The Bowdoin Orient

Feeling blue? Need to talk to someone about it? Get in line. With a 37 percent increase in services provided to Bowdoin students by the Counseling Service in the 2005-2006 year, an earlier-than-usual waiting list developed and has required students to wait up to three weeks in some cases.

Recent efforts to raise awareness about the human rights crisis in Darfur have taken many forms, ranging from divestment to film screenings. Students have succeeded in persuading President Barry Mills and the Board of Trustees to agree not to invest in companies with business interests in Darfur. In addition, the Darfur Coalition organized Darfur Week, a campus-wide educational and fundraising campaign.

Discussion with Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols and on Bowdoin's Darfur Resolution was the focus of Bowdoin Student Government's (BSG) meeting Wednesday. Nichols visited BSG for an open discussion on campus safety, and students raised questions about security issues, particularly the recent alcohol bust in Baxter House.

The political power shift in Washington following the Democrats' reclamation of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives could mean less debt for Bowdoin students and their parents in the near future.

Although recent trends show that more parents are sending their children to public high schools, the percentage of Bowdoin students from private schools has increased. Over the past five years, with the exception of the class of 2010, the percentage of students coming from private schools has decreased, from 46 percent in 2006 to 45 percent in 2009. The class of 2010, however, has caused the trend to change directions, with 48 percent coming from private schools.

Do you know what NAFTA stands for? Though many students may not, a teach-in with Associate Professor of Sociology Joe Bandy on Monday revealed its relevant and lasting effects on the United States and Mexican economies.

Quinby House raised $402 for charity in its dinner date charity fundraiser last week. According to house historian Darren Fishell '09, Joshua's Tavern, Shere Punjab, The Great Impasta, and Pedro O'Hara's all donated at least 10 percent of all profits they made from Bowdoin students on November 3.

Shortly after the Democrats won back majorities in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in November, party leaders laid out their agenda for the 110th Congress. Near the top of the list was making college more affordable to students who can't pay today's astronomical tuition costs. Specifically, the Democrats say they want to substantially heighten the ceiling on Pell grants, halve federal interest rates on student loans, and decrease federal tax liability for families who are paying tuition.

International students make a positive contribution to the U.S. economy. Chief negotiator for the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, Kim Jong-Hoon, noted that the balance of payment from education services reached a net deficit of $3.33 billion last year, far outpacing any surplus earned by South Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai or Kia.

The one thing presidential candidates have in common is that they make great caricatures. Ross Perot's ears, Bill Clinton's nose. John Kerry's droopy chin. George Bush's uncanny resemblance to a chimp. Al Gore didn't lose because of hanging chads; he lost because there was nothing distinctive enough about him?visually or politically?to caricature.

As a new Orient subscriber, I read with interest the views expressed by Professor of Government Jean Yarbrough in her November 9 op-ed concerning the recent national elections. Clearly, the professor expects little good to come from the Democratic take-over of the House and Senate. She is, of course, entitled to her own opinion. She is not, however, entitled to her own facts.

Mostafa Tabatabainejad, a senior at the University of California, Los Angeles, plans on formally accusing a university police officer, Terrence Duren, of using brutal excessive force during a security check on November 14.

Groups of 12- and 13-year-old students pile into the Mt. Ararat Middle School cafeteria. Seven Bowdoin students stand at the entrance waiting for their mentees. One girl spots her mentor, Jenny Lam '09, and walks quickly to meet her. The first exchange of the day between the two is shy. Quickly, though, the two begin to share stories of the past week.

I want to know what happened to dating at Bowdoin. Where did it go? I know you've probably heard this gripe before, but I'm serious. We need to bring dating back to Bowdoin.

Dear Dr. Jeff: Can I get travel shots at the health center for my study away? C.K.

Diana Peterfreund's "Secret Society Girl: An Ivy League Novel" is one of those books you love to hate. While fast-paced and fairly well-written, its facile premise seems annoyingly obvious: the mysterious Rose & Grave society invites Amy Haskel, Ivy League student at the fictional Eli University, to join its elite ranks. Peppering her descriptions with sometimes strained literary allusions, the author, who graduated from Yale in 2001, attempts to give her gossipy narrative an intellectual veneer.

Jay-Z, if not the greatest rapper ever, is at least the most celebrated street-hustler-turned-Def-Jam-CEO alive. His new album, "Kingdom Come," released on November 21, is a strange animal. It is a grown-up, tuned-down and very corporate perspective on life, appearing three years after Hova's retirement from the game in 2003. I would not call it bad, but is still unworthy of the status that "Reasonable Doubt," "The Black Album," and "The Blueprint" achieved.

The Natural Bull?$2.90 for...errr...one at Uncle Tom's Market. Drastic times call for drastic measures. With finals bearing down and the hours logged in at the library increasing daily, it is safe to say that these are indeed drastic times. Now I know everyone is feeling the same pressure that I am to get their work done so they can enjoy a restful, well-deserved Winter Break. But just to put things into perspective before we depart, bear with me for a second.

Oscar season. This inevitable end-of-the-year Hollywood ritual has begun. From now until the end of February, ads in the trade magazines, on TV and in-theater previews will barrage viewers and Academy members alike. But they will ask for nothing more than your consideration. Filmmakers like Christopher Guest know that all too well. Under Guest's watch, no one is free from potential lampooning.

The majority of Division III hockey pundits felt that Bowdoin would be too young and small to have any real impact this season. These doubters believed that it would take too long for Bowdoin to integrate its enormous batch of underclassmen to compete effectively this year.

Nate Krah '08 described it as "quicksand," Ken Akiha '08 called it "soup," and John Hall '08 said it was "almost comical." Regardless of how they described the muddiness of the 2006 Cross-Country National Championship, Bowdoin's top seven runners grinded through ridiculous terrain to capture 17th place out of the 32 teams at the meet.

The Bowdoin Field Hockey Team was handed its first loss in 13 games at the NCAA Final Four in Geneva, New York, two weeks ago. The loss ended the Polar Bears' season with a record of 17-2.

The men's and women's squash teams had mixed results at their first tournament, held at Dartmouth on November 18 and 19. The men suffered a tough 8-1 loss to Navy on Saturday, with sophomore Robert Lynn at the No. 8 spot gaining the team's sole win.

Call me Romo. Some years ago?four precisely?having little or no money in my wallet, and nothing but throwing to interest me on land, I thought I would sail about a little and see the southern part of the country. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly April (Draft Day) in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before defensive tackles, and bringing up the rear of every drive I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral coach to prevent me from deliberately stepping onto the field, and methodically knocking people's hats off?then, I account it high time to get to Texas as soon as I can. This is my substitute for grocery and bag. With a philosophical flourish Drew throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the huddle. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the football with me.