The Bowdoin Orient

It was almost too perfect. A repeat of the NESCAC finals. Tie game?into sudden death overtime. Double overtime. And then, who else but Lindsay McNamara '09, Bowdoin's all-time leading scorer, to end it once and for all, sealing the field hockey team's second consecutive national title?this time against NESCAC rival Tufts.

Bowdoin will see the installation of a long-awaited new ID card system this Winter Break. Operations Manager of Residential Life Lisa Rendall announced in an e-mail to the campus last Friday that all faculty, staff and students will receive new, redesigned ID cards and that card readers in 22 buildings will be replaced as part of an effort to move toward one door access system.

It was back to business as usual for Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) Wednesday night, as representatives completed their first meeting in several weeks without a visit from a College official. Discussion centered largely on a proposal, initially introduced last week, which called for reform of the Judicial and Sexual Assault and Misconduct Boards' information dissemination process. To reinforce the significance of both the Honor and Social Codes, the BSG Affairs Committee made five core proposals: that the boards provide a report semiannually, that they provide more specific detail of the circumstances and consequences of each case, that they send the report to the Orient, that they publish the report online and that they better educate incoming students about the codes.

For the first time, Bowdoin Dining Service is offering a formal meal plan for students staying at the College over Thanksgiving Break. According to Kennedy, some Thanksgiving break meals have been offered in the past, but not on a consistent basis.

The country's economic downturn has hit everything from gas prices to college endowments, and many speculated that the number of early decision applicants would be no exception. The contractual obligation of applying early was expected to deter families who would rather wait and weigh financial aid offers than commit to Bowdoin without knowing how much aid they were going to receive. Much to the surprise of many colleges, however, early decision rates increased this fall. Bowdoin's has received 480 early decision applications so far, a 7.9 percent increase since this time last year.

Across the NESCAC, the global financial crisis has propelled endowments downward. Amherst's endowment has fallen by 25 percent since June 30, while Colby's endowment is down at least the same percentage. Williams has estimated a loss of about 28 percent, and Trinity has calculated an 18 percent loss. Bowdoin administrators with knowledge of the endowment chose not to comment on the College's performance.

It is easy to feel gloomy as we approach the end of the semester?the days are becoming darker, school work is getting more difficult and the economy is in a downward spiral. However, despite all that, we have much to be thankful for.

On election night, I walked somberly through the Quad coming to terms with the results when I happened upon a mob of Obama supporters shouting and parading through campus. I appreciate the excitement; however, these energies must be directed not in a quasi-religious fervor but toward a better understanding of American government.

Local environment groups often attack bottled water and its effect on the environment. However, many of these claims are often misconceptions that are incorrectly researched. Polar Beverages, a business that has been in my family for four generations, has been in the bottled water industry for 126 years. We were one of the first distributors of Fiji Water and have considerable respect for our competitors in the bottled water industry.

I read the article about Miss Maine 2008, Adrienne Watkinson ("Miss Maine 2008 to showcase musical talent in Studzinski," November 14), that was written by Rachel Goldman and would like to commend Ms. Goldman on how she portrayed both sides of Adrienne.

During the current economic downturn, administrators at many colleges and universities across the country have informed students, employees, alumni, and parents as to how the global economic crisis is affecting their school. Bowdoin is no exception: Several weeks ago, President Mills sent an e-mail to the campus titled, "The Economy and Bowdoin." In the letter, Mills emphasized that Bowdoin is well-positioned to withstand the current economic crisis. What Mills failed to mention in the note, however, were any specifics on the current state of Bowdoin's endowment.

For the past 137 years, the Orient has been the primary news source for Bowdoin College. As student press, the Orient has usually enjoyed unique access to administrators, faculty, and staff on campus. Such access to Bowdoin sources has not always extended to outside media reporting on the College. However, the Orient's mission of acting as a responsible campus news source depends on its ability to talk directly with those who make decisions for the College or have valuable insights on issues relevant to Bowdoin. It has recently come to our attention that certain administrators at the College have been encouraged not to hesitate in redirecting Orient reporters to the Office of Communications.

Fiji Water, Smart Water, Dasani, Aquafina, Poland Springs; thirsty students passing through the Student Union have a huge variety of options to quench their thirst. But what stops students from considering the cheaper alternatives of going right past the C-Store and using the water fountain, or simply filling up their own reusable water bottles?

The way I see it, Bowdoin's alcohol policy does just what the school wants it to do, and what it should. It keeps students out of the hospital. Compare the number of alcohol-related hospital transports at Bowdoin to say, Bates. Sometime earlier this year, Bates had a weekend with 21 transports. One weekend! Bowdoin will barely have that many in a decade at this rate. We've all heard how we have the lowest transport rate in NESCAC.

In the November 7 issue of the Orient, the Bowdoin community was asked to respond to the question, "How does student employment affect campus culture?" The following reply was submitted.

Some of Bowdoin's greatest athletes are not competing on varsity teams. Instead, they are busy training for and running marathons. Rachel Munzig '10 has run a handful of 5Ks, participated in the San Francisco half marathon the past two summers, ran a full marathon in Philadelphia last fall and completed the Maine Marathon on October 4 in Portland. She has never participated in a varsity sport at Bowdoin.

My nose is stuffy, my lips are chapped, I'm eating dinner at 5 o'clock and my professors have been taunting me all week about preparing for final papers and exams. At least there's one thing that I can look forward to as the semester comes to a close?Thanksgiving.

