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Bowdoin Orient
The

DECEMBER 4, 2015

LEAN ON ME

HY KHONG, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

Modern I Repertory and Performance (above) performs in the Department of Theater and Dances December Dance last night in Pickard Theater. The classs performance, titled In the Running, was choreographed by Senior Lecturer in Dance
Performance Gwyneth Jones. The December Dance concert presents performances from repertory classes and this year includes a work-in-progress, Untitled Diagrams, by Laura Peterson, visiting artist in theater and dance, and members of
her company, Laura Peterson Choreography. The concert will run tonight and tomorrow night in Pickard at 8 p.m.

New distribution system complicates

release of Bowdoin-Colby hockey tickets Students to vote on creation
of BSG Multicultural Rep
RACE AT BOWDOIN

BY KATIE MIKLUS
ORIENT STAFF

This year student tickets for the

93rd Bowdoin-Colby mens hockey
game were distributed differently
than in the pastthey were released
100 at a time, in six separate increments on Monday and Tuesday.
As a result, some students waited
in David Saul Smith Union for as
long as an hour to get their tickets,
and some of those who waited in
line were turned awaythe Athletics Department ultimately only

released 525 tickets, 75 fewer than

initially announced.
I dont think its a good system,
said Director of Student Activities
Nate Hintze.
He said that he thinks the major
problem is the limit on available student tickets.
I personally wish we had enough
tickets that every student was able to
go. I dont like having to limit who
gets to go, he said.
The Athletics Department does
not release enough tickets for the
entire student body. According to

Ashmead White Director of Athletics Tim Ryan, a certain number of

tickets are set aside every year for
alumni, staff, community members
and Colby students. In addition, the
Athletics Department recalled 75 of
the student tickets that were set to
be given out on Tuesday at 4 p.m.,
leaving only 25 for distribution during the final block.
Ryan said that the athletics department recalled the tickets to accommodate members of the Bow-

Please see TICKETS, page 4

Person of interest in sexual assault arrested

Self-defense classes organized; juniors returning from studying away have mixed
reactions to living off-campus in light of recent safety concerns.

BY MARINA AFFO AND NICOLE WETSMAN

ORIENT STAFF

A 55-year-old Bath man, arrested

after allegedly breaking into a womans home and exposing himself, has
been identified as a person of interest in the ongoing investigation into
the reported sexual assault at Bowdoin last month, according to an article in the Bangor Daily News.
Stephen McIntire was convicted of
gross sexual assault in 1997. He was
also convicted in 2015 for failing to
comply with the sex offender registry and for violating peeping tom
laws at the Hyde School in Bath.
McIntire attended the support
group for sex offenders that was
held, until recently, at the First Parish Church just off the Colleges
campus. The group was told that
they could no longer meet there af-

ter the College voiced concerns to

the church following the reported
sexual assault.
The police are still looking into
other persons of interest as part of
their ongoing investigation according to Brunswick Police Department
Commander Mark Waltz.
The Office of Safety and Security
is continuing to assist the Brunswick Police by sharing information
that we have that may be helpful to
the investigation, said Director of
Safety Security Randy Nichols in an
email to the Orient. Often investigative leads come to the attention
of Security, and that information is
immediately passed on to the police.
We communicate with the police
continually and we receive regular
briefings and updates from them.
On Tuesday, Bowdoin Student
Government (BSG) announced

that the Office of Safety and Security, Student Activities, the Office
of Gender Violence Prevention and
Education and the Womens Resource Center had organized three
free self defense classes, to be held
today and Saturday. According to
the email from BSG President Danny Mejia-Cruz 16, the classes will
be held again next semester if there
is enough interest.
According to Nichols, the increased security and police controls,
extended shuttle hours and modified
student parking rules are continuing.
Safety concerns seemed to have
affected some of the 131 students
who will be returning to campus for
the spring semester after studying
away. Twelve returning students will
be living off-campus with the rest

BY RACHAEL ALLEN AND JOHN BRANCH

ORIENT STAFF

On Wednesday, Bowdoin Student

Government (BSG) unanimously
voted to pass a resolution in support
of creating the position of Multicultural Representative, an addition to
the BSG assembly that would serve
as a liaison between the Multicultural Coalition and the BSG.
For the position to officially be
created, the BSG constitution must
be amended. To do this, a third of
the student body now has to vote
and within that group, two-thirds
have to vote in favor of the amendment. Students will be able to vote
from December 9 to 12 on the constitutional amendment creating the
position online.
If the amendment creating the position passes, each group of the Mul-

ticultural Coalition, which consists

of 17 campus groups, will have one
vote for the representative in early
February, choosing from within the
membership of any of the multicultural clubs.
The Multicultural Coalition, and
the student groups within, along
with the Student Center for Multicultural Life do a lot of programming around race and culture, said
Evelyn Sanchez 17. We feel a lot
of these events are attended by the
same people who happen to be students of color. We feel that a lot of
other students could greatly benefit
from the events and would like to if
only greater organizations such as
BSG advertised them.
Sanchez, who organized campaigning around the Multicultural

Please see REP, page 3

President Rose addresses race in pair of emails

In an email to campus Thursday, President Clayton Rose announced a plan to conduct
a study with outside researchers about racial inequalities at Bowdoin. Camille Charles,
director of the Center for Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and Rory
Kramer, an assistant professor of sociology and criminology at Villanova University,
will study the differing experiences of students of color and the ways that Bowdoins
policies contribute to those differences, as well as making recommendations about
possible new practices to address these issues. According to Roses email, the research
will encompass analyses of various data, as well as interviews and meetings with
students, faculty and staff during campus visits next semester.
Earlier this week, Rose also announced that he would host a Town Hall meeting centered around the question, Why do issues of race matter if Im white?That meeting
will take place in Smith Union next Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Please see SAFETY, page 3

THE FIRST GENERATION EXPERIENCE

See pages 8 and 9. The Orient explores the challenges and
triumphs of being a first-generation student at Bowdoin.

news

the bowdoin orient

friday, december 4, 2015

VICTORIA YU, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

Juice bar lives up to its name,

offers diverse drink options
SECURITY REPORT: 11/20 to 12/3
Friday, November 20
An unregistered event was dispersed
at Harpswell Apartments.
A Coffin Street Extension neighbor
reported loud noise from groups of students walking on the street. A woman
who lives on the street reported that one
drunken student used offensive language
with her.
An officer checked on the wellbeing of
a student with flu symptoms at Winthrop
Hall.
A fire alarm at Burnett House was
caused by cooking smoke.
Loud noise was reported on the third
floor at Appleton Hall.
A noise complaint was reported at
West Hall.
Saturday, November 21
A razor scooter that was reported stolen at Maine Hall was recovered and returned to the owner.
Wall vandalism was reported in the
basement of Ladd House following a registered event.
A student with a medical emergency
near First Parish Church was taken to
Mid Coast Hospital by Brunswick Rescue.
The student refused treatment and was
released.
A student was cited for possession
of alcohol on Park Row near Brunswick
Apartments.
Sunday, November 22
An officer checked on the wellbeing

of an intoxicated and disruptive student at

Moore Hall.
Two students were warned for urinating in public at Brunswick Apartments.
An intoxicated student vomited in the
womens rest room at Thorne Hall. The
student was billed for the housekeeper
call-in and overtime.
An officer responded to a report of an
intoxicated student at Moore Hall.
An officer assisted a distraught student at Coles Tower.
A student was warned for driving at
an unsafe speed on Coles Tower Drive.
A student took responsibility for a
window that was broken by his guest at a
Ladd House registered event.
At the request of a parent, an officer
checked on the wellbeing of a sick student
at Osher Hall.
Monday, November 23
An unregistered event was dispersed
on the third floor of Stowe Inn.
A student fell and cut his head at a
Ladd House event and was transported to
Mid Coast Hospital.
Excessive noise was reported on the
third floor of Appleton Hall.
An officer checked on the wellbeing of an intoxicated student at Quinby
House.
Saturday, November 28
Ojime beads were reported stolen
from the gift shop at the Museum of
Art.

STUDENT SPEAK

BY JULIA OROURKE

MIRANDA HALL

ORIENT STAFF

Sunday, November 29
A vehicle operated by a campus visitor
struck a sign post at the Dayton parking
lot.
Monday, November 30
Two unidentified men were seen stealing an unlocked white Cinelli bike near
Brunswick Apartment D.
A fire alarm at Farley Field House was
caused by an apparent malfunction.
A 24-year-old Brunswick man was
issued a criminal trespass warning for all
campus property following reports of inappropriate interactions with women.
Tuesday, December 1
A student immediately took responsibility for accidentally activating a fire
alarm pull station on the third floor of
Coles Tower. As such, the student will not
be held responsible for the fire department response costs.
An officer assisted an ill student at
MacMillan House.
Wednesday, December 2
A student reported seeing a suspicious
character walking near Baxter House. It
turned out to be just a suspicious-looking
faculty member.
Thursday, December 3
Loud music and noise coming from
Brunswick Apartment Q at 1:40 a.m. was
disturbing nearby residents. Two students
were directed to cease the noise.

I saw a new side of the Pub as I entered the opening of Jacks Juice Bar
around 9:40 a.m. on Tuesday morning.
As a frequenter of the Caf, I am used
to kicking off the day of classes with
a Sunrise Smoothie or a London Fog.
Ready to switch it up, I browsed the
nine options on the juice menu.
The first thing I noticed was that
each drink combines vegetables and
fruit. Since I am not a vegetable lover, I
relied on the juicers recommendation:
Rise and Shine. The Rise and Shine
consists of carrot, ginger, apple, orange
and lemon. The drink totaled $5, which
is pricier than my typical Caf indulgences. Nevertheless, I was excited to
give it a try.
The juice itself was fresh and flavorful
and a bright orange color. I was pleased
to find that the vegetable component
of the juice was not overwhelming and
happily sipped it while doing my math
homework in a quiet atmosphere.
I didnt see many of my peers during
my time at the juice bar. I did, however,
get a chance to talk to Adeena Fisher,
manager of dining retail operations
for dining services, as she oversaw the
opening day.
We did not advertise heavily for today, said Fisher, who noted that about 15
to 20 customers had come in before me.
I wanted to make sure we all
knew what we were doing and get
comfortable, she said. I have high
hopes for tomorrow.
Sarah Kinney 19 kept me company
at Jacks Juice Bar and tried the Rise

and Shine as well.

I probably wouldnt go for the same
one I did before, but it was a lot better than
I expected, said Sarah of her juice choice.
Sarah was especially surprised to see
that a drink called the Power Up contained kale.
It reminds me of an actual juice bar,
and I thought it was going to be more
of a smoothie place, she said.
I, too, was pleasantly surprised to
see that the juice bar was true to its
name. Although I typically opt for
smoothies, I can get one at the Caf.
Jacks Juice Bar remains very independent from its caf neighbor by
having a very different menu with a
variety of healthy juice choices.
I created the recipes, and we tested
them out, said Fisher, who is a selfproclaimed juicer. Plans were made in
the summer for the juice bar, which was
initially going to open after Fall Break.
The only thing that postponed us
was that we had some refrigeration being built, where the fruits and veggies
get stored, said Fisher.
As a result of the high cost of fruit,
Jacks is inherently more expensive than
the Caf. Sarah, who is also a frequenter
of the Caf, noticed this difference.
Theyre pretty expensive, she
said. So, Im not going to be coming
here everyday.
For Sarah and me, the Caf is a more
cost-effective choice, but we still plan
on indulging in some healthy juice
from time to time.
We are open 8 to 11 a.m. Monday
to Friday for the next three weeks, and
then well reevaluate our hours for the

What do you do for your study break?

Arah Kang 19

Rachel Mann 18

Hector Magaa 16

Cook and bake things - try

new food.

Go outside and look for

dogs on the quad.

Take a two-hour Tumblr

break.

Julia Berkman-Hill 17

Nicole Smith 16

Go to Studz and play the

piano really badly.

Cry.

COMPILED BY JENNY IBSEN

friday, december 4, 2015

the bowdoin orient

Bias Incident Display in

Union raises awareness of
racial issues on campus

REP
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
representative, referenced the success
of the events of No Hate November.
We also think that having the
Multicultural rep be there will allow
for these issues to be addressed proactively, rather than reactively, Sanchez said. [Programming] can be
throughout the year and not just allotted to a month or week, not just allotted to No Hate November.
The proposal for the position was
originally introduced to the BSG last

SAFETY
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
JENNY IBSEN, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

UNTOLD STORIES: In response to recent conversations about race on campus, the African
American Society has hung a Bias Incident Display (above) in Smith Union. The poster displays
anonymous student stories of bias incidents at Bowdoin and aims to spread awareness about
the prevalence of racial issues on Bowdoins campus.
BY LUCY RYAN

ORIENT STAFF

In an attempt to generate awareness of racial issues on campus, the

African American Society (Af-Am)
put up a Bias Incident Display in
Smith Union on Friday, November
20. The displaya poster with stories of student experiencesaims
to bring to light the often underdiscussed and overlooked microaggressions that minority groups are
subject to routinely at Bowdoin.
The idea for the display originated when Mariam Nimaga 17, a
member of the Af-Am board and
head of Af-Ams Activism Committee, attended a meeting with President Clayton Rose, Dean of Student
Affairs Tim Foster and other Af-Am
board members as well as leaders
from various multicultural groups
on campus. The meeting was held
in response to Octobers Gangster
Party incident and the campuswide discussions surrounding race
that followed.
People shared their stories, and
these were stories I didnt know
about, Rose didnt know about and
Foster didnt know about, said
Nimaga. I realized that peoples stories should be known.
The stories display a range of reports
of race, religion and sexuality-based offenses both on and off campus.
Im hoping that this [display]
will expose to students, faculty and
staff that students are going through
these bias incidents. Even though
they might not report it, its still happening on campus, said Nimaga.
While some stories recount various slurs shouted from passing cars
in Brunswick, others tell of bias incidents among students, staff and
faculty. One story describes an encounter when a white staff member
asked a black student whether or
not the use of the n-word in a song
was appropriate. The student said
no, and the staff member sang the
song regardless.
Two of the stories report Bowdoin
Security stopping and questioning

students of color and requesting to

see their student IDs while the students were on campus.
Another recounts a sexual encounter during which the author
felt fetishized and unsafe because
the man she was with would repeatedly ask her if she were a lesbian, as
he had seen her name on the OutPeers list.
I repeatedly told him no[he]
was fixated on my queerness, the
story read.
One story explained, Telling the
stories and incidents that have happened to me on campus cannot begin to describe the pain I feel inside.
This display is the first of its kind
at the College. Each story was anonymously submitted through a survey
that Nimaga shared with members of
Af-Am, the Womens Resource Center,
the Africa Alliance and the Colleges
multicultural coalition.
These students are probably not
comfortable reporting them, or they
just deal with them because they
happen so often, said Nimaga.
The Bias Incident Display will be
up in the Union for three weeks.
A lot of students do feel that here
at Bowdoin, were just studying, everything is great, but these things do
happen, Nimaga said.
The display was not the Colleges
only response to bias incident events
on campus. The Colleges Bias Incident Group, composed of students
and faculty and chaired by Rose, is
now working to outline specific procedures for how the school can most
appropriately respond to different
types of bias incidents. According to
an email from the group sent to students, faculty and staff on November 24, the group plans to define this
protocol within the first two weeks
of the spring semester.
All members of the Bowdoin
community are encouraged to send
ideas and comments for the Bias Incident Group to biasincidentgroup@
bowdoin.edu before winter break.
The group plans to have a proposal
for bias incident protocol in the first
two weeks of the new semester.

