The Bowdoin Orient

Students returned to campus to find that a number of changes had been made to several buildings.

In an effort to raise awareness of instances of discrimination on campus, the Office of Student Affairs has introduced a "Campus and Community Index" and made specific changes to the first year Orientation program.

Toby Zitsman '13 decided to spend Tuesday night on a couch in Moulton Union's lobby in hopes of being the first in line for Wednesday's Phase II course registration, which began at 7:30 a.m. As it happened, his desperate efforts were unnecessary. "I slept over on one of the couches, but I didn't really need to," said Zitsman, who turned out to be the only person to camp out in a break with the tradition of recent years, when numerous students elected to sleep in Moulton Union on the night before Phase II registration.

What is your favorite song lyric, and from what song? Tucker Colvin: “This may not be the moment to tell you face to face, but I could wait forever for the perfect time and place” from “Elaborate Lives” by Aida. James Henry: “Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow, don’t worry ’bout what you don’t know, life’s a dance you learn as you go” from “Life’s a Dance” by John Michael Montgomery.

Last Wednesday, Joseph Taylor dove to the depths of American history in a talk on his work surveying the continent's marine landscape. Marine environmental history aims "to historicize the nature of oceans and put that in conversation with human history," said Taylor, associate professor of history and geography at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia.

One need not travel to the Middle East to learn about diversity in Israel. Tonight's screening of "Shiva" will bring to life the story of a Jewish Morrocan family in mourning.

Yesterday, students got a taste of German cinema directly from an expert in the field.

Drawer and printmaker Amze Emmons gave a lecture about his work titled "Refugee Architecture and other Systems of Daily Experience" on Monday.

Favorite line from Rebecca Black's hit song on YouTube, "Friday"? Gus Vergara: "Gotta have my bowl." Jimmy Rohman: "Gotta have cereal."

This evening's Hillel event will lend students a view into the rich cultural diversity of the modern Israeli state. Cinematographer Yoav Kosh will visit campus for a screening and discussion of the Israeli film "Shiva," directed by an acclaimed Israeli actress Ronit Elkabetz and her brother Shlomi Elkabetz.

For many people, traveling across the United States is a lifelong goal that too often goes unachieved. Greta Van Campen '05, however, will set out on her cross-country journey with a unique purpose; she plans to paint a portrait of America.

Students recognize Lauren Sweetman as the person who smiles graciously when she signs them up for an appointment in the Career Planning Center, but few ever guess Sweetman is the same person who for 20 years sang in barbershop choruses and repaired boats. Sweetman's professional career has introduced her to many lines of work, culminating in her post at the Career Planning Center.

The residents of Brunswick will gather at the sight of the historic Town Hall building on May 15—not for a meeting, but rather an opportunity to shop. The former Grand City building on Maine Street, which closed two years ago, is currently being renovated into Town Hall Place. The location will house Kip Stone's sixth retail store, Cool As A Moose, which sells Maine-themed clothing.

When classes began last Tuesday at the University of Southern Maine (USM), students were welcomed by an artistic addition to campus. In the entrance corridor just outside the Osher Map Library, a mural painted by Bowdoin Professor of Art Mark Wethli awaited their arrival.

The demolition of Bowker House has been delayed to February 2011 because the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) must advertise the bid on it first, said Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration & Treasurer Katy Longley. The MDOT will advertise the Bowker House bid to contractors and construction firms that may want take up the project. Only after the contractors are selected can the demolition and repaving process begin.

What song do you like to sing at the top of your lungs? It’s actually a lyric from the Broadway play “Rent”: “Let’s Go Oooooouuuuttttt Tonight!”

What song do you like to sing at the top of your longs? Katie: "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cindi Lauper. Put's a smile on my face every time. Ella: Well, actually I prefer duets. Katie and I do a magical a cappella rendition of Hall and Oates' "You Make My Dreams Come True."

Finish the sentence: If music be the food of love... ... then play on. You can't top Shakespeare's words so why try?

Julia MacDonald '13 & Hannah Young '13

Thousands flock to New York City every summer for big-shot internships or jobs. With an iPhone in her hand, senior Lauren Gesswein ended up capturing some big shots of her own.

