Phoebe Bumsted
Number of articles: 16First article: October 18, 2013
Latest article: April 10, 2015
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The global 10%: When Bowdoin—and the U.S.A.—bring culture shock
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Mills: Trustees likely too busy to meet with students on divestment this year
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Campus leaders respond to bias with photo display
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A.D.D.R.E.S.S. and Inter-Group Dialogue program spur discussions about race
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Digital studies program offers new computer science path
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Digital studies program offers new computer science path
Next semester, Visiting Assistant Professors Crystal Hall and Mohammad Irfan will co-teach an interdisciplinary course entitled “Introduction to Digital and Computational Studies” (DCS). The course will focus on the context of computer science applications in the humanities.
Where Intro to Computer Science (CS) focuses on the fundamentals of programming, Intro to DCS will focus on the context for computation. “[DCS] does not go from comp sci to problem. It goes from problem to comp sci,” Irfan said.
Irfan, who also teaches Intro to CS, will supply the computer science perspective of the course. Hall, a professor of the digital humanities with an emphasis on the Italian Renaissaince, will focus on the practical applications of computation.
“Computer science is just one part of digital and computational studies. We really see it as a gateway for students who want to use programming or digital tools in an English major or a government major,” Hall said.
While Intro to DCS does include some basic programming in Python, it will not substitute Intro to CS as a prerequisite for other Computer Science courses. Intro to CS focuses on computational thinking and the fundamentals of programming, and it prepares its students for Data Structures, another course in the Computer Science department. Students will still need to take Intro to CS in order to take later CS courses.
However, Hall and Irfan note that the two introductory courses can serve as complements to each other.
“We imagine that students who are really excited about computer science will perhaps take both courses in tandem,” Hall said.
Intro to CS teaches students to write computer code and uses one programming language throughout the semester. Intro to DCS, however, uses a variety of computational tools, only one of which is programming.
Topics in Intro to DCS include spatial analysis, text analysis and social networks as well as the societal impact of these technologies.
“Co-teaching is also a great way of saying this isn’t a computer science course; it’s not a history course; it’s not a foreign language course; it’s a little bit of all of those ideas,” Hall said.
The course is modeled on Gateway to the Digital Humanities, which Professors Eric Chown and Pamela Fletcher taught two years ago. Irfan and Hall are concerned about the course’s visibility because it is listed as an Interdisciplinary course in Polaris, which students oftentimes do not see.
Irfan is currently teaching another DCS class called Social and Economic Networks, which mostly contains students majoring and minoring in disciplines other than Computer Science.While there is no programming in Social and Economic Networks, it does cover some upper-level algorithms like Von Neumann or graph partitioning.
There is an informational session for Intro to DCS on April 14 at 7 p.m. in the VAC, room 303.
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BSG considers BCA’s charter, Ivies alternatives
Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) discussed possibilities for chem-free alternatives to Ivies, and decided not to revoke the charter of Bowdoin Climate Action (BCA) at a meeting on Wednesday.
BSG spoke about the upcoming re-chartering of clubs with the close of the academic year. Notably, the ongoing BCA sit-in for divestment raised questions regarding the club’s charter. Controversy surrounding BCA and its status as a student group was also debated when former BSG president Sarah Nelson ’14 threatened to revoke the charter of Green Bowdoin Alliance in the spring of 2013. At the time, BCA was a subsidiary of Green Bowdoin Alliance and members of the group pitched a tent on the Quad to raise awareness of divestment.
“We could certainly speak with the club leadership over the next couple of weeks [regarding] their practices and whether or not they’re in line, but I don’t think BSG… revoking their charter would be constructive,” Josh Raff ’15 said.
A student approached the Good Ideas Fund, which finances programming and project ideas independent from the usual club-funding process, with the idea for a chem-free alternative to the party at Brunswick Quad on the Friday of Ivies. This event will likely occur on Dudley Coe Quad and include a variety of inflatables.
“The idea is people want to be outside, but maybe they want to start off over there. Maybe they want to be able to go back and forth,” said BSG President Chris Breen ’15.
BSG is also considering partnering with the Office of Residential Life to organize a separate chem-free spring festival using the Good Ideas Fund.
In addition to the discussion surrounding Ivies, The Entertainment Board addressed their decision to cut Racer X from the line-up this year. Two of the professors have left, and there was minimal interest in the band from students according to the Ivies survey results.
BSG also discussed the upcoming Wellness Week for finals period, which will include massages, therapy dogs, yoga and the possibility of gelato.
