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The Nation’s Oldest Continuously Published College Weekly Friday, February 23, 2018 Volume 147, Number 17 bowdoinorient.com

WOMEN RISE:
MORE STORIES TO TELL IN THE SHOW’S SECOND YEAR. SEE PAGE 3.

ANN BASU, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

Students and professors criticize lack of activism on campus

by Nell Fitzgerald
Orient Staff
A week after one of the biggest
school shootings in American his-
tory and a moment that many have
considered a watershed moment
for activism surrounding gun
rights, students have yet to orga-
nize substantive action on campus.
In an Orient survey sent to the
student body this week, students
were asked to rate their peers and
their own level of political activity
on a scale of one to 10—one desig-
nated as “not active” and 10, “very
active.”
Of 378 responses, on average
students rated their peers’ activity
a 5.3 out of 10, and rated their own
level of political activity at 4.7 out
of 10.
William Nelson Cromwell Pro-
fessor of Constitutional and Inter-
national Law and Government Al-
len Springer, who has been at the
College since 1976, believes that
Bowdoin has never had a culture
of political activism.
“During the periods that I’ve
been here, at least, there haven’t
been any big periods of extended
student activism that was really
broad, in the sense that large num-
ber of students are doing it,” he
said. “It just doesn’t seem as broad
and as deep as it’s been at other
places.”
Orient survey data, paired with
interviews of Bowdoin faculty
and student activists on campus
demonstrates that political activ-
ism is not widespread and vigor-
ous on campus, but selective and
usually most practiced by minority
groups.
Six self-identified student
activists among others were in-
terviewed for this piece. These
students are leaders of identity or
issue-based groups on campus and
have actively been involved in a
variety of causes.
What they, and what others on
campus, consider political activity
varies. Some students believe intel-
lectual fearlessness falls under this
definition of political activism.
“I’m politically active in the
sense that I actively try to chal-
lenge, and therefore strength-
en, the political opinions of my
friends,” said Miles Brautigam ’19.
“[It’s activism] because it’s improv-
ing the Bowdoin institution of rig-
orous thought.”
Activists criticize this confla-
tion of intellectual engagement
and political engagement. Accord-
ing to Emily Ruby ’19, who was
a co-leader of Bowdoin Climate
Action for two years, “If you spend
a lot of time trying to be political-
ly engaged with those ideas, you
should try to implement them,
and actually be an active member
of your community.”
Bowdoin’s location, isolated
from major city centers where ac-
tivism often thrives, was cited by
many interviewed as a potential
source of the lack of a fervent cam-
pus activism scene.
“Part of the challenge, too, part
of living in Maine is that you often
feel distant to the places where
things are really happening,” said
Springer. “I think there is a sense
Please see ACTIVISM, page 8

Four students issued summonses in two weeks, After 10 years, BSG adds
Nichols says BPD sending ‘message of caution’ roles, changes structure
by Harry DiPrinzio
Orient Staff
Four students have received
court summons in the past two
weeks for charges of jaywalking
and possession of liquor by a
minor. One of those summons
resulted after the Brunswick Po-
lice Department (BPD) showed
up at the annual Cold War par-
ty at MacMillan and Quinby
Houses last weekend, while the
remaining three were issued the
previous weekend.
Around 11:30 p.m. on Friday,
BPD officers stopped at Mac-
Millan and Quinby after hearing
loud music and noticing intoxi-
cated students on lawn between
the two houses. BPD Com-
mander of Support Services
Mark Waltz said that the officers
were on routine patrol, and the
department had not received
any noise complaints about the
two houses that evening.
“For that time of night, they
thought they better talk to them
about calming it down, and then
as they started to talk to people
they realized that a lot of peo-
ple had been drinking, some of
whom were minors—and that
shouldn’t be happening,” Waltz
said.
Boris Dimitrov ’20, a Mac-
Millan resident, spoke to police
soon after they arrived at the
parties.
“So the gist of it was basi-
cally [that] we were furnishing
a place for underage people to
drink, and they have the right to
enter and arrest everyone there,
is what they told me—and, they
could arrest the house members
for providing this place,” Dimi-
trov said. “I asked what we could
do to prevent the arresting and
they were like, ‘yeah, you’ve got
about five minutes to shut ev-
erything down.’”
At the time of BPD’s arrival,
the alcohol had been finished
and the kegs had been checked,
so no Security officers were on
the premises, according to Di-
rector of Safety and Security
Randy Nichols.
Waltz said that after checking
IDs of an initial group of stu-
dents who were polite and coop-
erative, officers issued a warning
and asked them to return them
to their rooms. A subsequent
student, however, lied about the
fact that she had been drinking
and told the officers that “that
under Bowdoin’s quote-unquote
laws, that they were allowed to
drink if you’re a minor,” said
Waltz.
Officers took that student’s
name and called her to the po-
lice station to issue her a sum-
mons the following day.
The BPD involvement at
Cold War is the most salient
incident in what many students
perceive to be a recent increase
in BPD activity around cam-
pus. the events have left many
students concerned and have
attracted the attention of school of BSG’s work on campus.
administrators. At the invitation by Nina McKay The idea to change the BSG
Orient Staff
of members of Bowdoin Student constitution developed out of the
Government (BSG), Nichols With an email on Thursday, first official Northeastern Stu-
visited BSG’s public comment Bowdoin Student Government dent Government (NESGOV)
time on Wednesday evening to (BSG) opened voting on a new Conference last year, hosted by
discuss the incidents. constitution, which BSG voted Bowdoin. After seeing structural
Early on the morning of Sat- to pass at its weekly meeting this models of student governments
urday February 10, a student past Wednesday. Should this at peer institutions, Alam, along
ran from the police after pull- constitution pass, it will be the with BSG Vice President for Stu-
ing into a parking space in the first major BSG constitutional dent Government Affairs Benny
Coffin Street parking lot, where change in a decade. Painter ’19, began contemplating
officers, noting erratic driving, The changes range from the alterations to the constitution
had followed the vehicle. BPD constitution’s language to BSG’s that would improve BSG’s func-
tracked that student to a dorm structure. More inclusive lan- tionality.
but was not able to identify guage and the creation of a new “I don’t think we ever re-
the individual until Security chair and committee for diversi- flected on how our structure
conducted an investigation the ty and inclusion highlight BSG’s enabled us to work,” said BSG
following week. No summons commitment to inclusivity. An- President Irfan Alam ’18. “We
or charges have been issued, but other new position gives first- just accepted that our structure
the incident is under review at years and sophomores an op- was the way it was, but we hope
the Office of the Dean of Student portunity to learn about BSG’s by changing the structure and
Affairs and BPD. operation and develop leader- improving it we will also si-
Four senior students—all of ship capabilities. Significant al- multaneously be improving the
whom are over 21—said that terations to the composition of work that the BSG does for the
BPD officers also stopped them the assembly replace unfocused student body.”
roles with specific positions that
Please see POLICE, page 4 correspond to particular areas Please see BSG, page 4

N WAITING FOR PAYDAY F EXCHANGE EXPERIENCE A AFRICAN ACROBATS S FINISH IN FIRST O “TEQUILA” IS PERSONAL
College employees must enroll in two-step A look at the 1963 Bowdoin-Morehouse Festival celebrates African culture in final Jake Adicoff ’18 to compete in the 2018 Kevin Hernandez ’18 calls for reconciliation
authentication for Workday. Page 4. exchange program. Page 5. week of Black History Month. Page 9. Paralympics. Page 11. over the “tequila” party. Page 14.
 2 PAGE 2
2 Friday, February 23, 2018

CROSSWORD Created by Gwen Davidson

STUDENT SPEAK:
What’s your favorite snack to
ACROSS 60 Mock 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

1 U.S. state where the 61 Pay little attention to 14 15 16

stress eat?
2002 Winter Olympics 62 Pluto’s place 17 18

was held 63 Transported 19 20

5 Precious stones 64 Wrapped garment 21 22 23 24 25 26

9 Work period
Noelia Calcano ’21
27 28 29 30

14 A sledder who’s a DOWN 31 32

bad sport? 1 Manipulate 33 34 35 36 37 38 39

“Hot Cheetos and Nutella. Believe me,
16 Coach 2 How-____
it’s amazing.”
40 41 42

17 Alienates
43 44 45 46
(instruction guides)
47 48 49 50
18 To love, in Italy 3 Met offering
51 52 53 54
19 Feeling of dread 4 Greek goddess

Calvin Soule ’20

55 56 57 58 59
20 Hire 5 Enthusiastic
60 61
21 Granola grain 6 Goads
24 Comedian Margaret 7 Come together
62 63 64 "My mother’s homemade chicken
25 Boxing legend 8 Grads to be
41 Assistants 53 Race distance
2/22/18 tenders with honey mustard sauce."
26 Write - ____ 9 Athlete’s need
42 Classic Fords, for short 54 God of love
27 Act riskily at the 10 Camel feature
43 Shade of brown 56 Some movie ratings
rink? 11 Type of type
44 Evil 57 Actress Mendes Annie Curtis-Dyck ’20
31 Cocktail garnishes 12 As an example
45 Add to the pile 58 _____ Lingus (Irish airline)
32 Put a new price on 13 Low poker pair
46 Like Cain 59 Medical scan, abbr.
"The vegan cookies from the dining
33 ____Day vitamins 15 Jousting weapons
34 Feather in one’s cap 20 Cream of the crop
47 Collision halls. Calling them vegan makes me
52 Out of the wind
36 One of the Simpsons 21 1952 Winter
answer to previous crossword (issue 10) think they’re healthier but I know
A W R A P R A P P O R T
40 Kicks Olympics site
I C E A G E P R A I R I E S they’re not."
42 Subject matter 22 Related
B A T M A N S U P E R M A N
Valeria Magallan ’19
43 Wins everything, for 23 Under control
a curler 25 Throat-clearing
M I S P C S N Y C S L O "At the moment, Takis."
R E A P R E F
47 DX divided by V sound C O K E P E P S I I T O
48 “____ Misérables” 28 Annoy A R O S E C R O P R O N E
49 Inventor Whitney 29 Have faith in L E A P T T O M J E R R Y
50 Winter month, abbr. 30 Arctic abode M O L E S E V E S P R E E
S A C V R O O M I E D S Nathan Blum ’20
51 Postgame summaries 34 Vatican heads
53 Mother, in Madrid 35 Not as much
M A T
T S O
H O V
N E S
E T E
T
S R A
“Pencil erasers.”
55 Lower leg joint 37 Apple product
C H A R A D E S R E N T A L
56 A snowboarder’s 38 Regal address
M A C A R O N I I T H A C A
wishful thinking? 39 “Back in Black” band B O W D O I N C O L B Y COMPILED BY HAVANA CASO-DOSEMBET

SECURITY REPORT Sunday, February 18

2/10 to 2/21
Saturday, February 10
• Brunswick police (BPD) reported that
the driver of a vehicle operating erratically
on Longfellow Avenue fled on foot when
approached by police 1:00 a.m. in the Cof-
fin Street parking lot. BPD officers tracked
the suspect’s footprints through the snow
to a College apartment complex, but the
vehicle owner and others present denied
any involvement. Security conducted an
investigation the next week and the vehicle
owner/driver took responsibility for the in-
cident. A report was filed with the dean of
student affairs.
Sunday, February 11
• BPD cited two minor students for
possession of alcohol by a minor near the
Lighthouse Deli.
• BPD cited a student for failure to use a
crosswalk at 1:30 a.m. on Harpswell Road.
The police cautioned several other students
not to walk in the roadway.
Thursday, February 15
• Loud music was reported on the third
floor of Stowe House Inn.
Friday, February 16
• A student with flu-like symptoms was
given an escort to Mid Coast Hospital.
• A concerned parent requested a well-
ness check for a student that resulted in an
escort to Mid Coast Hospital.
• An officer investigated a report of a
local resident acting suspiciously at the bus
stop outside of Druckenmiller Hall.
• An officer brought a student to the Mid
Coast Walk-In Clinic after an accidental ex-
posure to a lab chemical.
• A student complaining of a fever was
taken to Mid Coast Hospital.
• BPD officers on patrol on Maine Street
encountered several minors outside of Mac-
Millan and Quinby during a large registered
event. One student was cited for possession
of alcohol by a minor (by consumption), and
several students were warned. After consul-
tation with the BPD, as a precaution, secu-
rity officers elected to end the event.
Saturday, February 17
• Excessive noise was reported on the
fifth floor of Coles Tower.
• An officer checked on the wellbe-
ing of an intoxicated student at Quinby
House.
• A student in Chamberlain Hall acci-
KODIE GARZA
dentally activated a smoke alarm with an
aerosol.
• An athlete with a hand injury was
escorted from Farley Field House to Mid
Coast Hospital.
• A student reported a roommate dis-
pute.
• An officer checked on the condition of
a sick student at Thorne Hall.
• A student fell while attempting to scale
a fence at Whittier Field and sustained a
head laceration. Brunswick Rescue trans-
ported the student to Mid Coast Hospital.
• There was a complaint of loud music
at Chamberlain Hall.
• A basement wall fan was vandalized at
Baxter House.
Tuesday, February 20
• A student took responsibility for
punching two holes in a hallway wall at
Baxter House.
• An Osher Hall student bouncing a ten-
nis ball off a wall in his room hit a smoke
detector and set it off.
• A Bowker Street resident complained
of loud music during a lacrosse scrimmage
at Whittier Field.
Wednesday, February 21
• A basement wall was vandalized at
Quinby House.
• Smoke from burnt microwave popcorn
activated a fire alarm at Coleman Hall.
• A student operating a College van
backed into a parked car in Portland.
COMPILED BY THE OFFICE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY
Friday, February 23, 2018 NEWS 3

