The Bowdoin Orient

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has approved Bowdoin's application to acquire 175 developable acres of land at no cost from the Brunswick Naval Air Station (NASB) when the base closes in 2011. With formal support from both town officials and the DOE, the College now awaits final approval from the U.S. Navy, a process that could take three to four years.

For those unenthusiastic students asked to carry course evaluations to the academic affairs office in Hawthorne-Longfellow Library at the end of each semester, consider this: As early as fall, handwritten course opinion forms may be replaced with an online course evaluation system

Over 75 students, staff, and administrators attended Safe Space's fourth annual Speak Out, an event intended to create a confidential and supportive atmosphere for survivors of sexual assault to share their stories.

Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) worked toward its goal of constitutional reform this Wednesday, unanimously approving five amendments that could, after a student body referendum, significantly alter class officer roles.

A late night party at 17 Cleaveland St. last weekend was broken up after a neighbor's noise complaint prompted local police to intervene and issue verbal warnings to six residents of the property.

Bowdoin faculty is considering a proposal that would create a specific mechanism for increasing faculty racial and cultural diversity. The proposal would authorize the allocation of "special opportunity positions," or SOPs?new tenure-track faculty posts for exceptional minority candidates.

This weekend, students will decide whether candidates for Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) president will need to have had prior experience in the body to be eligible for election. If students trust themselves to choose their own leaders wisely, they should vote in favor of opening up eligibility to everyone.

As author of this column, I feel compelled to respond to Christopher Hitchens's Common Hour last Friday. If you are not familiar with him, Hitchens recently published "God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything." During Common Hour, Hitchens gave a brief summary of his dislike for religion. He also gave a challenge he believes is unanswerable.

After a trying first two weeks back at school, full of gray skies, falling slush, and the discovery that I actually was assigned homework over vacation, my Spring Break memories are now distant, soft flickers.

We are writing because we feel that it is our obligation as upperclassmen to inform you of a crisis overtaking the Bowdoin community. It is not something to take lightly and it is surely not something to cast aside as trivial or irrelevant. If we are to overcome this ailment, we must articulate it in order to understand its full and enduring implications.

To the Editors: I wanted to express my heartfelt appreciation for the article and editorial in last week's Orient?I cannot begin to express the personal and professional satisfaction gleaned from your kind words.

When members of the Class of 2012 arrive on campus in the fall, they will enter a community rooted in safety, trust, and collaboration?values that attest to the legacies of Kim Pacelli and Mike Brown, two departing staff members whose leadership and vision during their tenures have improved the ethos of the College for the better.

At first glance, it might seem as though the Democratic Party is in trouble with regard to its presidential nominee. The party is locked in an intense battle over who will bear its standard in the 2008 election.

It was bound to happen, and I suppose if ever a time to have one, it's better to have your first car accident in the comfort of Bowdoin College. Okay, so full-fledged accident may be the wrong way to describe it, but even a fender bender causes a certain amount of stress, though my air bags were never deployed

To the Editors: While we appreciate Steven Bartus's attempt to promote discussion in "'Vagina Monologues' attacks allied males in mission to stop sexual violence," (Feb. 29, 2008) we feel compelled to respond. Bartus argues that "The Vagina Monologues" attacks allied males, particularly the heterosexual male. We, however, would like to propose the idea that not only is the play not attacking men, but it is simply not about men.

While many Bowdoin students start thinking about college early in their high school careers, this is not the case for high school students in the tribal schools of the Wabanaki Confederacy.

Hundreds of millions of people may speak Russian, but at Bowdoin, the language is dying.

The scene is a familiar one. A student arrives at Watson Fitness Center to find that the weight room has been closed due to an infectious outbreak. After the area has been quarantined, it is reopened to a wary public. As a student sits down on a newly disinfected weight bench, he discovers a trace of slime on the machine, and proceeds to culture it in the Petri dish that he carries on his person at all times, only to discover that it's a strain of a zombie virus that's simultaneously wrecking havoc on the rest of campus.

I always had an aversion to jeans. Growing up in a family where denim was not a permissible pant to wear to school didn't help.

