The Bowdoin Orient

The January 1 deadline for both Early Decision II (ED II) and regular decision yielded 6,010 applications: a 1 percent rise over last year's 5,939 applications.

Professor of Mathematics Steve Fisk, whose intelligence inspired not only his students during his career at Bowdoin, but also his discovery of a mathematical proof that his colleagues considered "breathtaking," died on January 31 at the age of 63 after a 10-year battle with leukemia.

Arthur Monke, former head librarian of Hawthorne-Longfellow Library (H-L Library) from 1968 to 1992, died after a long illness on Wednesday of last week at the age of 84. In his time at the College, Monke oversaw renovations to H-L Library, the design and creation of the underground tunnel between H-L Library and Hubbard Hall, construction of Hatch Science Library, and the early implementation of computer technology in the library system.

Williams College announced plans to revoke its no-loan financial aid policy on Sunday, citing a $500 million drop in its endowment over the past three years, increasing financial aid expenditures, and unstable economic conditions.

As the national media's coverage of the damages wrought by the January 12 earthquake in Haiti begins to wane, Bowdoin students and community members are continuing efforts to streamline campus fundraising operations in addition to spreading awareness of the Caribbean nation's rich culture and complicated history.

For eight years, Bowdoin has run annual energy conservation contests, in which dorms compete to save the most energy. With the help of a new online tool, though, students are now able to track their green performance 24/7.

Bowdoin's trustees will converge on the Babson College Conference Center in Wellesley, Massachusetts today for what President Barry Mills said will be a long weekend of "brainstorming" and "sharing views for the College."

Come Sunday, students will begin tackling taboo topics of conversation during the first installment of the Undiscussed. The Undiscussed began in 2008 as an independent study project by Alyssa Chen '08. Each year it centers on a specific theme, this year's being "choice."

During a Wednesday night meeting to discuss the presence, prevalence, and perils of alcohol on campus, one consensus was clear: identifying the crux of the problem is as difficult as identifying any potential solutions. While the raw data suggest that students are treating alcohol differently this year than they have in years past, the arguments articulated by students and administrators define the wide spectrum of opinions concerning current alcohol policy: either it is too strict, too lenient, or is simply too removed from the realities of drinking culture at Bowdoin for it to apply.

Consider this: fifty years ago, over a two-year session of Congress there was exactly one cloture motion filed, the motion the Senate files to ask for a vote to end a filibuster. Twenty-five years ago, there were 41 motions filed. Last session, there were 139 motions filed. The Senate is already on track to set a whole new record for the 111th Congress.

Health care reform is one of our nation's most controversial issues. My question is, quite simply, why? In the second major attempt to pass a bill to reform our nation's health care system, we find ourselves, once again, unwilling or unable to do so.

There have been two pivotal political upheavals over the past few weeks, one that first spelled doom for the Democratic majority, followed by another that could reinvigorate a party bogged down by health care reform. First, Massachusetts elected its first Republican Senator since 1979 in Scott Brown. And second, President Barack Obama delivered a thoughtful, if somewhat colloquial, State of the Union Address before striking a more combative tone with House Republicans during their retreat in Baltimore this past weekend. As is true with almost all presidential decision-making, there is far more at work than meets the eye.

Last week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled what he thinks is "the most important thing" he has ever worked on: the iPad. According to the Wall Street Journal, the "last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, it had some commandments written on it."

Democrats are in trouble, that much is certain. Even the most objective onlooker would agree the Democrats have managed to implode themselves. They enjoyed historic levels of popularity both for their party and policies, while their Republican opponents were so distrusted that politicos speculated the beginning of a new 40-year Democratic majority in Congress.

Before I begin, allow me to dispel some preconceived notions that the title may have given you. I am not a Marxist or a Communist, at least not politically. Being a Bowdoin student, I am a solid beneficiary of the bourgeoisie dominance, and odds are that if you are reading this, you are too.

In lieu of last week's article, I'd like to qualify some things in regard to the amount of spending the Entertainment-Board (E-Board) does. Obviously Bowdoin isn't the center of the universe.

I enjoyed the article about The Milkman's Union, which brought back memories of the homegrown Bowdoin rock band that many of us enjoyed back in 1967, The Asphalt Nosebleed.

Where do you spend most of your time at Bowdoin? Most likely it's not locations like the dining halls or your dorm room, but instead the cyber spaces of Bowdoin. With over 100,000 pages branching from the all too familiar home screen, there are plenty of places for your mouse to explore. According to data that tracked Web traffic from August 1 to December 30, 2009, provided by Associate Director of Communications for Web Strategy Robert Denton, the Athletics page was the most popular destination by far.

