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News

Sustainability

Wheels in Motion: Panel talks sustainable transportation

How to get from place A to place B may seem like a mundane consideration, but a panel hosted by the Office of Sustainability asked the Bowdoin community to approach choices about transportation more critically. The panel, “Wheels in Motion: Exploring Transportation for a Sustainable Future,” was the second in a series of sustainability-focused panel discussions organized by the Office of Sustainability’s Civic Engagement team.

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From Outlaw to Rebel: Belkaïd launches book on the documentary and Algerian national identity

Hawthorne-Longfellow Library hosted its second faculty book launch of the semester yesterday, featuring Assistant Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures Meryem Belkaïd and her new book, “From Outlaw to Rebel: Oppositional Documentaries in Contemporary Algeria.” Belkaïd was joined by Aviva Briefel, professor of the English language and literature and cinema studies, for a discussion on the book’s key topics.

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DEI

Students join Office of Student Affairs staff to discuss Ladd renovations, new student spaces

With the main structural renovations of Ladd House completed, the Office of Student Affairs hosted an informational session for students to hear about how the space will be utilized to serve the Office of Accessibility, the Center for Multicultural Life (CML), the Sexuality, Women, and Gender (SWAG) Center, the Rachel Lord Center for Religious and Spiritual Life and THRIVE.

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Activism

NASA, Bowdoin Dems advocate for Maine tribal sovereignty

Editor’s note 03/03/23 at 2:32 p.m.: An earlier version of this article mistakenly reported that Governor Janet Mills campaigned in 2018 on indigenous sovereignty for Maine’s Wabanaki nations. This has been corrected to reflect the truth that the governor campaigned “on improving and repairing Maine’s relationship with local tribes.” The sovereignty of Maine’s indigenous tribes hangs in the balance, and Bowdoin students have mobilized.

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Professor lectures on controversial study justifying Cold War-era development

Jason Pribilsky, a professor of anthropology at Whitman College, delivered a lecture on Wednesday about the Vicos Project to discuss the morality of humanitarian efforts in developing countries. The Vicos Project was a controversial anthropological study in the Peruvian Andes under the auspices of Cornell University in the 1950s, during the height of the Cold War.

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BSG

BSG discusses Integrated Health Survey, office hours initiative

Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) convened on Wednesday to discuss the Integrated Health Survey (IHS), the success of Tuesday night’s BSG office hours and the winter concert happening Saturday in Morrell Gymnasium. BSG was joined by Director of Gender Violence Prevention and Health Education Rachel Reinke to brainstorm how to incentivize students to take the IHS so that certain areas of health education can be strategically bolstered by the College.

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WBOR

President Rose reflects on his legacy on WBOR

For the first time during his tenure at Bowdoin, President Rose joined WBOR on Tuesday night for an interview with hosts Mason Daugherty ’25, Luke Porter ’23 and Caleb Adams-Hull ’23. The tone of the interview was mostly playful, but a few serious subjects were also addressed.

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Board of Trustees

President Rose, College community react to revealed Epstein ties with former trustee Jes Staley ’79 P’11

On Thursday, February 16, unredacted portions of a federal suit filed against J.P. Morgan unveiled new details about email communications between former Bowdoin trustee James ‘Jes’ Staley ’79 P’11 and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The filing alleges that Staley and Epstein shared “photos of young women in seductive poses” over email and partook in “discussion of sex with young women.” This news comes after over three years of speculation regarding the nature of Staley’s ties to Epstein.

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Leading with place: Ethan Kent ‘98 promotes people-centered placemaking movement

Students and community members filed into Kresge Auditorium Tuesday night to learn about a campaign for better and more people-centered public spaces: the placemaking movement. Executive Director of PlacemakingX Ethan Kent ’98 delivered a lecture on this campaign entitled “Reconnecting People Through Places: Bridging Our Divides Through Public Spaces and Placemaking.” PlacemakingX describes itself as an international group of leaders working to create inclusive and positive communities through urban planning.

