The Bowdoin Orient

Bowdoin's effort to attract minority students has led it to an admissions yield of over 40 percent among black students. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education reported Tuesday that Bowdoin's black student yield of 47.8 percent is the highest of the 24 liberal arts schools that the Journal investigated.

After an investigation into a claim that a senior administration official improperly used the work of a faculty member in a grant application, President Mills said in an interview with the Orient that the "issue has been resolved" and that all parties concerned "are in good standing with the College."

Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) President DeRay Mckesson '07 says he will not run for the Class of 2007 presidency in the upcoming re-election. Mckesson was disqualified in last week's election by the BSG Elections Committee because of his role as student government president. Mckesson originally planned on running again, but after discussions with the BSG officer team, he decided to end his candidacy.

With five professors on leave and 19.9 percent of declared students government majors, Bowdoin's government department is in a state of transition, according to Department Chair Paul Franco.

The Bowdoin College Democrats are working to bring together the second Maine College Democrats Convention to be held at Bowdoin College this Friday and Saturday. One hundred and fifty delegates will be attending the convention, coming from 19 different colleges. Even more are expected to attend the main attraction, Al Franken.

Bowdoin received a grant from the Mellon Foundation six years ago to keep programming strong as the college began to phase out its fraternity system. The grant is used to fund activities that expand the College's programming and stimulate both intellectual and social life.

In the midst of an allegation that a senior administration official improperly used the work of a faculty member, the College says it is working to update and expand its policy to protect intellectual property.

After deciding to name one of the new first-year dormitories in honor of Bowdoin alum Bernard Osher '48, the trustees may consider a name for the other dorm at their fall meetings in mid-October. George J. Mitchell '54 would be an exceptional namesake.

The Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) is planning to issue a statement on a question Maine voters will face in November regarding discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation at this Tuesday's meeting, according to BSG President DeRay Mckesson '07.

DeRay Mckesson '07 is a College institution?

The Orient sent out a plea recently for more conservative editorialists. I was tempted to answer the call this week and the Democratic convention would have provided plenty to criticize. But in accepting the Orient's invitation I would have been nourishing an anemic political discourse that seems to nourish only two ideologies, both of which are bankrupt. With (social democratic) liberals and (neo)conservatives directing the conversation one is quickly corralled into a decision of Republican or Democrat. Right or Left. Red state or blue state. Pick-up truck or Volvo. You must choose immediately and only between these two; there are no other options.

On my very first day at Bowdoin, snuggled in to my sleeping bag at Farley Field House, I was given some insight that has shaped my entire Bowdoin career. When asked what the dating scene was like at Bowdoin, my female trip leader gave a sarcastic, mildly unattractive snort and answered, "What dating scene?" She then described the two kinds of people on this campus: the serial bed hoppers and the couples who fell in love over a bag of trail mix as soon as their van to Mt. Katahdin left the parking lot. Indeed, it seemed that at Bowdoin, your only choices were either a never-ending cycle of sweaty dances in poorly lit basements and unfamiliar futons, or a never-ending relationship. Period.

To the Editors: The recent report of plagiarism of a grant proposal by a senior staff member raises very serious concerns about the privacy of electronic information and the custodians to which it is entrusted. Before one can commit an act of plagiarism, one must first obtain the source material.

To the Editors: I am writing to express my alarm over the recent BSG Elections. During the fall of 2004, I served as co-election moderator with DeRay Mckesson. Mckesson has always been, in my experience, very conscious of avoiding inappropriate conflicts of interests as an elected official. Thus, reading last week's Orient article, "Mckesson disqualified," was a shock to me. I was mystified as to how Mckesson could have so blatantly abused his position as BSG president by openly and actively campaigning for and against individuals.

To the Editors: "Dear Joel," says a letter from MBNA to my son, "as a college student you've got more choices now than ever before, and many of the decisions you make today will have an impact on your life tomorrow. That's what makes the MBNA VISA credit card such a smart decision."

