Goodwill Industries—the central warehouse that distributes the bikes to various Goodwill stores in the region.
"We used to deal with several organizations, [but] as we distributed the bikes, that became a little bit cumbersome," said Nichols. "It became a lot of work to do that much handling of the bikes, as well as a lot of administrative time."
- today
Recasting Catholicism: how current events now make history later
It is an unfortunate fact that many people, especially at Bowdoin, do not realize the importance of current events in the grand scheme of history. Alexander's experiences abroad have come to highlight this. Although the coziness of the Bowdoin Bubble is comforting, we must realize how detrimental it is to our development as citizens of the world.
Sometimes, we encounter a person or event that jolts us out of the complacency and asks us to engage with challenging—and sometimes personal—questions about our world around us. That was the case just recently for Danny, when Burnett House hosted a gathering that addressed the challenges of navigating spiritual and religious experience on our secular campus.
The posters for the event, which was led by Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Bob Ives, made me reflect on my own religion, its standing in a rapidly changing world and how it adapts to shifting norms.
Both columnists are Catholic, and we both had to deal with many issues regarding our faith in recent years. Most of Danny's spiritual questioning revolves around the incompatibility of church dogma with his identity and its inability to adapt to new social norms across the world. However, Danny knows that he is certainly not the only individual that has grappled with these questions.
This is why we both were excited by Pope Francis' announcement of a synod—a meeting of cardinals and bishops—that would reevaluate the Church's stance on issues of homosexuality and unconventional (unmarried or divorced) families. With the calling of the synod, which ended just last week, the current Pope has guaranteed his legacy as an empathetic and lenient, if not socially progressive, pontiff.
The Pope's statement that "Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community" and his assertion on Tuesday that the Big Bang and evolution are compatible with church doctrine have far-reaching implications. They will make the Catholic Church a more welcoming institution and will play a transformative role in Catholicism for decades to come. There is acknowledgement of this fact both in the U.S. and abroad.
And yet at Bowdoin there was very little discussion about these landmark developments, despite the rampant championing of liberal ideals on our campus. I encountered a few nods of agreement or the occasional, "This Pope is awesome!" from friends. In general, however, much of our community did not engage in substantive conversations on the progress that is changing one of our world's oldest and most influential institutions.
Here on campus, as in the U.S. at large, thoughts on the development and remodeling of religion usually focus on the danger of radical Islam and its ties to political and security issues. While abroad in Qatar, many of Alexander's academic discussions have necessitated the factoring in of religious fundamentalism. All the while however, less fundamentalist interpretations of religion permeate everyday life in Qatar and people are well-versed in current events.
When speaking of the Catholic reforms, students in Qatar have expressed interest in the fluidity of Church doctrine, as well as a fascination with how the church is addressing the challenges posed by modernity.
Additionally, many of Alexander's conversations have focused on the similar challenges that Catholicism and Islam face today. His peers have articulated the hope that our generation of religious youth can learn something from one another as we both grapple with our faith. Yet even as the Pope in Rome declared the validity of the Big Bang and evolution, Alexander notes that aspects of religious culture in Quatar contradict recent Catholic progress. For example, no one in his host country believes in evolution.
Realizing and engaging with these important differences between religions and cultures, and understanding how they affect perspectives on global events is absolutely essential in our globalized world.
Every day, Bowdoin students are exposed to news of what's happening in the world. Sometimes, as is the case now, we are given opportunities to discuss subjects such as religion and what it means in our secular society.
Taking part in conversations about these issues does more than keep us well informed. Whether you are reading of happenings far away or immersing yourself in a different culture for a semester, engaging with international discourse offers us the ability to appreciate the historical scope of significant current events.
Just as in our last column, which examined the complex nature and oftentimes confused perspectives on ISIS, we encourage our peers to unabashedly engage in these sometimes uncomfortable conversations.
Realizing and acknowledging the importance of significant events and developments, like the future of the religion of 1.2 billion people around the globe, is not academic. It is the first step in becoming an engaged world citizen.
- October 24
Talk of the Quad: Poop culture
In an age when the Internet allows universal anonymity, we begin to expect privacy as an unalienable right. When confidentiality is not an option, many people find anxiety in taking a stance—or a squat. In reality, we are much more than icons on computer screens. When it comes down to it, people are all people. And everybody poops.
We are all united in this reality. Any two humans share on average 99.9 percent of their genes, meaning most Homo sapien physiology is identical. Pooping is a unifying characteristic of humanity: all genders sit to poop (or hover if you are a hypochondriac). We all eat and so as a result we all poop. And that's okay. It's great, even. So why can taking a seat at the porcelain throne be so stress-inducing?
One hypothesis is that many Bowdoin students seek to project an image of perfection, even at the cost of their own well-being. The counseling staff at Bowdoin is acutely aware of this—Director of Counseling Services, Bernie Hershberger, says he especially enjoys aiding students with perfectionism anxiety.
For some odd, socially constructed reason, we seem to think it is vulgar and uncivilized to poop. Thus, to be perfect, we must never poop. As a means of striving for this ideal, we make every attempt to conceal our "indecent" behavior from our peers. Though we have not spoken to Hershberger about whether poop anxiety is often brought up in counseling sessions, we noticed that when prompted, most of our friends immediately gushed over their awkward restroom escapades. And yet, most students would never bring up poop anxiety on their own in a conversation for fear of deviating from the cultural norm.
A 2011 study at Emory University showed that chimpanzees who frequently fling feces have more developed motor cortexes and connections to a section of the brain used by humans for speech processing. Simply put, smarter monkeys throw more poop. Meanwhile, our human society finds it impolite to discuss such a dirty matter. It is possible that we attempt to hide our digestive measures as a means to separate humans from animals. However, if our closest living evolutionary relatives embrace poop as a means to display intelligence, I am not opposed to flaunting the existence of my own bowel movements (though I will still stick to speech over throwing feces as my preferred form of communication).
A great source of human anxiety is the desire to fit in. Given that everyone and their RA hides the fact that they poop, we tend to deny the existence of our excrement. Everyone has read "Everybody Poops," by Taro Gomi—an important contribution to the literary canon of defecation. Some people, though, are loath to identify themselves as poopers. This is the great contradiction: we accept the generalization that pooping is part of the human condition, but singling one specific person out is, for some reason, embarrassing. Pooping has become taboo.
Despite this personal acceptance of pooping as a biological actuality, it can be stressful to be sitting on the can in my signature leopard-print slippers only to have another dorm resident come in to brush her teeth or do her hair. There's no hiding. I'm being outed as a pooper. Although my bathroom guest will not say anything, we will both know. And it causes an unnecessary and unspoken power dynamic between the two of us that would be completely rectified if only people were to talk more openly and casually about pooping.
That's the thing about this physical process—it is much less social than other bathroom activities. A casual chat over mutual urination or a recap of the day's events while popping a pimple is normal. But something about that basic human communication while a mass of processed food is travelling out of a bodily orifice into a shared toilet makes people shut right up.
Whether they talk about it or not, many people actually enjoy the process of pooping primarily because they find time for solitude on the peaceful potty. Whether it takes one minute or an hour to process the day, pooping is a sacred time to digest it all.
However, we cannot always afford the luxury of a private toilet at the College. In fact, for many of us, our "movements" tend to be in relatively public places.
What to do when you sit down to do the deed and another lonely pooper wanders in with the same intention? In a multi-stall bathroom with two (or more) students waiting to poop, anxiety can mount. Who will release the Kraken first? Sometimes, overwhelmed by the tension in the room, the only option is to flush the toilet, zip up your pants, and find a different, less populated bathroom.
Thus, it is crucial to find your own favorite place to do the do. We all have beloved personal pooping places. However, we are unable to disclose our favorites here, for fear of the overpopulation—or worse, toilet clogging—of the most serene pooping sanctuaries. We can say, however, that you cannot select your pooping bathroom: it must choose you. Much like Olivander's wands, when you come across the right one, you will know.
While this article presents poop anxiety with jest, we hope the absurd nature of hiding our body's actions permeates through the humor. We all do it, and hopefully through lighthearted discussion, we can replace awkwardness with pooping solidarity.
- October 24
Talk of the Quad: For the love of baboons
Throughout South Africa and much of the world, baboons are considered aggressive, menacing pests. They are frequently shot on site, intentionally hit by cars or electrocuted. Their strange and, to many, ugly appearance has only contributed to their bad reputation. As baboons lose their habitats and are forced to search for their food in cities, more and more killings take place. Environmentalists have neglected to combat this problem and tourists have been taught by local guides to fear these creatures.
After working with orphaned baboons in Tzaneen, South Africa last summer, I found that simply spending time with the animals for which we have preconceived notions of barbarism and mistrust shows us something important: baboons are incredible animals who can love, feel pain and live in communities. They deserve our consideration and protection.
Riverside Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in Tzaneen was started to help the orphaned baboons left behind by the ongoing habitat depletion and baboon killings. Riverside is now home to nearly 600 monkeys and is run by a few hired workers and many volunteers. I was lucky enough to be among them.
All of the work at Riverside focuses on one goal: the successful rehabilitation and release of orphaned and injured animals back into the wild. Though seemingly simple, the survival of reintroduced animals is dependent on a highly refined process committed to proven methodology and intellectual engagement. This method seeks to ensure that the troop of baboons ultimately coalesces, breaks reliance on people, and promotes species interdependence.
During my time at Riverside, several orphaned baboons came in: Cayman, Julian, Dobby and Maya. Like many other monkeys there, they had been found injured on the side of the road, kept as pets, or turned in by the people who had killed their parents.
Maya, whose parents were shot, had been chewed up by a dog and was at the point of starvation when a kindhearted woman discovered her. With scars running up her back and right arm, Maya did not do a lot to dispel notions that baboons are not all that attractive, but I loved her right away.
