The Bowdoin Orient

In the midst of an economic crisis that has stocks sinking into the red, Bowdoin is continuing its pledge to go green. In a recent e-mail sent to all members of the Bowdoin community, President Barry Mills stated that the College will continue to strive toward its pledge to become carbon neutral as outlined by the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), a nation-wide pledge signed by Mills in the spring of 2007.

In an effort to cut costs at the College last fall, the Bowdoin Treasurer's Office began seeking community input for money-saving ideas. After gathering nearly 40 suggestions from community members, some of these ideas are already making an impact on the way money is spent—or not spent—at Bowdoin.

Not showing up for class at Bowdoin gets you in more trouble with some professors than others. But despite the wide range of policies and practices at the College regarding attendance, students have expressed little demand in changing the policy, and the administration—citing other peer schools—has no plans to adopt a more uniform one in the near future.

With a number of its members busy rehearsing for "The Vagina Monologues," a depleted Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) discussed a potential campus speaker, the College's Credit/D/Fail grading option, and subsidized movie tickets on Wednesday evening.

With the global economic crisis worsening by the week, Bowdoin and its peer schools have worked on plans to secure their financial futures. Bowdoin has created a financial planning model and recently approved cost-cutting measures to balance the budget, while peer schools have made other plans to suit their needs.

While the Board of Trustees spent much of its meeting last weekend discussing ways to cut costs at the College, some time was dedicated to take care of usual business. As is typical for its February meeting, the Board reviewed faculty members who had been recommended for tenure.

It's the time of year when seniors are looking for post-grad employment and underclassmen are searching for summer jobs—and things look bleak. Students of the past may have relied on Bowdoin's name to land their dream job, but these days we're being rejected or having difficulty just finding enticing job openings.

It seems as though discussions of "partisanship" and "bipartisanship" are all the rage these days. From national political news programs to our own Bowdoin Orient, pundits of all stripes have entered the debate. Mired in all of this discussion, however, we may be losing track of the meaning of bipartisanship.

Last week an op-ed published in this very newspaper officially declared that the single function of government is to "promote the common good." When I read this I actually winced with pain. How could it be that anyone would assume the only purpose of our government is to look out for some vague ideal like "the common good?"

Upon return from a summer studying beetles on Kent Island (the Bowdoin Scientific Station), I decided to become a biology major the fall of my senior year which meant taking organic chemistry, biostatistics and a 300-level ecology course in one semester. No one could comprehend such insanity. Even I had trouble articulating my motivations—mostly because my decision to add the major had very little to do with the scientific material itself.

Throughout the course of human events, mankind has been forced to confront extraordinary challenges and reaffirm values long considered fundamental to the human experience. Given the current economic climate, little thought is needed to recognize that at this moment in history Americans are at such a crossroads. Today, as in the past, there are loud clamors for a rejection of traditional American sensibilities.

To the Editors: Recently we have been disturbed by Bowdoin students' heckling at the opposing hockey teams. This heckling has been consistent in several games. They are often homophobic and classist.

To the Editors: As a 1964 graduate and Brunswick resident, I'm saddened to read that some students haven't had the opportunity to engage informally with professors outside the classroom ("Connecting with professors," February 13, 2008). Such interactions should definitely be a part of every student's Bowdoin experience.

To the Editors: I am writing to let you know that I found the Opinion piece, "Lost in transition: Learning to live abroad" (written by Meredith Steck for the January 23 issue of the Orient) to be remarkably sensitive and relevant...all without using the hackneyed phrase "culture shock."

Before coming to Bowdoin, college guidebooks told us that professors here would invite us into their homes, take us to lunch, and ask us to babysit their kids. Many of us hoped to form close relationships with our professors, and we expected that such relationships would spring up naturally, easily, and frequently. While some students have had just these sorts of experiences, many others may feel surprised or disappointed that they have not.

President Barack Obama promised us change. More specifically, he promised us the end of "business as usual" in Washington. After years of behind-closed-doors dealings and shrewd White House cover-ups, he told us we should expect our government to be transparent and accountable. He hoped to change the partisan culture of politics in Washington so that our government could operate more efficiently and more effectively for the American people.

As I hope most of you know, Bowdoin is putting on the "Vagina Monologues" this week. This is my first year being in the "Vagina Monologues" and it's been a great experience. I've been hanging out with some amazing women, perfecting my old woman accent and, probably most importantly, thinking a lot about vaginas.

Sometimes confessions are necessary to move forward, so I will go ahead and get this out of the way: I am not an innovator, at least not all of the time. Sure, there are times when I'll put an outfit together that no one else might think of (and, admittedly, sometimes with good reason), but there are other times when I look for inspiration as fervently as everyone else. At such times, images from magazines, newspapers, and news sites come to mind. What was Colin Firth wearing in In Bruges, and why did it seem to fit his character so well? What was Michelle Obama wearing on election night? Was it from J. Crew? However, the age of information offers more specific portals to sartorial thought.