planning to live in on campus housing. Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs Scott Hood
said that this is consistent with the
ratio of students living on and off
campus this fall. Eva Sibinga 17 is
currently in Rome and is planning
on living at an off campus residence
on Spring Street when she returns
next semester. Although she is aware
of the recent security concerns, she
is not planning on changing her living arrangements.
Honestly it didnt even cross my
mind to change my housing plans,
said Sibinga in a message to the Orient. I cant feel the campus changing
nearly as acutely when I am not on it.
She says that she is currently on
guard when she is walking around

news

year by Kiki Nakamura-Koyama 17

and Charlotte McLaughry 15. However, it was not voted on at the time
due to logistical issues.
We got the proposal from last
year, looked it over, reworked it,
edited it to make it more relevant
to whats happening now, said Michelle Kruk 16, BSGs vice president
for student government affairs.
Historically, the BSG has not been
as diverse and has not been as active
in these issues, but we do think by
having a rep, we can guarantee that institutional, systemic response to these
issues because we can hold someone

accountable to that, Sanchez said.

Kruk agreed, emphasizing the permanence that the position gives to
multicultural voices in BSG.
I dont think that the programming we do around multicultural
life is enough, nor is it sustainable. It
changes depending on who is doing
the programs or whos on campus that
year, she said. I want some permanent legacy here, to be able to say that
regardless of whether or not we have
a diverse body within the student assembly there will be someone on
the assembly whose job it is to bring
these things up.

the streets of Rome, something she

never felt she had to do while at
Bowdoin.
Victoria Pitaktong 17 is abroad in
Bejing and, while not changing her
plans, is concerned about housing.
I couldnt change my plan now
so I [have to] go with it. I am just
worried because my house is very
far away and it is a long walk in the
dark, Pitaktong said in a message to
the Orient. I feel like if [an incident
like the sexual assault] can still happen [in college housing], I dont feel
comfortable living off campus anymore. So its just scary.
Danny Mejia 17, who is abroad in
India, will be living in an off-campus
house at 41 Harpswell next semester.
[Recent security concerns have]
had zero effect on where Ive chosen
to livemainly because we had chosen [41 Harpswell] before the security
concerns arose, Mejia said in a mes-

sage to the Orient. I was shocked,

saddened [to hear the same problems
of gender discrimination surrounding me in India are existing in Brunswick]. But as a male, I personally do
not have concerns for living off-campus [especially because of 41 Harpswells proximity to campus].
While no students have asked for
a change in residence from off-campus to on-campus in light of recent
security concerns, the College will
continue to be aware.
At this point, we dont know of
any students asking to change their
off-campus housing plans to move
back on campus. This includes those
students who are currently studying
away and who will be returning for
the spring semester, said Hood in
an email to the Orient. Of course,
this could change and it is something we will continue to keep an
eye on.

news

TICKETS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
doin community who are traveling
to attend the game.
Under the theory that students are here on campus already,
it seemed like it might be an easier
process for students to be the ones
who went to the will-call table for
tickets that might be released, rather
than people who might be traveling
to campus for the game, he said.
Time will tell if that was a good
idea or not.
Hintze also attributes the rush
for tickets this year to the fact that
they were distributed in a more central locationthe Student Activities
Desk. In previous years, they were
distributed from the Athletics Department office on the second floor
of the Peter Buck Center for Health
and Fitness.

the bowdoin orient

People didnt know where second
floor Buck was, said Hintze.
They would post it in the [Student] Digest that tickets were available at Buck, and I dont think a lot
of students read the Student Digest,
he added.
Last year, the Student Activities Office offered to distribute the
tickets in the Union during one
time slot. According to Hintze, this
solved the location problem but led
to other inconveniences.
There was a complete run on the
tickets, so if you had class at nine in
the morning, you didnt get a ticket,
he said.
As a result, the Student Activities
Office created this years system, in
which 100 tickets were distributed
during each one-hour block.
Some students expressed annoyance about the limited number of
tickets available to them.
We have a large enough stadium

to hold everyone on campus, so it

would be more logical to have everyone have a ticket, said Ben Wolf
18. Its definitely a lot more trouble
than students should have to go to to
see the game.
However, others praised the more convenient pickup location for the tickets.
I liked the blocks and doing it
there [in the Union], first of all because I didnt have to walk the stairs,
and second of all because whenever
they had it before, I wasnt awake or
I had class at that time. So I think
this is a little bit better, said Westly
Garcia 17.
Both Hintze and Ryan agree that
there are kinks in the system that will
need to be worked out in future years.
I think what well do is sit down
after the game has been played and
think about how we distribute tickets and see if theres a better way for
us to do it next year, said Ryan.

friday, december 4, 2015

Students petition after

sculpture professors
contract not renewed
BY JAMES CALLAHAN
ORIENT STAFF

In response to the Colleges decision not to renew Sculptor in Residence John Bisbees contract, over 30
current and former students of Bisbee
have rallied around the instructor, circulating a petition asking administrators to reconsider their decision.
Co-written by students Kenny
Shapiro 17 and Nicole Smith 16,
the petition will be sent to President
Clayton Rose, Dean of Academic
Affairs Jen Scanlon and Chair of the
Visual Arts Department Michael
Kolster in an effort to convince them
to keep Bisbee.
We ask the administration to
reconsider the decision to let John
Bisbee go. To do so is to remove
someone who has, for almost twenty years, been a positive fixture not
only in the art department but also
in the Bowdoin community. Please
do not deny countless Bowdoin students present and future the chance
to take class with an exceptional
and irreplaceable artist, teacher,
friend and mentor, reads the letter
in part.
Bisbee first started working at
Bowdoin in the 1996 and has worked
part time, teaching only in the fall.
During the rest of the year, he works
at his studio in Fort Andross on fantastical sculptures made using 12inch nails and spikes.
Bisbee declined to comment on
the record about the petition.
[The petition] is a public vote of
confidence for Bisbee just because, for
whatever reason, the administration
doesnt think he should be here, and
thats clearly so out of line with what
his students think, said Shapiro.
Scanlon said she does not comment on personnel matters.
Kolster explained that following
the hiring of Assistant Professor of
Art Jackie Brown in the spring of
2014, Bisbees position was no longer needed and, as such, was converted to a digital media position.
In late spring 2014, given that
our sculpture classes now were being taught by [a] full-time permanent faculty member dedicated to
that area, the department unanimously decided to convert the halftime three-year Artist in Residence
position from a sculptor to a digital media artist, wrote Kolster in
an email to the Orient. The Dean
for Academic Affairs approved our
request... and all concerned parties
were notified of this decision at that
time.
Kolster further characterized
these decisions as part of a larger,
ongoing effort on the part of the department to expand and strengthen

their offerings.
We are pleased that now we have
full-time permanent positions dedicated to the instruction of all five
of the primary media comprising
our major course of study: drawing,
painting, sculpture, printmaking
and photography...This is in sharp
contrast to ten years ago when we
had, effectively, only two full-time
faculty lines dedicated to drawing
and painting, he said.
Many students, however, are saddened at the loss of Bisbee.
The reason I pursued art here is
because of John Bisbee, Gina Stalica
16 said. His classes are just completely different than any classes Ive
taken here, which for me was absolutely necessary because they forced
me to think in a way that was different from anything that Id experienced in my life and especially in a
class at Bowdoin.
Other students echoed similar
sentiments.
John Bisbees teaching style
is definitely unorthodox and hes
been described as an eccentric figure at Bowdoin, but Im afraid that
if the school doesnt want to keep
him that says that they dont value
that kind of openness, generosity
of spirit and intuitiveness, Emily
Simon 17 said. I think its great
that we have other professors in the
department who are more focused
on technique...but Bisbee is just as
rigorous, he just takes a different
approach and style. I think its important we have a range of styles in
any given discipline.
He is this dog-loving, bearded
nail sculptor who has an eye for the
beauty that surrounds him, said
Mariah Reading 16. I learned more
from him in the first day of his public art class than I have learned from
any other professor at Bowdoinso
much that Im doing an independent
study in painting with him this semester despite the fact that he is a
sculptor and not a painter.
As a teacher here for 20 years, hes
been instrumental to so many students personal growth and creativity. I feel sad that future Bowdoin
students wont be changed by Bisbee,
as I know so many have been, said
Haleigh Collins 17.
After the end of this semester, Bisbee will return to his private studio
in Fort Andross to work full-time on
his sculptures.
Ideally the administration would
reconsider their decision but if
nothing else we just want John and
the community to know how valued
he is, Smith said in an email to the
Orient. Hes done so many amazing
things for so many of his students
and that deserves recognition.

friday, december 4, 2015

FEATURES

the bowdoin orient

Butternut
Squash
over break
BY ELIZA HUBERWEISS
COLUMNIST

COURTESY OF THEBOWDOINGLOBALIST.COM

GLOBAL: The Globalist, previously a completely print publication, has moved to an online-only platform that reaches a much wider audience and decreases the publishing costs significantly.

The Globalist moves to solely online platform

BY MARTIN SHOTT
ORIENT STAFF

At a time when many news publications on college campuses nationwide

are moving toward online content, it has
become increasingly hard to sustain print
production. In response to this pressure,
the Bowdoin Globalist has decided to
transition to entirely online publication.
Founded as a magazine in 2011, The
Bowdoin Globalist publishes long-form
articles that cover topics ranging from
international affairs to pop culture. Student writers are free to engage with topics of their choice.
We didnt want to just be an Economist. Fundamentally, if were trying to
be an Economist and were students, we
have few contacts and less experience.
Why would anyone read us if they can

just read the Economist? said Globalist

Editor-in-Chief Mark Pizzi 16. It doesnt
really make sense.
In its new form, The Globalist is able to
publish articles as theyre written, rather
than waiting for the quarterly print release, and can stay more relevant in the
age of the 24-hour news cycle. Additionally, the online model allows for a far greater
degree of control over article length, multimedia and interactive content.
We can actually have content that is
not weirdly behind the news cycle. Were
not trying to have headlines and breaking news, but we want to be relevant and
interesting to the readers, said Globalist
Editor-in-Chief Nick Tonkens 16.
In its first few years, the magazine went
through multiple policy changes, and
encountered challenges of funding and
distribution. Above all, however, was the

need to ensure that members of the Bowdoin community were reading and enjoying their content.
As a publication, you always need to
be concerned about momentum. You
lose your best people every single year,
said Tonkens. You lose a quarter of
potential viewership every single year.
Keeping momentum is an existential
challenge for the publication. We were
very concerned about that.
Student organizations are required
to secure funding through the Student
Activities Funding Committee (SAFC),
which reviews and approves proposed
budgets. An overwhelming majority of
the magazines expenses involved printing
and distribution, which made it difficult
to justify the print model.
In August, Pizzi, Tonkens and Globalist Editor-in-Chief Drew van Kuiken 17

decided to move The Globalist to the web.

I realized that I was reading more Orient articles than I was reading of anything
else, because they were on my Facebook
feed and my friends were writing them
and saying heres what I said about this
issue, said Pizzi. Why are we not taking
advantage of this?
First, [the website] would take away
the time-of-publishing element. We could
publish instantly, said Tonkens. Secondly, it costs $100 per year instead of $3,000.
That means Bowdoin is paying a fraction
of the cost, and we dont have to do quite
as much work to get the funding. The
third issue is distribution. We can now
publish individual articles by Facebook
and Twitter and instantly get exposure.
Less than a month into its online

This weekend, I went to Stew Leonards, in Norwalk, Connecticut. For anyone who does not know, Stew Leonards
is like if an Ikea, a grocery store, and an
amusement park got put in a Cuisinart
and congealed together. Upon entering
the store, one follows a trail marked by
yellow duck feet on the floor through a
labyrinth of food sections, and throughout the store there are mechanized
stuffed animals swinging around little
trapezes with signs above them that say,
We flip for our customers! Along the
way you come to stations where digital
clocks with big red letters count down
the time until the next show; show, here,
referring to robotic milk cartons singing
Christmas carols, or huge dogs dressed
in overalls playing banjos and singing an
indiscernible and jaunty tune, probably
brimming with canine puns.
I was taken there by my very excited
22-year-old girlfriend who made me wait
at every one of these stations (the dogs
were her favorite) so that I could experience the magic of her childhood food
shopping experience. In my pocket was a
shopping list from her mother, who had
offered to share one of her recipes with
me. I was extremely honored because she
is one of those people that is The Cook
of every circle she is part of. I was also
a little worried that I would overstep my
boundary with a suggestion to use local
products, but thankfully, my also very
dutiful and wonderful girlfriend pointed
that out so that I wouldnt have to. So, the
recipe of the evening was amended to
fit the produce available locally, and so,
friends, again, I bring to you, soup.

