The Bowdoin Orient

Bowdoin can now be added to the list of institutions pursuing funds from the $787 billion economic stimulus package signed on February 17 by President Barack Obama. The College sent a letter to Maine Governor John Baldacci's office, looking to receive state funds for "shovel-ready" construction projects in Brunswick and "green initiatives" around campus, according to Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer Katy Longley.

Monday's power outage was not the only unexpected setback for Off-Camus Study (OCS) this week. The office also had to attempt to realign the numbers of study abroad applications from the Class of 2011, since many more sophomores have indicated a desire to study abroad in the spring than in the fall.

The storm that slammed northern New England Sunday night left more than 40,000 homes and businesses in Brunswick without power and every Bowdoin student without e-mail.

Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) met Wednesday to vote on a funding request for subsidized movie tickets, which was approved, and to address budget and housing questions.

Bowdoin is keeping tabs on its apparel licensing agreement with Russell Athletic after the company was accused of anti-unionism. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that 12 universities, including Columbia, Cornell, Duke, and Georgetown, have already cut ties with Russell due to the company's closing of a unionized factory in Honduras.

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.

Of this year's sophomore class, more than half have applied to study off campus next year. With so many Bowdoin students choosing to study away each year, one could hardly call us insular. We boast a wide range of off-campus study options, including destinations from Great Britain to Sri Lanka. Those who go abroad will inevitably be exposed to new cultures and challenges. However, as studying abroad becomes increasingly popular, we should be increasingly wary of considering it the best choice for all students.

What if, after fumbling the first few lines of the inauguration oath, Justice Roberts or President Obama had blurted, "Awk-wuuuurd!" Surely, an already uncomfortable situation would be rendered far more embarrassing for the nation and it would have humiliated both of them. Given that the pronouncement of "awkward" almost always intensifies the discomfort in an interaction, why does our generation remain addicted to this term?

Monday morning, I awoke to find the universal sign for a Bowdoin Blackout: a garbage can holding the door of the bathroom open to let a small flicker of light enter the stall from our common room window. I groaned, knowing, that after walking down 15 flights of stairs to a dining hall buzzing with the artificial energy of a generator, I would have to fight for an outlet to "do homework" in the campus refugee camp.

To the Editors: After reading a certain letter to the editor concerning "derogatory" terms used at a hockey game ("Hockey game heckling, homophobic, classist," February 20, 2009), I almost threw up. It makes me sick to attend a school dominated by political correctness. Here are my problems with this letter:

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.

Whenever I come out to someone, particularly a straight someone, there are two questions that I can expect to be asked sooner or later. Question number one: Did you always know you were gay? Question number two: How do lesbians have sex?

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.

Not many people can say they have composed a piece of music for saxophones incorporating the letters of the word "saxophone" into the work, but retired Professor of Music and renowned composer Elliott Schwartz is an exception to most rules. Not only does he experiment with using words in music, he also incorporates percussion and music history on his new album "Hall of Mirrors" and draws on his superior knowledge of great composers to create his own unique sound.

Studzinski Recital Hall will not only be filled with the sounds of Bowdoin's two brass ensembles on Monday, but also by those of the United States Air Force Liberty Band's Colonial Brass ensemble. The Colonial Brass ensemble usually maintains a schedule of shows that would make even The Rolling Stones cringe.

I have a confession to make: I hate shopping. The bright lights and music in malls give me headaches. There are clothes everywhere and I get discombobulated with all the colors. And then there's the money thing. I have a hard time justifying spontaneous purchases and end up just putting things back rather than opening up my wallet. I have another confession to make: I loved "Confessions of a Shopaholic." I may not like shopping, but I did like watching a movie about a young woman so consumed by clothes, shoes, jewelry, and bags that she looks like an animated Vogue ad walking down the streets in Manhattan.

Josephine Cameron '98 joins the Bowdoin College Concert Band to bring sounds of the college—both past and present—to the Bowdoin community on Sunday. The concert is the third in a series titled "Friends" in which the concert band has collaborated with notable headline performers. Since her graduation in 1998, Cameron has become well known for her folk song performances and recordings, but her interest and passion for music originated before her college experience. "I was convinced that I would be a music major, and I started out on that path," Cameron said. However, Cameron credits her first year seminar, "Music, Music, and Words," for complicating that plan.

