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Content warning: This article contains descriptions of child sexual abuse One day, my sister and I were playing in the woods. I followed after her every step of the way. I was looking for fairies, she was hunting for bugs.
Despite living in Chamberlain Hall for three months last fall, I had never been on campus before this year. Sure, the caricature of the person that I desperately tried to be was there, flat-ironing her poor hair to death.
Most people in our community are very busy. Perhaps so busy that they wonder why they decided to become busy in the first place. ‘What Matters in the End?’ is a column that will highlight the stories of elderly people and hospice patients in Brunswick to glean what matters to them in the end.
Please take the vegetables. I’m serious: please take the sweet peppers, please go home with kale, haul the chili peppers back to your dorm room, carry potatoes in your backpack, please just take one more tomato.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has limited Bowdoin students’ ability to form and foster connections in the Town of Brunswick, Saul Cuevas-Landeros ’23 is still determined to create opportunities for students to engage with the community. This year, Cuevas-Landeros is co-leading Bowdoin Central Mentoring, a Joseph McKeen Center for the Common Good program dedicated to mentoring students in the Brunswick area.
When Anneka Williams ’21 started her first year at Bowdoin, she never expected to write a book during her time at the College, let alone co-publish one with someone nearly 60 years her senior. However, Williams, who is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Climate Change at the University of Copenhagen, did just this.
Many of us were at home for longer than expected over the past year or so. For some of us, that meant starting relationships at home—maybe a neighbors-to-lovers thing or a pair of hopeful high school sweethearts.
Picture this: you’re trying to impress someone you really like by treating them to dinner. It could be your parents, that guy on the floor above you, Doug from the Moulton dining staff or even your grandma!
Mike Ranen usually starts his morning by checking the College’s COVID-19 test results around 6 a.m.. The results of those tests will dictate the course of his day. On a good day, Ranen can balance his job as the Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Director of Residential and Student Life, as well as his role as the College’s COVID-19 Resource Coordinator.
While I was studying back home in Thailand, my morning routine was taking a driving lesson taught by my grandpa. I would drive through the streets of suburban Bangkok, surrounded by electrical poles holding up black cables that tangle more viciously than your previous romantic situation.
I have a good friend who’s no longer a good friend. We’re no longer on speaking terms, and I don’t know how much longer this will be the case. Even though we only met last September, they became one of my closest friends, and I became one of theirs.
A chipmunk is stuck in the greenhouse; I must’ve surprised it when I wandered through yesterday. I left the door open so they could find their way out, and upon opening the door, I saw one of the garden’s human neighbors taking a pleasant stroll through the rows.
They say you never forget your first (-year roommate). For Wilder Short ’22, Brett Thomas ’22, Josh Lin ’22 and David Bombard ’22, this is especially true. What began as a standard first-year roommate assignment has grown into four years of cohabitation, friendship and amateur rap tracks.
Greetings, everyone, and welcome (back) to campus! I hope you’ve all been safe, happy and settling in well—and I hope you’re excited, because Nora’s Tarot Vibe Check is back and better than ever for another semester.
After a disjointed year on (and mostly off) campus, the Class of 2024 returned to campus this fall as sophomores. Having experienced an atypical year at the College, the class is still expected to step into leadership roles within the community.
The Office of Inclusion and Diversity is spearheading a new program this semester designed to educate student leaders in promoting social justice and equity. The eight-session Social Justice Leadership Institute incorporates elements of past student workshops and campus-wide dialogue initiatives.
For Justis Dixon ’23, the summer wasn’t spent going to the beach or relaxing in his home, rather, it was instead spent in an office in Topsham contributing to the Common Good. Over the summer, Dixon and a handful of other Bowdoin students participated in the Bowdoin Public Service (BPS) Maine Government Summer Fellowships which aim to give Bowdoin students hands-on government experience by pairing them with local governments in Maine.
One of the most valuable relics of my childhood is a baseball I received at Fenway Park back in 2011 during a game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Even better, this ball was fouled into the stands by none other than Big Papi himself, David Ortiz.
