The Bowdoin Orient

After two weeks of economic volatility, college administrators remain uncertain how events on Wall Street will affect Maine Street. President Barry Mills said that he is most concerned about the pressure of college costs for families, the effect of increasing oil and gasoline prices for employees, and the diminishing retirement accounts of employees, particularly of faculty members.

This fall, Bowdoin alum and Iraq War veteran Alex Cornell du Houx '08 has his sights on the Maine Legislature. Cornell du Houx is running for state representative from District 66, a part of Brunswick that consists of approximately 300 Bowdoin students, including residents in Howell House, Helmreich House, Burnett House, and Stowe Inn.

The Dudley Coe Health Center has filled one of the two vacant positions created by recent staff departures. Sonya Justus has been hired this fall by the Dudley Coe Health Center to replace Karen Marlin as a physician's assistant.

As the number of solvent banks seems to decrease on a daily basis, it is no wonder that Bowdoin students looking for finance jobs are preparing for a very scaled-back recruiting season this year. Several financial companies have canceled expected on-campus recruiting events, including Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank.

Applicants to Bowdoin this fall need not worry. Interim Dean of Admissions Scott Meiklejohn hasn't noticed their latest relationship status change on Facebook. Others are not so lucky. Kaplan announced last week that one in 10 admissions officers at some of the top schools in the country have been delving a little deeper into applicants' lives than some might expect.

Though Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) will not officially convene until next Wednesday, the College was abuzz with activity as the senior class elected its officer team. The results were made available to the Orient after polls closed at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday night.

The Admissions Office welcomed 135 Maine high school juniors and seniors and their families to campus on Monday for Bowdoin's annual Maine Day.

The election season is finally upon us. After an exhaustive series of primaries and conventions for both parties?and seemingly endless coverage and commentary on the candidates?November 4 is now less than a month and a half away.

I love watching television. I also love politics. It only makes sense then that I love watching politics on television?and specifically political commercials. Indeed, as we get closer and closer to Election Day, it's hard to avoid these 30-second nuggets during local news, game shows, and the late night comics.

All over the country there are people who believe in conservatism. These people may be registered republicans, independents, or even blue dog democrats. They come from all walks of life, but whatever their color or creed, they see value in conservative ideals. It is important to realize that the Republican Party is not homogenous. Instead, it is a coalition of many groups whose ideas of conservatism differ, but share a central theme.

On November 4, we, as Bowdoin students and residents of Maine, will have the opportunity to make our mark on history. Many consider this election to be the most important of our lifetime and the votes we cast will determine the direction of our country and the world.

Last Monday morning, as I brushed my teeth, my roommate came into the bathroom pressing a wad of tissue to her nose. "Whush wong?" I asked through a foam of Crest. "I think I'm getting sick," she said, turning on the faucet with the hands that had just held the repository tissue.

To the Editors: In a fit of nostalgia this week, I decided to glance at the Bowdoin Orient to check on the electoral discourse. I must say that I was a bit embarrassed to see the sort of ideological rhetoric embodied in the letter regarding Governor Palin's experience written by Jose Cespedes, Kylie Huff, and Katie Gordon ("Palin's Experience Qualifies her for VP," September 19.)

Saturday marks the 10th anniversary of Common Good Day, a day when hundreds of Bowdoin students, employees, and alumni gather to participate in a few hours of service projects in the local community. The event, which has grown enormously since its inception, symbolizes the Bowdoin community's dedication?and eagerness?to promote the common good.

As the 2008 Common Good Day Fellow, I have grown accustomed to the occasional cynical comments: "You can't get important service done in one day," or, "people only do it to feel good about themselves," or, better yet, "what is the common good anyway?"

To the Editors: Oscar Wilde once wrote, "Experience is one thing you can't get for nothing."

To the Editors: President Mills does not deserve the criticism he received in last week's editorial for his decision not to sign the Amethyst Initiative.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings '85 is not the only Bowdoin alumnus who has made a career in the DVD business. A little closer to campus is Bart D'Alauro '95, the co-owner of Bart & Greg's DVD Explosion in the Tontine Mall in downtown Brunswick.

It's three weeks into school and things are finally getting underway. We all have our favorite seats in our classes, we know where we're eating dinner and when, and we're getting into the swing of the social aspect of Bowdoin. Before we get too far into our routines, however, I'd like to take a minute to address an idea that seems to permeate college culture. This is the idea that sex and sexual encounters don't mean anything more than the comical stories into which they are distilled the next day during brunch. Along with this, the idea that the mature people in our age group are all relating to sex in the same way. Sure, drunk and/or casual sex is something that happens at Bowdoin, but not everyone's doing it, and regardless of how casual it is, that certainly doesn't have to make it meaningless.