After getting stitched up and receiving a surgically implanted micro chip, Maya—then just a couple of months old—began the first stage on the long road to release: around the clock, "on-demand bottle care." Maya would need to be carried around by volunteers who acted as her mother and nursed her back to health. In order to prevent Maya from becoming too attached to any particular volunteer, shifts were taken with as many volunteers as possible.
After a month of waking people up all night and stealing my peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches at lunchtime, Maya was ready for the next big step: to be introduced to the other 26 orphaned babies.
Baboons are extremely family oriented, and have an innate tendency toward establishing close personal relationships. Those in the current troop have learned how to survive, gather food collectively and perhaps most importantly, maintain the peace.
These personal relationships were abundantly evident even among the babies, who were deeply reliant upon their friends for comfort. For example, when the one-year-old baby George (named after the Prince who shares his birthday) needed stitches in his foot, his best friend Loopa was taken to the clinic to keep him company. George, who had been extremely agitated when taken to the clinic, was so happy to see Loopa that he stopped whining and immediately relaxed.
This interdependency extends beyond individual relationships too. Cold winter nights bring all monkeys in the troop together quite literally. Each baboon grabs on to the back of another, so that what was once 26 babies becomes, for about eight hours a night, one giant spoon. Because they are so family oriented, the monkeys are hesitant to take on strangers and Maya's introduction took several days.
Maya will spend her "childhood" with these 26 other baboons, who will one day be part of her troop in the wild. While the other babies did not seem keen on sharing their home with a new baboon, within three days she was one of them. Although they were only about one-year-olds themselves, Jeroux and Mordechai, the two largest male babies, insisted on carrying Maya everywhere for her protection.
Upon any sign of danger, which was indicated by an alarm call, the babies formed a "mob" all around Maya. When Cayman, who is somewhat smaller than Maya, arrived later in the summer, Maya was among the many who helped to protect him when the alarm went off.
When Maya is old enough, she will be moved to the "middle" enclosure, a larger cage for "teenage" baboons of about 1-2 years old. There, her interaction with humans will be decreased and she will be exposed to an environment that more closely resembles the wild.
Finally, at about two years old, she will begin the process of being introduced to the "main camp," which currently consists of about 80 adult baboons—the troop with whom she will spend the rest of her life in the wild.
The introduction into the main camp takes careful planning. Maya will spend time in an introductory enclosure, which borders the main camp so that the baboons can interact and get to know each other through the fence through grooming and greeting actions (what we call lip-smacking and butt scratches).
The troop must spend at least a year together in captivity without human contact before it is ready to be introduced into the wild in order to make sure that they can fully coalesce into a functioning troop with the deep, lasting relationships that will ensure success in the wild. After the troop has sufficient time to fuse, the final step in Maya's journey is the release.
The site of the release must be carefully picked to guarantee that the habitat is stable, has a good water source, contains similar fauna, and is far from human civilization. Scared by their new surroundings, they could disperse and, in the absence of troop support, die. In order to ensure that they become comfortable with their new surroundings an enclosure is built at the release site. They will remain in this enclosure for two weeks, ensuring that they will not disperse upon their freedom. After two weeks, the electric fence is turned off and bridges are built along the exterior.
It is likely that Maya, who will be about two years old when the release occurs, will be among those to take the first steps of freedom. The troop will be monitored actively for six months, and later through the use of microchips to evaluate and improve upon the methodology. Riverside currently has a 92 percent three-year survival rate. Maya has a good chance.
However, Maya should have never been at Riverside in the first place. She should have never been orphaned. Her habitat should have never been depleted. The animosity and mistrust that resulted in her parents being shot was misplaced. Spending the last three months with baboons has taught me that really getting to know animals can show us things we would have never suspected. Baboons have a language of more than 140 distinct sounds and are capable of complex abstract thoughts and emotions.
But even more important than their intellectual abilities is their capability to feel pain, happiness and love, just like we do. We need to think about how we can best help others, especially primates and other animals. Wildlife rehabilitation and baboon rehabilitation in particular, is grossly underfunded and understaffed. These really are incredible animals, and their conservation, both in rehabilitation and education, needs to be a priority.
- October 17
James Jelin '16 takes leave to work on Bellows campaign
James Jelin '16 has never wanted to go into politics. Yet, he took a leave of absence this semester, postponing a semester abroad in Germany to work full-time as the York County Field Organizer for Shenna Bellows, Maine's Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate.
"I actively did not want to go into politics because I didn't think I was going to come across a candidate like Shenna," said Jelin.
For Jelin, the position offered the opportunity to be involved in national politics and filled a void he had felt on campus.
"I was interning with her over the summer and I was having a really good experience," said Jelin. "I feel like I've been looking for an opportunity to really be able to create positive change. I'd been exploring opportunities on campus, but nothing quite seemed like the thing that I was really so passionate about."
As an intern, Jelin worked in Bellows' Portland office while living on campus. His responsibilities included making calls, tracking event turnout and looking up events in the area where the Bellows campaign needed to have a presence.
With summer winding down, Jelin started to consider a full-time job instead of going abroad to Germany in the fall.
The campaign's field director Debbie Atwood offered Jelin the job, and he chose to accept it. Bowdoin was also supportive of Jelin's decision to take a leave of absence and postpone his study abroad plans.In an interview with the Orient last fall, Dean of First Year Students Janet Lohmann emphasized the College's support for students who take a leave of absence.
"Students who spend time away are served well," she said. "They grow in wonderful ways. When they come back here, they're ready to get the best of what Bowdoin has to offer."
In order to take a leave of absence to pursue nonacademic interests, a student must acquire their dean's approval, continue to consult with his academic advisor and be in good academic and social standing with the College.
"It was so much easier than I thought it would be," said Jelin. "I wasn't going to be there [Bowdoin] this semester because of Germany. So it just sort of became about what I was going to be doing instead."
Although now he will graduate in the fall of 2016, Jelin says that he feels that his work for Bellows is worthwhile, especially because it will allow him to address what he finds problematic in the political system.
"What I'm doing in this job is fighting for working class representation in our government, and I can't think of something more inspirational than that," he said.
The biggest difference between his internship and his position as the York County Field Organizer is an increase in time and responsibility. Jelin currently works every day and up to 80 hours per week.
As a field organizer, he is in charge of voter contact for the campaign in his region. This includes delegating field assignments, training and managing volunteers, organizing events and making calls.
"It's a huge responsibility to be managing this because there are people all across the county who are really passionate about Shenna Bellows and it is my responsibility to make sure that they get into the office—and that I'm there to train them," said Jelin.
At this point in the campaign, however, he is most focused on making persuasion calls.
"That's how we reach voters. That's how we get people to change their minds. You have one-on-one conversations with them and it works," said Jelin. "It's really exciting to learn how to really have a conversation with somebody in a way that they will listen."
Jelin also feels that his semester off has made him better appreciate his time at Bowdoin.
"It's made me realize what Bowdoin is for, why it is important to get an education at a place like Bowdoin," he said. "I think more people should take breaks. And I feel like a mid-school break has been so much more useful than a gap year."
"So now I've had some of it [Bowdoin], and I know what that experience is, and now I've left and I've had a taste of what the real world is and what I want to do," he added. "And now I can come back to Bowdoin and focus on the things that are going to equip me to be even better at that when I go out into the real world."
As the November 4 election grows closer, Jelin is excited to rally more support during the final leg of the campaign.
"It's so clear to me that this is what I needed to do," said Jelin. "A lot of people don't know what to do so they're not going to do anything, but that is why Shenna Bellows is so important. With a grassroots campaign, it is important that we get the support now."
Jelin plans to return to Bowdoin this spring, fulfill his plans to study in Germany next fall, and graduate in the fall of 2016.
"Frankly, when I get back on campus, I don't know what I'll do next because it's a lot less obvious," said Jelin. "But the next time I see a problem and I have an opportunity to be a part of the solution, I intend to take it."
- October 17
Behind the Name tag: Museum's curator finds allure in the Arctic
Not everybody gets to pursue the career he or she dreamed of as a teenager, but Genevieve Lemoine, curator and registrar at the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, has followed her dream to the ends of the earth.
Lemoine said she has known that she wanted to be an archaeologist from the age of 17.
"I was very lucky that the Ontario government had a program for hiring high school and university students to do all kinds of different things, and one of them was archaeology," she said."So, I got a job doing archaeology in Ontario as a high school student for the summer. That confirmed that yes, that is what I wanted to do."
Born and raised in Ontario, Canada, Lemoine attended University of Toronto, Scarborough College for her undergraduate degrees and received her Ph.D at the University of Calgary. It was not until she entered graduate school that she realized that she wanted to specialize in Arctic archaeology.
In 1986, Lemoine took her first trip to the Arctic.
"We had all the key experiences—we saw a polar bear at a safe distance, we had snow storms, we had our tents blown down," she said. "It's the kind of place that—when you go there—it's hard to leave."
Since then, Lemoine has been to the Arctic several times, doing field work for approximately 10 years. Afterward, Lemoine saw the job at Bowdoin as a perfect fit.
As curator and registrar of the Arctic Museum, Lemoine's responsibilities include managing and overseeing the care of the collections and developing exhibits. Her diverse roles give her the ability to switch from typing up information to performing hands-on tasks with the collections, which keep her days exciting. She said she is especially enthusiastic about the museum's continued growth.
"Because we are an actively collecting museum there's always new things coming in; you never know when somebody's going to call you up and say, 'Would you like…' or 'My family has...'" said Lemoine.
The museum has received a large amount of art produced by the Inuit people, trace their origins back to the Arctic. Most recently, the museum received a call from a Freeport woman whose great-aunt was sent two postcards from Ross Marvin, the only member of Peary's 1908 expedition to die during the long journey to the Arctic.
