The Bowdoin Orient

Bowdoin experienced a premature taste of winter when a record-breaking snowstorm hit the East Coast Halloween weekend. Beginning Saturday night and continuing through Sunday morning, the storm spread throughout Maine, covering the Midcoast area in five inches of snow.

The Meddiebempsters hazed their first year members at a September 16 initiation event, according to the Student Organizations Oversight Committee (SOOC), which reviewed the matter. As a result, the Meddies face a number of disciplinary measures, including a restriction on their ability to perform. As the College's oldest a cappella group, the Meddies have traditionally had the privilege of singing at select athletic and departmental events. The group has been banned from doing so until March 10.

Barry Mills praised the relationship between the Brunswick Police Department (BPD) and the Bowdoin community in his address to parents last Saturday, noting a positive shift in the last year and a half.

On behalf of the Office of Multicultural Student Programs, Nylea Bivins '12 submitted a proposal to Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) on Wednesday seeking $12,500 to fund a multicultural event planned for the week after winter break.

Between September and May of this academic year, a projected total of 215 students will study abroad in 46 different countries. Eighteen juniors will remain abroad for the entire year. The OCS has reported that this year an estimated 47.1 percent of the Class of 2013 will study abroad, a marginal increase from 46.8 percent of the Class of 2012.

The Brunswick Variety Deli increased its security measures following its September 29 burglary. During the early morning hours of that day, a burglar pried open the rear door of the deli, stealing change, cigarettes, and a safe containing $4,500.

The senior members of the Meddiebempsters had been preparing an initiation night for a week before the evening of September 16. When the day finally came, the upperclass Meddies gave the first years a list of clues and told them to complete a scavenger hunt. Afterwards, they went to a senior's off-campus house, where the Meddies were having a party. The upperclassmen congratulated their newly-inducted first years, who were then able to meet everyone for the first time. The upperclassmen offered the first years beer; two decided to drink, and the third did not. "It was a lot of fun," said one first year. "There was a really happy mood."

In its October 14 editorial ("Klingenstein's Study"), The Bowdoin Orient questioned the validity of the Bowdoin College study that I am conducting. You say that the study cannot be "objective" because it is funded by Tom Klingenstein and it "appears to be driven by a clear agenda."

Your editorial also notes that the National Association of Scholars (NAS) has "never conducted a study on only a single college before" and that "the motive for this study is not genuine intellectual curiosity."

The editorial finally and "most importantly" faults the study as something that "does not recognize the critical thinking abilities of Bowdoin students."

This Saturday, Bowdoin will be hosting a queer conference that will give all students, gay or straight, the chance to see and appreciate the kind of community action that has changed the course of American history.

Occupy Wall Street is the best thing that has happened to the Democratic Party in a long time. Finally, a movement has come along to reveal a hard edge of a party that has been taking soft stances on too many issues for too many years.

To the Editors: My wife Tina and I were thrilled to attend the Sarah and James Bowdoin Day celebration last Friday on Parents Weekend, as two of our host students were honored.

Once again, seniors are looking for jobs, and the economy remains in the wood chipper. Luckily, many of the jobs offered this fall by the Career Planning Center (CPC) are quite well paid. However, not all of us want to make bank working at a bank.

The Occupy Wall Street protests that have sprouted up in cities across the globe have garnered considerable public attention. Supporters have taken particular pleasure in a recent survey conducted by the GfK Roper Public Affairs consulting firm, which found that over a third of Americans support the "99-percenters" and that 58 percent oppose current American politics.

After being on the run for nearly two months, Muammar el-Qaddafi was found in a sewer outlet in his hometown of Sirte.

I often wish that my day-to-day life involved sitting at a long, dark-stained wooden table set with Limoges china and eating beluga caviar with a serving spoon, or shaving black truffles onto pasta with the thick side of a grater, while simultaneously quaffing Cristal straight from the bottle.

The lists of allies and advocates are all across campus—anyone who's used a bathroom at Bowdoin has seen an OutPeer, OutAlly or SafeSpace "bathroom list."

It's only been a couple months since the semester started, but I must profess, I'm already counting down the days until the first snowfall. I've always thought that winter is the best time of year to be at Bowdoin and I've found that our first big snowstorm usually closely tails Thanksgiving Break.

So I guess it's time I wrote a positive thing or two about an eatery in the greater Brunswick area, and because I rarely even speak in positive terms, this might prove difficult.

After an unexpected setback in plans and some last-minute scrambling, WBOR finalized its plans for the fall concert last Friday: Indie rock outfit Surfer Blood and alternative rapper Kreayshawn will perform tonight in Smith Union.

Academics have set out to prove that horror movies are worth more than a cheap rental for a middle school slumber party. In an uncertain moment in history, the genre may provide valuable insight into our culture, our values, and above all, our fears.

I first heard White Denim in late 2007, a time when I would spend hours on various music blogs, downloading anything that caught my attention. I'd quickly listens through the dozens of songs I had downloaded, hoping a few would be worthy of repeated listens.

I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, an expert in science fiction trivia. I do not know the names of ships, minor characters, or even major characters from "Star Trek." I am also not particularly good at math, and would never make it as a theoretical physicist. What I am telling you, essentially, is that I have very little insight into the world inhabited by the characters of CBS's "The Big Bang Theory," a show currently in its fifth season.

The Bowdoin Film Society (BFS) will be showing four student-produced films at its annual 48 Hour Film Festival tomorrow night. Now in its fourth year, the 48-Hour Film Festival restricts students to what its name states: forty-eight hours to write, shoot, and edit a film.

Cross-dressing and confusion will hit Wish Theater next week when Masque and Gown puts on its production of William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night." "Twelfth Night" is a tale of misplaced love and mistaken identity. However, "Twelfth Night" is more complex than the typical Shakespearian comedy.

The theatre department delayed its debut of "Doll House" after Lucas O'Neil '12 stepped down from his role as the show's male lead for personal reasons. Andre Demers, a Portland resident and 2010 graduate of Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., will be taking his place.

The BCMA, having sustained the foot traffic from scores of Hopperphiles this fall, is trading coastlines for skylines in a tribute to another Maine artist. BCMA's newest exhibit, "After Atget: Todd Webb Photographs New York and Paris" opens today, featuring the photographs of Todd Webb (1905-2000) and his predecessor French photographer Eugène Atget (1857-1927).

After a fall season that included 338 participants, the intramural (IM) sports leagues came to a close last weekend with the flag football championships. For the first time ever, this year's IM lineup included a badminton group. Started by Rob Byzantine '14, it boasted 35 participants. Tennis is also a new addition to the IM repertoire, as it started up only last fall.

In its second round playoff game against the University of Rhode Island (URI) last weekend, the women's rugby team suffered its first loss of the season. URI drew first blood, but Bowdoin quickly regained momentum when captain Katie Mathews '12 found center Randi London '15 for a 50-meter try and conversion.

At last weekend's NESCAC Championship, the men's cross country team had its best finish in five years. Seeded fifth, Bowdoin ran to a second-place tie, its best result in the meet since 2006. Behind Williams' score of 49 points, Bowdoin matched Bates with 79 points. The Polar Bears are currently ranked No. 33 in D-III.

The women's field hockey team continued its undefeated season with a 2-0 shutout over Hamilton last Saturday in the NESCAC quarterfinals. With seniors McKenna Teague and Elizabeth Clegg finding the net in the first half, the team held onto its lead for 50 minutes. It was the team's eighth shutout in 15 games.