The Bowdoin Orient

Childish Gambino will headline this year's Ivies Concert, along with the indie-pop duo Phantogram and the DJ mash-up artist Milkman, according to the Entertainment Board (E-Board). Ivies, which will take place Saturday April 28, is the biggest show the E-Board plans each year and is both eagerly anticipated and widely attended by students. The E-Board's primary considerations in selecting the acts were the results of a student survey conducted last semester.

United States Senator Olympia Snowe shocked the Maine political scene on Tuesday when she announced that she would not seek re-election in November. Her decision prompted a flurry of speculation as to who would run for her seat. The senator made her announcement in a written statement, citing "an atmosphere of polarization and 'my way or the highway' ideologies" as the motivating forces behind her decision.

A committee charged with examining chem-free housing published recommendations this week for how to improve the system. If adopted, the proposed changes would alter the residential and social landscape for first year students. Under the current system, Hyde Hall is a chem-free living space and all incoming first year students who elect to live chem-free are placed there. The College, however, has no strict definition for the term chem-free.

The Class of 2012 senior gift is one that promises to keep on giving to the College's financial aid program. Current seniors and members of the development office have begun the process of creating a class gift that will have an immediate impact on the Class of 2016. The gift will take the form of a new scholarship for financial aid. It is yet to be determined if a single student will benefit or if the funds will be divided among multiple students in the next academic year.

Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) touched upon a number of issues this week, ranging from the assembly's stance on the Northwestern University Associated Student Government's statement against police force during college protests to Bowdoin's credit/D/fail and add-drop systems.

The Downeaster expansion is being threatened by transportation bills now in Congress that could reduce funding. The bills awaiting votes in Congress would prohibit Maine and other states from using the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program to fund the train line, which is currently accounting for close to $6 million of the Downeaster's $15.1 million annual operating budget.

Junior Elisabeth Carter attended the Brunswick Democratic Caucus with no intention of becoming a local representative, but by the end of the Sunday meeting she was one of the 12 members of the Cumberland County Democratic Committee.

A total of $7,899 in damages to student residences occured in fall 2011. According to the report compiled by Lisa Rendall, associate director of housing operations, Baxter House accrued $3,193 or 40.4 percent of the damage costs.

Bowdoin's new steam turbine-generator, installed last summer, is officially up and running. The College finished commissioning and testing the turbine in early February, according to John Simoneau, facilities project manager. Since February 17, the earliest date for which data is available, the turbine has generated 71,032 kilowatt hours, or 18 percent of the campus' total electricity.

On Wednesday, Dean Foster sent a school-wide email with the findings of the Chem-Free Housing Review Committee. After gauging the opinion of the community, the committee found that stigmatization, social rifts, and de facto racial, cultural and ethnic segregation have resulted from the current system. The committee put forward several recommendations aimed at eliminating the stigma attached to chem-free students.

Last weekend, Rick Santorum offered his latest nugget of wisdom. He made a variety of statements, which included the fact that he does not "believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute."

"I don't believe in an America where separation of church and state is absolute...To say that people of faith have no role in the public square? You bet that makes you makes you throw up." (February 26, "This Week with George Stephanopoulos") "And the Father of Lies has his sights on what you would think the Father of Lies would have his sights on: a good, decent, powerful, influential country, the United States of America. If you were Satan, who would you attack in this day and age?" (August 29, 2008, Ave Maria University)

The idea of nature, of a pristine wilderness characterized by its separation from man, is a widely accepted notion. We are told—and believe—that to "experience" nature, we must step off of the paved road, away from the comforts of civilization. Some environments are more "natural" than others like, say, New York City, but true nature is inherently separate. Bill McKibben perfectly defines our concept of nature in his book, "The End of Nature," as "the separate and wild province, the world apart from man."

Applications for Bowdoin-funded grants and fellowships are due next week, and the competition for awards to conduct research in the library's archives or on Kent Island is intense. While students of all disciplines are invited to apply for summer research grants, the applicants most likely to be successful probably take the lion's share of their classes in Druckenmiller.

The question of how young American Jews will relate to Israel in their adulthood is one that haunts the thoughts and plans of many older American Jews.

Lately, the Republican presidential candidates have taken it upon themselves to collectively portray Europe as a nightmarish fantasy world. Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have all made allegations that Europe is in the chokehold of socialism, burdened by large welfare systems and high taxes, an anathema to their vision for America.

If learning extends to the world beyond the classroom, it is sad to see that certain stereotypes endure when Americans pursue their studies abroad. As a Moroccan student at Bowdoin, I was deeply dismayed in realizing the persistence of American misconceptions about the Middle East so patent in Sam Frizell's Talk of the Quad piece "The far side of the strait" (February 17).

I'm not especially proud of myself this week. After a solid four years spent unrelentingly mocking my male roommate for not drinking beer and opting for the sweeter pleasures of Twisted Tea, I decided it was only fair that I review the most effeminate of beers: fruit beers.