Today, I clash. With my pants patterned subtly plaid, shirt pressed with opposing stripes, suit jacket suitably unsuitably matched, I am a body carrying an array of textures in seemingly gross disharmony when described. But the actual phenomenon is not gross disharmony, but desirable disharmony that comes off as potentially over-the-top, but tasteful. This is how I might describe myself: at times crass, but never classless. Sometimes, it's okay to clash.

When we think about sexual activity, there are a few body parts that are generally understood to be key players. These are typically the body parts that will bump a movie's rating from PG-13 up to R. These are also body parts that are typically (somewhat) covered by clothing. The fact that these areas are considered inappropriate for children under 17 gives them a special status not enjoyed by the other 97 percent of our bodies. I mean, can you imagine television stations censoring out hands? Elbows? Ears? But just because Hollywood has decided that these body parts aren't "special" doesn't mean we have to forsake them, too.

Heard all across the globe, from Munich to Montreal, trombonist Ron Barron will perform in Studzinski Recital Hall on Friday night. Barron was the principal trombonist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) from 1975 until his retirement last August. He has performed with numerous brass ensembles as well as with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian State Radio Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and the American Wind Symphony.

A duo that serenades listeners with jazzy blues piano and soaring vocals reminiscent of Janis Joplin and Billie Holiday is taking Bowdoin by storm this weekend. When Stormin' Norman & Suzy met in the 1970s through an ad in the Boston Phoenix, they immediately began to gain a notoriety that ranged from New England college campuses to The New York Times. Three decades later, they are returning to their colleigate fan base during their performance at Kanbar Auditorium in Studzinski Recital Hall on Saturday.

In a world increasingly reliant on instant communication via texting, e-mail, or Skype, the art of the letter is becoming obsolete. Despite decreasing use today, letters remain a treasured part of our past. While a division of the publishing industry is dedicated to printing written exchanges between historical figures such as Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell, it is hard to imagine that e-mails will have the same longevity. In "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society," the authors Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows team up to create a story that is revealed entirely through the exchange of letters

For the past five years, Oasis has been the punchline of many a pop culture joke. Liam and Noel's brotherly antics have landed them on countless VH1 countdowns, and they are even satirized in one of the world's hippest TV shows. Liam Gallagher is the not-so-subtle inspiration for LOST's Charlie Pace, from Driveshaft ("You All Everybody"). Charlie Pace and Liam Gallagher represent what we all love and look for in our rock gods: a healthy appetite for self-destruction and a fiery British temperament. But if there is one thing we all crave more, it is the comeback album.

While many may have preconceived notions about national talent pageants, Adrienne Watkinson, Miss Maine 2008, will put the rumors to rest when she performs a violin concert at Studzinski Recital Hall on Saturday. Watkinson, originally from Topsham, was urged to run for Miss America after Charlie Lane, owner of Maine Sound Stage, saw her performing in Brunswick in 2007. According to Watkinson, she laughed at the idea because it wasn't anything she'd thought of doing before. Lane urged her to consider Miss Maine, however, because the talent portion of both the Miss Maine and the Miss America pageants was a huge component of the competition. Considering her violin talent and the $10,000 scholarship awarded to the winner, Watkinson decided to give it a shot.

The infamous crotchety nature of Mainers is treasured by those who can proudly call the attributor their own, as well as by those who have encountered it. Olive Kitteridge, in Elizabeth Strout's novel of the same name, is one of these ornery folk. She is a retired math teacher and well remembered by her students, who never fail to mention her intimidating presence.

There will be two fresh faces on the sidelines of the women's basketball games this winter: Coach Adrienne Shibles and Assistant Coach Alison Smith '05. In June, the College announced the hiring of Adrienne Shibles as the new head coach of the women's basketball team, after former coach Stephanie Pemper unexpectedly accepted the head coaching job at the Naval Academy, a Division I school.

The Bowdoin Men's Cross Country Team ended its season with a degree of disappointment, finishing fifth at the New England NCAA Regional meet last Saturday. Although the team performed above the expectations accompanying their eighth seeding, the team failed to qualify for the NCAA championships. The Polar Bears were led by Thompson Ogilvie '10, who earned an individual spot in the NCAA Division III Championship race and finished eighth overall.

Just a few minutes after the men's race had ended, and just 15 minutes before the start of the women's, a rain shower fell on Mt. Greylock High School?the site of Williams home course. The shower was brief, but it was just enough to soak an already wet course, giving the runners in the 2008 NCAA Division III New England Regional Championships this past Saturday an arduous run, full of soggy, rolling terrain, and a painfully steep hill with 1,000 meters to go in the 6K race.

The Bowdoin Sailing team competed in its final regatta of the fall season last Saturday at the Atlantic Coast Tournament in Cambridge, Mass. Boston University played host to this 16-boat championship intersectional held in FJs on the Charles River. The Polar Bears finished 11th over the course of the two-day event.

If only we had a time machine. Then we could elope back to September to revise our predictions through Week 11: The Patriots would be undefeated, the Jaguars atop the AFC South, Chargers the AFC West, Matt Hasselbeck would be making mincemeat of the NFL's worst division, Tony Romo the NFL's best division, and the Lions, well, not to call them cowardly but...aw, shucks folks, I'm speechless.

There's nothing like going out on top. The Bowdoin Football Team did just that, winning its final three games of the season, including Saturday's 20-6 win over archrival Colby that clinched Bowdoin's third-straight Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Championship. Junior quarterback Oliver Kell shined in the win, amassing 244 yards of total offense himself'23 yards more than the entire Colby team combined.