NEWS IN BRIEF COMPILED BY JESSICA PIPER

UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT
JOURNALIST VARGAS TO SPEAK
Journalist and undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas
will be speaking on campus next Thursday in the Kenneth V. San-
tagata Memorial Lecture. His talk, titled “Define America: My Life
as an Undocumented Immigrant,” will take place in Kresge Audi-
torium at 7:30 p.m.
Vargas, who came to the United States from the Philippines at
age 12, publicly announced his undocumented status in a New
York Times essay in 2011. He went on to found Define American, a
nonprofit organization that hopes to “shift the conversation about
immigrants, identity, and citizenship in a changing America.”
Vargas previously worked for several news organizations, in-
cluding the Washington Post. In 2008, he and his colleagues were
awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for their
coverage of the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting.
The Office of Student Activities, the Cinema Studies Program
and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology organized a
screening of Vargas’s autobiographical documentary, “Document-
ed,” this past Sunday in anticipation of Vargas’ visit. Vargas also ANN BASU, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
directed the 2015 film, “White People,” which discusses the impact
of white privilege. His memoir, “Dear America: Notes of an Un-
Kicker goes here: Omnimus id magnistin nullab iusciaspera perior sequae. Ique seditas et estibus dandebit hitatiu ribuscitia pario. Elibus doluptatesed esti alit

Over 80 women to put on RISE reprise

documented Citizen,” will be released in September.

BOWDOIN TOPS FULBRIGHT LIST,

MAINTAINS HIGH SUCCESS RATIO
by Jill Tian
Orient Staff
Half of Bowdoin students who applied for Fulbright awards
for the 2017-2018 academic received them, the best ratio Over 80 women will perform
among any of the nation’s top undergraduate Fulbright Stu- in the College’s second annual
dent producers, according to the Fulbright Program. Forty production of “RISE: Untold Sto-
Bowdoin students applied for Fulbrights last year, and 20 re- ries of Bowdoin Women” today
ceived them, the most from Bowdoin since data became avail- and Saturday in Kresge Audito-
able a decade ago. rium, following last night’s debut
In terms of the raw number of awards, the College was performance. The show, built
ranked second among liberal arts colleges, falling behind Bates around Bowdoin students’ sto-
College. Twenty-three out of 63 Bates applicants received a ries about relationships, hookups
Fulbright, a 37 percent success rate. and other gendered experiences,
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides award recip- replaced the production of “The
ients with grants to pursue a year of academic enrichment Vagina Monologues,” seeking
outside of the U.S., either by teaching English or conducting more intersectionality and sto-
research. Awards were announced last spring, and Bowdoin ries that better represented the
recipients are currently working in Brazil, China, Germany, real experiences of Bowdoin
India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Sri Lanka, women. “The Vagina Mono-
Switzerland and South Africa. logues” was written in 1995 by
Among all colleges and universities, Brown University led Eve Ensler and was regularly per-
with 39 Fulbright recipients. Brown student applicants had a formed on Bowdoin’s campus up
success rate of 33 percent. until last year.
Jenna Scott ’19, Eskedar Gir-
mash ’20, Lucia Gagliardone ’20,
VIOLENT THREATS PLACE LOCAL Shannon Knight ’18 and Aisha
SCHOOLS ON HIGH ALERT Rickford ’20 organized, wrote,
directed and produced this year’s
performance, some as leaders of
Police investigated threats of violence at two Topsham the student group putting on the
schools last Friday. Woodside Elementary School was evacu- show, fEMPOWER.
ated after a bomb threat while Mt. Ararat High School was With an increased number of
placed on heightened security due to student statements about participants this year, the direc-
violence, the Portland Press Herald reported. Both schools are tors had to make adjustments in
within a 12-minute drive of Bowdoin’s campus. order to include every woman
In both cases, police determined that there was no credible
who auditioned.
“We have about 20 more wom-
en [than last year], which has been
a really fantastic and wonderful
experience, but it also brought up
a bunch of new challenges, such
as staging,” Knight said.
The show covers a wide range
of stories and experiences, from
stories about hookups, to body
image, to instances of gender vio-
lence. The original production of
RISE last year was based on stu-
dent submissions. The organizers
built on that foundation this year
by soliciting more stories from
students, as well as holding a dis-
cussion with the Women of Color
Coalition.
“Last year, obviously, was the
first year they did it and so that
came with its own set of challeng-
es. We’ve been able to work with
the format they created last year
and add on to it and keep it fresh,”
Gagliardone said. “I’m so forever
grateful for the work they did last
year, and I’m just excited that we
get to continue it.”
While the writers retained
several of the monologues from
last year’s production, most of the
stories this year come from new
submissions, which was encour-
aging to Scott.
“I think that, having had the
show last year, people who were
skeptical about what it was go-
ing to be and how their stories
would be translated now feel
comfortable sharing,” she said.
“But I think that this year we re-
ally worked to create an inclusive
environment, and now people
know they can share their story,
and we won’t do anything to harm
it or make it sound not like what
they wrote. So [people] know that
[their stories] are safe with us, and
therefore women stepped forward
to share their stories.”
Still, Scott acknowledged that
despite the group’s efforts, the
script does not reflect every wom-
an’s experience.
“There is a caveat that our
script entirely depends on what
we received,” Scott said. “And so
we are working to present the
ones that we did receive.”
Knight noted that the absence
of certain stories is one way RISE
gives the production a goal for the
future.
“I really hope that people come
to the show, even if they feel that
they don’t personally connect to
the pieces. [I hope that they] feel
encouraged to put their stories in
next year and to really personalize
it for them,” she said.
For cast members, the show
provides a strong community,
both inside and outside of re-
hearsal.
“We’re talking about struggles
that women go through but also
the triumphs,” said Devon Gar-
cia ’21, a first-time participant.
“I think a big goal is to express
… how we can push through the
difficult times and support each
other in both the good and bad.”
Gagliardone noted the broader
implications of women sharing
women’s stories.
“I really think we live in a
society that is inherently violent
towards women. There’s physi-
cal and sexual violence, but also
cultural violence, and we live in a
society where women’s voices are
frequently silenced or invalidat-
ed,” she said. “I think this show,
for me personally, serves as a po-
litical act to counter that.”
RISE opened yesterday and is
showing tonight and Saturday at 7
p.m. in Kresge Auditorium. Tick-
ets can be purchased at the Smith
Union Information Desk for $5.
All proceeds from the production
benefit Sexual Assault Support
Services of Midcoast Maine and
Family Crisis Services.

‘How to be a better environmentalist’:

threat, and classes resumed on Monday.
The threats followed the February 14 shooting in Parkland,
Fla., where a former student opened fire at Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School, killing 17 people. It was the deadliest

professors, community activists weigh in

school shooting since 2012, when 26 people were fatally shot
at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

for balance when selecting and economic justice. “I think it all comes down to

Subscribe your parents

by Nicholas Mitch panelists. The panel featured While panelists disagreed cost,” he said.
Orient Staff
Associate Professor of Eco- on specific points, they all em- Attendees said they appreci-

to our email newsletter.

