Bowdoin College
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The Nation’s Oldest Continuously Published College Weekly
Af/Am celebrates 50 years. See PAGE 7.
Forum caps off Brooks’ first visit as
inaugural Joseph McKeen fellow
HEAR ME OUT: Inaugural Joseph McKeen Visiting Fellow Arthur Brooks speaks to students in the Beam Classroom. Brooks’ lecture was only open to
students who registered and read one of his books and watched a documentary beforehand. The talk addressed topics as varied as social media and climate change.
by Alyce McFadden
and Diego Lasarte
Orient Staff
Arthur Brooks first visited
Bowdoin College not as a pro-
spective student or a visiting
fellow but as a French Horn in-
structor for the Bowdoin Inter-
Coffee house program takes strides against political animosity
by Tianyi Xu
Orient Staff
Bowdoin students and mem-
bers of the greater Brunswick
community exchanged ideas on
the role of the American govern-
ment and enjoyed live music on
Tuesday in Morrell Lounge.
The event marked the third
installment of the What Matters
Community Crossover, a four-
part program spearheaded by
the Joseph McKeen Center for
the Common Good. Associate
Director of the McKeen Center
Tom Ancona believes that these
conversations are a useful way
for students to be introduced to a
wide variety of political views.
“The goal for us this year was
to establish greater ties with com-
munity members and allow the
students not only to hear differ-
ent political perspectives but also
people from different generations
N WATCH OUT
Three students were involved in serious
bicycle crashes. Page 3.
national Music Festival. He was
22 at the time, and was working
as a professional musician after
dropping out of college at 19.
“I remember walking across
the beautiful campus saying
what a dream it would be to go
to college, and to go to college
here,” Brooks told a crowd of
and from different backgrounds,”
Ancona said. “[We try] to get
people from a broad group of
perspectives—not to debate one
another but to explain their per-
spective, where they’re coming
from, what their background is
and why they believe what they
believe.”
The event was co-sponsored
by Make Shift Coffee House, an
organization that aims to bridge
understanding and commonality
in contemporary political discus-
sions. Craig Freshley, the group’s
founder, moderated Tuesday’s
discussion. He emphasized the
importance of listening to under-
stand instead of jumping to con-
clusions and judgements.
“It really upsets me to see
how divided we are as a coun-
try … we’re not understanding
each other’s points of view and
showing a lot of disrespect in
our conversations,” said Freshley.
A LOVE ACROSS LANGUAGE
Students studying different languages
recite poetry. Page 4.
Friday, November 8, 2019
students and faculty members
on Thursday evening. Now, over
thirty years later, he has returned
to Brunswick as the inaugural
Joseph McKeen Visiting Fellow.
Thursday’s forum served as
a capstone to Brooks’ visit—the
first of two this academic year.
Seats in the Visual Arts Center’s
“I decided, you know what, I’m
gonna have a meeting where peo-
ple really talk to each other face to
face with respect.”
Freshley noted the importance
of representing well-balanced
ideas across the political spec-
trum and how Bowdoin was able
to deliver that at the event.
“We work really hard to get
people with different opinions in
the room; it doesn’t just happen
overnight,” said Freshley. “For
one thing, [at Bowdoin] we get
a wonderful age mix. That’s what
makes it really rich. Secondly,
we get community mix—we
get people from the community
coming in here to vote. Thirdly,
you have a huge diversity of race
and ethnicity and political views
within the student body that peo-
ple from outside the community
don’t generally get exposed to.”
TAKE A SEAT: Students, faculty and community members from Brunswick and visitors from Richmond, Maine gather
Please see COFFEE, page 3 in Morrell Lounge on Tuesday to engage in a discussion about the role of American government.
F BACK TO SCHOOL
Theo Greene returns to Bowdoin after a
sabbatical. Page 5.
Volume 149, Number 9
REUBEN SCHAFIR, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
Beam Classroom were limited
to members of the Bowdoin
community who pre-registered
for the event and were asked to
read Brooks’ recently published
book “Love Your Enemies” and
watch “The Pursuit,” a 75-min-
Please see BROOKS, page 3
S IT’S NOT THE BATTERY
What’s gone wrong for Bowdoin football
this season? Page 11.
bowdoinorient.com
Students to collect
oral histories from
Af/Am alumni
by Nina McKay
Orient Staff
This weekend, as alumni from
the past five decades gather on
campus to celebrate the 50th an-
niversary of the Africana Studies
program, the Russwurm Afri-
can American Center and the
African American Society, four
students—Aisha Rickford ’20,
Nate DeMoranville ’20, Marcus
Williams ’21 and Marina Henke
’19—will be seeking to docu-
ment their stories.
The four students have been
preparing all semester to con-
duct interviews over the next
three days for an oral history
project. They will spend 11
hours on Friday and Saturday
and half the day Sunday talking
with alumni who register via
email or in person about their
academic and social experiences
at Bowdoin and beyond.
“We’re just hoping that the
people who are registered to at-
tend this weekend will be willing
and interested in sharing their
stories of Bowdoin with our cur-
rent students in order to create
an archive,” said Peter M. Small
Associate Professor of Africana
Studies and English and Director
of the Africana Studies Program,
Tess Chakkalakal, who has been
supervising the project. “We’re
making history at the same time
as we’re acknowledging the past.”
Chakkalakal, who calls the
O LEARNING FROM THE PAST
Takeaways from the last 50 years of
Africana Studies at Bowdoin. Page 14.
1st CLASS
U.S. MAIL
project a “collaborative inde-
pendent study,” meets with the
students weekly to discuss their
progress, but the students also
collaborate with one another
outside of these discussions.
“It’s taken a commitment
on the part of these students,”
Chakkalakal said. “I’ve been
very impressed with how they’ve
been reaching out to people to
get them to sign up for these in-
terviews.”
Chakkalakal selected each of
the students based on strengths
she observed when they were in
her classes. Henke has experi-
ence conducting an oral history
project in St. Louis; Rickford
has practice crafting narratives
through her involvement in the
Stowe Writers Project; Williams
works with the Office of Diver-
sity and Inclusion and DeMor-
anville has an interest in photog-
raphy.
DeMoranville will be curating
a visual photo exhibit of the in-
dividuals the students interview
that will be put on display in
time for Black History Month in
February.
“The Bowdoin community
will be able to listen to snippets
of [the interviews] and look at
the pictures and see the develop-
ment of a real historical narrative
out of these interviews,” Chakka-
lakal said.
Please see HISTORY, page 3
SOPHIA WEI, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
2 Friday, November 8, 2019

2 PAGE TWO
SECURITY REPORT
11/1 to 11/7 STUDENT SPEAK:
What advice do you have for prospies?
Friday, November 1 transported to Mid Coast Hospital.
• A student reported persistent and unwant- • An officer brought a student to the hospital
ed social media contact from a person not for treatment of a head injury that occurred Jack Reed ’20
affiliated with the College. earlier during an off-campus outing.
• A staff member reported a missing or
stolen black faux leather chair from the
• A smoke alarm was activated at Park Row
Apartment 4 while a student was drying
“Try both soups.”
student lounge, room 232, Druckenmiller and spraying hair.
Hall. • A smoke alarm was activated in Osher Hall.
• Parts of the campus lost power due to a A minor student was cited for smoking
wind and rain storm. Most campus power marijuana in the room and a baggie of mar-
was restored by 7:30 a.m. ijuana was seized.
• A student at MacMillan House acciden- • A student microwaving popcorn acciden-
tally set off a fire alarm while using a hair tally set off a smoke alarm in Hyde Hall.
straightener. Brianna White-Ortiz ’21
• An officer checked on the wellbeing of an Monday, November 4
intoxicated minor at Maine Hall.
• An intoxicated minor
• A crash bar was damaged on a Morrell
Gymnasium interior door.
“Even if you have to so badly, don’t fart
at Burnett House,
who fell and sustained
• A faculty member requested a
wellbeing check on a student who
if you’re alone in the elevator because
a head injury, was
transported to Mid
received a minor head injury at the
Schiller Coastal Studies Center.
what if someone comes in after you?
Coast Hospital.
Tuesday, November 5
Then they know what you did.”
Saturday, November 2 • A student reported that a microwave
• Neighbors complained oven flamed out in the kitchen at 52 Graham Rutledge ’22
of loud music coming Harpswell; the electric shop determined
from the lawn at Reed
House at 1 a.m.
that the unit had an electrical short.
• Damage was reported to an Apple-
“Don’t be intimidated. We’re all just as
• Staff at SuperSnack
reported a student
ton Hall fourth floor emergency light
fixture.
stupid as you.”
vomiting in the wom- • A student reported the burglary of
en’s restroom. an unlocked bedroom in MacMillan
HOLLY HARRIS
• Excessive noise was House. A Texas Instruments TI-84 CE
reported coming from calculator and charger were stolen.
a registered event on the sixth floor of
Coles Tower. Wednesday, November 6 Daniel Viellieu ’19
• A student was cited for carrying an open • An officer escorted a student with abdomi-
beer can inside SuperSnack.
• There was a complaint of loud noise at
nal pain to Mid Coast Hospital.
• Cooking smoke set off a fire alarm at
“Never graduate.”
Maine Hall at 5 a.m. Brunswick Apartment E.
• A student was warned for flying an un- • A student reported seeing a suspicious
authorized drone on the Main Quad. looking man while walking at the old
Note: Recreational/hobby drone use is not Navy base property near Pine Street. Two
permitted on College property. security officers encountered the man and
• A student reported seeing a suspicious ve- determined that he presented no threat.
hicle on campus. The vehicle left the area.
Thursday, November 7
Sarah Byars-Waller ’22
Sunday, November 3 • A dining employee reported the theft of a pair
• A student was observed drinking in public of L.L. Bean boots from an employee locker “You don’t have to wear Bean Boots
on College Street. room at Thorne Hall.
• An officer conducted a wellness check for • A student reported being assaulted by another every single day.”
an intoxicated minor at Maine Hall. student over the weekend. The matter is under
• An intoxicated student at Howard Hall was investigation.

COMPILED BY HAVANA CASO-DOSEMBET

Word-Up!
DOWN

CREATED BY AUGUST RICE
ACROSS
1. “Pie ___” (Faure aria)
*5. The current season of 41-across
12. Symphony, for one
13. Yes __ __?
14. Popular body spray
15. Baby who’s eating, perhaps?
17. Biblical city, or a new city in CT
21. Goal in football (Abbr.)
22. 1914 - 1918
24. Displayed Average Noise Level
(Abbr.)
25. Portland’s state (Abbr.)
26. Astro- suffix
28. ___ & Hammer
30. Big swig
32. Fencer’s sword
33. Gave a call to
34. Bilingual Education Field Based
(Abbr.)
36. Phantom ______ (Oscar-winning
2017 movie)
38. World of The Handmaid’s Tale
40. Health class topic
*41. Popular TV show (Abbr.)
44. Free of clouds
45. “Game __ Thrones”
47. Type of pizza that many Italians
hate
48. Printing essential
49. Dem. opposite
51. French bullet train
52. Former name of the Democratic
Republic of Congo
54. Small German city near Stuttgart
58. Jump the ___
59. Live Aid was one
60. Streets or avenues (Abbr.)
61. Gym class (Abbr.)
62. Popular major at Bowdoin
(Abbr.)
63. Not the beginning
64. Nintendo console
65. Money machine
66. Eye part
68. Santa ___ winds
69. Like Regina in January
70. “Yeah sure!”
*71. Where 41-Across was filmed
1. Task to do
2. Inscription on a tombstone
3. Those who overpower or control
people
4. Flash-drive nickname
5. Wisconsin state motto that Obama
used as a campaign slogan
6. Hot __ iced?
7. It was in Cleveland, Ohio in 2016
8. Frog and ____, popular children’s
book
9. Hot dorm room necessity
10. El Paso state (Abbr.)
11. English king who had six wives
16. “Gross!”
18. Pester
19. Egyptian dog-headed god
20. Song lyric often heard in a church
23. Retirement plan letters
26. CXD has many workshops on how
to do this *41. With 42-Down, it’s alright for 55. Natural logarithm (Abbr.)
27. New song by 5 Seconds of Summer fighting, according to Elton John 56. S of CSI
29. Klobuchar’s state (Abbr.) *42. See 41-Down 57. What to do with a subscription
31. Pre-Euro German coin *43. What the Olympics are you like
35. Monopoly avoidance 46. NBC’s bird 60. Hockey necessity
37. Act that prohibited discrimination 50. Utah city 64. Intense card game?
based on disability (Abbr.) 52. Group with Leo and Pisces 65. An isle in a river
39. Dysprosium symbol 53. Riddler, to Batman 67. Radon symbol
Friday, November 8, 2019 NEWS 3

SHUTTLE HOURS SHORTENED BROOKS

NEWS IN BRIEF COMPILED BY ROITHER GONZALES, AYUB TAHLIL
AFTER ‘ANALYSIS OF RIDERSHIP’
The Bowdoin Shuttle service, available for students travelling
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ute documentary about his life

“I disagree with Arthur
Brooks in quite a few significant
ways, but at the same time, I
think when we have discussions
AND DIEGO LASARTE around campus past 6 p.m., will no longer offer service past 1:30 and work ahead of the event. like this, I realize how many of
a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday or past 1 a.m. Tuesday through Brooks joined Tess Chakka- the values we share,” said Haus-
BOWDOIN ENDOWMENT RETURNS Thursday. Previously, the service ended at 3 a.m. on Friday through lakal, Peter M. Small associate mann. “I think sometimes it’s
Sunday, and at 2 a.m. the rest of the week. professor of Africana Studies easy to get lost in some clear and
10.9 PERCENT IN WEAK YEAR FOR Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols explained that and English, and Associate Pro- substantive but still relatively
COLLEGES NATIONALLY rides after 1:30 a.m. were not often requested. fessor of History Page Herrlinger small … disagreements we have.”
“[An] analysis of ridership shows that less than half of one per- in discussion on topics ranging Brooks had a busy two days
cent [of shuttle use] occurs from 1:30 a.m. to 3 a.m,” Nichols said. from social media to climate on campus. In addition to the
Endowment investment return “I couldn’t justify having drivers sit there for two hours when they change. Thursday forum, he hosted a
30% could be safe at home sleeping.” After delivering a 20-minute discussion on spirituality and
The Shuttle, commonly known as Safe Ride, can transport stu- opening statement describing the pursuit of happiness in the
24.4
22.3 dents around Bowdoin and up to a mile off campus. Last academic his upbringing in Seattle, Wash- Student Center for Multicul-
19.2 year, the shuttle transported 21,380 students, up from 18,438 during ington and outlining the premise tural Life, participated in two
20%
15.7
the 2017-18 academic year. of “Love Your Enemies,” Brooks government classes and had
Due to the departure of an employee last month, Nichols ex- responded to questions from dinner with faculty. Brooks had
Rate of Return

