The Bowdoin Orient

Thanksgiving break will remain an eat-and-run affair after the faculty voted on Monday to keep the College's time off for turkey a brief three days. Had it passed, the proposal would have extended Thanksgiving break—which currently starts on a Wednesday—to a full week.

In the aftermath of a series of conversations between NESCAC student affairs deans, Bowdoin will join eight other colleges in the conference in conducting comprehensive surveys on student alcohol consumption. The plan for the spring survey was crystallized last week at the NESCAC deans' annual meeting in Boston.

One afternoon in Sills Hall in the early 1980s, a female administrator walked into the office of communications professor Barbara Kaster, one the first women to be appointed to a full professorship at the College. The administrator asked if Kaster had noticed that the Kotex machine in the women's restroom was empty, and said that she had called Facilities Management to refill the machine two weeks earlier.

On Wednesday, Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) president Derek Brooks '12 discussed the faculty's rejection of the proposal to extend Thanksgiving break at the Monday night faculty meeting.

Protest signs bearing phrases like "People Before Profits" and "What About Economic Justice?" lined the hallway leading to Smith Auditorium on Tuesday. Over 100 individuals gathered in the auditorium that afternoon to partake in the inaugural Occupy Bowdoin Teach-In, organized by Robbie Benson '14 and Ricardo Zarate '13.

Controversy has enveloped Colby College in wake of allegations of sexual assault involving multiple members of its football team. The Colby administration has disclosed neither when the alleged assault took place, nor the details of it, but suspended three football players on November 11, just one day prior to the game between Colby and Bowdoin. The school did not explicitly state that the players were responsible for the alleged assault.

Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) voted 20 to one in favor of a proposal to extend Thanksgiving break to a week. The faculty will vote next Monday on the proposal.

Students making their way to Webmail and Blackboard on Tuesday, November 29 were greeted by a new page in place of the Student Gateway—the Orbit. This new site is a much-needed step in the right direction—unfortunately, many other components of the College's website continue to leave something to be desired.

For the past few weeks, the Colby community has been largely absorbed in a discussion about sexual assault on campus in response to allegations against several students. Other students have since come forward with tales of their own experiences with sexual assault. Federal law prohibits Colby from releasing information regarding the details of the recent incident. However, an email from Colby students who were attempting to organize a protest at the Bowdoin-Colby football game states that the investigation involves members of the Colby team.

Over the last year, the repercussions of what Marxian political economists might call the "neo-liberal regime," have started coming home to roost. An economic issue that has laid dormant for decades is stretching its arms, rubbing the sleep out of its eyes, and even contemplating getting out of bed. That issue is income inequality.

What does the enemy look like? If you were to ask Jack Bauer, of "24" fame, he could tell you any number of things, but his response would likely focus on a few key characteristics: dark, shifty and Muslim.

Yesterday was World AIDS Day, a yearly event intended to unite people from all around the world in the difficult fight against this disease. It's an opportunity to show support for those living with HIV and to remember those who have died of AIDS. Yet beyond this yearly day of remembrance, it seems that AIDS is mostly forgotten by the world.

To the Editors: I read the Bowdoin Orient article "NAS research now occurring on campus" (November 18). Michael Toscano, the primary researcher for this project asks the question, "What does Bowdoin teach?" I too would like to know what Bowdoin teaches. Oh, not the names of courses and programs.

Thanksgiving, the break that seems too short when you're making travel plans but too long once you get home, just passed by, and if your Thanksgiving was anything like mine, it involved a brew or two.

Although Portland is the closest place to campus that can call itself a city, I've noticed that students rarely venture there for dinner.

This final installment of The Hum and the Beat for 2011 will review the highest achievements in a year of music brimming with high-profile collaborations (Kanye and Jay-Z, Lou Reed and Metallica), ever-budding teen sensations (Rebecca Black and Justin Bieber), a number of fantastic self-titled releases, and some ineffably marvelous sophomore records. Without further ado, here are my top 10 albums of the year.

Barry Bonds is a no-good, cheating scoundrel, and as a general point of fact, Americans hate him. Before someone goes accusing me of hyperbole, let me assure you that I'm not pulling this out of an empty hat. Using fWARs, ELO numbers, and other high level stat-nerd mumbo jumbo that is beyond my humanities-major comprehension, a recent study by the popular sabermetrics site FanGraphs demonstrated that, relative to his talent, Bonds is the least appreciated player in the history of baseball by a country mile.

After weeks of painstaking sketching, crafting and creating, the senior visual arts majors will display their work in a one-night show tonight in Portland. No Bowdoin students in recent memory have exhibited their art in Portland without faculty work alongside it.

This year's December Dance Concert is particularly notable as it marks the stage debut of Bowdoin's repertory ballet program. Charlotte Griffin, assistant professor of theater and dance, was brought to Bowdoin in 2010 to expand the dance department's offerings.

Though campus audiences are used to students taking the stage as actors, it is a little rarer to find them in the director's chair. This semester, however, students enrolled in Professor of Theater Davis Robinson's directing class learned the tricks of the trade and will showcase their self-produced scenes Monday and Tuesday.

This week, the cast of the NBC sitcom "Community" will grace the cover of TV Guide. The show just won the magazine's Fan Favorites Award after garnering hundreds of thousands of votes online. One place you won't be able to see "Community", however, is on the air.

Although many have considered Donald Glover's forays into the rap game to be something of a side project for the actor, his latest release as Childish Gambino has solidified his place in the contemporary music scene.

At the MIT Invitational, a two-day event that left the swimming and diving teams more fatigued than usual, both the men and women finished fifth. The men collected 324.5 points, well behind national powerhouse MIT, who won the meet with 1,397.5 points.

Although the Bowdoin Fencing Club may fly under the radar on campus, practicing late at night in Sargent Gym and carpooling to tournaments, the group has proven this fall that it can be competitive in regional competition. This year, the club has the assistance of a coach for the first time: Eric Ritter, an instructor from the Down East School of Fencing.

We're in the home stretch of the fall semester, and I'm excited. Of course, it's not the daunting prospect of finals week that I look forward to. Rather, it's the dramatic buildup to the upcoming indoor track season that has me in such high spirits. My good mood was quickly dampened when I read about the University of Maryland's decision to "fix" its budget crisis by cutting eight varsity sports teams, track and field among them.

The women's basketball team had an up and down week, losing by 15 points to Colby before beating Husson by 35 and Bates by six. Bowdoin's offense stagnated against Colby last Saturday, as every shot seemed to miss and the team made less than 30 percent of its attempts from the floor in a 56-41 loss.

After extending its winning streak against Colby to five games last Friday, the women's hockey team's lost to the Mules in a 2-1 game the following day. Kim Tess-Wanat '13 gave Bowdoin a 1-0 lead in the first period, which the Polar Bears held onto until the final six minutes of regulation time.