Students, faculty, staff and
community members packed
the Shannon Room last night
to consider what types of en-
bowdoinorient.com vironmental activism are most
effective. The panel, titled
“Consumerism, Activism, and
Individualism: How to be a
Better Environmentalist,” was
planned by Lauren Hickey
’20 over the course of several
months on behalf of the Office
of Sustainability.
Panelists mainly discussed
whether individual actions or
broad policy changes are the
best way to promote environ-
mental protection and natural
resource conservation. Hickey
emphasized that she strove
nomics Erik Nelson, Executive
Director of Maine Conserva-
tion Voters Maureen Drouin
’96, owner of Morning Glory
Natural Foods Toby Tarpin-
ian and Assistant Professor of
Environmental Studies and
Government Shana Starobin.
The event was moderated by
Hickey and Jonah Watt ’18,
one of the leaders of Bowdoin
Climate Action.
The panelists’ discourse ad-
dressed two themes: whether
society can maximize the im-
pact of both policy change and
individualized actions, as well
as the intersections between
environmental activism and
broader movements for racial
phasized that individual and
collective actions are not mu-
tually exclusive and both may
be important.
“I would never say indi-
vidual action isn’t important
because I think it is, but what
I spend my time on in this
movement is around policy is-
sues,” said Drouin. “It is thor-
oughly up to all of us to elect
people who will enact [pro-en-
vironmental] policies.”
Nelson talked about the
role of markets in pursuing
environmental progress, and
questioned other panelists’ and
audience members’ framing of
the severity of contemporary
environmental challenges.
ated the chance this event pro-
vided for them to think deeply
about their environmental
work.
“As someone who is normal-
ly very focused on individual
actions, [the panel] reminded
me of the importance of pol-
icy action and larger policy
change,” said Lindsey Duff ’18.
Despite the intense subjects
discussed, many audience
members expressed hopeful
sentiments as the event ended.
“I’m really proud of how
many people showed up,” said
Sustainability Outreach Co-
ordinator Bethany Taylor. “It’s
nice to see so many people
seeking information.”
4 NEWS
Stolen paychecks prompts push for two-step login on Workday
by Emily Cohen
Orient Staff
After nearly 20 college students
employees, faculty and staff saw
their paychecks stolen since the
College began using Workday to
manage employee finances and
payments in January 2016, Bow-
doin Information Technology (IT)
rolled out a two-step authentica-
tion, which became mandatory
on Tuesday. Five of the stolen
paychecks happened within the
POLICE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
on Harpswell Road early on the
morning of February 11. Ac-
cording to one member of the
group, two BPD officers who
were patrolling on foot stopped
them as they were leaving a
party at Carlisle Apartments,
commonly known among stu-
dents as Lighthouse. The officers
asked if they had been drinking,
checked their IDs and radioed
them in, then let them go. An-
other senior student said he was
stopped by BPD officers while
walking along Harpswell Road
across from the Schwartz Out-
door Leadership Center.
That same night, BPD of-
ficers issued a summons to a
different student for jaywalking
while crossing Harpswell Road
and two other students received
summonses for possession of
liquor by a minor in the same
area.
Waltz says he does not be-
lieve that there has been an
increased level of enforcement
by BPD. He believes officers are
simply responding to conspicu-
ous violations of the law and less
respectful behavior on the part
of Bowdoin students.
“I think we’re out there as
much as we always are,” he said.
“I think what’s happened lately
is that we’ve run into a ... num-
ber of circumstances where the
students weren’t cooperative. If
you’re not cooperative, you’re
more likely to get a summons.”
According to Nichols, both
BPD and Security have received
complaints from town residents
about loud parties as well as
about students walking in the
middle of the road and not
using crosswalks. He said that
BSG
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Emphasizing inclusivity
The first change involves the
anti-discrimination policy in
article 1, which outlines general
provisions. The old BSG consti-
tution prohibited discrimination
against any student on the basis of
“citizenship, economic status, eth-
nicity, disability, national origin,
philosophy, political affiliation,
race, religion, sex or sexual ori-
entation.” The new constitution
adds “and/or gender identity” to
this list. The constitution also es-
tablishes a chair of diversity and
inclusion who will work with the
College’s new senior vice presi-
dent for inclusion and diversity.
The chair of diversity and inclu-
sion will serve on the executive
committee of BSG.
The chair of diversity and
inclusion will head the new
committee on diversity and inclu-
sion, also established in the new
past two months, according to IT
Security Officer Eric Berube.
When hackers gain access to
an employee’s Workday account,
they can change an employee’s
direct deposit information fraud-
ulently, as well as access social se-
curity numbers, tax information
and other sensitive information.
Berube said protecting that in-
formation, as well as employees’
paychecks, prompted IT to re-
quire two-step authentication for
Workday.
BPD has increased its presence
on Harpswell Road in response.
“I think one of the realities
is as the parties move predom-
inantly off-campus we are dis-
rupting more of the Brunswick
neighborhoods,” said Franklin
Ahrens ’18, Quinby House
proctor. “And we are a distur-
bance when we are out late on
weekend nights.”
“I look at it as a message of
caution that the police are send-
ing,” said Nichols. “That these
are some problems were seeing,
and to beware of the law and
be safe, whether you’re walking
on the street, crossing the street
or using alcohol. These things
are coming to the attention of
the police and in a problematic
way—they’re going to take ac-
tion.”
Students were surprised that
BPD officers entered MacMillan
as part of their response to Cold
War. Four MacMillan residents
confirmed that they saw BPD
officers, identified by their guns
and different uniforms, inside
the residence.
“I remember getting up stairs
and talking to BPD although
they definitely were not the most
cooperative,” said Amie Sillah
’20, MacMillan House proctor.
“I tried to talk to two officers
who weren’t really giving me the
time of day, so then I talked to
another officer outside who ex-
plained to me what’s going on.”
Nichols was surprised to hear
Saned Diaz ’20 at the BSG meet-
ing say that BPD officers had
entered her room on the third
floor of MacMillan.
According to Nichols, no Se-
curity officers reported seeing
BPD officers inside of MacMil-
lan house. He noted that a Quin-
by resident had called Security
constitution. This committee will
include the new sexuality, gender
and relationships representative;
the Multicultural Coalition rep-
resentative; the McKeen Center
representative; one development
representative and one class pres-
ident. According to the constitu-
tion, this committee will provide
advice for members of the execu-
tive committee on programming
and policy issues that relate to
“the College’s mission to be both
diverse and inclusive to students
of all backgrounds.”
“People like the [Multicultur-
al Coalition] rep didn’t feel they
could delegate large, vast amounts
of work that required us to think
about diversity and inclusion to
anyone on the Assembly because
everyone was doing other things,”
Alam explained. “I’m excited to
see the BSG [as a whole] next
year really think about ways to
work on diversity and inclusion,
but also have a team of people
dedicated to thinking about these
Two-step, or two-factor, au-
thentication complicates the log-
in process, which makes hacking
less likely. The first step is the
individual’s password, while the
second step works through a
system called Duo. Employees
can download the Duo Mobile
app on their phone and receive
push notifications whenever they
log into Workday. The app can
remember browsers for up to
30 days. Berube noted that the
College has been using Duo for
to report that BPD officers were
in Quinby, which later turned
out to be false.
Although BPD’s incident re-
port did not note the entrance
of officers to MacMillan, Waltz
said that BPD officers did have
the legal authority to enter the
property on the grounds of exi-
gent circumstances because they
had observed ongoing violations
of the law.
Even the presence of officers
outside the two Houses was
alarming to students.
“When I was walking out of
Mac[Millan] house with my
friends we overheard an officer
say that the chief told them to
arrest any underage student
who was drinking,” said Daniel
Ralston ’21 at the BSG meeting
on Wednesday.
“In my three years here I’ve
never been at a College House
party where BPD sort of inter-
vened independently of Secu-
rity,” said a junior male student
who had been at Quinby and
spoke with the Orient on the
condition of anonymity.
“Security was there at the
same time, but they were clear-
ly there having heard that BPD
was there, sort of trying to pro-
tect students and look out for
students, whereas BPD was sort
of just going after people,” he
added.
Although students are accus-
tomed to dealing with Security
rather than BPD at on-campus
parties, BPD intervention at
College Houses is not unprece-
dented. Ahrens noted that BPD
shut down a party last year at
Reed House after a noise com-
plaint.
Following the BPD activity
at MacMillan house, some stu-
dents have directed attention
issues and be ready to delegate
that work, too.”
Eager to avoid each year’s period
of adjustment for the new assem-
bly members, the new constitution
also creates four development
representatives to be selected by
the executive committee from the
first-year and sophomore classes.
The new development representa-
tives will be selected in the fall and
will not have a specific focus, but
instead will gain experience with
the workings of BSG by sitting on
multiple committees throughout
the year, allowing them to focus on
growth, leadership and learning.
Clarifying and focusing
In order to eliminate confu-
sion, the new constitution replac-
es all references to “vice presi-
dents,” except the vice president
of BSG, with “chair.” For instance,
the current vice president for
academic affairs will become the
chair of academic affairs.
The new constitution also aims
security for about two years on
an opt-in basis.
Individuals who do not have
a smartphone can use a physical
object, such as a USB key, to verify
that the login is not fraudulent.
“For the most part, once you
get folks using Duo they generally
really tend to like it,” Berube said.
He noted that certain college
employees, particularly those in
Human Resources and Finance,
began using two-step authenti-
cation shortly after the College
PUBLIC COMMENT: Director of Safety and Security Randy Nichols addresses concerns about police activity during
the public comment time at the Bowdoin Student Government meeting on Wednesday evening.
at the system of Alcohol Hosts
(A-Hosts) and Entertainment
Hosts (E-Host), which are
required when students regis-
ter parties with the Office of
Residential Life. They noted
that the system places legal
responsibility on A-Hosts, and
worried that increased BPD
activity could spell the end
of College Houses as spaces
where underclassmen can con-
sume alcohol safely.
“To what extent is an A-Host
held responsible the system that
the College is having us play?”
Thomas Ezquerro ’18 asked
Nichols during public comment
time. “And if it is the case, that
with increased BPD activity at
a College House party, I can be
cited for furnishing alcohol to
minors, at what point do I chal-
to eliminate more ambiguous po-
sitions. The old constitution called
for at-large representatives of the
student body as a whole. Now,
instead of eight at-large represen-
tatives, there will be nine represen-
tatives, each focused on a different
area of campus administration,
such as sustainability or safety and
security. These representatives will
be selected through a rigorous ap-
plication and interview process by
the executive committee.
Under the old constitution,
the assembly included eight class
representatives, which are elimi-
nated under the new constitution.
Specific class years will still have
the ability to be represented in
BSG. The new constitution allows
for the class presidents, elected by
each class year, to represent their
class in the assembly, and they will
be assigned by the executive com-
mittee to serve on one of four BSG
subcommittees—student affairs,
academic affairs, diversity and in-
clusion and sustainability—for the
switched to Workday.
“Obviously they feel really good
about it because they know that if
they were to lose their password,
that somebody can’t get in and do
much larger bad things,” he said.
IT has also recently dealt with
over 60 hacked student email ac-
counts, creating a vulnerable situa-
tion for Workday due to Bowdoin’s
“single sign-on.” Single sign-on
allows students, faculty and staff
to use the same username and
password for all College accounts,
lenge your system and say that
this isn’t providing me with the
necessary safeguards?”
“I think it’s really unfortunate
that it happened [at a College
House] because these are spaces
where people are supposed to
feel safe drinking and feel like
they’re under the guise of other
people who are trained to watch
them to make sure that things
aren’t going out of control, and
that’s the exact opposite of what
happened,” Sillah said.
Both Nichols and Waltz in-
sisted that nothing has changed
with respect to BPD’s relation-
ship with the College.
“We both recognize that there
are boundaries to what we can
and can’t do,” Waltz said. “Secu-
rity has no obligation to enforce
the law—their job is to keep you
entire year.
President of the 2020 class
council Nathanael DeMoranville
has concerns about the intense
workload that the class presidents
may face under the new constitu-
tion.
“With the new BSG consti-
tution, class presidents would
have to sit on BSG—run the
class council, and [in addition]
we would sit on another sub-
committee for the BSG—and
that just seems like a big time
commitment,” he said. “Right
now, my role is to lead the class
council ... so I can really focus
on that, and I worry that some-
one in my position would get
stressed out.”
DeMoranville also has
concerns about the degree to
which the new Constitution
would actually allow class
presidents to collaborate.
“My impression of having
the [class] presidents on Bow-
doin Student Government is to
Friday, February 23, 2018
explained Berube.
Two-step authentication is cur-
rently available but not required
for Office 365, which students and
staff use to access their emails.
“We try to make it easy by tying
everything together, so we try to
reduce the number of times you
have to log in, but ultimately that
creates a vulnerability that if you
lose your password, [hackers] have
access to a lot of things,” said Be-
rube. “So that’s why with two-step,
you prevent that entirely.”
EZRA SUNSHINE, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
safe. We obviously want to keep
you safe, but we also have an ob-
ligation to enforce the law.”
Nichols remained adamant
that students are breaking the
law if they are drinking under
the age of 21, and are subject to
the consequences of that, which
he does not control.
“The bottom line is,” said
Waltz. “If things are indoors,
then we have no reason to
have our attention called to it.
We’re probably not going to
get involved. But if parties are
outdoors, they’re visible to the
public, they’re loud—they’re
probably more likely to get our
attention, either because some-
one’s called with a complaint or
because they are loud.”
Emily Cohen and Jessica Piper
contributed to this report.
more easily facilitate discussion
among them, and I’m just not
sure that the place [for that to
happen] is Bowdoin Student
Government,” DeMoranville
explained. “I want to collabo-
rate with the presidents about
class council stuff, not BSG
stuff, and that’s a big difference.”
Looking ahead
To encourage constant
reflection and evaluation of
BSG’s functionality, the new
constitution mandates a re-
view of the constitution every
other year.
“The idea is that you con-
tinue to refine and revise and
not wait an entire decade for so
much to rapidly change around
the world and at our college
to then decide to change the
structure and think about the
way the BSG is doing its work,”
Alam said. “So that will hope-
fully be a way to continue this
pattern of reflection.”
 F
Friday, February 23, 2018
FEATURES
Looking back: Bowdoin’s first attempt at integration
LEARNING TOGETHER: The 1963 exchange program between Bowdoin and Morehouse College sought to educate students about the racial issues facing the nation. Students participating in the exchange attended classes and community events.
by Faria Nasruddin
Orient Staff
When white “Freedom Rider”
and Wesleyan professor Dr. John
Maquire visited Bowdoin over
50 years ago, he told Bowdoin
students that would never fully
understand the struggle for civil
rights until they personally and
directly understood what it was
like to be black in the south.
Bowdoin’s student body has
certainly become more diverse
since Maquire’s visit. At that
time, Bowdoin enrolled only
three black students and had
graduated a total of only 28 in
its history. Inspired by Maquire’s
speech, then senior David Bay-
er ’64 wrote a letter to Howard
Zinn, a professor of history at
Spelman College, a historically
black women’s college in Atlanta,
proposing a week-long exchange
program starting in 1963. While
the exchange program came at a
unique historical moment, many
of the questions it raised are is-
sues that Bowdoin students and
administrators are still consider-
ing today.
The letter was ultimately
passed to Benjamin Mays at the
historically black men’s college
across the street from Spelman,
Morehouse College. Mays, a
Bates alum, accepted the ex-
change proposal. Bayer and Phil
Hansen ’64 then began working
with then Bowdoin Dean of Stu-
dents, A. LeRoy Greason, on the
program.
Hansen wrote in the letter
to Mays that “this exchange is
not a crusade and we won’t be
carrying placards.” The goal was
educational, with the aim to aid
students at both colleges in ac-
quiring a deeper understanding
of racial issues in the United
States and between human be-
ings.
At the end of March 1963,
nine Bowdoin students traveled
