The Bowdoin Orient

Rampant public urination, minor vandalism, and one flooded College House were the only major problems at this year’s Ivies Weekend. No police issues arose for the first time in at least eight years.

“I think Ivies generally went very well. I have three rather stark criteria on Ivies: no arrests, no serious injuries and no deaths. From that standpoint we did very, very well,” said Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols.

Nichols said that some intoxicated students were “to the point where they said and did things they wouldn’t normally do, so they’re being held responsible for that.”

Coming off a fall rowing season in which both the men and the women earned medals at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta, Bowdoin continued its success last weekend at two New England competitions.

At the Riverhawk Racing Series last Saturday in Lowell, Mass., Bowdoin won both the men’s (6:09.2) and women’s (6:57.0) 2,000-meter varsity events by what coxswain Jen Helble ’14 called “decisive open water gaps,” and finished 1-2 in both the junior varsity  races with the A and B crew squads. On the novice side, the women won and the two men’s boats finished first and fourth. In all the races that Bowdoin won, the team finished at least 11 seconds ahead of the next-fastest college.

The following day, Bowdoin competed in the President’s Cup against Bates and Colby in Greene, Maine. The women’s first boat came in a close second-place behind the boat from Bates, while the men beat Colby by over 13 seconds. The eights boats came in third and fourth for the men and women, respectively, and the novice four boats came in fourth and second. Overall on the day, Bowdoin finished second with 11 points behind Bates’ 18 and Colby’s 10.

In the softball team’s first conference series of the year—its first three games back in the Northeast after a spring training trip to Florida—Bowdoin went 2-1, outscoring Trinity 15-7 last weekend.

Bowdoin lost a 1-0 pitcher’s duel on Friday despite letting up just one hit. Melissa DellaTorre ’14 pitched a one-hitter and surrendered a single unearned run—caused by an error on Dimitria Spathakis ’16—while striking out two and walking none on the day.

On Saturday Bowdoin’s offense finally asserted itself, as the Polar Bears swept the doubleheader by scores of 6-5 and 9-1.

Two recent internal Bowdoin hires prompted a closer investigation into the College’s process for filling new positions. The week before Spring Break, Tim Ryan was named the new athletic director and Sarah Seames was appointed director of the McKeen Center for the Common Good. Both had been serving as interim directors up to that point. 

The search committees for both positions were chaired by Tim Foster, dean of student affairs, and consisted of faculty, staff, students and trustees. The McKeen Center group was also co-chaired by Nancy Jennings, chair of the education department and senior faculty fellow for the Center.

Bowdoin contracted Alden & Associates, a consultancy specializing in athletic directors and had recently completed searches for Williams and Colgate, to aid in the search for a new athletic director. Members of the firm came to campus last fall to compile information about the College in order to create a profile. In early January, the firm posted an announcement of the open position.

In an effort to increase security in Maine schools, State Senator David Burns (R-Washington County) proposed a bill earlier this week that would enable teachers and school employees to carry concealed weapons on the job. The Portland Press Herald announced that Burns submitted the bill on Wednesday. “This is not a mandate for anybody,” Burns told the Press Herald. “This is an option for school systems to consider as they look at the overall responsibility and problems of protecting children and staff in school environments.

The 2011-2012 academic year had its fair share of controversy, including a forfeited NESCAC championship, debate over a weeklong Thanksgiving break, and protests against changes to chem-free housing. The scandals and triumphs are recounted here in a summary of the year's most noteworthy happenings.

Chaos Theory, the women's ultimate Frisbee team, is advancing to nationals for the first time ever after winning the third-ever New England D-III Women's Regionals last weekend, hosted by Williams. Over the two-day tournament, Chaos Theory went undefeated in seven games, securing one of three bids to the national tournament in Appleton, Wis., on May 19 and 20.

After being unable to compete fall semester due to inadequate funding, the equestrian team has regrouped and is now galloping into its second and final show of the season at Dartmouth this weekend. According to captain Chrissy Hayes '14, the team's resurgence is thanks in part to the arrival of a new coach, Paulajean O'Neill, who has over 30 years of professional training experience. The team also changed its home farm to New Boston Barn in Gray, Maine this January.

The Office of Admissions has sent acceptance letters to 802 of 5,829 regular decision applicants, resulting in a 13.8 percent regular decision acceptance rate. Overall, 1,079 prospective students have been admitted to the Class of 2016—a 16.1 percent overall acceptance rate. The College received 6,716 applications this year, marking a 2 percent increase from last year. There was an 18 percent rise in applications from students of color compared to last year, a 13 percent increase from international students, a 29 percent increase in the number of applications from students in the Southwest, and a 22 percent raise in the South.

Spring break was no vacation for a handful of winter sports teams whose seasons continued into March. Headlining the group was women's basketball, Bowdoin's only entrant into an NCAA tournament. The team made it to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year before being ousted by George Fox, the No. 3 team in the country and eventual runner-up to the title. With a final record of 21-8, the Polar Bears reached 19 victories for the 12th consecutive season.

After a fall season that included 338 participants, the intramural (IM) sports leagues came to a close last weekend with the flag football championships. For the first time ever, this year's IM lineup included a badminton group. Started by Rob Byzantine '14, it boasted 35 participants. Tennis is also a new addition to the IM repertoire, as it started up only last fall.

Last weekend at the Maine State Golf Championship, the men's golf team had its best match of the young season. The Polar Bears finished second in the 11-team field, bested only by Husson University, which has now won all three of its tournaments this year. Bowdoin had a two-day score of 636 compared to Husson's 600, and finished ahead of NESCAC rivals Bates (fifth, 652) and Colby (tied for sixth, 657).

Instead of packing up their dorm rooms in the final days of last semester, players on the women's lacrosse team were busy making program history in New York. After an 11-9 victory over The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) on May 21, Bowdoin advanced to the NCAA D-III championship game against Gettysburg the following day.

As the Brunswick weather is getting colder, women’s ice hockey player Kayte Holtz ’13 is heating up. This Monday, for the second time in four weeks, she was named the NESCAC Women’s Ice Hockey Player of the Week.

Members of Stoned Clown and Chaos Theory will be able to show off their ultimate skills for the final time this fall at the annual Frozen Butter Ball (FBB) tournament.

Though the women's soccer team's season may be lost, its causes are not. Off the field, the team works together on a number of charity projects that benefit the Bowdoin and Brunswick communities, as well as those well beyond Cumberland County's limits.

When your father is an Olympic canoeist, following in his footsteps is easier said than done. When you are a decade younger than your closest competitors, this is even harder. But when you are Alex McLain '11, nothing is out of the question.

For Casey Grindon, the second time's the charm. After losing in the singles final of last weekend's Stony Brook Invitational to teammate Chris Lord '14, the sophomore came back with a vengeance and won his doubles bracket alongside Alex Jacobs '12.