The Bowdoin Orient

Following the release of a memo by President Barry Mills last week, outlining a series of recommendations to aid financial planning, 13 students attended a forum on College finances Tuesday night. Part of a series of community meetings also including staff and faculty forums, the meeting sought to clarify student questions surrounding the College's fiscal affairs and plans to reduce future deficits.

At its Wednesday meeting, Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) debated the content of a new handbook, full of advice to students about cost-cutting measures they can take amidst tough economic times.

Brunswick Downtown Association and Bowdoin College, with support from the Nathaniel Davis Fund and the Association of Bowdoin Friends, will host "Longfellow Days 2009" from February 1 - 26 in celebration of Bowdoin graduate Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Another Bowdoin alum was tapped by the Obama Administration on Wednesday, as Kendall C. Burman '00 was named Associate Counsel to the President. The Office of Legal Counsel, where Burman will work, "provides authoritative legal advice to the President and all the Executive Branch agencies," according to its Web site.

After working at the College since August as the director of the Women's Resource Center (WRC), Liz Greason has left her position. Director of Student Life Allen Delong announced in a digest post and e-mail this week that Kate Stern, the director of the Queer-Trans Resource Center (QTRC) will fill in as the interim director of the WRC in addition to her current position.

Though most headed to class on the first day of the spring semester, a handful of Bowdoin students were in Washington, D.C. at the beginning of the week. On Tuesday they headed to the National Mall for a different kind of first day: the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

As Obama begins his presidency, he has chosen two members of the Bowdoin community to take on leadership roles in his administration. George Mitchell '54 has been named the special envoy for Middle East peace, and although she has not been officially confirmed yet, Karen Gordon Mills has been appointed as the administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA).

In his message to the College community last week, detailing Bowdoin's response to the current financial crisis, President Barry Mills showed that he and the financial "blue tarp" committee had done some serious thinking about the school's options. Presented with tough choices, Mills and the committee devised a measured response that calls for palpable sacrifices from students, faculty, and staff: freezing salaries, holding operating costs flat, and a small increase to the student body, among other things.

Upon returning to campus after winter break, I was greeted by several more feet of snow on the ground, a new hockey arena, and a pile of unwashed laundry left on my floor prior to break. A less noticeable, yet equally significant change was the arrival of a series of posters, broadcasting the tens of millions of abortions that have occurred since the Supreme Court handed down the 1972 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationwide.

The era of change is upon us—or so President Obama and his new administration would like to think. Yet as Obama's administration embarks on its mission to bring real change to the world, some lingering problems stand in the way. One such problem is the centuries-old conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine. On Thursday, President Obama and newly appointed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that George Mitchell '54 would serve as the administration's special envoy to the Middle East. What exactly does this appointment mean for America's approach to one of the world's hottest hotspots? To answer that question let's examine why Clinton and Obama chose the former Bowdoin grad for this hefty assignment.

In the past couple of weeks, students have hidden the comment card bulletin board in Thorne with colorful, scrawled cards. These cards do not lament, for the hundredth time, Thorne's lack of Nutella, nor do they sing the praises of the sweet, summery flavor of the most recent mango vinaigrette. The problem this time? Pepper. Specifically, its shakers.

To the Editors: While the crossword is seldom the most controversial piece of a newspaper, last week's Orient had a crossword clue which, for me, was more objectionable than any article. Clue 9-down, "Women's partners," was solved with "Men." This blatant hetero-normative thinking was not only unnecessary, but also incredibly upsetting.

To the Editors: Sarah Pritzker ("Bowdoin costs more than tuition," January 23) finds Bowdoin's atmosphere oppressive: an endless battery of haute couture exhibitionism and "other blatant signs of wealth." She pans as "unrealistic" one solution—"eliminate all fashion trends because they might be perceived as exclusive"—and goes on to propose that we become more aware of our foibles and de-emphasize material things.