It feels like a given for our generation: we're entitled to explore and discuss sex as we please. Although it's easy to forget why we do so, it remains valuable to remind ourselves of what we stand to gain by sharing our experiences in bed and in love. After all, not talking about sex—refusing to acknowledge it—is probably the oldest form of sexual repression. Silence keeps us feeling alone and in the dark, whereas responding to the variety of sexual experiences and identities that surround us is reassuring (maybe others have the same questions we do) and liberating (if they did, maybe we can too).

My great-grandmother used to make these cookies, which is how my family came to call them "Millie cookies." The recipe, however, sounds like something out of Paula Deen's kitchen. The cookies require two sticks of butter and the dough is so rich that you don't even need to butter the cookie sheet to prevent sticking. They've become less popular in my house since the late '90s—when my parents realized cholesterol was a thing—but these cookies were a constant part of my childhood.

On a cursory glance, The Three One Cafe could pass as a greasy spoon on any main street in small town America. The walls are a shabby pastel yellow, the booths linoleum, and the tableware is all plastic. A TV tuned to "Cops" plays in the background, and a sign that says "Mom's Diner" hangs beneath the cash register. But the Three One Cafe in Lewiston is not a middle-American diner: it is the town's only Somali restaurant, a cultural oasis where some of the area's 3,000 Somali immigrants can congregate and see their countrymen over the food that reminds them of home.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of women at Bowdoin and the Department of Theater and Dance has not missed the opportunity to comment on the challenges women have faced breaking into various fields. "Top Girls," directed by Assistant Professor of Theater Abigail Killeen, tracks one driven woman's struggle to ascend the ladder of an employment agency in early-1980s Britain. The play, written by Caryl Churchill, premiered last night and will be performed again tonight and tomorrow.

Featuring interweaving secret police investigations and puppetry sequences, senior Zach Perez's production of Martin McDonagh's "The Pillowman" will run Wednesday and Thursday.

Renowned conceptual artist and documentary filmmaker Lenka Clayton is presently trying to send a handmade letter to every household in the world.

William Bevan, the electronic solo artist also known as Burial, has attracted much critical acclaim, but his music has always struck me as too detached and too unfeeling. His 2007 release "Untrue" lacked the emotional truth that characterizes the strongest and most poignant electronic works. Bevan's DJ stints around London and the four EPs to his name have taken strange and innovative stabs at redefining exactly what electronic music can be, and the result has often been far from accessible.

For many of us on the verge of adulthood, "Halo 2" online gameplay reminds us of an earlier time—our childhood. "Halo 2" was more than a game, it was a social event, a cultural touchstone that connected millions of people through a shared experience. In the same way children of the '70s can recount the staggering impact of their first time seeing "Star Wars" or "Jaws," someone who grew up in the new millennium can recall the first time they booted up "Halo 2" over the fledgling "Xbox Live" service and battled someone on the other side of the country. It was a pivotal moment of the emerging digital age, a precursor to the always-on connectivity that defines the modern social experience.

One of the most underrated episodes in the history of "The Simpsons" is a little ditty from the fourth season entitled "Duffless." Although it's one of the most disjointed of the show's entire run, the episode is both touching and poignant as it depicts a month-long struggle Homer undertakes in an attempt to overcome his alcoholism. It's also damn funny.

Rapper Spose will perform tonight at the Pub as the debut act in the WBOR Spring Concert Series. Spose, who came to national renown when his single "I'm Awesome" reached the Billboard's Top 40 in January 2010, has released two full-length albums and is set to release a third, "The Audacity!," on April 17.

The sounds of Studzinski will hit the airwaves next week when National Public Radio's "From the Top" records a new installment of their program featuring Allen Wong Yu '14 on piano.

A group of unruly and existentialist British schoolboys take the Pickard stage this weekend in Masque and Gown's production of "History Boys."

The experience and fortitude of the women's basketball team will be put to the test today in what could be Bowdoin's final game of the season. After getting ousted from the NESCAC playoffs in a 55-40 loss to Tufts in the semifinals, the Polar Bears (19-7) will face the University of Southern Maine in the first round of the NCAA D-III tournament at 6 p.m. tonight in Ithaca, N.Y.

LeBron James, as part of his partnership with State Farm Insurance Company, has started supporting the company's 26 Seconds campaign to help raise awareness about the number of high school dropouts in the country. The operation calls young people to action to address a hard-hitting statistic: every 26 seconds in the United States, a student drops out of high school.

Ten school records fell on the way to the men's swimming and diving team's fifth-place finish at the NESCAC championships last weekend at Williams, marking the team's best ever performance in the 12-year history of the meet. Captain Mac Routh '12 posted the best Polar Bear finish by winning the 50 butterfly, while taking second in the 50 backstroke and fourth in the 100 fly. He set new Bowdoin records in all three events.

The women's squash finished 20th in the nation at the College Squash Association Team National Tournament at Harvard last weekend. It was a weekend of rematches, as Bowdoin faced three teams that it had defeated in the regular season.

The Nordic ski team completed its season at the Eastern Intercollegiate Skiing Association Championships much in much the same way it has performed all season: near the bottom of the pack, finishing 10th out of 13 teams. Head Coach Nathan Alsobrook said that the carnival was "as much an odyssey as it was a ski race. The sky was dumping snow all through the race and the wind was howling," which led to "very slow and sloppy conditions."