The Bowdoin Orient

Despite the tough economic climate, NESCAC colleges continue to move toward various sustainability goals by depending on environmental grants. According to Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer Katy Longley, the College critically assesses energy conservation project costs before implementation occurs. "We're thinking about grant funding before we start our projects," said Longley.

Most college students spend winter break making money or making merry, but as part of the Alternative Winter Break (AWB) program, eight Bowdoin students spent their last week of vacation in Portland making a difference.

On Monday, four hours before Mike "Greeny" Green was scheduled to take the stage in Pickard Theater for a presentation on alcohol education entitled "The Four Stages of Venus," students received an e-mail stating that the event had been abruptly canceled.

The Office of Safety and Security discovered evidence of a break-in at MacMillan House around 7 a.m. on January 6 when an electrician doing work on the house reported evidence of damage. Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols reported that he believes the break-in occurred around 4 a.m. on December 28, as door access records from MacMillan House indicate the door was forced at about that time. Six rooms on the second floor were broken into after the perpetrator reportedly kicked in the doors.

Though the new printing system has been the subject of controversy this year, Information Technology's (IT) mid-year results prove that it has lived up to its promise. The printing system decreased the amount of paper consumed while accommodating 94 percent of student demand.

It's official: the College is getting bigger—259 acres bigger, to be exact. On December 13, the College received final approval from the Department of Education (DOE) to acquire three parcels of land after Naval Air Station Brunswick (NASB) closes this year.

Former Bowdoin student Adam Wheeler plead guilty to "larceny, identity theft, falsifying an endorsement and pretending to hold a degree," according to a December 16 press release from Middlesex District (Mass.) Attorney Gerry Leone. Wheeler's deceitful actions in applying to Harvard University and subsequent academic dishonesty while a student at the school have gained national notoriety.

In 1997, a commission composed of trustees, faculty and students submitted a report tracing the failings of Bowdoin's fraternity system and proposed an alternative housing plan: the College House System. The commission was optimistic that the system would cultivate a deeper sense of community on campus, and the proposed plan was quite thorough and introspective. A few of the guidelines were tongue-in-cheek.

For some strange reason, fellow Bowdoiners always seem to know that I grew up in Maine. How they learn of my heritage remains a mystery to me, but once they do, I encounter a blizzard of questions: Is there electricity where you live? Do you ever take your boots off? How come fishhooks and shotgun shells keep falling out of your pockets? Is that a hoof sticking out of your trunk? Sometimes the question is earnest, simple and answered easily. Sometimes the question is stupid and demands a stupid answer; I zealously oblige. But there is one question that requires a sincere and thorough response. Inquiring minds most frequently request the secret to surviving Maine winters.

To say that you love America is not the same thing as saying that you love only those Americans who agree with you. Nor is it the same thing as saying you love the America inhabited by those of European descent.

Bowdoin needs to take a long, hard look at its distribution requirements. In doing so, the College should ask, "What are we trying to achieve through these requirements?" and "What are the academic advantages of asking students to choose courses in these areas and not others?" In short, the College should conduct the type of self-evaluation that every successful organization conducts from time to time to assure that it is on the right course.

Regarding last week's editorial "Business as usual," last year the library decided to open at 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays during reading period and exams, instead of the regular 10 a.m. So what happened last month? We simply forgot to open earlier. We apologize for this oversight. We will do better this spring and certainly will open at 8:30 a.m. on weekends during Reading Period and exams as we previously planned.

A few clamoring students stood outside Hawthorne and Longfellow Library—unable to get in—the Saturday morning during last semester's finals period. These students, some of whom had final exams at 9 a.m., were left out in the cold because the library was operating on its weekend hours, and would not open until 10 a.m.

Although I tend to doubt that anyone reads this column, I would imagine that if you are reading this article you probably have uttered an impetuous word or two in your life that you regret. You might even have taken a few actions that you would rescind if possible. My apologies for the inane rhetorical commentary, but my point is that human beings tend to get caught up. Sometimes, we lose control. In those instances, our emotions overwhelm our rational thinking.

One of democracy's shortcomings could arguably be its greatest strength: the protection it gives people to say practically whatever they want, whenever they want. It essentially gives people the right to complain or be negative, since opinions everyone agrees on don't need the protection democracy affords them.

