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This academic year marks the 10th anniversary of the creation of the Joseph McKeen Center for the Common Good. The McKeen Center has had a short existence compared to that of the College, but it has come to play an integral role in the Bowdoin community.
This spring, only three students signed up for the Bowdoin Outing Club’s (BOC) Out of the Zone (OZ) program, an all-time low since the program’s founding in 2009. On average, more than ten students have participated in each rotation in past years.
Last week, students objected to a comedy set by guest Fumi Abe, deeming several of his jokes racist and sexist. While Abe’s visit was sponsored by the Asian Students Alliance (ASA) and the Student Center for Multicultural Life, ASA quickly condemned Abe’s act, and Director of the Student Center for Multicultural Life Benjamin Harris said that the College had no reason to anticipate any of the offensive comments from the performance.
Bowdoin students and community members gathered in the Great Room of 30 College on Monday night for an intimate conversation about refugee resettlement with Salim Salim ’20 and Deacon Dean Lachance, the chief operating officer of Catholic Charities in Maine.
Russia, according to a popular refrain that Julia Ioffe quoted at Bowdoin on Monday, cannot be understood with the mind alone. Her lecture, titled “What Russia Wants and What it Means for America,” focused on the 21st century geopolitical history of Russia and its relationships with the West, in particular with the United States.
For the first time since Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) became nationally recognized in 2001, several student groups collaborated on programming this April. While the month provided students with the opportunity to learn about supporting survivors of sexual assault and align themselves with national movements, organizers say that outreach continues to pose a challenge.
A stand-up comedy routine performed by Fumi Abe on Thursday night in Kresge Auditorium was met with criticism for offensive and racist language. Abe’s show was sponsored by the Asian Students Alliance (ASA) and the Student Center for Multicultural Life as part of Asian Heritage Month.
As the academic year approaches its end, so, too, does funding for student activities. The Student Activities Funding Committee (SAFC)—responsible for allocating funds to student organizations throughout the year—spent the last of its $700,000 budget on April 1.
Born in London and having completed middle and high school in Nepal, Ural Mishra ’20 made the decision to attend a college in the United States. Now, he will be its president, after winning the Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) election for the 2019-20 academic year, the results of which were announced Sunday night.
John Kasich wouldn’t say whether he’ll run for president in 2020. However, the former Ohio governor did speak about his disagreements with the Republican Party and fielded what were, at times, confrontational questions from students during an hour-long discussion in Pickard Theater on Monday night.
At 9 p.m. on Tuesday evening, 50 candles illuminated the steps of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, each representing a victim of the terror attacks at the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Center in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15.
President Clayton Rose announced last week that Arthur C. Brooks will be the inaugural Joseph McKeen Visiting Fellow next year. Brooks, the president of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a conservative think tank, represents a commitment to “the Common Good, broadly defined,” said Rose.
In a talk aptly named “Inequality and the Injustice of Poverty” on Tuesday night, President and CEO of Oxfam America Abigail Maxman challenged her audience of around three dozen students and professors in Kresge Auditorium to consider the challenge that these two forces pose today.
Making the Green New Deal (GND) a legislative reality remains a daunting challenge, but a few Maine politicians are certainly trying. On Thursday night, State Representative Chloe Maxmin (D-Nobleboro), along with Representative of the Houlton Band of Maliseets Henry Bear and 2018 Democratic U.S.
Ural Mishra ’20 was elected Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) president Sunday night after prevailing in a three-way race in BSG’s first elections governed by ranked-choice voting. Just 926 students voted in this year’s elections, down from 1,075 last year and 1,234 in 2017.
“Whenever you break the mold and you do something different or you stand for something, you’re going to get pushback. You’re going to get people who want to shun you and shut you out,” said Sophia Nelson during a moderated discussion with Assistant Professor of Government Chryl Laird in Kresge Auditorium on Tuesday evening.
In an email to the Bowdoin community on Monday morning, President Clayton Rose announced that current Dean of Students Janet Lohmann will serve as Bowdoin’s new Dean of Student Affairs, effective July 1, 2019. Lohmann will replace current Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster when he steps down at the end of the academic year Rose noted that the College conducted a national search to replace Foster, ultimately interviewing four finalists.
