The Bowdoin Orient

"As a Brunswick resident and citizen of Maine," Mills stated in the letter, "I believe current efforts to repeal these protections at the polls in November are wrong and inconsistent with the fundamental principle of equality in America." Mills cited Bowdoin's longstanding position against discrimination in the letter, and said that "the protections provided by Bowdoin College to its students, faculty, and staff do not promote one lifestyle over another. They simply provide equal footing for all to participate in our learning community."

As Maine College Democrats President Alex Cornell du Houx '06, a vocal opponent of the War in Iraq, prepares for his upcoming active duty with the U.S. Marines in Iraq, members of the Bowdoin community are responding to the news of his deployment with shock, gratitude, and in some cases, criticism.

Following a national trend, Bowdoin is seeing a consistent pattern of grade inflation, with students earning a rising number of As and Bs across the different academic disciplines. According to Director of Institutional Research and Registrar Christine Cote, the average grade increases every year. The average grade earned by students has increased from 3.20 to 3.33 on a four-point scale in the last ten years. Cote noted that grade inflation is not at all specific to Bowdoin, and said that colleges across the nation are seeing similar trends.

With the flu, mono, and fuzzy memories of the Saturday night before abounding at Bowdoin, some students are questioning why the health center is closed during the weekends. Dudley Coe Health Center is currently closed from 5 p.m. on Friday until the following Monday morning. "Health problems don't stop just because the Dudley Coe Health Center is closed," Lindsay Bruett '09 said.

As a small institution located in Maine, Bowdoin faces some challenges in retaining faculty members. Although the official data regarding Bowdoin's faculty retention rates are not available, according to Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Nancy Jennings, two tenure-track professors left Bowdoin in the 2004-2005 school year.

Seventeen Bowdoin students and Brunswick community members participated in the Ride for Rwanda to benefit the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation.

Bowdoin's Bias Incident Group reacted to an incident of vandalism deemed by the group to be discriminatory via an email sent to all students, staff, and faculty by President Barry Mills last week.

The Meddiebempsters, one of Bowdoin's all-male a cappella groups, is making arrangements to tour in Seoul, South Korea, over winter break.

Just months from now, U.S. Marine and Bowdoin senior Alex Cornell du Houx '06 will head to Iraq and risk his life for his country. This should have been a solemn and reflective time for our community, and a time for Cornell du Houx and his family to mentally prepare for his tour of duty. Yet, it appears that Dan Schuberth '06 saw it as an occasion to make a political statement. For Schuberth, secretary of the College Republican National Committee, to "question [Cornell du Houx's] logic and motivation" for doing his duty and to call him "one of the most vocal opponents...of our country" was reprehensible and devoid of reason.

As most have figured out in the past few weeks?among them George Bush and his strategy team?there are better Supreme Court nominees than Harriet Miers. However, her nomination was not the greatest of my worries; Harriet Miers's nomination to the highest court in the country represents to me the pinnacle, or more appropriately, the abyss of what has become a potentially injurious trend in the American political system. The vulnerable position held today by the Bush administration directly influenced the choice of a Supreme Court nominee who in the past and under different standards would never have been chosen. With Miers withdrawn, Bush is now under even greater pressure to nominate a confirmable candidate, and I am sorry to say that this candidate will likely be another Harriet Miers.

On Tuesday, the media confirmed the 2,000th American casualty in Iraq. Now, just over two and a half years since the war started, it seems a fitting time to examine the U.S. presence in Iraq and develop a feasible exit strategy.

We have an untapped resource among us. I know, it's amazing. I'm shocked myself. After three years here, I thought I had seen everything there was to see, done everything there was to do, and certainly conceived of every possible coupling imaginable. I was wrong. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the senior girl and the first-year boy.

Our Founding Fathers established this country on the principles of liberty and equality. In the same sentence that the Declaration of Independence enumerates our natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it boldly states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal." While tension exists between liberty and equality, a certain degree of equality is necessary to maintain liberty.

Most Bowdoin College students may wonder why so many people either criticize or commend Wal-Mart. One side views Wal-Mart as the devil incarnate. The other side seemingly praises Wal-Mart as one of the best examples of capitalism at work. Reality usually lies somewhere in between two polar opinions. In this case, it lies closer to the former.

As a Brunswick resident and citizen of Maine, I applaud the Maine Legislature and Governor John Baldacci for their approval last spring of legislation making it a crime to discriminate in housing, employment, credit, public accommodations, and education based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. I believe current efforts to repeal these protections at the polls in November are wrong and inconsistent with the fundamental principle of equality in America.

I want to respond to Zachary Linhart's op-ed of October 21, in which he declares that drilling in ANWR would decrease America's dependence on foreign oil as well as lower gas prices. First of all, according to Linhart's own math, we consume around 20 million barrels of oil daily, and wells at ANWR would provide 1.4 million barrels a day. Well, unless this SUV generation of Americans drastically cuts its fuel consumption, where will the remaining 18.6 million barrels come from-the Clampetts' back yard?

Is "Emergency Contraception" the same thing as "RU-486"?

What can you do with a degree from Harvard Law School? Become a headline comedian, of course. At least, that's what Greg Giraldo, a comedian from New York City, chose to do. Tonight, at 8:30 p.m. in Morrell Gymnasium, Giraldo will be pairing up with fellow comedian Jim Gaffigan for a show.

Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart's right-hand correspondent on "The Daily Show" and the master of feigned gravitas, has finally been given what he earned long ago: his own show.

Bowdoin College is all about loose leaves. The trees on campus redecorate the Quad every autumn, the leaves fluttering and dancing before making peace with the ground. At Baxter House on Wednesday, students and faculty shared loose leaves of another kind. For the second time this year, they gathered to hear their peers and colleagues read aloud from favorite pieces of writing.

With its lack of star power, limited release, and advertisement campaign coated in indie novelty, Everything Is Illuminated attempts disingenuously to attain the allure of a petite production. It's even playing at the epitome of a humble, hole-in-the-wall theater (I mean this in the most endearing way possible), Brunswick's own Eveningstar Cinema.

Blue Moon ($5.79 for a six-pack at Uncle Tom's) This past weekend I was lucky enough to score a few bottles of this delightful Colorado-based brew while hanging out with some cool dudes.

So it's Parents Weekend, and you're looking to show your parents a good time. I recommend the following: clean up your room and host a mini event for your parents and those friends whose parents are not around.

Time to be honest: how does one begin a review of John Coltrane's latest release, One Down, One Up? The man already holds a legendary, perhaps divine place in the jazz world (anyone been to www.saintjohncoltrane.com?), but this album secures his position as the most important improvisational saxophonist of the 20th century. In order to understand why this album is important, a little background information is necessary.

What is the best song ever made? LO: ZZ Top's "La Grange." TP: Hmm. That's a tough one. I will have to go with "Sound of the Crowd" by The Human League...for now.

Two varsity crews braved the cold, fast winds, white caps, and choppy water on the Charles River to take second and sixth places in their events at the Head of the Charles Regatta on Saturday.

Weekly update for women's volleyball, sailing, and women's soccer.