To the Editors: Your newest columnist stated last week his intention of becoming "the Fox News of Bowdoin." I think I speak for much of the Bowdoin community when I say that we gladly welcome his insights, and plan to treat them with the same respect and attention that we currently pay to Fox News.

President Mills' family is undoubtedly in the midst of both difficult and exciting times. Will Mills' emergency operation for a brain tumor came shortly after Karen Gordon Mills' appointment as the head of the Small Business Administration. As the Mills embark on this challenging journey, we at Bowdoin will keep them all in our thoughts.

Although business went on as usual at Bowdoin on Monday, a certain awareness of the importance of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s work in civil rights pervaded campus. This year, the national holiday served as an appropriate prelude for the inauguration of our first African-American president.

I recently received an e-mail from my junior friend, Kirsten, after her first week abroad in France. The subject line read simply: "Aaaaahhhhhhh." She liked her host family, she loved her program director, the students were great?but she wanted to cry.

Bowdoin students studying abroad are seeking shorter stays, are mostly female, and are increasingly interested in unconventional programs—all trends that are reflected on a national level.

Hello Bowdoin. You look great. And it's so good to see you—it's been so long since I've seen you. Wait a minute, what am I talking about? I can't see you, and you can't see me either. Then again, you do know what I look like, because my picture is printed at the top of this column. So, if you see me walking toward the Union today you might recognize me, but would you say hello—would you give me eye contact?

When Bobbie and Tona White donated money for the creation of Watson Arena, they asked that the arena be named after someone else: Bowdoin hockey legend and coach, Sidney "Sid" J. Watson.

This week, along with most Americans, I have politics on the brain. It's a big week for America, and the ushering in of a new president got me thinking about our previous ones. Barack Obama is joining an interesting collection of men by taking office. I didn't actually realize how interesting our presidents were, however, until I started doing a little research into presidential sex scandals. We all remember Bill Clinton's infamous fiasco, but he's just one in a long series of presidents who dealt with public concern and speculation regarding their sex lives. Sex scandals endure the test of time, reach across party lines and affect popular and unpopular presidents alike. I am simultaneously a bit disappointed and quite proud to say that sex scandals seem to be one of the most dependable and unchanging aspects of American politics.

This week, I present a list I've created. It begins with stripes and solids, flowers and dots, plain and plaid, then moves to penguins and polar bears, darts, dartboards, and dogs, and finally, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." The patterns can be camouflaged or even glow-in-the-dark. Many patterns may be commonly seen on a wide variety of clothing, from button-downs to waffle tees. For some, the list can go on to include smiley faces and "witty" sayings like, "Hold It Up High," "Wanna Pet My Monkey?" and "I Am The King!" When the list moves on to these other, more imaginative elements, there can be no doubt as to what the list catalogues: men's underwear. More specifically, boxers.

Whirling plastic nets suspended from the ceiling create an ethereal environment in Visiting Assistant Professor of Art Anna Hepler's new installation at Rockport's Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA). The exhibit, titled "Gyre," consists of net-like webs constructed with sewn sheets of plastic and tarps. "I was interested to try a new material for this installation and I knew I wanted to use sheet plastic because it is easy to manipulate and it is often translucent which also interested me in terms of layering," Hepler said.

Before I printed out the list of Oscar nominations, I thought that I had seen many of the films up for nomination. Instead, looking at the list, I felt woefully out of the loop. What were these movies? Why hadn't I seen them? Why hadn't I even heard of them (in the case of "The Wrestler")?

February is coming—get your sad albums ready. The newfangled Genius function on your iTunes knows it, and while you aren't looking, it will arrange the most heart-wrenching compilation its robot "heart"—probably a wrench—can wrangle. I suggest that you beat Genius to the punch and listen exclusively to Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago."

