The Bowdoin Orient

Despite splitting a doubleheader against Brandeis last Saturday, the softball team is optimistic about the upcoming NESCAC playoffs this weekend at Tufts.

The Polar Bears won the first game against Brandeis 3-0. Melissa DellaTorre ’14 only gave up one hit on the mound, pitching perfectly for the first three innings.

In the second game, Bowdoin was ahead until three Polar Bear errors contributed to five runs for Brandeis in the third inning. 

The eighth annual Relay for Life (RFL) raised $42,119.60 and counting for cancer research, treatment and services last Friday at Farley Field House.

RFL is an annual event sponsored  on college campuses by the American Cancer Society (ACS) to honor individuals affected by cancer and collect donations for research. Participants aim to walk as many laps around a track as they can to in honor of those who lost their lives to the disease.The College’s relay—which lasted from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Farley Field House—offered a wide range of activities to keep participants entertained while others walked on the track, including a hypnotist, Zumba class, bouncy castle, bungee run, Taiko and a cappella performances, DJs, photo booth, raffle prizes, ping-pong tables, corn hole, and food options.

Participants are encouraged to raise money as a team. This year, 41 teams joined the relay, consisting of 462 people. There is a $10 registration fee for individuals hoping to take part in the festivities.

Bowdoin’s efforts towards more sustainable practices has extened beyond the College and into the Brunswick community. In 2005, Bowdoin committed to switching to natural gas heating and brought additional natural gas pipelines to Brunswick. This allowed residents on Longfellow Avenue, Harpswell Road and Federal Street to gain access to natural gas.

Natural gas heats 83 percent of Bowdoin’s campus-owned buildings, according to Longley. Also, 5 percent of Maine residents heat their homes using natural gas, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Natural gas costs approximately half of the price of traditional heating methods, saving the residents and the College thousands of dollars a year, according to Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration and Tresurer Katy Longley.

Longley said she believes that eventually Brunswick would have received natural gas access, but Bowdoin was catalyst in this acquisition. 

Last Friday, eight students traveled to Cambridge, Mass. to attend an entrepreneurship seminar led by Carl Barron ’38.

Before becoming a renowned businessman, Barron graduated from Bowdoin with a degree in economics. He created the first-ever furniture-leasing company, Putnam Furniture, the start of his entrepreneurial success. Barron Plaza and Barron Building in Cambridge, Mass. are physical reminders of his achievements.

President Barry Mills, Director of Student Activities Allen DeLong, and the Office of Alumni Relations arranged the five-hour-long seminar series with Barron for a select group of students interested in entrepreneurship. Members of the Bowdoin Entrepreneurship Club, the Bowdoin Women in Business Club, and the founders of CampusFoodTrucks (CFT) were invited to attend.

The local community lost nearly 5,000 jobs when the Naval Air Station Brunswick (NASB) closed in May 2011. Now, U.S. Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) hope to repair the damage through co-sponsored legislation to expand the Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZones), including the NASB. HUBZones helps businesses within the program receive preferential access to federal procurement opportunities. HUBZones are areas demonstrating economic needs, including non-metropolitan communities, land within Native American reservations, or land affected by the closure of a military facility—like NASB. The Small Business Administration, which Karen Mills will continue to lead until another administrator is appointed, oversees the HUBZone program.

Donations from trustees accounted for at least 11 percent of fiscal year (FY) 2012’s annual giving, according to data on the Alumni Fund’s website. Trustees donated at least $1,214,500 of the $10,477,227 raised in total. An exact number could not be calculated because the Alumni Fund only reveals how much each donor gives by increments, sharing the range into which their gift fell, and not an exact figure. In addition, the records for gifts from seven trustees were not available.

There were 149 alcohol-related disciplinary actions and seven forcible sex offences on campus during the 2011 calendar year, according to the Annual Clery Campus Crime Reports, released on October 2.

For a team of only five players, a new head coach has the potential to dramatically affect the team’s inner dynamic. For the women’s golf team, the arrival of new head coach Marissa O’Neil has served to increase their confidence and performance.

Just weeks into the new semester, the Office of Safety and Security has already sent two alerts warning the community about suspicious individuals.