An island amid a sea of globalization: Puttalam, Sri Lanka is the largest center for IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) of Muslim background in Sri Lanka. During the initial years of the civil war, in 1990, Muslims living in the Northern province of Sri Lanka—considered by Tamil nationalists to be their cultural homeland—were evicted by Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam soldiers in an attempt at ethnic purification and unification.

For over 10 years, the New York Times Sunday Magazine has published a column in which Randy Cohen answers readers' questions about "the moral and ethical dilemmas of our time." Over the course of my three years at Bowdoin, I've encountered quite a few such Bowdoin-specific ethical quandaries. I'm not an expert, but I am a concerned community member hoping to codify Bowdoin social norms and basic principles of right conduct. Send me your questions and I'll reply with the justice and wit you expect of the Orient.

Walking into a quad in Moore, the door is ajar, the lights are off and three first year students holding laptops sit on the couch facing the TV. "You're looking at the way we've spent the past two weeks—except 'Dexter' was on the screen," said first year squash player Stephan Danyluk, who, along with his three teammates (and temporary roommates), has been on campus since January 2. "We watched the first three and a half seasons of 'Dexter' in two and a half weeks."

As I enjoyed my final Winter Break during my time at Bowdoin College, I experienced a real first in my relationship with my parents. When I found out I would be writing a column before classes resumed, I knew I would have to find something to try back at home, and thus I set out to hunt down some interesting brews. Upon leaving my house, my mom asked where I was going, to which I replied that I had to pick up a bunch of beer. This response was met with the corresponding, questioning glance —but I had the perfect alibi: "Don't worry mom," I shot back, "it's for school."

Pickard Theater will come alive tomorrow night as The Low Anthem and Jukebox the Ghost take the stage for the Entertainment Board's (E-Board) annual Winter Concert. Bowdoin's own Louis Weeks '11 will open for the two headliners, both of which are currently on tour.

A new exhibit entitled "Modernism at Bowdoin: American Paintings" was recently installed at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. The exhibit features art from the first four decades of the 20th century, and draws on paintings obtained from both the Museum's collection as well as works from the Yale University Art Gallery.

Miscellania hits high note on tour over break

Tonight, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) will be performing its second program of a three-part series at the College.

For anyone who has seen Natalie Portman in "Black Swan," her starring role in the new romantic comedy "No Strings Attached," directed by Ivan Reitman and also starring Ashton Kutcher, will certainly seem like less of an event. Obligatory endeavors for many rising movie stars, romantic comedies are undoubtedly some of the most disposable, forgettable and generally poorly made films to come out of Hollywood today.

Portland, Maine may ask what celestial force has hit it when Swedish pop star Robyn sweeps through this weekend, painting the quiet maritime city neon with her robot-diva-beats. She is scheduled to play at the newly renovated State Theatre at 8 p.m. on Saturday, a space with the capacity to accommodate the full-scale production of a Robyn concert. Mainers, take off those Bean boots and put on your kicks—Robyn's about to take us on a journey through the unique synths, kickdrums, looped lyrics and strobe lights that comprise her sophisticated pop world.

When classes began last Tuesday at the University of Southern Maine (USM), students were welcomed by an artistic addition to campus. In the entrance corridor just outside the Osher Map Library, a mural painted by Bowdoin Professor of Art Mark Wethli awaited their arrival.

In an age eve before VHS, people flocked in droves to hear Donald MacMillan speak about his experiences in the Arctic. "The Far North," a reconstructed film with restored footage from MacMillan's voyage to Greenland, will now bring MacMillan's story to a whole new audience. The film's audio track is a recovered transcript of a lecture MacMillan delivered at Boothbay Opera House in 1959, according to the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum.

This weekend will be one of opportunity and revenge for the men's hockey team. The Polar Bears will battle for the top position in the conference against Williams on Friday and then look for a measure of revenge against a Middlebury squad that denied it the NESCAC championship last season.

After two weeks of intense pre-training that spawned a series of injuries, the women's track team excelled at last week's Greater Boston Track Club Invitational held at Harvard University.

The men's track team competed well with several outstanding performances last Sunday at the Greater Boston Track Club Invitational held at Harvard University.

The men's and women's swimming and diving teams look toward the NESCAC Championships as their seasons progress. The teams will get preparation for the championship meet tomorrow at Colby, when the teams face off against Wesleyan and Trinity.

The women's squash team recovered from a 9-0 thrashing at the hands of Bates on Wednesday night with a 6-3 victory over Colby on Thursday night.