plained that his office is seeking to fill a position that would allow it professors and students. Many breakfast with the Bowdoin
10% 10.9 to run two shuttles simultaneously on busy days. audience members pressed him Democrats and College Repub-
Nichols denied that the Office of Safety and Security is consider- on the policies of American licans this morning in Lancaster
ing stopping the shuttle service altogether. Enterprise Institute, the con- Lounge.
2.6
0% “Absolutely not, there are no such thoughts,” Nichols said. servative think tank Brooks led Benjamin Felser ’22 partic-
-1.4 Nichols explained if students need a ride when the shuttle is not between 2009 and 2019. ipated in the conversation on
operating, security officers are always prepared to assist. Linnean Professor of Biology spirituality at 30 College Street.
-10% “Security officers provide safety escorts for students and employ- and Biochemistry Bruce Kohorn The leader of the Bowdoin Med-
ees at their request,” Nichols explained. “[The] safety of our students and Diego Grossman ’20 both itation Club, Felser said that al-
-17
is paramount.” asked about AEI’s political sup- though he appreciated Brooks’
-20% port for climate change skeptics. focus on issues of happiness
’08 ’10 ’12 ’14 ’16 ’18 Brooks denied that AEI provid- and faith, he found the College’s
HOUSING LOTTERY TO MOVE ALL ed financial support for climate emphasis on that specific area of
Fiscal Year change denial during his tenure Brooks’ study somewhat cynical.
ONLINE FOR NEXT YEAR as president but stressed that “I think that investigating the
SOURCE: CAMBRIDGE ASSOCIATES
In an email to the students on Wednesday, Director of Residential advocates for environmental importance of including com-
Bowdoin’s endowment posted a 10.9 percent return on the fis- and Housing Operations Lisa Rendall announced that the housing lot- protection should respect con- passion and concerns for happi-
cal year that ended on June 30—a performance second nationally tery process will take place completely online beginning this spring. flicting opinions. ness in politics and activism are
only to that of Brown University’s endowment, which delivered a Rendall also confirmed that the new Harpswell Apartments will be “There are trade-offs when it incredibly important to discuss,
12.4 percent return. The return was lower than last year’s of 15.7 available for the 2020-21 academic year. comes to economic development but it seemed like the school
percent return. More detailed information about the housing lottery will be available and environmental concerns. used buzzwords like ‘happiness’
According to the investment consulting firm Cambridge As- to students at the beginning of the spring semester, but Rendall wanted There just are,” Brooks said. and ‘love’ to avoid talking about
sociates, this past year’s median return for endowments was 4.9 to give advance notice to students who may be affected by these changes “Look, none of us in this room his politics,” Felser explained.
percent nationally, while endowments with more than $1 billion in policy. should have to choose between Concurrent with the forum,
in assets had a median return of 5.8 percent nationally. Bowdoin The new system will replace the existing method of room selection, an apocalyptic environmental the Bowdoin Labor Alliance
and Brown’s returns are noted to be outliers, with other peer insti- which takes place in person over the course of four nights. The in-per- scenario and people not dying of (BLA) hosted an alternative dis-
tutions such as Harvard (6.5 percent), Dartmouth (7.5 percent), son format has created problems for some students, especially those poverty.” cussion in the Pickering Room.
and MIT (8.8 percent) being much closer to the median figure. studying abroad. Students who were unable to attend the lottery had to After the forum’s conclusion, Fifteen students and two faculty
As of June 30, Bowdoin’s endowment was valued at $1.74 select a proxy to choose on their behalf. Kohorn expressed frustration members attended a roundtable
billion, up from $1.63 billion last year. The College spent $67.7 The email specified that the Office of Residential Life expects Park with Brooks’ equivocal answer. discussion where they critiqued
million dollars from the endowment on annual operations. Near- Row and Harpswell Apartments to be selected primarily by rising se- “He says we should trust in Brooks’ tenure at AEI, and the
ly half of this figure, $31 million, supported financial aid. The niors. The new Harpswell Apartments, similarly to the Park Row Apart- institutions. Well, let’s trust sci- process that led to Brooks’ ap-
average grant for all aided students is currently $47,000 a year. ments, will be composed of 4-, 6- and 8-room apartments with single ence,” he said. pointment.
Despite the endowment’s impressive performance, there are bedrooms and private kitchens and bathrooms. Associate Professor of Gov- Benjamin Ray ’20, an orga-
still some lingering concerns, said Scott Hood, senior vice pres- ernment Jeffrey Selinger and nizer of the event, said Brooks’
ident for communications and public affairs. Fiscal year 2018- Associate Professor of Govern- time on campus presented an
2019 marks the first time that Bowdoin, with an endowment of
about $900,000 per student, will be subject to the 1.4 percent en-
COFFEE “I want people to realize
that nothing is going to be as
ment and Asian Studies Henry
Laurence both took issue with
opportunity for students to
deeply scrutinize his positions.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
dowment tax on net investment returns established by the 2017 healthy or productive as talking what they described as Brooks’ “I think there is a time for dis-
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Leif Maynard ’23, who attend- to someone face to face … you simplification of contemporary ruption and there is a time for us
In an email to the Orient, Hood explained that though the en- ed the event Tuesday, was one can maintain your own politi- political debates in “The Pur- to think about what we wish had
dowment tax will diminish the College’s investment returns, the of 13 students who traveled to cal identity, even when you’re suit.” Selinger pointed out that been done differently, and for us
College does not expect student aid to be affected this year. $46.2 Richmond, Maine as a part of the communicating with people economic systems are not strict- to come together as a communi-
million have already been allocated from the 2019-2020 fiscal program. In his political discourse [with whom you disagree],” he ly socialistic or capitalistic, and ty to talk about the issues,” said
budget for financial aid, three-quarters of which will be funded with others, he noticed a tendency said. “You should be confident that Americans typically support Ray. “I think it is more important
by the endowment. for political discourse to be affirm- enough in your ideology to some combination of the two. for us as students to develop ra-
“This is a tax on the endowment, so the funds to comply with ing rather than challenging the engage in civil discourse like “There’s a way in which some tional critiques of the system he
the tax will come from the endowment, not the operating budget,” ideas of established authority. this and respect other people’s like to misidentify the problem, works to perpetuate.”
wrote Hood. “That said, every dollar paid out of the endowment “It’s interesting to me coming humanity.” or say it’s about capitalism versus At the conclusion of Brooks’
is one dollar less that can be invested for student aid, for faculty to Bowdoin, which is an institu- Ancona echoed this idea by socialism. In fact, it’s actually a time on campus, Herrlinger
research, scientific equipment, library purchases, technology and tion that I feel really prioritizes clarifying that while the activity debate between different ways of expressed satisfaction with stu-
all the other items supported by the endowment.” consensus building over really was not meant to reconcile dif- organizing capitalism,” Selinger dents’ thoughtful engagement
looking at progressive change,” ferences, it should add compas- said after the forum. “I do think with Brooks’ ideas.
Maynard said. “While I believe sion into what would otherwise that there’s a difference between “We wanted everyone to bring
THREE STUDENTS INVOLVED IN that consensus building is really be vehement disagreements. the person we saw here in this their voices, and their diverse
important, I also think it’s im- “I don’t expect that somebody room and actually what we opinions, and their perspectives,
SERIOUS BIKE ACCIDENTS portant to challenge consensus coming from this conversation somehow managed to kind of and everyone was welcome as
with the established authority.” is going to say, ‘I agree with you.’ see on the Netflix documentary, long as it was in the spirit of
Three students have been involved in serious bicycle crashes Maynard thinks of the dis- In fact, they may have greater or perhaps in other clips. So it honest inquiry,” Herrlinger said.
on campus in recent weeks, Director of Safety and Security Ran- cussion as an exercise on step- disagreements. But hopefully makes you wonder, which is the “And I think that’s what people
dy Nichols wrote in an email to the campus on Tuesday. All three ping out of one’s comfort zone they gain an appreciation for real character.” brought ... I was really impressed
students received minor to moderate injuries and have returned and understanding the perspec- why that person believes what Will Hausmann ’22, dis- with the way students stepped
to campus. tives of people who would oth- they do,” Ancona said. “I think agreed and instead appreciated up.”
The first accident took place on October 5 on College Street and erwise be dismissed with labels that that leads to tremendous the opportunity to find common Reuben Schafir and Ian Ward
the second on October 12 on Park Row. or stereotypes. benefits for everyone.” ground with Brooks. contributed to this report.
“We had [the first] two incidents where students were biking
along and flipped right over the handlebars and went airborne and
came down on their faces, on the pavement,” Nichols said in an
interview with the Orient. Both students received facial and head
HISTORY to record their interviews, and
they have also been meeting
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
injuries, and one broke a tooth. with Digital Archivist Meghan
The third incident occurred on October 30, when a student on
a bicycle collided with a moving facility van near the Burton-Little
House, resulting in a shoulder and face injury.
Nichols also noted in his email that the Office of Safety and
After conducting the inter-
views, the students will spend
the next few weeks transcribing
the recordings. The transcripts
Doyle to learn about creating
oral history projects.
The students will be stationed
next to the Af/Am/50 registra-
LIKE US?
LIKE US.
Security has recently received numerous recent complaints from will be preserved in the George J. tion table to solicit interviewees,
drivers about near misses with cyclists in and around campus. Mitchell Special Collections and and they will be conducting the
“We have also had a number of pedestrians who were using Archives in Hawthorne-Longfel- interviews in Adams Hall. They
campus walkways that reported bicyclists operating unsafely and low Library. currently have 10 alumni signed
coming too close to them on the walkways,” Nichols said.
Nichols said that while bike accidents themselves are not un-
Chakkalakal explained that li-
brary resources have been essen-
up via email, and they hope to
increase that number to 50 with
facebook.com/bowdoinorient
common on campus, the occurrence of three incidents in as many tial to the project; the students in-person signups by the end of
weeks prompted him to send a safety announcement to campus. will be using library equipment the weekend.
4 Friday, November 8, 2019
AO ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
SIDE BY SIDE: At the opening of the “African/American” exhibition on Thursday, Curatorial Assistant Elizabeth Humphrey showed viewers two stylistically connected portraits by pioneering African American artist Joshua Johnson.
‘African/American’ reflects on artistic achievement
by Annika Moore
Orient Staff
Joshua Johnson, one of the
first professional African-Amer-
ican artists, spent the majority
of his career painting portraits
of white families in Baltimore,
Maryland. He is only known to
have painted two portraits of Af-
rican-American men, which have
been separately owned since the
19th century. These paintings are
finally reunited in the Bowdoin
College Museum of Art’s (BCMA)
new exhibit, “African/American:
Two Centuries of Portraits.” They,
along with photography, sculpture
and more contemporary pieces,
tell the stories of African Ameri-
cans from the Antebellum period
to the present day.
The exhibition, which opened
on Thursday with a curator’s
Multilingual Poetry Night showcases student talent
by Cole van Miltenburg
Orient Staff
While differences in language
may create communication barri-
ers in everyday life, poetry has an
ability to serve as a unifying force.
In Thursday’s Multilingual Poetry
Night, students’ performances at-
tested to literature’s transcension
of language, reciting poems in
Arabic, Russian, Spanish, Ancient
Greek, French, Italian, Japanese
and Korean.
Poems ranged greatly in emo-
tion and theme, ranging from
ancient to modern and from light-
hearted to heartbreaking, and in-
cluded the works of notable greats
such as Mahmoud Darwish and
Alexander Pushkin. In the living
room of the Center for Multicul-
tural Life, students conveyed the
emotional weight of each piece
to peers, faculty and community
members. In between readings,
Co-Director of the Middle East-
ern Ensemble Amos Libby sang
tour, is part of this weekend’s
AF/AM/50, a celebration of the
50th anniversary of the Africana
Studies program, the John Brown
Russwurm African American
Center and the African American
Society (now the Black Students
Union). Curatorial Assistant Eliz-
abeth Humphrey ’14 and BCMA
Co-Director Frank Goodyear
joined forces to present the exhibit
to the College community.
For this weekend only, the
BCMA is also featuring art by AF/
AM/50 speaker David C. Driskell
H’89 in an exhibition titled “The
Art of David C. Driskell, H’89 and
the Art that Inspires Him.”
“It’s really exciting to think of
the museum as sort of a hub or a
space for this cultural activity and
to offer an exhibition … to visitors
who are coming back to celebrate,”
said Humphrey.
Palestinian and Egyptian songs
while playing the oud, a small
stringed instrument.
Lecturer in Arabic Batool
Khattab reached out to various
language faculty over a month
ago to propose her idea for a col-
laborative poetry event. She had
never heard of such a large-scale
collaboration between language
departments in her second year
at the College, but nonetheless felt
this would serve as a unique op-
portunity for students to showcase
language skills outside of class.
“We don’t get the chance in our
classrooms to focus that much on
poetry, especially in the lower lev-
els, like elementary and interme-
diate,” Khattab said. “And to my
surprise, I found a lot of support
and encouragement [from my
colleagues].”
Khattab collaborated with sev-
eral language faculty to spearhead
the event. Associate Professor of
Russian and Chair of the Russian
department Alyssa Gillespie be-
In addition to commemorating
AF/AM/50, the idea for the exhib-
it came from a desire to reunite
Johnson’s portraits. One of the
portraits, thought to be of a man
named Abner Coker, is owned by
BCMA. The other, believed to be
of a man named Daniel Coker, is
being borrowed for the exhibit
from the American Museum in
Bath, England.
Lauryn Dove ’21 curated the
exhibit with the assistance of
Humphrey during her summer
internship at BCMA. She con-
structed the exhibit around the
pair of Johnson’s portraits, with
many works being drawn from
the BCMA’s permanent collection
and the George J. Mitchell Depart-
ment of Special Collections and
Archives in Hawthorne-Longfel-
low Library.
With Humphrey’s guidance,
came interested in this opportuni-
ty to expose language students to
poetry at a much more intimate
level.
“Usually when I teach literature
in translation, I do mostly prose
because it survives translation a lot
better. So I jumped at [this] idea,”
she said.
While intermediate Arabic stu-
dents practiced mostly in a larger
group setting, professors like
Gillespie worked with advanced
Russian students on an individual
basis to perfect their performance.
“With all three of them, I
listened to them and made sug-
gestions about pacing and the ca-
dences of the lines … almost treat-
ing it as a musical performance,”
Gillespie said. “Most people in the
audience won’t understand the
words but they’ll hear the sound,
so you want it to be effective.”
Khattab similarly emphasized
the artistic nature of poetry and
how this presents itself in a perfor-
mance setting.
Dove developed written and audio
labels to accompany the pieces in
the exhibit.
“[We wanted to] pose ques-
tions to the audience so that they
can come away reflecting on the
exhibition rather than having
someone tell them what to think,”
Goodyear said.
The exhibit also features sev-
eral of BCMA’s new acquisitions,
including a rare photograph of
abolitionist Sojourner Truth and
a marble bust of an unidentified
female made by Edmonia Lewis,
a pioneering African-American
sculptor.
Alongside these works is a high
quality reproduction of a John
Brown Russwurm portrait. Russ-
wurm was the first African-Amer-
ican to graduate from Bowdoin
and the third African-American
to graduate from an American
“Poetry has a sublime [quality]
and a beauty to it,” she said. “Even
if you are reciting a sad poem, the
idea of reciting the poem itself is
a communal idea … It’s a ritual
[that] involves the performer and
the recipients.”
Students performed both indi-
vidually and in groups, and several
even chose to recite the same text
in multiple languages.
Hannah Scotch ’22, a student
in Khattab’s intermediate Arabic
class, recited a 14th century An-
dalusian poem in both its Arabic
and Spanish translations. The
piece comes from a time in which
the Islamic Moorish Empire ruled
over Spain and cultural exchange
took place.
“It’s a love poem about a wom-
an and her name and unifying
love, which could also be seen as a
metaphor for unifying Arabic and
Spanish histories and cultures,”
Scotch said.
This chance to engage in artis-
tic expression across language is
college. The actual portrait, which
is currently in the National Por-
trait Gallery at the Smithsonian
in Washington, D.C., is the only
known likeness of him.
Although the exhibit mainly
features works from the Antebel-
lum period, it also includes a few
contemporary pieces. These more
recent pieces are meant to encour-
age viewers to consider how the
past impacts African Americans
today.
“In a lot of ways this exhibition
serves as a point to reflect on how
far we’ve come but also [to] push
us forward in the future,” Hum-
phrey said.
A few of the pieces on display,
including Johnson’s Abner Coker
portrait, were acquired for a his-
toric 1964 exhibition at BCMA,
titled “The Portrayal of the Negro
in American Painting.” This was
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Advanced Arabic student Finny Doherty
’20 recited a poem at Multilingual Poetry Night on Thursday.
a new and exciting one for many
Bowdoin students. Gillespie rec-
ognized that language-centered
events like this are unusual at the
College.
“To be able to have all the dif-
ferent language programs come
together and highlight the rich-
ness of the different languages and
literary and cultural traditions—I
think is something our campus
really has lacked,” she said.
ANN BASU, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
one of the first exhibitions at an
American museum to focus on art
by and about African Americans.
At the time, it attracted prominent
visitors, including Martin Luther
King Jr. and New York governor
Nelson Rockefeller.
Like that exhibition, “African/
American” is an opportunity for
BCMA to display art and stories
that have historically have been
excluded from museums.
“What we’ve been trying to
do here at the museum, certainly
over the last two decades or so,
is to continue to scrutinize our
collections, understand where we
have privileged certain traditions
and not been aware of or not made
commitments to others and try to
address those gaps,” Goodyear said.
“African/American” will be on
display in the Becker Gallery until
February 9, 2020.
CAROLINE FLAHARTY, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
Scotch appreciated how the
event bridged the gap between
language barriers and allowed stu-
dents from diverse backgrounds
to learn from one another.
“It’s important to recognize
how poetry is such a powerful
tool for generalized sentiments
that are kind of universal and how
languages—although they’re very
different—express things in simi-
lar ways,” she said.
Friday, November 8, 2019 5