Last March, during its 218th academic year, the College sent the student body home for the first time in institutional history. In the midst of every major world event from 1794 to present day, Bowdoin felt that it had the ability to maintain the safety of its students, faculty, staff and surrounding community.
Content warning: This article contains descriptions of substance use disorder and violence. I remember staring at the ceiling of some waiting room of some hospital that I can’t remember the name of. I had spent the previous night riding with my uncle down from Cleveland, Ohio to Johnson City, Tennessee.
The Pinky D’s food truck, a mishmash of black and white checkers complemented by pink racing stripes, is nearly as colorful as the meal served out of it: poutine. The dish, a staple in Canada, is made of thick-cut fries topped with piping hot gravy and cheese curds, making it the perfect late night snack for hungry Bowdoin students.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Kana Takematsu follows the sunlight and wants Bowdoin students to do the same. “I’ve always been interested in light,” Takematsu said. Back in her grad school days at the California Institute of Technology, a guest lecturer in geology took Takematsu’s inorganic chemistry seminar on a field trip to a natural science museum.
Following a programming series for ‘international students week,’ the International Student Alliance (ISA) organized a celebration reflecting on a bittersweet year, which took place at 30 College on Thursday afternoon. While the celebration was an uplifting and recreational event, many international students also voiced frustrations and concerns in response to the uncertainties that lie ahead.
I think often of my walk back home from my bus stop after school when I was younger. I was often shaking in fear, with my eyes stinging with tears at the thought of what I might come home to—either an empty, quiet trailer to finish my homework, or an angry, drunken mother who would take her frustrations out on me and disrupt the rest of the evening.
Drawing in hungry Bowdoin students with fresh and mouthwatering sushi rolls, the Mr. Tuna food truck has quickly become a staple of the Bowdoin foodie’s diet. The truck offers an array of sushi roll options of every style and flavor, satisfying customers no matter their personal taste.
If you are like me, you were taught at an early age that the largest organism on earth is the blue whale. Well, get ready for your mind to be blown: we were taught a lie.
It’s internship season. Handshake-scrolling, interview-scheduling, rejection-coping internship season. Around this time ten years ago, Marguerite Mariscal ’11 was also searching. After graduation. she landed a short-term position with Momofuku, a startup culinary brand led by famed restaurateur David Chang.
The Lemont Block, a four-story historic brick building on the corner of Maine Street and Pleasant Street that has been an iconic part of the Brunswick skyline for over 150 years, is about to have a new chapter added to its storied history.
As part of programming for International Week, which celebrates international students and occurs in the last week of every April, Bowdoin’s International Student Association (ISA) hosted a talk led by Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology Shruti Devgan “This International Life.” Devgan, a former international student and current international scholar herself, shared her own experiences with these identities as well as her perspective on how recent events have challenged and complicated the experience of international students in the United States.
A family friend of mine once said: “Peru is the only country in South America where a poor man can eat like a king.” This exchange came in Lima during a night out at a Madam Tusan chifa restaurant where I had Cru Yok pork with vegetables and pineapples, roasted duck and a side of Min Pao.
Content warning: This article contains descriptions of child sexual abuse and of mental health difficulties following such experiences. Sometimes, when my mother was gone, her boyfriend would come into my room. He would always knock on my bedroom door the same way, a sound that still creeps into my thoughts from time to time to this day.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many students have called for the College to focus more on student wellness, both on and off campus. Peer Health feels it has the platform to meet student needs for health and wellness programming.
This week, I find myself once again unable to justify recommending a book. While this could be due to both my overall diminishing creativity as the semester comes to a close and the fact that my mind is focused on finding a job in one of the worst economies in recent memory, I’m inclined to believe that a book recommendation just isn’t what everyone needs right now.
On Thursday night, the Disabled Students Association (DSA) hosted a talk on Relationships and Disability with YouTube personalities Hannah Aylward and Shane Burcaw. Their YouTube channel, Squirmy and Grubs, has garnered over 842,000 subscribers and over 147 million views.