As the semester winds down, students must begin preparing for the housing lottery, which begins on Tuesday, April 16. Like previous years, there are four separate lotteries within the overall housing lottery process, each with its own application and deadline.
On Wednesday, students filled the chairs of Jack Magee’s Pub and Grill to watch the annual Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) election debates. Moderated by the Orient’s editors-in-chief Calder McHugh ’19 and Jessica Piper ’19, the debates gave students the opportunity to get to know the candidates for next year’s BSG executive team and hear their proposed platforms.
In recent months there has been a pattern of stories in the Orient exploring the complexities and limitations of Bowdoin’s endowment and operating budget. To add context to the series of articles and op-eds, the Orient has decided to break down the numbers behind the money that makes Bowdoin run.
Bowdoin’s current Dean of Students, Janet Lohmann, will replace Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster, effective July 1 of this year. Foster announced that he would be leaving Bowdoin at the conclusion of the academic year this November.
In recent months there has been a pattern of stories in the Orient exploring the complexities and limitations of Bowdoin’s endowment and operating budget. To add context to the series of articles and op-eds, the Orient has decided to break down the numbers behind the money that makes Bowdoin run.
When Jordan Hsia ’19 was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder earlier this year, she found a silver lining. These official diagnoses, she thought, would allow her to keep an emotional support animal in her dorm.
The first weekend back from Spring Break was a busy one for both students and the Brunswick Police Department (BPD). Thirteen students received alcohol-related court summons and one student received a warning between last Friday and Saturday nights.
On March 21, President Trump signed an executive order which mandated that colleges receiving federal funds must uphold the principles of free speech. While the order has the potential to increase anxieties around what has been a hot-button topic for years, Bowdoin is not concerned.
Imagine walking into a bookstore and seeing a bookshelf labeled “Asian History” that includes volumes on Chinese history alongside volumes on Asian-American history. Now imagine a bookshelf labeled “African History” that includes volumes on the history of Nigeria alongside volumes on African Americans in the United States.
On Monday evening, students filled the Center for Multicultural Life at 30 College Street for the kickoff celebration of Asian Heritage Month. This event is the first of eight that will take place in April as part of a celebration of Asian and Asian American identity.
On Monday evening, College House decisions came out. Two hundred sixty students applied to live in the College Houses, an increase from 247 applications for the 2018-2019 academic year. The most popular houses were Quinby House and Boody-Johnson House, which is new this year.
Students of Arabic will finally be able to put their language classes toward an officially recognized academic program starting next fall, after faculty unanimously voted on Monday to approve a minor in Arabic and a minor in Middle East and North African Studies.
Earlier this month, the College sent first years, sophomores and juniors the Enrolled Student Survey, a mid-year assessment of student life at Bowdoin that will allow the College to compare the student experience at Bowdoin to several dozen peer schools.
A record-low 8.9 percent of applicants were admitted to the Class of 2023 from a pool of 9,332 candidates, down from 10.3 percent last year. This marks the first time that the College’s acceptance rate has dipped below 10 percent.
As students spread around the globe for spring break, community members were confronted with news of the latest act of racially-charged terrorism to make international headlines: the murder of 50 Muslims by a fanatical white supremacist in the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Earlier this month, federal prosecutors charged 50 participants in a multimillion-dollar college admissions scheme in which wealthy parents bribed coaches and standardized test administrators to gain their children admission to elite colleges including Georgetown, Stanford and Yale.
When C.J. Chivers travelled to Afghanistan in 2001 to report on the new U.S. war, he didn’t expect to cover it for two decades. Eighteen years later, he wonders how best to bring public attention to the human consequences of the far-off conflict.
After years of discussion, faculty and administration are taking final steps to approve the creation of two new minors at the College: Arabic and Middle East and North African Studies. Bowdoin began to permanently offer Arabic courses in 2008 under Lecturer in Arabic Russell Hopley, who remained the single instructor of the language before leaving the College last year.