to Atlanta for a six-day pilot of
the Morehouse-Bowdoin Ex-
change. Six students from More-
house drove up to Brunswick.
The students followed tightly
packed schedules at both ex-
change sites, featuring the best
both institutions had to offer. At
both colleges, they dined with
the presidents and attended spe-
cial lectures and social events. In
Atlanta, the Bowdoin students
visited with the mayor and with
Martin Luther King Jr. at his fa-
ther’s church; in Brunswick, the
Morehouse students sat for a
concert featuring Boston Sym-
phony cellist Yves Chardon and
Professor Fred Tillotson on the
piano.
David Satcher, a former
Morehouse student who is now
founding director and senior
advisor to the Morehouse School
of Medicine remembered his
visit to Bowdoin and the genuine
interest that the students had in
understanding life in the South.
“I remember specifically
going out somewhere near the
ocean and we had dinner out
there and just talked into the
night about what it was like to
grow up in the South and to go
to jail because you tried to eat at
a restaurant that wouldn’t serve
blacks,” said Satcher. “[Bowdo-
in students] had a really great
interest and it was almost as if
they were living the experience
with us.”
An Orient editorial said that
the exchange program would
only be worthwhile if Bowdoin
students could realize that they
are integral to the struggle for
full equality.
“It has meant nothing except
an exchange of bodies of differ-
ent color between two different
schools if we are not aware of
the problems we face as well as
those of the Negro,” the Editorial
Board wrote.
Satcher recalls the experience
as a special one, since prior to
Bowdoin he had only been to
segregated schools. “I hadn’t had
much association with white
students at all, back in that time,”
said Satcher. “To see the kind of
support and enthusiasm that we
experienced at Bowdoin was a
special experience.”
In 1963, the Orient inter-
viewed one of the Morehouse
students, Ray Laundy, about his
experience, to which he said the
length of the program was its
biggest obstacle. “The problem
of race tolerance is essentially
one of education and how much
education can take place in a
week? I think perhaps a long-
range proposal—a semester or
a school year would be more
beneficial,” said Laundy. “Then
the exchange students would
have the chance to see what the
other side is really like—after the
novelty wears off.”
Similarly, the Orient reported
that Laundy felt that scheduled
activities did not allow for the
exchange students to experience
the College for themselves. “The
visitor doesn’t really get a chance
to see things in a normal setting.
We have been given a schedule
of things to do and see, but the
great degree of organization
seems uncomfortable at times,”
Laundy said.
Ultimately, the pilot program
expanded into a semester-long
exchange of around six students
which continued from 1964
through 1967. Charlie Toomaji-
an ’65, who participated in initial
trial, was among the group the
first semester.
In an interview with the Ori-
ent, Toomajian remembered his
experience as one of openness.
He felt that he was truly a part
of the Morehouse experience
by going to classes, civil rights
GEORGE J. MITCHELL DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & ARCHIVES, BOWDOIN COLLEGE LIBRARY
meetings and informal con-
versation. “I felt fortunate to be
asked to be part of it. I was work-
ing with [the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee] and
with the local things and met
with Martin Luther King a few
times, and helped with strategy
planning with the leaders from
the college,” he said.
Toomajian also remembered
the hostility he experienced as
part of integrated groups, not-
ing, in a 1964 Brunswick Record
article, that students experi-
enced many “baleful stares, an-
gry threats, and racial epithets”
when they were in integrated
groups. In Atlanta, Toomajian
participated in restaurant sit-
ins. He recalled one instance
when he and other students were
chased out by armed restaurant
staff.
“We sat down, and instead
of going through the normal
routine, he just came out from
the back with his staff and start-
ed waved the hell of out an axe
handle. He chased us out into the
parking lot, into the traffic,” said
Very honestly, when I look back at those
times, I’m very proud of the way that the
College, at that time, did things.
–Charlie Toomajian ’65
Toomajian.
In Brunswick, the Orient
pushed students in a 1963 edi-
torial to actually engage with the
exchange students from More-
house: “How many made a seri-
ous effort to meet and talk with
the Morehouse students about
the basic problems of Negro
equality in a white dominated
society? And, we don’t just mean
simply smiling politely at one on
the way to class or pointing out
one of them to an even more in-
different friend.”
One student, Freddie J. Cook,
returned to Bowdoin’s campus in
2015 by invitation of the African
American Society to speak about
his experience. Having grown up
in a poor family in Atlanta, Cook
said that attending Bowdoin was
an opportunity to escape poverty.
Cook recounted positive
experiences: he learned to play
bridge in Moulton Union, re-
membered excellent relation-
ships with professors, attended
his first toga party at Theta Delta
Chi and enjoyed discussions in
English literature and economics
courses. But he also remem-
bered some of the struggles
he experienced at the College
finding it difficult to adjust to a
radically different environment.
“I had boundless ambition to
gather me, yet I soon found my-
self lapsing into depression.” He
spent a lot of his time in isola-
tion, writing poetry to overcome
the shock of Bowdoin. Cook was
initially surprised that many
Bowdoin students had maids—
his mother worked as a maid
and nanny for a Coca-Cola ex-
ecutive. Later she quit after one
of the boys she cared for called
her a racial slur and refused to
apologize. At the time, she was
making $1 an hour.
Morehouse students at Bow-
doin maintained the same tu-
ition they had at Morehouse.
Cook, received a scholarship to
cover $267 tuition per semester.
While the exchange ended
when President Coles retired in
1967, it paved the way for further
initiatives including Project ’65,
a student-organized high school
5
outreach program with the goal
recruiting black students to ap-
ply to the Bowdoin.
Toomajian, upon his return
to Bowdoin, helped found the
Bowdoin Undergraduate Civil
Rights Organization (BUCRO),
an umbrella organization that
encompassed Project ’65 and the
Morehouse Exchange Program
to ensure coordination between
the different civil rights groups.
“It was a time when there was
a lot of student activity. It was
a time when we were trying to
figure out where we stood with
the Vietnam War—when Mar-
tin Luther King was active,” said
Toomajian. “It was a time when
there was a lot activity on the
Bowdoin campus and a lot of
discussion. Very honestly, when
I look back at those times, I’m
very proud of the way that the
College, at that time, did things.”
The Morehouse-Bowdoin Ex-
change Program made many of
its participants feel emotionally
fulfilled. “I think what Bowdoin
and experiences like Bowdoin
did for many of us was to help us
to really understand people of a
different race, and even a differ-
ent culture in terms of the North
and the Bowdoin experience,”
said Satcher.
It is educative, though, to
consider how much the ex-
change ever reshaped cam-
pus culture. In recent years,
students have dealt with bias
incidents ranging from a
“gangster”-themed party to
swastikas being drawn on
school property. A program
like the Morehouse-Bowdoin
Exchange, completed 50 years
ago, could not be expected to
begin to solve racial tensions
on campus, especially given its
limited scope. The question re-
mains, though, how will Bow-
doin’s campus change, or stay
the same, in the next 50 years?
6 FEATURES
Across vast distances: a dispatch from Tucson, Arizona
by Ellice Lueders
Orient Staff
This piece is the first in a se-
ries called Bowdoin Back Home.
Over winter break, the Orient
dispatched writers to bring stories
from their homes back to Bow-
doin. Though we don’t often ac-
knowledge it, Bowdoin is shaped
by our experiences in these places,
just as we are. Some of these stories
will contain the writer’s experienc-
es while others will put a spotlight
on their peers. All will share insight
into the places and people we bring
with us to Bowdoin.
Tucson, Arizona, is a city con-
fined unlike any other. Geograph-
ically bound by mountains in ev-
ery direction, Tucson is the only
major U.S. city without a highway
running through it. The city is an
asphalt island surrounded by a
sea of towering, spiny kelp.
A few small outposts punc-
tuate this productive ecosystem.
These communities are depen-
dent on the traffic through Tuc-
son and the border, and the re-
sources that traffic brings. Homes
are built far from the highway.
They lie hidden until night comes
and their lights are cast miles
across the open desert. Clues to-
wards civilization are sparse: a gas
station peddling terra cotta gar-
den ornaments and a green sign
marked I-10 to Tucson, Arizona.
These towns are places most peo-
ple move through, often pressing
on to the border.
Kathleen Armenta ’21 is one
of these pilgrims, the Ameri-
can-born daughter of Mexican
immigrants. Her family returns
to Mexico for holidays and family
celebrations, curving around the
Musings on the Moulton light room panopticon
Space, Place and Is it first years I don’t need to in a privileged way.
Sucking Face impress? Is there someone I am
by Jonah Watt
Moulton light room (MLR)
is a panoptical experience. Loyal
MLR’ers are both inmates and
guards, simultaneously watched
while watching others. Eyes latch
onto us the moment we enter,
observing everything from our
meal companions to our outfits. I
straighten my back and elongate
my gait in an act of hyperaware
self-discipline. Depending on
who is present, I police myself
airport and down past the Santa
Rita mountains. Motorists can
easily cruise control at 90 mph
down its flat, straight line.
The route passes Armenta’s be-
loved White Dove of the Desert—a
Catholic mission whose white-
washed stone emerges against the
sparse Tohono O’odham reserva-
tion and flattop mines.
“I have a lot of faith in the
church,” she said. “Traditionally,
people make promises to a cer-
tain saint in the church and on a
given date walk from their house
to the church to complete the
promise.”
Over her 19 years, Armenta
has made many promises, mostly
to herself and her family.
She first promised that she
would go out of state for college
in search of opportunities. Ed-
ucation in Arizona faces major
challenges: it is the worst state
in the Union to be a teacher and
ranks 49 in education funding
per pupil.
“I’ve seen students not given
enough support,” Armenta said.
“They see themselves as less and
they give up. So they drop out of
school and start to work instead
of receiving an education.”
She sought out opportunities,
enrolling in a program in middle
school that gave students $50 for
every A.
“From this middle school, I
decided to go on taking higher
classes and not only taking them
but acing them as well,” she said
steadily, advocating for her ac-
complishments.
She ended up at Bowdoin, she
said, for her family. “They saw a
bright future for me and I agreed
with it.”
differently. Is it just my friends? perform and interact with others and class schedules, but also dic- my laptop to work in solitude.
But I also go to the light room relations. At Bowdoin, we’re with some fellow light room oc- theses that spend most of their
looking to impress?
The linoleum tiles are my cat-
walk. When I enter the light room,
I want to be seen. I want people to
compliment my revolving set of
three turtlenecks or tell me that
my butt looks good today. I take
my time finding a seat (though I
always end up at the same back
table under the window). It is a
spectacle. As a white able-bodied
man fitting conventional beauty
standards, I feel comfortable in
this space. This enables to me to
NEITHER HERE NOR THERE: Kathleen Armenta ‘21 reflects on her home city of Tucson, Arizona. She is the first member of her family to attend college out of state.
Although Bowdoin is “like
a roller coaster” with changes
in weather, language, dominant
values and cultures, Armenta
persists in this alternate world. “I
want to give back to my parents
for all the sacrifices they had to
make just to arrive here in the
United States,” she said.
Like most pioneers, armed
with faith to forge a new path, Ar-
menta leads a life that entails trial
and demands courage.
•••
For many, the landscape of
southern Arizona is synonymous
with American ideals of freedom,
openness and self-determination.
More universal still is the vast,
open emptiness of the desert
and its low horizon. Things are
far apart here. From passenger
windows, rock formations pass
at a glacial pace. One monument
tated by friendships and power Discussing MLR experiences and aloof seniors working on their
to people watch. Who will so-
and-so be eating with? Will they
opt for soft serve or a cookie?
We soak in the minutiae of our
companions, simultaneously
making assumptions or passing
judgments. Friends know that
I always position myself in the
back facing the entrance—from
this vantage point, I am the pris-
on guard with complete watch
over the room.
MLR is an intricate social
space, regulated by lunch times
can be a trip’s landmark, shifting
by angles every dozen miles. It
is easy to feel alone here, even
among other speeding cars.
Civilization returns at the
border town of Nogales, whose
population on the U.S. side of the
border is one tenth its count on
the Mexican side. Armenta takes
the Mariposa exit hidden to the
left of the primary checkpoint,
which can get crowded with eigh-
teen-wheelers.
“Throughout my life, I always
had to be fearing the border pa-
trol roaming around these streets,
and having my family always by
my side because I thought I was
their protector,” said Armenta.
“When we cross the border it’s
like a different gasp of air, a differ-
ent feeling, a different freedom,”
she added.
On one side of the border, she
taught to treat meals as a social
time, scheduling dinners a week
in advance. My first two years,
meal anxiety set in three hours
before each meal, and I’d text
five different friends in attempts
to make plans. Sophomore year,
I scheduled nearly every meal,
using dinners to catch up with
friends or meet new people. Now,
I rarely make plans, instead saun-
tering into MLR at my leisure,
plopping down next to a friend,
or more frequently, pulling out
JENNY IBSEN
sees her assimilation, enforced by
hate and her own aspirations. On
the other, she has a family that
implores her to prove her cultural
heritage, to show that their cus-
toms and mores can transplant in
a new land. Armenta often feels
dislocated.
“When I cross the border, it
feels like a jail, where you always
have to have a permission – your
passport – in order to cross to an-
other place you love as well and
it’s part of you, however; you’re
not from there.”
Armenta has fought for the
United States and for her commu-
nity in Tucson, attending protests
for women’s rights and against the
strict—some argue racist—an-
ti-immigration bill SB 1070.
Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff
of Maricopa County, implement-
ed discriminatory practices under
cupants, we agreed that the MLR
socialization begins sophomore
year. Our first year at Bowdo-
in, we ate in the dark room and
Thorne, our decisions prompted
by the menus or weekly flinners.
Once our friend groups solidified
and homogenized sophomore
year, no longer artificially diversi-
fied by first year floors, we found
our place in MLR. As seniors, we
gravitate towards MLR because
we can show up without plans
and always find friends here.
We’ve come to call MLR
home because this is where old-
er friends and mentors ate. Our
first two years, we looked up to
friends who practically lived in
MLR. Frequenting MLR was an
opportunity to climb the social
ladder and become closer to these
legends.
Now that they’re gone, we
occupy their spots. But MLR has
lost its allure now that we’re at the
top of the ladder with no more
rungs to climb. Yet we still return
here, meal after meal, exchanging
allure for the comfort of MLR.
The light room is also a com-
fortable space because we choose
who we sit with, creating qua-
si-familial units composed of ho-
mogeneous peers. Look around
and notice where people sit and
with whom. It is a largely white
space (even more so than the rest
of Bowdoin), a revolving group of
Friday, February 23, 2018
COURTESY OF KATHLEEN ARMENTA
SB 1070, even after a judge ruled
these practices illegal. His crimes
were presidentially pardoned last
year, and he announced over win-
ter break that he was running for
U.S. Senate.
“I am hoping people don’t vote
for him,” said Armenta. “And if
they do, I think it would be such
a sad view on the reality of what
people actually think of others.”
She will be in Maine, working
towards her education and dreams
of helping fix America’s broken
immigration system. For her fam-
ily and friends back home, there is
nothing she can do but vote.
“I decided to choose a more
difficult path because I knew
there would be more opportuni-
ties for me,” she said. “And that’s
how I’ve always chosen. I’ve al-
ways chosen the more difficult
path.”
Frisbee players, Reed patriarchs
meals together. And I realize that
I intersect with these groups and
am thus also part of the problem.
For white NARPs, the light
room is our safe haven. We are
free from the intimidation of our
athletic peers in Thorne. White
men in particular, myself in-
cluded, feel powerful in the light
room. We chat in the middle of
the aisles and spread our laptop
and books across half of the ta-
ble. But we also take up space in
other ways, complementing this
manspreading with mealtime
mansplaining. (I’ll leave this for
another column.)
As an upperclassman, I feel a
certain command of the space as
well as a newfound nonchalance.
I returned to MLR fresh from
abroad and only recognized a few
faces. As the light room dwellers
have become less familiar with
age, I no longer feel the need to
socially engage in the same ways;
my bright-eyed, sociable under-
class self has been replaced by a
reclusive senior.
Our comfort and love for the
light room is dictated by our own
positionality, be it gender, race,
or class year, to name only a few.
MLR is much more than a dining
hall; it is a place to watch and be
watched, where social relations
and power dynamics are laid out
alongside salad bowls and plates
of rice krispies.
Friday, February 23, 2018 FEATURES 7

