The Bowdoin Orient

A Bowdoin employee has contracted one of Maine's first three cases of mumps among residents in the last ten years, state health officials said yesterday. According to Andy Pelletier, a medical epidemiologist at the Maine Center for Disease Control (CDC), all three cases were diagnosed since September 27.

Bowdoin's Career Planning Center (CPC), under the guidance of newly appointed director Tim Diehl, has taken steps to increase its alumni and parent networks, improve transparency, and involve students in the "career process" earlier than their senior year.

This year's United Way/Maine Share 26 Days of Giving fundraising campaign aims to raise $100,000 from current and retired Bowdoin employees, topping last year's fundraising efforts, which totaled $81,602. The fundraising campaign, which kicked off on October 1, occurs in workplaces around the Midcoast region.

Author and women's studies scholar Kathy Davis presented a lecture on Monday night to promote her new book, "The Making of Our Bodies, Ourselves: How Feminism Travels Across Borders." In the presentation, Davis discussed the far reaching consequences of "Our Bodies, Ourselves," a popular manual about women and their bodies first published in 1970.

"As a country, we're more uncomfortable seeing two men holding hands than holding guns." Chalked in bright letters on the pavement in front of the Chapel, this statement was one of many intended to amuse, shock, and provoke onlookers during this year's Outweek.

Amid hours of charged debate, a running theme emerged Wednesday from what must have otherwise seemed like a disjointed meeting of Bowdoin Student Government (BSG): students' proficiency in foreign languages and their access to foreign language instruction. This gives us the opportunity to re-address a concern that the Orient raised last April, but which, due to public silence on the matter by the Office of the Dean for Academic Affairs, seems already to have accumulated dust: Bowdoin's conspicuous lack of courses on Arabic instruction and the Middle East generally.

Some recent Bowdoin occurrences prompted me to do a good deal of thinking about the word "tolerance." I have always found tolerance to be a curious notion. Bowdoin, along with many other liberal arts institutions, attempts to achieve a goal of acceptance amongst its diverse community of students. "Tolerance" has become a buzzword, which I believe we use with little thought of its meaning.

I arrived on campus for my last year at Bowdoin, raging with excitement, maybe just ready to rage. And then I remembered. This is my last year at Bowdoin College, my very last time to be a student here. I wrestled with what it meant: the end of my college education, the end of my college debauchery, and the end of an era. For the first time, coming back to Bowdoin didn't just mean coming back to another year of fun with my friends?it was coming back to the last year of fun with my friends here.

Galileo did not promote intellectually stimulating debate. That is the conclusion a certain liberal student's logic on why the Bowdoin College Republicans (BCR) should not invite far right speakers draws. In a debate with a conservative student and me, said liberal student asserted that if a speaker promotes a highly controversial message, he does not encourage intellectually stimulating debate on issues. In fact, those speakers tend to silence conflicting opinions.

When did you choose heterosexuality? This question greeted me when I walked by Moore Hall a few days ago and it really got me thinking. As part of outweek, members of the College community decided to write messages on the ground around campus. I'm guessing that the purpose of this is to promote awareness and discussion about alternative sexualities on campus. So I'll respond to this challenge and consider whether we can indeed choose our sexuality. I find the courage of this mystery writer laudable, but I also believe this provocative question leads to a serious worry. Let me explain.

To the Editors: I write to voice my opposition to the bill passed on Wednesday by the Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) to terminate funding from the Student Activities Funding Committee (SAFC) for academic and language organizations. My contention is that with this bill, too much is left to the interpretation of the SAFC and its chair. With a liberal interpretation of the bill, there is little to stop SAFC from discontinuing funding for club sports as well as lectures or debates germane to academic discourses.

To the Editors: I have seen the problem referenced in your article, "Student burned by socket" (October 12, 2007) numerous times, and I have become somewhat of an expert with this problem. Electric outlets become defective over time.

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.

Last year, when Maria Muñoz, 21, was selected to come to Bowdoin, the College promised her free room, board, and a monthly stipend. They also assigned her several classes of Bowdoin students to instruct.

The Bowdoin OneCard is sleek, small, convenient, and also easy to lose or misplace.

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 melodious harmonies of 17th century Italy will fill the air of Kanbar Auditorium this weekend at the University of Southern Maine's School of Music's performance of Claudio Monteverdi's "L'Orfeo?Favola in Musica."

The lines between fiction and truth are blurred, if not altogether imagined, in Katherine Taylor's first novel, "Rules For Saying Goodbye." To begin with, her narrator is an eponymous character, and it is evident that many of the details that support the novel's structure are drawn from her own life. This makes it difficult to dislike the character and simultaneously appreciate the author's wit.

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.

The Bowdoin Men's Cross Country Team toed the starting line of the Maine State Championships with a lot on the line last Saturday.

Finally breaking Colby's three-year winning streak, the Bowdoin Women's Cross Country Team reclaimed the Maine State Championship title last Saturday.

The Bowdoin Men's Tennis Team completed its fall season on a high note this year with outstanding results at the Wallach Invitational at Bates.

The Bowdoin Women's Volleyball Team returns from this past NESCAC weekend at Middlebury with a Friday victory over Hamilton but two Saturday losses against Williams and Middlebury.

The formerly undefeated women's rugby team suffered its first loss to the University of New Hampshire on Saturday. Alumni from the 2007 team that went to Nationals last year were on hand to cheer for the team.

In the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Championship last Sunday, Jeff Cutter '09, captain of the Bowdoin Men's Golf Team, emerged as the best shooter of the tournament, with an impressive one-day score of 77. Fellow Polar Bear Ryan Blossom '10 finished a close second, just one shot behind Cutter.