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Events

Events

Author Jacob Wheeler gives talk on Bowdoin alumna Hanley Denning, the “Angel of the Dump”

On Thursday, October 6, Jacob Wheeler gave a talk at Kresge Auditorium regarding his biography, “Angel of the Dump,” which tells the story of Bowdoin alumna, Hanley Denning ’92. Denning founded the non-profit Safe Passage, the mission of which is to break the cycle of poverty in Guatemala through education, nutrition, healthcare and social services.

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Asian Heritage Month

API Heritage Month begins with remembrance

May is Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Heritage Month, and the Asian Students Alliance (ASA) is hosting a variety of events over the next month and a half to recognize and celebrate students’ heritage. This year, given the recent spike in anti-Asian hate crimes and sentiment in the United States, the month takes on increased importance for many.

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Events

Senator Susan Collins addresses political polarization and “State of Our Democracy” in discussion

On Tuesday evening, students and community members gathered on Zoom for the fifth discussion in the College’s “After the Insurrection: Conversations on Democracy” series. The event, moderated by President Clayton Rose, featured U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) as she discussed “The State of Our Democracy and Political System.” In her introductory remarks, Collins highlighted four main causes of political polarization in the United States: the role of social media, fragmentation of news, residential sorting and the expectation of political purity.

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Anti-Racism

Community gathers for vigil recognizing anti-API racism and violence

On Monday evening, as the sun began to dip below the horizon, hundreds of students, faculty and staff gathered on the quad in front of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. On the Museum steps stood leaders of the Asian Students Alliance (ASA), other students who identify as Asian and Pacific Islander (API), faculty and staff affiliated with the Office of Inclusion and Diversity and individuals and groups of allies, including the Native American Student Association (NASA) and the Black Student Union (BSU).

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Black Lives Matter

Author Emily Bazelon discusses role of prosecutors and voting in combating mass incarceration

On Tuesday evening, journalist and bestselling author Emily Bazelon spoke to the Bowdoin community about the role of prosecutors in contributing to systemic mass incarceration. Bazelon is a staff writer at the New York Times Magazine, the Truman Capote Fellow for Creative Writing and Law at Yale Law School and co-host of the Slate Political Gabfest podcast.

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Alumni

Lex Horwitz ’19 leads virtual programming series with athletic community

In a three-part virtual programming series, Lex Horwitz ’19, a queer, non-binary transmasculine LGBTQ+ educator and activist, and a former member of the Bowdoin men’s squash team, has returned to Bowdoin to share their knowledge and experiences with the Bowdoin athletic community, providing insight into how to cultivate a more inclusive and supportive environment for all.

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Academic

Brown professor Corey Brettschneider addresses the Constitution and the presidency in virtual visit

On Monday night, in collaboration with the Phi Beta Kappa visiting scholars program, 2020-21 Carl F. Cranor Visiting Scholar Professor Corey Brettschneider came to Bowdoin for a virtual visit and lecture on his book “The Oath and the Office: A Guide to the Constitution for Future Presidents.” Brettschneider, a professor of political science at Brown University and a visiting professor of law at Fordham Law School, spoke to members of the Bowdoin community about the constitutional powers and limits designated to the President of the United States.

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Climate Change

Sunrise Bowdoin hosts climate justice panel

On Wednesday, Sunrise Bowdoin hosted “Envisioning Climate Justice: A Progressive Policy Panel.” The event featured Hannah Vogel, staffer for Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey; Arjun Krishnaswami from the National Resources Defense Council and 2020 Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins.

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Alumni

Suzanne Nossel brings conversation on free speech and misinformation to College’s democracy series

Suzanne Nossel, free speech advocate and Chief Executive Officer of PEN America, a nationwide organization that strives to protect free expression, virtually visited Bowdoin on Monday evening to participate in the College’s “After the Insurrection: Conversations on Democracy” series that explores the current state and future of the country’s democracy.

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Black Lives Matter

Beverly Tatum H’06 speaks to Bowdoin community in annual MLK lecture

This Wednesday, over 50 years after Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to the Bowdoin community in May of 1964, the annual lecture commemorating King took place online, featuring renowned speaker and author Beverly Tatum, H’06. Tatum, president emerita of Spelman College, is the author of the bestselling book “Why Are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria” and a leading speaker on issues of race and racism.