The most memorable call occurred in 2010, when the grandson of a man on MacMillan's expedition wanted to donate various historical artifacts, pieces of equipment, scientific specimens, journals and photographs.
"He said, 'Would you be interested in having some things that he had left over?' He started just listing all of these things and I filled up two pages," said Lemoine, who quickly accepted the donation.
Outside of her work at the museum, Lemoine enjoys rowing. She started a couple of years ago and is now hooked on the beautiful sites she sees and the animals she observes while on the water.
Lemoine said she has enjoyed all the places she has called home. When asked whether she liked living in Canada or Maine better, she joked, "Well, what I tell my friends is that Maine is almost like Canada."
Arts & Entertainment
- October 24
Doerr '95 named National Book Award finalist
Author of All the Light We Cannot See, Doerr speaks to his inspiration for the book and discusses his Bowdoin days
Last week, Anthony Doerr '95 was named a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction for his 2014 novel "All the Light We Cannot See." The novel follows the converging stories of a blind French girl and a German boy who gets recruited into an academy for Hitler Youth during World War II.
"It was an effort for me to try to humanize all sides of the floor," said Doerr in a phone interview with the Orient. "I realize that…horrific things were happening done by some German citizens, but it's a little too simplistic to say all Germans were evil and all the Allies were good."
Doerr said he struggles to succintly summarize his work.
"For me it takes every word of a book to tell that story," he said.
Doerr's time at Bowdoin—during which he dabbled in science, film, and Russian classes in addition to English and History—sparked a lifelong curiosity for learning about people and the world around him.
"Bowdoin taught me how to be a lifelong learner…using inquiry, using questions, following your curiosity, positioning you to be a curious person for the rest of your life," he said.
Although Doerr majored in history, he was always secretly writing stories and keeping a private journal during his time at Bowdoin. Unable to imagine a financially secure future as a fiction writer, Doerr studied history as a more "legitimate" option.
"I felt like fiction writing wasn't something you could make money in," said Doerr. "My parents were paying for me to go to school…and I thought I should at least pursue something I might be able to teach."
"I just didn't know any novelists. I didn't understand that that was a path that was really readily available to me," said Doerr.
However, Doerr's academic pursuit of history allowed him to explore various forms of research while honing his writing skills. He "fell in love" with the Civil Rights Movement, World War II and post-World War II history.
"All my research was mostly books, reading transcripts of interviews, learning to research on paper…now I do most of my research on screen," he said. But to Doerr these skills "become really relevant as a fiction writer."
Doerr is grateful for his professors at Bowdoin, who he describes as "world-class, brilliant people."
Doerr took Latin American history courses with Roger Howell, Jr. Professor of History Allen Wells, who remembers him fondly.
"He was a wonderful student," said Wells. "I would always save his [essays] for the very bottom of the pile. It would be my reward to get to—sort of like a bowl of ice cream," said Wells, who knew Doerr as Tony.
"It was because he wrote so well, he was very analytical, he came at the topics and the readings in a different way than most students, so I always liked that," Wells added.
Wells thoroughly enjoyed "All the Light We Cannot See," which he read at the end of the summer and into the school year.
"It took me to a different place and a different time," he said. "It wasn't the kind of heavy depressing story that I have come to associate with...that period. I think the characterizations are just beautiful."
Although Wells acknowledges that he is "not an English professor," he said, "it is just beautiful writing…he really made that period come alive for me."
Brock Clarke, a professor of English and fiction writer himself, also gave high praise to Doerr."The book is terrific—swift, uniquely able to handle Big Subjects, but to do so intelligently, idiosyncratically, movingly. I'm not at all surprised that the book has gotten such acclaim, such wide readership. It deserves it," wrote Clarke in an email to the Orient.
Doerr said he is excited to go with his wife, fellow Bowdoin alum Shauna Eastman '94, to the National Book Award event in New York City on November 16, where he will get to mingle with other finalists. He is especially excited to meet two-time finalist Marilynne Robinson, who Doerr said, "has always been an icon to me."
"Everybody's interesting if you ask them the right questions and focus deeply enough on their lives," he said. "The world inspires me."
Doerr is currently working on projects ranging in subject from the Panama Canal to Constantinople to space travel.
"My problem is almost that there's too much inspiration in the world sometimes," he said.
- October 24
Masque & Gown's "Almost, Maine" provides glimpse into small-town love
The town of Almost, Maine sounds just like Brunswick—a tight-knit community of flannel-wearing, L.L. Bean-loving folks.
Almost is not actually a real town at all, but instead the setting for John Cariani's play, "Almost, Maine." Directed by Cordelia Orbach '17, this Masque and Gown production tells tales of love and relationships in an environment not unlike that of Bowdoin.
Nineteen residents wrestle with their emotions through a series of nine vignettes set throughout the town: under the night sky, in the local bar, and even in a laundry room. Most acts are upbeat and charming, though there are a few mellower scenes.
"The whole play has a lot of themes that revolve around it being set in a really small Maine town and the fact that you will be around that community of people forever," said cast member Axis Fuksman-Kumpa '17, who herself is from a small town in Maine and plays Marci in the production.
The small-town Maine feel is present from the start. The opening scene features a couple bundled in gloves and jackets sitting on a snow-covered bench. Throughout, the play captures the idiosyncracies of Maine life that revolve around hospitality and isolation in very small communities.
Orbach, who had never before seen "Almost, Maine" but has read it many times, proposed staging the play because she felt Bowodin students would relate to its narratives.
"It's about people who are dealing with the ins and outs of love [which] people on a college campus can relate to," said Orbach. "There's a little bit of love for everybody, so faculty members and Brunswick town residents [can also relate]."
Typically, only five actors rotate through the 19 different roles. However, Orbach wanted to involve more people to create the feel of a small town on and off set.
"It is an intense experience, but it's not such a time commitment that people who are involved in other activities can't also be part of it," she said.
"We did a lot of ensemble building work...because it's a town, I wanted them to feel like a town, like a community. The cast is really tight-knit," she added.
The cast consisted mostly of first years and sophomores, with a few juniors and seniors. Because the play is divided into short vignettes, there are no "lead" roles. Instead, everyone has a personal, approximately ten-minute scene with only one or two other actors.
Some actors auditioned because they found the story appealing.
"I actually wasn't intending to do any shows this semester because it was so busy," said Dieu Ho '15, who plays Marvalyn. "But it sounded interesting, so I just went for it."
Luke Scheuer '17, who plays Jimmy, voiced a similar opinion.
"I took a look at the script, and it just seemed like a really interesting play and something that I would want to do," he said.
Much work also went into the directing side of the show. Stage manager Arhea Marshall '15 and production manager Christina Moreland '17 worked to carry out the creative vision of the play. Amy Spens '15, this year's technical director for Masque and Gown, worked over Fall Break to build the set.
"[Orbach] really wanted it to be a focus on the acting and these people as real people in Maine and what's going on in their lives," said Spens.
The sets were simple and minimal to allow the audience to absorb the scene.Many of the actors and crew have experience in theater at Bowdoin. Orbach has a history in both acting and directing.
Masque and Gown's "Almost, Maine" will be performed Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25 at 7:30pm in Pickard Theater.
Tickets are $1 with a Bowdoin ID and $3 without.
- October 24
Snark Week: Non-drinkers, as seen by an over-thinker
Bowdoin drinking culture is widely discussed in terms of decision making, illegality and hospitalization; it is less often thought of in terms of abstinence. Yet the prominence of camouflaged non-drinkers on campus is a stone I can no longer leave unturned. Katherine Churchill has blogged about her discovery of Chambo. I will take up the mantle of uncovering the truth of college drinking.
Let me paint a scene:
It is a Friday night at Bowdoin. Someone has called the cops to Quinby's Lilo and Stitch-themed Luau. Quinby residents quickly clear the house. But, the bathrooms are locked. Why? It's still early. Surely first years can't have gotten sick. But they have. Is it alcohol poisoning? Or is it the dreaded boozy poo?
I decide to investigate. There have been too many nights when I've been denied a trip to Super Snack because a "friend" is feeling ill.
Saturday night arrives, and I am ready. I dress in my pillow case toga, eat a lot of brownies, remove my pillow case toga and dress again in jogging shorts and a tee. I grab my notebook and pen. Epicuria seems like the perfect opportunity for my investigation. A taco truck, togas and a Beatles cover band leave little to be desired.
I locate six random Bowdoin students and question them on their drinking choices.
First, I find B, a tall, blonde NARP. "Why aren't you drinking tonight?" I ask. "Does drinking make you sick?"
"You're pretty hostile," she says.
I apologize. "Listen," I say. "I've heard tequila shots leads to diarrhea."
"Diarrhea wouldn't stop me," she says. "Wait—if you quote that in the Orient I'll kill you."
"You'll be anonymous," I say. "Don't worry."
She looks at me with an icy, sober stare. "Can't you write about Diva Cups or something?" she says.
I walk away and continue the investigation. I find a large athlete. She is wearing a toga.
"I noticed you're not drinking," I say. "Why? Does it make you sick?"
"I'm on antibiotics," she tells me.
"Ooh, for what?" I ask.
She walks away.
I question a student glued to the taco truck. She is reaching over the counter to grab cheese with her bare hands.
"Are you drunk?" I say. "Are you 21? What do you like about alcohol?"
"Are you security?" she says.
I shake my head. She giggles, crams stringy cheddar into her face and disappears into a bush.
"Probably drunk," I write in my notebook. "Find more sources."
One student tells me she's not drinking because of a game. Another isn't drinking because of an Outing Club trip. A third is very, very high.
I quit the job and go home.
Next weekend comes and it is Yom Kippur. I sit at the too-high counter in Smith Union. I spend some quality time on WebMD.
"Why do people drink?" I type into the search bar. Many things pop up. Most of them make sense.