August Brill, the protagonist of Paul Aster's most recent novel "Man in the Dark," can't sleep. A literary critic in his twilight, August fills his hours in darkness without the aid of sheep. Instead, he tells himself stories. "Man in the Dark" is a short book. Yet, in less than 200 words, the reader is guided toward the discovery of a number of realities. The is, was, and might be, are all present and ask to be examined from multiple perspectives.

Guy Saldanha is gathering remnants of a quickly-disappearing America through photography. His exhibit, "Gathering Remnants," on display at Frontier Café until February 21, provides a glimpse into the backbreaking world of America's industry in an era where bodily labor is quickly becoming replaced by machinery. His photographs tell the stories of "hard rock miners who unearth the metals for electronics; weavers who thread the looms for mass-market fabrics; and butchers who slaughter the livestock for fast food and supermarket chains," according to the preface he wrote for the exhibit.

Currently, passersby gazing into the windows of the Space Gallery in Portland see the work of two Bowdoin artists: Adjunct Lecturer of Art Randy Reiger and Visual Arts Technician Kyle Downs. While the two installations share a venue, they differ in content and medium.

When officials announced that the Bowdoin Women's Track Team had scored a three-point victory over Brandeis at the Brandeis Invitational last Saturday, the Bears' cheer of relief and celebration broke the tension and exhaustion of the afternoon. The meet ran almost an hour and a half later than scheduled, testifying to the focus and energy the Bears put on the track in Bowdoin's 157-154 defeat of the Brandeis Judges.

After beginning the season with two successful meets at home, the Bowdoin Men's Track Team headed down to the Brandeis Invitational last Saturday for its first big meet of the season, determined to build upon its fast start. Competing against nine teams, including NESCAC rivals Colby, Bates, and Amherst, the Polar Bears did not miss a step with their impressive second place finish.

It was a David and Goliath story last weekend as the Bowdoin Polar Bears took on the University of Maine-Orono Black Bears on Saturday. Despite having a student body seven times smaller than that of Orono, the Polar Bears held their own in the exhibition meet against the Division I opponent and garnered victories.

The women's basketball team sits at a crossroads in its season, right in the middle of the most important four-game stretch of its schedule. Certainly the NESCAC tournament will ultimately crown the conference champion, but this weekend the Polar Bears (14-4, 2-1 NESCAC) can begin to stake their claim for the honor. The team has crucial road games against Amherst (18-0, 3-0) tonight and Trinity (14-2, 2-1) tomorrow night, and two wins would prove the team's mettle to anyone.

The men's hockey team fell through the ice last weekend as they lost to Connecticut College and Tufts University, 3-1 and 5-3, respectively. Last Friday in New London, Connecticut College carried a precarious 1-0 lead into the second intermission. However, the Camels exploded out after the break with a goal just 16 seconds into the period. Leland Fidler '10 responded with a short-handed, unassisted goal at 9:40, but the Camels fought back just under a minute later with their third and the game's final goal at 10:39.

The men's nordic ski team placed ninth and the women's team placed 10th in their first collegiate carnival of the season, hosted by Bates at Blake Mountain in Rumford. Courtney Martin '09 was the top Bowdoin finisher in 64th in the women's 5K classic event on Friday. Erin Hatton '12 finished next in 66th.

The women's hockey team fell to Amherst and Connecticut College last weekend, leaving itself winless in its last three matches. The Bears fell 4-3 to No. 5-ranked Amherst and 4-2 to the Camels. Dominique Lozzi '12 and Jill Campbell '11 scored against Connecticut College, while Lozzi and Lindsay McNamara '09 each netted goals against Amherst.

"So how 'bout Kurt Warner, huh?" my friend Robbie asked from the other end of the landline. I had not seen nor spoken to Robbie in nearly a year, as he and his family recently had moved to the next town over—what felt like light-years away at that age—and he had caught me off guard almost immediately into the first conversation to rekindle our friendship, a process that would continue to be held in abeyance after the perplexing question. "Who the heck is that?" I retorted, as if that name was supposed to mean something to me.