What is your favorite lyric, and from what song? There's a serious tossup between "Hello my love, I heard a kiss from you / Red magic satin playing near, too / All through the morning rain I gaze, the sun doesn't shine / Rainbows and waterfalls run through my mind," (Shuggie Otis' "Strawberry Letter 23") and "Cash rules everything around me, CREAM / Get the Money, dollah, dollah bill ya'll" (Wu-Tang Clan's "C.R.E.A.M.").

What is your favorite lyric, and from what song? The answer to this always changes, but right now it has retreated to Belle and Sebastian's "But if there's one thing that I learned when I was still a child it's to take a hiding" (from "I Don't Love Anyone"). It's exactly what you think it means.

International performers the Lydian String Quartet (LSQ) will join cellist Rhonda Rider in a "Quintetssentials" performance at Studzinski Recital Hall on Sunday.

Once again, Bowdoin's Dining Service takes the cake. The College regained its status of having the "Best Campus Food" as determined by the Princeton Review's most recent college rankings.

Assistant Baseball and Football Coach Trevor Powers '06 was arrested for Operating Under the Influence (OUI) on Sunday, April 25 at 1:31 a.m. on Coffin Street, according to public records on the Brunswick Police Department (BPD) website.

Every year, nearly 6,000 students apply to Bowdoin College. Of the one-sixth accepted, nearly half chooses to matriculate. And every year, the Office of Admissions strives for a "diverse" graduating class. Diversity, however, is not a sugar-coated word for racial and ethnic minorities. "We don't have minority recruitment," said Associate Dean of Admissions and Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment Elmer Moore. "But multicultural and diversity recruitment." Moore defined diversity as "people from various perspectives such as geography, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political ideology, religion, height and so on." According to Moore, efforts to bring "diverse" students to the College began in 1794, when it was founded.

Students searching for sources on the library's home page can now see the holdings of Colby, Bates and Bowdoin at first glance. The default search catalog was recently changed to the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin catalog (CBBcat) instead of the Bowdoin Catalog.

In light of recent faculty and staff requests, two experts on autism visited campus on Wednesday for a series of meetings and presentations on how to best assist students with the disorder.

According to a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, three trustees on Bowdoin's Board are partners at investment firms that manage portions of the College's endowment. The article, which investigated the prevalence of business relationships between trustees and their colleges, found that of the 618 private colleges researched, one-fourth of them "have financial ties with trustee-affiliated companies."

The occasional series "How it feels" was first published in the 2005-2006 volume of the Orient. In this 2010 revival, Bowdoin students tell the Orient about their experiences—good, bad, or just extreme. Here are their stories.

This semester's photography courses currently held in McLellan may soon have studio space closer to campus. Brunwick Tour & Travel closed its Maine Street location last Friday, opening up the space for Bowdoin use. "The top floor of the building will become a digital media lab," wrote Director of Academic Budget and Operations Ann Ostwald in an e-mail to the Orient. "Our current plans are to use the bottom floor for costume and prop storage for the theater and dance department, given the building's proximity to Memorial Hall."

At the onset of winter break, the Office of Safety and Security conducted room checks lasting 30 to 40 seconds throughout college housing.

"I can't forget the hat!" said Youngshim Hwang '13 as she bundled up to go outside in yesterday morning's snow. Hwang was impressed that the sidewalks were clean even after the Wednesday snowstorm. "The whole sidewalk was clean," she said. "I just walked to class as if there was no snow."

Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) discussed two proposals to amend the bylaws of the election rules at its Wednesday meeting.

The College will join forces with veterans, public officials and community members tomorrow in "350", an international climate change campaign. Together, they will celebrate the International Day of Climate Action. The goal of the event "here on campus is to raise awareness about the climate change issue and about the science behind climate change," said Sustainability Coordinator Keisha Payson.

At its second meeting of the year on Wednesday, the Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) spoke with Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster and discussed T-shirt distribution over Homecoming Weekend.

In spite of the tough economy, the College was able to hire eight new faculty members this year as a result of the Capital Campaign's success.

Starting this year, there are no locks to the exterior doors of Brunswick Apartment buildings, a dramatic change from previous years when residents used a physical metal key to unlock the exterior doors and a swipe key to enter their suites. The purpose of removing the exterior locks was to reduce the safety hazards students created by propping the outside doors open.