The Bowdoin Orient

Bowdoin Student Government is struggling to implement its ideas and programs, is encountering difficulty in communicating with the student body, and is divided over its current state of affairs, an Orient investigation has found.

Despite the recent decision to end its affiliation with the Boston Area Posse program, the Office of Admissions says it will continue to reach out to students from across the country with special admissions events and help from organizations nationwide.

An expansion of the financial aid endowment tops the list of priorities in the College's recently-launched capital campaign, a move administrators say will help keep financial aid funding secure for the next five to ten years.

The National Center for Educational Statistics is considering a new system that will collect enrollment and graduation data from schools whose students receive federal financial aid.

Before Alkhaaliq Bashir '05 submitted his electronic ballot in the Bowdoin Student Government elections last April, he read some of the candidates' campaign proposals linked to the election site. Although these helped inform his selections, Bashir said he was wary of the promises they contained.

The Latin American Student Organization (LASO) is holding a raffle to raise money for the organization's Alternative Spring Break trip to Valparaiso, Chile.

Erik Tillotson is out on bail after pleading not guilty to charges of Criminal Trespass and Violation of Condition of Release.

For too long BSG has seemed like a behind-the-scenes operation due to its poor communication with students save a few irregular spats of mass emails. The campaign seasons at the beginning of the Fall Semester and end of the Spring Semester often bring active campaigning and engagement from both BSG incumbents and hopefuls. But in-between these elections the story is the same: a series of small, low-impact programs often indistinguishable from what many other student organizations are doing.

The student body was asked recently about recommendations for next year's first-year book. The timing could not have been better, because I just finished a great new novel over Thanksgiving break: I Am Charlotte Simmons by the incomparable Tom Wolfe. Since the last four selections have been left-wing propaganda pieces, I Am Charlotte Simmons gets my vote for next year.

I'm becoming increasingly convinced that the divide separating red states and blue states will solidify rather than become more fluid, despite calls for unity from both sides of the aisle. My pessimism has less to do with the hostility between Democrats and Republicans than it does with the current state of the news media.

The pro-life movement has largely converted into an anti-abortion crusade; it lacks a broader view of the political terrain. On the other hand, the pro-choice faction runs the risk of defending the procedure itself with only slight concern for the often terrible implications.

I write to clear up confusion about the proposed use of Bowdoin facilities by the Freeport High School track team. When allowing outside groups access to our facilities, we are always careful to ensure that there will be a minimal effect on Bowdoin students, faculty, or staff. This continues to be our policy.

The editorial clearly communicates the writer's irritation with the fact that access to the Bowdoin track facilities will now be limited due to the College providing those same facilities to the use of the Freeport High School track team.

In his insistence that "Learning Goes Beyond Our Campus," Jim McDonald does not spread widely enough his praise for the class trip and speakers in my Advanced International Trade course.

I came to a liberal arts college for the opportunity to take interesting, unique classes outside of my major that I might not have been able to take at a larger university. At least that's what I'd hoped. Unfortunately, with one semester left at Bowdoin, I am left unfulfilled.

I grew up in Van Buren, Maine, a town that borders St. Leonard, New Brunswick via the St. John River. It's a town with a population of under 3,000, though many more than that grew up there.

Eager to influence the election this fall, many Bowdoin students became involved in political activism. For those who don't want to wait another four years to work with their peers for social change, there's the Maine College Action Network, as a coalition among activist groups from colleges and universities around the state of Maine.

Maine Governor John Baldacci paid a visit to Professor Chris Potholm's Maine Politics class Tuesday prior to unveiling his administration's new tax relief proposal. Baldacci spoke to students about his experiences in Maine politics before fielding questions.

Winter break can begin to drag on after enough hours cooped up watching reruns with your family. Just because the Outing Club won't be around to organize trips in January, it doesn't mean you can't take initiative for your own adventures. Below is a regional guide to fun, affordable, and accessible outdoor activities you can try on your own.