To the Editors: Regarding Mr. Kolowich's op-ed on the Michael Heath speech, one way to create an information source is to add a question regarding sexual orientation to the Equal Employment Opportunity portion of a job application.

To the Editors: I am writing in response to Zachary Linhart's "contribution" to the September 23 issue of the Orient. First of all, I am absolutely outraged by the totally ridiculous and appalling generalizations that Mr. Linhart made about Bowdoin liberals.

Infection with HPV (Human papillomavirus) causes all warts, including genital warts.

At 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning there are only two types of people wandering around Bowdoin's campus: those shuffling toward their rooms as quickly as possible, performing a covert walk-of-shame, and those carrying a paddle and wetsuit eagerly migrating towards the Schwartz Outdoor Leadership Center.

As a young boy, tapping his foot to the music played by a nearby Kansas City 24-hour jazz radio station, Professor James W. McCalla didn't know what he was listening to, but he knew that he liked it.

The Farnsworth Museum has a unique mission as a nationally recognized gallery in the heart of Down East Maine.

Since coming to Bowdoin, a place that even from a visitor's perspective he felt cared about all students individually, Mckesson has learned the art of questioning himself honestly.

We all remember the zany warmth of A Nightmare Before Christmas, and attribute its genius to the trademark vision of Tim Burton. I myself regarded Nightmare as Burton's greatest film, and the most potent celluloid imprint of his psyche.

Hailing from Seattle, Vendetta Red is a band recognized for its lyrically driven rock with metal and screamo undertones. It is seemingly the undercredited saviors of the mainstream rock world. Sisters of the Red Death, the band's second album to be released on a major label, develops some of the more profound themes encountered on their first Epic Records release, Between the Never and the Now. The new album took two years to write, but the band simplified the tracking process and cut production time to two weeks.

Geary's Autumn Ale?($7.49 for a six-pack, available at Dead River) As the autumn weather shuffles in, beer drinkers everywhere eagerly await whatever fabulous seasonal brews this fall will bring. Luckily, Maine-based Geary's Brewing Company stepped up with its caramel-colored brown ale, the dark horse of all seasonals: the Autumn Ale.

What is the best song ever made? AP: Sure, start with the easy one... "If We Can Land a Man on the Moon, Surely I Can Win Your Heart," by Beluah. TP: Lola by the Kinks. But I don't like this question because as far as I'm concerned, there are no "best songs." Post-modernism, no more grand narratives, empty signifiers, that sort of thing.

When she peforms in Pickard at 8:00 p.m. tonight, Rachael Yamagata will introduce herself to Bowdoin for the first time. As a singer-songwriter, however, she's hardly a newcomer.

In the opening sequence of the film Lord of War treats the audience to the on-screen birth of a bullet. In the recesses of a mechanized womb, a casing is fitted, and a fresh metal mouth nourished with gunpowder. Several robotic arms come forth to cap the round, and with a cold violence portending its later use, the shell is fused. The bullet is now ready for the assembly line.

Sam Beam, the Miami cinematography professor-turned-neo folk sensation?known better by his stage name, Iron and Wine?has collaborated with the Arizona-based alternative group Calexico to create a six-song EP entitled In the Reins.

"You may tire of me as our December sun is setting," poses Death Cab for Cutie lyricist and front man Ben Gibbard, "because I'm not who I used to be." These lines open the poignant track "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" from the acclaimed indie-rock band's latest and first major label release, Plans. The album, the band's fifth, represents its evolution toward a more retrospective, pensive sound.

The Bowdoin Women's Rugby Team gave a great performance against the University of New Hampshire on Saturday. The Polar Bears played with fantastic form, shutting out the Wildcats 32-0.

The Bowdoin Women's Volleyball Team challenged Colby at home last Wednesday, and although the undefeated Mules added another win to their record, it was not without a tough fight.