The Bowdoin Orient

Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) President Dustin Brooks '08 announced the first staff appointment to the Community Response Committee (CRC) Wednesday. BSG formed the CRC last February. Associate Professor of Sociology Joe Bandy was chosen as the first appointment to the committee, which will recommend ways in which Bowdoin might respond to humanitarian crises abroad if and when they arise. The CRC, which is supposed to be comprised of four students and three staff members, is scheduled to hold its first meeting next week.

For financial reasons, Bowdoin College Dining Service has decided to discontinue its policy of transferring board points to charitable organizations. Previously, students were able to sign up to donate the costs that would have funded their meal or meals for a given day to a charitable organization. But the process has become too much for the dining service to handle, according to Director of Dining Services Mary Lou Kennedy.

The sight of a Brunswick Police Department cruiser or officer on a Saturday night is usually enough to strike fear deep into the soul of an intoxicated Bowdoin student. However, both Bowdoin and Brunswick Police administrators describe the relationship between the BPD and the College as healthy, and say that the police generally try to resolve situations using the least restrictive means possible.

The Board of Trustees will meet this weekend to celebrate the reopening of the Walker Art Building and vote on several proposals. According to the Secretary of the College Richard Mersereau, the art museum renovation had been considered by the College for nearly 50 years.

In addition to unanimously approving a set of revised Students Activites Funding Committee (SAFC) policies, Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) welcomed two major campus figures to its meetings over the past two weeks. Tim Diehl, director of Bowdoin's Career Planning Center (CPC), and Kim Pacelli, director of the Office of Residential Life, attended the October 3 and October 10 meetings, respectively, for open forum discussions.

When senior Meg Waterman woke up Wednesday morning, she plugged a string of lights into her Coles Tower bedroom expecting illumination. Instead, she received sparks, second-degree burns to her hand, and visits with campus security, facilities, and medical personnel.

When the College unveils the newly renovated art museum this weekend, it will mark the end of an era that was frustrating, limiting, interminable?and completely worth it. Several years ago, when it had become obvious that the aging Walker Art Building would need to be renovated in order for it to remain viable, Bowdoin officials were faced with a decision: They could touch up the place just enough to get it up to code, or they could aim for something more ambitious?they could create a completely new space that would set a new standard for college-owned art museums.

On the way home from a cross-country meet on Saturday, my ID card fell out of my pocket and onto the seat of the bus; I discovered this later as I attempted to get into Coles Tower. The bus, the driver, and the card are now who-knows-where, and I'm considering it as good as evaporated.

About a month into my brother's first year at Georgetown University, one of his female friends was sexually assaulted by a date. My brother told me this story, full of warnings: how to spot the guys with bad intentions, how to fight back, and with a subtle suggestion that maybe I should just avoid male company altogether. I had another solution: attend Bowdoin College?a small school, safe and quiet?because surely the admissions office would have screened for such people.

To the Editors: I don't read the newspaper much, but I noticed Mr. Muhammad's article on Common Good Day ("Taking another look at Common Good Day," September 28). What have we come to when we attack people for working towards the common good? This article offers no concrete solutions to fix the "severe lack of Bowdoin students actively pursing civic engagement[s]" (aka volunteering), and appears to be a vicious jab at the campus community.

To the Editors: In response to the article in last week's Orient by Ahmad Hassan Muhammad titled "Taking another Look at Common Good Day" (September 28), I wholeheartedly concur. I have worked here at Bowdoin for the past three years, and I have noticed, especially this year, that most students don't even acknowledge your "hello" or "good morning."

To the Editors: Arriving at Bowdoin my freshman year with little prior recycling experience, I was impressed by the steps taken by the college and by student groups to encourage recycling and to cut down on waste. However, I slowly realized that these efforts are often taken in vain?plastic bottles and crumpled notes can often be seen peeking out of trash cans after being discarded by busy Polar Bears who don't feel like taking the time to sort.

To the Editors: After reading Mr. Bartha's op-ed last week ("Signs of intolerance toward conservatives," September 28), we felt hurt that he thought that those of us who are dedicated employees of the Dining Service would risk our jobs in order to be "intolerant."