F FEATURES
Professor Theo
Greene stays busy
after sabbatical
by Lily Randall
Orient Staff
From conducting cut-
ting-edge research in the na-
tion’s capital to publishing an
article about the preconcep-
tion of gay areas as white, As-
sistant Professor of Sociology
Theo Greene has done it all.
During his sabbatical in
Washington, D.C. last year,
Greene was a visiting facul-
ty in residence for the Met-
ropolitan Policy Project at
American University. In the
past year, Greene has been
busy researching and writ-
ing his upcoming book, “Not
in MY Gayborhood! Gay
Neighborhoods and the Rise
of the Vicarious Citizen.” He
also attended the American
Sociological Association
Conference to promote his
book, conducted a series of
talks for Bowdoin’s LGBTQ+
alumni group, published an
article about the preconcep-
tion of gay areas as white
and served on the faculty
committee for the new Urban
Studies minor.
Before Greene left for
sabbatical, he felt confident
in the structure of his book,
which looks at queer place-
ment in Washington, D.C.,
but this changed after con-
ducting research at American
University.
“I thought I had a frame-
work that explained vicarious
citizenship, which argues that
people invested in gay neigh-
borhoods are not residents of
them,” Green said. “But while
I was there I also added a sec-
ond framework to the book
that explores how people
actually turn on and turn off
‘place’ as they need to, to sort
of mobilize community. So
I’ve added this notion of place
reactivation as well.”
The book is set to release
by the end of 2020, which
means Greene is currently
writing his book while teach-
ing courses at Bowdoin.
“When you teach two ex-
tremely full classes—I have
a first year seminar and then
a class with 42 students in
it—that means a lot of grad-
ing and a lot of time spent
trying to work with students,”
Greene said. “It’s been really
hard to get some of that work
done.”
On top of that, Greene is
also part of the core faculty
group involved in develop-
ing the Urban Studies minor,
which is set to launch next
fall. He helped design the
curriculum and is now help-
ing to get the program off the
ANN BASU, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
ground.
BACK IN BUSINESS: Returning from sabbatical, Assistant Professor of Sociology Theo Greene is getting back to teaching while writing his book, “Not in MY
Working with students, Gayborhood! Gay Neighborhoods and the Rise of the Vicarious Citizen,” which will go to print next fall.
though, has been one of
Greene’s favorite parts of really big challenge to be part work [and] doing some of the
returning to Bowdoin. How-
ever, it has not been an easy
“It’s been a challenging of a lot of conversations.”
Looking to the future,
historical archiving,” Greene
said.
transition. transition, but at the same time, Greene has plans to collabo- Greene hopes to begin the
“Teaching, when you hav- a very rewarding one.” rate with Bowdoin students Portland project next sum-
en’t taught in 16 months, is to create a map of Portland, mer. Until then, he has a host
kind of like an [out of shape] –Theo Greene, Assistant Professor of Sociology Maine that identifies cer- of other engagements to keep
muscle,” Green said. “Get- tain queer places and spaces him busy, including articles
ting back those sea legs was very rewarding one.” “Being a faculty member around the city and uncovers on queer placemaking and
a little bit of a challenge, but Greene has many responsi- of color [and] also being a their history using interviews the role of gay bars in forming
it was also really gratifying bilities, but he acknowledges gay faculty person of color, at and archival research. community.
to know that students really that his voice contributes a place like Bowdoin, you’re “I already have a lot of stu- How does Greene manage
missed me not being here. a unique perspective to an often called on to do a lot of dent interest in helping me all of these commitments?
It’s been a challenging tran- overwhelmingly homogenous other things as well,” Greene collect some of the interviews, “I don’t sleep,” he said.
sition, but at the same time, a campus. said. “So you know, it can be a some of the ethnographic “That’s how I manage.”

Tao Yuan: Brunswick’s best restaurant

Forking Around
by Will
Donaldson
During my three years
at Bowdoin, I have dined
at nearly all of Brunswick’s
restaurants. I have enjoyed
meals at Frontier, Little To-
kyo, Enoteca Athena and
Shere Punjab. I have eaten
passably at Richard’s, Josh-
ua’s and Sweet Angel. I have
been disappointed by The
World-class cuisine in a classic atmosphere
M Great
FULLA
LILY Impasta.
But this Family
Weekend, I ate a meal
so good that these Brunswick
fixtures simply do not com-
pare. Tao Yuan is the best
restaurant, by far, in Bruns-
wick.
The restaurant is located
on Pleasant Street next to the
post office. On the inside,
there is intimate seating and
plenty of windows—think
candles on tables, sweaters
over button-downs and spot-
less surfaces. But the setting,
though excellent, is not Tao
Yuan’s main selling point.
The food at Tao Yuan is
great; the restaurant special-
izes in classic seafood dishes
transformed with an Asian
flair. The chef and owner,
Cara Stadler, began her ca-
reer as a chef at age 16.
She worked in Beijing,
Berkeley and Philadelphia
before moving to Gordon
Ramsey’s two-Michelin star
restaurant, Au Trianon Pal-
ace, in Versailles, France. She
owns two other restaurants
in Maine, in addition to Tao
Yuan—Bao Bao Dumpling
House and Lio Restaurant,
both in Portland. Her cre-
dentials are indisputably im-
pressive.
We drank cocktails and
glanced at the menu before
deciding, as a table, to order
the tasting menu. I can’t rec-
ommend this highly enough.
It makes the dining expe-
rience more enjoyable by
eliminating the need to make
difficult choices, but more
importantly, it is a delicious
and exciting journey. After
we made our choice, the staff
whisked away our menus and
our agency as we embarked
on a culinary tour of the fin-
est quality.
We started off with New
Meadow River oysters in
a Thai basil mignonette.
The oysters were delicious
and effectively introduced
the restaurant’s focus on
Asian-inspired seafood dish-
es.
After the oysters came a
variety of salads. There was
a classic Asian coleslaw with
cabbage and peanuts, a spicy
salad with hearty greens and
tomatoes and, most impor-
tantly, an unusual and fan-
tastic smoked-duck salad,
served cold, which seemed to
melt in my mouth.
Following these dishes,
with conversation flowing
and another round of drinks
on the table, we transitioned
to hot food with a course of
dumplings, buns and shumai
filled with shrimp, pork and
scallions. Stadler’s second
restaurant, Bao Bao Dump-
ling House, emphasizes these
same dishes, and they were
magnificent.
With the dumplings and
buns cleared away, we began
the main event—a bombard-
ment of rich and sophisticat-
ed dishes.
First came a plate of hot
pan-seared scallops with a
citrus sabayon, cooked to
perfection. Followed by a
plate of sautéed bok choy
topped with oyster sauce
and chili-thread, a string-
like Korean garnish, which
provided just the right touch
of spice (one of Stadler’s fa-
vorite dishes). After that, we
ate tender chicken breast,
rich strip steak and a plate of
smoked pork ribs with a kick
from a chili-basil sauce. Like
all masters, Stadler had saved
the best for last, leaving us
somehow completely stuffed
and, at the same time, han-
kering for more.
Settling back in our chairs,
we had coffee and dessert. It
was a perfect meal, the best
I’d had in years and certain-
ly the best I had ever had in
Brunswick. I wish I’d discov-
ered this wonderful restau-
rant sooner.
Tao Yuan is located at 22
Pleasant Street in Brunswick,
Maine. It is open Tuesday
through Saturday starting at 5
p.m. and accepts reservations
over the phone at 207-725-
9002.
6 FEATURES
HAPPY, WITH A LITTLE
HELP FROM MY FRIEND
Once daily, I swallow a
tiny pill that contains 100
mg of the drug Sertraline,
more commonly known by
its brand name, Zoloft. Ser-
traline has many side effects,
including, but not limited to,
worsening depression, dizzi-
ness, drowsiness, vomiting,
diarrhea, decreased sex drive,
impotence or difficulty hav-
ing an orgasm. Luckily, none
of the previous have hap-
pened to me. In fact, I think
taking this drug was perhaps
the best decision I’ve made in
my life.
It has been a long and ar-
duous journey of opening up
to people, seeking help and
coming to terms with my past
for me to accept my mental
illness. However, with this
acceptance (and a little help
from my friend, Sertraline),
I’ve found a little more peace.
Growing up queer in a
household with a verbally
and physically abusive father,
along with my mother’s histo-
ry of anxiety and depression,
I’ve been told that I had the
“perfect” concoction of vari-
ables leading to the mental
illness I now have. Granted,
NEW ADVENTURES IN HI-
ED: MY TIME WITH R.E.M.
I recall my Bowdoin expe-
rience through excessive cul-
tural consumption. It sounds
like Nick Hornby “High
Fidelity”—like mumbo jum-
bo, but it’s a great cataloging
method.
Fall 2016: I over-played
Frank Ocean’s “Blonde.” Fall
2017: I discovered Pavement,
I know that the story is far
more complicated than that,
just as the story of me starting
to recognize my problems has
evolved as well.
My community never
thought of my family as any-
thing other than the perfect,
church-going, studious,
mom-is-a-teacher-and-dad-
a-mechanic, middle class
family. Under the fabricated
surface, however, we lived in a
constantly toxic house where
all of us were too afraid for
our lives to actually tell the
truth. This, I know, is where
my problems opening up to
people started.
I realized in high school,
after my mom, my siblings,
and I had left our father, how
fake my persona was to even
my closest friends. The full
story of my family’s divorce
from my father was not fully
known in our community.
We were, unfortunately, still
under that man’s curse. This
is not simply a case of Holden
Caulfield in Salinger’s novel. I
was not simply acting fake; I
caught myself blatantly lying
about my past, even to my
best friend and counselor.
Essentially, I felt the need to
hide all my problems—and
with this, anxiety, depression
and logically started to think
I grew up in the 90s. Summer
2018: I was shaken by the mu-
sic of Fiona Apple and M.I.A..
Fall 2018: I talked solely
about Bradley Cooper’s “A
Star is Born.” Summer 2019: I
listened to the podcast “Hol-
lywood Handbook” for multi-
ple hours every day.
Some cultural curiosities
have faded faster than others,
but they are all phenomena
KOD
IE G
ARZ
A
TALK TO US.
Ranging from lighthearted moments to serious reflections about life at and beyond Bowdoin, Talks of
the Quad feature the Bowdoin community’s best short-form writing. They are published every other
week and can be written by any member of the Bowdoin community. Generally 700-1,000 words.
Talk of the Quad
and mild OCD were swept
under the rug as well.
When I left my public high
school and community on a
scholarship to a Nordic ski-
ing boarding academy in the
city, I finally saw a counselor.
At this point, I still didn’t tell
the full story, though I was
eventually diagnosed with
mild general anxiety and was
told working out would help
with this. Given that I was
at a Nordic skiing school, I
took this in stride. However,
as I later found out, I also had
Obsessive Compulsive Exer-
cise Disorder. I worked out so
much and through sickness
that I eventually contracted
a life-threatening heart dis-
order. Think about taking a
Honda Accord and pushing it
to the limits of a Ferrari—that
boy is gonna break. Through
therapy and treatment, this
problem would be resolved at
Bowdoin.
However, my first year at
Bowdoin was tough, to say
the least. Without anxiety
and depression medication,
I was a mess. For the first
three-fourths of the school
year, I couldn’t stay on top of
school and I made almost no
friends. I would skip classes
because my anxiety was so
onto which I latch in order
to describe my life and my-
self. Such a tagging system
is not unique nor of any true
interest to anyone except me.
I came across such art at ar-
bitrary times and through
meaningless motives. Maybe
I’ll look back at my time at
Bowdoin and think, “Did I
really talk that much about
‘A Star is Born?’” There is one
collegiate obsession, howev-
er, that I think carries more
weight. It is something that
has evolved with me, starting
all the way back in my junior
year of high school.
In February 2014, come-
dian Scott Aukerman (host
of “Comedy Bang! Bang!”)
and actor Adam Scott (star of
“Hot Tub Time Machine 2,”
among other films) released
the podcast “U Talkin’ U2 to
Me?” The hosts will tell you
that it is “the encyclopedic
compendium of all things
U2.” It is about all things
U2 and about no things U2.
I started listening in early
EMAIL ORIENT@BOWDOIN.EDU
bad that I didn’t want to see
people. I lost 20 pounds (I’m
a small guy already) because I
didn’t want to go to the dining
hall, and I cried on the phone
with my mom every night.
Eventually, though, I met a
great counselor who asked
me to try opening up to a
few people. She also got in
touch with my doctor, who
prescribed medication (for
the record, my first medica-
tion and I didn’t get along, it
takes the right medication for
you). I made some amazing
friends in the last quarter of
the school year and actually
started to talk to them about
my past and what I was going
through. They grew to under-
stand my “tells” that showed
anxiety and depression,
which helps a lot. They know
I don’t like crowded places
and that I’m terrible at reach-
ing out (and staying in touch)
but that I love getting a text
telling me to come to them.
To this day, I still dread
eating at Thorne because
it’s such a big room with so
many people (I fainted there
my first-year). I also leave
parties early if I’m over-
whelmed and I struggle with
keeping in touch with people
because I think they won’t
2015. Reasoning? I was a
comedy nerd, wanted to hear
a couple of my favorite co-
medians go on comedic tan-
gents (they talk a lot about
the Huey Lewis and the News
album “Sports” in their de-
but episode), enjoyed the
band and had an inordinate
amount of free time.
All of this is still true. The
podcast meant so much to
me because it was complete-
ly pointless. I’ve listened to
much more of the podcast
about the band than the ac-
tual band’s music. Unfortu-
nately, as I entered college,
episode releases were more
sporadic.
In February 2018, howev-
er, Scott and Scott started a
spin-off podcast with an even
more ridiculous name: “R
U Talkin’ R.E.M. RE: ME?”.
When I heard the news in
my Mayflower apartment, I
was way too excited for such
a situation. One pointless
trait of mine survived from
high school to college: I love
want to hear
from me (even if
they are my best friends).
For the most part, though,
things have improved dras-
tically. I still work out, but
I have a better relationship
with my body. I’m doing well
in school and haven’t skipped
a class since my first year. I
have a great group of close
friends, and that’s really all
I could ask for. Most impor-
tantly though, I feel better
about sharing my past and
who I really am with other
people. It’s important for me
and my mental health to do
to hear these guys talk about
music and mundanities.
Yet R.E.M. was a little
different for me than U2.
Over 2018, I began a light
dip and subsequent plunge
into the band’s music. I fell
in love with the podcast and
then with the band. How
much do I love this show and
band? I own an “R U Talkin’
R.E.M. RE: ME?” t-shirt and
am slightly embarrassed to
wear it in public. My fondest
memory of a Bowdoin R.E.M.
experience? Falling asleep lis-
tening to the podcast in Hatch
Science Library (Finals, May
2018, broad daylight).
One question that Scott
and Scott always jokingly ask
their guest (even when said
guest is a member of the band
R.E.M.) is “Where did you
first hear of R.E.M.?” Luckily,
92.5 FM – The River, Boston’s
Independent Radio, always
played in my house in Man-
chester, N.H.. I knew R.E.M.
before I knew R.E.M.. Now,
years later, I rediscovered
Friday, November 8, 2019
TIZ
A OR
SHON
so.
I don’t think
everyone should take the
same steps to deal with their
mental health as I have, but
I do think being open to the
idea of talking about your
mental health, medication
and counseling can be re-
ally beneficial. Without my
changing view on opening up
and medication, I don’t know
if I would still be at Bowdo-
in, and I know I wouldn’t as
stable and happy as I am now.
Mitchel Jurasek is a member
of the Class of 2021.
R.E.M.’s songs while focus-
ing on the beauty in Stipe’s
lyrics or Mills’ bass. And this
was somehow all shaped by
a comedy podcast with hosts
that have an extremely infec-
tious passion for R.E.M. How
are they so infectious? They
go deep on their excessive
cultural consumption.
Last week, R.E.M. released
a 25th anniversary edition
of their grungy 1994 album
“Monster.” I’m always excited
to hear a remastered album,
but something even more ex-
citing came out this week. On
Wednesday, a new episode
of “R U Talkin’ R.E.M. Re:
Me?” dropped. But Scott and
Scott don’t need to release
new episodes all the time; I
don’t need any more excess.
Instead, a few times a year, I
can rejoice and reflect on the
journey I’ve taken with them.
To Scott, Scott and R.E.M.:
Thank you. You are the ev-
erything.
Tom Regan is a member of
the Class of 2020.
Friday, November 8, 2019 AF/AM/50 7

