The Bowdoin Orient

Bowdoin will be expanding co-curricular opportunities in physics and other natural sciences because of funds bequeathed to the College by former Physics Professor Emeritus Elroy “Roy” LaCasce Jr. ’44, who passed away in September 2015. While the fund primarily endows a chair—LaCasce Family Professor of Natural Sciences Stephen G. Naculich—it also opens up a pathway for the College to hire a new tenure-track professor in any department.

Endowed chairs provide a principal. From this sum, interest pays the costs associated with the salary and benefits of the professor that holds that chair.

“[The funding] really expands the opportunities and if physics can’t use [it], then [the money] goes to other natural sciences,” said Professor of Physics and Chair of Physics Department Dale A. Syphers. “So it’s definitely going to be a boon for our department and other departments may see a boon as well.”

In addition to endowing a chair, the donation included specifications that any excess funds be used “at the discretion of the physics department faculty in consultation with the Dean for Academic Affairs to support and enhance the education of Bowdoin physics majors.” Its suggested uses include funding speakers, workshops, opportunities for exposure to career opportunities, support for undergraduate summer research in the form of LaCasce Fellowships, scholarship aid and funding for travel to conferences.

Syphers is excited about the new funding, which he said will enrich educational opportunities and student experiences. He said funding may first be used to replace and supplement equipment in the physics department’s machine shop, which supports research in several of the College’s departments.“Any funds beyond the amount for student projects and research and summer research and things like that will be used to fund scholarships,” Syphers said.

He added that LaCasce was particularly interested in providing funding to enable students currently on work-study to “spend [their] full time learning physics” but said that the department had only recently begun discussions with the Office of Financial Aid about this prospect.

Syphers noted that endowed chairs typically receive benefits above those of a typical professor.

“Generally there are some little extra things,” he said. “You might get a little research fund or something associate with it.”

LaCasce had partially endowed the chair in 2002, but included enough funding in his will to fully endow it.

In an email to the Orient, Director of News and Media Relations Doug Cook declined to provide the exact amount of LaCasce’s donation out of “respect [for LaCasce’s] wish not to draw attention to himself or his support of Bowdoin.”

Because the endowed chair opens up funds that were previously in use, the College is now looking to create a new tenure-track faculty position. All departments are eligible to apply to be granted this new position through a standardized application process “in the context of the college’s needs.”

Syphers believes the physics department has a good chance at the position, although the College has not made any decisions.

The Brunswick Town Council voted 7-1 to accept a report from the Brunswick Human Rights Task Force at a meeting on August 15. In doing so, they accepted the task force’s eight recommendations for actions “exploring the causes and effects of bias and discrimination” and authorized the task force to continue working through the end of 2016.

The Brunswick Town Council established the task force last December to determine whether a series of alleged gender and racial bias incidents which affected both Bowdoin community members and Brunswick residents were isolated occurrences or parts of a larger trend. However, Council Chairwoman and task force member Sarah Brayman said that she also views the task force as a way for Brunswick to participate in broader national conversations on bias, inclusion and equity.

“I want Brunswick to be a welcoming community for all. I feel very strongly about that,” Brayman said in a phone interview with The Orient.

The task force is comprised of three Brunswick Town Council members—Brayman and councilors Kathy Wilson and Jane Millet. According to the report, several community members were frequent participants in task force meetings, including Brunswick Police Chief Richard Rizzo and Bowdoin Dean of Students for Diversity and Inclusion Leana Amaez. Amaez could not be reached for comment.

Over the past several months, the task force conducted interviews, held meetings and facilitated roundtable discussions with a range of groups and individuals across the Brunswick community.While acknowledging “anecdotal and testimonial evidence of bias incidents,” the report states that the task force “was not presented with evidence of widespread bias” in Brunswick. However, the report does go on to say that Brunswick could “benefit from a robust discussion of bias and its effect on those subjected to the hurt, humiliation, and fear that it can cause.”

Task force recommendations include continued monthly roundtable discussions, improved information sharing between Bowdoin College and the town and community events aimed at publicizing Brunswick’s “very positive reputation” regarding community diversity and inclusivity. These measures accompany an automated online system for officially reporting bias incidents, which the Brunswick Police Department  (BPD)launched earlier this year in an effort to improve information gathering.

Brayman also emphasized the role of community organizations other than the municipal government, such as Curtis Memorial Library and local churches, in facilitating dialogue about diversity and inclusion. She pointed to new weekly meetings at Little Dog Coffee Shop aimed at bridging the gap between members of the LGBTQ and Christian communities as an example.