Talk of the Quad

ABLEIST LANGUAGE: A
CULTURE OF CARELESSNESS
During my time away from
Bowdoin, my life changed
dramatically when somebody
close to me was diagnosed
with a severe case of bipolar
disorder. Part of their diag-
nosis also included “psychot-
ic tendencies,” or sensory
experiences of things that do
not exist and/or beliefs with
no basis in reality. This per-
son has an extreme case of
their disorder, but through
months of therapy, medica-
tion and support groups, they
have stabilized and managed
to live a semi-normal life.
The disease rose with little
warning and has affected and
changed every aspect of their
life.
Returning back to Bowdo-
in after witnessing such an
intense struggle with mental
health, I have been surprised
by how casually people use
the terms “bipolar” and es-
pecially “psycho” in everyday
rhetoric on campus.
“I was being so psycho last
night, I texted him like four
times”; “I hear that guy went
kind of psycho abroad”; “I
swear to God, my professor is
psycho, he assigned the entire
book for Tuesday.” These are
a few real examples of times
that friends have used such
language and probably sound
familiar to many members of
the campus community.
When I hear people
around me use the word
“psycho” or “bipolar,” I im-
mediately think of the day
that the person close to me
received their diagnosis, how
shattered they were by those
words.
I think of the long days I
spent in hospitals alongside
them as they worked to defy
those words, grappling with
their diagnosis and unable to
control the mania and delu-
sions caused by the disease.
I think of their strength
as they came to terms with
those words, words that they
will have to live with for the
rest of their life.
Bipolar. Psychotic. Words
that have immeasurable
power in that person’s world,
power that is inconceivable
for those not struggling with
such diseases.
Usually, when people use
language that is politically
incorrect, they are making a
conscious decision to do so.
For example, many people,
myself included, occasion-
ally choose to use the word
“bitch,” despite their knowl-
edge of the word’s misogy-
nist undertones. In the case
of mentally ableist words
and phrases, I believe that
many people on campus are
unaware of the implications
of their language and how
it might affect people strug-
gling with mental health
disorders and those close to
them.
“Psycho” and “bipolar” are
the words that affect me most
personally. However, the
prevalent use of the words
demonstrates a larger lack of
knowledge on campus about
mental ableism, and there are
many other mental diagnoses
that Bowdoin students use
out of context daily. While
explaining my discomfort
with the word “psycho” to
one of my friends, for ex-
ample, she expressed similar
feelings when people use the
term “OCD,” short for Ob-
sessive Compulsive Disorder,
with which she struggles.
Other examples of mentally
ableist terms include manic,
sociopathic, schizophrenic,
neurotic and references to
ADHD and PTSD.
It is not surprising that
the use of mentally ableist
language is so prevalent at
Bowdoin, given the current
political climate. Last June,
Donald Trump responded to
criticism from two reporters
by tweeting, calling them
“crazy Mika” and “psycho
Joe.” Trump constantly uses
words such as “insane” and
“psycho” to insult opponents,
normalizing such language
in the public spotlight. Ironi-
cally, many of Trump’s oppo-
nents have employed similar
tactics, claiming that Trump
is mentally unwell, attrib-
uting his volatile actions to
a mental health disorder.
These kinds of accusations
insult those really struggling
with mental health disorders.
Furthermore, they dismiss
Trump’s actions by attribut-
ing them some other source.
Trump is not mentally un-
well; he is an unfit ruler with
poor judgement.
Reflecting on my feelings
about the use of the words
“psycho” and “bipolar,” I have
grappled with the sentiment
that political correctness has
come too far at Bowdoin and
language been “over-policed.”
However, I can’t change my
discomfort with the terms.
People can make the choice
to use these words, but they
should acknowledge the im-
plications when they do so.
Nell Fitzgerald is a member
of the Class of 2019.

A SHIVER DOWN THE
SPINE
Eight months ago I checked
into Cedars Sinai Medi-
cal Center in Los Angeles,
changed into a hospital gown
and mustard-colored socks
and plummeted into the
depths of general anesthesia to
the sound of Paul Simon’s first
solo album.
When I woke up nine hours
later in the Intensive Care Unit
(ICU), the first thing I noticed
was that I could move my feet.
Great news: not paralyzed. I felt
fantastic.
“Not paralyzed!” I remember
babbling happily to my mom.
The next thing I did was post
before and after X-rays on my
“finsta.” I captioned it “not par-
alyzed!”
Clever.
I called four or five of my
friends.
“My knees are swollen!” I
told them gleefully.
I was riding high on intrave-
nous methadone, a drug com-
monly used to help wean heroin
addicts into sobriety.
They replaced my metha-
done with oxycodone the next
day, and the reality of my situ-
ation started to filter in. I could
move my feet, that was true, and
my arms, but not much else.
With the help of two nurses, a
surgeon and a walker, I got out
of bed and hobbled laps around
the ICU.
Nothing worked the way that
it had before. I couldn’t move
my head or neck. Each foot fall
sent shock waves through my
newly reinforced spine that reg-
istered as pain even through the
cloud of heavy opioids.
The next five days were a blur
of doctors, nurses and new pain
meds. I watched two whole sea-
sons of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”
and threw up twice each day. I
stopped trying to eat because
the vomiting sent spasms of
pain up and down my back.
When I left the hospital six days
after the surgery, I hadn’t eaten
in a week and my body was so
bloated that clothes I had worn
to the hospital literally did not
fit on my body.
At home, I sat in a chair in
my living room for 21 hours
each day. The other three I
would spend in my bed before
waking up each morning at
5 a.m., gasping in pain. Con-
stantly by my side I kept a bowl
of medications: one anti-nau-
sea, two laxatives and three dif-
ferent types of painkillers. One
of the pain pills triggered my
gag reflex, so I took it ground
up in a shot of hospital-issued
cranberry juice.
Six months later, I’m still hit
with waves of Pavlovian nausea
every time I smell cranberry
juice or hear the first notes
of the theme song of “Crazy
Ex-Girlfriend.”
Other than that, I’m mostly
fine. There’s a metal rod that
runs along my spine from the
base of my neck to the top of
my waist, secured to the verte-
brae with half-inch screws. The
spine itself is also fused together
using bits of bone from an or-
gan donor. It doesn’t move the
way other spines do. It doesn’t
expand and contract, doesn’t
bend, doesn’t arch. It won’t do
any of these things ever again.
I have a scar. I can’t do yoga,
touch my toes or play contact
sports. Sometimes I get ran-
dom, shooting pain, but mostly
it just aches.
What hasn’t faded in the
eight months since the opera-
tion is the sense that my body
is, in some nebulous way, no
longer mine. To be very liter-
al and somewhat reductive, it
isn’t: no matter how I try I can’t
seem to forget those pieces of
foreign bone wedged between
my defective vertebrae—a ca-
daver’s bones among my own—
or the metallic dowel to which
I can credit my (newly flawless)
posture. I want to be poetic
about it, to see my augmented
backbone as “cool” or “empow-
ering” or at very least symbolic
of some type of courage or re-
silience gained through adver-
sity—but I don’t.
My feelings of alienation
from my physical form run
deeper than such platitudes,
and I find them exploiting a
discomfort and frustration
with the human body, with my
human body, that is intimately
and intensely familiar from
years of adolescent insecurity
and shame. In an unexpect-
ed way, the relationship that I
have built with my scar mimics
an understanding of my ap-
pearance, my body in general.
I deeply, deeply want to wear it
with pride—an indelible mark
of my selfhood and identity—
but I can’t seem to surmount a
nagging distrust, discomfort,
disgust.
I would like this to be a sto-
ry of recovery and healing in
which a surgery and a scar help
me understand flaws as beauty
and scars as symbols of self-
hood, but it isn’t—yet, anyway.
Alyce McFadden is a member
of the Class of 2020. SARA CAPLAN

WRITE A TALK OF THE QUAD

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 700-1,100 words.