I get bored and spend a while diagnosing myself in regard to several highly contagious and possibly lethal diseases. I get back to the grind. I learn that alcohol affects the body's ability to absorb water, which explains that whole dehydration thing. I also learn that when the body can't absorb water, sometimes it'll absorb the toxic booze instead, leading to an "outpouring" of the booze. I learn that WebMD can be very graphic.
I close my laptop. I go for a walk. Bowdoin students pepper the Quad in their Birkenstocks and flannels, like speckles of toothpaste spat in a sink.
Indian summer is nice, I think. Then I wonder why it's called that.
"Why is this called Indian summer?" I ask a frisbee player on the grass.
"Don't be so PC," she says.
I ask someone else.
"Aren't you supposed to be in temple today?" they say.
I Google "Is it okay to call Indian Summer 'Indian Summer'" and learn nothing. Perhaps I'll never really know whether abstinence is the right way to stop college alcoholism, or if Indian Summer is appropriative, or if this girl my cousin knows really used her FASFA money to buy Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka and a flat-screen TV.
I sink onto the grass and pull out a Mike's.
B bikes by. "That's illegal," she calls to me.
"I'm breaking the fast," I tell her. "It's fine."
- October 24
DJ of the Week: Alex Mathieu '15
Why did you get involved in WBOR?Alex Mathieu: One of my good friends, Jennifer Goetz '15, had a radio show with another student so I thought I would give it a try.
Why is your show called "That One Chick Radio?"AM: Isn't it obvious? It's just me.
What kinds of music do you play?AM: I try to do a theme every week. Last week was R&B-themed, this week will be '80s-themed. It varies week to week.
How do you choose which songs to play for each theme?AM: Just my own personal interest. I mean, I have a wide array of taste in music. I personally like the '80s, so I play music from the '80s and I also like R&B.
How do you want your listeners to feel while tuned into your show?AM: I want them to feel happy that they're listening to my songs and excited that they're finding new music.
If you could choose one lyric to define your life, what would it be?AM: It's definitely going to be from a Fall Out Boy song. Probably, "Isn't it messed up how I'm just dying to be him?" from "Sugar We're Going Down." A quintessential Fall Out Boy lyric.
What era would you travel back in time to for the best music?AM: I don't want to go any farther back than the '90s. It was a good mix of grunge, super pop with boy and girl bands, weird urban funk, and hip-hop making this really weird shift to electric but still trying to maintain its '80s groove.
What is your favorite throwback song?AM: "Say My Name," by Destiny's Child.
If you could see any performer from any period of time, who would it be?AM: It would probably be Michael Jackson circa the "Thriller" album.
What do you think are the most important parts of having WBOR on campus?AM: I think it's a great form of self-expression. I relate to music in different ways and it helps me sort through my feelings. It also introduces the local Brunswick community to different types of music, different styles, especially if mainstream pop isn't doing it so much.
If you have one song that you know can always pump you up, what would it be and why?AM: There is a song that always pumps me up, but it's weird because I like rap and hip-hop to a certain extent but they're not my niche. For some reason, Ludacris' "Get Back" always gets me pumped for anything. I don't know what it is about that song but for tests, workouts, exams, presentations, it's Ludacris' "Get Back."
What are your favorite aspects of music?AM: I listen to a lot of Japanese—Korean and bossa nova too—and I don't necessarily understand all of what they're saying but a good beat is important.There was a reason why, when I was 13, I listened to a lot of Evanescence and Fall Out Boy: I was a little angsty kid. The lyrics mean a lot to me, but it's how [the beat and the lyrics] work in relation to each other. If the beat is good, then yes I'll like the song, but if the lyrics are really good and the beat is so-so, I'll still groove to that song.
Are there any genres of music that you won't listen to?AM: I won't lie. I refuse to listen to screamo. I would say that although I understand why some genres are just not for everyone, giving each genre a chance is not a bad idea as well. I wouldn't say I enjoy country all that much, but there are some country songs that I like. I feel like there is a song for everyone in every genre. Maybe not in screamo for me, but that's my personal preference.
What else are you involved with here at Bowdoin?AM: I'm an R.A. on Residential Life, I'm on the Judicial Board and I co-direct an a cappella group.
Alex Mathieu '15 hosts WBOR's "That One Chick Radio" on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to noon.
- October 17
Minimalist Salon at Art Museum plays host to music, art
Beckwith Artist-in-Residence George Lopez performed an evening of minimalist music, including works by Philip Glass, Avro Part and John Adams, for the Thursday Night Salon at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art last week. Students, faculty and community members attended the event, which was put on in conjunction with the current museum exhibition, "Richard Tuttle: A Print Retrospective."
"As is quintessential of [Lopez], he not only brings together music and art, but also brings together members of the community," said Anne Goodyear, co-director of the Museum.
Lopez performed prototypes of minimalist music, ranging from pieces composed with a 12-tone system to those with small recurring repetitions. According to Lopez, minimalist music involves the "emancipation of dissonance," and a "movement away from tonality," using fewer elements to create form in sound. The repetitions in the music help keep the audience oriented as they listen to this non-traditional musical form.
The concept of stripping away the non-essential elements in music is mirrored in Tuttle's minimalist and conceptual art.
"There's power in the small," said Lopez, getting up from his piano to point to Tuttle's prints.Lopez sprinkled discussion of the pieces he performed throughout the evening, relating them to the art in the gallery and how both drew on minimalist ideals. The minimalist movement, both in art and music, he explained, was about artistic endeavors at the fringe of society. The notion of drawing meaning from the barest art forms defied the ideals of mainstream postwar art.
Minimalism, Lopez continued, fosters the idea that art can and should be experienced directly, without mediation. It encourages people to experience art, whether it be visual art or music, at its surface.
And just as the works of Satie, Glass and other minimalist artists reframe the standard musical landscape, the artwork in the Tuttle exhibit takes things out of their ordinary contexts, forcing audiences to view them in their immediacy.
"It's the idea of a thing unto itself," said Lopez. "The artwork itself is making you do something."
The concept of tuning into "the small" resonated for Claire Day '18.
"I liked the concept that the 'big picture' is important, and that's what we train ourselves to think about. But recognizing the small is important too," said Day.
Lopez suggested that our perspective often tends to overgeneralize. According to him, minimalism is about "waking up to the detail" that gets clouded by the human desire to categorize. The gathering of people at an event like the Thursday Night Salon is all part of experiencing art.
Lopez also raised awareness to the custom of applauding at the end of a piece. Clapping is a way to expel the energy with which the music filled us, he said. Lopez then asked the audience to question whether or not applause felt like a natural response to the the works performed, which tended to create more of an "experiential balance."
Along with piano music by Lopez, the event featured special performances from violinist Hannah Renedo '18 and Assistant Professor of Dance Charlotte Griffin.
Jude Marx '18 was impressed with the overall tone of the event.
"I was surprised by how emotionally moved I was," said Marx. "I expected it to be more of an intellectual engagement."
- October 17
Pop-Up Museum draws eclectic mix of travel objects
Students passing by Morrell Lounge in Smith Union last Wednesday night had the opportunity to strike up conversations with strangers about objects as foreign as a blowgun from the Amazon and astragalus plants from Argentina and as familiar as a Batman mask.
Starting last November, Hawthorne-Longfellow Library, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum and the Bowdoin College Museum of Art have collaborated to create an annual series of Pop-Up Museums at Bowdoin. Susan Kaplan, director of the Arctic Museum, defines the event as a place "where people bring things that they collect and have wonderful stories about" to display and share with others.
Kaplan called the event "a good icebreaker" for students and the Brunswick community.This year's theme was "Wish You Were Here!" Students, faculty and community members were encouraged to bring items that they found or bought on their travels around the world, or even right around the corner.Kermit Smyth, a mineral collector and Brunswick local, was on his way to collect minerals one day when he passed by a yard sale. He saw two vases and thought they looked interesting. After extensive research on one vase, he learned that it had an estimated value of $300. Smyth decided to submit the vase to the Pop-Up Museum, saying that it had an "unusual design, [was] difficult to identify, [was] difficult to put an age on and [had] a good story to tell."
Peter Nardozzi, another Brunswick resident, wanted to tell a story as well as teach people new information with his object. He brought a blowgun used to paralyze and kill monkeys with a drug made from plants found in the Amazon. The drug used in the gun is the same one used in hospitals right before a patient is intubated.
Nardozzi said that last year he brought a Red Sox program from the 1970s and has much more "strange stuff" in his house for next year.
Another submission came from Brunswick local Otto Emersleben. He took a photo of a man in a tearoom in Baba Bukala, Pakistan in 1977. When he came home from his trip he realized that he had the exact same teapot and cup the man in the photo was holding. Emersleben had traveled to Baba Bukala in 1970 and had bought it at that time. He thought the coincidence was a good story.
At the first Pop-Up Museum last year, Emersleben brought a piece of the Berlin Wall from a trip to Berlin in early 1990 along with an old newspaper dated November 10, 1989, featuring stories about the collapse of the wall.
Last year's Pop-Up Museum was located in the Arctic Museum in Hubbard Hall, but took place in Smith Union this year due to the large number of people expected to attend.Kaplan, Smyth and Emersleben said they were all a bit disappointed by this year's turnout, which they thought was lower than last year's.
In 2013, at least 100 people attended the event, while this year there have been far fewer attendees and fewer people who brought items.
Even though the turnout lessened this year, Kaplan is content with the exhibit and the overall experience of the Pop-Up Museum.
"The point is people have come and people are talking to each other," she said. She called the event an opportunity "for people to get to know each other and share stories."
Kaplan also described the show as "a giant adult show-and-tell [where people can share] things that they care a lot about."
Last year's theme was "Your Favorite Things." Some of Kaplan's favorite items were a Cuneiform tablet someone inherited from her great grandmother and Smyth's collection of animal beer caps.