The year: probably somewhere around 560 BCE. The place: Mount Etna. The star of this story: Empedocles, Greek philosopher and self-proclaimed god. Now, just for a little background on the god situation, this kind of claim was not new for Empedocles.
Bowdoin’s liberal arts curriculum doesn’t offer the same classroom opportunities in business and finance that many other schools do—but that’s not stopping a group of students from taking the initiative to carve out their own paths in the financial industry.
Content warning: This article contains descriptions of alcoholism, domestic violence and verbal abuse. I will never forget the thumping. I find myself on the ground, my head spinning so haphazardly that I can’t stand up. I lay on the floor of my kitchen and stare at the ceiling above me; it falls in and out of focus.
Five years ago, the Asian Students Alliance (ASA) and South Asian Students Association (SASA) created #ThisIs2016, which took the internet by storm. After remembering the series five years since its conception, Cheng Xing ’23 proposed the ASA’s Affinity Group Photo Project, an iteration of #ThisIs2016, in hopes of providing a platform for members of Bowdoin affinity groups to express themselves on campus.
Sitting in front of a plate of salad, popcorn and cranberry juice, a rendition of green, red and white Italian flag, Thando Khumalo ’23 presented her creation to her peers via Zoom as part of the Italian department’s Italian flag food challenge.
Identity is extremely complicated, particularly for people of Latin American origin here in the United States. Numerous ethnic classifications for people like this exist here, but the two most commonly used terms are “Hispanic” and “Latino/a.” Although sometimes used interchangeably, these two terms differ greatly in meaning and origin.
If you have been following this column, you have come to expect a book recommendation every two weeks. This week, I write no such column. And for that, I am sorry. However, even if I do apologize for the pain you might go through by not receiving a book recommendation, I’m not sorry about the column I am writing.
Springtime in Maine comes bearing many gifts: maple trees drooping with unfurling leaves, gloriously lengthening hours of warm sunlight, and the return of patches of ineradicable yellow dandelions on the quad’s grass. Another marker of Maine spring?
This week, the Office of Gender Violence Prevention and Education (OGVPE) hosted the second biannual Masculinities Summit. The summit consisted of three events: a keynote on Tuesday with speaker Aymann Ismail, an alumni panel on Thursday and a panel on Friday featuring faculty members and staff.
The year 2021 is bringing another plague into town. Luckily, this one isn’t another deadly virus. It’s just a crap ton of insects. Every 17 years, billions of cicadas, called broods, emerge from deep underground for weeks of frenzied mating.
The Bowdoin experience can now be inscribed onto a digital space, dedicated to documenting memories and celebrating Bowdoin’s unique community. Created by Max Freeman ’22 and Camilo Pareja ’22, Bowdoin Moments is an online platform where anyone with Bowdoin memories—whether they be students, faculty, staff members, alumni and visitors—is invited to share their stories in geospatial tags accompanied with a few sentences of reflections.
I never saw it coming. It hit me like a truck, and every time I tried standing up, it just turned back to hit me again. It is an expert thief because it stole my hopes, happiness and energy while only leaving me with numbness.
I will never forgive people who make fun of other people for reading shitty, gay fan-fiction. In a country where people still ban books because of the sexual and romantic identities included in the pages or where a movie about gay characters can’t include a single fricking accurate sex scene, you’re just a downright terrible person if you hate on queer people for looking towards obscure Tumblr posts or websites for some form of media representation.
During the College’s two-day break, many Bowdoin students living on campus found a moment of refreshment while enjoying free smoothie bowls sponsored by the Bowdoin Student Government (BSG). More than 1,000 students picked up a bowl from the newly-opened Bay Bowls on March 21 and 22, and the store’s owners are excited to continue serving the Brunswick community.
This semester, Elena Sparrow ’22 and Dalia Tabachnik ’21 started the Mail Art Collective, a student group dedicated to building a sense of community by creating and sharing postcards. According to the group, participants are now in their second round of cards, centered around the theme of “the old and the new.” “[Art] is a gift.