EMAIL ORIENT@BOWDOIN.EDU
8 NEWS
ACTIVE IN EBBS AND FLOWS
Activism on campus is limited and practiced by those most affected
ACTIVISM
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
that the issues aren’t sitting right in
front of us in a way that they might
be if we were down in D.C. or Bal-
timore.”
But Assistant Professor of Gov-
ernment Chryl Laird said that
Bowdoin’s location should not be
an excuse for students.
“Even here in Maine, there are
various organizations that I have
found,” said Laird, pointing to
the example of an anti-gun group
run by local moms. Through this
organization and others, Laird has
engaged with issues that she feels
passionately about, while simul-
taneously becoming closer to the
Brunswick community.
***
Bowdoin students become po-
litically active in ebbs and flows.
Times when activism has peaked
recently on campus have been
during backlash against the “tequi-
la” and “gangster” parties, as well as
reactions to the election last winter.
“During those times, people
were really coming together, par-
ticularly students of color and
some white allies,” said Daisy
Wislar ’18. “They were coming to-
gether and saying, ‘This is not the
Bowdoin we want,’ and pushing in
really effective ways.”
However, students interviewed
agreed that Bowdoin students have
a short attention span. After times
that engagement becomes vogue,
it typically tends to decline after
several weeks, losing traction with
all but a few students on campus.
This ebb and flow is largely due
to the fact that students on campus
rally around certain issues, but not
others. For example, the student
body did not organize after the
events surrounding Charlottesville
and bombings in Bangladesh and
Libya, and there has not been sig-
nificant action in the wake of the
Parkland school shooting, nor for
the impending DACA expiration
in March.
Bowdoin students often blame
low levels of activism on the stress-
es of college—many students have
little time for anything besides aca-
demics and extracurriculars.
Wislar believes that the ability
to prioritize academics, sports and
friends over political activity speaks
to the lack of diversity on campus.
“I do think there is privilege in
being able to step back, there is
privilege in posting something on
social media and walking away
from it,” said Wislar. “I know that
as a white person I am not faultless
in that, but there is privilege in
being able to be frustrated but not
enacting change.”
Rebkah Tesfamariam ’18, pres-
ident of the African American So-
ciety and a student director of the
Center for Sexuality, Women, and
Gender (SWAG), echoed Wislar,
saying, “I think there are many
people on campus that are very
comfortable going to class, doing
their homework and hanging out
with their friends, and that’s it.”
However, this privilege does
not extend to students who have
been directly affected by problems,
changes and disparities both with-
in and outside of Bowdoin.
“A lot of the students who are
the least engaged are the least
confronted by the problems. And
I think that directly impacts their
level of engagement,” said Ruby.
With other students last spring,
Wislar wrote a set of demands—
called the Demands for the Dis-
abled Students Association—and a
petition calling for greater accessi-
bility. Wislar identifies as disabled
and has been personally affected
by the College’s lack of accessibility.
Students of color cite similar
personal reasons to act.
The Orient survey indicates
that non-white students typically
identified themselves as more po-
litically active than white students.
Students who identified as black,
for example, ranked themselves at
6.67 out of 10, 10 being most ac-
tive, compared to white students,
who ranked at 4.63, on average.
“Students who [are] white were
already at schools that were pre-
dominantly white, so coming to
Bowdoin isn’t anything different,”
said Laird. “There is nothing that
would signal to them that sudden-
It takes a toll, it really does. It
takes a toll on minorities’ rela-
tionship with other students.
–Rebkah Tesfamariam ’18
ly they should be more cognizant
of their political activism.”
This contrasts starkly with per-
ceptions of students of color.
“I think that many minority stu-
dents see that it’s their obligation to
change things on campus, because
they want it to be better than how
it was for them the first couple of
years here,” said Tesfamariam.
This obligation can be seen in
recent political activism on campus
that has been largely spearheaded
by minority groups or individuals.
This fall, natural disaster relief was
led by the Latin American Student
Organization, including tabling
and a piña colada fundraiser. The
Asian Student Alliance also con-
tributed by raising money through
a bubble tea sale.
Because minority groups are
often politically active, a sense of
solidarity has developed between
groups. “I think one of the best
things about being in a group of
minority students—part of the
Multicultural Coalition—is that
we really try to have each others’
backs,” said Cindy Rivera ’18. “If
we say, ‘Hey guys, we really need
support on this,’ everybody’s gon-
na get behind it and support it.
When you’re already oppressed in
a certain way, you’re more likely to
understand how oppression affects
somebody else.”
Aside from feeling inspired to
enact change on campus, minori-
ty students often feel burdened to
do so. For the rest of the semester
after the “gangster” party in the
fall of 2015, Tesfamariam felt pres-
sured by the administration and
her peers to lead discussions and
inspire change in reaction to the
events.
Though Tesfamariam is a
proud political leader on campus,
she also feels as if this consistent
expectation can be taxing.
“It takes a toll, it really does,” she
said. “It takes a toll on minorities’
relationship with other students.
We become this homogeneous
group that is supposed to have one
idea of how things should run, and
some people don’t identify with
that. It can be harmful and divisive.”
Both Tesfamariam and Nur
agree that activism needs to in-
crease among privileged members
of campus so that minority groups
do not feel burdened to spend a
disproportionate amount of time
and energy being politically active.
“I think activism is the voice
of the oppressed, a way to have
people in power in the majority,
to have some kind of inkling of
the experiences of people who live
outside—in the margins,” said Nur.
In order to make this connec-
tion between isolated groups and
the majority of campus, the goal of
many activists on campus has been
to make activism easier and more
accessible for the greater student
body—in the fall BSG organized
vans to carry students to a rally in
Portland against ending the De-
ferred Action for Childhood Ar-
rivals (DACA) program.
The Orient survey indicated
that 40 percent of Bowdoin stu-
dents considered using social me-
dia a way that they are politically
active. Student activists the Orient
spoke with agreed that, to some ex-
tent, social media can be a helpful
tool in disseminating information.
“I feel like I learn from people’s
STUDENT ACTIVISTS: (CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT) Cindy Rivera ’18,
Daisy Wislar ’18, Emily Ruby ’19, Mohamed Nur ’19, Rebkah Tesfamariam ’18
posts. It’s a way for people to en-
gage in activism in this new mil-
lennial way,” said Tesfamariam.
If misused, social-media can
also become counterproductive.
“I post, I show people that I’m
politically aware, and it becomes
performative. It’s so self-gratifying,
and we’re in a feedback loop,” said
Laird. “You feel like you’ve done
something, because you’ve gotten
in an argument on Facebook. But
did you really do anything? Any-
thing tangible?”
Springer noted that he believes
that the lack of activism on campus
is not because of students’ indiffer-
ence towards issues.
“For students who are not as
clearly engaged, actively engaged,
visibly engaged, there’s often brew-
ing, just below the surface, a lot of
concern that I ought to be doing
more,” said Springer. “I teach a
course about U.S. foreign policy.
I see it in the papers that people
choose to write about, they say,
‘This is something that really both-
ers me.’”
Laird believes that Bowdoin
often falls short of educating stu-
dents how to convert this passion
into tangible changes, despite the
College’s efforts to bring in activist
speakers.
“As much as we try to teach
you knowledge, and educate you,
I think one of your own biggest
powers regardless of education
level is to know what’s going on in
the politics around you and how it
relates to you,” said Laird. “All that
knowledge doesn’t do as much
if one doesn’t know what to do
with that knowledge, and I think
it would be good for the institution
to think about that for students.
How political you want your stu-
dents to be can very much be sig-
naled by the institution itself.”
Friday, February 23, 2018
ANN BASU, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
Looking forward, students are
hopeful that collaborative work
between both students and the ad-
ministration can result in effective
change.
“Bowdoin has been around
for a really long time, so I think
that we are hesitant to change,”
said Wislar. “Not necessarily to
change in the small ways, but to
really step back and look at what it
would mean to revolutionize what
it means to exist on this campus”
However, many students find
the administration accessible and
generally willing to listen to their
grievances. According to Tesfa-
mariam, “I think that, though it is
hard to implement large, institu-
tional challenges, there have defi-
nitely been some wins.”
For instance, when the Wom-
en’s Resource Center and the
Resource Center for Sexual and
Gender Diversity merged last year,
Tesfamariam, and other student
leaders of the Women’s Resource
Center insisted that ‘women’ be in-
cluded in the title of the new center.
This was taken into consideration,
and was ultimately included.
“They listened to our voices
a lot, they cared about what we
wanted and what we thought,” said
Tesfamariam. “And I really love
and respect that. I think I’ve real-
ly grown to appreciate that about
Bowdoin since I’ve been here.”
Upon reflecting on their own
activism and time here, Wislar
offered advice to younger students
who might be considering becom-
ing politically active on campus:
“Don’t underestimate the power
you have on this campus, to shape
it and leave your mark. I think that
this place can really beat people
down, but remember that you
have a voice that you can use.”
 A
9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Friday, February 23, 2018

JENNY IBSEN (CENTER) AND JACK BURNETT (LEFT AND RIGHT), THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
ART AND ACROBATICS: Students gather in David Saul Smith Union to take part in Bowdoin’s first ever African Arts Festival on Thursday evening. (LEFT AND RIGHT): Attendees enjoy a performance by a Kenya-based Zuzu group.

Crossing continents and raising consciousness: African Arts

Festival celebrates culture and fosters conversations
by Nicole Tjin A Djie
Orient Staff
All eyes were on the acrobats
in David Saul Smith Union yester-
day. Pushing the limits of human
strength and flexibility, members
of the Kenya-based Zuzu group
moved to the pulse of Kenyan mu-
sic in Bowdoin’s first ever African
Arts Festival. The event, designed
to showcase the art of the African
diaspora, was both a celebration of
culture and a chance for commu-
nity conversation and reflection.
“The point of the event is not to
be something too heavy. An event
where you do get some form of en-
tertainment, but where you learn
something about what is not nor-
mal or comfortable to you in your
everyday life,” said Africa Alliance
Leader Oratile Monkhei ’20.
Along with Africa Alliance, the
African-American Society (Af-
Am) and the newly-formed Stu-
dent Organization for Caribbean
Awareness (SOCA) organized
the event, which also featured
clothing, handmade jewelry and
artifacts, all originating from
Africa. The oldest of these items
were hand-made masks from
the Portland Museum of African
Art. Each mask, carved to depict
a range of different emotions and
ideas, had a distinct symbolism
behind it.
“I try to take the masks out of
the gallery into a practical are-
na where the objects are used as
communication tools instead of
art objects. The objects were not
meant to be art—they were meant
to convey a universal message that
transcends gender [and] culture,”
said Oscar O. Mokeme, curator
for the Portland Museum of Af-
rican Art.
Beyond the material culture
displayed at the festival, Monkhei
believes there is greater knowledge
to be gained from events like these,
but it begins with critical thinking
on the part of students.
“When you are listening to
those drums, think about what
they mean. When you are watch-
ing an acrobatic show, ask yourself
so what is the symbolism? What
is the history? Explore all those
same questions that go into doing
a mathematical proof,” said Monk-
hei. “How does all of this work?
How does all this function? Why
do people believe in this math?”
Questions like these allow
events like the African Arts Fes-
tival to become valuable learning
experiences.
“I think having the opportunity
to have interpersonal connection
with others is important. You don’t
get that in a lecture or a large event.
It is small intimate events like this
one where students can talk and
enjoy their time together that can
be part of the learning process as
well,” said Benjamin Harris, direc-
tor of the Student Center for Mul-
ticultural Life.
The festival was held during the
final week of Black History Month
during which students across cam-
pus have honored black heritage
by remembering the people and
events of the African diaspora.
“I think it is really important
to show black representation
through art, but I think it’s im-
portant to know that although
we’re in the United States, black-
ness does not just fall within black
Americans, but the whole entire
African diaspora as a whole,” said
Amani Hite ’20.
Monkhei echoed this senti-
ment.
“When we talk about race there
are certain commonalities that cut
across borders,” she said.
Monkhei emphasized the im-
portance of honestly acknowledg-
ing America’s history.
“There is this community in
America that has made enor-
mous contributions to the coun-
try, what it is and what it will
become, how it’s evolved. [It] is
kind of putting a stamp on the
national conscious that history
should be celebrated, history
should be recognized,” said
Mokhei. “It should not be seen
as African American History, but
American history.”
At the same time, Monkhei
hopes students understand that
this history cannot be relegated
to a single month.
“You can’t limit people to a
space and time. There’s more
than just that to begin with. We
don’t just celebrate your life on
your birthday. We recognize
your life everyday,” she said.