Kaplan said the long-term goal is to continue to have a Pop-Up Museum every year with a different theme. She hopes to put together a Pop-Up Museum where students can display items they have in their dorm rooms, because according to Kaplan, anyone can contribute to a successful pop-up exhibition.
- October 17
Hipster drivel: A weekend to revolutionize local music scene
It's mid-October and Bowdoin students have found themselves—inexplicably, astonishingly and possibly for the very first time—in the unenviable position of prioritizing which concert venue they'd like to patronize on a Friday night. I mean patronize in one sense of the word when I refer to Port City Music Hall and in the other sense when I refer to Colby College.
On Friday evening, and no doubt into witching-hour Saturday, both establishments will be alit with the flame only live music can bring. This flame will be punctuated only by the flitting of bearded Portlanders doing their best CBB cat impersonations, and college students acting the part of debonair Portlanders. Neither will succeed, though that hardly matters.
Never underestimate the spiritual healing power of a concert. Rejoice, driveling hipsters of Bowdoin: a musical renaissance is upon us.
I refer, of course, to We Were Promised Jetpacks' lamentably pedestrian arrival in Portland and Chance the Rapper's spontaneous decision to tour schools already disappointed by Macklemore. For a city and a college that has booked, in recent memory, Skrillex and Wiz Khalifa, this is indeed a renaissance.
I leave it up to my readers to decide which brand of diatonic delivery—Scottish braying or frenetic free association—best satisfies their nocturnal needs, though I can offer some advice for students looking to up their indie cred.
At Port City, order a local brew (or, if underaged, a tonic water, no ice) and whisper a bit too loudly to the Portlanders around you that the only reason you're here is to see the opener, The Twilight Sad. Bonus points if you can work in a joke about Scottish independence, or heckle them with Frightened Rabbit lyrics. At Colby, simply look dour and unapproachable, with a scowl that states—not screams—"I go to Bowdoin."
Not that we have to nurse our superiority complex for long. After all, Saturday night brings noisy surf-rock poster boy Wavves and his punkish super soaker sound to Morrell Lounge. Time will tell how kindly Maine autumn and 2014 treats his music, though I remain cautiously optimistic, if only because I retain a pinch of nostalgia for the time when musicians added a redundant consonant to their names.
Between his hyped sophomore effort "Wavvves" and "Afraid of Heights," the album he apparently released last year, Nathan Williams has amassed an array of tight, catchy tunes about sunshine, alcohol and bikinis. Since Saturday's event will feature, at best, two-thirds of the content of Williams' auditory output, students ought to apply whichever they can get their hands on vigorously. I, for one, will be leaving my Best Coast tanning oil at home.Pending any unforeseeable disaster, Wavves will be the first fall concert I've attended at Bowdoin, and I intend to enjoy it immensely. In 2011, a failed attempt to change Bowdoin students' narcotic of choice from alcohol to marijuana was thwarted when contract hysterics caused Neon Indian and his chilled out psychadelia to withdraw last minute. Surfer Blood went on in his stead. I am told he is Kreayshawn's cousin. However, I can't vouch for the veracity of this, for I was at the Cumberland County Civic Center with my father—and possibly the newly outed Deadhead Paul Franco—seeing Furthur, a jam band formed out of the dregs of the Grateful Dead.
My sophomore year, I was shacked up in Reed House, taking the term "lock-in" much too seriously to bother checking out RJD2. Last year, as my readers surely regretted, I was studying in England and not writing about music. (Instead, I wrote about pasties and saw Godspeed You! Black Emperor).
Usually, fall semester is a much more agreeable time for live music at Bowdoin than its spring sibling. Over the past month, I have seen Future Islands and Sun Kil Moon work magic for their Portland audiences in two very different ways. If I trust the musical taste of a punk legend turned medievalist, I'll be seeing Quintron and Miss Pussycat at the Space Gallery in November. Our tiny music scene, though once a crime scene witnessing the death of Galaxie 500, has never quite bulged like this before.
Hopefully, the E-Board can bring someone to #Ivies150 who neither graduated from Tufts nor will break the endowment. My suggestions: Hansen (a band only '90s kids will remember), a newly revitalized Death Grips, The Pizza Underground, a CD playing Robert Pollard's "Relaxation of the Asshole" or GWAR.
Until then, this weekend will suffice. I'll go to Wavves, and possibly Chance, or perhaps just dance to the new Flying Lotus album. Bowdoin super-senior Tanner Horst, both older than granite and hewn from marble, says it's some "next-level shit." Either way, the weekend will rock.
- October 17
Portrait of an artist: Stevie Lane '15
It's hard to believe that simple loops of metal wire can be transformed into complex forms like hands and feet, but Stevie Lane '15 makes it possible. She is exploring the twists and turns of wire sculpture through an independent study with Sculptor-in-Residence John Bisbee.
Lane is using this semester to make a self-portrait out of black annealed rebar wire, playing off a similar project that she enjoyed in Sculpture II.
"Bowdoin doesn't have [a sculpture course] after Sculpture II, so I spoke with Bisbee and asked if I could do an independent study with him in wire, since that was something I really loved when I did it in Sculpture II," said Lane.
"Bisbee was really encouraging in terms of what I made [for that assignment], so that was really my kind of reason for wanting to continue to explore my ability to articulate shapes with wire and work with realism instead of the abstract," she said.
The personal power of a self-portrait interested Lane.
"Self-portraits are so much a part of the tradition of drawing...I can't draw well, but I see this as my own interpretation of the self-portrait assignment—just that it's three dimensional and my "graphite" is the wire itself!" she added in an email to the Orient.
Lane hopes that this self-portrait—set in heroic scale, which is about one and a half times the size of her own body—will ultimately be free-standing. However, making a large structures like a full-body self-portrait and having it support itself will be a challenging task.
Since she doesn't weld or solder the wire, "There's potential for [the sculpture] to be a lot weaker," said Lane. "You also have to come up with creative ways to attach things."
Therefore, her final project, which will go on display in the beginning of December, may not end up being a fully-formed figure but instead a series of body parts like hands. To Lane, the final product is not her only goal for the independent study.
"You really get to learn...about your material," she said. "By narrowing your focus, you have to push yourself to dig deeper...and [to see] what comes out of that."
Lane is more familiar with the "hot" connections created by glue or soldering than the type of work she is currently pushing herself to explore.
"Ever since I was really young…[my mom and I] used to put down newspaper and get hardware like nuts and bolts and s-hooks…I used to make these little animals by hot gluing hardware together," she said.
Lane is a Government and Legal Studies major with an English minor and hasn't taken any visual arts courses outside of sculpture. However, she said Bisbee is one of her favorite professors.
"This independent study is just an excuse to get to work closely with him," she said."He, I think, is somehow able to get everybody to produce the best work that they possibly could and I don't even know how he does it," said Lane.
While she has at times considered a career in art, it seems that sculpting and metal-working will remain a serious hobby.
"I don't really know how far I could pursue art. I don't even know how I'd begin, but it's definitely something that I'm always going to do on the side, something I do do all the time when I'm at home," she said.
Lane's involvement on campus extends beyond her sculpture. She also hosts a radio show, co-leads the volunteer program Book Buddies where students work with ESL students at local schools, contributes to the literary magazine The Quill, and pole vaulted on the varsity track team up until this year. Next semester, she will be pursuing an independent study in creative writing, her other artistic interest.
- October 3
Craft Center's "pop-up" classes attract curious students
The Bowdoin Craft Center has struck a chord on campus this fall by offering free, spontaneous "pop-up classes" in Smith Union three times a month. These classes encourage students to drop in and make small decorations for their dorm rooms, and attendees do not need Craft Center memberships.The pop-up classes are new this year, but they are already becoming popular with students as an enjoyable way to de-stress during the week and become involved with the Craft Center.This past Monday night, Lonie Ellis and Rose Nelson, both teaching artists at Bowdoin, offered a pop-up class where students could design their own dorm room lampshades. Although the pop-up class was only supposed to run until 8 p.m., it was so popular that students stayed until 10 p.m. when they ran out of supplies. The quick, "make and take" nature of the pop-up classes allows students to stop by on their way through the Union. More students participate in the pop-up classes than scheduled Craft Center classes because they can stay anywhere from five minutes to the full two hours and do not have to sign up in advance.Bonnie Pardue, who is leading the initiative, is the director of the Craft Center and has been working at Bowdoin for 25 years. She saw a demand for the pop-up classes and wanted to offer them so that more Bowdoin students could take advantage of the Craft Center. She hopes to work with students in determining the future of these classes. "I love talking to the students and getting to know them. It's the highlight of my job," said Pardue. "If students send me an email with a project they want to do, we can make sure that happens."The Craft Center has advertised pop-up classes through the Orbit Digest, and also promoted them through word of mouth. "I am a proctor and I would certainly advise my kids to come here," said Arhea Marshall '15, who attended the Monday lampshade class.Nelson said that Bowdoin's new initiative is part of a larger pop-up trend happening in the art world. "It is really going to catch on," she said. "It's a trend that's happening with pop-up art shows in Portland. It's just the way things are going. It absolutely makes sense."In early October, the Craft Center will be offering a pop-up class called "Bees, Bees and more Bees"—with a beekeeping talk and demonstration from a local beekeeper—and a mending class, at which a local seamstress will teach students basic sewing skills.On October 29 the Craft Center will host a "Witchcraft Night," with Halloween-themed crafts such as cookie decorating and mask making.The pop-up classes will continue to be offered throughout the year, and could become a permanent fixture in Smith Union on weekday nights. "We'll have to continue running them, now that they're so popular," said Pardue, "We ran out of supplies last time, even though we bought a lot of extras."
- October 3
Snapshot: Night at the Museum
- October 24
Women's rugby embarrasses Williams 111-0
The women's rugby team won its sixth game of the season on October 18, defeating Williams so thoroughly that the two-digit scoreboard couldn't display the 111-0 score. They remain undefeated.
