The Bowdoin Orient

Bowdoin has announced that its endowment earned a return on investment of 22.3 percent, rising in value to $904.2 million in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, up from $753.5 million in fiscal year 2010. The increase in value is the College's sixth-highest single-year gain since 1970.

Bowdoin is set to get a technological makeover. The installation of a new student information system will allow students to register for courses online for the first time ever. Members of the Board of Trustees and President Barry Mills approved the purchase of the new information system, called Banner, at a May trustee meeting.

The Bowdoin Office of Safety and Security and the Brunswick Police Department (BPD) are continuing their investigations into a chain of recent burglaries on campus and the surrounding area. Following football practice on the afternoons of September 9 and 10, several students reported items missing from the football team's locker room in Pickard Field House, including cash, credit cards, cell phones, athletic apparel, a team playbook and stereo equipment.

In the aftermath of a Waterville Police Department (WPD) raid on an off-campus party last weekend, more than 50 Colby students are now facing alcohol-related charges.

Last Sunday's weekly chapel service hosted by the Bowdoin Christian Fellowship (BCF) was interrupted when two students, of about 50 in attendance, walked out of the chapel in reaction to what they considered to be homophobic remarks.

Drivers and bicyclists are on a collision course. Starting September 28, Maine law will prohibit texting while driving a motor vehicle, something Nichols said is important to note since "we are all guilty of it...from time to time."

The grading system is currently set up such that Bowdoin students can easily sail through four years of college without knowing the details of how they compare academically to their peers. And as long as the College refuses to release the student body’s average GPA—not to mention the average grades given by each department—this will continue to be the case.

On Wednesday evening, students held a vigil on the Walker Art Building steps in protest of Troy Davis’ impending execution in Jackson, Georgia. Davis’ execution was a miscarriage of justice and a failure of the American legal system.

"That's so college." What a phrase—it recalls stories of all that's good and wild about college: all nighters, crappy light beer and sexilings.

Being excited is awesome. There is something truly wonderful contained in the feeling of excitement. Coming to college, after the monotonous final days of high school, I was thrilled: new classes, new teachers, new people, new parties, and new opportunities.

The printing policy enacted at the beginning of the 2010-2011 academic year needs to be reevaluated. At the time, the arguments in favor of a new pay-as-you-go printing policy made sense. Paper has a cost and the College's efforts to make students aware of that cost is understandable.

The other day, I was reading through the Office of Safety and Security's crime log when I came across a report that an underage student had used a fake ID, bought alcohol, and provided it to other minors in Osher Hall.

Over the summer, the College made several upgrades to campus facilities that greeted us upon returning to school. Kresge Auditorium and the Beam classroom were revamped, there were renovations to the Convenience Store, and new computers were installed in Smith Union. Along with these visible additions, the College also invested millions of dollars in developments that a casual stroll through campus won't reveal.

Dear President Obama, As much as it pains me to admit it, Sarah Palin may have been right about one thing (but really, only one thing): this hope-y, change-y stuff isn't working out too well for us. Your sweeping, poetic campaign platform of political reform and investment in the American people could have altered the fabric of the country, as difficult as it may have been to implement and as idealistic as it was.

There's really only one word for bagels in Brunswick, Maine: ignorant. Finding a good bagel in this area is just about as easy as finding the local synagogue.

Unlike many other liberal arts colleges, Bowdoin's Career Planning Center (CPC) website does not display the post-graduate plans for the Class of 2011.

Welcome back for the fall semester! Much has happened since the Orient was last published—an earthquake shook Virginia, a tropical storm battered the Eastern seaboard, and a new crop of first years have descended on our campus like locusts—but in these uncertain times we can always seek comfort and solace in good company and good brews. To steady my nerves, I gathered together the brain trust this weekend and sampled some of the finest beers available at our friendly neighborhood Hannaford.

Living at Bowdoin, home of the country's best dining halls, an apartment kitchen might seem superfluous. Well-utilized, however, a kitchen can provide freedom, fun and food, three staples of college life.

Last Tuesday evening, a friend informed me that Washed Out was opening for Cut Copy at the State Theatre. A few phone calls and some extra daytime hours in Hawthorne-Longfellow Library later, I was in a car with four friends driving to Portland.

This week, I am switching gears to discuss a genre of electronic dance music—dubstep—that has reached unprecedented levels of popularity over the last few years. For those new to the scene, dubstep songs are set at around 140 beats per minute, are usually dominated by a powerful bass line, and typically incorporate heavily manipulated sound waves to produce a unique style of electronic music that is bound to set any listener's head bobbing.

Last night beloved graduate and jazz prodigy, Ahmad Hassan Muhammad '10 graced Jack Magee's Pub. Ahmad Hassan Muhammad '10 approached the keyboard and by the time he and the Jaw Gems played their first song, the Pub was filled with a warm and friendly vibe.

This year's Shameless Plugs lineup features Bowdoin-affiliated bands that promise to return some of the Ivies spirit to campus, if only just for one night. The headlining acts, Eleven and Great Caesar, will grace the stage in Smith Union Saturday night with exciting new sets.

At the recital of Visiting Artist-in-Residence George Lopez this past Saturday, the pianist brought the crowd to its feet not just after the concert's final measure, but after every single piece—a true honor given that standing ovations are not casually awarded at classical music concerts.

The women's golf team continued its winning streak last weekend at the Maine State Collegiate Golf Championship in Cumberland. Over the course of two days, Bowdoin trumped Bates by a combined score of 745 to 786. Three Bowdoin players—Kendall Kyritz '15, Ursula Munger '15 and captain Chelsea Gross '13—carded below 93 in the Sunday round that ultimately decided the tournament. Kyritz scored 182 for her two-day total, making her the lowest-shooting Polar Bear for the second tournament in a row.

The volleyball team took home three wins in the opening matches of NESCAC play last weekend. Victories against Bates, Roger Williams and Colby bring the Polar Bears' winning streak to six and improve the team's overall season record to 7-1. It all began last Friday when Bowdoin defeated Colby 3-1 at home, with scores of 25-16, 16-25, 25-14 and 25-17.

The women's soccer team earned its second victory of the season last Saturday by outscoring Brandeis 2-1 at home. Despite a slow start in which Brandeis took seven of the game's first eight shots, the Polar Bears went on the offensive midway through the second half, scoring twice in under 10 minutes.