Editor's note: A previous version of this article stated that BSG was partnering with the Office of Residential Life to organize a spring festival. This idea was discussed at the meeting, not decided.
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Delong, Hintze receive new campus roles
Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster announced on Monday a resuffle in positions that play a role in student life.
Former Director of Student Life Allen Delong will become associate dean of student affairs and director of the David Saul Smith Union, while former Associate Director of Student Activities Nate Hintze will become the director of student activities, effective immediately, according to Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster in a campus-wide email on Monday.
“A lot of it’s more representative of the duties I was already doing,” said Hintze. “[It’s] really exciting to be able to have a new title but be able to continue doing the fun things that we were doing in our office all along.”
As director of student activities, Hintze will be responsible for a range of student programming such as free bowling on Thursdays and hot dogs at the Colby hockey game. His new position will also include budgeting, attending meetings and other administrative tasks.
Hintze is also helping organize this year’s Winter Weekend, which he said will include horse-drawn carriage rides, sled dogs and a throne of ice.
Hintze will continue to work closely with the Office of Residential Life, College Houses and Bowdoin Student Government in his new role. He said that he enjoys hearing from students at his office behind the information desk in Smith Union, and that his door is always open.
“The spring is such a fun time because there are so many things going on, and we’re just excited to work with students and have everybody back on campus and have a really fun and safe spring,” Hintze said.
Delong will now have a role in the development of the new Student Center for Multicultural Life, and he is currently working with the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity and alumni programs to organize a reception during Spring Break in New York City for LGBTIQ alumni and students.
“Our goal in student affairs, in student life is to support your education. Sometimes that’s co-curricular, it’s extracurricular, and sometimes it’s, ‘I need a good place to sit and plop and meet my friends,’” Delong said.
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New CampusQuad app displays campus events
The student Information Technology Advisory Council (ITAC) released CampusQuad, a new phone app that streamlines the Bowdoin community’s ability to advertise and view events, on Wednesday.
CampusQuad will not replace the Orbit, which will continue to organize club membership and email lists.
In an attempt to encourage people to download the app, ITAC is raffling off seven Amazon gift cards—five worth $20, one worth $100 and one worth $250. Creating an account with a Bowdoin email address will automatically enter a user in the raffle.
Bowdoin is one of about 10 colleges participating in the beta test of CampusQuad and sending feedback to the company. CampusQuad founder Francis Cairns contacted Chief Information Officer Mitch Davis, who used to work with her at Apple, about testing the app at the College.ITAC has been giving feedback to CampusQuad for over a year, but this is its first attempt to publicize CampusQuad to the whole campus and encourage student use.
“You’ll hopefully be able to get a better understanding of what’s happening so you can attend more events and activities,” said Andrew Haeger ’16, who is a member of ITAC and organizing the CampusQuad initiative.
In addition to CampusQuad, ITAC is responsible for the iPad scanning system in the dining halls and a new Verizon Wireless cell tower on Coles Tower.
CampusQuad allows group leaders to create events, which students can then view in the app. Only people with a Bowdoin email address can access Bowdoin events.
Any user can create non-event posts in the app for important announcements or deadlines. Users can view the analytics behind their posts to determine how many people have seen a post and how many people have committed to attending an event.
The app will soon contain a “What’s Happening Now” feature. Users will be able to view events happening within the next few hours. This feature will be available within the next two weeks.Currently, the app is only open for individual student use. In the next week, ITAC will begin loading club, department and school calendars into the app.
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Trustees hold first of three annual meetings
The Board of Trustees met on campus last weekend for the first of its three annual conferences, receiving updates on a number of ongoing projects at the College and meeting with student leaders of Bowdoin Climate Action to discuss their divestment campaign. Individual committees met early Friday, and the whole Board of Trustees convened Friday afternoon and Saturday to hear from the committees.
“It’s very important for the Trustees to visit campus and to be fully engaged in what’s going on here,” said Scott Hood, vice president for communications and public affairs.
The Trustees heard presentations from Bowdoin professors regarding the Coastal Studies Center and the Digital and Computational Studies Initiative, both of which are in the midst of fundraising campaigns.
“It’s an opportunity for the Trustees to get first-hand information from the faculty about what they’re teaching, why they’re teaching it, why they think it’s important, why they think students need to know this, and some of the benefits that students are getting out of both of those programs,” said Hood.
An email to Bowdoin employees and students reported that the Presidential Search Committee has identified a list of candidates and is in the process of reviewing them, but the candidates remain confidential. Trustees received a similar update this weekend.