Please see GLOBALIST, page 6

Please see SQUASH, page 6

Mulling unshackles Liberty creek from tasteless oppression

BOTTOM OF
THE BARREL
WILL DANFORTH AND MARTIN KRZYWY
As part of their recovery from Rossis
Burgundy blunder, your esteemed critics looked for rejuvenation grounded in
traditional American values. What better
way to satisfy this yen than Liberty Creeks
Cabernet Sauvignon, located in the bulk
shelf at Hannaford? The cracked Liberty
Bell on the label pealed glad tidings that
resonated in our marrow, promising fulfillment of our founders wishes for Life,
Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
(LibertyCreekWine.com, 2015). Inspired
by our forebears own zeal for cheap and/
or untaxed beverages, we utilized the
Powers of Hamiltons dependable tender
to acquire this revolutionary rotgut.
Once installed in Yellow House, we
quickly realized the errors of our patriotic passion. While Liberty Creek boasted a
great wine smell, this proved to be merely
an obfuscating veil. Our quaffs exposed
a faint fruit-flavored serum. Despite its
invocation of American exceptionalism,
Liberty Creek was far from noteworthy.
Indeed, subsequent examination of our
tasting notes revealed that we drafted

only a cursory description of the wine.

Hoping to rectify our situation, we
looked abroad to Martins semester in
Europe. Fond memories of Christkindlmarkts drifted upon the wintry winds
that buffeted 75 Harpswell Road. Remembering how the autochthonous
glhwein had warmed his spirits in Berlin last year, Martin hit upon a way to
salvage this weeks installment of BotB
and simultaneously indulge our latent
Teutonic tendencies.
Cobbled together from various Internet sources, our Orient-approved mulled
wine recipe listed in our additional
notes and perfect for any celebration secular, Judeo-Christian, or otherwisemetaphorically hit the proverbial spot. And despite the characterization of cinnamon as
the bane of American cuisine by Kritika
Oberoi, Cornell 16, we channeled House
Atreides and let the spice flow.
In what was Martins inaugural use
of his homes two kitchens, we began by
creating a mlange of sugar, water, cinnamon sticks, oranges, and cloves. After
evaporating most of the water to create
a concentrated syrup, we poured in a
quarter of our remaining Liberty Creek,
and the resulting mixture could only be
described as a wine-flavored energy
drink. To amend this botheration, we

emptied the rest of our bottle into our

mulling vessel, throwing in an extra
handful of cloves because as college seniors, we love nothing more than living
dangerously.
We kept a watchful eye on the contents of the pot in order to ensure that
our wine was heated without evaporating the Liberty Creeks greatest and only
asset its 12% alcohol content. After a
sufficient period of mulling, our concoction was ready to consume. In order to
protect our supple and well-moisturized
hands, we substituted ceramic mugs for
our usual Libby stemware.
The glhwein turned out to be just
what we were hoping to cook up on this
blustery winters eve. The mulling process imbued the wine with a comforting,
nostalgic aroma and a vivifying warmth,
and it is safe to say that Liberty Creek
has never been so enjoyable. In short, it
tasted like the love your esteemed critics
had been searching for their entire collegiate careers.
Liberty Creeks wallet-friendly price
was certainly alluring, but it was only
through culinary transmutation that
welike the Yuletide alchemists of
yorewere able to harness the true potential of this Cabernet Sauvignon and
turn viticultural lead into gold.

DIANA FURUKAWA

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Martin: Will, lets cook.
Will: I feel like were making stone
soup here.
Tonights Soundtrack: Bruce
Springsteen, Santa Claus is Coming to
Town

Recipe:
1.5 cups of sugar
3.5 cinnamon sticks
25 cloves
2 oranges
1.5 L of Liberty Creek, Cabernet
Sauvignon

features

the bowdoin orient

friday, december 4, 2015

A family affair: a history of variety at Uncle Toms Market

ELLICE LUEDERS

ABOUT TOWN

Upon entering Uncle Toms Market on

Pleasant Street, I was immediately greeted by Andra bouncy, moplike bichon
frisewho hangs out there with his owner, Dan Bouthot. Dan inherited the store
from his father, Leoneide Thomas Uncle
Tom Bouthot. As uncle to more than a
dozen nieces and nephews, the markets
name is homage to a family man. Yet, the
namesake is often confused for Harriet
Beecher Stowes classic antislavery novel.
It has nothing to do with what people
keep saying. In fact, we were written up
in the Chicago paper. I keep the clipping
at the front of the store. Are you kidding?
It has nothing to do with Harriet Beecher
Stowe, Dan said. Everyone called him
Uncle Tom.
Andr is the third of three bichon frises
that have graced the store, documented in
a series of photographs laminated on the
counter. Uncle Tom loved the dogs. He
would finish his meal, pick the dog up, put
her on the countertop where he had just
gotten his meal, feed whatever scraps were
on his plate, and watch TV for the rest of
the afternoon, Dan said.
Every night, Dan cooks for his wife
and daughter in the back of his store. I
work 60 hours a week, he said. Its just

SQUASH
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
Butternut squash soup is remarkably
simple. On my list: two large butternut
squashes, two cartons of vegetable broth,
and chicken apple sausages. The thought
process behind it, however was a bit
more complicated. The two large butternut squashes came from Stew Leonards,
sourced from a farm in Hamden, Connecticut, just a forty-minute drive up the
road. Very little guilt there, although ideally, yes, I would meet the farmers and
help them raise their children and offer
up my extra kidney before buying their
squash. The vegetable broth came from
Whole Foods, the second stop on our
tour of Connecticut food stores. More
guilt there: non-recyclable packaging,
showy and hard to decipher labeling, no
idea of where or how it is produced. The
chicken sausage was also from Whole
Foods, from the case that advertises
Whole Foodss premiere 5-Step Animal
Welfare Rating, involving somewhere
close to 100 species-specific standards
telling you how goodby environmental, health, and taste parameters
your meat is, with the quality improving
as the numbers get higher, and the price
skyrocketing in the same direction. More
guilt there: did local mean locally manufactured, but made with chickens from

what I do if I want to spend a meal with

them. Once he roasted an entire pig.
On anniversaries, he makes scallops,
his daughter, Gabrielle, added. And on
Valentines, and Mothers Day.
I mean, [the store is] good for him
and its great to keep it in the family, but
balance is hard, his wife, Maggie, commented. Which is why we adapt, why
we have suppers here. We just do what
we need to do to be together.
Talking about beer, thats what I do,
Dan said about his job. I try enough of
them to help customers pick them, and
people are happy with the choices I help
them make. Im not a professional by any
means. Im completely self-taught. But I
keep my ears open for information.
Yet, the store offers some other
things that have grabbed customers
attention. On the wall opposite the
checkout counter, there are racks of
pornographic magazines.
I mean, theres a demand for it,
Dan comments. I hate the fact that I
have them, but now that theyre here,
they are a draw.
Stranger things have been sold here.
When Uncle Tom was still around, the
shop sold 40 suits of armor within five
weeks. Those were cheap Mexican
knockoffs, Dan admitted.
Their customers can be strange,
too. One has a name thats a phrase,
who knows where? If these are mass produced sausages, does the company think
about its energy sources and usage and
try to minimize it? Do they treat their
workers well? Feeling overwhelmed, I
shut up, and we bought the food, crossing everything requested of us off the list.
We went back home, and I chopped,
baked, sauted, and pureed. As I said, the
process was quite simple, which left me a
lot of time to think.
I know how to eat locally in Brunswick. Summer farmers market at Crystal
Springs, winter farmers market in Fort
Andros (everyone go!), Portland Food
Coop, many a nearby farm to visit. I was
totally disoriented in Connecticut: I had
no idea where to go. Even though I was
in a new place, I wanted to still support
the local food economy and the people
involved in it, but it was hidden behind
the convenience of Stew Leonards and
the glitz of Whole Foods that are such
a part of how our food system works.
One makes food shopping fun instead
of mindful, the other makes shopping
expensive and exclusive. I left the stores
longing for Brunswick, feeling hypocritical and false. I am going to Germany
next semester, and I am responsible for
feeding myself! Am I going to be able to
find local foods? If I ask about them, will
I be regarded as snobby, pretentious and
naively privileged?
Forgive me for the foray into the

PHOTO COURTESY OF ELIZA HUBER-WEISS

CHOPPED: Eliza sauts chopped onions in butter and oil at medium-low heat for three minutes.

ELLICE LUEDERS, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

DAN THE MAN: Dan Bouthot, son of Uncle Tom, the markets founder, stands beside a collection of craft beers.
Bobby Rocks.
He legally changed it, affirmed Gabrielle, Dans daughter.
One woman, known as Moose Lady,
brings in stuffed animals to show Dan
and his family.
She brought in her brand-new boots

the other day, to make sure I knew she

had boots this winter, Dan said.
Shes lonely, Dan said. And belligerent sometimes.
Hes like a bartender, Maggie noted.
You know, just listening to people.
I hear everybodys problems. Some-

times I can offer information, sometimes

I cant, Dan said.
Opening up and talking to people
it what is part of what it is, its the business, he said.
Good at heart, thats what you
need to be.

every detail of my thought process,

dear reader, but I wanted to give you
the framework that leads to this ultimate statement to wrap up my series
of columns for this semester: Butternut squash soup may be simple, but
eating locally is really freaking hard.
It is expensive, it is time consuming;
it involves research and establishment
in places to the point that is maybe
impossible to achieve while traveling. It involves suspicion of standards,
difficult discussions, an awareness of
the social connotations of local and
an acknowledgement of the privilege
I have to be able to eat this way. For
me, it invokes a healthy dose of guilt
mixed with a lethal dose of self-righteousness and a sprinkle of hypocrisy.
But Im trying. And now my family

is trying, and my girlfriend is trying,

and my friends mock me, but also try,
and hopefully, things will change so
that it doesnt involve so much trying,
but instead demands the things that
are fundamental to it: eating, cooking, learning, talking, congratulating,
helping, caring. Hopefully I have inspired some caring in those that read
this, and maybe some willingness to
try. Go home this winter, ask about a
recipe, think about how you might be
able to get the ingredients locally. Ask
about a recipe for which you know
you can get the ingredients locally.
If you cant, consider why that is and
what could make it different. For me,
it is hard, but it is so, so worth it.
And now for something simpler but
also so, so worth it.

GLOBALIST
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

INGREDIENTS
2 medium butternut squashes
1 quart vegetable broth
2 or 3 red onions
Dried sage to taste
Salt to taste

Maple syrup to taste

Sausage (optional)
Olive oil
Butter

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat the outside of the squashes in olive oil, and
place in baking pan. Bake for about 45 minutes, until they are almost mushy.
2. While the squashes are baking, roughly chop onions (I used red, which are a
little sweeter, but yellow would work too!). Saut in butter and oil on medium-low
heat until they are translucent and almost caramelized.
3. When the squash is done cooking, remove the skin using a knife (I would recommend using gloves, as the squash will be really hot). Cut the squash into chunks
and place in pan with onions. Cover the whole mixture in dried sage, and saut for
about three minutes.
4. Add the vegetable broth and simmer for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat,
and blend in batches in the Cuisinart.
5. Now comes the hard part. Butternut squash can really vary in taste, and so
requires some taste-and-fix. The two most probable fixes are salt and some kind of
sweetener: brown sugar, honey or maple syrup work well. Some more radical but
equally as valid choices are cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, and even some yogurt if
your soup is too watery or needs some tang to it.
6. Garnish with cooked sausage cut into thin slices, and some fresh sage leaves if
you have them.

presence, The Globalist has already experienced the benefits of social media
exposure. In the past, 300 copies of the
magazine were distributed around campus. One recently-published article has
accumulated almost 900 views, highlighting the power of likes, shares and retweets.
Transitioning from a completelyprint to completely-digital publication
isnt as easy as creating a Blogspot account and choosing a flashy default
theme. Web Architect Jack Ward 19,
with Pizzis design input, developed the
website after a series of unforeseen challenges and total re-boots.
We were sold on a certain framework
for [the site] by someone in Bowdoin IT,
assuming wed be able to host it through
Bowdoin. That was not the case, but we
had to stick to this framework because of
time, said Ward.
Ward and Pizzi eventually decided
on using WordPress, allowing simultaneous work on the sites structure and
creative design.
One of the things I wanted to ensure
was that it didnt look like other WordPress sites, said Ward. In a lot of ways,
it was harder than doing it from scratch,
because I had to fight the framework that
we were sold on so much.
In the future, the site will include more
video and interactive content.
Ultimately, The Globalist allows student writers to look outside the Bowdoin
bubble, analyze what they find and improve their writing abilities in the process.
Many members of the Globalist staff hope
to develop a strong portfolio of long-form
journalism and apply these skills beyond
their four years on campus. Diversifying
from the original international relationsfocused model, according to Tonkens,
aids this process.
The writing gets better when youre
not just writing international relations
pieces all the time, he said. Theres some
format or template that a lot of people
tend towards. Its a bit academic, dry, and
formulaicless interesting to write as
well as read. When you cover topics that
are less covered and are not as strictly IRfocused, you do get more interesting writing. Your writers grow as a result.

friday, december 4, 2015

the bowdoin orient

features

TALK OF THE QUAD

ALL ALONE AT THE GRAND
OLD PARTY
New Hampshire holds its presidential primary first in the nation, which
means candidates spend more time
in the Granite State than they would
otherwise. I watch U.S. politics closely,
so I was shocked when I saw a name
that I had never seen before on a list
of candidates. Who the hell is that, I
thought, and why is he speaking at the
same event as Carly Fiorina? I was convinced I knew every candidate in this
election. A web search revealed that the
man exists, and is indeed running for
President. Former Virginia Governor
Jim Gilmore has been routinely garnering less than one percent in every poll.
In most polls, he is not even mentioned.
I was obsessed. Who runs for president while consistently polling at zero
percent? Given the margin of error,
my roommates could poll higher. Why
would someone choose to subject himself to this? This man was an army intelligence officer, an attorney general, the
governor of Virginia and the chair of the
Republican National Committee, yet the
Orient has more Twitter followers than
he does. I had to meet him.
Dover, New Hampshire is about 90
minutes away from Brunswick and frequently hosts presidential candidates.
Carly Fiorina was headlining the pasta
dinner event. Governor Gilmore was
scheduled to speak last, because, well, of
course he was.
Some 200 people gathered in the function hall for the Red Rally, where the
lights, dinner tables, balloons, chocolates,
clothing and even pasta was Republican