Graphite and collaboration: drawing on the walls with Tony Lewis

by Isabelle Hallé
Orient Staff
It took 15 students, 20 hours, 25
pounds of drywall screws, 7,000
rubber bands and the vision of
Chicago-based artist Tony Lewis
to create the unconventional draw-
ings soon to be on display in the
Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
Over the course of four days,
students worked quietly side by
side, wearing masks over their
mouths and noses, drilling screws
into the museum walls, painting
them and stretching graphite-coat-
ed rubber bands around them. The
process, overseen by Lewis and
Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral
Curatorial Fellow Ellen Tani, cul-
minated in two wall drawings: the
phrase “stand out from the crowd”
and a more abstract piece called
“Rubber.” The two works will be on
display in Tani’s exhibition, “Sec-
ond Sight: the Paradox of Vision in
Contemporary Art,” which opens
on Thursday.
Lewis views his process as a
method of drawing.
“One of the most basic prin-
ciples of drawing is pencil and
paper,” said Lewis. “I think what
I’ve done over the past few years is
tried to just stick to that, but how
can I blow up the idea of paper?
How can I blow up the idea of
graphite?” for granted?’ That’s the structure sation around race is make race to kind of write whatever I want or language,” said Lewis. “For me, this
The phrase Lewis decided to of thinking and dialogue that his more opaque than it is, and when say whatever I want as opposed to is actually a very simple, joyful sort
represent for Tani’s upcoming work opens up that I really enjoy you think about the structures of being limited to another person’s of mark.”
exhibition came from a volume and appreciate. It’s my role, a chal- inequality and structures of disem-
called “Life’s Little Instruction lenging role as a curator, to frame powerment, these are pervasive,
Book”—a popular collection of the work in a way that allows us to invisible forces that act on our lives
advice and aphorisms Lewis found access that meaning that’s beneath so we don’t even know that we are
in his home that has inspired his the surface.” inhabiting them when we’re acting
work for many years. The installation also challenges in them.”
“Who is this book really talking viewers to consider identity in a The other wall drawing takes
to? Who is it for? Is it for me? more complex way. the form of a character in Greggs
Sometimes. But there are a lot of “I’m inherently interested in shorthand, a stenographic system
instances that it’s not for me,” said work by artists of color that doesn’t of writing designed to record
Lewis. “And there’s something illustrate race or doesn’t make any the spoken word. The character
about [the fact] that that kind of didactic representational claims Lewis chose stands for the word
book can creep into a safe space to the black experience, or the “rubber,” in an attempt to draw
like the home and command that Asian American experience, or attention to the process of draw-
much authority.” the Latinx experience,” said Tani. ing itself.
Lewis, with input from Tani, “What that does to the conver- “So it’s basically an opportunity
chose “stand out from the crowd”
in order to encourage scrutiny and
interpretation of a well-known
phrase.
“This particular [phrase] stood
out because of its reference to in-
visibility—invisibility as a choice,
as a sort of privilege,” said Lewis.
“[The piece] offers you so much
by saying so little,” said Tani. “But
when you twist it in your head, you
have to ask, ‘who is that person
who can afford to be an individu-
al? Are there certain people in this
world who, because of their bodies
or the way they occupy space, al- MINDY LEDER, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT PJ SEELERT, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
ready [stand] out in the way that BEYOND PENCIL AND PAPER: Students assist in the installation of artist Tony Lewis’ drawing in the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
the author of this text is taking (Above) 1459 Stand out from the crowd., 2018. Rubber bands, white graphite powder, and screws. Courtesy of the artist.
10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Friday, February 23, 2018

Gagliardone ’20 on discipline, drama and developing voice

year, there were only modern reer. I’m studying sociology as a
by Kunica Kuy dance classes offered, and so I way to explore gender dynamics
Orient Staff took one as my fifth class, just and racial dynamics and all the
This interview has been edited sort of as an extracurricular. I identities humans have.
for length and clarity. realized that I really have a lot of I found that [dance and
passion for the art form, and be- sociology] actually do sort of
Q: When did you first start ing in a collegiate setting helped overlap in a more philosophi-
dancing? At Bowdoin or be- me realize that I am interested cal sense in that I think there’s
fore? in studying it and immersing so much power in the human
A: There is a really small, love- myself in it and learning from body and learning how to use
ly dance company called Flock scholars about it—in like a more the human body. It’s been a re-
Dance Troupe [in Vermont]. It encompassing way than I was in ally empowering thing for me,
was really close to where I lived, high school. going through a few pretty chal-
and my dad and I started dancing In modern dance, it’s more lenging things while I’ve been
in it together when I was three. I focused on tapping into what here. Dance and movement in
danced with that company for 14 your body is already capable of general have allowed me to re-
years of my life, starting at age and really stretching that and main strong within my body.
three. challenging that, but also honor- I’m a very visceral person on
The artistic director Carol ing what your body can already an individual level, so it’s been a
Langstaff created performance do as a unique body versus as a very empowering experience to
pieces. It was very theatrical, body trying to achieve a standard tap into what my body is capa-
and they were sort of these large that’s set by other people. ble of, and then taking that idea
ANN BASU, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
dance works that had to do with If I had to choose a favorite—I and looking at it from a societal
themes of social justice. It was a really love modern, contempo- perspective. I think that dance DANCING QUEEN: Lucia Gagliardone ’20 performs a solo she choreographed herself in the December dance
very authentic way to start danc- rary dance. I love moving quick- can be a really important tool projects. “I get a special form of exhilaration and feel so alive when I’m performing,” she said.
ing because all the movements ly. I’m a very dramatic person, for creating change and for help- A: I feel strong emotions as keeping my mind open rath-
were very interpretive and im- especially when I dance. I love ing trauma recovery and just Q: How often (and how a person, and moving my body er than sticking with similar
provisational and loosely based big movements and jumps and understanding humans from a long) do you practice dancing has been way to channel those things.
on Martha Graham technique— running. different lens. We’ve become so now at Bowdoin? [emotions] into a physical form
modern dance. I feel like being at Bowdoin, disconnected as a society, and A: This semester I’m danc- that compliments other ways of Q: What are some of your
there’s this sort of freedom. I’ve there’s no way you cannot be ing ten hours a week. Usually, healing. I think it really allows goals for dancing?
Q: What styles of dance do learned a lot of skills in letting connected when you’re dancing it’s just six hours, like a normal me to escape my head and be A: I want to make more cho-
you do? go of the judgments and expec- or when you are watching dance. class. I also run Bowdoin Mod- present in my body in a very reography, and I want to con-
A: Flock was improvisation- tations that are written into the It’s a very ancient art form, and ern Dance Collective. I often go healthy and empowering way. tinue to develop my voice as an
al and modern dancing. It was high-school ballet world, which that ties into why I’m a dancer to the studio by myself. It de- It has definitely made me artist. [I also want to] continue
a lot about creating structures is very strict and controlled. But in the first place. pends, really. very aware of who I am and how to develop unique style, and I
with our bodies and using large I’m also really grateful for that I feel things. My mind-body want to perform more. I think
groups of bodies to symbolize because I developed a lot disci- Q: What kind of challenges Q: What is the Bowdoin connection has become really performance is a really import-
things in real life, like flocks of pline and a lot of technical skills. do you face in dancing? Modern Dance Collective? strong because of dancing. I ant part of my relationship to
birds—that’s where the name The training I’ve gotten here A: Well, one challenge is it A: It’s sort of different from think particularly in college, I dance. I get a special form of ex-
came from. Carol Langstaff was has allowed me to explore dance definitely requires a different the traditional dance clubs on have a renewed sense of love for hilaration and feel so alive when
really interested in the way that more as an artist. I feel like I’m head space to be in a creative campus because it’s mostly a the [dance] form. I’m performing.
flocks of birds moved. And so developing my own voice within context than it does to be an aca- space for people to come and
a lot of what she did was based the movements that I’m creating. demic student. move together. We don’t really Q: What have you learned Q: Do you hope to continue
on the way that natural patterns So, it really does require me to perform. through taking dance classes dancing after Bowdoin?
happen. She transposed that to Q: What else are you study- shift my focus in other ways. But Anyone can come whenever at Bowdoin? A: I don’t know in what ca-
the bodies of the dance troupe. ing, and how does dance com- that’s also a really positive thing. they want—there’s no com- A: I definitely learned how to pacity, but I think that it is very
plement that? I think it’s good to have a change. mitment and we rotate who’s improvise a lot more; that’s a re- important to my mental health
Q: Why did you choose to A: I’m also majoring in sociol- I definitely have been chal- ally strong aspect of the program
teaching. It’s only an hour, once and my sense of being to contin-
major in dance? What do you ogy. I’ve thought a lot about this. lenged by the different chore- they have here. I’ve learned how
a week. A lot of it is improvi- ue dancing.
like about learning dance at For the basic answer: no, because ographers at Bowdoin to also sation. There are some combi- to do a lot of floor work, and I
Bowdoin, and in this kind of I’ve just found that I have two dif- explore the very quiet movement learned how to move my body.
nations that we do, but it’s very Q: What advice would you
environment? ferent passions. The reason why and very settled movement and collaborative and it’s very much I’ve learned that there’s an give to someone who is con-
A: When I got to Bowdoin, I I’m studying sociology is that I’m movement that doesn’t necessar- a healing space rather than a infinite number of ways that sidering dance as a major?
didn’t really think that I was go- really fascinated by the way hu- ily tap into my full technical abil- performance group. you can move your body, and A: I think to really respect it
ing to do a lot of dance at all. I man structures work and I really ities but is still challenging me that is something I continue to as a discipline. Ultimately, it’s
definitely didn’t think I was going want to do gender balance and as an artist. It’s really awesome; I Q: How does it allow you to practice in class, like coming up important to do what you love
to major in it. In my freshmen women’s advocacy work as a ca- feel like I’m learning a lot. express yourself? with new ways [to move] and and to be fulfilled and happy.