On Tuesday, storyteller Roxanne Baker, an educator and activist, told a crowded room in Moulton Union’s Lancaster Lounge a story from her childhood about coming to terms with both her deafness and her Jewish identity. Baker was born in Portland to a hearing family and until she was eight, attempted to get by with reading lips with the help of intense speech therapy.
At around 2:15 a.m. on Monday morning, a lit candle ignited a jacket and a bedspread, activating the smoke alarm in Baxter House. A student in the room extinguished the fire, resulting in a minor hand injury.
In an email to campus on Wednesday with the subject line “No Bamba,” co-chair of the Entertainment Board (E-Board) Amanda Newman ’19 announced that Jamila Woods, Mick Jenkins and the duo Lion Babe will headline this year’s Ivies Weekend.
When she took to the stage in Kresge Auditorium on Tuesday night, April Ryan faced a nicer crowd than she’s encountered at the White House lately. In front of a packed audience of students and community members in Kresge Auditorium, Ryan spoke about her experience covering the White House and the long quest for a “more perfect union.” The event, sponsored by the African-American Society, was the the final program of Black History Month and Beyond and the first of Herstory, a celebration of Women’s History Month.
Beyond the confines of Bowdoin’s campus, Maine boasts the highest rate of food insecurity in New England. Brunswick’s homeless population is growing, but the town’s zoning restrictions don’t currently allow for the creation of an additional homeless shelter.
While Bowdoin students don’t remember a time before the Roe v. Wade decision, local grandmothers certainly do. On Tuesday, Bowdoin Reproductive Justice Coalition brought Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights (GRR) to campus for a talk called “Life Before Roe v.
On Wednesday, Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) representatives deliberated and voted on a new voting system. Out of the three choices—a student-created, computer-based system, paper ballots and software purchased from an external provider—the majority voted for buying student-created software.
Last night, the exhibition “Beauty in Color” opened in the Lamarche Gallery in David Saul Smith Union. It featured photos that were taken on February 3 during Bowdoin’s second annual Women of Color Photoshoot, where 40 Bowdoin women of color (WOC), three organizers and general photographers gathered in room 601 of Memorial Hall.
Weaving together literature, biotechnology, philosophy and political theory, Eileen Hunt Botting ’93 took to the podium in the Searles Science Building on Monday evening to deliver her lecture “Shelley, Hawthorne, and the Ethics of Genetic Engineering.” Addressing Bowdoin students, professors and community members in a packed lecture hall, Botting explored the ethical and political implications of advancements in biotechnology through a discussion of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birth-Mark” and other works she calls “hacker literature” in a talk sponsored by the Peucinian Society.
For its next foray into climate activism, Bowdoin Climate Action (BCA) is connecting with the Sunrise Movement, a national organization that advocates for political action on climate change. Sunrise has mostly recently been linked to activism surrounding the Green New Deal—not divestment campaigns, for which BCA had long been known.
There is a common perception on campus that many members of the Bowdoin Outing Club (BOC) fit into a particular stereotype. But this semester, the BOC is renewing its efforts to push back against historical narratives about the outdoors.
Last night, Bowdoin students, faculty and community members huddled together in Kresge Auditorium to listen to Professor of English Brock Clarke’s inaugural lecture as the A. Leroy Greason Professor of English. Clarke’s talk, titled “What the Cold Can Teach Us,” focused less on inclement weather itself but instead on Clarke’s own experiences and obsessions and their influence on him as a writer.
The Office of Gender Violence Prevention and Education is hosting Bowdoin’s first ever Masculinities Summit. The two-day event, designed to address how perceptions of masculine identity shape men’s lives, grew out of research by Isaac Greenawalt ’19 on gender violence prevention.
In an almost-unanimous vote, Bowdoin Student Government’s (BSG) General Assembly voted to purchase $500 worth of condoms and dental dams for upperclassmen housing. The initiative, which was introduced for the second year in a row, was proposed by Tessa DeFranco ’21 to address a lack of access to contraceptives and sexual protection in many residential areas.