THE MYTHOLOGICAL
EXISTENCE OF BOWDOIN
SQUIRRELS
Im surprised no ones beaten me up the
tree on this topic: the nature of the sciurine sensation. At Bowdoin, the Yik Yak
feed is replete with references to the campus squirrels. Posts or entries on the localized forum allow students to comment on
their Bowdoin experience. The campus
squirrels are a recurring and important
aspect of that experience.
Something about the small mammals
makes them a fine occasion for campus
commentary. They are endlessly fascinating to Bowdoin students, and an excellent
source of critical comic material. The mythology of squirrels on this campus depends heavily on Yik Yak.
Bowdoin squirrels as they appear on
Yik Yak of course are based on a real life,
material, squirrel phenomenon. Squirrels
are an important and unique element in
the campus landscape. Besides people,
dogs, and other occasional animals, squirrels are the only constant, mobile, and
lively element of the campus landscape.
Trees may be their opposite: static and
predictable, the arboreal installations seldom draw the active attention of students.
Community members interact passively
with the trees; and if they do actively

red. I stood by the autographed books of

Anne Coulter and Ted Cruz, Googling
Jim Gilmore so I could remember what
he looked like. I spotted him near the back
of the room sitting next to who looked to
be his campaign manager.
She got up and walked over near me,
frantic. She grasped the pens by the autographed books, looked
at them, and then guiltily put them back, saying
she needed a pen but felt
bad stealing. You didnt
bring a pen? I asked
the presumed campaign
head. No, she said,
embarrassed.
I bargained to lend my
pen to his campaign director in exchange for an
interview with the governor. She eagerly agreed,
snapped up my pen, and
scurried back to her seat.
He had only been the star
of a few stories in recent
months, mostly about his
indignation over his exclusion from debates and, ironically, his
lack of coverage.
Fiorina spoke well and was the clear
reason for the night. I stood nearby when
I was approached by a New Hampshire
television reporter.
She asked if I were with the Gilmore
campaign. I explained I was not. She
slumped her shoulders, and then whispered her question to me.
Okay, well do you know what this
Jim Gilmore guy looks like, and where he
might be in this room?
Gilmore is only campaigning in New

Hampshire. I halfheartedly pointed him

out and plodded back to the media circle to see the camera crews packing up.
Half the room had left now that Fiorina
was done. I brooded in the now-emptied
media circle, eating more Republicanthemed pasta, as Strafford County Republicans and local party hacks traded

a plain-spoken governor with a southern drawla military veteran with a

background in executive leadership and
national security. He wants lower taxes.
He talks about character, principle, and
looking people in the eye.
Gilmore is no amateur, but its not easy
to try to climb up after a decade-long fall
from relevance. He harped
on the establishment press
in combination with the
big deals in Washington
DC who had denied him
a spot on the debate stage,
again. The remaining room
came to life as he talked
about his military experience, support of veterans
and contempt for regulation. He vowed to veto gun
control faster than Hillary Clinton can delete an
email. The crowd quietly
roared in crescendo.
He finished his speech
by humbly asking for votes
and sat back down, pesterDIANA FURUKAWA
ing his state director for
the microphone around. Three hours into how long hed spoken and how that comthe event, he was given the most under- pared to Fiorina. He looked frustrated.
whelming, irreverent introduction possi- The event ended, and I now had my time
ble: Jim Gilmore, why dont you come up to speak with him.
and say hi? It sounded like he was runHe looked dismayed that I, an uncrening for Dover dogcatcher. Not to men- dentialed college kid in a cheap tweed
tion his staff lacked basic office supplies jacket, was his media coverage. He sat like
and stole my pen, a campaign donation I he hadnt sat in days, crashing his fists on
have not disclosed to the Federal Election the red-clothed table full of half-empty
Commission.
wine glasses and dirty dinner plates.
But once he took the microphone, I
Gilmore quickly conceded that the
understood why Gilmore has had such election had been hard. I was jarred by the
an illustrious career. Hes everything fact that he has to frame sentences with
the Republican Party should want. Hes when Im president. I pointed out that

other candidates had dropped out already and they had more of everything
dollars, supporters, pens. He pointed to
his lack of name recognition as just making him the candidate with the most
room to grow, which to me sounded like
saying Im not short, I just have the most
height to achieve.
He counted his entire campaign staff
on two hands; it took an elongated uhh
to get from the seventh staffer to the
eighth. He pointed his finger at me when
making important points. He told me
when to write things down.
Its been three weeks since I met
Gilmore. And despite the recent emphasis on national security giving his experience its best shot at being considered
important, little has changed. While the
primary is months away, I feel confident
predicting that Jim Gilmore will not be
the next President.
Im not a Republican, and I disagree
with Gilmore on pretty much every issue
other than our belief that the Trump campaign exemplifies fascist talk, but something about his campaign is wonderfully
quixotic and beautifully tragic. What motivates someone to run for president when
they have absolutely no chance, when no
one will even listen? I had to ask.
Because Im the best person to be the
president. Ive always loved my country
and served my country so now weve arrived at 2015 and were in a lot of trouble,
Gilmore explained. I have the experience
and the credentials to help my country,
what do you want me to do? Go home
and sit? Pray?
Joe Sherlock is a member of the Class
of 2016.

observe trees, it is never witty, sarcastic,

ironic, or self-reflexive, which are all characteristic of Yik Yak observations and especially of squirrel-centric posts.
Squirrels draw active observation because they are dynamic and proximate.
The campus squirrels are comfortable
in the close company of studentsthey
seem to have an intrepid indifference to
students and their activity. Active observation is important
to understanding the squirrels,
since they represent a Yik Yak
dependent symbol and since Yik
Yak depends on active observation. Squirrels close proximity
draws in what is often otherwise
a tranced audience.
Students ability to observe
depends on squirrels close proximity, but the activity behind the
observation depends on their dynamicity. They make themselves
quite conspicuous as an exception in the
landscape and, indeed, the lives of their
observers. In this case, the passive is made
active by an unsettling, or defying of expectations, or probably both. This excitement begets some reflection or judgment
from the observer that lends itself well to
Yik Yak humor.
Even when they are not dictated or
characterized by fear, squirrel-student
interactions provide opportunities for
comedic observation. There is something
inherently funny to Bowdoin students
about squirrel behavior: they look

frantic, wired, determined, and, in all this:

cute (like your typical Bowdoin student?).
Observers readily perceive that squirrels
have their own world of interests, concerns and conflicts that is strikingly different from that of Bowdoin students. That
two radically different worlds of experience can occur in a single physical space
makes the squirrel-human dynamic espe-

squirrels are always present on campus,

and relate to the same changes in outdoor physical environment (especially
the weather) that students do. Theres
a barometric quality to them. Sometimes this allows for squirrels, as the
subject of Yaks, to function as a means
for students to commentoften ironically, with the wide trajectory of clever
humoron their own experiences of
the Bowdoin campus. One of the most
common strategies is to superimpose
the Bowdoin students world onto the
squirrels. For example: Im not for slut
shaming but some of these squirrels
must be having outrageous amounts of
sex, or that squirrel is on so-pro. And
countless more.
Though the squirrels appear as the
object of the observations deployed on
the anonymous forum, in many cases,
they are but the means to students end
of self-reflection, (which may be the end
of Yik Yak itself). The striking difference
between the non-physical worlds of Bowdoin squirrels and Bowdoin students casts
in relief many aspects of student life: their
interests, concerns and self-proclaimed
struggles. Incorporating squirrels into
Yik Yak is a comedic way of exposing the
world of Bowdoin students. You might say
this world is eccentric or flightyis there
a word for that?
Ben Bristol is a member of
the Class of 2017.

ed, fractured narrative where campus life

is actively constructed and deconstructed.
Students articulate and discuss campus
elements in relation to other campus elements, as well as in relation to themselves.
The physical elements behind the symbols, like the real life squirrels, are just a
part of the signs historiesnot the signs
themselves. Campus squirrels would not
mean what they do without this
discursive tool and the squirrel
discourse it has facilitated.
There is a sort of positive feedback loop for signs within Yik
Yak. The Yik Yak discourse has the
power to sever the symbol from
its physical point of referenceto
form self-sufficient signs. This is
not so in the case for the campus
squirrels sign, which depends on a
give and take between the physical
squirrels and the forums squirrel
MIRANDA HALL
narrative. The squirrels themselves
cially noteworthy or funny. This is funda- still (seem) to directly inspire many of the
mentally why and how campus squirrels Yaks that reference them, while the Yik
have made it into the realm of Yik Yak. Yak squirrel discourse directly changes
It wasnt until the campus squirrels came the way students observe the physical
into contact with this established campus squirrels. The squirrels and the squirrel
forum that they acquired the meaning discourse according to Yik Yak work in
and significance that we ascribe to them tandem to shape a single sign. A change
today.
or variance in one necessarily changes the
Yik Yak is a well-attended and hallowed other and the unified meaning abides by
non-physical space, with its own unique this give-and-take. A cultish student folsymbolic power. A number of campus lowing drives the evolution of the symbol.
symbols depend on Yik Yak. It has that
Eastern gray squirrels are sedentary
effect as a discursive forum that rewards inthe zoological sensethat is: they stay
original commentary; it is a well-attend- put and do not migrate. The campus

features

the bowdoin orient

THE FIRST
GENERATION
EXPERIENCE
F

irst-year Simon Chow doesnt know how to explain Bowdoin to

his parents. Theyve never stepped foot on campus, and as Chinese immigrants living in Los Angeles, they have no context for
what a small college in New England is like.
My parents have never known what its like outside a city
basically. Like [for me] coming into Brunswick, Maine with all
the trees and different colors It definitely creates two different worlds,
Chow said.
Chow, like roughly 10 percent of students in the class of 2019, is a firstgeneration college student. That percentage has been fairly consistent for the
first-year class over the past five years.
In many ways, first-gen students face typical challenges:
BY EMMA PETERS, managing school, work, sleep, stress, friends and health. Some,
JESSICA PIPER AND however, face obstacles other students will never have to deal
SURYA MILNER with, like the lull on the other end of the line when trying to explain Bowdoin to their parents.
ORIENT STAFF
My family didnt even know Bowdoin existed, said Diamond
Walker 17, who grew up in the Bronx. I dont even think they understand
what a liberal arts school means.
Even though he was born and raised relatively close to campus in Portland, Maine, Mohamed Nur 19 said some aspects of collegelike the social
sceneare entirely foreign to his family.
My parents, they know Bowdoin, but in a very superficial kind of way.
They know its a college, they know after four years Ill get a degree, he said.
Many first-generation students spoke of the difficulty of explaining the
details of their lives at the College to their parents.
Anu Asaolu 19 said that her Nigerian mother has a hard time seeing college as more than just an academic pursuit.
Every time I call my mom, shes just like, Remember, youre here to
learn, said Asaolu. Yeah, college is about learning, but its really hard
to explain that its also about developing yourself and really finding out
who you are.
When Asaolu got a concussion while playing rugby this fall, her
mother told her she should join a science club instead. Asaolu is interested in a career in medicine.
Its really hard explaining that [rugby] is what I want to do, that this
is what makes me happy, she said. Get your degree. Thats my moms
entire goal.
Christina Moreland 17 recalled avoiding telling her parents that the transition to college was difficult, as she felt they wouldnt be able to relate.
The nuances of how to be a college student were not something I was
explaining I would kind just leave things out and just be like, Yeah, everything is great, I love everything. Im doing really well, she said. I think some
of that comes from not being able to say, Yeah, the first semester of college is
hard and have them connect with that.
Many students expressed concern that if they shared the full details of
their Bowdoin experiences, their families would worry unnecessarily.
When I cough, I cough away from the phone. So [my mom] isnt super
worried about me, Chow said.
Other first-generation students found it easier to stop communicating
their Bowdoin experience altogether.
Michelle Kruk 16 said she rarely calls home.

friday, december 4, 2015

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: SIMON CHOW 19, DIAMOND WALKER 17, MICHELLE KRUK 16,
MOHAMMED NUR 19, ZAC WATSON 16, CAMILLE FERRADAS 19
A lot of those conversations can be frustrating because its a lot of [my
parents] dumping whatever is happening at home onto me and then not
allowing me to dump whats going on here to them, and even if I do dump
that, they dont understand it, she said. If I have to explain to you a thousand times what Im majoring in or what Im minoring in or what classes
Im taking, it just over
time gets really repetitive
and I dont want to answer those questions any
more.
There is no such thing
as a typical first-generation student. The label is
not necessarily indicative
of wealth, nor is it representative of race, hometown or socioeconomic status. In other words, the only thing first-generation
students are guaranteed to have in common is the definition of the term itself: that neither parent holds a two or four year degree from a college or
university.
Kenny Cortum 16 is a first generation student from Iowa. He has blond
hair, pale skin and wears rectangular glasses.
Its hard to be a first-generation student and look like Im part of the one
percent, he explained. Ive actually had trouble connecting with other firstgeneration students here because I dont look first-generation.
Despite not looking like many of his first-gen peers, Cortum said his background affected his academic experience.
One of my most distinct memories was when my neighbors across the
hall would send their parents their essays to have them look over them,
which I thought was kind of unfair, he said. I had to really look at these
differences and find a way to adjust to make Bowdoin work for me the same
way theyre making Bowdoin work with their parents. I had to do it without
my parents.
The academic transition to Bowdoin varies widely among first-generation students, as it does among all first years. Students who attended private
schools or strong public high schools often felt well-prepared for college,
while students who attended less privileged schools often found academics
more difficult, especially in their first year.
I came to college for academics, first and foremost, and I deserve the
best out of my experience like anybody else, said Walker, whose public high
school in the Bronx offered few advanced classes and was frequently subject
to budget cuts. I know I could do better, but Im doing a lot with what I have
so far. Its hard to be compared to students whove been challenged like this
for years and this is my first time confronting stuff like this.
Walker believes her status as a first-generation student makes her time at
the College even more valuable.
My grades are everything right now, she said. To be honest, I dont have
anything else. I dont have money. I dont have family with connections. All I
have is my education.
Shawn Bayrd 19, who grew up in Brunswick, explained that he didnt fully
grasp the prestige of a Bowdoin education until after he got his acceptance
letter. While he feels like he fits in academically, Bayrd said he still notices in-

