The Bowdoin Orient

With less than a week until the polls open, Maine voters are looking at a three-horse race for governor. Different polls have shown a considerable amount of variety. The most recent, a Rasmussen Reports survey released Thursday, had Republican Paul LePage ahead with 40 percent of the vote, followed by Democrat Libby Mitchell and Independent Eliot Cutler tied at 26 percent. Cutler has made significant gains in recent weeks.

A sophomore was transported from West Hall to MidCoast Hospital after allegedly consuming hallucinogenic mushrooms last Saturday, according to Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols. The student, who reportedly consumed the mushrooms with a friend visiting from out of state, was "not in serious condition" and returned to campus after spending "just a couple of hours" at the hospital, said Nichols.

The results of last spring's Health and Wellness Survey were reviewed and released by Bowdoin's Senior Officers this week, though the data will not be officially published by the College. The survey was voluntary and anonymous. It was administered to all students in the spring semester, elicited 934 respondents. Of that number, 42.8 percent were men and 56.9 percent were women.

As the date for Brunswick Naval Air Station's (NASB) closure approaches, Bowdoin continues to move ahead with its plan to acquire approximately 175 developable acres of land on the west side of the base. "The process of acquiring the land has not changed since 2007," wrote Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration & Treasurer Katy Longley in an e-mail to the Orient.

As campaign season enters its final weekend before the November 2 elections, the congressional race in Maine's First District between Democratic incumbent Chellie Pingree and her Republican challenger Dean Scontras has narrowed to a statistical dead heat. The most recent Maine Poll, released on October 22, reveals a dramatic tightening of the race. While Pingree's lead declined slightly from 48 to 45 percent, support for Scontras made a significant jump from 33 to 40 percent over a single week. Thirteen percent of polled voters remain undecided.

This year, says the Sustainable Endowments Institute, Bowdoin did its homework. The College's overall grade on the Institute's College Sustainability Report Card rose from a B in 2010 to an A minus in 2011. The uptick was a result of the College's improvements in the categories of Endowment Transparency, from an F to a C, and Shareholder Engagement, from a D to a C. These are two of the nine categories that the Report Card evaluates. The College also improved from a B to an A in Green Building. It received As in all other categories both years.

Portland has traded one high-end supermarket for another, as Wild Oats has been replaced by a new Trader Joe's store. The grocery chain is breaking into Maine's organic and natural foods market with today's opening of its first store in the state. The announcement of the store's opening has been met with much excitement throughout the Portland community. The location's Store Captain Tracy Acciola told the Portland Press Herald that residents have called the store saying they were skipping work and taking kids out of school in order to attend the grand opening.

Several challengers are looking to unseat incumbent Democrats in state elections next Tuesday. One of the most significant races is for the seat representing the 66th district in the Maine State Legislature. This district includes approximately 300 Bowdoin students, including those living in Burnett House, Howell House, Helmreich House and Stowe Inn. The incumbent is State Representative Alex Cornell du Houx '06.

The town of Brunswick will not provide early voting in Smith Union this year despite the success of last year's Early Vote Day. Town Clerk Fran Smith called the change the result of a "resource issue." "The reason that we're not doing it is that we're reconsolidating our polling locations," Smith said. "We're opening [early voting] up to the entire public and that will be at the Recreation Center this weekend."

This Tuesday, many Bowdoin students will head to the polls to help Maine elect a new governor. The latest independent poll suggests that what had been a two-person battle between Democrat Libby Mitchell and Republican Paul LePage is now a bona fide three-way race, with Independent Eliot Cutler making significant late gains. This competition is far from decided, which makes our votes all the more important.

Tuesday, November 2 is Election Day. Pundits all over the country—and all over this campus—have been speculating and forecasting. Will the election be a referendum on President Obama? Is the Tea Party movement for real? Americans are angry. Again. They're mad at unemployment and deficits and, most of all, they are really, really mad at politicians. What are Americans going to do?

I would like to echo The Humane Society and its Director of Program Management for Animal Research Issues Kathleen Conlee's call to end all testing on animals in Bowdoin classes. But unlike Conlee, I am asking Bowdoin to justify its actions by meeting the challenge I pose here. My challenge is an appeal to ethical consistency that cannot be ignored by a college that professes to champion the Common Good. Before an institution like Bowdoin can make such a claim, it must somehow justify excluding some creatures from the Common Good.