During Winter Break, I spent a significant amount of time traveling with one of my closest friends, who happens to be one of my go-to people for in-depth chats about relationships, hooking-up and of course, sex. That said, we started talking about the typical "hook-up" scene at college. You know, the whole "meet someone at a party, head back to bed, brunch the next day, and 'I'll see you around' type of thing." It was interesting to learn from my friend, who attends a large university in New York City, that a similar phenomenon also occurs frequently at large schools. We came to the conclusion that colleges naturally foster "casual hook-ups" that are not only easy to achieve, but also desirable, especially given how explorative they can be. Bowdoin students have been particularly critical of the all-too-common hook-ups, claiming that the College lacks a proper and wholesome dating scene. In short, it has been suggested that hooking up is evidence that students here are neither prepared nor mature enough to pursue more serious relationships.

Wednesday night's Soul Food dinner at Thorne was a huge success. I could not help but overhear numerous eaters sigh contentedly with murmurs of how full they were. To review the dinner as a whole, however, would try your patience, since presumably you were there, and ate everything yourself. (If you missed the dinner, well then, that was your mistake.)

The occasional series "How it feels" last ran in the 2005-2006 volume of the Orient. In this 2010 revival, Bowdoin students tell the Orient about their experiences—good, bad, or just extreme. Here are their stories.

A Bowdoin Neighbor: Meet Jaime Reatiraza I first met Jaime when I was five years old. He was working as a security guard for the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. I spent half an hour each Saturday wandering around campus while my sister had a piano lesson. One day, when I passed through the revolving glass door of the museum, Jaime came up to me and asked if I would like a guided tour. He was a small Filipino man with beady eyes and a sincere smile. I agreed and followed him through high-ceilinged rooms. We continued to spend Saturdays looking at artwork together, discussing photography exhibits and examining ancient artifacts. For the next couple of years, Jaime and I shared this exchange each Saturday.

Singing their way up and down the Northeast coast, Bowdoin's oldest female a capella group, Miscellania, rang in the New Year with its first musical tour since 2007.

This Wednesday evening, Bowdoin students and members of the Brunswick community will have the opportunity to hear the highly renowned and beautifully innovative jazz of the Marcus Roberts Trio. The trio consists of Roberts on the piano, Rodney Jordan on bass and Jason Marsalis on the drums.

A Single Man, directed by Tom Ford and opening tonight at Eveningstar Cinema, tells the story of George, a gay English professor in 1960s Los Angeles played by Colin Firth. Trying to make his way through the mundane rituals of his day in the depressed haze induced by the tragic death of his partner of 15 years, George decides to make this day his last.

This week we headed to Portland and rewarded our taste buds with a transcontinental dining experience. Although Brunswick's downtown is home to an increasingly diverse selection of ethnic food eateries, an African restaurant has yet to make that list. So we set out to find one in downtown Portland.

This Friday evening Studzinski Hall will fill with the sounds of piano, violin and cello. This piano trio is comprised of Eva Gruesser on the violin, Emmanuel Feldman on the cello and George Lopez on the piano. All three musicians have also found success individually.

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to prosper." Internet consensus attributes this quotation to Benjamin Franklin, one of the smartest men and biggest bros ever to walk this Earth. We believe in this quotation. We want everyone to love and appreciate beer as much as we do.

It's been 2010 for over a month now, but it just hit me a few days ago: the 2000s are the first ten years that our generation can truly claim. Yes, we were alive in the nineties but our parents were still changing our diapers when Never mind came out. In contrast, the decade of the 2000s (the aughts?) is much easier for us to recall; we all remember the Y2K hype, the advent of the iPod and, recently, the death of the King of Pop.

With just 45 seconds left on the clock, Katie Bergeron '11 sank the game-winning jump shot that gave the Polar Bears a narrow 53-52 edge over the Trinity Bantams Saturday afternoon in Morrell Gymnasium.

The men's ice hockey team closed out its weekend of conference play with a tie and a loss, bringing its record to 11-5-1 this season.

The start of February marked the beginning of an action-packed month for the nordic ski team. The team, which has already participated in three races this season, will be competing every weekend this month, starting this Saturday in Stowe, Vermont at the University of Vermont Carnival.

When the men's track team toes the line on Saturday, the state title will be at stake. The Bowdoin men have captured first or second place in this meet for the past 17 years, but it will not be an easy feat to keep that streak alive.

The men's and women's squash teams both enjoyed great success hosting the Maine Round Robin tournament at the Lubin Family Squash Center this past weekend. The women won an important and dramatic victory against Columbia University, and the men went 4-2 in a strong showing.

I'd like to begin this week's article by thanking Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner for gracing football fans with an unforgettable NFL career these past 12 years. Battered and bruised throughout much of this season—most notably against the Saints in the divisional round—Warner admitted that football just hadn't been as much fun in 2009 as it had been in seasons past, and after Arizona bowed out to New Orleans a few weeks ago, the former Arena Football and NFL Europe superstar opted for retirement.