Additionally, the Trustees approved up to $1 million of renovations to the historic Harriet Beecher Stowe House, but no specific plans have been made.
The Trustees also received an overview of Bowdoin’s economic and community impact in Brunswick and in Maine. The College is the 11th largest taxpayer in Brunswick and pays a total of $66.1 million in salaries to faculty, administrators, support staff and employees. Bowdoin spends $24.8 million annually on Maine goods and services and Bowdoin students contribute an estimated 60,332 hours of community service a year.
“While there’s no earth-shattering news that comes out of this Board of Trustees meeting, it’s still important and worthwhile,” said Hood.
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A.D.D.R.E.S.S. and Inter-Group Dialogue program spur discussions about race
Two new campus diversity initiatives, A.D.D.R.E.S.S. and the Inter-Group Dialogue Program, are gaining prominence at the College by trying to initiate open conversations about race.
A.D.D.R.E.S.S. is a currently unchartered student club that organizes programs to encourage dialogue about race. On Thursday, A.D.D.R.E.S.S. gathered students in Baxter House to discuss the group’s whiteboard campaign, which displayed portraits of students defining what race meant to them.
On September 11, A.D.D.R.E.S.S. held a similar event to promote discussion of the protests in Ferguson that occured in response to the shooting of Michael Brown.
The group intends to facilitate similar conversations on a monthly basis.
“For me, a big part of being a part of A.D.D.R.E.S.S. is bringing the conversations we have in our meetings to my friends, to my professors, to people I’m talking to on campus,” said Penelope Lusk ’17.
The Inter-Group Dialogue Program trains students to facilitate conversations about race. The first training session for accepted applicants occurred this Monday, and the training will continue for seven weeks.
“I think part of the reason that people are on such different pages often is that we just don’t talk about race. It’s uncomfortable,” said Catalina Gallagher ’16, who contributed to the development of the Inter-Group Dialogue Program.
Gallagher and Elina Zhang ’16, Student Director of Education Awareness, worked for Dean Leana Amaez over the summer to develop the Inter-Group Dialogue Program.
“Bowdoin, to many students, is not a very diverse campus, and oftentimes they can feel like they’re representative of their ethnicity or their race,” Zhang said.
Zhang and Gallagher modeled the Inter-Group Dialogue Program on a similar program at Hamilton. The program originated at the University of Michigan as a course students can take for credit.
“We need to learn how to create safe spaces for everyone to join the conversation and learn something from it, whether you’re a student of color or not,” Amaez said.
These initiatives began in response to a bias incident in April which involved a student wearing a Native American headdress as a costume. A.D.D.R.E.S.S. organized a teach-in event that included professors, Native American students and the student involved in the incident.
“There is something unique about the energy right now around this… There seems to be a willingness to enter into these conversations now,” Amaez said.
Amaez created an initiative this semester that gathers first-generation college students and professors who were first-generation students. This group has held one dinner so far in late September, which included about 15 staff and faculty members, some upperclassmen and about 35 first-years.
Other initiatives include a continuation of the annual retreat for first generation and multicultural first-year students.
“It’s been really valuable to me to get to have conversations about race on Bowdoin’s campus and also in the world,” said Lusk.
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Bowdoin Climate Action to meet with trustees in October
President Mills arranged the meeting last Friday
Students from Bowdoin Climate Action (BCA) will meet with the Board of Trustees at its October 17 meeting to make their case for the College's divestment from fossil fuels. A week after presenting 1,000 signatures in support of divestment to President Barry Mills, BCA leader Matt Goodrich ’15 was offered the opportunity in an email from Mills on Friday.
Last week, Mills told the Orient that it was unlikely students would be able to meet with the trustees before the end of this academic year, as they would be busy this spring and summer searching for his successor. He announced in Friday's email that the student group could meet with the board during their scheduled weekend of on-campus meetings this fall.
Goodrich was not surprised by the offer.
“I think that we demonstrated that this is an incredibly important issue on campus,” he said.
Approximately 100 community members gathered on April 18 outside of Hawthorne-Longfellow Library to watch while Goodrich handed the petition to Mills. It was the largest pro-divestment showing the campus has seen since the movement's genesis last year.
Mills has made clear his opposition to divestment on various occasions, most recently after receiving the petition from Goodrich.
“For me to break the deal that we’ve made with people who have given money to the College for generations, there has to be uniform agreement that the cause that we’re breaking it for is not some political cause or social cause that some people believe in, but others don’t,” Mills told the Orient last week.
