The Bowdoin goodbye

Editorial: Don’t rain on the parade

It’s party time. Many Bowdoin students look forward to this weekend of raucous celebration all year—or even go as far as to plan their semesters abroad around it—and a collective sigh of disappointment could be heard on campus when it was announced that for a second year in a row, the concert would be held indoors. Though the weather may not be ideal, and the floor of the Farley Field House pales in comparison to the grass of Whittier Field, the show and the weekend’s fun should go on uninterrupted. All ivy needs both rain and shine to grow and thrive.
An urge for restraint may fall on deaf ears this far into the week of revelry, but it is important to remember that other peer schools have ended long-held traditions they deemed unsafe. This year, the Bates campus erupted in controversy after its administrators decided to end Trick or Drink, an aptly-named off campus Halloween celebration, stating that the event encouraged underage and binge drinking. Colby ended an annual tradition for graduating seniors called Champagne Steps after a slew of transports and property damage in 2009. The Tufts administration decided in 2010 to ban alcohol from its Ivies-equivalent, called Spring Fling, following a year when more transports were called in than the local ambulance companies could handle. Last year, Bowdoin had three transports over the Ivies Weekend. Damage was also done to Bowdoin dorms and nearby Brunswick residents often complain about the noise. After several incidents in previous years involving visitors who did not know anyone at the College, the administration began charging guests to enter the Saturday concert in 2012. And this year, to help mitigate the problem of public urination during the annual Brunswick Apartments Quad celebration, the College will provide portable restrooms for the first time. Hopefully, preventative actions like these will continue to be the norm for the College’s approach to making Ivies safe and fun every year.
While Ivies is a carefree time for students, that is not the case for everyone at the College. Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols is sleeping on a cot in his office for the next few nights, and many Office of Safety and Security officers are required to work multiple shifts over the weekend. Dining Services workers must be prepared to handle especially big rushes of students coming from the Brunswick Apartments Quad and the Saturday concert. Facilities Management shoulders the burden of some of the cleanup and repairs the damages that are too often a byproduct of the festivities. Student Activities has poured its time and energy into improving Ivies each year and ensuring that it runs smoothly. And finally, the Entertainment Board carefully considered students’ survey responses and spent months planning the weekend; in addition, its members will forgo some of the weekend’s freedoms in order to staff events. Numerous people go above and beyond this weekend so that we can enjoy ourselves, and for that we should all be appreciative.
When the last of the champagne is poured and Security closes up shop at Pine Street Apartments, we hope to have done past generations of revelers proud. It may only be three (or four, or five, or six) days long, but Ivies usually provides many of the most memorable moments of the year. Happy 150th, Ivies, and here’s to many more.
This editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orient’s editorial board, which is comprised of Garrett Casey, Ron Cervantes, Sam Chase, Matthew Gutschenritter, Nicole Wetsman and Kate Witteman.

