"Has someone discriminated against you because of who you are?"
"Have you cried on campus?"
"Do you believe yourself to be middle class?"
"Have you questioned your class status since you came to Bowdoin?"
In an exercise called "Walk the Line," which took place as a part of a retreat for multicultural and first-generation first years held last weekend, students pushed themselves to answer questions like these in order to take a deeper look into their identity at Bowdoin.
The retreat, which brings together first years who self-identify as multicultural, international, or first-generation college students, took place last weekend in Augusta. Students departed last Friday evening and returned the following Saturday just in time for dinner. They stayed at the Senator Inn & Spa in Augusta, a 35-minute drive from campus.
Associate Dean of Student Affairs Leana Amaez, the event's organizer, estimated that it has been happening every fall for over a decade.
"The idea is that students who are either first-generation college students or from multicultural backgrounds come into Bowdoin and may experience this place in a very different way than students who have perhaps come from a boarding school or from a nearby area," she said. "To take them outside of Bowdoin for a day to have them reflect on...who they are in the Bowdoin community and how they experience this community is really impactful."
Donisha Thaxton, a first year from Atlanta, was one of the 27 students who attended.
"It was nice to hear that I wasn't alone in feeling sort of out of place at Bowdoin," Thaxton said. "It really helps to have stuff like this for first years so they can get to know other people and talk to other people without feeling like they have to mince words."
The first years were joined by five upperclassmen and 10 faculty facilitators.
Nadja Shaw '12 was one of the upperclassmen asked to participate by Amaez.
"I had a first year multicultural retreat my first year, but I don't think it was as meaningful as theirs was," she said. "I wanted to share my rough transition into Bowdoin—my role was to show them that you have rough patches and that you're constantly transitioning into Bowdoin."
Shaw looked to impart some of the lessons she has learned about life at Bowdoin as a multicultural student.
"[Bowdoin] just present[s] you with a thousand resources and not everyone has the tools to actually use them," she said. "A lot of people don't know how to negotiate the systems."
Amaez put an emphasis on teaching the first years "how to use people as resources," rather than providing students with a laundry list of campus resources and contact information.
During the retreat, Amaez balanced free time with organized group activities, such as the "Walk the Line" exercise and a time when faculty and staff shared what their experience as multicultural college students, however many years ago, was like.
Thaxton said that the weekend "was pretty structured but felt relaxed. There was a nice flow to the events... It didn't feel too stiff."
Amaez said that she plans to hold the retreat earlier in the semester next year, probably three or four weeks into September.
"I think that overall people really appreciated the time to get away from Bowdoin, think about their experience, and to get to know one another and that those were the markers of success for the retreat," said Amaez.