Ties do not usually reflect the forefront of style. In fact, they are linked to a formal sensibility that allows them only to be worn with a suit jacket, to an interview, or a handful of other times per year. They're associated with the anxiety of formal events, made worse by the presence of a rope-like object located suffocatingly close to the neck.

Take a deep breath. Hold it. Do you smell what I smell? That's right, it's the crisp aroma of September in Maine. It's the soft fragrance of clean bed sheets and new underwear. It's the reassuring scent of a CLEAN SLATE.

What do Fort Andross and the vacant mills of eastern Europe have in common? Cotton Estes '07 spent the past year finding out. After receiving a Watson fellowship at the end of her senior year at Bowdoin, Estes traveled to eight eastern European countries to find deserted factories and mills that were in the process of or had been converted for artistic and communal purposes.

This may sting, so let's get it over with. We'll do it fast, like a band-aid. Ready, set, go: celebrity duet. While each on its own possesses enough venom to kill a full-grown album, the two together have been known to maim even the artists themselves-just ask Willie Nelson. Duets have become a swan song for popular musicians. Like elephant graveyards, they are now the last stop for artists who are "on their way out," and you can pay your respects at every Starbucks in the world.

Margot Livesey's latest work of fiction, "The House on Fortune Street," is comprised of four sections marked with graceful titles that only hint at the poignant nature of the scenes they contain. Each is concerned with one of the four primary characters whom Livesey skillfully conveys through the use of both first and third person voices.

The borders of Brunswick will broaden this Wednesday with the kick-off of the Global Lens Series. This collection of international films is the product of the Global Film Initiative (GFI)'s annual effort to help produce movies made in developing countries and to distribute them to Western audiences.

While bright fall sunshine warmly lights the exterior of the Walker Art Building, a more sinister atmosphere grabs hold inside. The new media exhibit,"Errant Behaviors," by Chicago-based artist Anne Wilson, is a macabre personification of those forgotten bits of fabric at the bottom of a sewing kit.

When Alex McLain '11 competed in a national sea kayaking competition in San Francisco last weekend, she was the only female paddler who was not an Olympian. She came home with a silver medal. McLain, who finished the 17-mile course in two hours and 47 minutes, was out-paddled only by Nikki Mocke of South Africa, a recent competitor at the Beijing Olympics. McLain said that until she crossed the finish line, she had no idea that she had placed in the medal standings.

The Bowdoin College Men's Golf team secured the runner-up position behind Husson College last weekend after solid play on the links. The Bears battled six other Maine schools in the State tournament on Friday morning at Natanis Golf Club. Coming off of hot seasons last year, Captain Jeff Cutter '09 and Ryan Blossom '10 finished with All-State honors.

On Saturday the Polar Bears were able to solidly defeat rivals Colby on their home turf by an astounding score of 34-0. The girls dominated from the beginning, and after the first half the score was 22-0 in the Bears' favor. Becky Stevens '11 scored two tries and two conversions in the first half along with Alivia Moore '09, Hannah Wadsworth '11, Anna Nicole '11, and Maria Koenigs '09, who each scored a try.

The women's soccer team currently boasts a 2-1-2 record after suffering an upsetting 4-0 loss to Williams last Saturday before redeeming itself in a 3-0 victory over the University of Southern Maine on Wednesday. The Polar Bears took no time at all to settle into a rhythm against Southern Maine, with a goal from Rebecca Silva '11 within the first 90 seconds of the game that started off the 3-0 domination of the Huskies.

Despite shifty conditions, the Bowdoin A-division team of Viktor Bolmgren '11 and Coco Sprague '11 finished 10th out of 18 at the Hatch Brown Trophy Intersectional. The performance by Sprague and Bolmgren at their regatta, held at MIT, was the highlight of the weekend, during which Bowdoin Sailing competed in four different regattas, taking place in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts.

Saturday's losses against Amherst and Tufts marked the most difficult weekend of the women's volleyball 2008 season to date. Anticipation was high for the double-header at Bates, which pitted the Polar Bears against the Lord Jeffs and the Jumbos, the leading teams in the NESCAC. Before the games, Jenna Diggs '10 predicted, "Our mental toughness is going to be the key factor that affects the outcome of the games this weekend."

The men's soccer team will be walking onto unfamiliar territory when they host NESCAC rival Amherst on Saturday afternoon. Traditionally, the Polar Bears have started off the season very strong; dating back to the 2000 campaign, the men have amassed a remarkable 28-4 record through the first four games each year. Unfortunately, the recent three-game losing streak has prevented this year's early season success as Bowdoin has dropped to a 1-3 record.