To the Editors: I write in response to Sara Afienko's assertion regarding torn down posters (Afienko's letter to the editor, "Republican posters: torn down like many others," September 28). Yes, posters are most often torn down without malicious intent, but College Republicans have had their posters torn down in their face while they're being put up.

To the Editors: With the overwhelming array of beer available at Hannaford or Rite Aid, it is tempting to grab the first six-pack you see. However, there is a lot to picking a perfect beer, including how our favorite beer companies treat their workers, the environment, and the community.

To the Editors: While I commend William K. Richard's desire (in "Setting the facts straight: the truth about Jena Six," September 28) to bring a more thorough understanding of the background surrounding the "Jena 6" protests that have been staged throughout the country, I question some of the elements of the story portrayed as fact by Mr. Richard, as well as some of the selective editing he employs in recounting aspects of the case.

It has recently been brought to my attention that there is more to life than the meaningless hookups and the morally casual ideas advertised in my first two articles. College can also be a time to find that special someone who makes little, everyday things more meaningful. One could call this love. But don't worry?I'm not going to get all rosy on you just yet.

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, with opening bands Amber Pacific, Monty Are I, and New Years' Day, will perform on October 19 in the largest concert the College has sponsored in years.

At Quinby House's "Max (dance) Pants Art Show" today, the two featured musical groups will not be the only ones expressing themselves artistically.

This afternoon, pianist Duncan Cumming will present this year's second Teatime Concert in Studzinski Recital Hall's Kanbar Auditorium at 4 p.m., with refreshments provided by the Association of Bowdoin Friends.

The best thing about Julie Taymor's "Across the Universe" is the music, and that's because the soundtrack is essentially "The Best of the Beatles" covered by the actors. This highly sensationalized movie is a bunch of special effects that make it look like the movie, as well as the characters, are on LSD.

The popular English rock band Radiohead released its seventh album, "In Rainbows," on October 10 as an MP3 download available from its official web site (www.radiohead.com). This album has taken more time (five years) to release than any other album in the band's career. The price? There isn't one.

The worlds that Haruki Murakami brings to life in his novels are rarely devoid of the fantastic. Talking cats are unsurprising fixtures, as are romances that defy not only age but also disparities of time. His stories are infused with a quality of magical realism, straining against but not transcending the partitions between what is understood as possible and what is just beyond imaginable. Murakami enjoys toying with the boundaries of reality and, strangely, these challenges do not alienate his audience.

What if you popped a Bruce Springsteen album into your CD player and out came the familiar riff of Tommy Tutone's 1982 hit "867-5309/Jenny"? You might feel cheated, lied to even. Not I.

Returning home after two tough losses on the road, the Bowdoin Football Team will look to improve to .500 on the season when it takes the field in a Homecoming clash against Hamilton College tomorrow.

The women's rugby team will look to preserve its undefeated record on Saturday when it faces the University of New Hampshire at home.

Testing themselves against some of the toughest competition they will see all season, the Bowdoin Women's Cross Country Team finished eighth out of 44 teams at the highly competitive Open New England Championships on October 6.

Among the shadows of the large iron bear cages, the only remnants of Franklin Park's abandoned zoo facility, the Bowdoin Men's Cross Country Team ran with ferocity to finish an impressive 11th out of 43 on the sport's biggest stage in the region: the New England Championships.

The Bowdoin Men's Soccer Team was handed its third loss in the last five games by a strong Middlebury team on Tuesday. The Panthers, who boast the NESCAC's best defense, have allowed only five goals this season and were unwilling to make that total any larger Tuesday afternoon as they walked away with a 2-0 victory.

At the Husson Invitational Golf Tournament the Polar Bears made an impressive showing as Ryan Blossom '10 captured his second first place finish of the season with Jeffrey Cutter '09 following a close second.

The Bowdoin Women's Volleyball Team welcomed Gordon, Bates, Keene, Brandeis, Emmanuel, Wheaton and Keuka to campus this past Friday as it played host on the first day of the 2007 Midcoast Classic Tournament.

The Bowdoin Men's Rugby Team will look for a big win against one of the top teams in New England on Saturday. The team will host a University of New Hampshire team that is 3-1 on the season and currently sits at the fourth spot in the table.