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Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees addresses Pickard Field renovations, affirmative action ruling concerns

From February 9 to February 11, President Clayton Rose met with the Board of Trustees and other College administrative bodies to discuss issues pertinent to Bowdoin’s immediate future at Babson College in Massachusetts. Among the developments made during last week’s meetings was the Board of Trustees’ official approval of the Pickard Field renovation project, which members of the Bowdoin and Brunswick communities have debated over the past several months. 

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Ogunnaike talks decolonizing academia

Oludamini Ogunnaike, an assistant professor of African religious thought at the University of Virginia (UVA), visited Bowdoin on Monday to deliver a lecture entitled “From Heathen to Subhuman: Religion, Race, and the Academic Disciplines.” Oludamini Ogunnaike spoke about the development of modern Western racism and the implications of colonial power structures for academics today.

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Hatch student employees face substantial cuts to working hours due to library re-financing

Student workers at Hatch Science Library have had their hours cut by as much as half in response to budgeting re-evaluations that have reduced student working hours across the Bowdoin library system. In total, 20 weekly hours of student work were cut this semester for Hatch employees, which has raised concerns around the future of student employment in the library system.

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BSG

BSG debates EdGE program

On Wednesday, Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) convened with Director of Multicultural Life Eduardo Pazos to discuss the Education through Global Engagement (EdGE) diversity and inclusion training platform. The Class of 2026 was the first to use this platform in its mandatory diversity and inclusion training in the fall.

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Digital Excellence

Committee aids faculty in reflecting on the efficacy of digital excellence initiative despite low engagement

Interested in discussing how the iPads and MacBooks provided by the College’s Digital Excellence Commitment (DExC) have influenced teaching and learning in Bowdoin’s classrooms? Apparently, most Bowdoin faculty aren’t. On Monday, the Committee on Teaching and Classroom Practice (CoTCP) hosted a space for faculty to express their thoughts on certain DExC technologies that have become integrated into the classroom.

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Facilities

Pipe bursts wreak havoc in residence halls, academic spaces

Extreme cold temperatures last weekend were not only record-breaking, but also pipe-breaking, as flooding in Coles Tower, Memorial Hall and Hawthorne-Longfellow (H-L) Library forced evacuations and damaged building infrastructure. Just after 1 a.m. on Sunday morning, a burst pipe on the second floor of Coles Tower created a ruckus and set off the fire alarm in the building.

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Remembering Charlotte Billingsley, Class of 2024

From her steady presence on the rowing team to her passion for biophysics to her enthusiasm for Arabic, Charlotte Billingsley ’24 was a model Bowdoin student. Charlotte, her humility and her easygoing demeanor are missed by her friends, teammates and professors alike.

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lecture

State of the Union: Rudalevige delivers community lecture on American political culture

On Thursday, the Association of Bowdoin Friends and members of the Bowdoin community gathered in Moulton Union for the fourth event in their community lecture series. The guest speaker was Professor of Government Andrew Rudalevige who gave a talk entitled “The State of the Union: Trends and Tremors in American Politics.” The topic was chosen in anticipation of the State of the Union Address on February 7 and included discussions on topics such as the 2022 midterm elections, the 2023 speakers battle, recent Supreme Court cases and predictions for the 2024 election.

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Faculty

Controversial university dismissal sparks faculty discourse on academic freedom

On Monday, Bowdoin faculty members gathered in Daggett Lounge for their first meeting of the semester, which covered academic freedom and ChatGPT, among other topics. The meeting, which was moderated by Associate Professor of Government Jeffrey Selinger, also continued prior discussions about the College’s transition to Workday and a new faculty meeting time.

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lecture

Laurence launches book on politics of public broadcasting

Yesterday, Associate Professor of Government Henry Laurence launched his book, “The Politics of Public Broadcasting in Britain and Japan: The BBC and NHK Compared.” At an event in Hawthorne-Longfellow Library’s Nixon Lounge, Laurence described the structures of the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) and Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK), compared their roles in their respective countries and highlighted key moments in their histories.