In an Orient letter to the editor on Tuesday, Mills clarified that, while he does think climate change is an important issue, he does not believe divestment is the best solution.
“While there should not be a legitimate debate about the existence of climate change,” he wrote, “there is surely an ongoing legitimate debate about the solutions. I believe it is inappropriate for Bowdoin to ignore our duties to the College and our endowment by essentially picking 'the winner' among these many positions through divestment from fossil fuels.”
Goodrich intends to reference other college divestment presentations in organizing BCA’s case to the trustees.
“This is a huge victory for student empowerment at Bowdoin College,” Goodrich said.
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Mills: Trustees likely too busy to meet with students on divestment this year
Last Friday, 100 students and community members delivered 1,000 petitions to President Mills in favor of the school divesting its endowment from fossil fuels.
Editor's Note (Sunday, April 27): Last Friday, Mills announced that members from the Board of Trustees are willing to hear Bowdoin Climate Action's case for divestment on October 17, 2014, during their scheduled fall weekend of on-campus meetings.
Approximately 100 students and community members delivered over 1,000 signatures in support of divesting the College’s assets from fossil fuel companies to President Barry Mills in front of Hawthorne-Longfellow Library last Friday. At the gathering, Bowdoin Climate Action (BCA) leader Matthew Goodrich ’15 asked Mills if and when the group can meet with the Board of Trustees. However, it is unlikely that BCA will meet with the Trustees to discuss divestment before the end of the year, according to Mills.
In an interview with the Orient, Mills said that the Trustees will likely be too busy finding his replacement this summer to consider divestment.
“They don’t have a lot of time when they come here, and this will be the first time that they will all be together since I made my announcement,” said Mills. Last week, he announced he will leave the College at the end of the next academic year. He will confirm today whether or not the students will speak with the Trustees, according to Goodrich.
Mills met with a group of pro-divestment students led by Goodrich December 2012, at which point they had 470 signatures. At that time, he announced that the College would not divest in the near future.
However, Mills returned to Bowdoin from New York on Friday specifically to receive the petition.
“I’m incredibly pleased that he flew up from New York to be here in person,” said Goodrich. “I think that shows...that he really wants to respect our activism and our efforts.”
According to an article printed in the Orient in February 2013, 1.4 percent of Bowdoin’s endowment is invested in fossil fuels. Because the College is invested in mutual funds which do not allow investors to opt out of certain parts of their portfolio, divestment would require a turnover of 25 percent of the endowment, losing $100 million over 10 years, according to Senior Vice President for Investments Paula Volent.
However, Mills thinks financial risk is not the primary reason to abstain.He pointed out what he sees as a lack of consensus regarding climate change.
“For me to break the deal that we’ve made with people who have given money to the College for generations, there has to be uniform agreement that the cause that we’re breaking it for is not some political cause or social cause that some people believe in, but others don’t,” Mills said.
“Though I happen to believe that climate change is a hugely important issue,” he said, “about 50 percent of America doesn’t. If we sit here at Bowdoin College, we may not respect that other position but given that that other position is out there, it is entirely inappropriate for us to say that our endowment should be the mechanism by which we choose winners and losers on political and social and moral movements.”
Friday’s gathering was the largest pro-divestment showing that the campus has seen since the movement began in fall 2012. Supporters of the petition wore orange pins and held a number of large protest signs, including one that declared, “Bowdoin Divestment is for the Common Good.”
“I think 50 percent of the campus, especially a campus like Bowdoin, getting behind an issue like this is really a meaningful and important thing that the president and the College should address,” said Hugh Ratcliffe ’15, one of the founding members of BCA.
“Today was a showing to the administration that this is something that the students want, and this is something that the students are pushing for,” said Clara Belitz ’17. “We proved that with the petition and the turnout here.”
Mills said he thinks that not all signers of the petition understood the issue.
“I respect the views of everybody on campus,” said Mills. “There have been people who have said to me that it surprises them that a 1,000 people are supporting divestment because they talked to people and they said they don’t know anything about the issue and they never really understood it.”
Henry Daniels-Koch ’17 said that he signed the petition, but felt that he was mislead as to what he was signing.
“After [the activists] described what divestment was, they described to me that the petition was not actually for divestment itself but for a study to be done about what the economic effects would be if they chose to divest,” he said. However, the language of the petition describes it as a movement specifically in favor of divestment.
“I don’t support divestment yet,” Daniels-Koch said. “I could if I see the study, but I want this study to be done. I haven’t made my choice yet.”