For our inaugural installment, we will be turning words into gold. Think Aristotle, think Jabir ibn Hayyan, think Phillipus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus Von Hohenheim. Think Rumplestiltskin, but if that little man were a chemist. This week, we’re exploring the bizarre “science” of alchemy!
This spring, Bowdoin Innovation and Entrepreneurship (BIE) is hosting a “Capitalism for the Common Good” workshop series aiming to engage students with startup development—an agenda that has been met with mixed responses from the campus community.
Bowdoin welcomed a new publication to its scientific community last week. Headed by Joanna Lin ’22 and Anthony Yanez ’22, the Bowdoin Science Journal (BSJ), a biweekly, student-published science journal, released its debut issue on March 1.
Google often artistically alters its logo to commemorate notable events, holidays or historical figures. Known as a Google Doodle, it often contains interesting information about what’s being commemorated, and I enjoy reading about the different people and occasions being recognized.
When people think of English literature, they often think of tweed, Oxford, an old white dude and the film “Dead Poets Society.” All of these have one thing in common: inaccessibility. Well, perhaps not old white dudes.
On November 25, Wild Oats Bakery and Cafe closed its doors at the Tontine Mall for the last time. One week later on December 4, the popular eatery reopened to the public at its new location in Brunswick Landing, next to the Brunswick Executive Airport.
As the Class of 2021 enters their final semester, seniors are planning for life after Bowdoin. For international students, however, the matter is much more complicated. Some will return to their home country and some will explore other countries, while others are intending to stay in the United States to pursue citizenship and a career here.
I have read more books for pleasure in the past few months than I have in the entirety of my time at Bowdoin—and I’m a senior English major. I’m also not alone. It seems like every day I get off a Facetime call with friends or a Zoom call with a professor where we just talked about this great new book we read.
I miss home, or at least what I once called home. If you have had a class with me during the Zoom era, you may have noticed a large Peruvian flag in the background of my camera.
Making friends is no simple task, with or without a pandemic. The return to campus earlier this month marked the first time the majority of students could see long-missed friends in nearly a year. The 2023 Class Council is helping their classmates foster new connections through a “friend-matching” program.
As students geared up for a return to campus unlike any other, one Bowdoin staff member found herself at the center of unexpected Internet stardom. With thousands of views across more than 20 videos and features on multiple local news networks, Director of Content Janie Porche became a community favorite through her popular TikTok account: @Janie_at_bowdoin.
For James Giltner ’23, what started out as a search for how to fill his semester away from Bowdoin turned into a groundbreaking learning experience—one that culminated in a historic rocket launch. Last fall, Giltner worked full-time at bluShift, a Brunswick-based company that launched a rocket from the Loring Commerce Center in Limestone, Maine, on January 31.
Every December, music streaming service Spotify releases their annual “Wrapped” review, which examines the most popular music of the year for both individual users and the platform as a whole. Across social media, Spotify users shared their most beloved artists, songs and genres, as well as the occasional “top 0.5 percent of listeners” badge.
During my first year on Bowdoin’s campus, thousands of questions would swim through my head on any given day. Some of them would be necessary (Thorne or Moulton today?), others slightly less so (What would my psychology professor look like without his famed beard?).
I still remember the call the day after I received the acceptance letter from Bowdoin. It was from my best friend. Well, “best friend” before she simply disappeared during our junior year of high school and nobody knew where she went.
Buildings and classrooms were closed. Dining halls only offered take-out meals. Common areas around campus, normally overflowing with talking, laughing students, were deserted. “Closed to Visitors” signs were placed across the quad, making it eerily empty and devoid of activity.
Hey everyone. I’m writing this on Sunday, November 15; it will be published on Friday, November 20. I can only hope that the past week hasn’t been too stressful or emotional, but I know it most likely has been, and that tomorrow will be the culmination of that.
On Thursday night, two days before the move-out deadline for most on-campus students, dining services served Thanksgiving dinner at both dining halls. This year, one of the College’s most extravagant meal traditions has been adapted to a smaller scale.
Last Saturday, Joe Biden was declared the presumptive president-elect of the United States. I struggled then, as I do now, to express how the election made me feel. I imagine many of us have complicated feelings.