The task force noted that the report is a continuation of Brunswick’s long-standing stated commitment to being “welcoming to all.” When it established the task force last December, the town council also adopted a resolution that explicitly reaffirmed its opposition to discrimination against all groups protected under the Maine Human Rights Act.

Although the task force is currently authorized to work only through the end of this year, Brayman said that she felt there was potential it could continue into 2017 as members “continue to do the work that [they] feel needs to be done.”

The entire report and its recommendations can be viewed on the Town of Brunswick’s website as part of the August 15 Brunswick Town Council Agenda Packet.

Meetings of both the Human Rights Task Force and Brunswick Town Council are open to the public. Brayman said she encourages Bowdoin students and community members to attend.

Bowdoin’s Recording Committee introduced a motion to move the drop deadline from the second to the sixth week of the semester at April’s faculty meeting. 

Introduced last month, faculty will vote on the proposal at the May 4 faculty meeting. Bion R. Cram Professor of Economics Rachel Connelly, who serves on the Recording Committee, said that the proposed policy change is about fairness for students.

“Expecting students to be able to figure out by the second week of the semester if they had bitten off more than they can chew...was a tough thing,” she said. 

Composed of faculty, students and staff, the Recording Committee is a standing committee that deals with matters related to the “policies and procedures governing academic life,” according to the Office of the Registrar. 

While the issue has been discussed for some time, this proposal is the first step towards an actual change in College policy. 

Currently, returning students have only the end of the add/drop period during the second week of the semester to drop classes without penalty. New students (first semester first-years and transfers) have until the eighth week to do the same. Under the new proposal, the deadline to add classes would remain at the second week of the semester. However, all students would be able to drop classes without a record on their transcript until the sixth week of classes.

If approved, this proposal would put Bowdoin’s add/drop policies in line with many of its peer schools. Middlebury, for example, allows students to add classes until the end of the second week, but also allows them to drop classes until the fifth week of the semester. Bates, Colby, Hamilton, Trinity, Tufts, Wesleyan and Williams all have variations of the same late drop deadline policy.

This policy change was included in the proposals offered by several candidates for Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) positions. BSG President-elect Danny Mejia-Cruz ’16 said that BSG has been working on this issue for a number of years.

“It’s something that [Bowdoin Student Government] has been trying to push through since before I even got here,” said Mejia-Cruz. “Students have stated many times over many semesters that they do not have the necessary amount of knowledge about how they’re going to do in a class to decide with any sense of grounded awareness that they will or will not proceed in the class.”

Student and faculty opinions on the issue vary, with many supportive of the flexibility but leery of effects on academics and student progression.

“I don’t think it would be a very good idea,” said Noah Verzani ’18. “If you only take three classes one semester, you’ll have to take five another. If you can’t handle four classes, taking five probably isn’t going to go well either.”

Connelly said that the Recording Committee considered potential challenges and complications as the new proposal and its provisions were written. In the end, she said, the committee decided Bowdoin’s rules regarding dropping classes were simply too rigid. 

Each year, as the Recording Committee considers petitions from students who want to drop a class after the deadline, it is forced to deny most appeals because of the rigid rules in place, Connelly said. 

Students were notified of College House application decisions for the 2015-2016 school year around 1 p.m. last Thursday, April 2. One hundred and ninety one students were selected from 270 applicants to fill 201 spots in the College House System. Ten of the 26 spots in Howell House remain unfilled. 

“Committees work really hard and give everyone an equal chance,” said Assistant Director of Residential Life Mariana Centeno. “They read all the recommendations and applications and they make the decisions that they do.”

The remaining spots in Howell will be filled during the chem-free housing lottery on April 16. Students selecting Howell during the lottery will be given the opportunity to join the house as a full resident by signing the College House resident contract, or to simply reside in the House as a non-House member. Centeno said that she had already been contacted by many students interested in joining Howell as full members during the lottery process. 

While spots in all other Houses were filled through the normal selection process, there was variation in the number of first-choice applicants each of the eight College Houses received. Centeno said this led to significant disparities in how many applicants each house was forced to turn away. 

Quinby House and Reed House received the most first-choice applicants this year. Centeno also said that there were more female than male applicants. The selection committees sought to maintain balance and diversity in gender, geographic origin and athletic involvement. 

This was the first College House application cycle in which students could select the “any House” option. This option allowed applicant blocks to check a box stating that they were willing to live in any College House, not just their first through third ranked choices. By introducing this option, the Office of Residential Life (ResLife) eliminated the ability for blocks to state non-binding choices. More than 150 of the 270 applicants selected the “any House” option. 

