The Bowdoin Orient

Lori Chadbourne sat crying in the parking lot of the Dudley Coe Health Center in late September. After six years sitting at the front desk working as the administrative coordinator for the Dudley Coe Health Center?a job she loved so much she hoped to work at Bowdoin for decades, until her retirement?she had decided to quit.

At the core of many of the issues facing Dudley Coe Health Center lies the tension between the educational mission of the College and the necessity of providing healthcare to students. "Obviously Bowdoin in not a medical facility, it's a college," Student Health Program Administrator Caitlin Gutheil said. "What we excel in is educational practices, not medical practices."

When Harvard and Princeton decided to eliminate their early admission programs starting this fall and accept all members of the Class of 2012 through a single process with a January 1, 2008 deadline, Bowdoin admissions wondered what kind of ripple effect the move would have in Brunswick. Not much, administrators have since discovered. But they predict that Bowdoin will feel the repercussions of Princeton and Harvard's decision during the regular admissions process.

Bowdoin's investigation into allegations of hazing by the sailing and women's squash teams has been completed, but Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster said that because the teams involved have not yet been notified, the results would not be made available to the public until next week. The investigation, conducted by Director of Athletics Jeff Ward and Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs Margaret Hazlett, was organized by Foster in response to an October article in the Portland Press Herald.

The figures are in. For the 2005-2006 academic year, Barry Mills in his fifth year as president received $369,514 in compensation and contributions to employee benefits plans. This number represents a $25,976 overall increase from the year before.

Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) unanimously approved two bills on Wednesday concerning club membership activities policy. The two bills represent the division of BSG's original, single hazing proposal which the group discussed last week. After the split, the first bill outlines affirmative and unacceptable club practices as well as rules of conduct, while the second addresses the procedure for responding to policy violations.

This year's United Way/Maine Share 26 Days of Giving campaign topped its $100,000 goal. The Bowdoin community raised $104,035 for local charities, breaking last year's record high of $81,602.

The pines of Bowdoin may soon grace the silver screen in theatres across the country. According to Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs Scott Hood, a location scout and crew recently visited Bowdoin to consider it for the production of a small budget film. The crew has also looked at Bates, as well as locations in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

The proposed zoning ordinance that would prohibit two or more unrelated persons from living together in one household unit may have been masked as an innocuous decree intended to preserve the quality of neighborhoods in Brunswick, but its underlying message is clear: Bowdoin students are not welcome by some neighbors outside of the college community. Although the ordinance itself makes no specific mention of students, citizens who spoke in favor of the measure at Tuesday night's meeting repeatedly cited the off-campus student house at 17 Cleaveland St. in their remarks, confirming our fear that this proposal is little more than poorly disguised discrimination.

Last year, when WBOR faced termination by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for failing to follow legal regulations (not keeping records of its Public Service Announcements), the campus sprung into action, writing more than 600 letters to support the station. Station leadership itself helped to remedy the situation, completing the missing records.

I can assure Mr. Simko ("Bowdoin students have no right to protest Plum Creek development plan," November 30, 2007) that all students who attended the Land Use Regulation Commision's public hearing in Augusta on December 2 have taken time to understand the issue. He accuses Bowdoin students of having no vested interest in the area, but it is Seattle-based Plum Creek, the nation's largest land developer, who is guilty of this charge more than us students.

I am a freshman at Colby College who has been working to stop Plum Creek's development plan for the Moosehead region. One of my friends was sent John Simko's opinion piece ("Bowdoin students have no right to protest Plum Creek development plan," November 30, 2007) by a Bowdoin student, and after reading it I felt compelled to respond. While I am not a Bowdoin student, Simko's criticisms of their activism apply to me as well. After all, I spent the weekend with several of the students he is condemning, and I testified with them at the Land Use Regulation Commission hearing in Augusta.

With the semester coming to a close, there are a few things to take note of here...clearly the most important being that it's time to take advantage of the circuit of holiday events. Now that you're a senior, you know what to expect when it comes to holiday fun on campus; where you like to party, when it's appropriate to show, and how extreme to get.

As December rolls around, I thought I might break the seal on campaign issues. I would like to discuss a consequence of medical liability lawsuits on health care that is not very well known. Most people know that doctors' insurance has inflated dramatically as there have been increasing incidences of lawsuits brought against physicians. The rising insurance is often blamed for the skyrocketing health care costs. However, insurance is only a fraction of the problem.

Are you credit wise? Do you even know what it means to be credit wise? Now that we are entering the holiday season, our credit cards get their exercise. Presents to buy: mom, swipe, dad, swipe, brother, swipe, roommates, swipe, swipe, girlfriend, swipe, adviser, swipe... swipe, swipe... It is a wonder that your credit card does not get thin from all the wear and tear!