He also said that he took issue with the number of signatures reported, as some were collected last year from students who have since graduated. Goodrich estimated that around 600 signatures were collected last year.
“Instead of trying to make these extreme points, the people who are for divestment at Bowdoin should really present both sides of this so we know why Barry Mills chose not to divest and why the trustees do not want to divest,” Daniels-Koch said.
The petition claims that divestment from fossil fuels is in line with Bowdoin’s goal to serve the common good, and asks the College to divest “in recognition that climate change is a moral issue.”
“As a College that is intimately involved with the environment…that image should be continuous through the way we invest our funds and invest our endowment,” said Ben Miller ’17. “Regardless of whether or not it’s completely possible to divest entirely, it’s a nice thought.”
Faculty members were also present at the event.
“I support students taking these kinds of initiatives,” said Laura Henry, a professor in the government department. “I appreciate their efforts to cultivate a campus-wide conversation about the issue.”
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Breen voted BSG President for ’14-’15 year
Chris Breen ’15 was elected president of Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) in a student election that ended Sunday at 8 p.m. Breen edged out David Levine ’16 by 24 votes, winning 403 votes to Levine’s 379. According to BSG, 830 students voted in total, resulting in a 45 percent turnout rate for the student body.
Only 93 seniors voted, while 227 and 226 juniors and sophomores voted, respectively. The first year class had 284 votes.
“I really feel passionate about Bowdoin, and I feel like I can represent a large number of viewpoints from different parts of the student body,” Breen said.
Breen was an at-large representative as a first-year, which is an elected position that engages in committees. As a sophomore, he served as the vice president for BSG affairs.
Two other BSG executive committee races were closely contested. Chrissy Rujiraorchai ’17 garnered 16 more votes than Matthew Goodrich ’15 for the position of vice president for academic affairs, 381 to 365; Harriet Fisher ’17 received 413 votes to fellow first-year Ryan Herman’s 279 and will serve as vice president for student organizations next year.
Several other vice presidents were elected in uncontested races, including Charlotte McLaughry ’15 (student government affairs), Justin Pearson ’17 (student affairs), Ryan Davis ’15 (treasury) and Bridgett McCoy ’15 (facilities and sustainability).
“I know that Chris [Breen] has a couple of projects that he wants to work on that I’m very supportive of,” said McLaughry.
Breen said during the campagin that he hopes to increase visibility during the College House selection process and to alter the Credit/D/Fail deadline, among other goals for the coming year. McLaughry said she wants to increase BSG’s connection with the student body.
McLaughry describes the position of vice president for student government affairs as a “highly administrative position.” She sees herself as skilled at working patiently with people and delegating tasks.
“My goals are really to keep the BSG running smoothly and help the president with what he decides,” McLaughry said.
This will be McLaughry’s first year on BSG.
Rujiraorchai’s primary goal is to allow students to see syllabi while choosing courses on Polaris. She also said that she wants to create a textbook exchange system for students.
Breen sees the role of the BSG as consiting of two parts: procedural work like chartering clubs, and advocating for the student body.
“You want students to feel connected to BSG,” Breen said.
This task may be harder than anticipated.
“I didn’t really know what the positions really did—I didn’t know that many of them even existed until reading the ballot,” said Elise Engquist ’15.
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College will preserve structure of Health Center
There will be no major changes to the Health Center and the College will hire a new director of health services to replace Sandra Hayes, Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster announced in an email yesterday. The College had been considering outsourcing all or part of the Health Center’s operations.
The announcement came only hours before a planned demonstration in opposition to the possibility of outsourcing any part of the campus’ health services. According to the protest’s Facebook group, around 60 students were planning to attend.
In place of the demonstration, Foster hosted a forum attended by 10 students.
Foster first announced that his office would be reviewing the current Health Center structure at the beginning of the semester.
“This is an area that is changing in dramatic and rapid ways,” Foster said regarding health care in a January interview with the Orient. “The whole landscape is shifting, not just nationally, but right in our own town. It seemed like the right time for us to look at what might be possible.” As the College announced developments in this decision, several students, led by juniors Kaylee Wolfe, Ian Kline, Adriane Krul and Anna Reyes, expressed a desire for further transparency and student involvement.
“My concern is that because that information hasn’t been totally forthcoming in this process, we haven’t been able to participate as informed students,” Wolfe said.
The petition expressed concern regarding the potential for outsourcing, including the future of the Health Center staff and familiarity with the Bowdoin community.
Initially intended to address student questions, the open forum held occurred yesterday also allowed Pacelli and Foster to explain their reasoning in coming to this decision.