My family didnt even know Bowdoin

existed. I dont even think they understood
what a liberal arts school means.
DIAMOND WALKER 17

friday, december 4, 2015

the bowdoin orient

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: CHRISTINA MORELAND 17, SIMONE RUMPH 19, SHAWN BAYRD 19, ANU ASAOLU 19, KENNY CORTUM 16
PHOTOS BY HY KHONG, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
stances where he feels like an outsider because of his status as a first-gen student.
Since my parents didnt go to college, they dont have this academic standpoint on the world When I talk to people who have parents who went to get
their PhDs or are high in their fields, Ive noticed that the kids are also very aware
of whats going on around them, he said. I havent gotten the home aspect where
we talk about whats going on in the world.
Bayrd attended Brunswick High School and worked alongside his mom at
Thorne Hall in his junior year of high school.
It was awful. I hated Bowdoin kids because if youre not a student you dont
get treated as well, he said. One of my jobs was to put the coffee pots in the machines and turn it on so it would filter through. And there was this whole crowd
around the coffee thing waiting for the coffee and I was just standing there with
the pots waiting for them to move and they were like, Are you gonna make more
coffee? Im like, Yes, I will if you fucking move.
While intellectual support is one privilege of being raised by college-educated
parents, financial stability is another, more widely-recognized advantage. According to data collected by the National Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis, there is a $26,700 median difference in yearly
earnings between those with a high school diploma versus a bachelors degree.
Because my parents didnt go to college, finances are always an issue, said Zac
Watson 16. So I actually moved in by myself. My parents werent here to help
me move in. And that was kind ofit was very different. Everyones parents help
them move in on the first day. And it was just me here. I had to go to the mail
center, get all my boxes, move in, get to the Field House.
Watson said he still feels different because of his financial status at times.
It was the social aspect that I really noticed, he said. Friends want to
go to Quebec for Fall Break or something, and its like, I cant do that. I
support myself.
People said Oh yeah, we went to Europe for a trip or we went to somewhere
like Hawaii, recalled Chow. A lot of [first-generation students] cant afford trips
like that... Having us talk about our summers is like I worked this summer.
Most first-generation students expressed that, while their first-generation status impacted their social life,
it also didnt preclude them
from forming friendships
with
non-first-generation
students.
Despite seeing that there
are a lot of differences, I can
still be friends with all these
other people with a lot of
privilege, said Chow. I can
still connect with them in
ways and have a lot of fun
with them.
For many students, the first-gen label often takes a backseat to other, more
salient aspects of their identity.
Its been very hard for me to explain my first-gen experience because until last
semester, actually, I havent really had one, Walker explained. My experience
has always been curtained by being black. If anyone asked me what it was like [to
be first-gen], Id talk about what it was like to be black here.
You dont wear your first-generation identity on your sleeve, nobody can

There are some things that I just have

to do and deal with on my own just to
make it easier on my family. And thats a
sacrifice Im willing to make every day.
MOHAMED NUR 19

really tell. And so theres many other transitional issues that students here face
that are more physical, that I think are prioritized for students, said Kruk. Like
Im more concerned about being a woman of color than being first-gen, because
thats what impacts me first.
For other students, national identity plays a role. Camille Farradas 19 attended a competitive private high school in Miami where many students were of Cuban descent, like her. She said she sees her identity as a first-generation student as
inextricably tied to her Cuban background, because college wasnt an option for
her parents in communist Cuba.
Part of being Cuban in particular is that I couldnt grow up where I was supposed to grow up, she said. Part of [going to college] is rebuilding our family
from nothing.
Given the diverse individual experiences of first-generation students, it can be
difficult to provide resources to support the entire group. At the same time, firstgeneration students typically experience more difficulties than non-first-generation students. Nationally, the graduation rate for these students from private
institutions is 70 percent, while only 57 percent who attend public institutions
graduate. Data on the graduation rate of Bowdoins first-generation students was
unavailable.
Bowdoin provides some programming attempts to support first-generation
students by bringing them together at the first-generation multicultural retreat,
which takes place every fall.
It [is] really an opportunity to bring first-generation students and students of
color off campus after theyve been at Bowdoin for about a month and kind of
get them a safe space off campus to talk about any issues they might have, said
Director for Multicultural Life Benjamin Harris.
He added that the retreat was also a good way to connect first years with upperclassmen role models.
The first-generation multicultural retreatwas an amazing bonding opportunity, said Simone Rumph 19. Whether it be first-gen, or having struggles
with economy, or being multiracial, coming from different backgrounds. Its just
a bond that is there.
At the same time, the retreat conflates the labels of first-generation and
multicultural. And while some first-generation students find support through
affinity groups like the African American Society (Af-Am) or the Latin American Student Organization (LASO), connecting with first-gen peers can be
more difficult for students who are first-generation college students but are
not a racial or ethnic minority.
Cortum recalls feeling isolated when he went on the retreat as a first year.
There was only one other who was as pale as I was and I felt like we were kind
of alienated at first, he said.
Bowdoin also hosts a couple of dinners a semester aimed specifically at firstgeneration students. Learning to utilize these resources can be an adjustment too.
As a first-gen, I think its very easy to sayfor most of usthat throughout our
lives weve been doing things on our own, Chow said. So coming to college, one
of the biggest lessons Ive learned is that its okay to reach out for help. Its okay to
use resources around you.
Though Chows parents are thousands of miles away, he managed to find support from connecting with upper class role models.
People seem like theyre doing alright, but theyre also going through a lot.
[For] me realizing, Hey, you know, someones been through this, he said. Its
okay to feel that way.

features

10

friday december 4, 2015

the bowdoin orient

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Office Hours to debut long-form improv comedy on campus

BY BRIDGET WENT
ORIENT STAFF

Mixing-up the comedy-group scene

on campus, the new improv group Office
Hours will make its debut performance
this Friday at Quinby House. The group,
led by James Jelin 16, consists of Sophie
de Bruijn 18, Maggie Seymour 16, Justin
Weathers 18, Collin Litts 18 and Sam
Chase 16.
Unlike The Improvabilities, a group
that performs mainly classic short-form
improv (think Whose Line is It Anyway?), Office Hours strictly uses the
long-form technique pioneered by Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB), an improvisational comedy theater in New York City.
[Long-form improv] is a totally different beast, said de Bruijn.
In long-form improv, the actors work
together to develop a comedic scene centered around a single cuea word suggestion, a monologue from an audience
member or someones Facebook profile.
We want to find comedy in real experiences and stories, said Jelin.
Jelin hopes to create a distinct theme
for each of the groups future shows,
such as bad relationship night, where
audience members are prompted to
share stories.
When it works, its like magic, said
de Bruijn, who worked for and took
classes at the UCB theater in New York
City this summer.
All of the comedy is being built from
the ground up, she added.
With this lack of a set structure, however, the group must be patient for the comedic component of the scene to emerge.
Theres nothing inherently funny
about [each scene], de Bruijn said. If it
goes wrong, a scene can fall flat.
Jelin started Office Hours this fall, eager

to explore long-form
improv after spending the summer
perusing the UCB
comedy manual. In
the audition process,
he looked for performers who were
willing to support
their scene partners,
even if it meant not
making themselves
look good.
If you go for
the cheap, easy
laugh versus working to build a credible scene with your
partner, that makes
[the scene] less funny over time, said
de Bruijn.
A key part of effective long-form,
according to Jelin
and de Bruijn, is
effective communication across the
group.
Your job as an
improvisor is to
get on the same
page as everyone
DAVID ANDERSON, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
else about the one
COMEDY CENTRAL: Bowdoins newest improv group Office Hours creates its sketches using a long-form technique to develop a complete scene inspired by audience participation.
specific thing that
is funny in a scene
with performing improv.
the UCB style, while recognizing that
and then work together to explore that
Youre just there to make your scene the whole group is new to the form.
thing, said Jelin.
partner look good, and knowing that evI want to get us into the public conEach group member is faced with the erybody is there with that mentality is re- sciousness because Im hoping to pertask of sending subtle cues to other mem- ally comforting, said de Bruijn.
form a lot next semester, said Jelin.
bers to agree upon the comedic kernel of
One of the key tenets of UCB improv
the scene. Members have to trust their is that silence is okay, she added.
Sam Chase is a Managing Editor of
scene partners and actively support one
As both a leader and member of the Orient.
another, and this strong sense of group the group, Jelin is faced with the chalidentity quells the pressure that comes lenge of offering his insights about

See Office Hours

perform at 8:30 p.m.
tonight in Quinby House.

Visiting artist to meld visual arts, technology and community

BY AMANDA NEWMAN
ORIENT STAFF

KATIE FOLEY, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

SITE SPECIFICS: Next semester, Visiting Artist Erin Johnson will teach an interdisciplinary course
about the intersections between technology, art and social theory about history and place. The class is part of
the increasingly popular Digital and Computational Studies Initiative.

Since its induction in fall 2013, the

Digital and Computational Studies Initiative (DCS) has grown increasingly
popular among students. Students will
have the opportunity to explore the
nexus between technology and the arts
in the DCS-Visual Arts Department
cross-listed course next semester.
Visiting Artist Erin Johnson will
be teaching a 3000-level class called
Site-Specifics: Production of Socially
Engaged Media. The class will require
students to go into the world and explore the way in which siteslike
parks or damsrepresent the histories of their locations.
Some of the sites that Johnson has
in mind include Bowdoins Coas tal
Studies Center, Fort Andross and
Brunswick Landing. Students will be
asked to interview community members who work at or live near those
sites to learn about them and the impacts they have on the town. Next,
they will be asked to turn what they
learned into a digital representation to
be displayed at that site.
By exploring all the different histories and squeezing those out they
can choose how they want to connect
something thats happening in the contemporary world to something thats
happened in the past, said Johnson.
The goal with these projects will

be both to enhance the impact of the

sites and help educate site newcomers. Johnson added that another goal
is to draw out this history thats
maybe not on the surface of the site and
connect that with the questions that we
are asking right now. The issues explored through the histories of the sites
could include issues like that of race,
class, labor, gender and sexuality.
This semester, Johnson is teaching
her first class at Bowdoin: Introduction to Digital Media. She explained
that the class she will be teaching
next semester will require more
thorough exploration and investigation. However, an important aspect
of the class still focuses on ensuring
that students will gain a basic understanding of tools like a digital video
camera and video-editing software.
One aspect that Johnson said she
is most excited about is the fact that
students will be creating art that will
live outside the walls of a gallery.
This way, she explained, those who
havent typically appreciated art
when they have seen it in museums
will have an opportunity to view art
in a new way.
Crystal Hall, an associate professor of digital humanities, is excited
to be collaborating with the Visual Arts Department for Johnsons
cross-listed class.
I think that theres been a sense
that DCS has really been digital

humanities, in part because those

first few cross-listed courses were
coming from English and Cinema
Studies, and so this is a way to give a
space for another aspect of DCS beyond the humanities, said Hall.
In contrast to perceptions of DCS
as digital humanities, Hall described
it as an equal opportunity collaborator.
We are really trying to understand where the overlap exists,
where we can find questions or issues that many disciplines would
like to investigate, she said.
Johnsons class, in which students
will use digital tools to explore and
represent artistic and historical
ideas, provides a strong gateway to
redefining the DCS department.
Even though were looking at history, were thinking about sociological theory. We are also addressing
present day problems, issues and
questions, and so I think Site Specifics also gets into that ultra-contemporary moment, which I think can
be really powerful, added Hall.
Johnson said that she has thoroughly enjoyed planning the class.
What my goal is for this class is that
students will walk away with another
kind of experience in which hopefully
theyve learned more about how to
just look at the world and think about
all of the creative possibilities that every place has, said Johnson.

friday, december 4, 2015

the bowdoin orient

a&e

11

Exploring shared language between physics and musical sound

BY SURYA MILNER
ORIENT STAFF

Roya Moussapour 17 doesnt remember how she learned music.

Its just something that shes always
done, like the way shes always been
interested in math and science. But
for Moussapour, like a lot of physics
majors and professors, her interests
in music and physics arent mutually
exclusive. There are a considerable
number of students and professors
in the Colleges physics department
who are classically trained musicians, a trend that Associate Professor of Physics Mark Battle says
makes a lot of sense.
The way music is organized as a
series of events in time and the way
that the brain processes sound probably is connected to the way we process numbers and math and logic,
Battle said. And certainly there are
musicians who dont have an affinity

for math, but there are an awful lot

who do.
A graduate of the Tufts Dual Degree program with the New England
Conservatory, Battle received two
bachelor degrees upon graduation:
one in Physics and another in Clarinet Performance. Although he finds
it difficult to find time to play as a
full-time professor, he notes that his
studies of both disciplines complement each other well.
There are times when [youre]
just sitting in isolation working on
a piece of music when all of a sudden, things fall into place, Battle
said. You do it right, and you realize the inner conception of the
music. Youve had this idea of what
it should be in your head, and that
comes out in sound. The satisfaction is a bit like figuring out a physics problemtheres a satisfaction in
suddenly having things work.
This similarity in the learning

In defense of slacking: coping

with end-of-semester stress
and its easy to slip into believing that
yours is the tallest. We alternate between hunkering down and complaining about hunkering down. We forgo
sleep; we work through meals; we try
to convince ourselves that were something other than human.
Its hard to avoid realizing how crazy this sounds as we write it down. So,
why do we do these things? We think
it has something to do with craving
external validation. Grades signify
something: that we did a good job,
that we worked hard, that were smart.
Even if we feel like we wrote a good
paper or slayed an exam, its still afDIANA FURUKAWA
firming to know that our professor
thought so too.
This attitude feels problematic. We
would like to be able to validate ourselves without any outside input. But
this is difficult: we havent just chosen to attend an academic institution,
CARLY BERLIN AND TESSA WESTFALL
weve chosen to delve deeply into it
Well, readers. Its exceptionally and care about it. Were having a hard
gloomy outside, and finals are fast ap- time articulating our critique of the
proaching. Stress is in the air: were academic system, because were so entrying to tie up our academic and so- trenched in it.
cial loose ends and the days are short
We do know one thing for sure. Its
and passing quickly. This is our second crucial to take care of ourselves, espetry writing this weeks column, be- cially at this time of year. We need to
cause no amount of snacks could get sleep, we need to eat, we need to treat
us through the first time. Here goes.
ourselves like human beings. And we
Writing about stress while were think theres something radical to selfstressed is hard, but this is the most care, too. Saying to yourself: Im going
important time to talk about it. One to put down Moby-Dick for 45 minof the reasons weve found it difficult utes to go on a run. Im going to take a
is that everyone has different triggers break from writing this paper to read
for stress, and everyone deals with about the most recent mass shooting.
them differently. In our brainstorm- Studying can wait for me to watch an
ing session, we realized how greatly episode of The Great British Bake
our approaches to coping with stress Off. There is power in stepping away
diverge. Were both productive people from our obligations and doing somewho generally enjoy schoolwork, but thing that makes us feel good, alone,
thats where the similarities end. Carly with no witnesses.
is a compulsive list maker; when her
We think this is a way of sticking
daily schedule does not go according it to the man. Were going to live with
to plan, theres hell to pay. Tessa spends ourselves forever, so we should treat
copious amounts of time in the Union, ourselves with respect. Its wonderful
letting the spirit move her from assign- to care about learning, to feel invested
ment to assignment. Carly copes with in doing well, but weve chosen to come
stress by building time into her day to to Bowdoin for a holistic experience.
exercise. Tessa has leisurely mornings We owe it to ourselves to take that on.
lying in her bed listening to the classic We should embrace slacking as an im2004 album Confessions by Usher. portant part of the picture. Its OK to
In fact, the thought of switching rou- take a pause from our schoolwork,
tines for a day provokes an onslaught even (especially) during finals.
of anxiety from each of us.
Remember the words of the indefatiIn the weeks between Thanksgiving gable Audre Lorde: Caring for myself is
and Winter Break, it can seem difficult not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation
to make time for ourselves. Everyone and that is an act of political warfare.
has a giant mountain in front of them,
Best of luck to all. Weve got this.