I was taught to appreciate distance on a small playground during a rainy day. Having attended a boarding school in suburban China since I was 12, I remember the compulsory military training that first confounded my idea of an inseparable family life, forever based in unconditional love, connectedness and rationality.
As businesses on Maine Street round off a fall unlike any other, many of them must quickly shift gears to plan for the upcoming winter—a season which will bring cold weather, holiday shoppers and the return of many Bowdoin students to Brunswick.
The world held its breath this last week as the American election dominated headlines, news and the thoughts of millions of people. Democracy won once again in the United States as Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in one of the most polarized elections in American history.
Two thousand and three-hundred miles, 32 days and a fiery motivation to take on a mental and physical challenge were all it took for Triana Willmert ’22 and Dylan Sloan ’22 to complete the Tour Divide cross country bike route between the Canadian and Mexican borders during their gap semester this fall.
As anxiety over the elections runs high in the student body, Mindfulness Over Matter, a student-run meditation group, encourages students to find the time in their busy schedules to pause and practice mindfulness. Through a variety of meditation sessions—available four times each week—as well as meditation tips and facts that they share with the Bowdoin community on their Instagram page, the club hopes to emphasize the restorative and healing properties of meditation.
For this piece, I’m writing solo and without my dearest writer-in-crime. And unfortunately, because of that, this piece will be undoubtedly less funny. Feel free to stop reading now. Our articles in the past have discussed student life on campus and things we yearn to see change in our interactions with students and professors regarding race.
Bowdoin’s Catholic Student Union (CSU) fosters unity and strength through shared faith and experiences. Despite its members being scattered across the country, CSU has maintained a regular schedule that includes weekly meetings, mass watch parties, prayers and meditation.
Hello loves! I hope these past couple of weeks haven’t been too stressful and that all your midterms have wrapped up! (Crossing my fingers for you all!) Here’s the vibe check for the next two weeks, November 6 to November 20.
For most Bowdoin students and faculty, the past week has been a time for brief conversations and announcements about how class structures and schedules may be impacted by the results—or lack thereof—of next week’s elections. But for Professor of Government Michael Franz and the 75 students in the two sections of his Campaigns and Elections class, next week will provide the culmination of two months of analyzing political data and studying election history.
Sometimes I wonder if my path to becoming a chemistry major started because of my love for baking. Friends that know me well know that I often bake desserts such as flans, cakes and various types of cookies for birthdays or other celebrations.
When Bowdoin announced that seniors would not be returning to campus this fall, Sophia Salzer ’21 decided to take the semester off, instead dedicating her time and energy to Maine Planned Parenthood’s campaign for Sara Gideon, the state’s Democratic candidate for U.S.
It’s a Sunday afternoon in October. I’m sitting on my couch underneath my new plush blanket covered in cartoons of ghosts and of the word “boo.” There’s a candle burning on my desk. Outside, the leaves are swirling down from the trees, like a typical Maine autumn day.
In a surprise email, the long awaited decision of Bowdoin’s plan for the spring semester has finally been released. And we won’t sugar coat it—things look pretty bleak for our first years. It was decided that, after being used as guinea pigs to see if everyone got COVID-19 while back on campus, the first years have served their purpose and are to be shipped home in November, not to return until next year.
On Monday, the College opened Thorne dining hall for indoor dining for on-campus students. For months, students have picked up meals from Thorne and Moulton dining halls, filing through the six feet apart stickers, grabbing to-go meals without a salad bar and choosing items from a snack section in lieu of the usual SuperSnack.
Historically, Bowdoin women who wished to enter the field of business faced increased hurdles in getting internship and career opportunities. Founded by Kayla Baker ’09, Bowdoin Women in Business (BWIB) serves as a community of peers with resources, solidarity and support.
Greetings and gratitude, y’all! I hope you’ve all had a restful and restorative fall break—and if not that (hoo boy), then at least a productive one! Here’s the vibe check for the next two weeks, October 23 to November 6.
