The Bowdoin Orient

After the final issue of the Orient is published every year, the staff comes together during reading period to put together the Occident, a once-a-year joke issue that takes on a variety of groups and people across the campus. Each year, the Occident receives a range of responses—some people love it and find it hilarious, and some find it offensive and mean-spirited.

If done well, the Occident can be both funny and have a positive influence on campus. Humor is an honorable goal in its own right, but beyond that, satire can be a powerful way to highlight flaws in the College’s policies.

One example of a very good piece from the 2012 issue is the article “Phase II to be modeled on ‘Hunger Games.’” The topic was funny, the writer used satire to emphasize a real campus problem, and the jokes were creative and punchy.  

After adding a blog, Facebook page, Flickr account and Twitter handle over the last few years and unveiling its overhauled website this fall, it is clear that the Bowdoin Orient is no longer simply a newspaper. Recent editors-in-chief have acknowledged that these extensions of the Orient brand are experimental, and the policies and guidelines for each of these platforms have evolved over time. 

With these expansions into social media, mistakes have certainly been made. Some, the editors have apologized for (see “On the record,” November 30, 2012), and some they have not. But to me, no mistake has been quite as troubling as the Orient’s decision to repost tweets from prospective students who had been accepted, wait-listed and rejected from Bowdoin over Spring Break. 

On March 22, the Orient’s Twitter account @bowdoinorient retweeted 13 tweets by high school seniors responding to their decision letters from the Office of Admissions. One of those 13 tweets was from a prospective student who had been accepted, and it read, “Just got accepted into Bowdoin! #woooooo #polarbear #wooooo.”

In an editorial published in the November 30 edition of the Orient, the editors attempted to tackle the thorny issue of anonymity. Broadly, they succeeded in illuminating the Orient’s guidelines as they relate to the use of anonymous sources. However, they failed to put forth a coherent policy that outlined the circumstances under which students’ identities are revealed—or not revealed—in conjunction with breaches of school rules or the law. The piece that provoked the editorial was an interview with the individual behind the Twitter handle @notbowdoin. The Orient’s editors granted the student anonymity in the piece, which ran on the front page of the paper. The editors explained, “The Orient was granted an interview with the student behind @notbowdoin on the condition of preserving the individual’s anonymity, which the student requested to preserve the nature of the account.”

The Orient is introducing Jim Reidy '13 as public editor to act as a liaison between the paper and its readers. He will solicit reader concerns and write a monthly column on the Orient’s standards and execution. Jim knows the Orient well from his two years on staff, but is now independent from the paper and has been given complete editorial freedom. We hope you find him to be a fair judge and strong advocate for your comments and concerns.

As the news of last spring's hockey hazing has spread across campus, members of the Bowdoin community have debated the merits of the College's response.

Although many Bowdoin teams were riding hot streaks going into Spring Break, the Polar Bears struggled to continue their successes in postseason play.

In their final meet before the NESCAC Championships, the men and women's swimming teams defeated rival Colby to finish their dual meet seasons.

As the national buzz about the dangers of concussions has escalated in recent months, Bowdoin Athletics has faced an increase in the number of concussions among athletes this fall.

The Office of Admissions received a total of 6,503 applications for admittance to the Class of 2015, an 8 percent increase from last year's applicant pool and an all-time record for the College. Of the 568 Early Decision I (ED I) applications—up 11 percent from last year—189 students were accepted.

After three years of consideration and planning, the NESCAC announced that Hamilton College will become a full member of the conference in the 2011-12 academic year.

A Maine State Music Theater (MSMT) truck struck and damaged the metal arch behind Pickard Theater on August 28 while transporting set pieces from the group's performance of "Spamalot."

While students get plenty of face time with their professors during lectures, they rarely see the scholarly work their instructors do outside the classroom. According to the College's website, "Faculty members are also expected to be involved in their field outside the College, making scholarly, artistic or other contributions which are recognized by the larger professional community."

In the very first fencing tournament of his life, P.J. Lariviere '13 took first place in the foil division at the Vacationland Open at Monmouth Academy last weekend. After going 4-1 in the opening pool, Lariviere went 4-0 in the direct elimination bracket to clinch the victory

After tickets to the men's hockey NESCAC quarterfinal game against Colby sold out last weekend, tickets to the semifinal doubleheader tomorrow also disappeared quickly. Bowdoin will play Hamilton at 1 p.m. and Middlebury will play Trinity at 4 p.m.

After beating Trinity and Wesleyan on the road last weekend, the men's ice hockey team controls its own destiny heading into its final two games of the regular season.

While many Bowdoin students were enjoying their Winter Break in the comfort of their own homes, Larkin Brown '10, Kelly Pope '12 and Lucy Morrell '13 flew to Nicaragua to participate in Soccer Without Borders.