Celebrating Af/Am/50
Fifty years of Africana Studies, John Brown Russwurm African American Center and the Black Student Union
1969 Faculty approve plan to create Afro-American
Studies major the following semester.
Fall semester: The College establishes the John
Brown Russwurm African American Center,
African American Society and the Afro-American
Studies program (now Africana Studies).
1970 Members of the African American Society
commit to a two-day vow of silence to encourage
administrators to focus on recruiting black
students.
1971 Visiting Professor of History Emma Lou Holloway
becomes the first black woman to teach at
Bowdoin.
Richard Lewis, the first director of the Afro-
American Studies program, resigns unexpectedly
in protest of the administration’s underfunding of
the program.
1973 The first Afro-American Studies majors graduate
from Bowdoin College.
1979 On the 10th anniversary of the program, the
College names the African American Center The
John Brown Russwurm Africana Studies center
in honor of Bowdoin’s first black student, John
Brown Russwurm, Class of 1826.
Students speak out against the administration for
ignoring calls for divestment from South African
Companies and protest the College’s decision to
fire John Walter, director of the Afro-American
Studies program.
1980 Lynn Bolles is named director of Afro-American
Studies, the first woman to hold the position.
During her appointment, she expanded the
department’s focus from African American
history to include the African diaspora.
by Kate Lusignan
and Eliana Miller
Orient Staff
This weekend, alumni, students
and guests will gather to cele-
brate the 50th anniversary of the
founding of the Africana Studies
program (formerly known as Af-
ro-American Studies), the Black
Students Union (BSU, formerly
known as the African American
Society) and the John Brown
Russwurm African American
Center. This weekend’s celebra-
tion, titled “Af/Am/50: Reflecting/
Perspectives,” aims to commemo-
rate a half century of multicultural
community and scholarship at the
College. Four-hundred and twen-
ty-nine people have registered for
the program, including 172 alum-
ni, 94 faculty and staff and 113
students.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Af/Am/50 will begin today
with various lectures, performanc-
es and panels, and will end on
Sunday. Highlights include a key-
note address by Geoffrey Canada
’74, H ’07, a dinner reception with
DeRay Mckesson ’07, a concert
featuring multi-Grammy nomi-
nated musician Marsha Ambrosi-
us and a conversation with Presi-
dent Clayton Rose and Kenneth
Chenault ’73, H’96. There will also
be an Af/Am/50 ball, a party at the
John Brown Russwurm African
American Center, exhibit talks at
the Hawthorne-Longfellow Li-
brary and the Peary-MacMillan
Arctic Museum and various alum-
ni roundtables.
Af/Am/50 was jointly orga-
nized by Alumni Relations and
the Africana Studies department.
Many of the events will be held in
the John Brown Russwurm Afri-
can American Center, named in Black students’ backgrounds.
honor of the first Black graduate Similarly, in 1990, the Af-
of the College, John Brown Russ- ro-American Studies program
wurm, Class of 1826. Although was renamed as the Africana
it took 84 years for another Black Studies program, reflecting a shift
student to matriculate, students of in the department’s focus from
color now make up 35 percent of solely African American history
the current first year class. to include the African diaspora.
The celebration coincides Since its founding 50 years ago,
with the African American So- 141 students have graduated as
ciety’s name change to the Black majors in the program, and 16
Students Union (BSU), a change more are expected to graduate
that has been discussed for more this May. Many of these gradu-
than eight years. After hearing ates will return this weekend to
feedback from students, faculty reminisce about their time at the
and alumni, the change was im- College and discuss the future of
plemented to acknowledge the the Africana studies program.
diversity of Blackness among In this special section of the
BSU members, where students Orient serves to highlight this
identifying specifically as African weekend’s programs, share the
American are the minority. This experiences of former and pres-
change emphasizes a continued ent Black students and honor the
effort to expand BSU’s program- past 50 years of the College’s mul-
ming to accurately represent ticultural community.
COURTESY OF GEORGE J. MITCHELL SPECIAL
COLLECTIONS & ARCHIVES
50 YEARS LATER: (Far left) Professors of
Afro-American Studies Randy Stakeman (left)
and Dan Levine (right) take a stroll. Stakeman
was the fifth director of the program and over-
saw the program for 17 years. (Left) Visiting
Professor of History Emma Lou Holloway
became the first Black woman to teach at
Bowdoin in 1971. (Below) Members of the
Afro-American Society meet in the Russwurm
African-American Center in the 1990s.

1987 The College divests over $10 million in South

African investments and creates a “South Africa-
free” portfolio.

The African American Society hosts the first

Ebony Ball.

1988 Gayle Pemberton is hired as the first director for

minority affairs.

1990 Afro-American Studies and a committee of

external reviewers conduct separate evaluations
of the program. Both studies recommend that the
program be renamed “Africana Studies” to reflect
curricular shifts that Bolles directed. They also
recommend hiring more faculty of color.

The African American Society and the Coalition

of Concerned Students stage several sit-ins and
protests calling attention to the lack of faculty of
color at the College.

1993 The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship

program at Bowdoin is established in an effort
to increase the number of students of color who
earn PhDs in the arts and sciences.

1997 Bowdoin hosts a conference titled “Race for

2000: Black Intellectuals and African-American
Studies” to engage scholars and students about
the future of Africana Studies.

2006 Barry Mills launches a capital campaign

focusing on financial aid, and included
endowments for four new Africana Studies
professorships.

2009 By the 40 anniversary of the program, students of

color make up 30 percent of the student body.

2015 The African American Society organizes a silent

protest to draw attention to issues students of
color face on campus.The protest is part of a
broader discussion of race after members of the
sailing team held a “gangster” party the previous
week.
2019 The African American Society changes its name
to the Black Student Union (BSU).
COURTESY OF GEORGE J. MITCHELL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & ARCHIVES
FROM THE ARCHIVES: (Above) Lynne Bolles be-
came the director of Afro-American Studies in 1980. She
was the first woman to hold the position. Bolles studied
the Carribean, which encouraged the department to
broaded its focus from African American history to
include the African diaspora. (Right) Kenneth Chenault
’73 contributed to a column published in the Orient,
“Black Perspective.” A transcription of Chenault’s piece
is available online.
8 AF/AM/50
50 years later:
two presidents reflect on traditions and community
by Kate Lusignan and Emma Sorkin
Orient Staff
In the fall of 1969, Robert Johnson ’71 became the first president of the African American Society (AAS). Fifty years later, Amani Hite ’20 holds the position of president of the Black Student Union (BSU,
formerly the African American Society). The Orient sat down with Johnson and Hite separately and asked questions about their experiences as presidents of AAS and BSU, respectively, half a century apart.
ROBERT JOHNSON ’71
Johnson was the founding President of
AAS at Bowdoin. The organization advo-
cated for Black students on campus, but also
aimed to connect with Black communities in
New England. They drove to other colleges,
worked with the Portland NAACP, and re-
cruited Black students from across the coun-
try to come to Bowdoin.
At the time of the group’s founding, al-
most every Black student on campus was
a member, Johnson said. AAS adopted the
organizational structure of the Black Pan-
ther Party. Each division of the society had
a minister, and each minister presented a
report at meetings.
According to Johnson, the founding of
AAS was “a real cooperative thing. People
worked together really well. I don’t remem-
ber any animosity or trying to undermine COURTESY OF DON WEST
authority or anything like that. We all trust-
ed each other, and it was a great group of
guys.”
How did AAS shape your experience at Bowdoin?
It was the Society, and it was Bowdoin. It’s kind of hard for me to separate the two. They were
both very, very important. I met some of the strongest guys, most driven guys in my life, people I
respect tremendously. And a lot of these folks have gone on to do great things. Every day I would
look at Walter Cronkite on T.V., and when he went off at seven, I would go to the library and study
until the library closed at around 11:30 p.m. because I knew that I had to be successful. I knew I
could not come back [home] to Roxbury a failure. I knew this was an excellent opportunity for
me as a young person. And I think a lot of students were like that. They worked hard, they stayed
together and they socialized together.
What are some of your favorite events AAS has held?
I think the concert by Mahalia Jackson [was my favorite event] because I met her in New York.
I went to a play, and I looked across the room, and I thought [I saw] Mahalia Jackson, so I went
over to her and I said, “Hey, I’m a student at Bowdoin. You’re a great gospel singer, we’d love for
you to come to Bowdoin.” So she gave me her home number.
And when I got back, I went to talk to dean Paul Luther Nyhus, and I told him that I had met
Mahalia Jackson … and that we’d like to sponsor her. Just like that, he said, “Sure, no problem, we
can get the money. We can make it happen.” So that was great. I was a young kid—I think I was
a sophomore at the time—and he was an administrator who got it. It wasn’t even a hard fight. He
said sure!
What relationship did the AAS have with faculty and professors?
I thought [the professors] were excellent. The great thing about Bowdoin was that—and I hope
this is still the case—there was a close relationship with the faculty. I never felt in my four years
there that a professor didn’t care about me as a student, didn’t want to see me successful in the
College.
How did President Roger Howell support AAS?
[President Howell] was incredible. First of all, he was very smart. He was a Bowdoin
undergraduate and he was a Rhodes scholar. So as young scholars ourselves, we looked up to our
president. He set a high standard academically, [and] he set a high standard in terms of social
involvement and commitment to social causes. He listened to the students.
How does Bowdoin’s political climate and the nation’s political climate affect
AAS?
What was happening nationally and internationally was huge. Across the United States,
Black students had taken over administrative buildings. [At Bowdoin,] we decided that we
didn’t have to take over buildings, that we had an administration, under the leadership of
President Roger Howell, that listened to us.
I tried to keep the brothers calm and tried to [say], “Hey, we can work with the folks here.
We have to be firm, but we don’t have to take over buildings. We don’t have to get arrested
for things. We can be militant but reasonable.” And so that was the tone that I set as the
president.
I remember the College had made a commitment to bring to the College, by 1970, 85 black
students. And then, in 1969, they had a meeting with ... the vice president of administration and
finance. He came by the [John Brown Russwurm African American Center], and he wanted to
meet with the brothers to explain why the College could not bring 85 blacks by 1970.
We had a meeting after he left, and we had a strategy. The strategy was that we would not
answer any questions in class. The professors call on us, we won’t say anything. We all put on
our leather jackets, our berets, [and] when we’d be sitting in the Student Union, we wouldn’t
talk to each other. If we wanted the salt passed, we would motion for someone to pass the salt.
The result of this silent protest was that faculty got in touch with the administration and
said, “What’s up with the with the Black students?” Then we met with President Howell and
explained to him we were upset about the College [going back] on its commitment to have
85 blacks by 1970. So as a result of that silent protest, the College renewed its commitment.
We were able to do a lot of things, important things, without resorting to violence. And
that was very important.
Friday, November 8, 2019
AMANI HITE ’20
During Hite’s three years at Bowdoin, the
BSU has experienced major changes, includ-
ing a name change and a dramatic increase in
membership.
She presides over 200 members of the BSU—
making the organization the largest affinity
group on campus. This year, Hite and the BSU
executive board are focused on expanding BSU
programming to represent the experiences and
identities of a wider array of its members. To this
end, it has begun to co-host events with other af-
finity groups, such as the Student Organization
for Caribbean Awareness, the Africa Alliance
and the Latin American Student Organization.
“People sometimes see Blackness and think
of skin color or if they migrated from the Afri-
can continent,” Hite said. “But Blackness is not
monolithic.”
Hite said these events allow for the group to
ANN BASU, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
“fellowship,” or, “when we all come together as a
union, as a Bowdoin community or as friends brating something, even if it’s just celebrating
to celebrate something. And we’re always cele- being Black.”
How did BSU shape your experience at Bowdoin?
It literally is my experience at Bowdoin. We’ve always had our meetings in Russwurm and I
know that that has always been a safe space for me, a place where my Blackness is always validat-
ed, where I feel comfortable talking about the problems that I have. Whenever there’s any type of
racial tension happening on campus, I always feel comfortable going to the meetings. Going into
that house is like an escape. I sometimes forget that I’m even in Brunswick, which is so beautiful.
What are some of your favorite events BSU has held?
One is probably the Thanksgiving potluck. The thing about the potluck is that it’s not just about
the food. The food is also super important because it’s really good and tasty, flavorful—we don’t
get that a lot around here. But [the potluck is] when you really see the multiple forms of Blackness
because everyone is making something from their culture. We have Black American dishes. We
have some Spanish dishes, or we have African dishes, Caribbean dishes. You see the entire African
Diaspora at a table right there.
That’s always a time for us to fellowship. But it’s also time for us to learn about each other.
Because when we talk about the food, it gets into the concept of culture, and “what’s it like in your
home?” and “what do you make every day?” so that’s always a memorable experience for me.
What relationship does BSU have with faculty and professors?
The Africana Studies department as well as the Multicultural Center are our backbone when it
comes to any of our programming. They’re always there for us if we need anything.
Now, we have Dean of Students Kristina Bethea Odejimi. And we love representation. Repre-
sentation matters, so having a Black dean is a huge deal for us.
How does President Rose support BSU?
President Rose is a huge supporter of the BSU. Any event that we invite him to, he makes it a
point to come. The last event he came to was our annual family reunion dessert reception [during
Family Weekend]. And every year since I’ve been here, and the alum who were before me always
said that him and Julianne [Rose] are always at our events.
How does Bowdoin’s political climate and the nation’s political climate affect
BSU?
The [2016] presidential election was my first year. From that day, it just brought us closer, if
anything. And while all of us do not share the same political views on this campus, we don’t talk
about politics as bluntly as it’s talked about on other campuses. We all share different political
views. There’s some stigma that “all black people are Democrats,” but that’s not true. Everyone
has a different political stance, and that’s okay. I do think because we’re able to have conversations
about these topics, and our differences, it brings us closer. We always talk about hard topics be-
cause we know that we respect each other enough.
ANN BASU, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
A HOUSE AND A HOME: BSU holds meetings and events in the John Brown Russwurm African American Center.
Friday, November 8, 2019 AF/AM/50 9

BLACK STUDENT PERSPECTIVES

Since its founding in 1969, the Black Student Union (BSU, formerly the African American Society), has played a prominent role in campus life. From organizing the annual Ebony Ball to inviting speakers
to campus, including Amiri Baraka and Maya Angelou, BSU members actively contribute to intellectual and social life at Bowdoin.