Being the journalistically acute sleuth that I am, and acting upon a stern warning from an editorial staff craving a juicy story about something relating to sexuality, I solemnly stomached my new assignment, boarded a plane, and stormed the beaches of Acapulco in search of that elusive blockbuster story.

In his new exhibit, Professor of Photography Michael Kolster blends concepts of common infrastructure and the enormous powers of nature to provide a fascinating view of the ways in which geographically obscure communities adapt to the harsh environment around them. The exhibit, "Dwell," is on display at Icon Gallery on Mason Street.

Photojournalist Nancy McGirr plans to show Wednesday how even in a place as stifling as a Guatemala city garbage dump, impoverished youth can find a voice.

The beautiful and glittering lives of the rich and famous always entrance those who live with fewer diamonds. In the new movie "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day," there are enough diamonds, furs, and caterers to make anyone long for the lap of luxury.

"Get the information. That's all you're told?get the information."

Marriage is a hot topic. It is among the most enduring institutions and has stood for security and respectability for ages. Currently, however, it is complicated by divorce, pre-nups, and the inclusion of same-sex marriages. "Matrimony," by Joshua Henkin, is not particularly interested in any of these social or political tensions that surround the wedded state of being. His novel is simply a chronicle of a relationship.

Top five desert island albums? EF: Paul Simon's "Graceland," Sigur Rós's "Ág?tis Byrjun," Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds," Bob Dylan's "The Free Wheelin' Bob Dylan," Ray LaMontagne's "Trouble." MS: Visions of Atlantis's "Trinity," Nightwish's "Once," Lordi's "Get Heavy," In This Moment's "Beautiful Tragedy," Atmosphere's "Seven's Travels." Theme song on a Monday morning?

Seven innings pitched, five strikeouts, one earned run. On any other day, sophomore Carter Butland's performance surely would have guaranteed the baseball team a victory. But not this day, not against the now 15-0 Trinity Bantams. Despite Ben Higgins's '11 scoreless eighth, the Bantams would win 1-0, with the lone run coming off of a home run in the sixth inning.

The men's lacrosse team notched an even record this week as it settled into its regular-season schedule. Though dropping a tough NESCAC game to Wesleyan on Saturday, the Polar Bears bucked the loss by winning a solid non-league game against Springfield Wednesday night.

Junior Joe Berte is set to continue his legacy as a crucial member of the Bowdoin Men's Baseball Team as he begins his third season as a starting infielder for the Polar Bears. The Marlborough, Massachusetts, native graduated from Marlborough High School where he played baseball, basketball, and two seasons of football.

Over Spring Break, the Bowdoin College Softball Team went 14-2 in 16 games in Ft. Myers, Fla., marking the best start in club history. Playing a large hand in the Polar Bears' success was sophomore pitcher Julia Jacobs, whose efforts were rewarded when she was named NESCAC Softball Pitcher of the Week. In eight starts, Jacobs posted a 6-1 record with an opposing batting average of just .167 and a 0.58 ERA.

The women's lacrosse team soundly beat Wheaton College (4-4 Overall) 14-4 on Wednesday in Norton, Mass. The midweek travel was a challenge for the Polar Bears, but the team's strength and skill showed as they outscored Wheaton in both halves. Bowdoin was paced by senior Lyndsey Colburn, who scored a career-high seven goals in the game. The Polar Bears are currently 5-2 and ranked No. 10 in the latest IWLCA Poll.

The game was tied at four in the top of the seventh and last inning when Head Coach Mike Connolly pulled aside Jason Koperniak '09, Nick Tom '10, K.J. Kozens '08, and Adam Marquit '11. "This is what is going to happen. Jason, you're going to get a hit," Connolly said. "Nick Tom, you're going to go in for him and steal second. K.J., you're going to bunt him over to third. Adam, you're going to squeeze him home. I'm not going to give any signs, that's what's going to happen." Koperniak doubled. Kozens bunted Tom to third. Marquit squeeze-bunted him home and Bowdoin won 5-4 over Hope College.