The Bowdoin Project, Colby summons, and interims gone permanent

News Briefing: Affirmative action, remembering Troy Pappas, Wesleyan abandons need-blind admissions

A roundup of developing stories this week

The Supreme Court began hearing arguments for and against affirmative action today. The court is expected to issue a ruling in early 2013. Bowdoin, along with 36 other schools, signed onto a brief in support of the University of Texas that defends the right of colleges and universities to take race and ethnicity into account in admissions. Yesterday, Dean of Admissions Scott Meiklejohn told MPBN, "At Bowdoin we have spent almost no time, certainly as an admissions staff, talking about what we would do if things were to change." Wesleyan University announced that it will abandon its need-blind admissions policy. At a forum with students in September, Wesleyan President Michael Roth said of the change, "“If I did say that this is a policy that’s good for underrepresented groups—it’s not. That’s overselling. It’s not a policy that I like. I think it’s the least-bad policy.” (Footage, via Wesleying) The Judicial Board's 2011-2012 annual report, released on Friday, records five cases of academic dishonesty—including one instance of self-plagiarism—and six violations of the social code. A new online feature from the Chronicle of Higher Education shows how Bowdoin views itself in relation to colleges. Bowdoin selected 98 colleges as peer schools, though only 31 of those schools also chose Bowdoin as a peer school. In total, 40 colleges nationwide listed Bowdoin as a peer. Wesleyan University announced that it will abandon its need-blind admissions policy. At a forum with students in September, Wesleyan President Michael Roth said of the change, "“If I did say that this is a policy that’s good for underrepresented groups—it’s not. That’s overselling. It’s not a policy that I like. I think it’s the least-bad policy.” (Footage, via Wesleying)

News Briefing

The Bowdoin Project, Colby summons, and interims gone permanent

Roundup of news from March 1–14

March 14, 2013

The Orient is on a short hiatus for Spring Break, but a lot has happened since our last issue went to print. Here's a roundup of Bowdoin-related news from the last two weeks.

The Bowdoin Project in preliminaries

The National Association of Scholars (NAS) rolled out more installments of The Bowdoin Project, its critique of Bowdoin's liberal arts curriculum. In a report on the study in The Chronicle of Higher Education, NAS's Michael Toscano is quoted arguing that the College's academic requirements are defined by "'curricular incoherence,' setting students 'loose to find themselves.'" The Orient spoke to Toscano when he was on campus researching "The Bowdoin Project" in fall 2011. The College continues to decline comment on the NAS report, as it has ever since it was first announced. The release of the study is the inevitable conclusion of a long debate on and off campus, which began with President Barry Mills' September 2010 convocation address. Here are some additional stories on the study from our archives:

Ninety Colby students summonsed

Ninety Colby students attending a party at an off-campus residence were summonsed by Waterville Police last weekend, the Press Herald reports. Eighty-one were charged with possession of alcohol by a minor. Most students cooperated with police, but Waterville Police Chief Joseph Massey told the Press Herald that five students attempted to hide in the house's attic by covering themselves with insulation, and one resident of the house attempted to run away from the police on foot.

Interims Ryan, Seames go permanent

Closer to campus, two interim directors were appointed to permanent posts last week. Tim Ryan '98 is the College's new Ashmead White Director of Athletics, having served as interim director since Jeff Ward retired at the end of the last academic year. Sarah Seames was appointed director of the Joseph McKeen Center for the Common Good after serving as interim director since the summer. The College seems to have a preference for elevating interim directors to permanent positions: Dean of Admissions Scott Meiklejohn and Director of Health Services Sandra Hayes both filled interim positions before being appointed to their current posts.

Employment two years out

In a survey of the Class of 2011, the College found that 68 percent of the class is employed, 26 percent are attending graduate school, and 3 percent are unemployed—numbers largely consisten with data from the Class of 2010. The national unemployment rate among college graduates is just below 4 percent, Business Insider reports.

New sexual assault regulations

President Obama signed an updated version of the Violence Against Women Act into law on March 7, which includes “new requirements for how colleges and universities handle allegations of sexual assault,” reports NPR. Toph Tucker '12 blogged about how this relates to Bowdoin on the Orient Express.

New dorm plans moving forward

The Brunswick Planning Board approved the College's plans to acquire the Stevens Retirement Home on Harpswell Road in a 4-1 vote yesterday, according to Town Councilor Benet Pols. The proposal will now go before the Brunswick Town Council for final approval.

We'll continue to update the site intermittently until our next issue, which will be published on March 29. In the mean time, follow the Orient on Twitter.

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