Students were evacuated from Quinby House Monday morning after a fire broke out in a student bedroom. Tristan Young ’21, the resident of the room, was taken to the Maine Medical Center for treatment for second- and third-degree burns on his right hand, but has since been released.
Every Monday and Thursday for the past few weeks, first-year students have gathered with their floormates in classrooms across campus for a “Real Talk on Race,” a moderated conversation about the experience of being a person of color at Bowdoin.
Helping students develop practical skills is the focus of the newest initiative from the Career Planning Center (CPC). The renewed push comes on the heels of a report released by President Clayton Rose last fall, which found that students felt they lacked important professional skills such as personal finance and public speaking.
What if the dominant paradigm of economic thinking in the United States is wrong? On Tuesday evening, in his talk titled “The Once and Future Worker: How Consumerist Consensus Led America Astray and How to Recover,” Oren Cass, senior fellow for policy research at the Manhattan Institute, outlined his vision for an economy that would take into account the interests of workers.
Last night, African American Society (AfAm), Latin American Student Organization (LASO) and Asian Student Alliance (ASA) joined together to put on the third annual Valentine’s Day Blind Date Dinner. The central goal of the program was to bring as many people together—breaking outside of their own Bowdoin bubbles—as possible, said Louis Mendez ’19, president of LASO.
Bowdoin students and community members gathered in Kresge on Monday for Professor Allen Springer’s inaugural lecture as the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Constitutional and International Law and Government. Speaking to a rapt audience, Springer stressed the importance of valuing international laws and institutions in his lecture, titled “Institutional Resilience in Turbulent Times.” “The question of how international institutions evolve, even survive in a changing world seems particularly relevant today,” Springer said in the opening of his lecture.
Bowdoin was again lauded as one of the top Fulbright-producing institutions for the 2018-2019 academic year, with 19 students receiving Fulbright Student grants. Among Bachelor’s institutions, only Williams had more awardees, with 22. Thirty-seven Bowdoin students had applied for Fulbright awards, yielding a 51 percent success rate.
During Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s May 1964 visit to Bowdoin, Wayne Burton ’66 asked what the civil rights movement had to do with him, a white kid at a white school in a white state.
Over the last few weeks, providers at Health Services have treated hundreds of students with flu-like symptoms. This noticeable uptick in flu cases would be unusual at most other points in the academic year, but according to Jeffrey Maher, director of health services, an increase in flu cases immediately after Winter Break is an annual occurrence.
Robert F. White ’77 P’15 has been elected unanimously to serve as the chair of Bowdoin’s Board of Trustees. His term will begin on July 1, 2019. White succeeds Michele G. Cyr ’76 P’12 who served as chair for three years and will continue to serve on the Board.
Stories of friendship, trauma and political activism share the stage this weekend at the third annual production of “RISE: Untold Stories of Bowdoin Women.” This year’s show, true to its roots, represents diverse experiences of Bowdoin women, even when they may be difficult to hear.
As Bowdoin’s housekeeping staff trudges through the snow to work in the wee hours of the morning, comparing their job title, benefits package and union representation to local counterparts is likely far from front of mind.
Broken promises and straight-up lies were the subject of discussion on Tuesday evening as two government professors tried to explain Brexit. The process has been even more complicated by the defeat of Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposed deal for the split on January 15.
In April of last year, the College announced its achievement of carbon neutrality, two years ahead of schedule. The notice came after a decade of infrastructural overhauls—a cogenerations turbine, oil to natural gas conversion, the installation of thousands of LED lights and, finally, the purchase of renewable energy credits.
On Monday afternoon, Leslie Tuttle, associate professor of history from Louisiana State University, began a talk to a packed audience in the Beam Classroom by describing the “suspicious death” of Mademoiselle de Guerchy, a tabloid star of Louis XIV’s Paris.
The Orient’s midyear approval ratings showed that the senior class is overwhelmingly dissatisfied with the Career Planning Center (CPC)—but further investigation has shown that approval varies widely by industry, with students looking to enter consulting and technology generally expressing positive sentiments while students in arts and communications are the least happy.