“I think we did learn a lot from students about the things that are most important to them about how the Health Center operates now both in terms of the things that are working well but also the things that we might do differently,” said Pacelli.
The administration will now begin a search for a new director of health services going forward, involving students and Health Center employees in the process.
-Marisa McGarry contributed to this report.
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Pride in the Pub
Lion's Pride Pub to host beer-tasting event in Jack Magee's Pub
Tonight from 6 to 8 p.m., the A-Team and local Brunswick brewer Lion’s Pride will host a beer-tasting event in Jack Magee’s Pub and Grill. All students are welcome to enjoy snacks, including those under 21, though only of age attendees may purchase the alcohol.
Lion’s Pride, the sister pub of Ebenezer’s Pub in Lovell, Maine—which Beer Advocate has dubbed the Best Beer Bar in the World five years in a row according to Beer Advocate—is beginning to brew its own original beers, which will be available for sale at the event.
“[This event] provides students with an opportunity to experience essentially alcohol in a space that doesn’t promote heavy drinking, promotes respectful drinking, promotes tasting it for what it is,” said Ryan Collier ’15, a member of the A-Team, a group of staff, students and administrators whose aim is to promote responsible drinking.
Lion’s Pride is hoping to produce a specialty Bowdoin brew sometime this spring or next fall.
While this event will be relatively small, the A-Team is organizing a larger event for the weekend before Ivies that it expects similar to the event that it expects will include six different brewers.
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The global 10%: When Bowdoin—and the U.S.A.—bring culture shock
Accounting for nearly 10 percent of the student population, international students are an integral part of the community here at Bowdoin.
The Office of Admissions aims to assemble a student body with a global perspective and views international students as playing an integral role in achieving this objective.
“We hope that the academic experience at Bowdoin is one that gives all students a chance to understand topics and issues from many different points of view,” said Dean of Admissions Scott Meiklejohn.
Any student with a non-American passport is considered an international student. However, Meiklejohn says that there are two other groups of students who are considered international though they hold American passports.
A student born in a foreign country to American parents might hold an American passport without having ever visited the U.S. before coming to Bowdoin.
Additionally, a student born in a foreign country who immigrated to America and later became a U.S. citizen also has an international perspective.
Ivy Xing ’15 is one such student.
“I was born and raised in China, and I lived there for twelve years. And then I immigrated here and became a naturalized citizen,” Xing said.
Arianna Cameron ’16, who grew up in Los Angeles with an Italian mother and British father, considers herself European at heart, having lived much of her life in Mallorca.
“My parents, they never really assimilated. What they’re used to in their culture was always European. So I grew up that way even though I grew up mostly in LA. My parents didn’t really let me become American,” Cameron said.
Jillian Burk ’16 is from Nova Scotia, Canada, and has a very different perspective.
“Sometimes, I forget I’m an international student,” Burk said.
Socially, international students are often tightly knit among themselves but not insular.
“I’m pretty sure all of my friends are American,” said Burk.
Xing typically socializes with two distinct groups—her American first year roommates and her Chinese friends.
Busra Eriz ’17, from Turkey, said she felt naturally drawn to friendships with other international students on campus.
“It’s much easier to be friends with international students,” she says. “It’s weird because you come from completely different countries, but what we have here is different for all of us, so it’s much easier to make friends with international students.”
“We kind of cling together,” said Vivien Lee ’17, from Hong Kong. “Bowdoin is pretty homogenous, I must say. There are some international kids and most of them are together. I think it’s still pretty separated.”
For some students, however, there isn’t necessarily a community from their country of origin. Hassaan Mirza ’17 is the only student at Bowdoin from Pakistan.
“At Bowdoin you’re one of the very few,” said Mirza. “Everyone on my floor but one grew up in America, everyone on the floor beneath me is also from America, everyone of the floor above me is also from America so I associate and hang out more with the Americans because there’s no one else.”
The awarding of financial aid is the same for domestic and international students with the exception of federal grants for which international students are ineligible.
Bowdoin is “need blind” for domestic students but “need aware” for international students. Domestic students are rejected or accepted regardless of their financial situation while international students’ admission decisions take into account their ability to pay tuition.
“We don’t have enough money to be need blind for international students,” Dean Meiklejohn said.
Bowdoin has been steadily increasing its outreach to other countries. Bowdoin admissions officers travel with representatives from Carleton, Pomona and Swarthmore Colleges to high schools in Asia and Europe. They also traveled to Central and South America for the first time this year.