THE ARTISTS
ARE PRESENT

process is a
phenomenon
The thing that attracted me to physics was that there are a few basic laws and if you unthat many studerstand those at a deep level, you can figure out a lot...When I studied music theory, the
dents and professors of physsame kind of structure of learning applies, where you use a few basic principles of harmony
ics experience.
and if you truly understand or analyze classical music, there is structure to it. People like to
In the way that
the study of
give structure to their way of understanding the world.
physics is often equated to
SENIOR LECTURER OF PHYSICS, KAREN TOPP
solving a puzzle, learning a
piece of music is also often seen as Karen Topp, its the similarities in the level and always enjoy it. If I gave up
a type of problem set. Moussapour, structures of musical time and phys- on academics to do music, it would
who began playing the violin at the ics that they use to draw the connec- be a lot harder to go back the other
age of six, notes that her practice tion between the two disciplines.
way, Moussapour said. But it is
of music has been applicable in her
The thing that attracted me to something that I will always have,
studies in physics.
physics was that there are a few basic and its something that Ive turned
Theres a specific connection be- laws, and if you understand those at to in really tough times. For me, its
tween being able to problem solve a deep level, you can figure out a lot, a way to express emotions in ways
through physics problems and be- Topp said. When I studied music where sometimes words dont necing able to work through a piece of theory, the same kind of structure of essarily express how I feel well, or
music, Moussapour said. I think learning applies, where you use a few I dont feel comfortable expressing
in a lot of ways, they require the basic principles of harmony, and if something fully in words.
same skills. Theres definitely a tie you truly understand or analyze clasProfessor of Physics Thomas
between learning to see the bigger sical music, there is structure to it. Baumgarte, a double bass player in the
problem, either a physics problem People like to give structure to their Midcoast Symphony Orchestra, believes
or a piece of music, and breaking it way of understanding the world.
that in addition to being a cathartic hobby,
down into smaller chunks to underAlthough many Bowdoin students his practice of making music originates
stand it. Being a musician and learn- and professors of physics alike have from an affinity for aesthetics, one of the
ing how to think about something considered careers in music per- main reasons for his love of physics.
in a musical mindset has definitely formance, some ultimately decided
With music, people have a very emoaffected my ability to understand against it for reasons of practicality. tional reaction to itits a way of making
things in a mathematical mindset in Their resounding sentiment, often something beautiful, Baumgarte said.
ways that I wouldnt have otherwise realized at a young age, was that the And that appeals to me in physics, too.
been able to do.
study of physics is easier to turn into Math is the language of physics, but it
For some physicists, such as Se- a career than that of music.
describes nature, and what very much apnior Lecturer of Physics and foundI decided that I could always do peals to me in physics is that it describes
er of the Vox Nova Chamber Choir music, and I could always play at any nature in such a beautiful way.

12

the bowdoin orient

SPORTS

friday, december 4, 2015

Didnt get a ticket?

Watch it Online!

Mens Hockey vs. Colby College

Sat. December 5 at 7 p.m.
nsnsports.net

HY KHONG, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

Bears confident ahead of Colby showdown

BY ANJULEE BHALLA
ORIENT STAFF

HY KHONG, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

DOMINATION: Camil Blanchet 18 [left] and Cody Todesco 19 react after a faceoff in a road
game against UMass-Boston this past Sunday. Blanchet scored a goal and Todesco dished out two assists
in the 5-0 Bowdoin victory.

Coming Next Week:

Womens Hockey and

Womens Basketball Season Previews

It may not have the nationwide cachet

of Red Sox-Yankees or Michigan-Ohio
State, but for Bowdoin students, its just
as momentous a rivalry. For the 205th
and 206th time, Bowdoin mens ice hockey will take on Colby, their greatest foe,
in this weekends two-game series. The
Polar Bears will travel to Colby Friday
night before returning to Sidney J. Watson Arena to face the Mules on Saturday
at 7 p.m.
The size of our school is small, but the
enthusiasm, the interest, the tradition,
how its grown, the wonderful stories, all
those thingsthis ranks up with as good
a rivalry and as good a tradition as there
is in the country, said Head Coach Terry
Meagher. These things evolve. Who
knows how or why, but they evolve.
For decades, the Bowdoin-Colby rivalry has spurred fanaticism and excitement
across campus as its become deeply ingrained in the Colleges culture. Even with
all the fans that come out for the hockey
game, ultimately its the players on the ice
who maintain the traditions integrity.
The test of a real tradition is the quality
of individuals, how they respect the tradition, the game, what it means to them,
and I think you could flip jerseys and not
even lose a beat in the quality of people
that they have, said Meagher. You could
flip the jerseys and have the same kind of
character in each locker room.
While each face-off between the Polar
Bears and Mules has its own unique moments, the players of both sides consistently bring determination, passion and

excitement to the ice.

Theres nothing better than playing
against Colby in front of your own fans,
and definitely, its a lot of fun to battle it
out on the ice, said Chris Fenwick 16.
The games are always really close. It
doesnt really matter what the standings
are going into this gameits a hockey
game, and anybody can win it.
This year, the Polar Bears have had a
slow start to the season as they came out
of their first four games with a record of
0-3-1. With a young team and some early
injuries, Meagher was neither surprised
nor deterred by their early season record.
We would like to certainly have had a
couple more wins, but our opposition is
talented, said Meagher. Whats encouraging is you can see the progress on a daily basis. Its moving in a good direction,
but Im not surprised that we are going
through some growing pains right now.
The Polar Bears began to turn the
tide of their season last Sunday, as they
claimed their first victory, winning 5-0
against the UMass Boston.
This was a turning point for us going forward, especially coming into
Bowdoin-Colby weekend, said Fenwick.
Hopefully the win will provide some
momentum and carry us forward.
The goaltending was a huge key on
Sunday, said Meagher. We got timely
saves and timely goals, and I know we
got great play out of our goaltender, Peter Cronin 18, on Sunday, and that was
a huge lift. That can really inspire a team,
and it makes it easier for people to break
through and not be tentative.
Goaltending will continue to be a deciding factor in the games this weekend

as the Polar Bears face Colby goaltender

Emerson Verrier, who was named NESCAC Player of the Week last week. All
four goaltenders on Bowdoins roster
none of whom are seniorshave seen
playing time this season, so its unclear
who will be between the pipes for the Polar Bears on Saturday. However, Cronin
has had the most minutes and just came
off of the shutout win last Sunday.
The rest of the team is similarly young,
including a front line that graduated six
seniors this past spring. Yet the underclassmen have been proving their capability; all eight goals scored at the Bowdoin-Colby Classic this past weekend
were by first years and sophomores.
Theres no guarantee youre going
to be successful, but if you have a certain amount of skill with will, and then
you add experience, were going to be
a tough opponent, said Meagher. I
know we have the skill, I think we have
the will, its just weve got to add the experience to that recipe, and then I think
were going to be a tough opponent in
the league.
Yet the teams youth doesnt change
many of the fundamental approaches to
building a new team that Meaghers developed over his 33 seasons at Bowdoin.
There are time-tested models that we
follow...but within that, as youre building the foundation and going to the
next step, not every house you build is
the same, said Meagher. Youre building a brand-new house; youve got to get
the foundation set, youve got to get the
infrastructure set, and then the finished
product probably doesnt look like the
last house you built.

Sailing team finishes third in season-ending championship

BY ALLISON WEI
ORIENT STAFF

The sailing team concluded its fall

season with a pair of Atlantic Coast
Championship regattas on November
14-15 after having qualified for them
two weeks earlier. Seven Polar Bears
competed in the Coed Atlantic Coast
Championships hosted by Old Dominion University in Virginia for the
first time in program history, and seven
raced in the Womens Atlantic Coast
Championships (ACCs) at St. Marys
College in Maryland.
On October 31, the team competed
in the Coed New England Championship at MIT, which serves as a qualifier for the ACCs. The team finished
seventh out of 18 teams and earned the
final berth to the ACCs.
On the same day, seven other Polar Bears raced in the Urn Trophy at
Harvard, which is the qualifier for the
Womens ACCs. The women finished
the race strong, earning a third place

finish out of 15 teams competing.

Jack McGuire 17, Nora Cullen 18,
Dana Bloch 17, Harrison Hawk 18,
Jade Willey 17, Matt Lyons 17 and Emily Salitan 16 raced at Old Dominion
for coed ACCs. Strong winds allowed
eight races to take place in each division
on the first day of competition, while
only four races were completed on Sunday due to a slow sea breeze. Bowdoin
finished 12th out of the 18-team field.
The team had a bit of a slow start
but were able to improve throughout
the event with better starts and smarter
tactics, wrote Head Coach Frank Pizzo
in an email to the Orient.
At the Womens ACCs, Erin Mullins
16, Ellis Price 18, Olivia Diserio 16,
Mimi Paz 17, Julia Rew 16, Courtney
Koos 16 and Sydney Jacques 18 raced
for the Polar Bears. Strong winds prevailed most of Saturday, allowing ten races to be completed in each division, while
Sundays racing took place in lighter conditions. Once again, the Polar Bears had
strong races. Bowdoin finished third out

of 18 teams, the best finish at the Womens ACCs in program history.

Koos believes mental toughness was
key to the teams success.
I think that championship events
are a much more mental hurdle than a
physical or ability one, Koos said. Its
mentally preparing for the conditions
and then doing the best that we can do,
which is something I think weve gotten
a lot better at in recent years.
With the ACCs marking the end of
the fall competition season, the team
will now shift its focus onto the spring.
The fall season is different from the
spring in that the team is most focused
on integrating the first year class. This
years incoming class has 10 sailors,
bringing the team roster total to 32, the
largest its been in recent years.
Weve been making a lot of new records for Bowdoin this fall, and I think
moving forward, we want to build upon
that and continue to play at that really
high level and get new people on the
team integrated into those high-level re-

I think that championship events are a much more mental hurdle

than a physical or ability one. Its mentally preparing for the conditions and then doing the best that we can do.
COURTNEY KOOS 16
gattas, Koos said. We have a really deep
team now, so we can send any one of four
people to a regatta, and you wont be able
to tell the difference based off the results.
In preparation for the spring competition season, the team has already
begun workouts this week. The athletes
will participate in lifts, speed training
and team meetings to discuss tactics.
According to Koos, the spring is also
a more fast-paced season, as there are
only six weeks of racing, compared to
nine in the fall. The three big conference championships this spring will
take place at the Coast Guard Academy,
Dartmouth and Yale. Dartmouth is

hosting the coed qualifier for Nationals,

and Yale is hosting the womens qualifier
for Nationals.
Last year, both Bowdoin teams qualified for Nationals. The womens team
finished 17th out of 18 teams in the final round, while the coed team finished
16th in the finals.
Integrating [the first years] and giving people opportunities to get better,
and also when it comes to championship season, really pushing and making
it to Nationals are our goals, Koos said.
Depending on the weather, the Polar
Bears will likely begin their spring campaign on March 5 at Brown.

friday, december 4, 2015

the bowdoin orient

HY KHONG, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

FRESH FACES: Jack Simonds 19 looks up after pulling down a rebound against Babson this
past Sunday. Averaging 16.8 points per game, Simonds is one of three first years playing more than 15
minutes per game for Tim Gilbrides Polar Bears.