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South Korea confers with Bowdoin community

In an event sponsored by the Korean Economics Institute (KEI), a delegation of government officials visited the College on Thursday for a conversation with the Korean Students Association (KSA) with a special focus on Maine’s fisheries.

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Construction

Major construction ends on Mills Hall and Gibbons CAS

Editor’s Note Saturday, February 4, at 10:00 a.m.: An earlier version of this article referred to Harpswell Apartments as Dudley-Coe Apartments. Despite breaking ground a year late due to delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and unabating supply chain issues, Capital Projects, led by Director of Capital Projects John Simoneau, and its contractor, Consigli Construction, have finished major construction on the new Barry Mills Hall and John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies (CAS) with only minor delays.

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Disability

New Disability Culture Coordinator advocates for disabled community

For the first time at Bowdoin, the College has hired a Disability Culture Coordinator, Claude Olson. According to Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for Inclusion and Diversity Eduardo Pazos, the idea was the brainchild of conversations between the Disabled Student Association and various administrators, including Pazos, Director of Student Activities Nate Hintze, Director of Student Accessibility Lesley Levy, Dean for Student Affairs Janet Lohman, and Associate Dean of Students for Inclusion and Diversity and Director of the Center for Sexuality, Women and Gender Kate Stern.

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Science and Technology

AI Ethics Board weighs the uses and misuses of ChatGPT

In November, the San Francisco-based research firm OpenAI launched ChatGPT, an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) interface capable of generating essays and creating computer code, which is now open to the public. ChatGPT’s popularity has spread to academia, prompting charged discussions amongst administrators and faculty in higher education, including Professor of Digital and Computational Studies Eric Chown and Professor of Government Michael Franz, both members of the National Initiative on AI Ethics board at the College.

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CXD

CXD Sophomore Bootcamp returns to campus sparking praise, criticism and reflection

Sophomores attended the various workshops, networking events and panels offered by Career Exploration and Development (CXD) for the fifth iteration of Sophomore Bootcamp last week. For CXD, the goal of Bootcamp is to provide students with an opportunity to explore potential career paths while also developing skills and resources that will aid them in their job search, including resume building, cover letter writing and networking.

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BSG

BSG meets with the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs

The workings of the Office of the Dean of Students at Bowdoin can be both difficult to keep track of and challenging to navigate, but Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) is hoping to change this. To that end, BSG met with Senior Vice President and Dean for Student Affairs Janet Lohmann and Dean of Students Kristina Odejimi on Wednesday to demystify the office’s roles of supporting and advocating for students.

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Safety and Security

Busted at Bolos: Dunlap Street bar cracks down on underage drinking

In addition to checking their pockets for keys, wallets and phones, students hoping to spend a night at Bolos Kitchen and Bar will now have to carry something else—their College-issued OneCards. In an effort to “safeguard their liquor license and reduce their civil liability,” the Dunlap Street bar is now requiring Bowdoin students to produce two forms of identification (ID) upon entry: their student and government-issued photo IDs.

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Bowdoin employee indicted on child pornography charges

Christopher Watkinson, Technical Director and Adjunct Lecturer in Music at the College who also served on the Brunswick town council, was indicted in late November on charges of child pornography. Watkinson is currently on leave from his positions at the College, according to a spokesperson who declined to answer further questions regarding Watkinson’s status.

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BOSS

Students express division in Orient survey

Last month, the Orient released this semester’s iteration of the Bowdoin Orient Student Survey (BOSS). The survey asked students about their opinions on a variety of topics pertaining to campus life and the College community. In total, 406 students responded to the survey, which represents roughly 22 percent of the student body.

