Say anything

Editorial: Snappy response

In response to the recent bias incidents on campus, a group of student leaders will be installing a display of black and white portraits of students and faculty in Smith Union this weekend to show support for any who feel targeted or marginalized by these incidents. Throughout the week, student photographers sat outside the entrances of both dining halls during dinner to solicit individuals’ participation, asking each person whether they would take a photo “for the bias incident thing.”
While we applaud our fellow students’ effort to unify the campus, we feel this emphasis on participation and urgency did not engage the nuances that precipitated the incidents in the first place. We would like to believe that each face that appears on the wall represents a student who has done this out of genuine support, not out of a sense of social obligation. There is subtle but coercive social pressure to comply with the request and avoid the risk of being labelled as insensitive. We understand there are a variety of reasons why someone may not want their photo on public display. Providing a medium to express clear and visible support for those affected by the bias incidents is laudable, and we hope that the upcoming show will spark conversations that have so far been glossed over.
The editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orient’s editorial board, which is comprised of Claire Aasen, Erica Berry, Nora Biette-Timmons, Marisa McGarry, Eliza Novick-Smith, Sam Miller and Sam Weyrauch.

Editorial: Where credit is due

Looming registration for next semester’s courses invites conversation about how we choose classes. The process requires us to manage a number of different (and sometimes competing) aims: pursuing our intellectual interests, maintaining GPAs, fulfilling major and distribution requirements, and allowing enough time for activities beyond school work. One of the best ways to perform this balancing act is to keep the Credit/D/Fail (Cr/D/F) option in mind.
Last year’s Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) President and Vice-President for Academic Affairs promised to reevaluate the Cr/D/F policy during their tenures, floating ideas about pushing back the deadline until after students had received graded feedback. In last spring’s BSG election, the Orient endorsed current BSG President Sarah Nelson, who included a similar proposal in her platform. Pushing for Cr/D/F amendments is a frequent campaign pledge, and one that many students support, but the policy remains unchanged. BSG currently has a proposal to extend the deadline for taking a course Cr/D/F until the ninth week of classes, which the Recording Committee may consider. We support these changes.
Taking a course Cr/D/F is not an inherently lazy decision or a way to opt out of trying in class. Liberal arts education is predicated on a broad range of intellectual exploration; removing the disincentive of a potentially bad grade is invaluable in getting us to take unfamiliar courses.

Editorial

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

November 1, 2013

Last night marked the kickoff of Date-apalooza: two weeks of events and deals intended to encourage students to go on romantic dates, friend dates or just to meet new people. On the docket are programs like speed dating, Date My Roommate and a Sadie Hawkins dance, as well as special discounts from restaurants on Maine Street.

This program comes around every year, and it brings with it the same conversations about our perpetual dissatisfaction with Bowdoin’s hook-up culture. This is not a new complaint; it can sometimes seem like there is no middle ground between the very serious relationship and the very casual hook-up. Our lack of dating culture can be frustrating for those who wish to find something in between.

We may not radically change the social dynamics of our school, but you can take ownership of your own experiences here. Ask someone from class to get a meal or to procrastinate studying with you. Text someone you haven’t seen in a while and invite them for coffee. You’ll be able to find things to connect over, and the worst-case scenario is that you don’t stay in touch and instead just have someone new to say hi to when you pass on the Quad. It is possible to meet new people here—both in a friendly and romantic way—but it takes effort, and it can be scary to put yourself out there. You can expand your social circle, whether or not you do it while speed-dating at Moulton Union.

The editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orient’s editorial board, which is comprised of Claire Aasen, Erica Berry, Nora Biette-Timmons, Marisa McGarry, Eliza Novick-Smith, Sam Miller and Sam Weyrauch.

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