A dichotomy is immediately established between the two women who dominate the narrative of "The Piano Teacher" by Janice Y. K. Lee. Trudy is the exotic, flip, Portuguese-Chinese young woman who seduces whom she likes and behaves as she pleases. Claire is her demure, naive, and restrained British counterpart. They both fall in love with Will Truesdale, an appealing but not particularly unique Englishman.

Lent, the Christian season of fasting, began this Wednesday. For me, these 40 days have evolved from a show of faith to an exercise in self-control. This Lent I have decided to abstain from two things: 1. Wearing my Boy Scout sash underneath my clothes. 2. Folk music. I know what you are thinking: "Take my eyes, but not the folk." Folk music has had a good run on this column, but it's time to move on. Do you hear me, Textile, Bugling, and Rabbit-Raising badges? It's time to move on. So for the next 40 days, This Weeks Review will abstain from all things pertaining to red squirrels, meadowlarks, or easy plateaus.

Amid the constant cheers and splashing of water, murmurs surrounding controversial swimsuits could be heard all around the Women's NESCAC Swimming and Diving Championship Meet last weekend at Bowdoin. The two suits, the LZR made by Speedo and the Nero Comp made by Blueseventy, are thick and increase the buoyancy of the swimmer, thus making it easier for them to cut through the water.

It was an emotional weekend for the women's hockey team as they celebrated the seniors' last home games by defeating Potsdam State 6-1 on Friday and 6-2 on Saturday. The wins added to the team's eight-game winning streak, the longest streak since the 2004-2005 season. Jill Campbell '11 and Sam Stewart '09 led the team in Friday's game, each scoring two goals.

The men's track team looks to continue its success this season at the Open New England Championships this Friday and Saturday. This meet has highly competitive and difficult qualifying marks and will feature a high-powered field consisting of athletes who come from Division I, Division II, and Division III schools throughout the region. After finishing fourth of 24 teams last weekend at the New England Division III Championships at MIT last Friday and Saturday, Bowdoin has reason to be confident about its performance heading into this weekend.

The women's indoor track team looks to gather personal bests, school records, and NCAA qualification standards this weekend at the Open New England's Championship at Boston University. This past weekend, the Bears finished fourth of 24 teams in what proved a competitive Division III New England Regional Championship meet at Farley Field House, and the 25 NCAA qualifying performances they saw on their home turf will inspire them to reach for those standards this Friday and Saturday.

While cold winter conditions continue to lay siege to campus, the Polar Bears kept things hot on the ice in the last weekend of the regular season. Bowdoin strolled to a 4-1 win last Friday against St. Michael's College and fell just short Saturday, losing 2-1 to Norwich University. On Friday, Bowdoin scored early as Kit Smith '11 lit the lamp with 4:28 gone in the first period. In what would prove to be a good game, Kyle Hardy '11 notched the assist on that goal.

Despite finishing in eighth place, the Bowdoin women swimmers were able to topple a number of school records during the NESCAC Championship at Bowdoin. Over the course of the grueling three-day-long NESCAC Championships, the women's swim team swam well as a whole and produced one of their finest performances of the year. On Friday, sophomore Caitlin Callahan started the meet off with a bang for the Polar Bears.

Both the men's and women's squash teams competed at their respective national tournaments over the past two weekends, battling teams ranked close to Bowdoin in last-leg efforts to end the season on a good note. The women entered their national tournament, the Kurtz cup, held this year at Harvard, with a record of 14-7. The men, competing in the Summers Cup at Princeton, entered the tournament with a record of 10-12.

When Courtney Martin '09 arrived at Bowdoin four years ago she never expected to be talking about her endeavors on the slopes. She was, at least at the time, a cross-country runner. Former Bowdoin Nordic skiing coach, Marty Hall, had other ideas. Martin, a native of Hermon, Maine, had skied competitively her senior year of high school, but "just to keep in shape for track season."