A "try," the highest-scoring maneuver in rugby, is worth five points, meaning the team scored relentlessly throughout the 80 minutes of play.
Elena Schaef '16 described the festive atmosphere as one factor that contributed to the win.
"It was Homecoming Weekend, and we were also having a big celebration for our coach Mary Beth's 20th year of coaching at Bowdoin," said Schaef. "We probably had 50 alums on the sideline cheering us, so that was really inspirational for the girls on the field."
The team also credits some of the incredible play that led to the final score to the success it has already had this season.
"We played Colby the weekend before and they were supposed to be one of the more challenging teams we played and we played against them extremely well," said Katie Craighill'17. "We knew the Williams game was not going to be as much of a challenge so we knew we were going to have to challenge ourselves to play our best game."
Schaef emphasized the team's work ethic as well.
"Mary Beth has been talking about pushing us really hard in practice, so we don't get overconfident or sloppy before our tougher matches," she said.
With its eye on the upcoming New England Small College Rugby Conference (NESCRC) tournament in November, the team has had to focus on goals beyond winning its regular season games.
The team's last regular season game is on October 25 at Middlebury.
The NESCRC tournament is the only remaining event of the fall season, unless the team qualifies for the American Collegiate Rugby Association's annual tournament.
- October 24
Football loses early lead, falls to undefeated Trinity
The football team dropped its homecoming game against Trinity last Saturday in a close 17-10 contest. The Polar Bears held the lead until the fourth quarter when Trinity scored two touchdowns to secure the seven-point victory. The loss marked the end of a two game win streak and put Bowdoin's record at 2-3.
Although the end result was not favorable the Polar Bears played some of their best football of the season against the undefeated Bantams.
"We matched one of the top teams in the conference on Saturday," said linebacker Bjorn Halvorson '17. "Defensively we accomplished many of our goals and had our best performance of the season."
After neither team managed to score in the first quarter, Bowdoin put up the game's first points on the scoreboard with a 27-yard field goal by kicker Andrew Sisti '18 early in the second quarter.
"In the first half, we didn't make any mistakes and we played hard," said Head Coach Dave Caputi. "All in all, it went very well for a while and then it fell apart."
On Trinity's following possession, Bowdoin linebacker Branden Morin '16 intercepted Bantams' quarterback Henry Foye's pass at Trinity's 45 yard-line, returning it all the way for the touchdown.
The Polar Bears led 10-0 until just before halftime, when Trinity managed to march 50 yards up the field in 10 plays and score a 25-yard field goal.
Both teams failed to score on the following possessions. After a fumble recovery from linebacker Brendan Lawler '16, the Polar Bears tried to expand their lead with a field goal. However, Sisti missed from 41 yards out.
The Bantams drove 46 yards down the field in response, but turned over the ball at the Bowdoin 28-yard line when Foye was sacked by defensive linemen Tom Wells '15 and Jake Prince '15.
Trinity opened the fourth quarter with a six-play, 60-yard touchdown drive, tying the game 10-10 with 13:17 remaining. The drive was sparked by a big play from Trinity's senior running back Michael Budness that advanced the ball to the Bowdoin's 30-yard line. Four plays later, the Bantams' first year wide receiver Bryan Vieira caught a 15-yard pass for the touchdown.
On the following possession, Bowdoin failed to move the ball into the red zone and punted the ball back to Trinity. The Bantams—led by a 37-yard pass from Foye to wide reciever Ian Dugger—drove down the field 85 yards in ten plays. A back corner pass into the Bowdoin endzone sealed the drive and gave Trinity a 17-10 edge over Bowdoin with 6:22 left in the game.
The Polar Bears went three-and-out on their next possession, and the ball was returned to Trinity, who let the clock run out the final 5:26, leaving the final score at 17-10."Defensively, we played the best game we have all year as a unit," said Morin. "We had an unbelievable week of practice and I think that definitely showed. We have another tough opponent this week in Wesleyan, so we need to focus on carrying that same effort into practice this week."
Quarterback Mac Caputi '15 went 9-25 (36 percent) for 98 yards passing. Running back Tyler Grant '17 led the offense rushing for 85 yards on 27 carries. And senior wide receiver Christian Dulmaine caught three passes for 44 yards.
"We didn't generate enough offense and we just have to do some things differently," said Caputi.
On defense, Halvorson led the team with 14 tackles. Morin finished with nine tackles, a sack, 2.5 tackles for a loss, an interception and a pass breakup.
Bowdoin will travel to Connecticut tomorrow to play Wesleyan at 12:30 p.m. Wesleyan is 4-1 this season after losing to Amherst 30-33 last week in overtime.
"Wesleyan has a very good defense. They run the ball effectively on offense, and they're a veteran team," said Caputi. "They are a worthy adversary."
- October 24
Field hockey continues 6-game win streak
The field hockey team improved its record to 12-1 with wins at home against NESCAC foe Connecticut College and Rhodes College.
In Saturday's Homecoming game against the Camels, the Polar Bears struck first when Rachel Kennedy '16 scored in the first two minutes of the game.
"Scoring an early goal was crucial in setting the tone, and it got Conn. College on their heels early on," said Head Coach Nicky Pearson.
Kennedy went on to score two more times in the first half. She and captain Colleen Finnerty '15 led the team with three goals each. Senior camptain Pam Herter, Kimmy Ganong '17 and Juliana Fiore '18 each scored a goal to add to Bowdoin's lead.
"What's great about our team is that everyone has the expectation and pressure to score when they're on the field," Kennedy said. "We always talk about that. When we're on the field, each of us has a responsibility to do what we need to do."
The Polars Bears outshot the Camels 26-4. Hannah Gartner '15 made three stops for the Polar Bears in the net before Liz Rill '17 subbed in and played the final nine minutes as goalkeeper. Conn. College did not score until the team capitalized on a penalty corner right as time expired.
Bowdoin's nine goals were the most they had scored in any game this season. Pearson believes that part of Saturday's success had to do with the fact that it was Homecoming Weekend. "I think the players knew that there were a lot of alumni that were back that they really respect, so it was really important for them to play well," Pearson said. "I think they were really up for this game."
The Polar Bears won Tuesday's nonconference game against Rhodes 7-1. The Lynx drew first blood when they scored seven minutes into the game.
"We had a slow start, and giving up an early goal made us play with more intensity and effort," Pearson said. "We adjusted our positioning in the midfield, and our defense stepped up to the ball better."
Bowdoin scored seven unanswered goals to win the game, and for the second straight game, Kennedy scored first for the Polar Bears. She finished the game with four goals, bringing her season total to 21 of the 52 goals scored this season. Ganong scored twice, and Adrienne O'Donnell '15 scored once as Bowdoin outshot Rhodes 34-4.
The team is currently on a six-game win streak. The Polar Bears have outscored their opponents 37-2 during this streak. Kennedy thinks the team's success so far is a result of strong coaching and team history.
"I think a lot comes from our coach," Kennedy said. "Every week we have something to work on or build up going into the next game."
Despite the way the team has been playing, Pearson believes that there is always room for improvement.
"We had some defensive breakdowns against Connecticut College," Pearson said. "Some of our passing wasn't as accurate as it needs to be, and there were some times when we were a little careless in how we were playing the ball and making a simple situation into a pressured situation. We're going to be working on that."
The team has already qualified for the NESCAC tournament and will finish their regular season with an away game at Colby on October 25 and a home game against Tufts on October 29.
"Honestly, we have enough wins to qualify for the NESCAC tournament, but we're not really thinking about it," Pearson said. "Colby is always a huge battle because of the school rivalry, and they're really talented, and that's the same with Tufts. We always have a very close game with Tufts."
- October 24
Men's soccer splits play in last weekend's matches
On Saturday, the men's soccer team won 2-0 at home against Connecticut College. The following day at Babson, Bowdoin was defeated 1-0 in double overtime. In the first half against Conn. College neither team managed a goal.
"I don't think we played very well in the first half," Head Coach Scott Wiercinski said. "I thought we got pushed around a little bit because they're a very athletic, physical team."
That changed in the second half. Thomas Henshall '15 opened the scoring for the Polar Bears in the 56th minute. Henshall fired a shot in the lower left corner after Kiefer Solarte '16 dribbled past the Camels' defense and played a cross for the assist.
"I thought Kiefer was the man of the match," Wiercinski said. "He defended their talented left-winger really well and provided the assist on the first goal, so he got it done on both ends of the field. I thought both our outside backs were really good."
In the 72 minute, Cedric Charlier '17 doubled the Polar Bears advantage with an assist from Sam Ward '18. Ward passed to Charlier in the box, who, facing away from the goal, locked his defender behind him and turned and shot the ball into the lower left corner of the net. It was the first goal of the year for Charlier, who was sidelined with an injury for most of the season.
"We're very excited to have him back," Wiercinski said. "He's a big, strong kid so when the game is athletic and physical that's when he can do really well. He gets things done—sometimes awkwardly—but he makes a big difference for what we're capable of doing."
With the win, the Polar Bears improved to 8-4 overall and 4-4 in the NESCAC, while the Camels fell to 5-7-1 overall and 2-5-1 in conference play. Conn. College finished with eight shots, five on goal, while Bowdoin finished with nine shots, seven on target.
Against Babson, both teams were held scoreless all the way into double overtime, where Babson scored in the first 35 seconds. Bowdoin's best chances came in the second half. In the 50th minute Ward hit a strike from 25 yards out that the Beavers' goalkeeper knocked down. Later, Matt Dias Costa '17 missed just outside the six yard box.
"I thought we did enough to create a few chances, but not a lot of chances," Wiercinski said. "I don't think we gave up many chances either."