Dear Dr. Jeff: Do you think it's always important to get eight hours sleep at night? Even during Reading Period? R.M. Dear R.M.: It is always important to get enough sleep, even, and maybe especially, during high pressure times like Reading Period.

The Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Subcommittee of Sustainable Bowdoin is dedicated to ensuring that Bowdoin purchases environmentally friendly products. This endeavor is in compliance with the environmental mission statement that Bowdoin adopted in 2002.

Once again the season of good tidings is upon us, and as usual Hollywood is giving audiences mass-market presents, such as Meet the Fockers and Ocean's 12, as well as it's annual attempts at Oscar glory. Although neatly wrapped prestige pictures like Kinsey, Ray, and Finding Neverland have already been released, studio and independent prestige pictures will be arriving every week until the end of the year. The producers of these films, of course, have their usual goal in mind: receiving critics' accolades and Golden Globe and Oscar attention. But more importantly, which will best satisfy your winter movie cravings?

Students and faculty from Colby, Bates, the University of Southern Maine, and New York University will travel to Bowdoin this weekend to collaborate with Bowdoin's Latin American Studies Program on a symposium titled "Insularity and Integration: Recent Trends in Caribbean Scholarship."

Involvement in college television now goes beyond local cable networks. In January, music television giant MTV launched a new network designed specifically for kids at universities and colleges. The idea of a hands-on, interactive network designed for a very specific population had been floating around for a while. Reality greeted the musing when MTV bought an older college television network, and that's when the familiar channel began to "try to craft a channel that is going to be much more relevant to college students."

Bowdoin's long relationship with the famed 14th century Florentine poet Dante Alighieri continued on Friday, November 19, when Matthew Pearl, best-selling author of The Dante Club, visited campus for a Common Hour talk and lunch with the students of professor Arielle Saiber's class, "Dante's Divine Comedy."

It took 24 years, 11 albums, eight tours, and even a giant lemon, but U2 finally did it. The super group from Dublin created a lackluster album. Fans were prepared for a loud, edgy guitar-driven album. This is not what they got.

Nirvana's long-awaited box set finally hit the streets just before Thanksgiving, after years of legal skirmishes between Kurt Cobain's widow Courtney Love and the band's surviving members Dave Grohl and Krist Novaselic.

Welcome for the last time this semester, dear readers, to the weekly wine column. As some of you may know, I will be traveling abroad to Egypt next semester where the wine is noted for being non-potable. However, I will do a bunch of wines over vacation so you are not left in the dark as to what to drink.

A dance revolution hit Bowdoin the Friday before Thanksgiving. The delectable Anoka dinner was held in Moulton Union; a fiery Contradance spun through the Outdoor Leadership Center; and CHUNX, the new indie rock dance party shook the Pub floor. The Anokha Dinner featured a big screen with projections of Bollywood dances. The freedom, pleasure, expressiveness and energy of the Indian dance moves permeated the mood of the dinner. Much of the lively discussion at my table focused on how we could barely keep from standing on our chairs and dancing along.

What song, artist, or album got you into music? BW-D: Rain Dogs by Tom Waits. I can remember listening to it over and over again for hours when I was 16.

Synopsis: Jonathan Demme, director of Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia, tells the life story of Jean Dominique, Haitian journalist and human rights activist and the events leading up to his April 3, 2000, assassination. The screening is co-sponsored by the Department of Latin American Studies. Professor Allan Wells will present the film at the 7:00 p.m. Friday screening and give a talk afterwards.

I've got a lot to say this week, so here it is: 1. I know that everyone you know has given you their assessment of the November 19 brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills, and you're sick of hearing about it. However, it was the most unbelievable thing that I have ever witnessed in sports, and I thus feel obligated to discuss it.

With just over two weeks of the season completed, the Bowdoin men's varsity hockey team is off to a great start with two wins, one tie, and one loss. They look forward to facing Castleton State today, and Skidmore College on Saturday. But the game of the semester will be played at home on Friday, December 10 against archrival Colby College.