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Environmental Studies

Environmental storytelling offers stage for the stories of people of color connected to nature

Sharing personal narratives of their ventures into and passions for the environment, Kellie Navarro ’23, Ebe Figueroa ’24 and Sejal Prachand ’24 captivated students on Thursday night in Lamarche Gallery. Orchestrated by Navarro as part of a three-part environmental storytelling series, the event intended to elevate the voices of students of color, who are often underrepresented in conversations of the outdoors.

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Election

Government department demystifies midterm elections

On Tuesday night, the Department of Government and Legal Studies hosted a public debrief in Kresge Auditorium on last week’s midterm elections. The event, presented by Professor of Government Michael Franz and Assistant Professor of Government Ángel Saavedra Cisneros, was a data-driven overview of election participation and outcomes as well as future implications for potential state and federal policy.

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lecture

Homeira Qaderi Describes Experiences With Taliban

Editor’s Note November 18, 2022 at 9:30 a.m.: An earlier version of this article was missing parts of the first paragraph. This has been corrected and is not a problem in the print edition. Author Homeira Qaderi didn’t think she could make it to the Kabul airport in time until she received a call on the final day of U.S.

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Science and Technology

Dr. Isaiah Bolden ’15 explores ancient chemical “clues” to inspire modern coral conservation techniques

Oceanographer, biochemist and professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Dr. Isaiah Bolden ’15 studies ancient coral reefs to understand the effects of climate change on modern reef ecosystems. In his research, he uses a unique approach to coral conservation which he calls “forensic biogeochemistry” to track the health of coral reefs and predict trends using clues from fossilized coral caves, which he focused on in his talk on Monday.

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Faculty

Faculty Meeting covers advising, enrollment

On Monday, November 7, Bowdoin faculty members convened in Daggett Lounge for their third meeting of the semester, where they continued discussions about changes to pre-major academic advising and declining enrollment in the humanities. The meeting, moderated by Associate Professor of Government Jeffrey Selinger, also covered potential changes to faculty and department meeting times, the October meeting of the Board of Trustees and the College’s transition to Workday Finance for budgeting and administrative financial planning.

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News in Brief

IT department debuts drop-in hours

This week, Bowdoin Information Technology (IT) launched new drop-in hours as a way to facilitate open communication with students and faculty. The drop-in hours started on Tuesday behind the desk in Smith Union with Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Michael Cato.

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BSG

BSG continues working toward expanding SAFC policy

Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) convened on Wednesday to discuss amendments to the Student Activities Funding Committee (SAFC) guidelines, BSG office hours and a proposed series of mental health forums. Chair of the Treasury Kiley Briand ’25 presented various SAFC legislation changes to the group: a specific clause on funding club-bonding activities, guidelines on sponsoring DJs and increased food budgets for larger clubs.

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McKeen Center

The Bowdoin Friends talk “Bowdoin and the Common Good”

The Association of Bowdoin Friends, which aims to connect the College and Brunswick communities, returned yesterday from a hiatus caused by the Covid-19 pandemic to sponsor the community lecture series: “Bowdoin and the Common Good.” Led by Director of the Mckeen Center for the Common Good Sarah Seames, the talk served to inform the greater community about the College’s commitment to the Common Good.

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BSG

BSG announces updates on Good Ideas Fund, No Hate November

On Wednesday, the Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) gathered in Daggett Lounge to discuss an upcoming meeting with President Clayton Rose, No Hate November and other future  initiatives. BSG president Susu Gharib ’23 announced an upcoming BSG assembly on December 4 led by President Rose to discuss his professional experience in business and the perspective he’s gained.

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Muslim Life Advisor joins campus

Editor’s Note November 4, 2022: An earlier version of this article referenced the position established by the Rachel Lord Center for Religious and Spiritual Life as the “Muslim Spiritual Advisor.” This was incorrect. The position is actually titled the “Muslim Life Advisor,” and the article and headline have been corrected to reflect this.

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News in Brief

BSG focuses on community building

Soon, Bowdoin students will not be judged on the merits of their academics, but instead on how well they can construct a snowman. During their meeting on Wednesday, Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) made plans for the upcoming Winter Carnival, a proposed community-building event to take place sometime this winter.

