The Bowdoin Orient

Approximately 60 people have applied to be the College's next dean of student affairs, but officials are not yet ready to predict when the search committee will make its final decision. "The end of the search is when we've found the right person," Assistant to the President Scott Meiklejohn said in a phone interview.

Two construction workers are still in a critical care unit after the van they were driving crashed on their way to campus last week. On April 5, three employees of Knowles Industrial Services of Gorham, the contractor that the College hired to do masonry for the renovations of Appleton and Hyde Halls, were traveling south on Interstate 295 toward their Bowdoin job site. The driver lost control of the van and crashed, seriously injuring two of the men.

Regardless of what this year's weather will bring next, campus is expected to be greener than usual for graduation. Throughout the rest of the semester, seniors will be given opportunities to sign a pledge of life-long commitment to the environment. To show this dedication, these students will be encouraged to wear green ribbons during commencement exercises.

Bowdoin students may find that Brunswick is more interconnected with China than they initially thought after attending a talk or two from the two-week lecture series, "Concurrent Worlds: China in the Era of Globalization," which begins Saturday. Presented by the Asian Studies Program and the Asian Students Association, the six speakers will touch on issues including the Chinese military, rural migration, globalization, and energy.

Students who are looking for a formal chance to say "thank you" to faculty and staff will receive some help today. Bowdoin Student Government's (BSG) first ever Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day will offer a variety of events that will allow students to recognize the adults who affect them on a day-to-day basis at the College.

-Attendance: 24/26. Absent: Jacq Abrams '08, Molley Dorkey '06 -The officer team is working to address BSG's role in J-Board approval.

After another year with a record number of applicants?just over 5,400?the admissions office has mailed acceptance letters, according to Dean of Admissions Dick Steele. Due to the upcoming housing crunch, the acceptance rate of 22 percent was slightly lower than usual, though that number will rise as students are admitted off the waiting list, Steele said. Last year's acceptance rate was 24.3 percent.?We purposely planned to come in under our target because the housing situation is going to be so tight in the fall,? Steele said.

Following the deaths of Katie Scott '06 and Taryn King '07 earlier this academic year, students found different ways to cope. Some attended College-sponsored vigils. Some attended funerals. Some sought the counsel of college staff, family, and friends. Some posted on King and Scott's Facebook "walls."

We ought to be saying "thank you" to the important people in our lives every day?but since this does not always happen, from time to time we consider it appropriate to make a special point of showing our appreciation.

In the March 31 issue of the Orient, Frank Chi '07 wrote that college campuses are no longer "centers of activism," but instead "typify the deadbeat of apathy." Bowdoin is unfortunately an example of this. However, here on campus we suffer this fate not only because of pop culture's substitution for political activism, but also as a result of the actions of the Bowdoin College Republicans.

Listen, we didn't ask you here today to watch "Corwin's Quest: Realm of the Yeti" on Animal Planet. I know, I know, that is what I said on the phone. We invited you over because I feel... we all feel...that we need to confront you about something. Yes, I am serious. Wait; before you get upset, just hear me out. We've been noticing changes in your personality since it began?your behavior, the tone of your voice, your priorities. We all see it. You disappear for long periods of time without leave. We'll all be hanging out, and you'll slide into a back room and lock the door. We all know what you're doing back there.

There's a man for whom I have enormous respect, who has just broken into true power politics. He's an immigrant who worked himself up by making the most of what the people in his new country were willing to do for him. He's an outspoken former labor leader, and an effective one at that. He was the best at making sure that municipal workers got paid on time, which, until he came, had been very problematic. After making his bones this way, he became head of his country's largest union, turning what had been an aging and ineffective organization into the powerhouse it is today and should have been in the first place. He makes clear the things he fights for, saying, "I think there are a lot of people waiting for the moment that someone will fight for their right to make a living with respect, to grow old with respect." The man is not the reincarnation of Caesar Chavez or Eugene Debs, though he might as well be.

It is 2 a.m., and tonight I find myself staring at yet another blank page that should be filled with original text citing various arguments and dissertations supporting my thoughts on yet another, arguably brilliant, remarkably dead and definitively European man. As often happens, my mind begins to wander, and after reconsidering the robust acting career of Nicholas Cage ("The Weatherman" was hilarious), the irony of NASCAR (such a rush to get back to the beginning), and Bridget Moynahan (she is remarkably attractive), I begin to reflect on Bowdoin College.