The Orient sent out a survey to all BSU members and interviewed 15 members in person to hear their thoughts about their experiences at Bowdoin. The following quotes represent the voices and opinions
of these students.

“
COMPILED BY AYUB TAHLIL

“If you go into Druckenmiller right now, you will see a full wall “I’m not the N-word police. I cannot make sure that everybody “This place was not made for Black students and we
of picture
pictures of each and every lab instructor and professor within is not saying it, and it also is not my job. I think it’s just an integrity constantly have to carve out our own spaces. We shouldn’t
the biology department, but you will not see a single face, a sin- thing and not saying it if it is not for you. I don’t care if you’re have to be burdened with that on top of taking a rigorous
gle black face .… How can I feel that I belong in a department drunk [or] sober, I think that you should be conscious enough course load, working and managing a host of extracurricular
that does not believe that they need any faculty of color? How to understand that that word is just not okay. It’s just off-limits.” - engagements. White students: imagine thinking about your
can I continue to succeed in a department where I’m in constant Ahjani Llewellyn ’21 race everyday .… It’s exhausting.” - Eskedar Girmash ’20
contact with people that have most likely never really seen the
type of struggles that I’ve seen?” - Qetsia Etienne ’22 “So we were on the aux for a while [at a College House] and “Someone in my class last year told me that I needed
then all of a sudden, a white person comes to us and says, ‘oh, you to meet the standard. Like, Black people need to meet the
“I feel comfortable at College Houses because I am always have to leave, you have to turn that music off because that’s not standard. And I wasn’t sure what the standard meant … or
surrounded by my friends who are supportive. I haven’t had to the music that we listen to here.’ And from that we realized we’re when somebody comes up to me, and they’re like, ‘Why
deal with anything negative.” - Kevin Fleshman ’23 not wanted here …. We live in a Bowdoin bubble, but that doesn’t do you talk like that?’ And I’m like, ‘Talk like what? What
mean that racism, sexism, misogyny, all this crap that is in the real is that?’ The fact that you are making it ‘other’ is the issue.
“I think the Black Student Union, as well as Athletes of Color world won’t permeate that bubble.” - Jessica Speight ’21
[Coalition], are two great groups that focus on the well-being
of students of color on campus. I know that Bowdoin’s athletic “Bowdoin as a school tries to be inclusive but the members
department has made it one of their missions to recruit more of the campus are not as inclusive in all aspects as they believe
athletes of color. I would say I am most aware of my blackness on they are. I’m usually the only Black person in most of the spaces
my sports team and when I am out on the weekends, mixing with I occupy, which is fine, because I have grown up this way and I
other Bowdoin teams.” - Olivia Ware ’20 am used to it. However, this puts me in the position where I have
to speak for the entire race, which no one person should have to
“Most of the time people of color just feel like we can’t speak do.” - Audree Grand Pierre ’21
What is your definition of the standard? White?” - Kaprice
Brathwaite ‘22

“I feel like as a low-income student of color, Bowdoin is

just not a space for me.” - Symone Marie Holloway ’22

“I feel more uncomfortable about my race when I hear of

bias incidents that occur at Bowdoin or in Brunswick that in-
volve Bowdoin students. I feel very uncomfortable walking
“
out for things .… It’s imposter syndrome. We don’t feel like this down Maine Street by myself.” - Olivia Ware ’20
space, Bowdoin, is completely our space. You know, I [felt] for “When we talk about Black people in general in my first-year
my whole first year like I was renting space.” - Solomon Aborbie seminar, they look at me for validation and expect me to know “I love myself. I love my skin. And I love being black” -
Jr. ’22 the answer.” - Jermoyah Parkinson ’23 Journey Browne ’22

MAYA CHANDAR KOUBA, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

BOOKS AND BANTER: Associate Professor of Africana Studies Judith Casselberry and Peter M. Small Associate Professor of Africana Studies and English Tess Chakkalakal lead discussion about Black women such as Ida B. Wells and Phillis Wheatley.

Course sheds light on the untold narratives of Black women

by Julia Jennings
Orient Staff
It was by chance that Peter M.
Small Associate Professor of Af-
ricana Studies Tess Chakkalakal
and Associate Professor of Afri-
cana Studies Judith Casselberry
first conceived the idea for the
course, “Black Women’s Lives as
the History of Africana Studies:
Eighteenth and Nineteenth Cen-
tury” which they now co-teach.
“We’re friends, but we’ve nev-
er really worked together,” said
Chakkalakal. “So [the course]
just kind of came about as a re-
sult of a series of conversations
we’d been having about some of
these books.”
After discussing the books,
Chakkalakal and Casselberry
proposed a course that offers
insight into the often ignored
voices of Black women.
The two aligned the course
with this semester’s AF/AM/50
celebration in recognition of 50
years of Africana Studies, the
John Brown Russwurm African
American Center and the Afri-
can American Society at Bow-
doin.
“Anniversaries are all about
history, right? Like the past, and
how far we’ve come kind of nar-
ratives,” said Chakkalakal. “But
it’s also future-oriented, think-
ing about the future of Africana
Studies, ways of re-conceptual-
izing the field to make it more
widely accessible and [more]
important to the way we under-
stand American culture.”
Chakkalakal explained that
the course opens up the con-
versation about producing a
new narrative around Africana
Studies by examining the role
Black women in the 18th and
19th century have played in its
development.
“We really wanted to focus
on Black women’s lives, and we
wanted to put it in the context
of the larger intellectual project
of Africana Studies,” said Cas-
selberry. “To think about how
looking at the experiences and
expressions of particular Black
women, how those specific lives
can actually show us what the
larger issues in Africana studies
have been as an intellectual proj-
ect over time.”
The class is taught as a con-
versation-style seminar, where
students discuss and analyze
texts such as the poetry of Phil-
lis Wheatley, Frances Harper’s
“Iola Leroy,” and the biographies
of Ida B. Wells and Sojourner
Truth.
Casselberry and Chakkalakal
invited authors of contemporary
works on these literary icons
to speak to the class, including
Mia Bay, author of “To Tell the
Truth Freely: The Life of Ida B.
Wells,” and Nell Painter, author
of “Sojourner Truth: A Life, A
Symbol.” These authors offered
insight into the lives of the wom-
en students read about.
There are currently 21 stu-
dents enrolled in the class, the
majority of whom are Black
women. This composition of the
class, unusual for a predomi-
nantly white college like Bowdo-
in, enhances the experience for
the students and professors.
“This is probably the only
class I’ve taught which is a
majority Black women student
body,” said Chakkalakal. “A
class that is dominated by mi-
nority students at Bowdoin is a
real change. It’s a majority-mi-
nority student population, so
that creates a different dynamic
in the class.”
The focus on women with-
in the field of Africana Studies
makes the course unique among
Africana Studies courses at Bow-
doin.
“The course is definitely my
favorite class at Bowdoin that
I’m taking now and probably
that I’ve taken so far,” said Safi-
ya Osei ’21. “A lot of classes on
Africa or the African Diaspora
tend to focus on Black people
as a whole, and even focus a lot
on the stories of men. This class
is very much about the stories of
women and their impacts.”
Another reason for students’
positive experience is the co-
taught nature of the course.
Kevin Fleshman ’23 com-
mented that co-teaching has
allowed for a more cohesive ex-
amination of the lives of Black
women, with Chakkalakal ap-
proaching the material from a
literary perspective and Cassel-
berry providing more anthropo-
logical insight.
“I like the co-teaching,” said
Fleshman. “They have different
perspectives [which] helps me
come up with my own argu-
ments and ideas.”
The two professors have like-
wise found the collaboration to
be rewarding. Both have enjoyed
teaching the class and the ener-
getic debates give the classroom
a dynamic energy, said Cassel-
berry.
“One of the best things about
being in this program is that
we’re able to have passionate dis-
agreements and remain the best
of friends,” Chakkalakal said.
“That is something that we want
our students to do as well, and
we’ve really seen that happening
in this class.”
Next semester, Chakkalakal
and Casselberry will offer a fol-
low-up course that will explore
Black women’s lives in the 20th
and 21st centuries.
10
Tamara Nikuradse: Africana Studies after Bowdoin
by Eliana Miller
Orient Staff
Tamara Nikuradse ’84, P’21
carefully organizes the library in
her fifth grade classroom at Dana
Hall, an all girls school in Welles-
ley, Massachusetts.
“I feel that my one of my
responsibilities, especially as a
woman of color, is to expose the
students to other cultures and
histories of other people. I try to
make sure that I have books that
have protagonists from different
races,” she said as she listed off
titles.
Together, Nikuradse and her
students read books about share-
croppers in Mississippi, riots in
Illinois and boycotts in Alabama.
They get to know characters who
are refugees from the Middle
East, immigrants from Central
America and expatriates from
Eastern Europe. They make vid-
eos about the 1963 Children’s
March, the Brown v. Board of
Education decision and the Little
Rock Nine.
But Nikuradse wouldn’t have
curated a curriculum with “some-
thing in there for everyone” with-
out her Bowdoin degree.
“I think having that experience
as an Afro-American Studies ma-
jor at Bowdoin has opened up so
much and opened me up to voic-
es not always heard,” she said. “As
Alumni to discuss under-
representation as Black artists
by Emily Staten
Orient Staff
Black Arts will take center
stage at a panel on Saturday
morning as two Bowdoin alum-
ni discuss their careers in film
and music and the role of ac-
tivism in their work. The event,
titled “Black Arts: A Canvas for
Social Activism,” will feature
singer-songwriter Coretta King
’12 and film actor, writer and
producer George Ellzey Jr. ’13.
“Everyone’s an activist. Just
going into professional
fields that are not
predominantly saturated
with people of color is a
form of activism.”
–George Ellzey Jr. ’13
King, who graduated with a
minor in Africana Studies, uses
music to reflect on her “culture,
background [and] social con-
sciousness” as a Black female
artist. She hopes that the panel
will help others understand
both the difficult and rewarding
aspects of being a Black musi-
cian.
“I’m really open to talking
about those things, the hard
things, [and] not necessarily
sticking with surface talk,” she
said. “I feel like it has made me
strong to not hold back, and
even just on a daily job, mak-
ing sure that you hold yourself
a fifth grade teacher, I make sure
to bring voices from all different
walks of life [into the classroom]
and help my girls see that they
live in this bubble of MetroWest
Boston, and that there is a wider
world out there.”
Nikuradse, the 10th person
to graduate from Bowdoin as an
Afro-American Studies major
(now Africana Studies), will be
returning to campus today to sit
on a panel titled “A Seat at the
Table: A Forum with Alumnae
Leaders.” An active supporter of
the Africana Studies program,
she chaired the Board of Trustees’
multicultural committee and ran
the Alumni Council’s multicul-
tural committee.
As a student and as an alumna,
Nikuradse has dedicated herself
to diversifying the student body.
During her four years at Bowdo-
in, she worked for the Office of
Admissions and started A Better
College, a club aimed at improv-
ing campus life for students from
all backgrounds.
While on the Alumni Council,
Nikuradse organized a phone
drive to recruit students of color.
She and other alumni would call
students who had been admitted
to the College and try to convince
them to attend Bowdoin.
“It was amazing, over the
course of three years, to see the
numbers increase in terms of the
accountable when you’re inter-
acting in environments with
people that may not understand
your cultural background or
the nuances of being an African
American.”
King now lives in Nashville,
Tennessee, but believes that
Black artists nationwide are too
often overlooked.
“This weekend, I want to talk
about how Black creatives are
represented in artistic spaces,
how a lot of times we’re un-
derrepresented, and talk about
those disadvantages, as well as
how it reflects our experiences
being on Bowdoin’s campus as
well as beyond,” said King.
Ellzey also hopes to open up
a dialogue on the underrepre-
sentation of Black voices and
Black faces in the arts. He is
currently pursuing an MFA in
directing at Depaul University,
and he frequently freelances
in the Chicago film commu-
nity. His work focuses on the
narratives of minorities, Black
masculinity and Black trauma
in society.
“Film has been around for
AF/AM/50
percentage of students coming. I
remember being so excited when
Bowdoin got to 20 percent stu-
dents of color, I just couldn’t be-
lieve it,” she said. “And one of the
reasons they were able to achieve
BOWDOIN AND BEYOND: Tamara Nikuradse ’84, P’21 has used her
Africana Studies major as a marketing executvie and a fifth grade teacher.
100 plus years, and we’ve had
every iteration and story told
[in cinema]. However, we ha-
ven’t had that many perspec-
tives from people of color,” he
said. “My charge is to create
stories just geared for people
of color.”
To Ellzey, opening up these
perspectives in the arts is its
own form of activism.
“Everyone’s an activist,” said
Ellzey. “Just going into different
professional fields that are not
predominantly saturated with
people of color is a form of ac-
tivism.”
Jessica Speight ’21, an En-
glish and theater double major,
will moderate the panel. She
said that the topic feels especial-
ly relevant to many students of
color at the College.
“It speaks to the students, es-
pecially Black students who are
in the arts, who feel like there’s
pushback,” she said. “This panel
is not only going to help people
[learn about] the important
issues of activism and art and
how they inform each other, but
also will provide concrete facts
for students to be like, ‘Okay, so
this is how you can make it into
a career.’”
Speight is glad that, amidst
the larger celebration happen-
ing this weekend, Black artists
have a chance to be heard.
“There’s always been a need
for Black artists, but they don’t
necessarily get the representa-
tion or the voice,” she said. “The
fact that in this huge conversa-
tion, Black artists are getting
a voice, I think it shows that
there’s a change happening.”
that was the fact that [alumni]
were making these phone calls.”
Despite these efforts, keeping
alumni of color connected to the
College proved difficult; not all
the alumni of color remember
COURTESY OF TAMARA NIKURADSE
LISTEN UP: Marsha Ambrosius will perform tonight at 8:30 p.m. in Pickard Theater for Af/Am/50.
Multi-Grammy-nominated singer
Marsha Ambrosius performs R&B
by Kate Lusignan
Orient Staff
Marsha Ambrosius, a began making music and playing
multi-Grammy-nominated R&B
musician will perform tonight as
part of the Af/Am/50 celebrations.
Benjamin Harris, director of
the Student Center for Multicul-
tural Life, organized the event
with input from the Af/Am/50
Committee, a group of staff, cur-
rent students, faculty and alumni.
“We all agreed that R&B would
be nice—something really cool
and laid-back,” said Amani Hite
’20, president of the Black Stu-
dent Union (BSU) and a student
representative on the Af/Am/50
Committee. “Marsha Ambrosius
was perfect for us. She’s a big deal,
especially in R&B, so everyone’s
super excited about seeing her.”
Ambrosius began her musical
career in the mid ’90s in England,
her home country, after inviting
her childhood acquaintance,
their days at Bowdoin as fondly
as she has.
“There were a lot of alums
who graduated in the late ’70s
and through the ’80s and into the
early ’90s who did not have a great
experience at Bowdoin socially,
so they were very disconnected,”
Nikuradse said. “I think, because
I had some strong personal rela-
tionships across different racial
groups, maybe my experience
was a little bit different.”
Nikuradse started dating her
now-husband Scott Matthews
’84 P’21, who is white, during her
sophomore year and she admits
that a lot of her social life revolved
around him. Although she had
many friends who were African
American, Nikuradse attended
all-white schools from age nine to
16 and “was used to being in an
all-white environment.”
Nonetheless, having served as
the vice president of the African
American Society her junior year
and as the house manager for the
Russwurm African American
Center for two summers, she
knew every African American
student, and knew them all well.
“You could count on two
hands the number of African
Americans that were in my grad-
uating class,” she said.
But this weekend, Nikuradse
is hoping to meet more Black
students.
Natalie Stewart, to add poetry to
one of her songs. In 1997, the two
coined themselves “Floetry” and
shows in London. Three years
later, the duo moved to the United
States.
After a brief and unsuccessful
stint in Atlanta, Ambrosius and
Stewart found success in Phila-
delphia by writing songs for artists
such as Jill Scott and Larry “Jazz”
Anthony of Dru Hill. The duo also
composed and sang backup vocals
in Michael Jackson’s hit song “But-
terflies.”
In 2002, Floetry signed with
DreamWorks Records and re-
leased their debut album “Floetic,”
which was nominated for three
Grammy awards. Their single “Say
Yes” stayed on the Billboard Hot
100 charts for 20 weeks and peak-
ed at the 24 spot.
Floetry released two more
albums—a live album, “Floac-
ism”, in 2003 and a studio album,
Friday, November 8, 2019
“I’m looking forward to hear-
ing stories from other [alumni]
from other eras about their ex-
periences at Bowdoin, both the
good and maybe the not so good,”
she said. “I’m hoping to share my
experiences with current students
and learn about their experiences
at Bowdoin. I see it as a dialogue
between people of different gen-
erations.”
She is grateful that her Af-
ro-American Studies major has
helped her to be a more under-
standing teacher and, in her pre-
vious career in marketing, a more
conscientious executive.
“The bottom line is that no
matter how challenging our ex-
periences were at Bowdoin on a
social basis [as Black students,]
Bowdoin opened up so many op-
portunities for us, and for myself
personally,” she said.
Perhaps, sometime down
the line, one of her students will
graduate from Bowdoin and
benefit from those opportunities.
But for now, they will continue to
read about different cultures and
perspectives, and learn that “the
origins of humans start in Africa.”
“It’s very important to me that
my students understand that,” she
said.
Nikuradse will speak at “A
Seat at the Table: A Forum with
Alumnae Leaders” today at 1 p.m.
in Kresge Auditorium.
COURTESY OF BOWDOIN COMMUCATIONS
“Flo’Ology,” in 2005—before the
group disbanded shortly after
“Flo’Ology” was released.
Ambrosius continued her mu-
sic career on her own. She released
her first solo album, “Late Nights
and Early Mornings,” in 2011. The
album debuted as number one on
the US Billboard R&B Albums
chart and number two on the US
Billboard 200, behind “Adele” by
Adele. That year, Ambrosius re-
ceived two Grammy nominations
for best R&B song and Best R&B
Performance for the song “Far
Away.”
She released her second solo
album, “Friends & Lovers,” in
2014 and received another Gram-
my nomination, this time for best
traditional R&B performance.
In 2018, she released her third
album, “NYLA,” which is named
after her daughter.
Ambrosius will perform today
at 8:30 p.m. in Pickard Theater in
Memorial Hall.
Friday, November 8, 2019
S SPORTS
KEEP YOUR CHIN UP: Assistant Coach Matt Cochran rallies his players during a home loss to Middlebury. Bowdoin lost to Bates on Saturday, leaving the Polar Bears as the only winless team in the NESCAC.
With Bowdoin football at 0-8 again,
it’s time to ask the tough questions
More Than a
Game
by Ian Ward
Imagine that your car won’t
start, so you open the hood,
take a peek around and decide
that the battery is dead. You
grab your jumper pack, fire it
up, but still, the ignition won’t
turn over. So you toss the bat-
tery that you’ve got and go buy
a new battery. But alas, still no
luck. After all this, what’s your
conclusion?
The problem isn’t the battery.
With Bowdoin football win-
less again through eight games,
despite the arrival of head
coach BJ Hammer and his staff,
we now have enough data to
make a diagnosis about Bow-
doin football: it’s not the coach.
Saturday’s 30-5 loss to Bates,
a result that snapped the Bob-
cats’ 17-game losing streak and
handed Malik Hall his first win
as Bates’ head coach, might stir
panic (or despair) among those
who thought wistfully, ‘Well, at
least we’ll get Bates.’ It was all
the more dramatic for its eerie
similarity to Bowdoin’s own
skid-snapping victory over
those same Bobcats almost ex-
actly one year ago—except this
time, it was a mob of red-and-
white-clad fans who swarmed
their team at midfield after the
final whistle.
In light of Bowdoin’s victory
last year, this most recent loss
might seem a sign of regress, an
indicator that the state of Bow-
doin football is getting worse
rather than better. There might
be some truth to that, but not
a complete truth. If anything,
Bowdoin football, despite a
regime change, has hardly
changed at all.
Let’s peruse some numbers.
In 2018, Bowdoin averaged
13.6 points per game on 291.9
yards, while its opponents aver-
aged 34.2 points on 429.4 yards.
Bowdoin’s third-down conver-
sion rate was 32 percent, its red
zone touchdown percentage
was 52 percent, and it averaged
16.9 first downs per game.
Through eight games this
season, the Polar Bears are av-
eraging 12.8 points per game
on 271.1 yards, and their op-
ponents 40.1 points on 471.8
If anything, Bowdoin football,
despite a regime change, has
hardly changed at all.
yards. The team’s third-down
conversion rate is 32 percent,
its red zone touchdown per-
centage is 50 percent and its
average number of total first
downs is 16.3.
Take a second to compare
those. Have a chuckle. Now let’s
move on.
On paper, the only sub-
stantive difference between
this team and last year’s is the
relative frequency with which
they run or throw the ball. In
2018, Bowdoin threw the ball
on average 37.6 times per game
and ran it 31.9 times. This year,
under new offensive coordina-
tor Braden Layer, they’ve been
rushing slightly more, averag-
ing 34.1 passes and 34.0 runs
per game.
Although the frequency
of passing and rushing has
changed, their respective effi-
cacy has not. In 2018, Bowdo-
in’s average passing play cov-
ered 9.1 yards, and the average
rush was good for 3.7 yards.
This year, it’s 10.0 yards on the
throw and 3.1 on the run. Some
things change. Some things
stay the same.
Which brings us back to the
car. If, after replacing your bat-
tery altogether, you went out
and bought yet another battery,
hoping that this one would
do the trick, your mechanic
friends might rightfully won-
der if you know what you’re
doing.
It’s time to ask that same
question about the people in
charge of the Bowdoin football
program.
To be clear, blame lies not
with the players, who put a
whole lot of love and labor into
the program, nor does it lie
with the coaches, old or new,
who work doggedly to enable
their athletes to succeed. Blame
lies with whomever it was in
in the Department of Athletics
who thought that switching JB
for BJ would change anything.
Remember, Bowdoin is not
just paying one head football
coaching salary this year but
two—one for Hammer and one
for former head coach JB Wells,
whose contract still extends to
the end of this year. And what
have they got to show for it? Al-
most exactly the same results as
last year, minus a win.
Lest I appear impatient,
I recognize that turning a
cruise ship around—as Wells
once described his task as
Head Coach—takes time. It
takes time for a new ethos to
take hold. It takes time for a
new staff to bring in new re-
cruiting classes. It takes time
for the temperature in the
“POLAR20NE” to drop below
freezing.
But couldn’t it have waited a
year? True, Wells’ 3-31 tenure
was particularly bleak, but let’s
not forget that his predecessor
posted a .291 win percentage
over 15 years, or that the last
head coach to post a winning
career record was Nels Corey,
who went 22-20 (.523) between
1959 and 1964.
Ultimately, the problem ex-
tends well beyond Bowdoin.
The landscape of Division III
football is changing, and the
NESCAC is not immune to the
repercussions.
For one, competition for
players is steeper than ever.
Between 2008 and 2016, 12
DIII schools added football
programs, bringing the total
number of teams to 250. In
response, NESCAC schools
are pouring money into their
recruiting budgets in an effort
to tap talent pools outside of
lily-white New England.
This is money well spent in-
sofar as it brings more athletes
of color into the pool of 79
ANN BASU, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
percent white NESCAC stu-
dent-athletes, but it’s not clear
that recruiting spending is at
all correlated with gridiron
success. In the 2017-18 school
year, Bowdoin spent $86,297
on athletic recruiting, and its
football program is in dead
last. Wesleyan, who currently
sits in second place in the NES-
CAC with a 7-1 record, spent
$47,965, around half of Bow-
doin’s expenses.
The competition for quali-
fied and talented athletes has
launched a facilities arms race,
which Bowdoin appears to be
losing. Although the $8 million
renovation to Whittier Field
spun heads in Brunswick when
it was announced in 2017, it
looks relatively frugal com-
pared to Williams’ $20 million
renovation to its football facil-
ities in 2014, Amherst’s $12.5
million renovation in 2013,
or—hold onto your ass—Col-
by’s $200 million overall of its
athletic complex, set to open in
2020. Maybe Waterville doesn’t
look like such a hellhole after
all.
The solution is not to throw
more money at the problem
and hope that it will go away.
Yet that is precisely what Bow-
doin chose to do when, in an
unflattering attempt to play-act
at being a Division I program,
it fired its head coach in the
middle of his contract to make
way for someone new.
To almost no one’s surprise,
the results have been less than
inspiring. But who knows—
maybe things will change. I
would like nothing more than
to be proved wrong.
11
HIGHLIGHT
REEL
NIRA, FAR,
WHEREVER YOU
ARE:
The women’s rugby
team will host Norwich
University in the NIRA
semifinal on Saturday at
11 a.m.. After starting off
the league campaign with
a 38-8 loss to first-place
Colby Sawyer, the Polar
Bears bounced back with
two key wins to secure the
second playoff seed. The
winner of Saturday’s game
will play the other finalist
in the NIRA Division III
Championship on Sunday,
November 17 at Harvard
University’s Roberto A.
Mignone Field.
YIN IN THE YANG:
During last Saturday’s
disappointing loss against
Bates, Nate Richam-Odoi
’20 gave his teammates
something to celebrate
when he became the sixth
ever Bowdoin football
player to record 2,000
career rushing yards. With
82 yards on the ground
in Saturday’s contest,
Richam-Odoi puts himself
at only 57 yards behind
Greg Bohannon ’87, who
currently holds fifth place
in the career rushing
charts.
ST. GEORGE AND
THE DRAGONS:
The Brunswick High
School boys’ varsity
soccer team fell 3-1 to
Lewiston in the boys’
Class A North Regional
State Final on Wednesday.
The Dragons finish 14-
2-1 on the season. Brady
Laforge, high school
first year, started in goal
despite having never
played a full varsity game
in his high school career,
and although he finished
with an impressive eight
saves, he was unable to
prevent Lewiston from
jumping to a 3-0 lead.
The Dragons got a goal
back with three minutes
to play, Lewiston will
represent the region at
the state final against
Falmouth on Saturday.
SUCK A DISC:
The men’s ultimate frisbee
team competed in the 31st
annual Clambake, hosted
by Red Tide Ultimate,
in South Portland on
October 26. Coming hot
off the heels of a thrilling
victory over 2016 Division
I national finalist Harvard
Red Line the weekend
before, the Stoned Clown
faced a challenging pool
of teams from around
the globe, playing squads
from as far away as New
Brunswick, Canada and
Farmington, Maine.
Entering the tournament
seeded last, the team lost
all three games, but due
to clerical errors in the
score reporting process
finished with an official
record of 0-1.
COMPILED BY DYLAN SLOAN
12 SPORTS Friday, November 8, 2019