Editorial: Window of opportunity

This semester begins on the heels of a busy and complex year for social justice and activism at Bowdoin. In early December 2014, hundreds of students rallied on the Museum steps in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Bowdoin Climate Action continued its push for the College to divest from fossil fuel companies, bringing dozens of students to a sit-in at the president’s office in April. At the end of the spring semester, Students for Justice in Palestine initiated a referendum and heated debate on a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. Bowdoin, a campus not known for a culture of political activism, felt an undercurrent of change.
At the same time, a more tangible change was also taking place. For the better part of a year, Bowdoin conducted an extensive search for a leader to replace Barry Mills, who had spent 14 years as President of the College. The Board of Trustees selected Clayton Rose, a man who is enthusiastic about engaging with today’s pressing social justice issues. Bowdoin, a place where students have recently complained of a stifled dialogue with administrators, was witness to a visible change.
Now, at the start of a new academic year, these two movements converge. Rarely in the memories of those on our campus has there been more of a genuine desire for dialogue on both ends. The slate is about as clean as it’s ever going to get.
Rose devoted a significant portion of his convocation speech to the topic of racial injustice, and he has taken strides to understand the perspectives of minority students at Bowdoin. Last Friday, through Director of the Student Center for Multicultural Life Benjamin Harris, Rose met with student leaders from the Multicultural Coalition, which is made up of organizations such as the Asian Students Association, Students for Justice in Palestine and The Undiscussed.
It is up to us as students to continue to take Rose up on his offer to engage. Our recent wave of activism seems to have convinced President Rose of the student body’s investment in social justice, but it remains to be seen how responsive the administration will be to concrete proposals for change. And while student and faculty activists have organized events such as the October 1 teach-in, it’s unclear exactly how effective the event will prove to be.
We have students desperate to talk and a president eager to listen. Let’s take advantage of this opportunity. All forms of campus dialogue and subsequent activism—from organized discussion to uncompromising protest—are important, and social change rarely happens through any one channel. We shouldn’t count anything out. Maybe the teach-in will effect the most change this semester. Maybe smaller recurring meetings with President Rose will. Most likely, it will be a combination of both.
This editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orient’s editorial board, which is comprised of John Branch, Sam Chase, Matthew Gutschenritter, Emma Peters and Nicole Wetsman.

Editorial

This piece represents the opinion of The Bowdoin Orient editorial board.

May 1, 2015

When members of the Bowdoin community reminisce about President Barry Mills in five, 10, or 15 years, they will talk about his expansion of financial aid, his fundraising skills and the many campus buildings constructed during his career. But when the students who matriculated during Mills’ tenure talk about him, they’ll remember other things: the times he sat down with students during lunch at Thorne Dining Hall, his slow walks across the Quad, his printed face glued to popsicle sticks during this year’s Bowdoin-Colby hockey game. President Mills achieved the ultimate success at Bowdoin: He grew the College’s national profile while still making it feel like home.

Considering how well he fits the identity of the College, it is ironic that Mills was an afterthought for the 2001 presidential search committee—a committee Mills himself chaired. A biology and government double major and a member of the Class of 1972, Mills took full advantage of the liberal arts experience while a student at Bowdoin. After leaving Brunswick, he continued his varied academic pursuits, earning a doctorate in biology and a law degree. Mills then became a successful lawyer in New York and began volunteering his time as a Trustee of the College shortly thereafter.

Once chosen as President, Mills’ prowess as a fundraiser stood out among his other achievements. Some may only remember him for the capital campaign from 2004 to 2009 that raised $250 million, or for his stewardship of the College recession, but Mills was much more than just a financial leader. He took a genuine interest in the experiences of the students, attending and participating in lectures, performances, presentations and athletic events. He also took campus issues head on, responding directly to the National Association of Scholar’s conservative critique of the College in 2013 and meeting continuously with campus activists throughout his tenure.

President Mills’ accessibility and affable nature extended to his approach to admissions, an area in which he did hands-on work to bring the best and brightest to Bowdoin. Many remember Mills approaching them and their parents at Accepted Students Day to give an honest assessment of the College, while others received personal phone calls from Mills when they were still in the midst of choosing the right school. For Mills, bringing the best to Bowdoin meant relentlessly dedicating himself and the College to increasing financial aid funds and ensuring that no accepted student would be unable to attend for monetary reasons. This past December, the faculty endowed a scholarship in honor of Mills and his wife, Karen, and their commitment to the practice of need-blind admissions. The faculty gave him a standing ovation, and he deserved nothing less.

Although Mills will not officially relinquish leadership of the College until July 1, he is probably experiencing many of the same sentiments of nostalgia that graduating seniors are feeling. Fittingly, he will soon be made an honorary member of the Class of 2015. When you see President Mills around campus before you pack up for the summer, don’t hesitate to stop him and thank him for what he’s done for the College. If we’ve learned anything about him, it’s that he’ll be more than happy to stop and chat.

This editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orient’s editorial board, which is comprised of Garrett Casey, Ron Cervantes, Sam Chase, Matthew Gutschenritter, Nicole Wetsman and Kate Witteman.

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