Mens basketball hopes

to compete in NESCAC
despite team transition
BY CALDER MCHUGH
ORIENT STAFF

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving

Break, the mens basketball team blew
a second half lead to the University of
New England, a team they have not lost
to in the last decade, but rebounded by
beating No. 10 Babson on Sunday. Two
days later, the Polar Bears took down
the University of Southern Maine on
the road to bring their record to 3-2.
After graduating starting point
guard Bryan Hurley 15 and seven-foot
center John Swords 15, the team is
looking for players to step up in both
the backcourt and frontcourt. With
the loss of Swords in the middle, Head
Coach Tim Gilbride has made the tactical decision to try to get out on the
break more and get the ball in the
hands of talented scorer and preseason
First Team All-American Lucas Hausman 16 as much as possible. The strategy seems to be working for Hausman;
he is averaging 29.4 points per game
(PPG) through five games and has
scored over a third of the teams points.
However, Gilbride notes that simply delivering the ball to Hausman
and hoping that he accounts for all
of the teams offense is not a sustainable strategy.
What weve figured out is we cant
just let [Hausman] take the ball and try
to score and take over on his own, said
Gilbride. We need to do that by moving the ball and controlling the flow of
the game.
Luckily for the Polar Bears, many
of their first year players have stepped
in and contributed immediately. Jack
Simonds 19 is the teams second leading scorer with 16.8 PPG. In addition,
point guard Tim Ahn 19 and forward
Hugh ONeil 19 have each averaged
over 15 minutes per game played, indicating that theyll likely be important
components of Gilbrides rotation for
the entire season.
The teams youth may have contributed to its inconsistent results thus
far; the Polar Bears are still learning to
play together, and the five first years

on the team are still picking up the

system. However, they may be getting
through early growing pains. After
beating Babson 88-84 in overtime on
November 29, Bowdoin went on the
road and delivered a convincing 81-55
victory at the University of Southern
Maine on Tuesday.
I think now weve started to play
really well as a team, and I think thats
going to keep on going, said Simonds.
The Polar Bears clearly are on the
same page in terms of their goals this
year. Both Hausman and Simonds have
the same ambitious goal: to host and win
a NESCAC tournament game, finish in
the top half of the NESCAC and hopefully make a run in the NCAA tournament.
Bowdoin has already proven that it
can play with anyone in the country,
but the team will have to keep up that
level of concentration in all of its NESCAC games. According to Hausman,
the conference looks to have a startling
degree of parity this year.
Everyone can really play. There
are no pushovers in the NESCAC this
year, Hausman said. Conn. College
and Hamilton were traditionally at the
bottom of the league, but they got better this year and have some good freshmen. I think we have the capability
to beat anybody, but if we dont come
ready to play, we have the capability to
lose to most teams, too.
Bowdoins biggest task seems to be
becoming more consistent. Simonds,
Gilbride and Hausman all noted that
Babsons high national ranking helped
the team focus, but against UNE, a
team they should have beaten handily,
they let the game slip away.
Bowdoins captains, Hausman, Matt
Palecki 16 and Jake Donnelly 16, are
the last significant contributors left
from a squad that made the NCAA
tournament just two seasons ago. This
is clearly a team in transition, and it
remains to be seen if they will be able
to blend strong senior leadership with
a talented but unproven first year class.
If they can, though, the Polar Bears will
undoubtedly be a team to be feared this
season.

sports

13

14

the bowdoin orient

OPINION

Puck Colby

omorrows the big one, friends: Bowdoin vs. Colby ice hockey in Sid Watson
Arena. Easily the biggest sporting event on campus every year, Bowdoin-Colby
takes a normally sedate student body and whips it into a frenzy for three periods of puck. But, like Thanksgiving dinner at Thorne or Ivies weekend, this iconic
campus event requires careful planning. In the interest of providing the fans in the
stands with a fun night and helping secure a win for the boys on the ice, the Orients
editorial board humbly presents to you the ABCs of Bowdoin-Colby hockey.
Access
Were you one of the lucky souls that waited in the now-infamous line that snaked
around Smith Union throughout the week and emerged victorious with a ticket? Kudos, your dedication to Bowdoin mens hockey is a huge part of what makes the program the NESCAC powerhouse that it is. Dont feel bad if you didnt score a seat to
the big game, though. Theres an unspoken understanding that those who show up to
the game will find a way in. That said, dont make the ushers jobs hard or awkward
by begging them for admission. Have the courtesy to bring a homemade ticket or just
dart past them inconspicuously.
Booze
Its going to be tempting to drink all day in preparation for the game, because that
is an awesome thing to do if youre 21 years old. Dont darty too hard, thoughtheres
nothing worse than passing out at 6 p.m. and not even making it to the game. And
dont pregame intensely directly before the game, either. The bleachers will be packed
and youll be uncomfortable. Drink in moderation before the game, and save turn up
oclock for immediately after the boys get the W. As hockey legend Wayne Gretzky
once said, You miss 100 percent of the shots you dont take.
Chants and Chirps
The best anti-Colby chants, ranked:
1. UMaine-Waterville
2. Mules are sterile
3. Safety school
These are the essentials, the classic war cries shouted by generations of Bowdoin
students. They will be chanted, and they will be chanted often. But dont hesitate to
take things a step further. Scan the Colby mens hockey roster and put some names
into Google. Does the goalie speak Russian and French? Yupshout some things
at him in Russian and French! Does the leading scorer have an embarrassing Vine
account that hasnt been updated in two years? He sure does! Please loudly make
reference to it while hes on the ice. Its not about insulting the oppositionin fact,
that should be avoided. The best chirps are obscure, innocuous references to the
players lives.
If youve ever felt envy while watching a student section go wild at a big-time college
sporting event, tomorrow night is your chance to live that life. The Mules are coming
to town, and every self-respecting Polar Bear should be present to defend the hallowed
grounds of Watson Arena. Its time for Bowdoin-Colby hockey.
This editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orients editorial
board, which is comprised of John Branch, Sam Chase, Matthew Gutschenritter,
Emma Peters and Nicole Wetsman.

friday, december 4, 2015

Eviction, alienation and guilt by association

BY STEPHEN KELLY
OPED CONTRIBUTOR

When I read Randy Nichols email

from Sunday, November 20, I initially
felt angry that a support group for
sex offenders was meeting so close
to Bowdoins campus. I immediately
associated this group with the sexual
assault that occurred at Mayflower
Apartments on November 10, as well
as the attack on Potter Street on November 17. Our thoughts and prayers
remain with the victims of these appalling crimes.
Yet, upon reflection, I have come
to disagree with the decision to expel
this support group from First Parish
Church. By associating this groups
eviction with the effort to ensure
the safety of students, faculty, and
staff, Mr. Nichols email implies that
ostracizing these people makes our
campus safer. But does any evidence
identify this support groups activities as a cause of the sexual assault in
Mayflower Apartments? According
to Mr. Nichols email, the group has
been meeting at First Parish Church
for two years. The sexual assault in
Mayflower Apartments occurred
only this semester. This timing does
not indicate a correlation between
the groups meetings and the recent
crimes. Furthermore, has expelling
this group from its meeting place
affected campus safety at all? Presumably the groups members live
in Brunswick and nearby towns. Although they will now have to meet
elsewhere, I assume that many of
them will remain within walking distance of Mayflower Apartments, Potter Street and the rest of campus.
While the incident in Bath on De-

In keeping with our supposed dedication to the Common

Good, the Bowdoin community administration and
students alikemust support this groups efforts. Indeed, we should emulate its mission to improve society
through self-improvement.
cember 1 may seem to justify the Colleges concerns, we must remember
that the support group did not plot
such attacks. Rather, this organization
sought to establish the communal
solidarity that could help its members
function in societyand by implication, avoid committing further crimes.
After all, the attack in Bath happened
after the organizations eviction. By
blaming it for this crimeor the
crimes committed against Bowdoin
studentswe attack the solution instead of the problem. We should support this group as a promising way for
sex offenders to receive the treatment
they need to become healthy members
of society. Thus, Bowdoin College has
victimized an organization that aims
to make Brunswick safer.
Furthermore, it has alienated a
group of convicted criminals by
discouraging their attempts to rehabilitate themselves. By expelling
the group from First Parish Church,
Bowdoin has committed an egregious injustice while making itself
less safe. Our community is presently
experiencing tremendous pain and
fear. Evicting this group may give us
some psychological comfort. But we
must recognize that any such comfort is purely illusory and has come
at the price of alienating a group that

we should support. While our community naturally longs to identify

and eliminate the cause of its fear and
outrage, the frightening nature of the
times means that we must become extra vigilant against our own propensity for scapegoating.
Considering the helpful nature of
this support group, Bowdoin Security
should not have revealed the groups
presence and thus involved it in the
Bowdoin administrations response
to the sexual assault. I can only surmise that our administration exposed
this group in order to demonstrate
some kind of (futile) progress in its
investigation of the recent crimes.
This is inexcusable. The Bowdoin administration should apologize to this
support groups members for preemptively victimizing them. In keeping with our supposed dedication to
the Common Good, the Bowdoin
communityadministration
and
students alikemust support this
groups efforts. Indeed, we should
emulate its mission to improve society through self-improvement. We
can begin by acknowledging that in
trying to address one outrage, we
have perpetrated another.
Stephen Kelly is a member of the class
of 2017.

Appreciating the liberal arts: STEM elitism and the myth of the easy major
ADIRA POLITE

ON THE EDGE

When I tell people that I attend

Bowdoin, I always receive one of
two reactions: either the judgmental What is that? or the impressed
Oh, good for you. For those in
the latter group, the fact that I go
to Bowdoin is enough to warrant
praise. To them, the acceptance letter and degree progress hints towards a successful future. Within
the walls of this institution, however, simply pursuing a degree is not
enough; one must pursue the right
type of degree. This belief, likely
held by students across the country,
is the myth of the easy major.
This myth perpetuates the notion
that certain majors are not as important as others. For most, the line
between an impressive major and a
joke major is drawn between science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) and the social
sciences and humanities. Many people place STEM majors on a pedestal
and regard others as inferior. This
mindset seems to come from the the
belief that majoring in a STEM field
will result in obtaining a practical
and high-paying career.
I delve into this issue as neither
an apologetic STEM major, nor a
scorned humanities scholar. In fact,
my schedule this semester consists
of two lab sciences and two humanities courses. I understand the struggle of spending hours in the labora-

tory and leaving to find that the sun

is long gone. I also understand the
exhaustion of watching the sun rise
while trying to write a 10 page paper. As someone living both lives, I
have begun to question the reasons
for the perceived hierarchy.
I have witnessed the aforementioned myth in action many times;
from my mothers caring, yet frustrating, push for me to focus on math
and science to STEM elitism from
students in my classes. When I return
home for breaks, I often answer questions about classes and my eventual
future with banter about my science
courses only. I find myself instinctively dwelling on Biogeochemistry
when people ask about my current
courses, likely because I subconsciously want to talk about what I
know sounds most impressive.
Because of my science coursework, I have also heard this myth
perpetuated from the inside.
Stressed out STEM majors are quick
to say they should just be an English major. While studying, my
peers have looked at laughing students nearby and questioned how
they have free time, reasoning that
they must be a sociology major.
Then, theres the decades-old joke
that psychology majors should study
a real science.
Though I see the trouble with this
mindset, I do not intend to vilify
these students; in fact, I have caught
myself thinking similar thoughts on
more than one occasion. Long nights
in Hatch Science Library are tiresome,

as are afternoons in lab. Degrading the work of others

in order to place importance on your own is almost
therapeutic. In essence, I believe that this phenomenon
comes down to a very common, though underlying,
need for validation, as well
as a society-bred feeling of
self-importance.
The ludicrousness of
this myth is glaring once
explored. First off, I find
it hard to believe that any
Bowdoin department could
ever be considered easy. A
rigorous curriculum is part
of the Bowdoin experience,
not the Bowdoin STEM experience. Humanities and
social science majors may
not spend hours in a lab,
but this does not mean that
they have less coursework
than a chemistry major.
At 2 p.m. on a Tuesday, some students might
be found testing photosynthetic rates in Druckenmiller Hall, while others might be debating government
policy in Hubbard. The world needs
our generation to provide leaders in
both of these fields. What makes one
superior over the other?
The difficulty of the departments
is completely subjective; the perceived difficulty of each area will
shift with each student you ask. Some
people find that essays are a breeze,

MIRANDA HALL

but struggle to complete their MCSR

requirement. Likewise, a number of
my friends in STEM find writing an
A paper to be nearly impossible
these are often the same people who
claim that the humanities are easy.
STEM elitism and the easy major
myth undermine the importance of
the humanities and social sciences.
Claiming that certain subjects are
useless or unemployable is not just

elitist, its incorrect. Our world is

indeed moving into an era where
STEM majors have a plethora of
options. However, I implore you to
imagine a future without writers,
performers, politicians, linguists,
historians, psychologists, humanitarians, et cetera. Life as we know
it would cease to exist. Frankly, Im
not so sure that is a world in which I
would want to live.

friday, december 4, 2015

the bowdoin orient

opinion

15

Santa Claus and Christmas magic show that reality is subjective

JESSE ORTIZ

SIGNIFYING NOTHING
Its almost December. In or around
December every year, Christian Western culture changes. The anticipation of
Christmas makes many of us do funny
things. We don ugly sweaters, drink an
unbelievably heavy beverage made with
raw eggs and subject ourselves to the
saccharinity of songs such as Christmas Shoes.
And, of course, there are the movies.
An entire subgenre of film that both
celebrates and exploits the mythology
that surrounds this one important day.
Some movies are classics, (Miracle on
34th Street, Its A Wonderful Life)
others are kitschy but fun (The Santa
Clause, Elf ) and many are downright
offensive (allegedly, theres a Christ-

mas Shoes movie).

Any decent Christmas movie has
some kind of magic. Whether that
magic consists of ghosts, an express
train or just plain-old love, Christmas
challenges the rationalist way we tend
to think for the rest of the year. At the
best of times, I can put aside my anticonsumerist critiques and accept how
Christmas magic just makes everything
OK. Christmas magic is the biggest clich on earth. Nothing could be gaudier
than a childrens choir singing about
angels in the background of a Lifetime
movie. And yet, social rituals are the
closest thing to magic that we have. Its
amazing to have a society where many
people put a tree inside their house and
listen to the same music for a month.
Its even more amazing that I love this
shit. I enjoy seeing dogs dressed up as
reindeers, looking at blinding neon
lights and drinking peppermint lattes.