To the Editors: I write in response to the recent sanctions imposed on the College Republicans by Student Activities Funding Committee (SAFC) and Student Organizations Oversight Committee (SOOC) detailed in last week's Orient ("College Republicans take unauthorized SAFC funds," November 30, 2007). It is my opinion that the College Republicans made an honest mistake and furthermore could not have been unauthorized to take a cash advance if representatives of the Student Activities Office signed forms permitting them to do just that.

To the Editors, I have always taught my children that one easy way to have a voice in the world is by making informed choices about how and where we spend our money. Choosing wisely can be empowering and can effect change. And so it goes in Brunswick, Maine.

Amid the anger and sadness that accompanies the death of a friend, the bereaved often find solace in the immortality of memory. What makes Nick Barnett's death especially difficult is the fact that he was with us so briefly, and while we are comforted by the memories he left us, we are haunted by those he did not get the chance to make.

Upsurges in work and cabin fever are not the only signs that winter break is on the horizon. Posts begin to sprinkle the Student Digest several weeks in advance, politely inquiring about rides to the Portland Jetport, Boston, New York, and other destinations.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Or so they say.

Though it may be hard to see the upcoming holiday season through the looming week of finals, two first years are urging students to think not only of the holidays, but also of others.

When campus squirrels finally begin Operation Takeover Bowdoin, their first step will likely be to cut power to the campus.

Despite the name of the event, Peer Health hopes that "Date Day" will inspire relationships that last longer than that.

Jewish life at Bowdoin has come a long way since the establishment of the Bowdoin Jewish Organization, a small student group at the College dating back to the 1960s.

Surprisingly, in one of the English language's most pretentious and long-winded works known notoriously as John Milton's "Paradise Lost," there lies a very valuable lesson.

As we frantically scramble to survive finals, there is one thing we can all look forward to: the sweet, sweet serenity of Winter Break. Hopefully it is a period free of deadlines, duties, and distractions that direct our attention away from that which is important to us all: video games!

As a final installment to my literary wish list, I decided to cast back to my distant childhood and dig up the oldies but goodies.

With finals looming, I sometimes find it hard to think of much besides academic work. At this stage of the semester, I am inclined to continually remind myself of Winter Break?how sweet it will be to relax, reflect on the past few months, and recharge for another fun and productive semester.

Top five desert island albums? JW: The islands I frequent require six albums to say the least. The Black Crowes: "The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion." Blind Melon: "Blind Melon." The Electric Six: "Señor Smoke." Pearl Jam: "Ten." John Frusciante: "Shadows Collide With People." Jeff Buckley: "Grace." JB: In that situation I'd probably divide my time between gathering supplies and basic survival.

This semester, 13 art history students got up-close and personal with pieces of the permanent collection at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. Under the guidance of Associate Professor Linda Docherty and curatorial intern Diana Tuite, the students of the appropriately termed "Art and Life" course will present 28 prints and photographs in an upcoming exhibition at the museum.

Human rights activist and filmmaker Dai Sil Kim-Gibson delivered a moving presentation on Korean comfort women on Thursday.

The men's basketball team out-ran, out-shot, and out-played the Colby-Sawyer Chargers on Thursday night in Morrell Gym 88-60. With the victory against Colby-Sawyer, the Bears improved their record to 6-2 overall.

Both Bowdoin squash teams took one win and one loss this weekend at Harvard's round robin. The men defeated Tufts 6-3 but fell to a top tier Harvard team in a very close 5-4 scrimmage loss. On the women's side, the Polar Bears lost their season opening match against Tufts by only one match and similarly eked out a win over Northeastern.

This past weekend, the women's ice hockey team traveled to Canada in search of its first win.

Earlier this week, the Detroit Tigers and the Florida Marlins reached a preliminary agreement to complete the first blockbuster deal of the off-season, and quite possibly one of the biggest deals of all-time, which had all-star third baseman Miguel Cabrera and hard-throwing lefty Dontrelle Willis heading to Motown in exchange for six high-caliber prospects including 20-year old outfielder Cameron Maybin and pitcher Andrew Miller.

The Bowdoin Men's Basketball Team has passed its first major test of the season, overcoming a first-half deficit to defeat the University of Southern Maine Huskies 59-47 in non-conference action Tuesday night at The Warren G. Hill Gymnasium in Gorham. Trailing 28-21 at intermission, the Polar Bears outscored the Huskies 38-19 the rest of the game for the win.