To move forward, vote yes

Editorial: Puck Colby

Tomorrow’s the big one, friends: Bowdoin vs. Colby ice hockey in Sid Watson Arena. Easily the biggest sporting event on campus every year, Bowdoin-Colby takes a normally sedate student body and whips it into a frenzy for three periods of puck. But, like Thanksgiving dinner at Thorne or Ivies weekend, this iconic campus event requires careful planning. In the interest of providing the fans in the stands with a fun night and helping secure a win for the boys on the ice, the Orient’s editorial board humbly presents to you the ABCs of Bowdoin-Colby hockey.
Access
Were you one of the lucky souls that waited in the now-infamous line that snaked around Smith Union throughout the week and emerged victorious with a ticket? Kudos, your dedication to Bowdoin men’s hockey is a huge part of what makes the program the NESCAC powerhouse that it is. Don’t feel bad if you didn’t score a seat to the big game, though. There’s an unspoken understanding that those who show up to the game will find a way in. That said, don’t make the ushers’ jobs hard or awkward by begging them for admission. Have the courtesy to bring a homemade ticket or just dart past them inconspicuously.
Booze
It’s going to be tempting to drink all day in preparation for the game, because that is an awesome thing to do if you’re 21 years old. Don’t darty too hard, though—there’s nothing worse than passing out at 6 p.m. and not even making it to the game. And don’t pregame intensely directly before the game, either. The bleachers will be packed and you’ll be uncomfortable. Drink in moderation before the game, and save turn up o’clock for immediately after the boys get the W. As hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
Chants and Chirps
The best anti-Colby chants, ranked:
1. “UMaine-Waterville”2. “Mules are sterile”3. “Safety school”
These are the essentials, the classic war cries shouted by generations of Bowdoin students. They will be chanted, and they will be chanted often. But don’t hesitate to take things a step further. Scan the Colby men’s hockey roster and put some names into Google. Does the goalie speak Russian and French? Yup—shout some things at him in Russian and French! Does the leading scorer have an embarrassing Vine account that hasn’t been updated in two years? He sure does! Please loudly make reference to it while he’s on the ice. It’s not about insulting the opposition—in fact, that should be avoided. The best chirps are obscure, innocuous references to the players’ lives.
If you’ve ever felt envy while watching a student section go wild at a big-time college sporting event, tomorrow night is your chance to live that life. The Mules are coming to town, and every self-respecting Polar Bear should be present to defend the hallowed grounds of Watson Arena. It’s time for Bowdoin-Colby hockey.

Editorial: Connection to place

This past fall, there were several incidents of racial and gender bias directed toward Bowdoin students and a professor close to campus. They ranged from drive-by verbal assaults to an episode of racial prejudice in a local restaurant. President Rose asked Brunswick town officials to begin a conversation about these issues. The town formed a “Human Rights Task Force,” with the goal of addressing bias incidents that affect not only Bowdoin students, but the entire Brunswick community. The formation of this task force was not an obligation, but a choice made by the town of Brunswick to accommodate Bowdoin students and make them feel more comfortable in the town they call home.
Yesterday, at the first meeting of the task force, town officers discussed a commitment to foster a welcoming community that Bowdoin students and Brunswick residents can share. Some attendees of the meeting expressed concerns that the College’s interests are being prioritized over those of the residents, because the town council has reached out more formally to the College than to the general population of Brunswick in forming the task force. As the task force looks to improve “human rights” in Brunswick, it is just as important to hear from Brunswick residents as it is to include the College in these conversations. These residents point out an important reality—Bowdoin risks exerting outsized influence over town governance and the issues it prioritizes. While we may not realize this privilege, it can be difficult for local residents to ignore.
The Bowdoin community is inextricably tied with that of Brunswick and while students may only see the direct relationship when the actions of Brunswick residents affect them, our presence is felt by the people who live here every day.
We can’t change the institutional power Bowdoin exerts in Brunswick, but we can do little things to keep our day-to-day presence in the community a generally positive one. Bowdoin students have longstanding relationships with Brunswick through volunteer programs and organized community outreach, but this shouldn’t be anyone’s only connection to the town they live in. Brunswick has committed to making itself a comfortable place for Bowdoin students and we should do the same for Brunswick residents. Small acts like minding our language on Maine Street and keeping the noise down when we walk to off-campus residences show respect for the community that we share. If Bowdoin’s presence in Brunswick is undeniable, our individual presences should, at the very least, be inoffensive.
We are grateful that the town of Brunswick takes Bowdoin’s concerns seriously and is willing to work with us on preventing these incidents, though it is unfair for us to expect Brunswick to prioritize us over the town as a whole.
This editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orient’s editorial board, which is comprised of Julian Andrews, John Branch, Jono Gruber, Matthew Gutschenritter, Emma Peters, Meg Robbins, Nicole Wetsman, and Emily Weyrauch.

Editorial

This piece represents the opinion of The Bowdoin Orient editorial board.

December 11, 2015

On Tuesday night, President Clayton Rose facilitated a town hall-style meeting in Smith Union that sought to answer the question “Why do issues of race matter if I’m white?” The aim was to foster an open discussion amongst the entire student body—a difficult task considering the sensitive nature of the issue at hand. The event was packed and it was the most visibly engaged the campus has been in recent memory; hundreds of students, faculty and staff filled the Union to listen and participate, with many standing for the entire 75-minute event.

The discussion was honest and lively. President Rose was a firm moderator, guiding the discussion as necessary, unafraid to rephrase certain comments into more pointed questions. People talked not past each other but to each other, which is especially meaningful on a campus where much of the provocative dialogue takes place behind closed doors or on Yik Yak. In his closing remarks, Rose said that this was just a first step, and “in some ways, we haven’t done anything.” The town hall was successful as a starting point, but it will be meaningless if the conversation and action around race at Bowdoin ends there.

In November, the Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) executive committee introduced a proposal to elect a multicultural representative to serve as a voting member of the general assembly. This student would represent the Multicultural Coalition, an organization of 17 student groups dedicated to diversity and multicultural life. There is precedent for this position: the Entertainment Board, the McKeen Center, Inter-House Council and Athletics all have designated representative positions on the BSG.

Voting on the referendum began on Wednesday of this week and remains open until 9 p.m. this Saturday. In order for the position to be approved, one third of the student body must vote and within that group, two-thirds must vote in favor. This position would guarantee that there is a voice on BSG to represent minority students on campus regardless of BSG’s elected members. In theory, the representative would place multicultural issues at the forefront of their agenda, ensuring that issues of diversity and race will never fall through the cracks. BSG has taken a proactive role on issues of race this year, issuing resolutions of solidarity with students of color at Bowdoin and at the University of Missouri. However, BSG is a large, complex body with dramatic turnover each year, and it has not always shown the racial consciousness proving so important this year. A multicultural representative would help to hold it accountable to the interests and concerns of minority students no matter who its elected representatives are.

As Rose said at the end of Tuesday’s town hall, “This is the beginning of this conversation, not the end.” This semester has seen a dramatic uptick in the Bowdoin community’s willingness to talk frankly about race—but it cannot stop now, even as the shock and anger from certain specific incidents fades. A vote for the creation of the multicultural representative is a vote for a concrete step toward lasting awareness of racial issues at Bowdoin.

This editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orient’s editorial board, which is comprised of John Branch, Sam Chase, Matthew Gutschenritter, Emma Peters and Nicole Wetsman.

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