“Last year, it was the first time that a Bowdoin representative came to Vietnam,” says Son Ngo ’17. “So he came to my class, because my class specializes in English and usually a lot of students from there go study abroad in the U.S. They introduced Bowdoin and the wonderful things about it.”
Additionally, counselor fairs in the United States allows Admissions to reach out to large groups of international college counselors, who then can recruit students from their schools.However, a large portion of students find their way to Bowdoin through word-of-mouth rather than formal recruiting, and many emphasized the appeal of liberal arts curriculum in their decision-making process.
“My parents’ friends are American and they told me about liberal arts colleges,” said Amina Ben Ismail ’17, from Tunisia. “They gave me a list and I basically applied to that list.”
“I have grandparents in Rockland, which is an hour north,” said Lucy Knott ’17, from England. “Every summer we would drive up from Boston to Rockland and we’d always see the signs for Bowdoin.”
“In Brazil, you have to know what you’re going to do when you get to college, and I wasn’t ready for that at all, so I wanted to go somewhere where I could explore my options and have more choices,” said Andrea Wunderlich ’17 from Brazil. “And then Bowdoin, well, it was just easy to find Bowdoin.”
Culture shockMany international students make the transition to life in small-town Maine relatively smoothly, but coming to Bowdoin often does not come without a certain degree of difficulty.
“You feel like you don’t know the simplest things they do. The food they eat is completely different,” said Eriz. “Something so difficult for you is the simplest thing for them. It’s like you’re not socially mature enough. It’s so cold here and I saw someone jogging and I was like ‘Are you out of your mind?’”
According to some students, culture shock can often work in reverse as well.
“I didn’t want people to stereotype me, but I realized that they can’t help it,” Mirza said. “That was kind of surprising and hard to deal with in the beginning.”
“Especially, I feel like if you have an accent that becomes such a big deal. People only listen to how you’re speaking, not what you’re saying, and that really bothered me in the beginning,” Mirza said.
“I didn’t realize people wouldn’t know where Singapore is,” said Sophia Cheng ’15. “That’s not something I was expecting because I came from a very international school, a very international background. It’s like, I’m not shocked where they’re from but they’re shocked where I’m from.”
“I didn’t expect it to be so easy, but once you get used to it you realize how hard it is to speak English every day when it’s not your language, and to get American humor and American culture and American parties and American food,” said Ismail.
For Gil Hwang ’17, the experience of meeting foreigners was as eye-opening as that of being a foreigner in a different country.
“In South Korea, you don’t really see many Americans. In my 12 years of education there, I had never seen anyone who was not Korean in my classroom, which is really different from America,” said Hwang. “I wasn’t in a situation where I really had to think about the importance of diversity and culture, which I realized after I came to Bowdoin because now I am an addition to the diversity and culture on this campus.”
Gabe Varela ’14, from France, admitted that most of the international students he knows had a hard time transitioning, although most eventually come to appreciate their experience.
“Bowdoin is not easy for international students,” said Varela. “Since it’s so small and it’s so far from any city anywhere where you could have some sort of diverse feeling, it’s really tough.” “You expect what you get as an American student. More or less, you kind of expect the college experience and then you get the college experience,” said Varela. “It’s a little bit weirder for international students who don’t expect it the way Americans do and kind of get here and discover what it means to be in college.”
Although many international students are proficient in English before arriving on campus, subtle language barriers present themselves.
Wunderlich cited the difficulty of living in a two-language mindset. “I’m very used to talking to my friends in a mixture of Portuguese and English, because we go to an American school so all our classes are in English but we are all Brazilian, so I’m so used to throwing Portuguese words in the middle of sentences and just mixing the two and for me it’s been a bit hard to communicate with people just in English. There’s a bit of a barrier there, even though I grew up around the language.”
Beyond linguistic differences, many international students choose chem-free housing because of cultural differences about alcohol.
“Now, looking back, I wish I had been chem-free,” said Wunderlich.
Ismail, who is not chem-free, spoke to common feelings regarding the disparate attitudes toward drinking and nightlife. She anticipated culture shock in coming to the United States for college, but was surprised to find it the bulk difference in social life.
“Some students come to college and they are free. In Tunisia it is very different. People drink when they are 18, so they know their limits,” said Ismail. “I feel like in America, people go out to get wasted and hook up. They have a different definition of fun.”
School breakFor international students who have to navigate time zones, connecting flights and customs lines to return home, vacations pose a unique challenge. Many international students stay with friends rather than make the journey home for shorter breaks.