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International

Russian Department virtually hosts Nataliya Shpylova-Saeed in first lecture of Russia-Ukraine war series

Ukrainian scholar Nataliya Shpylova-Saeed gave a virtual lecture to the College community yesterday entitled “Russia’s War On Ukraine: Culture, Memory, Politics” in which she explored the history of shifting Russian and Ukrainian identities. Shpylova-Saaed, a visiting professor in the department of Russian and Eurasian studies at Colgate University, recently gained her Ph.D.

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LASO

Liz Gonzalez addresses immigration law, advocacy

Attorney Liz Gonzalez spoke about her journey to becoming an immigration rights advocate and the legal obstacles and injustices that immigrants face in her talk entitled “Youth, Representation and Immigrant Rights” on Wednesday. As a Spanish major at Reed College, Liz Gonzalez never suspected  that she would become a lawyer representing children in immigration court.

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Peer Health

Plan B day has first b-day

Plan A fall through? Thankfully, Bowdoin’s Health Center has Plan B—and it’s free. This Thursday, Peer Health teamed up with the Health Center and the Office of Gender Violence Prevention and Health Education (OGVPE) to host the College’s first annual Plan B Day, an event dedicated to getting Plan B and other contraceptive measures out to Bowdoin students.

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Brunswick

Butchers & Bakers closes business

The Butchers & Bakers, a gluten-free artisan bakery and butcher shop located in downtown Brunswick’s Tontine Mall, permanently closed its doors on Sunday. Since its grand opening earlier this year, the establishment has garnered praise for its friendly atmosphere, commitment to sustainability and entirely gluten-free product selection.

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lecture

Mónica Guzmán ’05 talks on effective communication across political divides

On Monday, author, journalist and conversational bridge-builder Mónica Guzmán ’05 delivered a talk at Kresge Auditorium about her best-selling book “I Never Thought About It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times.” The “Fireside Chat” was hosted by the Joseph McKeen Center for the Common Good and facilitated by Alondra Romero ’24 and Samuel S.

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Academic

US-Greenland Joint Committee discusses arctic affairs on campus

On Tuesday, the College hosted a meeting of the U.S.-Greenland Joint Committee, an intergovernmental body that meets annually to bolster ties between the United States and Greenland. According to a press release from the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in the Kingdom of Denmark, the Joint Committee strives to improve relations and cooperation between the United States and Greenland in the areas of trade, investment and education, among others.

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BSG

BSG representatives discuss SAFC policy changes and inclusion

Last Wednesday, Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) held its weekly meeting, during which members discussed their plans to adjust Student Activities Funding Committee (SAFC) guidelines, plans for No Hate November programming and more inclusive dining policies. To begin the meeting, Chair of the Treasury Kiley Briand ’25 announced that in November she will propose legislation to change the SAFC guidelines to provide clubs easier access to funding and materials.

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Faculty

Faculty discuss changes to pre-major advising

On Monday, October 3, Bowdoin faculty members gathered in Daggett Lounge for their second meeting of the school year. The meeting, which was led by faculty moderator Associate Professor of Government Jeffrey Selinger, covered faculty concerns about humanities enrollment and changes to course enrollment, among other topics.

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Activism

MSA hosts vigil for Mahsa Amini

Last Wednesday, about 30 students took a break from studying for midterms to gather around the damp museum steps, donning rain jackets and holding flickering candles. The Bowdoin Muslim Students Association (MSA) hosted a candlelight vigil to honor and raise awareness around the tragic killing of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, who was murdered in police custody after being detained for not wearing her headscarf tightly enough.

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COVID-19

Survey illuminates shifting student opinions on Covid policy

College policy surrounding its Covid-19 pandemic management has shifted dramatically over the past several months. In his August 3 email to the Bowdoin community, President Rose announced the outright discontinuation of many of the College’s previous Covid policies, including masking requirements in classrooms and mandatory, twice-weekly PCR testing.

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