Off-campus, out of mind

Editorial: Free to apply

On Tuesday, the College announced that Bowdoin will eliminate its application fee for first generation applicants and applicants seeking financial aid. This step will have a significant impact in increasing the accessibility of Bowdoin’s application process. Bowdoin has taken a clear stance asserting that ensuring inclusivity in our campus community is at the core of the College’s mission.This systematic change will positively impact the lives of prospective and current students. As one of the nation’s most elite institutions, Bowdoin is in a position to lead the community of higher education towards a future of deliberate and active institutional change. We challenge Bowdoin to continue to be a leader among its peers in addressing national concerns, as it did by becoming SAT-optional, removing loans from financial aid packages and now waiving the application fee for the aforementioned groups of applicants.In deciding to waive the application fee for students for whom it would pose a financial barrier, Bowdoin has recognized that the student body’s composition must change from what it is today in order to fulfill the Offer of the College. This is an acknowledgment of the College’s obligation to the Common Good, decisively affirming the view that a diverse student body is necessary in order to maintain the College’s educational excellence. Most importantly, waiving the fee expands our notions of ‘diversity,’ demonstrating that creating a well-rounded student body is not only about considering gender and race—socioeconomic status is of equal importance.The progress, however, should not stop here. Eliminating the application fee will bring students from new and different backgrounds to campus. Bowdoin has brought these students to the campus but now it needs to make the campus resources equally available to everyone or the cause will be lost. There are explicit institutional changes that should be made to make that possible. To ensure true accessibility, it is Bowdoin’s responsibility to thoughtfully engage with this diversity in background and experience.This involves reflecting upon the different organizations and resources on campus. Do those organizations and resources provide the necessary support such that every student can partake in or utilize them? Additionally, reflection on what the network of Bowdoin students, professors, and alumni means is also important. Is the Bowdoin network the same for every student? Asking questions and having conversations like these is at the core of productive change. Waiving fees is a good start, but let’s continue these conversations on every level. And most importantly, let’s make sure that our campus community adapts with them.
This editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orient’s editorial board, which is comprised of Marina Affo, Julian Andrews, Steff Chavez, Grace Handler, Nickie Mitch, Meg Robbins and Joe Seibert.

Editorial: More than Orientation

For the Class of 2020, Orientation included a new two-part program called “More Than Meets the Eye,” which directly addressed issues of racial diversity on campus. During the first event, which took place before the start of the semester, 16 current students each shared a personal anecdote related to their experiences with race at Bowdoin.
The second event was about keeping an open mind to new perspectives as first years form social ties at the school. The talk was led by Reverend Dr. Jamie Washington, the president and founder of Washington Consulting Group.
Student voices have called for the inclusion of a program on race in Orientation over the past few years. However, controversial events from the 2015-16 academic year—such as the “gangster” party and the “tequila” party—were a critical push to develop this program because they fueled last year’s discussions on race. The fact that the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs instituted this new Orientation program is a positive step forward in the evolution of Bowdoin’s discourse on race.
Sydney Avitia-Jacques ’18, a member of the sailing team, mentioned one such event, which was hosted by her team. The “gangster” party was a critical component of her experience of race at Bowdoin. Openly presenting events like these to first years gives them an appropriate context to inform their future conversations about race at Bowdoin.
Moreover, it is valuable that this particular Orientation event continued into the semester, modeling the fact that conversations about race will happen throughout students’ careers, not just during Orientation.
There are talks, lectures and discussions dealing with these topics consistently scheduled throughout the year and are open to all students. Consistently taking advantage of these events rather than only engaging when incidents like the “gangster” party occur is crucial for moving towards a more inclusive community.
Furthermore, attending these events and participating in these conversations facilitates a more comfortable environment where students are proactive in having these difficult conversations. If or when instances of cultural appropriation occur, discussions about these events will be more productive since more students will be ready to engage.
An important goal of Orientation is to model how to interact with different parts of our community in a positive way. However, it is also important to strike the right balance of telling first-year students what they can and cannot do. This program did just that.
Uniquely developing this program each year is crucial. Including contemporary stories from current Bowdoin students is important to continue to effectively model productive discourse on race. Giving first years the context of our campus climate while also encouraging first years to engage in conversation about race provides a direction towards a more open community.
This editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orient’s editorial board, which is comprised of Marina Affo, Julian Andrews, Steff Chavez, Grace Handler, Nickie Mitch, Meg Robbins and Joe Seibert.

Editorial

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

September 16, 2016

The number of students living off campus has increased over the past few years and is currently at its highest in recent memory. On one hand, students living off campus engage with the town in new ways both personally and economically. On the other hand, incidents of disorderly conduct and noise late at night place stress on a historically civil relationship.

On Wednesday, Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols sent an email to the student body regarding complaints received from Brunswick residents over the past two weeks. This email reflects tensions between the town and Bowdoin that exist in part as a result of Bowdoin students living off campus.

For upperclassmen living off campus, the relationship with the town of Brunswick is not the only one that changes. As students gain more independence and autonomy, a rift grows between students living off campus and those who remain in college housing.

Students who live off campus often downgrade their meal plans, and thus eat fewer meals in the dining hall with their peers, spending more time in their houses rather than in campus spaces. On the weekends, social gatherings and parties drift away from College Houses and college-owned apartments to the off-campus houses. There is no denying the divide between students who live on and off campus.

Structural changes need to be put in place to maintain our campus community. This is an opportunity for a mutual effort between the Bowdoin administration and those students living off campus to build a formalized structure with the goal of improving relations in our community.

As the market for renting to Bowdoin students grows, the number of interactions with BPD will inevitably increase. In the past, Nichols has met with off-campus houses informally and on a case-by-case basis. It is important to have these conversations in a more official capacity to clarify expectations for students, the College and the town. Creating a mandatory orientation program for students living off campus facilitated by the Office of Safety and Security, the Brunswick Police Department (BPD) and other relevant administrators would achieve this goal.

Additionally, providing formal resources for navigating what happens when things go wrong ensures that all parties involved—Security, BPD, students and/or landlords—engage with incidents in a fair and consistent manner.

Implementing these changes would not be difficult and would help shape a relationship of mutual respect amongst our community as a whole.

This editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orient’s editorial board, which is comprised of Marina Affo, Julian Andrews, Steff Chavez, Grace Handler, Nickie Mitch, Meg Robbins and Joe Seibert.

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