“It’s a struggle to find friends and somewhere to go when you have this two week break and you don’t know what to do,” said Eriz, who is only able to go home twice a year.
Some, like Alex Sadler ’16 from Melbourne, Australia, have not returned home since starting at Bowdoin.
Negotiating VisasAs they navigate college, international students also have to think about what will come next, as student visas typically do not extend far beyond the period of study. Most international students at Bowdoin intend to stay in the United States after Bowdoin, but it can be difficult to acquire a work visa to do so.
“That’s a very hot topic among international students,” Xing said. “Something that I know is difficult for international students is to find internships and jobs.”
She mentioned that the need for a work visa seems to put additional pressure on international students to perform academically.
“I find that a lot of them worry about their grades more so than the non-international students that I’m friends with,” said Xing.
The College provides limited guidance for students during the visa application process.
“For students on a particular visa, I act as a liason between the government and this campus,” said Michael Wood, Associate Director of First Year Programs and International Student Advisor. “There are just some extra steps that international students have to think about—extra processes, paperwork, things that are crucial to their ability to be here,” said Wood.
“Bowdoin offers what it can, in terms of support,” said Cheng.
“I could end up living the rest of my life [in the U.S.], I have no idea,” said Varela. “That feeling is a lot different than just like ‘I’m going to go visit a country.’”
Michel Yang ’14, from Seoul, expressed a desire to ensure that his future children grow up immersed in Korean culture.
“I want to go and make sure my kid gets raised in Korea and feels Korean.”
On the other hand, staying in the United States can provide international students with more opportunities.
“I’m doing government...so for me, there’s no point to go back to the U.K.,” said Tom Ciampi ’16. “There’s so much more money in the U.S., so much more power in the U.S. to do that.”Nevertheless, the draws to campus are the same for everyone, independent of where students came from.
“At a school this small, the connection between people is so close. Here I feel like it’s very homey, because you see everyone everyday,” said Max Miao ’17, from China.
“It’s a really fun experience for me to be in such a different place but it’s a really welcoming place. Nobody judges anyone,” said Eriz. “Bowdoin’s probably one of the best places because nobody judges anybody!”
Eliza Novick-Smith contributed to this article.
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Security to prep students in event of gunman
“Run, hide, fight” says Director of Security Randy Nichols.
Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols is working to create a program to train students in emergency procedures in the event of an armed shooter on campus.
Although this training does not yet have a set date or structure, Nichols said that it could be a voluntary hour-long presentation beginning as early as this semester.
This presentation has already been administered to over 300 faculty and staff as well as all residential advisors (RAs) and proctors.
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News brief: Housing shuffle
39 students with vacancies in their rooms have been asked to consolidate housing to accommodate returning juniors.
This spring semester, Bowdoin Residential Life will have to consolidate about 16 rooms to make space for students returning from abroad.
On November 19, Lisa Rendall, associate director of housing operations, sent an email to 39 Bowdoin students with vacancies requesting that they attempt to consolidate in order to make room for returning students. This will require several current students to move into new rooms next semester.
“Housing numbers are different every semester and we do our best to accommodate all students who request to live in on-campus housing,” wrote Lisa Rendall in an email to the Orient.
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Campus leaders respond to bias with photo display
In response to last week’s bias incidents, a group of student leaders have created a photo exhibit displaying faces of Bowdoin community members standing in solidarity with the victims of the incidents. The exhibit, which was conceived and executed by Daniel Eloy ’15, will be visible on the walls of Smith Union starting Sunday.
The project contains blocks of straight-faced, black-and-white portraits of students, faculty and staff who agreed to join in the project. The words “We Stand With You” will be written across each portrait; there are currently 670 portraits in total.
“There’s this ambiguous support group that Bowdoin has, but no one can put a face to who is actually there for anyone who’s been a victim of bias,” said Eloy, who proposed and executed the project.
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Trustees hold first meeting over Homecoming Weekend
The Board of Trustees met on October 11 and 12 for the first of three annual Trustee Weekends, during which they approved a solar generation project and a new administrative building, among other issues. The meetings, which coincided this year with Homecoming Weekend, were the first meetings ever led by a female chair, Deborah Jensen Barker ’80.
Committee meetings on Friday covered academics, admissions, financial aid, facilities, finance, information technology and student affairs in addition to a variety of other discussions.
“These are very accomplished people with a wealth of experience and great affection for Bowdoin,” wrote Scott Hood, vice president for communications and public affairs, in an email to the Orient.