BEN MATHEWS, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Ryan Supple ’23 rounds a corner at the Bowdoin Invitational II last month. Coming off of strong NESCAC championship performances, the cross-country teams are preparing to host NCAA regionals in two weeks.

Cross-country races towards NCAA regionals

by Thomas McEvoy
Orient Staff
At the culminating event of
the NESCAC cross-country sea-
son last weekend, both the men’s
and women’s cross-country teams
posted promising results, which
bode well for next weekend’s
NCAA regional meet. Hosted
by Williams, the 2019 NESCAC
Cross-Country Championships
brought together 11 different
schools, 22 separate squads and
several hundred runners. On a
dry, 50-degree day, runners faced
an imposing challenge in Wil-
liamtown’s hilly terrain.
The women’s team beat ex-
pectations, posting a strong fifth
place finish on the challenging,
mountainous course despite be-
ing seeded sixth before the race.
“From the team perspective,
we had been seeded sixth but
finished fifth, so that’s always
what you want. I think that’s the
best finish we’ve had as a team
since I’ve been a part of the pro-
gram, which is really cool to be
a part of,” said captain Caroline
Shipley ’20.
After losing six of last season’s
top contributors, the men’s team
entered this season with a de-
gree of uncertainty. At Williams,
however, seeded 10th overall,
the team also surpassed expec-
tations, earning ninth place in
an exceedingly strong field of
schools.
“I think last weekend was,
for most people, a really great
race,” said men’s team captain
Luca Ostertag-Hill ’20. “We’re
very pleased with [exceeding our
seed.]”
Head Coach Peter Slovens-
ki commended both teams’
top-scoring runners for setting an
example at the front of the pack.
“Our front runners came
through in the clutch,” wrote
Slovenski in an email to the Ori-
ent. “They showed a lot of intel-
ligence with their pacing and the
surges they made.”
Notably, Shipley posted an
exceptional sixth-place overall
finish, earning her first-team
all-NESCAC honors. However,
she will not have much time to
rest on her laurels.
Both teams will face an even
taller test in two weeks in the
2019 NCAA Regional Meet at
Bowdoin.
Compared to this past week-
end’s meet, which was hosted at
an unfamiliar course far from
home, NCAA regionals will
present a different challenge—
one that both teams will be
much more acclimated to.
“We all know the course—
we’ve run it hundreds of times,”
said Ostertag-Hill. “And we have
everybody out there. We’re going
to have the entire track team out
there [cheering us on] ... all the
families and the Brunswick com-
munity.”
As the fall season reaches its
climax, the team is focused on
staying true to its values. Ship-
ley shared one mantra that she
hopes her teammates will keep
in mind next weekend as they
enter this fall’s greatest challenge.
“Run the first third of the race
with your head … run smart,”
she said. “Run the second third
of the race with your personality,
just do your thing. [And] run the
[final] third of the race with your
heart.”