But I dont know anyone who loves

Christmas more than my sister. Amanda wears reindeer socks in July and
watches Holiday in Handcuffs and
Christmas with the Kranks in August. Most importantly, my sister genuinely and unironically believes in Santa
Claus. Several years ago, my mother
and I decided to break the truth to
Amanda. We tried, time after time, to
empirically prove to Amanda that there
is no man who lives at the North Pole
and delivers presents across the world
on every Christmas Eve. But our rationalism never took hold. She was (and
is) too deep into the Christmas mythology to ever change her mind.
Religion is strange, as an academic
subject. The secularization of knowledge prevents scholars from openly
buying into any religious dogma. Rather, academics have to talk about religion in conditional phrases, outsider

language. And theres a funny thing that

secular liberal education does to disarm radical or anti-rationalist ideology.
Consider my friend, who believes in
ghosts. She once told me that it isnt that
she just interprets something as a ghost
which someone else interprets otherwise. She actually believes in ghosts.
School will often trick us into thinking
that theres an objective reality that we
each interpret and signify differently.
As if one cultures alchemy is another
persons chemistry. Of course, for our
academic culture, alchemy is the wacky,
outdated ancestor of legitimate science.
Unlike my sister, my thoughts have
been really, really expensive. As I approach the end of my seventh semester
at Bowdoin, Ive undertaken hundreds
of thousands of dollars worth of education. As I mentioned in an earlier
article (Intellectual privilege, money
and harmful exclusivity at elite institu-

tions), Amanda could never have that

privilege. As a woman with Down syndrome, shell never attend an institution
like Bowdoin and never develop the
critical skills to investigate Truth. But
despite the capital thats been funneled
into my brain, I dont have a monopoly
on saying what exists. I can speculate,
but I know literally nothing about how
it feels to be someone else. Instead of
using my education to try to find objective truths, I should learn to accept
other realities.
Im afraid that Im falling into a trap.
By writing this article, I am using critical inquiry to justify someone elses belief. Im mansplaining to my own sister
why her favorite cultural narrative is
not just an illusion. But as long as I have
the privilege of intellectual authority, I
might as well give it up.
So yes, Amanda, there is a Santa
Clausbut you didnt need to be told.

Food choices have real effects on people

CHARLOTTE DILLON

OPED CONTRIBUTOR

Bowdoin students love bananas. In

fact, bananas are the most consumed
fruit on our campus. At brunch one
morning, a friend and I tried to time
how long it would take before the banana basket needed to be refilled. After
about an hour and a half, it was practically empty. We grab them as an accompaniment to peanut butter or cereal,
take one (or two or three) to go, and
sometimes even leave them on our tray
untouched. Bananas are delicious and
full of potassium, so its no wonder why
theyre a popular fruit. However, the
banana industry has a long and bloody
history of environmental degradation
and violence that continues to this day.
Last spring, Bowdoin Advocates for
Human Rights (BAHR, formerly Bowdoins Amnesty International chapter)
began a campaign to reduce Bowdoins
consumption of bananas. Chiquita
Brand International has propagated violence and political turmoil in Latin
America since its genesis as United
Fruit Company in 1899. In the 1928 Banana Massacre in Colombia, over 1,000
plantation workers protesting for better
working conditions were killed by the

Colombian military in conjunction with

United Fruit. 1954 saw United Fruit help
the CIA orchestrate a coup of the Guatemalan government. Then, a 2002 report
by Human Rights Watch detailed hazardous working conditions for children
as young as eight and employed by Chiquita, Dole and Del Monte. These historic
events represent a sample of violence
characteristic of the industry.
The legacy continues to this day. In
2007, Chiquita admitted in a U.S. court
that they paid over $1.7 million to the
AUC, which is designated as a terrorist
group by the U.S State Department. During this time, the AUC was blamed for 22
massacres in the region where Chiquita
was operating, and the deaths of hundreds
of union workers. 4,000 Colombian civilians filed a suit against Chiquita for its part
in their relatives deaths, and the suit was
settled in a U.S. court away from the public eye. These pay-offs are not limited to
just Chiquita: Dole and Del Monte have
also been implicated.
Environmental degradation is another
side effect of the banana industry. Banana
plantations are responsible for soil erosion, deforestation, and contamination of
water resources through the intensive usage of pesticides. In addition, the variety
of banana that we eat, the Cavendish, is

under threat of extinction due to a disease

that is a result of unsustainable monocropping. Although Chiquita no longer
operates in Colombia, the banana industry continues to commit human rights
abuses in countries including Ecuador
and the Philippines.
Last fall, I studied abroad in Bogot,
Colombia. Until recently, Colombia had
the second largest number of internally
displaced peoples in the world: five million and growing. As I walked to my university or got off the bus, I often saw whole
families with signs stating desplazados,
or displaced. People would walk by
them without a second glance. I couldnt
help but wonder if some of the displaced
people I was seeing were coming from
Urab, the region where Chiquita used to
operate and where innocent civilians are
still murdered and kidnapped daily.
Consumer choices have very real consequences that we often do not realize or
cannot see. Bowdoin Advocates for Human Rights is working alongside Bowdoin Dining to lower campus banana consumption and shift to Fair Trade certified
bananas in our dining halls and campus
stores. Fair Trade bananas have higher
standards for labor conditions and environmental sustainability, but they are not
the ultimate solution. Our current banana

consumption
is not sustainable, and there
are not enough
Fair Trade bananas to satisfy Americas
demand. For
this
reason,
BAHR proposes that as a
student body
we consider
permanently
decreasing our
consumption.
We
are
lucky to attend
a school that
thinks critically and aligns its choices
with its values. We have an amazing Dining Service that does their best to bring
locally sourced and regional foods to
our plates. Many of our apples are from
Maine, and even all the oatmeal is now
local. As part of this effort, the C-Store
and the Caf are selling Fair Trade bananas for the first time.
Bowdoin Advocates for Human
Rights and Bowdoin Dining would like
to foster a more conscious consumption
on all fronts. It took going to Colombia

DIANA FURUKAWA

and seeing the immediate consequences

of the banana industry for me to reconsider my personal consumption. I
encourage and invite everyone to think
critically about who harvests the food
that we eat day-to-day and the long distances many fruits travel to get to our
plates. BAHR will be tabling in Smith
Union next week, and we look forward
to all questions and discussion.
Charlotte Dillon is a member of the class of
2016.

In distributing hockey tickets, Bowdoin failed to prioritize its students

ERICA HUMMEL

OPED CONTRIBUTOR

The College is about a lot of things: the

Common Good, the life of the mind, losing yourself in generous enthusiasmsall
that stuff we wrote our admissions essays
about. And its really good stuff. As a result,
Bowdoin is a remarkable place. It touches
the lives of not just its undergraduates, but
also the entire community: alumni, faculty, staff, Brunswick residents and beyond.
But Bowdoin is first and foremost
about its students. Of which I am one. So

you could say Im feeling pretty pissed off

at the Athletic Department right now regarding Ticketgate 2015.
The Bowdoin-Colby hockey game is
a hugely powerful communal event. Its
one of the few days in the year when divisions of class year, social group, academic
interest and cultural background dissolve
as the student body unites for a common,
sweaty, slightly drunken goal. We throw
off the chains of liberal humanism, pummel that plexiglass with abandon (sorry
Randy) and scream for Mule blood while
cheering on our peers. (I wish we cheered

for our female athletes to the same degree,

but thats a rant for another day.) Yes, this
slightly depraved spectacle takes place
outside the classroom, but that doesnt
make it any less integral to the Bowdoin
experience. So the fact that only 525 student tickets were distributed this year is
a big deal, and not in a good way. And
the fact that you can sneak in during the
second period with a meaningful wink at
baseball player doesnt make the injustice
go away. Every Bowdoin student should
have a right to every minute of that game.
At this point, you may think that I care

just a little bit too much about sports. To

which I respond: ROFL. (I once asked a
Bowdoin football player to explain what a
quarterback does. True story.) My indignation here is not about sports. Its about
students. If I wanted to camp outside waiting for tickets to sporting events, I would
have gone to Duke or Penn State or Notre
Dame. But I chose a liberal arts college
because I wanted to attend an institution
that cares about the undergraduate experience above all else.
Maintaining a healthy, multigenerational community that extends beyond

Bowdoin Orient
The

bowdoinorient.com
orient@bowdoin.edu

6200 College Station

Brunswick, ME 04011

Erica Hummel is a member of the

class of 2016

Matthew Gutschenritter
Editor in Chief

ESTABLISHED 1871

The Bowdoin Orient is a student-run weekly publication dedicated to providing

news and information relevant to the Bowdoin community. Editorially independent
of the College and its administrators, the Orient pursues such content freely and
thoroughly, following professional journalistic standards in writing and reporting.
The Orient is committed to serving as an open forum for thoughtful and diverse
discussion and debate on issues of interest to the College community.

Bowdoins physical campus is vital to our

success as a living institution. Bringing
back alumni to take part in our most valued traditions is an important part of that.
But the thing about reliving something is
that you have to live it first. And I have to
point out that currently, there are about
1,800 students on campus living Bowdoin. So lets let them have the opportunity to see that game for the first time, you
know, while they actually go here.

John Branch
Managing Editor
Associate Editor
Associate Editor
Associate Editor
Senior Photo Editor
Photo Editor
Business Manager
Business Manager

Elana Vlodaver
Katie Miklus
Olivia Atwood
Hy Khong
Jenny Ibsen
Evan Bulman
Maggie Coster

Layout Editor
Layout Assistant
News Editor
Sports Editor
Features Editor
A&E Editor
Opinion Editor

Alex Mayer
James Little
Rachael Allen
Eli Lustbader
Sarah Drumm
Sarah Bonanno
Nicholas Mitch

Sam Chase
Managing Editor

Nicole Wetsman
Editor in Chief
Emma Peters
Managing Editor

Harry DiPrinzio
Web Editor
Julia ORourke
Calendar Editor
Calder McHugh
Page Two Editor
Gaby Papper
Social Media Editor
Allison Wei
Copy Editor
Louisa Moore
Copy Editor
Diana Furukawa
Illustrator

The material contained herein is the property of The Bowdoin Orient and appears at the sole discretion of the editors. The editors reserve the right to edit all material. Other than in regard to the above editorial, the opinions expressed in the Orient do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors.

16

the bowdoin orient

friday, december 4, 2015

DECEMBER

TUESDAY 8
EVENT

Town Hall on Race at Bowdoin

President Rose will be leading a Town Hall meeting to

address the question: Why do issues of race matter if Im
white? President Rose will make initial remarks and an open
discussion will follow.
ORIENT
Morrell Lounge, Smith Union. 7 p.m.
PICK OF THE WEEK
JENNY IBSEN, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

ART AND SCIENCE: A Cultivate Art Workshop followed Dr. Bobbie Lyon's seminar: "Can the Ocean Save Us from Ourselves?" on Thursday
evening. Attendees painted watercolors inspired by climate change and discussed the science behind climate.

Jazz Night

SATURDAY 5

FRIDAY 4
PERFORMANCE

PERFORMANCE

Student chamber ensembles will be performing in the final

Common Hour of the semester.
Kanbar Auditorium, Studzinski Recital Hall. 12:30 p.m.

Robert K. Greenlee will conduct the Chamber Choir. They

will be accompanied by Beckwith Artist-in-Residence
George Lopez. The program includes music of the early
Baroque period, Norway and Southeast Africa and new
work by Ryan Fowler 15.
The Chapel. 3 p.m.

LECTURE

Anonymous Speech: A conversation about

power and expression
Sarah Dickey of the sociology and anthropology
departments and Jeff Selinger of the Government Department will moderate a conversation regarding anonymous
speech and its role on Bowdoins campus.
Main Lounge, Moulton Union.
ORIENT
PICK OF THE WEEK
12:30 p.m.

SUNDAY 6
International Write-In

Bowdoin will be joining over 85 other schools in a writing

block party. Students will participate in a three-hour
lock-in to finish final papers. Writing assistants and reference librarians will be available to assist students. Refreshments will be available at the event. Students must sign
up on the Bowdoin website in order to attend.
Center for Learning and Teaching, Kanbar Hall. 3 p.m.

December Dance Concert

The annual December Dance Concert will feature students

performing faculty-directed choreography. Visiting Artist
Laura Peterson and her company, Laura Peterson
Choreography, will present Untitled Diagrams. Shamou, a
composer, will perform live original music. Tickets are free
and will be available at the Smith Union information desk
and before the show at the door. The final performance will
take place on Saturday night.
Pickard Theater, Memorial Hall. 8 p.m.

MONDAY 7

PERFORMANCE

Office Hours Improv Show

Bowdoins newest improv group, Office Hours, will perform

its first show for the Bowdoin community.
Dining Room, Quinby House.
ORIENT
PICK OF THE WEEK
8:30 p.m.

EVENT

Film Screening and Discussion:

"Out in the Night"

Out in the Night is an award-winning documentary film

about a group of African-American lesbians who were
charged for defending themselves when threatened by a
man in New York City. Some of the women chose to plead
guilty while others did not. Two of the accused women,
Renata Hill and Patreese Johnson, will join their lawyer and
the films director for a Q&A session following the film.
Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center. 6 p.m.

EVENT

Junior/Senior Ball

Juniors, Seniors and their registered guests are welcome to

attend the Junior/Senior Ball. Wristbands are required for
those attending and can be picked up at the Student
Activities Office.
Thorne Hall. 10 p.m.

Improvabilities
Show

12

13

PERFORMANCE

A Festival of
Lessons and
Carols

14

WEDNESDAY 9
PERFORMANCE

Winter Dance Show

The Winter Dance Show will feature Arabesques The

Nutcracker as well as performances from Taiko, Anokha,
Obvious, Broken, Middle Eastern Dance Ensemble, VAGUE,
Intersection and Polar Bear Swing.
Pickard Theater, Memorial Hall. 8 p.m.
PERFORMANCE

Bowdoin Sketch Comedy

EVENT

PERFORMANCE

PERFORMANCE

Frank Mauceris jazz students will be performing in various

ensembles for the Bowdoin community.
Kanbar Auditorium, Studzinski Recital Hall. 7:30 p.m.

Bowdoin Chamber Choir

Common Hour

11

PERFORMANCE

15

PERFORMANCE

Fall Music
Sampler

Formerly known as Bowdoin Night Live, the recharged group

will be performing its first show of the year under the new
name Bowdoin Sketch Comedy.
Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center. 9:30 p.m.

THURSDAY 10
PERFORMANCE

George Lopez and Music at the Museum

Beckwith Artist-in-Residence George Lopez will present an

evening of music related to the current museum exhibitions.
Seating is limited. Free tickets are available at the
Museum Shop.
Pavilion, Museum of Art. 6:30 p.m.
PERFORMANCE

Student A Cappella Show

Student a cappella groups will perform their annual

end-of-semester show for the community.
Pickard Theater, Memorial Hall. 8 p.m.

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