A new campus publication is hitting the presses this semester. The Globalist, an international affairs magazine with chapters at various colleges and universities, will publish its first Bowdoin edition this semester under the leadership of juniors Max Staiger, Gus Vergara and Stanton Cambridge.
The trio is interested in government and international relations, and with many of their fellow classmates studying abroad this year, Staiger, Vergara and Cambridge noticed that Bowdoin lacked a forum for international stories and observations.
"I didn't come into this with the intention of starting The Globalist specifically," said Vergara. "I just wanted to start an international affairs magazine. But my brother wrote for The Globalist at Yale and I'd always thought it was cool. At Bowdoin, there wasn't an outlet [where] students could channel their studies abroad [and] what they see going on around the world."
Though it covers foreign affairs.The Globalist is not just a venue for political arguments.
"It's basically a student-run version of The Economist—not exactly about politics," Vergara said. "It focuses on what the writers want to write about."
Bowdoin's version of the publication will start small, producing one 26-page magazine per semester.
Once The Globalist is firmly established on campus and has a strong following, Vergara hopes to begin generating online content.
He said the effort to get The Globalist started is "burgeoning," and that he hopes to continue expanding in the spring semester.
"I like the idea that it's a journal, something that you can flip through," Staiger added. "But the second step is to create a web model for students to share their ideas while abroad."
The Globalist was started by students at Yale University in 1999, and since then has expanded to 14 other schools worldwide.
Yale's original publication inspired the emergence of an organization called Global21, which serves as an umbrella site to all 15 chapters of The Globalist.
Staiger himself does not plan to study abroad, but has lived outside the U.S. and said he is excited to read about other students' experiences in the world outside of Bowdoin.
"There's a lot of international presence on campus here, [which] will show the true diversity of our campus," he said. "The magazine will allow people to compare cultures. There's no other outlet on campus to share something like that."
Yale's Globalist staff outlined the process of starting up the magazine for Vergara, Staiger and Cambridge.
"The Bowdoin name held a lot of weight; we're a pretty unique school," Vergara said.
"I'm glad that we've gotten in because it's not only a great opportunity for students at Bowdoin, but for Bowdoin itself," wrote Cambridge in an email to the Orient. "I really think this opportunity could be what launches our college into the forefront of the international educational arena."
"They were more excited because we were excited. We would be the second U.S. chapter and the only NESCAC school, the only liberal arts school. When we're up there with Yale, that's pretty intense," Vergara added.
The trio's faculty advisor, Assistant Professor of Government Shelley Deane, agreed that the liberal arts perspective at Bowdoin would be an invaluable addition to the publication.
"The Globalist continues Bowdoin's unique perspective—'At home in all lands.'" Deane said. "We have students that are from and go to all lands, and this gives students the opportunity to expand their viewpoints."
Despite her role as advisor, Deane emphasized the importance of complete student control.
"I have done very little in this whole process," she said. "I've been more of an ear and someone to touch base with from time to time. It's student-run and student-governed."
"This project won't be formulaic or uniform," she added. "It won't have to fit into tiresome molds. It's self-starting students like Max, Gus and Stanton [that] reveal the true Bowdoin student."
The Globalist team will hold an information session for interested students on Tuesday, October 4 at 8 p.m. in the Shannon Reading Room in Hubbard Hall.