Increased funding, interest breathe new life into equestrian team

by Dylan Sloan
Orient Staff
After limited interest and
budgeting worries that forced the
Bowdoin club equestrian team to
restructure dramatically last year,
a rejuvenated leadership team and
greater participation this past fall
has ushered in a renaissance for
the team, which recently com-
peted in the Intercollegiate Horse
Show Association (IHSA) for the
first time in three years. Looking
towards the future, the club is
hopeful that this momentum will
continue.
Over the years, the club has
been constantly evolving with the
team’s size, level of competition
and outreach to new riders fluc-
tuating based on leadership and
student interest. However, at its
roots, the club remains based on
the same principles it was founded
upon.
“The equestrian team was start-
ed … [by] a group of people who
loved horses and wanted a space
in Bowdoin’s community to meet
other people who have the same
passion for horses,” said co-cap-
tain Grace Hambelton ’21.
This past fall, the team has seen
success in competition as well. On
November 2, every rider placed
in their class at the IHSA show
hosted by Dartmouth. Bowdoin
riders all competed in the equita-
tion class in either the walk/trot or
walk/trot/canter category, earning
a fourth-place finish, two fifth-
place finishes and a sixth-place
finish.
Under the leadership of
Hambelton and Olivia Blair ’21,
Bowdoin’s equestrian team has
undergone significant changes, es-
pecially in the past year. Just a few
years ago, being a club member
meant driving hours every week
to attend practice sessions with no
opportunities to compete against
other schools.
“My [first] year, we were going
to a barn an hour away, paying for
our own lessons and were not able
to compete in any sort of competi-
tion,” said Hambelton.
As a specialized sport with sig-
nificant entry costs, it can be chal-
lenging to recruit new members.
However, new initiatives by the
club and the help of school fund-
ing allow more students to engage
with horseback riding.
“I think one of the largest barri-
ers to equestrian sports is the cost,”
said Blair. “Generally, horseback
riding is expensive with all the
equipment, lessons and showing
fees involved. All these costs pre-
vent people from being able to
ride and has, historically, made
the team exclusive. As of last year,
the team started to receive fund-
ing from the [Student Activities
Funding Committee], which has
made the sport more accessible to
everyone.”
This is a significant change
from previous iterations of the
club, which mainly attracted expe-
rienced riders who were willing to
shell out significant sums of mon-
ey to pursue the hobby. However,
rejoining the IHSA and securing
funding to subsidize lessons has
made it significantly easier to join
the club and has opened up many
more opportunities for those al-
ready in it.
The challenge will be maintain-
ing enough student engagement
to sustain the club.
“The equestrian team has faced
disbandment before, so I am hop-
ing that we will be able to maintain
funding and interest,” said Blair.
“The team can only persist so long
as there are students that are inter-
ested and committed to horseback
riding.”
Both captains recognize that
without participation from first
years and sophomores, there will be
nobody to pass the torch to when
the current leadership graduates.
“There can be very few peo-
ple with experience that come to
Bowdoin intending to ride,” said
Hambelton. “There can be years
that we only have one or two new
freshmen with experience.”
Despite the challenges the team
faces, these recent advancements
in funding and opportunities to
compete have filled the stables
with optimism.
“Participating in IHSA gives us
a good opportunity to grow both
as a team and individuals, and I COURTESY OF GRACE HAMBELTON
am excited to see the team become IN THE SADDLE: Grace Hambelton ’21, captain of the revamped equestrian
more active,” said Blair. team, shares a moment with her steed after competing in an IHSA show last month.
Friday, November 8, 2019 SPORTS 13

NESCAC Standings
FIELD HOCKEY FOOTBALL
w
NESCAC OVERALL NESCAC OVERALL
SCHOOL W L W L SCHOOL W L W L
Middlebury 9 1 15 1 Middlebury 8 0 8 0
Bowdoin 9 1 14 2 Wesleyan 7 1 7 1
Tufts 8 2 13 3 Williams 6 2 6 2
Williams 7 3 13 3 Trinity 5 3 5 3
Bates 6 4 10 6 Amherst 4 4 4 4
Colby 4 6 9 7 Hamilton 4 4 4 4
Hamilton 4 6 9 7 Tufts 4 4 4 4
Trinity 3 7 8 8 Bates 1 7 1 7
Amherst 3 7 8 7 Colby 1 7 1 7
GRAHAM BENDICKSON, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT Conn. Coll. 1 9 3 12 Bowdoin 0 8 0 8
UP AND OVER: Sophia Pahl ’22 rises above the net for a kill in the team’s victory over Bates last weekend. The team Wesleyan 1 9 5 10 SCHEDULE
is riding a 12-game win streak into the NESCAC playoffs and hopes to repeat as conference champions this weekend.
SCHEDULE Sat 11/9 v. Colby 4:30 P.M.

Peaking at the right time, Season over

MEN’S SOCCER
NESCAC OVERALL
WOMEN’S SOCCER

SCHOOL W
NESCAC
L T W
OVERALL
L T

volleyball looks to NESCACs SCHOOL

Amherst
Tufts
W
8
7
L
0
1
T
2
2
W
13
11
0
2
L T
2
2
Tufts
Middlebury 6
Williams
7

6
2
1
3
1
3
1
11
11
8
2

4
1
2
3
2
Cady said that the slow start Hosted by Tufts and away
by Ella Chaffin Conn. Coll. 6 2 2 10 3 2 Amherst 6 3 1 11 3 1
was not a product of any one from the support of the home
Orient Staff major shortcoming, but in- crowd, today’s rematch with Williams 5 2 3 7 3 5 Hamilton 5 4 1 10 4 1
After a hesitant start to its stead due to the team needing Williams will have a different Bates 5 4 1 9 5 1 Conn. Coll. 5 4 1 10 4 1
season, the Bowdoin volley- time to find its groove. tone than October’s dramatic Middlebury 3 2 5 7 2 6 Wesleyan 4 4 2 9 4 2
ball team is hitting its stride “In the beginning of the affair. But despite the team’s
Hamilton 3 5 2 6 7 2 Trinity 4 5 1 6 7 2
at the right time. A sweep of year it was a lot of working dominant performance down
Bates and Colby last weekend out kinks,” said Cady. “So the stretch, Gray explained Wesleyan 2 5 3 6 6 3 Bowdoin 3 6 1 7 7 1
extended the team’s winning what we had was a lot of play- that the winning mentality Colby 2 6 2 6 6 3 Colby 1 6 3 5 6 3
streak to 12 games and se- ers having amazing games but has been a sticking point. Bowdoin 1 5 4 6 5 4 Bates 0 9 1 2 11 2
cured the third NESCAC not all at once. No one was “We do a good job of keep-
tournament seed. Hopes are particularly playing bad, but ing an underdog mentality. Trinity 0 10 0 1 13 1 SCHEDULE
high as all of the pieces seem we [struggled to find a time] We had it all last season, re- SCHEDULE
to be coming together ahead where everyone was playing gardless of our record, and Season over
of championship weekend, great at once.” we earned an underdog status Season over WOMEN’S RUGBY
which starts with a quarterfi- After losing a record-set- [this year] as we got more
NIRA OVERALL
nal matchup against Willams ting graduating class last year, wins following our losses at
tonight. including NESCAC Defen- the beginning of the season,” VOLLEYBALL
w SCHOOL W L T W L T
Last season was a historic sive Player of the Year and said Gray. NESCAC OVERALL
Colby- 4 0 0 7 1 0
one for the Polar Bears. The Second-Team All-American “When you come to NES- SCHOOL W L W L Sawyer
team finished with a 29-2 Lisa Sheldon ’19, adjusting CAC playoffs, you pretty
Tufts 10 0 24 1 Bowdoin 3 1 0 6 2 0
overall record and brought to a new roster was bound much wipe clean anything
home the NESCAC cham- to take time. Finally, in a key from the past and start over,” Wesleyan 9 1 19 3 Norwich 2 2 0 6 2 0
pionship, advancing to the mid-season matchup against added Cady. “What’s nice at Bowdoin 8 2 16 6 U. of New 1 3 0 2 5 1
NCAA Sweet Sixteen for the national number five-ranked this point is [that] we have Amherst 7 3 19 5 England
second time in program his- Johnson and Wales Univer- more of a scout, so we’re able Middlebury 6 4 14 9 New England 0 4 0 0 8 0
tory. Coming off the heels of sity, the stars aligned—and to watch more film on what Coll.
such a superlative year, this since then, the Polar Bears Williams is up to and then Williams 5 5 14 10
fall’s initial results raised haven’t looked back. also more film on ourselves, Bates 4 6 16 9 SCHEDULE
doubts about whether the “We had gotten swept by so were able to see what we Hamilton 3 7 10 13 Sat 11/9 NIRA DIII Semifinal v. Norwich 11:00 A.M.
team could come close to Tufts the night before ... and can be stronger at.”
Colby 2 8 9 20
replicating last year’s historic Coach [Cady] was saying, ‘if Riding the coattails of one CROSS COUNTRY
success. Despite being ranked we keep playing like this were of the most successful seasons Trinity 1 9 8 15
23 in the nation in the Amer- not going to win,’” said Gray. in program history, this year’s Conn. Coll. 0 10 7 16 SCHEDULE
ican Volleyball Coaches As- “One of our captains, Dani team has emerged from early
sociation (AVCA) preseason [Abrams ’20], said, ‘screw setbacks and managed to shape SCHEDULE Sat 11/9 NCAA Regional 12:00 P.M.
poll, the team started with an this let’s just win. Why act its own identity. In Gray’s eye, Fri 11/8 NESCAC Quarterfinal 7:30 P.M. Compiled by Dylan Sloan
underwhelming 4-6 record. like we’re going to lose?’. .. that shared ethos and love of
v. Williams Sources: Bowdoin Athletics, NESCAC
“Confidence [was some- and we did [win]. We had the game and each other is
thing we struggled with],” been talking about firing on what makes this team so great.
said Cori Gray ’22, a middle all cylinders—making sure “I love this family so
blocker. “When have we ever
in so long had a season like
last season? And I think that
each one of us steps up and
does our part—and that was a
good example of firing on all
much,” said Gray. “Some-
thing that sets us apart is that
everyone wants so badly to
SPORTS IN BRIEF
was on everyone’s minds, just cylinders.” be in the gym and wants so COMPILED BY SEBASTIAN DE LASA
how are we going to top that? Since that game, Bowdoin badly to get every rep ... I feel
The confidence to be a new has won 12 straight to close very confident in the attitudes MEN’S SOCCER REGROUPS AFTER MISSING NESCAC PLAYOFFS
team and not just halfheart- out the regular season, the that everyone has towards the
edly fill the gaps [from last most thrilling of which was sport. I’m excited to send a The Bowdoin men’s soccer an overtime period, Bowdoin Head Coach Scott Wiercinski
year] but to really rise up and a 3-2 comeback win over message to the NESCAC.” team finished its season with would have drawn seven out of plans on improving the team’s
be better … was big.” Williams in front of a packed The Polar Bears will kick two losses against Williams 10 games it played. These close ability to finish out games,
All but one of the team’s six crowd in Morrell Gym at the off championship weekend and Tufts, putting the Polar margins of defeat suggest that- but he can be reassured by the
early losses were 3-0 sweeps. annual Dig Pink game on Oc- against Williams tonight at Bears out of the running for Bowdoin’s failure to qualify for quality of the underclassmen’s
However, Head Coach Erin tober 4. 7:30 p.m.. the NESCAC championship. the NESCAC tournament does game and the relatively low
The team finished the season not indicate a lack of ability but number of graduating seniors.
tied for ninth place in the NES- rather an inability to close out Although recruiting remains a
CAC, finishing only ahead of games or get the go-ahead goal. crucial part of building a suc-
Trinity, which failed to win a However, the team has cessful season, there will be

YOUR AD HERE single game against any NES-

CAC opponent.
The season was defined by
Advertise your event or business to thousands of draws and hard-fought, neck-
and-neck losses. Of the five
Bowdoin students and community members. games the team gave up this
season, three of them were
bowdoinorient.com/advertise lost by one goal—and all of
those three losses came from
second half or overtime goals.
If the NESCAC didn’t feature
much to look forward to next
season. Bowdoin’s top three
goal scorers—Charlie Ward
’22, Drake Byrd ’21 and Matt
Uek ’22—will all be returning
next season, as will promising
first-year goalkeeper Michael
Webber ’23, who had an .848
save percentage, one of the best
in the NESCAC.
It remains to be seen how
plenty of time over the off-sea-
son for the current juniors,
sophomores and first years to
improve their chemistry.
Whether the soccer team
can improve upon its season
of brutally close losses and
frustrating draws to turn such
results into wins will be de-
pendent on how the team de-
velops in the months to come.
14 Friday, November 8, 2019

O OPINION
Showing up to Af/Am/50
This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of Bowdoin’s Africana Studies
Why I’m leaning towards not voting
program, the John Brown Russwurm Center and the Black Student Union elections. However, while I will not
(BSU, formerly the African American Society). A celebration is in order. knock my own abilities as a speaker,
Throughout the next few days, students, faculty, staff, alumni and visi-
Real Talk one of the reasons I was so popular
by Jared Cole
tors will have the opportunity to participate in programming that provides was purely because of my name.
a multi-faceted and community-wide recognition of this milestone. The At the end of each speech,
events planned for the next few days offer a rich array of perspectives from Back in 2016, like many others on I told my constituents
alumni across fields, from education reformer Geoffrey Canada ’74, H ’07, Bowdoin’s campus, I voted for Hillary to “Vote J. Cole for
to Saddie Smith ’75, a member of Bowdoin’s first class of women, to activist Clinton. I still remember standing your Attorney Gen-
and podcaster DeRay Mckesson ’07. there in the middle of Smith Union eral.” I knew well
To all returning alumni: thank you for taking the time and energy to back in 2016 with a mass of others, that a majority of
travel to campus and share your experiences this weekend, and thank you anxiously awaiting the results of the the audience was
for the work that you did while at Bowdoin to make our campus a better, election. I still remember the shock familiar with the
more inclusive place. And thank you to the students, faculty and staff who and despair on people’s faces when it famous lyricist,
have been working to organize this weekend’s events. was announced that Donald Trump and I used it to
As a student body, we have the chance to learn a lot this weekend, both had done the unthinkable. Sur- my advantage.
from our alumni and by coming together to reflect on a decades-long pro- rounded by confused cries and ram- By the time I
cess of diversification and inclusion that is far from complete. pant tears—as sensitive as I am—I got to the final
We live on an unequal campus within an unequal world, and we often had to get out of that atmosphere. I state-wide elec-
acknowledge this fact. But there is a difference between simply acknowl- walked back to my dorm that night, tions, I had practi-
edging an issue and actually acting upon it. disappointed in the country and dis- cally half the party
As we have learned from dozens of current Black students at Bowdoin, appointed in myself for casting my chanting the name “J.
there is still a lot that we as a campus need to do. vote for someone I didn’t even like. Cole.” In the end, howev-
With prospective students on campus for Explore Bowdoin II, the future Moreover, my greatest takeaway was er, it was not enough.
of this institution is on our minds. These students will see the College at a that my vote did not actually matter One of the qualities
high point—celebrating the perspectives of Black students past and pres- as it did not affect the outcome of the I loved about being at
ent. But this is not a typical weekend at Bowdoin. To realize that vision election. Boys State was that there
will require continued work and meaningful engagement beyond these few Near the end of my junior year of was hardly a competitive
days. high school, I developed a talent for atmosphere. Everyone
Even in the midst of a hectic academic time, it is important to turn our public speaking, a talent previously wished each other the

RAN
attention to the work that has been done to diversify the space we inhabit. unknown to me. After molding my best, and no one tried to