Paul LePage is going to be the next governor of Maine. Not only that, but he may very well start his administration with Republican majorities in both houses of the Maine State Legislature. The sad truth is that Democrats are going to get routed all over the country this Tuesday. What does this mean for America? Income inequality is going to rise as tax breaks for the rich are paid for through cuts to social programs for the poor, government expenditure will be slashed—de-stimulating the economy—and unemployment is going to rise. In short, Republicans are bad for the economy, and they will be in charge.

During a quick run to Hannaford one morning last week to cure my craving for chocolate-covered almonds, I was struck by an unexpected realization regarding the changing American Dream. While standing in the express checkout line, I overheard two women behind me discussing their shared passion for baking. However, the conversation quickly turned a more pressing issue. One of the ladies spoke about her enjoyment of cookie-baking at work. With this comment, their shared passion for baking was quickly overshadowed, since one lady was employed and the other was not.

In his article on the national debt ("National debt poses greatest threat to the United States," October 22), John Dale Grover '14 suggests that the United States has "yet to start a serious plan" to bring its long-term fiscal situation under control. That is simply untrue. The single greatest threat to the long-run solvency of the U.S. is the projected escalation in health care costs. Indeed, if we had the same per-capita health care spending as countries like France, Germany and Canada, the long-run deficit would be a non-issue.

This week, students were frustrated by the storm of e-mails we received advertising campus events. It is an annoyance to sift through the many advertisements and announcements that bombard us day in and day out. Moreover, the daily deluge of times, titles and locations—most of which only interest a small number of students—causes the most vital information to get lost in the shuffle.

Recalling the political fervor surrounding the gay-marriage issue last autumn, and with no desire to wait in a long line again this year, I requested that a Brunswick absentee ballot be sent to my Smith Union box early this year. Because I did not grow up in Maine, some would argue that it's undemocratic for me to send in my ballot to the town clerk. Perhaps they have a point, since it's true that I won't be paying taxes in Maine in the foreseeable future. Yet at the end of the day, the basic reason we have a republic—and that is what we have, democratic pretensions aside—is to the let the people decide who makes decisions on their behalf. However we define "the people," it is still the decision of whom to elect that matters.

Currently, 43 students at Bowdoin are able to spend their four years here free of charge. These students are recipients of the Joshua L. Chamberlain Scholarship, created in 2000 to address the observed lack of diversity on campus and offered to a similar number of students each year. The award covers students' tuition, book expenses, and travel costs, in addition to providing a $3,000 stipend for other educational opportunities.

Achromatic combinations are in. Tones like beige, apricot and off-white might appear drab and lifeless, but a little black dress coupled with a pair of neutral-toned shoes, be they flats or heels, will never fail to make your legs look longer.

Brunswick - Brunswick, Maine. Approximate pop.: 23,000. But that number needs revising if we consider those whose bodies dwell in Brunswick but can't be said to live here. It's (why not?) a rainy night. You're puddle hopping Maine Street in a mad dash to reach Gelato Fiasco before 11 p.m.

As parents descend on Bowdoin this weekend, there are some who might feel a little more at home on campus. Currently, 151 Bowdoin students are the children of one or more Bowdoin alumni. Known by admissions and the alumni council as "generational," these students have a unique connection with the College.

While it may be less conspicuous than the expansive chair exhibition, "Something Completely Different: Raymond Pettibon's Repeater Pencil" packs a punch. The 14-minute video installation is composed of Pettibon's drawings and watercolors—animated and set to audio narration.

Bowdoin students can look forward to a little California sunshine next month when WBOR brings the Morning Benders to campus on November 13.

The new Clint Eastwood film "Hereafter" is distinctly an Eastwood film for many reasons. Though it is ultimately not among his best, it is his distinctive touch that prevents the film from falling victim to the artificiality that plagues most afterlife-related films.

Frontier, VSA film festival focuses on disability

Mathematical equations do not usually resemble musical compositions. Although both use symbols to represent values and their parts sum up to a harmonious whole, musical notes are too abstract-looking for algebraic formulas and staff paper isn't the best for drawing graphs.

Women's field hockey fought for a 2-0 win over Trinity in front of a large crowd of parent spectators. The team is now ranked fourth in the nation after its 2-0 win against the Bantams, moving up from its previous ranking of fifth.

Though a 1-4 start has left the young and injury-riddled Polar Bears down, they are not going to count themselves out. They are determined to finish 2010 on a high note, starting tomorrow afternoon at Wesleyan.

The women's rugby team ended its season with a record of 4-5 after losing to Stonehill College in the first round of the New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) playoffs.

Weather problems continued to plague the sailing team last weekend, but the lack of wind did not calm the team's enthusiasm for the upcoming New England championship events.