While joking that it complicated her job somewhat, Centeno said that the introduction of the “any House” option on the selection process was overwhelmingly positive. Because it gave selection committees larger applicant pools to draw from and therefore more flexibility, she said, diversity was more likely in each house. She also said she believes it made the process fairer for applicants, as any applicant selecting the “any House” option was read by at least two selection committees. 

Although some concern was expressed over the new “any house” option when it was first announced, Centeno said that no students came to her with complaints about getting into a house they didn’t directly apply to. 

Centeno believes this is because she was extremely clear—both in information sessions and on the application—that the choice was binding and applicants took it very seriously. 

Centeno also offered reassurance for students who did not get into a House. 

“This is not the end of the world, this is not the end of the road and you will always find a way to make an impact on the Bowdoin community even if it’s not in this way,” she said. 

Anna-Sophie Faucher ’18, whose block applied to but did not get into MacMillan House, said she was still looking forward to next year. 

“Of course I’m disappointed we didn’t get into a House,” she said. “But plenty of my friends did, and it will be fun to hang out with them at their Houses.”

Student selected to serve as House residents next year largely expressed enthusiasm. 

“I’m going to be living with some of my best friends in an environment that is really unique to Bowdoin,” said Emma Moesswilde ’18, who will be a Ladd House resident next year. “I couldn’t be more excited.” 

Duties for 2015-2016 College House residents will officially begin with spring orientation this Sunday.

New head football coach JB Wells’ coaching staff is beginning to take shape. Shem Bloom and Tom Blumenaur, who worked under Wells at his previous position at Endicott College, have been hired to serve as Bowdoin’s defensive and offensive coordinators, respectively. 

Ryan Sullivan, who is the Polar Bears’ head softball coach, and had also been serving as an assistant football coach, will now focus on softball and will also begin to oversee Bowdoin’s intramural sports program. 

It is not unusual for assistant coaches to leave and other staffing changes to occur when a head coach leaves, according to Ashmead White Director of Athletics Tim Ryan ’98, who said that these staffing changes were simply the result of a broader reevaluation of the football program, not a response to the performance of the former assistants.

Bloom was a defensive lineman at Wesleyan College. Prior to joining Endicott’s coaching staff, he served on Wesleyan’s sidelines for four seasons and Middlebury’s for two.

Blumenauer’s past experience comes from outside of the NESCAC, but still within D-III. A more recent addition to Endicott’s coaching staff, he previously served at St. Lawrence University, which plays in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, and in a variety of positions at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

Ryan said that as Wells orchestrates a new strategy for the football team, the College felt it was important that he be surrounded by individuals he had worked with in the past.

“One of the benefits of being at Bowdoin is that our student athletes are able to build great relationships with their coaches and any time there is turnover in any position it takes time for those relationships to develop,” Ryan said. 

Wells, Blumenaur and Bloom are already on campus, and have begun meeting the returning team members, and familiarizing themselves with Bowdoin tradition and campus culture. Ryan said he believes that that the new coaches’ experiences in similar environments will allow the new program to hit the ground running next season.

Community responses to the staffing changes have been largely positive. Many said it brings new energy and excitement to a program that has faced challenges in recent years.

 According to Tom Capone ’17, while the new direction will become most obvious during the season, he and other team members are already seeing positive changes, from a new emphasis on nutrition to revamped workout plans. 

“We’re competing in ways that we haven’t in previous years. I think that this coaching staff definitely brings a revitalized sense of competition. They’re really motivating us to work hard in the offseason,” Capone said. 

These changes come at the end of a string of lackluster seasons for Bowdoin football. Only time will tell if the new coaching staff can start a new chapter for the struggling program. 

SUN CLUB, a pop band from Baltimore, is coming to Bowdoin for the first time tonight to play in Ladd House. Hosted by WBOR, the show is being billed as “a warm concert for a cold Maine.” Treefarm, a student band, will open starting at 9 p.m.

Noah Fardon ’16—who handles concert bookings for WBOR—says that he has been trying to set up this event since first hearing SUN CLUB at the Elberta Mansion in Nashville, Tenn. several years ago. Their music, according to Fardon, is exactly what Maine needs right now to counteract the cold and snow.

“SUN CLUB’s name is perfectly indicative of their sound,” he wrote in an email to the Orient. “They write hyper, spontaneous, guitar-driven pop with a summertime sheen to it.”As for the band’s genre, Fardon could only describe it as “spunky-fun-love-super-ultra-jungle-music.”

SUN CLUB first came together while the members were still in high school. Over the years they have toured throughout the U.S. and Canada, received critical acclaim on music blogs, and amassed a dedicated fan base. They are currently preparing for the upcoming release of their first official full-length album and European tour in May.