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Anti-Racism

Virtual Black History Month programming to focus on amplifying Black voices, dismantling racism

Programming for this year’s Black History Month opened with a dialogue between three prominent alumni. This conversation, a reflection on the history, barriers and foundational principles of the Harlem Children’s Zone, was moderated by President Clayton Rose and featured founders of the Harlem’s Children’s Zone Geoffrey Canada ’74 H’07, George Khaldun ’73 and Stanley Druckenmiller ’75 H’07.

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Black Lives Matter

Understanding the election through the 1619 Project

On Friday afternoon, less than 24 hours before the results of the U.S. presidential election were announced by major news outlets , four history professors—Geoffrey Canada Associate Professor of Africana Studies and History Brian Purnell, Professor of History Dallas Denery, Associate Professor of History Meghan Roberts and Associate Professor of History and Environmental Studies Matthew Klingle—gathered for the fourth panel in the department’s fall semester programming on the New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project, titled “The 1619 Project and Making Sense of the 2020 Election.” The panel began with a discussion about the legacy of Black women in American politics, with Roberts quoting from Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University Martha Jones’s 2020 book, “Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All.” Roberts noted that Stacey Abrams has devoted herself to political organizing in Georgia since her loss in the state’s 2018 gubernatorial race.

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Elections 2020

Haaland talks policy and Native representation in Zoom event

On Monday night, Representative Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) spoke to members of the Bowdoin community over Zoom on a range of issues, including the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the recent presidential election and climate change. Haaland was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018, and, as a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, was one of the first two Native American women to serve in Congress.

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Election

Government professors consider potential election outcomes

On Tuesday evening, in collaboration with the government department and Bowdoin Votes, the McKeen Center for the Common Good hosted a panel titled “Anticipating the Unanticipated: Puzzling Through What Might Happen Post-Election.” Moderated by Sarah Chingos, director of the Bowdoin public service initiative, the panel featured  Thomas Brackett Reed Professor of Government Andrew Rudalevige, Professor of Government Michael Franz and Assistant Professor of Government Maron Sorenson.

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Alumni

Looking ahead: alumni discuss the future of the Supreme Court

Three alumni gathered on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the life and legacy of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as well as the role of the Supreme Court following her death. Moderated by Katie Benner ’99, a journalist covering the Justice Department for the New York Times, the panel consisted of Nancy Bellhouse May ’78, a longtime Court observer and editor of The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process, and Dennis Hutchinson ’69, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School, legal scholar and former federal clerk.

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CXD

CXD eXplore Series brings career talks to students’ living rooms

Despite challenges presented by COVID-19 and a remote semester, Career Exploration and Development (CXD) is finding ways to support Bowdoin students from a distance as they explore different career paths. The CXD eXplore Series, which began last weekend and continues this Saturday, brings together students and alumni to discuss possible career paths.

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Coronavirus

Families to explore Bowdoin during remote Family Weekend

Family Weekend, a long-time Bowdoin tradition, has gone fully virtual for the fall 2020 semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The celebration, which started yesterday and will end on Saturday, features a mix of synchronous and asynchronous online events intended to recreate some of the essence of the traditionally in-person occasion.

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Campus

On-campus event brings together first-gen students

On Saturday, the Student Center for Multicultural Life hosted a retreat for first-generation (first-gen) first-year students living on campus. The event, which lasted the better part of the day, took place in Farley Field House, where the 26 first-year participants, six first-generation upperclassmen discussion leaders and staff and faculty who participated in a panel and delivered presentations were able to safely gather while maintaining social distance.

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Anti-Racism

Bowdoin alum addresses race, crime and COVID-19

Cara Drinan ’96, a professor of law at the Catholic University of America, joined Bowdoin students and faculty on October 7 for a virtual discussion titled “Race, Crime and COVID-19.” Drinan has become a prominent figure in the battle for criminal justice reform, specializing in the right to counsel and juvenile sentencing.