"I would say people were tired," captain Eric Goitia '15 said. "But Babson had two games in two days too, so that's not an excuse we're using. I thought we did well against Babson. Our numbers were low and some guys got injured early on so I thought we did well considering the limited amount of players that we had."
Bowdoin finished with 11 shots, three of which were on goal, and the Beavers finished with 16 shots, six on goal.
"A lot of guys have been hurt, but we got a lot of guys stepping up and doing well and we're hoping to get a handful of our injured players back," Wiercinski said.
The Polar Bears visit Colby tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. and then welcome Tufts on Wednesday for their season finale.
- October 24
Women's tennis swings past competition in home tourney
The women's tennis team took to the courts this Homecoming weekend as hosts of the Bowdoin Invitational, the team's final event of its fall season. Bowdoin went a combined 24-12 in its matches over the weekend against athletes from Wellesley, Tufts and Bates.
After claiming All American status with their fourth place finish at the ITA Small College Nationals in South Carolina two weeks ago the doubles pair of Emma Chow '15 and Tess Trinka '18 split up, each playing with other team members as the squad tries to get its best rotation together for the spring season.
The two may have missed the connection they created over the fall season as Trinka, paired with Pilar Giffenig '17, went 2-2 in their doubles matches and Chow went 2-1 with her new partner Cory Alini '18. In singles the two were much more successful—Chow won all four of her matches while Trinka played an even 2-2 in hers.
Sam Stalder '17 and Kyra Silitch '17 played well for the Polar Bears, with Stalder wining both of her two singles matches, and Silitch going 2-1 in her three matches.
The team will inaugurate its spring season during March break when it travels to California to play top D-III competition on the West Coast. Co-captain Tiffany Cheng '16 will return from a semester abroad to help the Polar Bears build off of their elite eight finish in last year's D-III national championships.
- October 24
Athlete of the Week: Colleen Finnerty '15
Field Hockey
Colleen Finnerty '15 scored three goals on penalty corners in the field hockey team's 9-1 win over Connecticut College on Saturday and added an assist in Tuesday's 7-1 win over Rhodes. The Polar Bears allowed only four shots in its victory Tuesday.
Finnerty, a defender and team captain, has scored four goals in three games and commands the left side of a defensive unit that has allowed just five goals in 13 games. Connecticut College's lone goal in the game came just as time expired after the Bowdoin starting defense had been pulled.
Finnerty has taken penalty corners all season for the team, and she believes the team's 34-goal scoring streak over five games results partially from conversions on these set plays. Penalty corners are widely considered a team's best chance of scoring, and Finnerty estimated that as many as four of the five goals scored against Williams, and about five of seven scored against Southern Maine, were scored off of corners.
"She's the quarterback of the corner," captain Pam Herter '15 said. "She's involved in every single goal we score off of the corner, regardless of whether she's the one who puts the ball in the back of the net."
Rhodes' goal on Tuesday also represented the first time Bowdoin's starters had allowed a goal off of a penalty corner.
"I don't think this is a stat you could look up, but if you could, you'd see how many defensive saves she had." Herter said. "She's really robbed a lot of teams of their goals."
While Finnerty is the oldest of Bowdoin's nearly impenetrable defensive line, she has arguably the least experience at the position, and perhaps at the game itself. An ice hockey player first, she picked up field hockey in high school when she was required to fill her fall season. Field hockey was an obvious choice. "If it has anything to do with hockey, you play it," she said.
Finnerty came to Bowdoin to play ice hockey and walked on to the field hockey team, though Head Coach Nicky Pearson was already aware of her. Finnerty's high school coach is a Bowdoin Field Hockey alumna and was eager to refer a potential Polar Bear for recruitment. Pearson has been tremendously successful at developing ice hockey players to excell at field hockey, despite their comparatively limited experience with the game. Such players are often able to leverage the athleticism they gain from ice hockey to create advantages for themselves, and Finnerty is no exception.
"She pops up where you have no idea how she got there or where she came from," Kim Kahnweiler '16 said.
Pearson also acknowledges that Finnerty's experience playing ice hockey can be seen when playing field hockey.
"She's always had a great stick and good hands," she said. "She stops the ball cleanly and handles the ball well."
A forward on the ice, she started as a field hockey midfielder before transitioning to defense her junior year so she could help fill the holes created by graduated seniors.
An offensive-minded player by nature, Finnerty worried about this transition to defense, but was told she could roam up the field as long as she could get back to play defense. In addition, Pearson teaches the entire team to move forward and backward with the ball, so the defense can move as far up the field as the offensive 25-yard-line.
"I had to learn how to play defense last year," Finnerty said. "It's a different set of skills that you have to learn to use all of the time."
"At this point I've stopped worrying about whether she's going to get back," Kahnweiler said. "There were times when we were still learning that I would get a little nervous. Now I wouldn't give it a second thought. "
"She's key in our transition game and also a scoring threat." added Pearson. "She truly has an impact all over the field."
- October 24
Red sox fans bleed blue too: root for the Royals
The last time that World Series baseball graced the field of Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, Arnold Schwarzenegger was dominating the box office and a 22-year-old named Whitney Houston had just landed her first No. 1 single. Ronald Reagan was finishing the first year of his second term, and Mikhail Gorbachev was just begginning his time at the helm of the Soviet Union.
After 29 years of saying, "wait 'til next year," the Royals are back in the World Series. As a Red Sox fan, I'm part of a fan base that historically has known that phrase all too well. After three World Series titles in the past decade, it's easy to forget that Red Sox fans spent 86 years waiting for the next year.
This October marks the tenth anniversary of ending that 86-year drought. Behind Big Papi's clutch hitting, Dave Roberts' steal and Curt Schilling's bloody sock, the Red Sox pulled off that magic comeback against the Yankees in the ALCS and swept the Cardinals in the World Series to break the Curse of the Bambino. Sox fans could forget about Aaron Boone, Bill Buckner, Bucky Dent and the Great Bambino himself. "Next year" finally became this year.
Granted, I was too young to remember any of those names besides Boone, but I was still part of a nation of fans who collectively exhaled for the first time since 1918.
And despite the recent success of the Red Sox, we have an obligation as Sox fans to remember our tortured past and appreciate every moment of triumph, because the next 86-year drought may have already started. Furthermore, we should identify with those that are still burdened by the weight of anticipation.
Twentynine years is far fewer than 86, but it has been a brutal 29 years for the Royals faithful. The Royals hadn't made the playoffs since that 1985 season, and they finished third or lower in their division in every season after 1995. Although the Red Sox went 86 years between World Series titles, they only once came close to matching the Royals playoff drought, and that was a 28 year stretch from 1918 to 1946.
The Royals do not have the financial clout of big market teams like the Red Sox or their World Series opponents, the San Francisco Giants. The Royals are 19th in the MLB in payroll at $92 million, while the Red Sox are fourth with $162 million and the Giants are seventh with $154 million.
Barring a tremendous surge in the world BBQ market that runs the Kansas City economy, the Royals will likely remain a middle-to-small-market team. Ace pitcher James Shields is destined to leave after the season as a free agent. Young stars like Salvador Perez, Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon will likely follow suit when they are eligible for free agency.
If this isn't the year for the Royals, there could be a long stretch of "waiting 'til next year" in the future.
I'm rooting for the Royals not only as a Red Sox fan, but also as a sports fan who loves the unscripted magic of the game. After 17 losing seasons in 20 years, who would have predicted that the Royals would be in the World Series this year? Who would have thought that a perennial, big-market powerhouse like the Yankees would miss the playoffs, with the small-market Royals still standing?
As much as we love fictional underdogs like Shane Falco, Rocky Balboa and Average Joe's Gym, the best stories in sports are those real-life surprises, like the comeback from the Sox in 2004.
On this 10th anniversary of the post-Bambino curse era, I'm jumping wholeheartedly on the Royals bandwagon and hoping that Royals fans will have their faith and patience rewarded. It may or may not be another 29 years until the next Series in Kansas City, but I hope that people will look back on this week in 2014 and see that Meghan Trainor dominated the billboard charts, Brad Pitt ruled the box office, and the Royals finally found "next year."
- October 24
Women's soccer regains stride with Homecoming win
Following a pair of conference losses against Hamilton and Williams two weeks ago, the women's soccer team took advantage of the festive atmosphere during Homecoming Weekend by dealing Connecticut College its second loss of the season in a 3-1 win at Pickard Field.
"We definitely had a very tough couple of games before fall break," said Maggie Godley '16. "However, we went into the Conn game with positive attitudes, and we were mentally prepared to fight for more wins."
During the opening half, the Polar Bears rallied to a 2-0 advantage despite being outshot by the Camels, racking up only five shots to Conn. College's nine.
The Camel's statistical dominance did not translate to the scoreboard, and Bowdoin keeper Bridget McCarthy '16 succeeded in fending off the attacks. Just two minutes into the game, she deflected a shot from the Camels' Michelle Medina, who kept the offensive pressure during the game's opening 15 minutes.
"We started off a little shaky, which allowed for Conn. to have the upper hand at first," Jamie Hofstetter '16 said. "Bridget was so key for us, because without her amazing saves, we could have been down by two or three goals. I really think that she was the reason we were able to flip the switch and put pressure on Conn. after those first minutes of struggling."
The Polar Bears became more aggressive after the wave of sustained assaults. Almost immediately after McCarthy made her third save in the 13th minute, Godley rifled a shot into the Camels' net after a feed from Hofstetter.
"Our goalie made a save, and our team was able to get the ball up the field relatively quickly," said Godley. "When Jamie dribbled forward and made an attacking run with the ball, she drew in the Camels' defenders, which left a lot of space open for me to score."
Hofstetter topped the ball into the Camel's net 17 minutes later, scoring a goal off the feed from Amanda Kinneston '15 and securing the Polar Bears' 2-0 advantage going into the second half of the game.