Political donations by Bowdoin faculty and staff surged during the 2018 midterm cycle and universally supported liberal causes, according to an Orient analysis of data from the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). Donations made by members of the College’s Board of Trustees were varied between Democratic and Republican groups and candidates, but donations to liberal causes far outnumbered donations to conservative causes.
A Pulitzer Prize winning author and a White House correspondent will be among the guests on campus for Black History Month and Beyond this year. The celebration, led by several affinity groups, will officially commence today during the Kick-Off Reception in Russwurm African American Center from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Two new buildings—an academic building named for former College President Barry Mills and a new home for the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum and Arctic Studies Program—will be constructed in the coming years on the corner of College Street and Sills Drive.
As a working group contemplates changes to Bowdoin’s libraries, students weighed in this week via a survey. “The last time H-L was renovated was 2003,” said Director of the Library Marjorie Hassen said. “As we know, things are no longer done as they were in 2003.
The Office of Residential Life (ResLife) has extended the deadline for juniors to apply to Ladd House, the sole seniors-only College House, until after Spring Break in an effort to better align the application process with the general housing lottery.
Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) sent out a survey to gauge student opinion of two widely-contested academic policies last week with the hopes of garnering momentum to convince faculty to change the policies. The first of these policies, known as the “bunching rule,” states that students with three final exams in a 48-hour period can reschedule one to a more convenient time; the second policy prevents students from declaring two minors.
Middlebury College will begin to divest its billion-dollar endowment from fossil fuels, the college announced on Tuesday. The decision is part of a four-step environmental plan, called Energy2028, that the Middlebury Board of Trustees approved last weekend.
Bowdoin’s overhaul of its cable television service will now allow students to stream and watch live TV on smartphones and laptops. In an email to students on December 21, Information Technology announced that students can access the new service, provided by Xfinity, through a Roku streaming player, a Roku compatible television, or a personal electronic device.
In response to a proposal by the U.S. Department of Education to alter regulations regarding the implementation of Title IX, the Bowdoin administration submitted its comments to the federal government on January 14. The Department of Education is accepting comments until Monday, January 28, which marks the end of a 60-day comment period.
According to Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster, new Harpswell Apartments are expected to open in the fall of 2020 in conjunction with a new policy that will bar juniors from living off campus and will allow only one-quarter of the senior class to live off-campus.
Bowdoin received a record-high 9,300 applications for the class of 2023, exceeding the previous high of 9,081 applicants from last year. The College also experienced a slight decrease in high school representation, which dropped from 4,383 schools to approximately 4,200.
As the government shutdown drags on for more than a month, it has begun to affect scientific research on campus, already forcing some faculty and students to adjust their plans. “The shutdown has definitely affected my ability to do collaborative projects,” said Patsy Dickinson, Josiah Little professor of natural sciences.
Bowdoin graduate and U.S. Army Green Beret Jonathan R. Farmer ’03 was killed in action in Syria on January 16 along with three other Americans. He was 37 years old. The Islamic State took credit for the attack in the northern city of Manbij, which killed 19 people in total after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest inside a restaurant.
In his first semester at Bowdoin, Henry Zietlow ’22 took in the lobster bake, studied plant ecophysiology and multivariable calculus and played violin in the chamber orchestra. He joined the rowing team, where he quickly became known for his contagious smile and his distinctive headbands.
For the first time when the holiday fell during the semester, the College did not hold classes on Martin Luther King Day. In lieu of beginning the semester on Monday, students were encouraged to participate in programming that focused on the life and legacy of Dr.
This past week, the Orient sent out its semesterly approval ratings survey. The survey was sent to all 1,805 students and yielded 475 responses (26.3 percent). Support for the Brunswick Police Department declined sharply from last year amid controversy over off-campus enforcement.
Henry Zietlow ’22, from St. Paul, Minnesota, died in a car crash in Wisconsin on Monday. According to a release from the Wisconsin State Patrol, Zietlow and his mother were headed north on Highway 63 near the town of Hayward when a southbound pickup truck lost control and crossed into the northbound lane, where it collided with their car.