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Elections 2020

Eric Holder addresses the Bowdoin community

On Thursday night, former Attorney General Eric Holder participated in a Zoom conversation with members of the Bowdoin community. Holder is best known for his service during the Obama administration from 2009 to 2015 as the first African American Attorney General in United States history, but he has also served in previous presidential administrations, including as Deputy Attorney General during the Clinton administration and as Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia during the Reagan administration.

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Academic Affairs

Senator King addresses partisanship and the election at Zoom talk

In lieu of speaking about Joshua Chamberlain at the annual convening dinner, Senator Angus King (I-ME) took part in a Zoom conversation with the Bowdoin and Brunswick communities on Thursday night, addressing a variety of pertinent political issues, such as the upcoming election, the nomination of a new Supreme Court Justice, the growing partisanship in Congress and the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Events

Virtual Santagata Lecture opens debate on 2020 election

On Monday night, in the first Santagata Lecture ever to be held virtually, Thomas Bracket Reed Professor of Government Andrew Rudalevige moderated a political debate between political journalists Jonah Goldberg and Mara Liasson. Goldberg is a conservative columnist and a former editor of “National Review,” a right-leaning magazine.

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Events

‘Under Fire’ in a ‘more perfect union’: April Ryan talks White House reporting

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.

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Events

Students, community share different perspectives on guns

Bowdoin students and Brunswick residents gathered in Morrell Lounge on Wednesday night to share their perspectives on gun rights and gun control. The conversation was part of the What Matters series, organized by the Joseph McKeen Center for the Common Good and Makeshift Coffee House, an organization that facilitates open conversations about various topics all around Maine.

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Events

Peter Skerry on immigration: ‘It’s not about your grandmother’

Yesterday afternoon, Peter Skerry, a professor of political science at Boston College and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, shared his views on immigration policy in a talk titled “It’s Not About Your Grandmother! Some Dispassionate Reflections on Immigration.” Drawing on trends and attitudes towards immigration to the United States the past three decades, Skerry aimed to point out flaws in both the left’s and right’s dominant narratives on immigration.

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Events

Roxane Gay talks #metoo, Black Panther and imperfection

In the introduction to her book “Bad Feminist,” Roxane Gay accepts the moniker because she is “flawed and human,” but that she feels a responsibility to raise her voice “to show all the ways we have room to want more, to do better.” At Gay’s Monday night talk, the Bowdoin community proved anxious to listen to that voice.

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Events

Jose Antonio Vargas discusses immigration, discomfort and finding home

Jose Antonio Vargas is home. His California driver’s license may look a little different than a citizen’s, but—in front of a packed Kresge Auditorium last night for the Kenneth V. Santagata Memorial Lecture—he shared his personal struggle to feel like he belongs in America as an undocumented immigrant, and he challenged Bowdoin students to undertake the uncomfortable conversations necessary in today’s immigration debate.

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Activism

‘How to be a better environmentalist’: professors, community activists weigh in

Students, faculty, staff and community members packed the Shannon Room last night to consider what types of environmental activism are most effective. The panel, titled “Consumerism, Activism, and Individualism: How to be a Better Environmentalist,” was planned by Lauren Hickey ’20 over the course of several months on behalf of the Office of Sustainability.

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Black History At Bowdoin

MLK to #MeToo: Michael Eric Dyson talks, raps and inspires conversation on race

Prolific author and sociologist, Baptist minister, rap and pop culture connoisseur and dynamic storyteller, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson packed Kresge Auditorium on Tuesday to deliver the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture. Dyson’s talk, titled “MLK for the 21st Century,” set out to imagine King’s vision in the context of contemporary issues such as police violence, sexism, homophobia and patriarchal power, sexual violence and the #MeToo movement.

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Events

Government talks bring diversity into politics

Spurred by student and faculty efforts to bring more diverse perspectives to campus, guest speaker Henry Olsen shared a decidedly conservative viewpoint this Tuesday in a talk titled “The Once and Future New Deal Republican: Saving Reagan From Reaganism.” As a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C., Olsen focused much of his talk on arguments he advances in his new book, “The Working Class Republican: Ronald Reagan and the Return of Blue-Collar Conservatism.” He argues that President Reagan’s core principle was human dignity, not human liberty, and that Reaganism is similar to both Roosevelt’s New Deal policies and President Donald Trump’s economic policies.

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