In September of 1826, senior John Brown Russwurm's graduation from Bowdoin not only signaled a significant personal achievement. It was also a milestone for the College.

What do goldfish and 21-year-old male Bowdoin students have in common? They both exhibit sexual and aggressive behaviors, traits that make them ideal subjects for Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience Rick Thompson's research. That sex and aggression are "fundamental behaviors in pretty much every species" is fascinating to Thompson, who seeks to understand the relationship between those behaviors and what their role in the brain is. For Thompson, understanding the "complex and powerful" brain mechanisms that cause animals to act in certain ways is "the most interesting thing."

When I was 11, I found the repeat button on my stereo system. Dave Matthews' "Before These Crowded Streets" was spinning around in the CD player and before long, track number eight, "Crush," was looping sweet sounds in and out of my ears for hours on end. There's a part in that song—"Let's go drive 'till morning comes, and watch the sunrise and fill our souls up"—that blew me away the first time I heard it. Those words were so real I could almost taste them. It was like Dave was talking to me, telling me what love was going to be like.

In general, there is a tendency to spruce up the truth. Events are embellished; colors are enhanced. In some respects, this is an element of story telling; a story needs a hook, a startling detail. But sometimes the brilliance of the scenery overshadows the impact of the bare details. Aesthetic beauty is used as salvation, as balm. This is not the case in Aravind Adiga's raw, scathing, and humorous portrait of India in his first novel, "The White Tiger."

Until two years ago, the little room with a flower-print exterior perched on the second floor of Smith Union was merely an extension of the game room—seen but rarely used. Now, it provides art. When the room was renovated two years ago, art railings were added in order to use the space as a gallery for student art or local artists.

Some authors coax their audience into seeing through their eyes. Others immerse you in their worlds. Nam Le does the latter. His voice captured me in the first story of his debut collection "The Boat."

The women's hockey team looks to win two home games this weekend and continue its spectacular streak after defeating Trinity 4-2 and 3-0 this past week. With the wins against Trinity, the Polar Bears improve their overall record to 8-10-1 (7-8-1 NESCAC). Bowdoin's league ranking and playoff schedule will be contingent on other conference games to be played this weekend.

Last Saturday afternoon in Morrell Gym, Bowdoin said farewell to a trio of seniors that will leave quite an impression on the basketball program. The 69 wins to their credit makes this graduating class of Kyle Jackson, Tim Lane, and Darian Reid-Sturgis the second-most successful senior class in the history of Bowdoin men's basketball. While emotions ran high, the Polar Bears were able to hold off Connecticut College, 56-51. With the win, the Polar Bears finished the regular season with a 16-8 record, going 5-4 in NESCAC play.

This weekend, the women's track team will welcome 25 of the most competitive Division III teams in New England to Farley Field House for the 2008 Division III New England Regional Championship. Having had a chance to compete at Boston University's Valentine's Day Invitational last Friday and Saturday, the women have every reason to be optimistic about their performance this weekend. The Valentine's Day Invitational always presents a new challenge to Bowdoin each year, hosting many Division I and professional athletes, who come to race at Boston University's Track and Tennis Center, widely regarded as one of the country's fastest indoor tracks.

The men's track and field team entered the Valentine's Day Invitational facing unfamiliar opponents. With the presence of Division I, II, and III schools and even post-collegiate runners, last Saturday's meet at Boston University gave the Polar Bears the highest level of competition they have faced this season. Although the meet did not record any scores or rank teams according to their results, Bowdoin made quite an impression, with several athletes achieving personal bests.

Score over 1,000 points for the Bowdoin men's basketball team? Check. It may not be on every senior's to-do list, but Kyle Jackson '09 did it anyway, becoming just the 19th player in Bowdoin history to accomplish the feat. "It's an accomplishment that I'm very proud of now and will probably be even more proud of down the road," said the soft-spoken senior tri-captain. Basketball has always played an important part in Jackson's life.

Led by Colman Hatton '10, Spencer Eusden '12 and Courtney Martin '09, the men's Nordic team placed ninth and the women placed 10th out of 13 teams at the Dartmouth Carnival in Hanover, N.H., last weekend. The Dartmouth course was the most challenging one the team has raced on this season, and Bowdoin suffered from several crashes during the race.

Yes, this is another steroids column. And no, I don't want the blame. I know I'm the one who decided to write it and that I spent hours reading it over and fine-tuning every word. It's true that I thought of this article's subject and I've worked on its extended metaphor. And yes, this column is my space to say and do what I want, but I don't want to be held personally accountable for the product that I put out on Friday mornings.