Politics doesn’t always happen during an optimal time—a lesson Bowdoin students learned last Sunday as they headed to Washington D.C., two days before finals period began. Sixteen students joined 1,000 protesters in the nation’s capitol this weekend to sit-in and encourage House Representatives to support a resolution for a Select Committee for a Green New Deal proposed by newly elected U.S.
Some call it the case of the century, but Philip Gregory ’76 disagrees. He believes that Juliana v. United States, a climate change lawsuit seeking action on behalf of children and future generations, is the case for the future of this century.
After 40 years at Bowdoin, John Holt will leave the College at the end of the semester. Holt, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of the Humanities in Religion and Asian Studies, will spend the spring semester at the University of California, Berkeley before moving on to teach at the University of Chicago, his alma mater.
The Northern flying squirrel can glide 135 feet through the air—and a few of these furry mammals have landed in Quinby House this fall. Jeff Tuttle, senior associate director for facilities operations and maintenance, says the squirrels appear to be gone from the House but advises students to take certain precautions to prevent similar infestations in the future.
In an attempt to increase transparency, Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) has released its operating budget for the first time. Spring Gala, PolarFlix and Ivies come in as the biggest-ticket items, and students can now examine every line of the budget for themselves.
On Tuesday, six students sat in the Pickering Room of Hubbard Hall with Benje Douglas, director of gender violence prevention and education, to discuss the changes to Title IX put forth by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and to voice concerns about how these changes could affect college campuses like Bowdoin.
At the start of next semester, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Information Technology and the Office of Inclusion and Diversity will launch the first phase of the Lived Name Initiative, an effort to better accommodate trans and non-binary students, as well as others who don’t go by their legal name.
On Wednesday at Bowdoin Student Government’s (BSG) weekly meeting, the majority of students voted to adopt ranked choice voting in future elections. The proposal was brought forward by Vice President of Student Government Affairs Amber Rock ’19.
Bowdoin College sits on stolen land. The area campus occupies today was once part of the Wabanaki Confederacy and was integral to the cultural identity and survival of a network of indigenous tribes. When Europeans colonists arrived, they embarked on a program of erasure and cultural genocide that continues today.
On November 16, United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos proposed regulations to Title IX to provide a new framework for interpreting the federal civil rights law that prohibits gender discrimination in all schools receiving federal funding.
$1,500 is the minimum bond required to help reunite one family separated at the U.S.-Mexico border and was the original goal of Dave and Charlotte Willner’s ’06 Facebook fundraiser. It’s also the amount they received within 22 minutes after starting the fundraiser in June.
The day after the midterm elections, Arah Kang ’19 received a call from the director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAAJ), a national organization that advocates for civil and human rights for Asian Americans. Three hours later, Kang found herself boarding a flight to Atlanta, emailing professors to let them know that she would not be able to make class.
When Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas came to Bowdoin to speak about his experience as an undocumented immigrant last year, his words hit particularly close to home for Kathleen Armenta ’21. Armenta, the daughter of immigrant parents, said that she was fortunate to attend Vargas’ event and talk to him about her own ambitions of advocating for immigrants and defining American identity.
“I get messages every day from people saying like, ‘You helped me come out to my family’ or ‘You’re the first person I came out to.’ I’m giving people the space to have a queer community,” said Lex Horwitz ’19.
Although Bowdoin announced a new initiative to enroll military veterans last week, the strategy the College will employ to integrate these non-traditional students into campus life once they are admitted, remains to be seen. With the absence of a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at Bowdoin, this is a surprising development for the College.
Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster will be leaving Bowdoin at the end of this academic year, citing a desire to spend more time with his family before figuring out his next plans. In an email to the student body announcing Foster’s departure on Monday, President Clayton Rose noted the dean’s “profound impact” on the College and said he has already begun a national search to fill Foster’s role.
When Bart & Greg’s DVD Explosion, a DVD rental in downtown Brunswick opened by Bart D’Alauro ’95, closed at the end of 2017, D’Alauro’s beloved collection had nowhere to go. Recently, the College announced a plan to purchase 6,000 DVDs from the collection.
