Ivy day

Editorial: Boston strong

This has been a hard week for the United States, and a hard week for Bowdoin. The American flag flew at half-mast in honor of those who were killed and injured in the Boston Marathon bombings, some of whom had close ties to the Bowdoin community. No sooner had the Orient confirmed the safety of over 100 alumni and students in the vicinity of the bombs on Monday evening, than did we learn of the death of beloved alumnus and former Orient columnist Jose Cespedes ’12, who lost his battle with liver disease last Friday. And as the editorial board convened yesterday evening, news broke of continued bloodshed in and around Boston like an unending nightmare.
The violence, terror, and loss that has marked the past few days and hours has forced us to take a step back and reflect on the fragility of life and the senselessness of random violence.
The marathon finish line, where the bombs went off, is just one mile from the street named for James Bowdoin, a testament to the College’s deep roots in Boston. With almost a fifth of the student body hailing from Massachusetts, the unfolding tragedy hits close to home. Many students from the state are affectionately known around campus as “J.O.B.s” for hailing from “Just Outside Boston.” They had friends, parents and neighbors in the vicinity of the bombs, and spent hours on Monday afternoon anxiously wondering if their loved ones were among those killed or injured in the attacks. This morning, many students will wake up to the news that familiar streets around Watertown and Cambridge are the scene of a massive manhunt for a suspect in the bombings. This week, “just outside Boston” took on a new meaning.

Editorial: In loco parentis

The results of the latest installment of the Orient’s semi-annual approval ratings survey overwhelmingly suggest that Bowdoin students are disillusioned with the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs. Many students responded to the Orient expressing discontent with the deans’ handling of recent hazing incidents, and were generally dissatisfied with the administration’s lack of transparency.
Dean Tim Foster’s recent email to students outlining staffing changes within the Office of Student Affairs is demonstrative of the ambiguity that often accompanies administration communiqués to the student body. A similar lack of clarity has defined the administration’s response to multiple hazing incidents this year, leading many students to regard the deans as foes rather than friends. Despite continued discontent with the current policy, exactly what constitutes hazing remains uncertain, and there is no sign the administration plans to change its procedure any time soon. Many students are unsure about what falls under the College’s expansive definition of hazing. It is understandable that the administration does not want to report the details of hazing incidents, but leaving the student body in the dark as to what actually constitutes hazing only hinders efforts to prevent future occurrences. There have been many programs geared toward educating club and sports team leaders on hazing over the past few years, and perhaps the situation would be improved if that information were made widely available to all students—not just those in charge of student organizations.
Student reactions to this year’s hazing incidents underline the fact that the deans’ judgments often seem like they come out of left field. Their decisions reflect a disregard for the norms of our campus, given that the broad definition of hazing encompasses activities that are considered both ordinary and safe. The dominant opinion among students is that the deans are far removed from student life. Periodic appeals to connect with students do not do enough to engender a sense that the deans are on our side. While some students will certainly get to know administrators, for most, the deans appear to be little more than talking heads who sign campus-wide emails.

Editorial

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

April 25, 2013

Ivies is upon us. As this issue goes to print, many Bowdoin students are readying to head to Brunswick Quad for an afternoon of carefree carousing. Whittier Field is being prepared for tomorrow’s concert, when Phar\os, Hoodie Allen and Guster will take the stage, and the stacks of H-L have plenty of carrels to spare.

One of the reasons that Ivies is special is because it has a tendency to breed nostalgia, for both our personal memories of the College and its 219-year history. Beginning in 1865, Ivy Day celebrated the planting of an ivy by the side of the Chapel. The spring concert (and preceding parties) that exist today barely resemble this occasion.

Guster, this year’s headlining act, is no stranger to campus--the band performed at Bowdoin in 1997 and 2000. We are glad to see them return a third time, and tomorrow’s concert--with mostly sunny skies in the forecast--promises to be another memorable set.

The Bowdoin that Guster returns to this year will be markedly different from the Bowdoin it has seen before. When Guster first came to Bowdoin to perform in 1997, the comprehensive fee of the College was $27,760, roughly half of what it is today. Greek life had just been abolished on campus, and the College was preparing to introduce the College House system we know so well today.

Most days of the year, Bowdoin is preoccupied with the present, concerned primarily with the current day’s news and the immediate goings-on around campus. While Ivies tends to hearken back to the Bowdoin of old, it’s important to be conscious of what exactly we are nostalgic for. Fifteen years ago, Bowdoin was less diverse, less accessible and less engaged than it is today.
What connects the Ivies of 2013 to the ghosts of Ivies past is the sense of relief and celebration before we plunge into the last few weeks of essays, presentations and final exams that await us. We should be weary of the tendency this weekend has to make us miss the Bowdoin we never knew, and focus instead on the glorious present.

The editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orient’s editorial board, which is composed of Nora Biette-Timmons, Garrett Casey, Linda Kinstler, Sam Miller, Sam Weyrauch and Kate Witteman.

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