KYRA T
After all, there is more than one kind of learning that should happen on craft in my AP English Language and bring each other down,
this campus; critical educational opportunities can also be found outside Composition class, I decided to run in or outside of elec-
the classroom. for National Honor Society president, tions. Everyone, except
To reap the benefits of Af/Am/50 programming in a way that will cre- solely to give my resume a boost in my opponent during
ate change beyond these three days, Bowdoin students must show up—and the leadership department. Only one the state-wide elections.
bring a friend. The normal routines and commitments that crowd our lives other person ran against me and I de- One of the ways I had inadvertently want to be, and to be a politician,
can and should pause in recognition of this occasion. This weekend, make cided to prepare a speech for election shot myself in the foot was that I had that’s a requirement. The job also
an effort (and not excuses) to engage with the perspectives and insights that day. While my opponent merely listed not taken the mock bar exam, sim- involves putting other people down
these remarkable alumni and guests are bringing to our campus. off his accomplishments and extra- ply because you did not have to—I in order to elevate yourself, which is
If you are an individual with privilege, come to these spaces as a lis- curriculars, I attempted to show the was actually unaware of when it was something I find very immoral from
tener—someone seeking to learn from and celebrate experiences different other students my “morals,” speaking even scheduled. Yet, apparently my personal experience. I did not like
from your own. We all must remember that merely showing up and leaving about how I wanted to take the NHS opponent did, and he had used the the idea of who I would become if
these lessons at the door is not enough. to greater heights and help combat fact that his opponent did not against I pursued politics any further, so I
more global issues like the war in him during the primary elections. decided to step away. Even someone
This editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orient’s editorial Darfur, Sudan. I won by a landslide. I was unaware of this, and when we like Barack Obama, who was a mas-
board, which is composed of Emily Cohen, Brianna Cunliffe, Roither Gonzales, Yet, due to overwhelming academics first met each other during the can- sive influence on me as a speaker, is
Alyce McFadden, Nina McKay, Reuben Schafir and Jaret Skonieczny. and newfound depression from sleep didates dinner before the state-wide someone who “played the game” in
deprivation, I ultimately did nothing election, we had not said a word to order to win the job.
about the conflict in Darfur, which each other. After a few minutes of The only candidate I would pos-
continues to rage on to this day. I was silence, he asked me if I had taken sibly vote for is Bernie Sanders due
disappointed in myself back then and the exam, to which I simply replied to his honesty and willingness to be
still am now. Though I had good in- “no.” Of course, during his speech, he himself, whether you like him or
tentions, I intentionally appealed to pointed this out in front of everyone not. I’m also simply not a fan of the
people’s emotions to win their votes. at Boys State in an attempt to show two-party system and how it has di-
ESTABLISHED 1871
The manipulation would not end the people he was more qualified, as vided the nation. I don’t understand
bowdoinorient.com orient@bowdoin.edu 6200 College Station Brunswick, ME 04011 there. well as to rattle me before my speech. the purpose of even having other
The Bowdoin Orient is a student-run weekly publication dedicated to providing news and information At the end of my junior year, I Ultimately, I decided not to stoop to political parties that have no chance
relevant to the Bowdoin community. Editorially independent of the College and its administrators, was selected by my teacher to attend his level, and I went along with the of ever affecting change. It also leaves
the Orient pursues such content freely and thoroughly, following professional journalistic standards in Massachusetts Boys State, a govern- speech I planned. I ended up losing people like myself who are political-
writing and reporting. The Orient is committed to serving as an open forum for thoughtful and diverse ment-run program in nearly all 50 by five votes. ly closer to the center than the left
discussion and debate on issues of interest to the College community. states for juniors interested in pol- Most people do not like politi- with no place to go. Choosing not to
itics. In order to add another lead- cians because they are some of the vote is my way of showing that I do
Editor in Chief Editor in Chief ership experience to my resume, my best liars in the world, which could not stand for the current system of
Emily Cohen Alyce McFadden father encouraged me to run for one not be more true. The biggest reason politics. I understand that this is an
of the top positions. I listened and why I had stepped off the politician’s unpopular opinion, which is exactly
Digital Director Managing Editor News Editor decided to run for Attorney Gener- path after Boys State was because why I am writing this. Personally,
Steven Xu Maia Coleman Andrew Bastone al. In the process, I honed my public the experience, along with my NHS I don’t understand the purpose of
Anna Fauver Aura Carlson speaking skills even more, finish- election, had thoroughly exposed writing in favor of views that are al-
Photo Editor Roither Gonzales ing with the most votes in my party the negative aspects of myself. I can ready widely accepted on Bowdoin’s
Rohini Kurup Features Editor
Ann Basu Emma Sorkin
during the pre-primary and primary be a very manipulative person if I campus.
Mindy Leder Nina McKay
Ian Ward Sports Editor
Layout Editor Executive Editor Dylan Sloan
Emma Bezilla LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Jaret Skonieczny Kate Lusignan A&E Editor
Ian Stewart Eliana Miller Cole van Miltenburg

Data Desk Editor

Gwen Davidson
Drew Macdonald
Associate Editor
Kathryn McGinnis
Lucie Nolden
Reuben Schafir
Opinion Editor
Diego Lasarte
Page 2 Editor
Housekeeper speaks out
George Grimbilas (asst.) Lily Randall To the Editor, in housekeeping. I feel I deserve a whole lot more.
Nimra Siddiqui (asst.) Head Copy Editor Calendar Editor I love being part of the Bowdoin Community but...
Devin McKinney Jane Godiner I would like to thank everyone for all your sup- “I don’t feel respected as a member.” When I was
Head Illustrator port for a living wage. I feel it was a little weird a little girl I was taught right from wrong. I believe
Sara Caplan Copy Editor Senior News Reporter for President Rose to announce our wage increase this is very W-R-O-N-G coming from Bowdoin
Sebastian de Lasa Horace Wang right before “the fall social” and “parent weekend.” College.
Social Media Manager Danielle Quezada
Katherine Pady Senior Sports Reporter Now with my increase, my pay in July, as I under-
Ayub Tahlil
Sophie Friedman Emily Staten Ella Chaffin stand it, will be a little more than $2.00 more than Sincerely,
someone starting new. A lot of people are okay Sandy Green,
The material contained herein is the property of The Bowdoin Orient and appears at the sole discretion of the with this. Not me. I am in my 11th year at Bowdoin Bowdoin Housekeeper
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.
Friday, November 8, 2019 OPINION 15

A first year’s perspective on living wage victory

by Jackson Hansen
Orient Staff
On October 21, Bowdoin
students, employees and the
broader community awoke to a
surprising announcement that
Bowdoin would be increas-
ing wages for benefits-eligible
hourly workers. Indeed, this
was great news and a fantastic
step towards achieving a better
workplace for all Bowdoin em-
ployees, but President Clayton
Rose’s refusal to acknowledge
the powerful worker and stu-
dent activism is both troubling
and, sadly, expected.
This is my first year at Bow-
doin, and so far I have found
it to be a great and fairly wel-
coming place, though it is
undeniable that there are also
significant institutional prob-
lems. Before coming here, I had
become aware of the activities
of students and workers cam-
paigning for better working
conditions and a living wage
through social media posts and
articles I had stumbled across
while researching the school.
At first, I felt disheartened
that the administration at a
college like Bowdoin would op-
pose such initiatives, especially
with the public persona it tries
to foster for potential students.
As I thought more on it, how-
ever, I was inspired by the level
of student activism on this issue
and was excited to be a part of a
student body that was so invig-
orated and committed to real
social change. Since arriving,
I have not been disappointed,
and being able to witness the
power of students and workers
here fighting so passionately on
this issue has been a powerful
experience.
However, the announcement
would like us all to believe that
this decision was exclusively
istration to rob this of its signif- input from workers or anyone
icance. We should use this first else in the Bowdoin commu-
victory as a powerful message: nity?
collective action works to make Obviously, Bowdoin’s ad-
necessary changes within pow- ministration could never
LIL
YF
erful institutions. admit via mass email the
UL This isn’t just about giving reality of their moral failing
LA
M
credit where credit is due, it’s and the true impetus behind
about control of the narra- this change. After all, they are
tive. Bowdoin would like to counting on alumni and par-
one made frame itself to the public eye ents to donate once again with
out of some as being an institution that a good conscience. Though
newfound cares about its workers, and Bowdoin may never choose
kindness in the what its employees, faculty, to be transparent, we can keep
hearts of Bowdo- students and community have pushing. The decision to insti-
in administrators to say. This is sadly not true. tute a $17 minimum wage by
towards the employees President Rose’s email cited 2022 was the direct result of a
here. This is nothing more changing markets, yet what concerted effort by workers,
than a disrespectful slap in Board of Trustees. Upwards of could have really changed in students and other community
the face to the movement that 2,000 people have participated the markets so severely since members. Most importantly,
housekeepers, other workers, in this movement by attending July, when the College said the this victory is not the end by
organizations such as the BLA, rallies, speaking out on social economy wasn’t ready for this any means but instead just one
BSG and the Orient as well as media and pledging to with- level of compensation? When part of our sustained effort to
hundreds of other students, hold donations from Bowdoin. exactly did this grand change make a difference in our com-
alumni and parents have built This activism is a central reason of heart happen? Why was munity for the common good.
together—a movement that for Bowdoin’s concession, and this whole process conducted Jackson Hansen is a member
undeniably instilled fear in the we must not allow the admin- behind closed doors without of the Class of 2023.

The appointment of Arthur Brooks was deeply undemocratic

by Radu Stochita
Orient Staff
The appointment of Arthur
Brooks was undemocratic.
We woke up to an email one
day, and that was it. No con-
sultation, no presentation of
candidates, nothing. When we
praise democracy so much at
this school—helping students
to vote, promoting voting and
encouraging students to voice
their demands—this appoint-
ment felt completely oppo-
site to the values we propose.
What would have happened if
the campus and maybe even
the outside community had
voted on who to appoint as a
visiting fellow of the Joseph
McKeen Center for the Com-
mon Good? There is a chance
that Arthur Brooks would
have been selected by a major-
ity, but we will not know since
there was not such a vote.
One could very easily argue
that we lack the competence to
aspects about the lives of the
candidates, we learn about
them through the press but
very few of us actually get the
possibility to get to know them
on a personal level. This does
not stop us from voting for
those candidates as we see how
they fit our preferences, even if
the only research we have done
consists of a fast skimming of
the newspaper. This system:
we accept it, and even promote
it, at the College and beyond.
We encourage voting and the
values of democracy through
electoral policies. We do look
outside the borders of the Col-
lege, but we forget to look in-
side and at the democracy that
exists within our own home.
Who knows better than us
about what is happening in our
own home? Some of us might
not have as much background
knowledge as others do, or
some of us might not have the
same oratorical skills as others,
but this does not matter, as we
into more consideration? Arthur Brooks. To be clear, fessors, technicians,
Why are we encouraged to I am not asking us to be in- assistants, etc.—
vote in elections, but not to formed before the decision all of us call
expand the democratic pro- comes out, I am asking for this College
cess on campus? One could more democracy on this cam- home, and
say that we have a democratic pus. As far as we advocate for we should
system through the existence democracy in politics, bring have the pos-
of Bowdoin Student Govern- it on our campus as well. Are sibility of de-
ment, the Class Councils and we afraid of what the people ciding what
other such bureaucratic in- want? Are we afraid of who we is best for it.
stitutions. What I am asking really are? Radu Sto-
is why not vote for the actu- And since we want to con- chita is a mem-
al leadership of this school? sider ourselves models and ber of the Class
Why not at least think about future-shapers, why not start of 2022.
a scenario in which the entire here at the school? Why do we
community will come togeth- talk so much about democra-
er (not only students) and cast cy in the outside world, about
their vote. the non-democratic
We could have done this regimes in the
for this new fellowship with Middle East (even
the McKeen Center, and if we have never
maybe we could have had been there and we
the possibility of hearing the do not understand
candidates before they actual- how they work) and
ly got the position. We could ignore our own home?
have had a presentation of the Who knows best about home?
profiles of the applicants that We do. And we should be
are interested in this position. more engaged in the
The community would have decision-making
N
MA

make such a decision, but the understand this place. And asked questions, engaged in process. Students,
OLE
IA C

same argument can be given since we understand it, each discussion and debated ideas. housekeepers,
MA

about voting in state or nation- through our own perspective, Instead, we got an email one plumbers, gar-
al elections. We know certain why are our voices not taken day with the appointment of deners, chefs, pro-

LETTER TO THE EDITOR QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Students free to engage with Brooks
To the Editor,
Last week you published an editorial ti-
tled “What are you afraid of?” I agreed with
almost all of the sentiments you expressed
in this editorial. However, it contained a
problematic series of assumptions about
Dr. Brooks’ visit included in the following
paragraph:
We are critical of what comes across as
an attempt to create a manicured environ-
ment for Brooks. Why is the administration
so reluctant to allow Brooks facetime with a
broader audience? Are they imagining that
the College’s many left-leaning students are
likely to disagree with Brooks in combative
and disrespectful ways?
After having the privilege to attend two of
DID YOU VOTE IN THE BRUNSWICK
the talks with Dr. Brooks, I believe that the
MUNICIPAL ELECTION?
structure of these discussions was designed
to promote inquiry in an intimate setting
while still extending the opportunity of en-
Answer at bowdoinorient.com/poll.
gagement to as many students as possible.
The small setting allowed for what I found
to be a very thought-provoking discussion.
I highly doubt the College was acting per-
niciously in the way it formatted the talks.
Last issue’s response:
Nonetheless, I hope more students will have
the opportunity to engage thoughtfully with
Dr. Brooks and future McKeen Fellows will
Q: U UP?
have a more extended presence on campus. I
just ask that you tread carefully when trying
to hypothesize on the motives of others.
75% YES
Thank you, 25% NO
Will Hausmann ’22
Based on answers from 152 responses.
16 Friday, November 8, 2019

NOVEMBER
FRIDAY 8
LECTURE
“Two in One: The Imagination of
Bisexuality in Eisenstein and Sokurov”
Evgenii Bershtien, professor of Russian at Reed College, will
analyze the cinematographic works of Russian film directors
Sergei Eisenstein and Alexander Sokurov through a uniquely
queer lens and explain how these filmmakers employ the
notion of “universal bisexuality” in their films.
Thomas F. Shannon Room, Hubbard Hall. 1:30 p.m.

AF/AM/50
Tension/Tenacity: Africana Studies at 50
Special Collections Education and Outreach Librarian
Marieke Van Der Steenhoven and exhibit curator Lucia Ryan
’19 will discuss the library’s Fall 2019 exhibition honoring
the 50th year of the Africana Studies program, the African
American Society and the John Brown Russwurm African ANN BASU, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
American Center. FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS: Students light up the College for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, on Saturday night. This year marks the fifth year that
Second Floor Gallery, Hawthorne-Longfellow Library. 2:15 p.m. Diwali has been held at Bowdoin. The festival included food and festivities and concluded with sparklers outside of Moulton Union.

AF/AM/50
Academic Symposium: Nell Irvin Painter
and Tess Chakkalakal
Historian and artist Nell Irvin Painter and Director of the Africana
Studies program Tess Chakkalakal will talk to attendees about
Africana studies as a path of life-long learning.
Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center. 3:30 p.m.
AF/AM/50
Concert with Marsha Ambrosius
Multi-Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Marsha
Ambrosius will give an evening concert. Student band 20/20
will also perform.
Memorial Hall, Pickard Theater. 8:30 p.m.
SATURDAY 9
AF/AM/50
Tour of the Arctic Museum Exhibition:
Matthew Alexander Henson
Attendees will learn about the expedition and untold story
of Matthew Alexander Henson, who explored the Arctic with
Robert E. Peary, Class of 1877. In April 1909, he was the only
other American to stand with Peary at the North Pole and
the first African American to ever stand at the North Pole.
Foyer and Gallery A, Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum. 9 a.m.
SUNDAY 10 WEDNESDAY 13
EVENT LECTURE
Vinyasa Power Flow “Disenfranchising Democracy: How
Yoga instructor Hailey Aronson ’22 will lead a Vinyasa the World’s Oldest Democracy Came to
Yoga session. Exclude African American Citizens”
Room 301, Peter Buck Fitness Center. 5 p.m. David Bateman, assistant professor of government at
Cornell University, will discuss the history of exclusion of
African American people from the right to vote and why
advocates for greater democracy for white men were
the largest opponents of African American voting rights.
MONDAY 11 The lecture is sponsored by the Bowdoin Department of
Government and Legal Studies with support from the John
C. Donovan Fund.
DISCUSSION Thomas F. Shannon Room, Hubbard Hall. 4:30 p.m.
Late Springs: Arab Uprisings in 2019
Meryem Belkaïd, assistant professor of Romance EVENT
languages and literatures, Barbara Elias, assistant Blood Drive
professor of government, Batool Khattab, lecturer in Students will have the opportunity to donate blood for
Arabic and Idriss Jebari, visiting assistant professor of the American Red Cross Blood Drive. Students may
history will host a roundtable discussion about the current find out if they are eligible and register on the Red
uprisings and social movements in Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Cross website.
Morocco and Egypt. David Saul Smith Union. 3 p.m.
Room 107, Kanbar Hall. 5:30 p.m.

AF/AM/50 TUESDAY 12 THURSDAY 14

Keynote Address by Geoffery
Canada ’74, H ’07
Educator and social justice advocate Geoffery Canada, the first-
ever recipient of the Common Good Award, will address the
College. His classmate, Maurice Butler ’74, will introduce him.
Pickard Theater, Memorial Hall. 4:45 p.m.
EVENT
EVENT Pub Trivia
How to Support a Friend Student Activities will hold a trivia night and awarding
Students will learn strategies for supporting people who have prizes to the top three teams. Pub food will be available
been affected by sexual misconduct or violence. for purchase.
Garage, 24 College Street. 4:30 p.m. Jack Magee’s Pub and Grill. 8:30 p.m.

15 LECTURE 16 17 18 SCREENING 19 20 21 EVENT

“Liberating
Structures” “Vision Portraits” Pub Trivia