At the 77-minute mark, Abby Hammerl '17 sent another goal for the Polar Bears past the outstretched fingers of Camels keeper Bryanna Montalvo after a cross from Alexa Yurick '15. The Camels finally scored with just under five minutes remaining when Medina tallied their only goal.
Bowdoin closed out the game with 11 total shots and five fouls to the Camels' 14 shots and six fouls.
This Saturday the team will travel to Colby for an 11 a.m. match, its second-to-last game of the regular season.
"Colby will be a tough fight, but I have no doubt that we will come out against them the way we did this past weekend," said Hofstetter. "I think we have what it takes to win the NESCAC tournament this year as long as we continue to stay focused and work as hard as we always do."
- October 17
Caputi to step down after fall football season
During his 14 and a half seasons as head coach, the football team has a record of 35-81
Head Football Coach Dave Caputi, who has been a mainstay on campus since the start of the millenium, announced on Tuesday that he would be stepping down from his position at the conclusion of this season.
"After a good deal of thought and conversations with (Bowdoin Ashmead White Director of Athletics) Tim Ryan, I have decided that this will be my last season as head football coach at Bowdoin," said Caputi in his official statement on the Athletics website.
Caputi will finish out the rest of his 15th season with the College, and afterwards a national search will be conducted to find his replacement.
According to Caputi, he approached Ryan with his intentions to leave, and they decided to announce his decision as soon as possible for the sake of any recruits who were looking to come to Bowdoin next year.
"The decision was made [to announce his departure in the middle of the season] in order to make sure that the students who we are in the recruiting process with are able to make informed decisions about the composition of our coaching staff," said Ryan.
While the team is 2-2 this year, Caputi's overall record is 35-81 (.301), which is the lowest win percentage of any Bowdoin football coach who led the team for more than one year. However, only four multi-year coaches in Bowdoin's history achieved records over .500, and the program overall is only 392-498-44 (.419) in 123 years of play.
Over his tenure, Caputi's squad has taken home four Colby-Bowdoin-Bates championships and technically held the trophy for six years (2006-2011) because of several three-way ties. During the six year span, neither Colby nor Bates posted a single record above .500. 2005 was the only season during Caputi's tenure that his team went above a 4-4 record.
Unsurprisingly, Caputi has been targeted by members of the community who were disappointed in the football team's success over his career. Two years ago, the Orient posted an anonymous Letter to the Editor on its online blog that called for Caputi's removal from the College and many commenters debated the opinion of the letter passionately. The team finished 1-7 that season.
According to Ryan, the Athletics Department does not solely determine the success of its programs based on their overall win percentages.
"We evaluate the success of our programs in many different ways," Ryan said. "How successful we are against our competition is a component of that, but it's not near the top. The quality of the students that coaches are able to attract to Bowdoin, the character of those students that they bring to campus, the contributions that our programs make in the campus community and the greater Brunswick community—those types of things, as well as the leadership, technical and organizational skills that our coaches have that will position our students to be successful in terms of wins and losses [are more important]."
Jeff Ward, the former Athletics Director who brought Caputi to the College in 2000, said that the coach has received an unfair reputation among many members of the community.
"I think what people fail to realize is where the program was at when he took over," Ward said. "There were a lot of good guys on some of those early teams, but there was not a whole lot of talent. I don't think that Bill Parcells could have won a game [with that talent]. It was such an incredible challenge, and the fact that he maintained his work ethic and his philosophy while digging out of that hole is really a tribute to who he is."
Ward oversaw the transition to Caputi from the previous head coach, Howard Vandersea—who went 1-7 in his last season with the team. The Polar Bears did not find a win until Caputi's second year. In his first four seasons as head coach, Bowdoin was victorious on only two Saturdays.
"There's a bit of a luck in coaching," Ward added. "Both by his ability and his work ethic, [Caputi] should have been rewarded with a lot more wins than he saw. The biggest thing I feel is that people don't understand really how good of a coach he was."
For Caputi, the decision to leave his position was one of timing within his own life. His son, starting quarterback Mac Caputi '15, is graduating this year. He also has a daughter who is a first year at the college and another daughter who will be attending college soon.
Caputi said that his job has caused him to make many sacrifices in his personal life and that after 15 years of long nights and busy weekends, he is ready to take a break. Caputi said he often stays past midnight in his office at the Peter Buck Center for Health and Fitness, making calls to recruits on the West Coast and analyzing game tapes.
Furthermore, Caputi added that his almost non-stop work over the past 15 years has often come at a cost. For example, Caputi remarked that he was in his office for all but nine days last summer, and that for around six of those days, he was attending camps to watch potential recruits for next season.
"My family has had to make sacrifices in order for me to live this life," he said. Ward—who still remembers the reasons he hired Caputi—said he understood how the grind of being the head of the football program was one of the reasons why Caputi decided to step down."
"The qualities I saw in him then are the same things that I saw throughout his career," said Ward. "He is an exceptional person and I think that he is incredibly dedicated to the young men that he coaches, and that his values are exactly in line with those of Bowdoin and the NESCAC. I was in college athletics for three decades and he was probably the hardest-working person I ever saw."
Considering that the announcement came just days ago, Caputi admitted that he has not given any thought to what he wants to do after leaving Bowdoin.
As the athletics director, Ryan has a unique personal connection to Caputi. A former Bowdoin football player, Caputi hired Ryan as an assistant coach when he decided to return to collegiate athletics in 2005.
"Dave's been an important part of our community for a long time. He's a valued mentor and a friend," Ryan said. "I look forward to continuing our relationship after he moves on to new opportunities after this season."
Ward, who has maintained close contact with the Bowdoin community since leaving in 2012, made it clear what he thought of Caputi's announcement.
"It's a loss for the College," Ward said. "Bowdoin's a great place. Tim Ryan will run a great search. They'll get a very good coach, I'm sure. There just aren't a whole lot of Dave Caputis though."
- October 17
Football rebounds with consecutive wins
After a rough start to its season, the football team is currently enjoying a two-game win streak. Two weeks ago, the Polar Bears ended Tufts undefeated season, beating the Jumbos 33-20. Last week, Bowdoin beat Hamilton 30-24, rallying in the second half for the victory.
Running back Tyler Grant '17 had a school record 43 carrys for 203 yards and four touchdowns to propel the Polar Bears past the Jumbos on Whittier Field.
Bowdoin took the opening kick-off and drove steadily into the Jumbo red zone. After a 13-play drive, Grant rushed it in one yard for the touchdown, giving the Polar Bears a 6-0 lead after a failed two-point conversion attempt.
Tufts came right back at Bowdoin with a drive culminating in a 15-yard touchdown run by the Jumbo's Chance Brady. Tufts converted its point after to take a 7-6 lead. Bowdoin answered back quickly with a Grant one-yard touchdown run on the first play in the second quarter.
The Polar Bear offense failed to extend its lead after Bjorn Halvorson '17 intercepted the Jumbos, allowing Tufts to retake control of the game when it scored on its next possesion. Bowdoin struck back on its next possesion, culminating its drive with a Grant 12-yard rush to give the Polar Bears a 20-14 lead.
Bowdoin and Tufts continued to exchange blows in the second half. The Jumbos opened the half on a quick, 73-yard scoring drive to tie the game 20-20.
With the same consistency it showed in the first half, Bowdoin hit Tufts right back. During their opening drive of the half, wide receiver Seamus Power '16 made a remarkable one-handed catch for 19 yards to the Tuft's 13-yard line, setting the Polar Bears up for a field goal."I don't think that in my time here I've ever seen a catch like that," said Assistant Coach Chris Sapp. "It's the best catch I've seen by someone in the NESCAC."
Kicker Andrew Sisti '18 made another field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter, extending Bowdoin's lead to 26-20. Grant hammered the final nail into the coffin with a 42-yard touchdown run with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Bowdoin's defense held Tufts down for the rest of the game, sealing the 33-20 victory.
"It was crucial when the game got to 20-20," said Sapp. "It was bend don't break. We came right back at them and we played with high energy."
"In the fourth quarter, it felt really good to know we were about to beat a team that came out 2-0 in the beginning of the season," said Sisti. "To be able to make my first couple field goals for the team was definitely a relief, but at the same time exciting."
Quarterback Mac Caputi '15 shined in the Tufts game, throwing for 209-yards. Bowdoin proved that it could continue to play well and rise to full capacity after defeating Hamilton last Saturday.
The first quarter was slow for both teams with the only points scored on a field goal by the Continental's Zachary Altneu. Within the first few minutes of the second quarter, Sisti matched Hamilton's score with a field goal for the Polar Bears.
Bowdoin stepped up its game in the second half, scoring the only 10 points of the quarter, including a Jack Donovon '15 touchdown catch by, to give the Polar Bears a 16-10 lead going into the final quarter.
"The team came out with energy after halftime that was absolutely amazing to witness," said Macat.
The energy culminated in the fourth quarter. Defensive back Jon Fraser '15 intercepted a pass by Hamilton's quarterback Chase Rosenberg. The Polar Bears were able to take advantage of the turnover, ending their drive with a six-yard touchdown rush by Grant.
After a long scoring drive the Continentals thought they sucessfully converted an onside kick but were flagged for offsides, giving the Polar Bears great field position after Hamilton's next onside kick attempt failed.
Using the short field, Grant slipped through the defense, evaded the right tackle and rushed for 39 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown with two minutes remaining to give Bowdoin a 30-17 lead.
Hamilton wide receiver Amman Weaver returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. Cutting the Polar Bear lead to 30-24 with less than two minutes to go.
Bowdoin was not able to completley kill the clock and gave Hamilton the ball back with nine seconds remaining. The Polar Bears intercepted the Continentals hail mary attempt to seal the game on the next play.
The Polar Bears look forward to their homecoming game tomorrow against Trinity—a top ranked team in the NESCAC—at 12:30 p.m.