Every time I log on the our student gateway page, it strikes me as comical that the rotating slideshow of Bowdoin "snapshots," meant to remind students of the warm atmosphere and academic stateliness of our alma mater, are all taken of Ivies Weekend two years ago.
As the sun shines, with ecstatic grins stretched across their rosy faces, students bounce gleefully on a moonwalk and dance with childlike unrestraint on the quad. Any visitor to the site (including all of last weekend's prospective students) would look at these photos and think, "My gosh, what great fun Bowdoin College looks like!" And I'm glad that they will get to experience the sense of youthful innocence and vigor the slideshow is intended to evoke for its viewers.
Because any current Bowdoin student who sees them knows exactly what's up.
The 32 oz. Nalgene Bottle full, we're supposed to assume, of cranberry juice. The bodysurfing on the Quad. The almost hysterical good mood that everyone seems to be in. It looks to be about 1:30 p.m., and any alum or student will take one look at the kids in these pictures and know that they've been drinking since approximately 10 a.m.
And since last year's Saturday afternoon of Ivies was moved inside for a rainstorm and consisted of a 42-minute performance of "Turn Me On," we have had the same slideshow since the student gateway first came into existence in the spring of 2006.
This year, hopefully, the "snapshots" can be updated with what should be another spectacular Ivies weekend. The weather should, again, provide a merry, happy-go-lucky atmosphere. Hannaford, I'm sure, still carries enough cranberry juice to fuel the festivities. And coming to perform is Talib Kweli, whose music I love but whose name I'm not sure how to pronounce. (Tay-lib? Tah-lehb? Tah-leeb?).
Right now, half of my readers are smiling, nodding, and getting excited for the aforementioned celebration. Half, on the other hand, are putting the paper away, tired of hearing about the life-changing awesomeness that is Ivies. Because that half, like myself, won't be here for it.
If, for whatever reason, it looks like you won't be able to attend the Ivies marathon of mayhem this year, don't despair; you're at Bowdoin College, where every aspect of life is done with intensity, and students are booked all the time, including Ivies weekend.
Just looking at the athletics schedule on that very same student gateway gives testament to the reality that a large number of students won't be around this weekend: The tennis team will be at Middlebury all day, the track team at Hamilton, the lacrosse team at Williams, etc.
Even for those not at athletic events scattered across the East Coast, it is, after all, the end of the semester, and it's not likely any professors will change due dates to make way for Tah-leeb and Naughty By Nature. I've talked to a student with a 10-page paper due Monday, and another with a 30-page seminar paper also due Monday.
Between athletic commitments and these final weeks being days of academic reckoning, it's not surprising that many students are finding themselves having to back out of the College's tradition. It's possible, in fact, for many active members of our Bowdoin community to go all four years of college without ever once experiencing a full-throttle, or even a half-throttle, Ivies weekend.
So, as you put together sources for a paper due next week so that you can have time to pack for your bus ride that leaves in the morning so that you can get to your game that starts the next day, remember that Ivies isn't your last shot to make great college memories. You, in fact, have a much better shot at remembering what you're doing now than many will at remembering anything they do this weekend. Wink, wink.
While Ivies is a great Bowdoin tradition, and undoubtedly a good time, so are the many activities that will draw students away from campus this weekend. So if you find yourself mourning the loss of moonwalks, dancing, and Tay-lib, know that there will be plenty of future opportunities to relive some of this magic.
You just don't get to be in the slideshow.