Friday’s concert will mark SUN CLUB’s fourth-ever concert in Maine. SUN CLUB guitarist Shane Justice McCord, in a phone interview with the Orient, shared that he was looking forward to the event in part because of positive past experiences in the state. 

“Maine is usually really cool. Pretty weird,” McCord said.

The concert is part of a larger WBOR objective to expand Bowdoin’s music scene.“We at WBOR chose SUN CLUB because they are a phenomenal, incredibly wild live act that few people have heard of,” wrote Fardon. “And thus they fulfill two major goals that we have: to throw an incredible party that is rooted in the brilliance of music and to challenge our peers to broaden their musical horizons by checking out a band that all are certain to enjoy, though their name might not be familiar.”

WBOR leaders have been working to plan a “house show” concert for more than a year, because intimate settings like Ladd House give bands the ability to connect with their audience in a way that other, larger venues do not. So when Ladd House members approached WBOR about the concert, WBOR eagerly jumped on board. 

The concert will be held in conjunction with the Fifty Shades of Groutfit campus-wide party that Ladd is holding instead of the Inappropriate Party.

Treefarm—composed of Ryan Fowler ’15, Greg Stasiw ’15, Sky Monaco ’16, Evan Montilla ’17, Arindam Jurakhan ’17 and Ben West ’16—is looking forward to the concert. Founded in 2013, the group usually plays an eclectic mix of its own music and covers of indie pop songs. Jurukhan, a trombone player and the group’s most recent addition, said that Treefarm often performs songs and sets with jazz and blues influences.

Jurakhan said that he gets excited whenever a live music act comes to campus.  For him, that excitement is multiplied since he will be performing as well.

Jurakhan agreed with Fardon that the two groups will meld well. While not intimately familiar with SUN CLUB, he said that he had listened to several of their songs and felt that they had a similar, energetic feel. 

“There is a lot of potential power in a band’s ability to connect with audiences in such a vulnerable scenario as a house show, and SUN CLUB has mastered the art,” wrote Fardon.While many upperclass students expressed disappointment at the cancellation of the Inappropriate Party, Maddi Kuras ’18 felt quite the opposite.

“I’m really pumped to be perfectly honest, because Treefarm is supposed to be great and I love live music,” she said.

About 150 students applied for Residential Life (ResLife) positions for the 2015-2016 school year. Of those applicants, around 45 students reapplied—roughly 80 percent of the current non-graduating ResLife staff—and 105 were new applicants.  These applicants will compete to fill 73 available positions.

New interview policies have been implemented this year. For the first time, not all applicants were offered an interview. Although he could not give an exact number of how many applicants were offered interviews, Associate Director of Residential Education Mike Felton ’00 explained that this change was simply due to the time constraints associated with interviewing 150 people for 20 to 30 minutes each—while still needing to support their current staff before the year is done.  

He stressed that just because an applicant was not offered an initial interview does not mean that they are out of the running for a position on the staff. All applicants remain in consideration for positions until decisions are sent out, whether or not they are interviewed.

According to Felton, who oversees the application and selection process, appointing the ResLife staff is all about balance. Felton emphasized the value that he and his colleagues put on creating a complementary team of first-year proctors, RAs and house proctors when selecting the staff.

“What someone brings to the table as an individual is as important as how they fit together with every other individual,” he said. “Residential Life is just a collection of teams. All of the teams have to be balanced, those team members have to complement one another and they have to be able to reach all parts of the campus.” 

Felton said he is very pleased with this year’s applicant pool, both in terms of its diversity and quality.

“I’ve been going through every applicant and the trend that I see is they’re from all over the place with respect to everything,” said Felton.

While in past years the majority of applicants have tended to be first year students, Felton said that this year had bucked that trend as well and the applicant pool was evenly distributed across class years. 

Like many of her fellow applicants, Indré Altman ’18 applied to be on ResLife because she felt it was a great way to help shape the community.  

“[ResLife’s] practical guidance and social support not only help a student conduct themselves well, but also lend them an ear when simply listening is what is needed most,” she said. “I felt that serving the Bowdoin community in this way would be rewarding.”

In an e-mail to The Orient, Justin Pearson ’17  echoed this sentiment.  

“As an RA in Chamberlain, I get to create a sense of community that can sometimes dwindle away after first year,” said Pearson, who decided to re-apply for ResLife. “ResLife is a unique opportunity to engage [in] the Bowdoin experience.” 

Applicants should expect to find out whether they have been selected by Spring Break.