I had nothing to do with the anti-abortion poster mentioned in Mike Aikins's op-ed "Posters inflame, do not inform" (April 7), and I do not know who did. I agree that anonymous posters are a very poor means of communication for this discussion. I also agree that the choice of the word "holocaust" is inflammatory. However, I do have three comments.

I would like to respond to Mike Aikins's op-ed "Posters inflame, do not inform" (April 7). Let me begin by admitting that perhaps the use of the term "holocaust" is touchy, but as a pro-lifer, I feel that likening the abortion situation in this country to genocide is fairly accurate. Aikins insists that abortion is nothing like genocide, even insisting that abortion is "humane." Again, I would agree that abortion does not have the sadism of genocide, but it still has that indifference toward human life.

Campaigns for Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) and class officer positions are about to begin. Interested students must file petitions for candidacy by Wednesday evening in order to run for office.

We were pleased to learn that the Dudley Coe Health Center has made its weekend hours permanent.

Walking through the halls of Smith Union the other day, a flyer depicting a young baby caught my eye. The posters, which have been strewn up in massive quantity, depict a fully formed child with the title, "The American Holocaust: 47 million and Counting." Being an ardent advocate of free speech, I swallowed my initial disgust and asked myself if there was really anything wrong with these posters. It didn't take long for me to realize that there are some very serious lines that these posters cross, and that the people who put them up need to apologize and take them down.

Dear Dr. Jeff: A friend of mine seems to be pretty down. How would I know if he's depressed? ?J.B.

Dear Dr. Jeff: Are sports performance-enhancing drugs dangerous? What about other body-building supplements? ?J.P.

When a generous donor gave the music department the opportunity to bring a musician to campus for a residency, the department wanted someone who would have wide appeal.

Everyone likes a good deal. There's some inexplicable satisfaction in finding what you need (or don't need) for a steal. That is why we hit up sales, shop around, and fall in love with Target and TJ Maxx. Discount stores are the best way to save some cash while not skimping on style. Although Freeport is a Maine mecca for cheap, high quality fashion, Target in Topsham and TJ Maxx at Cooks Corner can be just as promising in what they have to offer. Plus, with one-stop shopping, everything is at your fingertips.

Gritty's Pub Ale?($6.89 for a six pack at Hannaford) It seemed time for me to say hello to one of my old favorites, Gritty McDuff. Known for his robust taste profiles and witty labeling, Mr. McDuff gave a true clinic in how to make a pale ale with this brew.

What is the best album ever created? AC: Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea," Modest Mouse's "The Lonesome Crowded West," and The Magnetic Fields' "69 Love Songs" are all great albums, though. AS: Any album from Lucky Ali has to be the best one. The soundtrack of "Rang De Basanti" is also awesome.

Soulive isn't going to let its audience take jazz sitting down. The trio of Alan and Neal Evans and Eric Krasno proclaims its brand of music to be "jazz that you can dance to," which will fill Bowdoin's Sargent Gym today at 9 p.m.

An overflow of talent led to the creation of a second women's a cappella group on campus. Its formation instilled a healthy balance to the a cappella community, rounding out the numbers to two co-ed, two all male, and two all female groups. BellaMafia, which performed for the first time on March 31, as the opening act for the Meddiebempsters, was formed because there was the feeling that if there was talent yet to be employed, someone should find a way to do it.

It's around this time of year, after the Oscars have passed and the depressing repetitiveness of the current slate of movies seems inescapable, when studios announce their slate of films for the coming year. And most of their release dates are far in the distance, but at least this will give us all something to look forward to as we trudge through Mel's continuing descent toward insanity in "Apocalypto" and Mr. Scientology himself in "MI:3," with MI now standing for Maximum Irritation.

Sam Adams White Ale - ($7.99 for a six-pack at Hannaford). As the beautiful month of April unfolds in this great state, I sit and ponder two of my biggest life questions: when will the spring ales begin to be brewed and, more importantly, why are there three inches of snow on the ground? Luckily, Sam Adams beat most other breweries to the punch, delivering its seasonal drink in the form of a Witbier, a Belgian style white ale.

Funnily enough, for all their production, there are relatively few Portuguese wines available to buy in the States. Below, two that I've drank lately that you can track down for your own pleasure.