“Sweet Caroline, BUM BUM BUM!” Hearing this line belt through the speakers as sweaty students push against each other, fighting for dancefloor space, is an average Friday night at Bowdoin College (Pre-COVID, of course). This scene leaves much to be desired.
In the lead-up to Election Day, the Bowdoin College Republicans have been focusing their programming away from organizing and activism and toward internal, issue-focused discussions. The club has elected not to endorse a candidate in any election, including the presidential race, which co-president Oron Steingrub ’22 called a “typical” practice.
While the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will certainly make this election unlike any other, the Bowdoin Democrats (Bowdoin Dems) are still offering interested students multiple opportunities each week to participate in Democratic organizing. Between thrice-weekly phone banks, twice-weekly group walks to the polls in Brunswick and in-person canvassing, Bowdoin Dems’ eight-person officer team has created ways for students, both remote and on-campus, to get involved as Election Day quickly approaches.
Amidst the tumult of a semester with unprecedented restrictions, routines and expectations, Bowdoin Wellness Services has been nurturing a sanctuary of tranquillity and community through weekly yoga sessions, led by Assistant Director of Wellness Services Kate Nicholson.
Today, I’m writing with a cup of jasmine tea by my side. I just finished preparing a marinade for the lamb steaks I will cook for my roommates later, and I finally started the first chapter of “Normal People” at the recommendation of too many friends.
I had never witnessed a more beautiful scene in my life. The red and white shades colored every shop and restaurant around me. The coastal night sky boomed with fireworks as the moonlight shone on the pristine waters of Larcomar, a shopping centre in the district of Miraflores, Peru.
This Tuesday, as Americans gathered at home to watch the presidential debate, Bowdoin students tuned in to Bowdoin Votes’ Debate Watch Party, the group’s effort to provide a nonpartisan environment for engagement with the presidential race.
It is officially fall in Brunswick: cooling temperatures, changing leaves and the beginning of essay-writing season. For first years, it means getting back their first college papers and potentially facing the disappointment of lower-than-expected grades. “I was really struggling to get a strong cohesive idea throughout my paper,” said Ian Pratt ’24 of his first paper on Plato for his first-year writing seminar, “Human Being and Citizen.” That’s when Pratt decided to make an appointment with a writing assistant through the Baldwin Center for Learning and Teaching (BCLT).
Greetings and gratitude, y’all! I hope you’re all settling into the new school year well. Here’s the vibe check for the next two weeks. I’ll explore the overall theme, discuss the main challenge and give advice on how to overcome it.
With pictures of professors passionately lecturing and students of various backgrounds having engaging conversations plastered on Bowdoin’s website, one is bound to make assumptions about the academic culture of the College. It’s a picturesque bastion of liberal arts education, a breeding ground for new ideas and radical thought, a nursery for critical thinking and passionate debate.
Thursday, September 17 Several students on campus reported being approached by a man offering to sell illicit drugs. Security identified a possible suspect who was later identified as an 18-year-old Brunswick resident. The Brunswick police located the suspect and issued a criminal trespass order barring him from all College properties.
As many of you know, there have been a series of phone scams going around that try to get your social security information. Yes, these people are the pirates of the modern age. But they can be your friend too!
Every Monday, Jill Tian ’21, who is studying in Beijing, China, logs into her first Zoom class at 9 p.m. and continues to stay on Zoom until 2:30 a.m., eventually going to sleep around 3 a.m.
With most first years living on campus and a majority of sophomores, the House residents during a typical semester, remote, the College Houses are facing a unique set of challenges in facilitating and building community this fall.
One of the most beautiful jerseys added to my collection over the summer became a canary yellow “19/20 Brazil” jersey stamped with a green print reading Black Lives Matter on the back. My body proudly displayed this jersey on August 16, a cloudy afternoon somehow perfect enough to go walking and hunting for Eevees on Pokemon Go.
Immunocompromised is a word that has been tossed around quite often this year. In the terms of the pandemic, it is labeled as a pre-existing medical condition describing these mythical people who somehow can’t handle the coronavirus like the rest of the American population would.