Froelich ’19 renders beauty and decay while abroad in Bilbao

by Mollie Eisner
Orient Staff
Blanche Froelich ’19 wanted a
unique, year-long study abroad
experience. She looked for two
criteria when selecting where to
travel: first, she wanted to study
studio art; second, she wanted to
live in a Spanish-speaking coun-
try.
“If I hadn’t been allowed to
petition [to study at the Univer-
sity of Basque Country], I don’t
think I would be studying art
abroad,” she said. “A lot of the
programs—especially the ones
in Spanish—that included visual
arts are more like direct-enroll-
ing in general credits and taking
a ceramics class if it was offered.
I would have rather have stayed
at Bowdoin’s art department than
take one-off ceramics classes.”
Froelich made the unortho-
dox choice to study at the Uni-
versity of Basque Country for a
year, instead of a semester. She
had to petition Bowdoin in order
to study at the University, where
she will be until this summer.
Froelich said that she could
not pass up the opportunity to
study abroad and opted to extend
the experience. “I was doing the
math in my head, and I knew that
this has a good chance of being
the only time in my life that I
really can do this kind of experi-
ence, and certainly the only one
where I’m going to have financial
backing from an institution like
Bowdoin,” she said. “I just want-
ed to go for it.”
During her time abroad, Froe-
lich has taken a handful of studio
arts classes. At the end of one of
her courses last semester, Froe-
lich and her peers showed their
artwork in an abandoned factory.
“Bilbao used to be an indus-
trial city, and that’s changed over
the last 20 years or so. There are
lots of regions with abandoned
factories that haven’t been gen-
trified or renovated yet,” Froelich
said.
The show gave Froelich the
opportunity to “develop a body
of work completely and without
direction,” as well as work along-
side local students.
“We all had distinct spaces. It
was a really fulfilling experience,”
she said.
Froelich’s art explores themes
of beauty and decay.
“I’m interested in how beauty
rots. I’m interested in how dis-
gusting I can make something,
letting natural processes like time
and biology take their toll,” she
said. Her art helps her to process
ideas of mortality.
“I’m interested in the beauty of
impermanence and the ways our
bodies exist in space and in time,”
said Froelich. “The natural con-
clusion is [that] our bodies age.
That’s not something to be feared
inherently. We have a lot of anx-
iety about dying, about getting
older, about the ephemeral, and
I do too. I think the best way I
know to process that at this point
in my life is to celebrate the beau-
ty in things, and celebrate the fact
that things are beautiful because
they go away. I’m fine with that.”
Froelich has explored these
themes in her work at Bowdoin,
including one piece that featured
rotting food and mold.
“Responding to the way my
work changes is so important to
me as an artist,” she said. “The
fact that a lot of my work is im-
permanent is important to my
work overall. If something is
stagnant, I can’t react to it; I can’t
get more information out of it; I
can’t learn and grow from it.”
Froelich joked that she does
not remember when she became
fascinated with bodies and decay.
“I’d have to ask my parents
when I started being morbid and
awful and disgusting, but it was
very early,” she said. “I remember
being five and bringing anatomy
books to the dinner table and my
family gagging, or saving rotting
food in the back of my closet to
see what it would do—I mean,
that sounds a little diagnosable, I
know—I’ve always been interest-
ed in the morbid or darker side
of things.”
In Bilbao, Froelich’s access
to studio space and materials is
more limited. As a result, she is
exploring different mediums,
including photography, painting
and printmaking. She has been
capturing photos of decaying an-
imals. Photography allows her to
“have a clean and distant way of
interacting with something that’s
rotting,” she said.
Her next project is to make
sculptures of her photography
subjects.
SEE IT YOURSELF
Check out Froelich’s art at bowdoinorient.com
“Right now, I’m experiment-
ing with making these sculptures
that are abstracted forms of some
of the animals I photographed
last semester. Ideally, when I
finish them, they’ll look pristine,
but then I will allow them to
rot—feeding them and keeping
them moist and then dry,” she
said.
In addition to adapting her
art, Froelich has embraced
Basque culture.
“The cool thing about being in
Bilbao is I not only have Spanish
culture to adjust to, but I also
have Basque culture to adapt to,
which is really different from
anything else on the planet,” she
said.
“There are a lot of things I’m
getting out of my experience here
that my friends who are studying
abroad in Madrid or Barcelona
or Granada really don’t. It’s been
so different because it’s such a
small region geographically. It’s
not something you’d ever learn
about in the states in a Spanish
class, for example, because it’s
such a minority,” she said.
Froelich is particularly inter-
ested in Euskera, the language
spoken in Basque Country,
which she described as “linguis-
tically isolated,” as well as Basque
Country’s long history of fighting
for independence.
When asked what she will
miss most about her year abroad,
Froelich responded that she
would miss the slower pace of
life in Basque Country, which
includes siestas, as well as the
ability to explore Bilbao. “I will
miss the sense of being able to
see something new each day. To
hop on a bus in this tiny town
with all of this amazing history,
and to have the time to do that is
something I am definitely going
to miss,” Froelich said.
 S
Friday, February 23, 2018
SPORTS
Adicoff ’18 named to U.S. Paralympic Nordic Team
by Kate Lusignan
Orient Staff
Veteran nordic skier Jake
Adicoff ’18 was one of eight
athletes in the nation named to
the men’s U.S. Paralympic Nor-
dic Ski Team. This is the second
time Adicoff will compete in the
Paralympics, skiing in three vi-
sually impaired events once the
games begin on March 9 in Py-
eongChang, South Korea.
Skiing has been a major part
of Adicoff ’s life since second
grade when he began skiing
with the Sun Valley Ski Educa-
tion Foundation’s junior nordic
development team in his home
state of Idaho. He broke onto
the national level in 2011 when
he raced in the Junior National
Championships.
Adicoff ’s career began inter-
nationally when he was selected
to represent the United States
in Sochi at the 2014 Paralympic
Games. At his first paralympic
debut, Adicoff placed sixth in
both the 20km classic style and
the 4 by 2.5km mixed relay with
Tatyana McFadden, seventh in
the cross-country freestyle, eighth
in the cross-country sprint and
14th in the biathlon sprint.
Last year, Adicoff competed
in the World Cup Competition
in PyeongChang, where he won
two golds and a bronze on the
same courses that he will com-
pete on in March.
“I was in Korea one year ago.
The rest of the competition was
there with the exception of the
Russian team,” said Adicoff. “It
was good to have gone there and
to have done well. It’s definitely a
little confidence boost. It will still
be challenging though.”
Despite his success interna-
Rowing coach Gil Birney retires after 22 years at Bowdoin
by Jason Cahoon
Orient Staff
Coach Gil Birney has decided
to step down from the position of
head rowing coach at Bowdoin
College after contributing 22 years
of service to the program. During
that time, Birney has dedicated a
great deal of energy and enthusi-
asm to building the rowing pro-
gram that Bowdoin students take
part in and cheer for today.
“I’m very aware of how much
I’m going to miss it. I’ve had a
blast working with these terrific
young people and great athletes.
My coaching colleagues have been
wonderful ... working on the water
has been a great privilege,” said
Birney.
Birney took a unique path to
his coaching position at Bowdoin
College. His coaching experience
began at Williams, just after grad-
uating from Williams as a captain
of the rowing team. His passion for
teaching young people brought him
to the St. Paul’s School, a boarding
school in New Hampshire, where
he coached the girls rowing team
and taught religious courses.
Birney came to Maine to prac-
tice as a minister in the Episcopal
Church. While he was originally
brought to Bowdoin to serve as
SKIING FOR GOLD: Jake Adicoff ’18 was one of eight athletes in the nation named to the U.S. Paralympic Nordic Team and will compete in the 2018 Pyeo-
ngChang Paralympics, which begin on March 9. This is the second time Adicoff will compete in the Paralympics after competing at Sochi in 2014.
tionally, Adicoff is currently fo-
cused on the Bowdoin ski team
and the final two races of his
college career.
“When I am at school, I am
very focused on the NCAA com-
petitions,” said Adicoff. “When I
[went] to Korea and when I went
to Russia four years ago, even
though I wasn’t in school, I [was]
focused on the races there.”
Adicoff has been training six
days a week since last April and
doesn’t claim to have any secret
to his success.
“There isn’t anything special
that I am doing for these races,”
said Adicoff. “It’s [just part of]
a volunteer coach, Birney’s love
for teaching drove him to pursue
both jobs for five years until he
decided to coach rowing full-time
at Bowdoin.
Birney’s enthusiasm for educat-
ing made him a perfect fit for the
team. As a club sport, the rowing
team often gets new rowers every
year with minimal experience in
the sport. His patience makes him
an excellent leader for inexperi-
enced rowers.
“As a club program at this
school we really depend on bring-
ing in first years and students from
all classes who have never rowed
before. He shows them in a short
window of time what this sport
is about and instills a love for the
sport into them,” said Cirkine
Sherry ’18.
Birney is well known for push-
ing his rowers to reach their high-
est potential while still making
the learning process both fun and
about more than just rowing.
“What makes him more than a
great coach is that fact the he tries
to teach us about life through the
sport. I think that’s something that
rowers and coxswains get to take
away from the experience,” said
captain Phillip Wang ’18.
At the start of Birney’s career,
the rowing program had far less
this grand scheme of ski fast this
whole season.”
Adicoff has led through exam-
ple since he arrived at Bowdoin
four years ago. His professional
nature, knowledge and experi-
ence as a racer set a new tone for
the team that has increased the
level of focus and commitment
of each member.
“He was a really big piece of the
puzzle in terms of increasing the
level of focus and commitment
on the team [in order to have] a
group of people who are ready
to ski fast and work hard,” Head
Coach Nathan Alsobrook said.
Adicoff ’s focus and hard work
participation and did not compare
to varsity programs at other col-
leges in performance. Former Ath-
letic Director Sidney Watson had
little expectation for the growth of
the program.
“When I took [the program
over] I told [the previous coach],
‘I don’t want to just babysit. I want
to make a full-fledged competitive
COURTESY OF BRIAN BEARD, CREATIVE IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHY
DON’T ROW AWAY: After 22 years of coaching, Gil Birney will retire after the
spring season. Under his leadership, the crew program has made significant changes.
COURTESY OF BRIAN BEARD, BOWDOIN ATHLETICS
have set him apart from other
athletes. In 2011, he was awarded
the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Dave
Quinn Award, which is given to
an athlete who demonstrates a
strong work ethic, a love for the
sport and the ability to overcome
obstacles.
However, those who best
know Adicoff see these attributes
as “Jake just being Jake.”
“Jake is probably training as
much or more than any other
skier I’ve ever coached,” Also-
brook said. “He’s really pushing
the boundaries of being an aca-
demically successful student at a
very rigorous college like Bow-
rowing program’ and he sort of
laughed and said ‘Good luck with
that,” Birney said. “Four years later
our women were third at the Dad
Vail Regatta and the men won it.”
Since 1995, under Birney’s
leadership, the program has con-
tinued to grow. Bowdoin rowing
regularly places boats both in the
Head of the Charles and Dad Vail
doin and still being able to com-
pete and train at this high level.”
According to Alsobrook, Adi-
coff ’s intense training schedule
and competitiveness oftentimes
causes his visual impairment to
be overlooked.
“[Adicoff ] doesn’t get all the
credit he deserves for skiing as
a visually impaired skier in our
league when that is such a crit-
ical piece in what we do—read
the course in front of you and
respond to the terrain and the
other skiers around you,” said Al-
sobrook. “It’s very easy for us to
overlook that because he handles
everything so beautifully.”
Regatta, medalling alongside the
most competitive college rowing
programs in the country.
This expansion has created an
extensive network of Bowdoin
Alumni who care passionately
about the success and develop-
ment of the program.
“I think that his character and
presence has had a huge factor
in how active our alumni are and
how passionate they feel toward
the program,” said Sherry. “Almost
every time we race we have a group
of Bowdoin alumni come out to
support us, which means a lot.”
Birney’s career was recognized
in 2008 when he won the Matt
Ledwith Award, which recog-
nized him as the coach of the
year at the Dad Vail Regatta. This
award provides a small snapshot
of the larger influence that Birney
has had on Bowdoin rowers for
the past 22 years.
Birney plans on spending
the first year of his retirement
away from coaching of any kind.
However, he looks forward to
having more time to focus on
his own rowing on the water
and getting his referee’s license.
Additionally, Birney is working
on constructing a boat in his ga-
rage, which he hopes to take out
on the water soon.
11
HIGHLIGHT
REEL
HITTING THE MARK: The
women’s squash team
barely missed the Epps
Cup at the CSA Team
Nationals at Harvard this
weekend, falling 5-4 to
William Smith in the finals
on Sunday. The match
came down to the No.
1 position, where Lind-
sey Bindra ’20 faced off
against Gabby Fraser of
Hobart and William Smith
Colleges. Before the
match, Zoe Wood ’18 was
named the recipient of the
College Squash Associ-
ation’s Wetzel awarded,
which is awarded to a
senior who has demon-
strated a strong talent
for and understanding of
squash, as well as good
sportsmanship.
FIELD THE BURN: Both
the men’s and women’s
track teams had excellent
showings in the New
England DIII Champion-
ship, with the men plac-
ing sixth and the women
placing fifth. On the
men’s side, Yaw Sekyere
’20 broke the school
record for the 60m dash
with a time of 6.96. For
the women, Sarah Kelley
’18 won the mile with a
time of 4:54.48—the sec-
ond-best time in school
history after Joan Benoit
Samuelson.
TOURNEY TIME: The
women’s hockey team
(12-8-3, NESCAC 6-7-3)
is heading to the NES-
CAC Tournament after
sweeping the Trinity series
with a 3-0 win on Friday
and a 4-1 win on Saturday.
Friday’s game was the
fourth shutout for Kerri
St. Denis ’19, who made
27 saves. The team will
travel to play Hamilton this
weekend, who the Polar
Bears held a 1-0-1 edge
during regular season.
CHARGIN’ AHEAD: After
beating Williams 77-35
this weekend, the women’s
basketball team (24-1,
NESCAC 9-1) is heading
to the NESCAC semi-
finals for the eighteenth
consecutive season, every
year of the Championship.
Bowdoin started the game
off strong, scoring 22
points in the first quarter—
tying the record for the
greatest number of points
made in one quarter in a
NESCAC tournament.
The team will travel to
Amherst this Saturday to
face off against Tufts, who
they beat 66-53 earlier this
season.
COMPILED BY ANNA FAUVER
12 SPORTS Friday, February 23, 2018

Alpine ski team to compete at the Eastern Regional Championships

by Ella Chaffin
Orient Staff
The alpine ski team is mov-
ing on to compete at the East-
ern Regional Championships
this weekend after the wom-
en’s team won and the men’s
team came in second in the
Reynolds Division, which is
made up of Bowdoin, Univer-
sity of Maine at Farmington,
University of Maine, Colby
and Bates.
According to captain Grace
Mallet ’18, an increase in ex-
perience and numbers has
contributed to the team’s suc-
cess this year. The team has
almost 30 people attending
practice daily, compared to 15
when Mallet was a first year.
“The season went really
well, better than it has ever
gone before,” Mallett said. “I
think we have come a really
long way since I was a fresh-
man. We got a lot of new
freshmen this year, who have
had a lot of previous race
experience which was some-
thing that was unprecedent-
ed.”
In addition to the influx of
new members, there has been
an increase in female skiers in
particular, according to cap-
tain Emma Landes ’19.
“Since my first year, the
numbers have changed so
much,” Landes said. “The ex-
perience has grown and the
amount of women has grown,
which is so cool to see.”
This season, the team’s
coach is pregnant, so the
club’s captains have stepped
up to facilitate practices.
“I would go to practices
ON THE INCLINE: After a successful weekend in the Reynolds Division, the alpine ski team will compete in the East Regional Championships
this weekend. The Championships are the first time the Polar Bears will compete as a team rather than individual racers.
early most days to set the
courses and would take a
couple runs before people got
there,” captain Kyle Polson
’19 said. “I would try my best
to watch people from the lift
and give them some feedback.
I work over winter break as a
part-time ski coach, coaching
some younger kids so I have
a pretty good idea of what to
look for and give good feed-
back for people that may not
have had the biggest back-
ground in racing.”
“There were four captains
and we organized practices,”
Mallett said. “A lot of people
on the team have race experi-
ence, so we all learn from each
other.”
Although skiing experience
is suggested, the club wel-
comes any student interested
in trying out racing.
“It’s definitely good to have
a background in skiing,” Pol-
son said. “At the same time
we definitely have people who
have never ski raced before
and end up doing well on the
team. One of our athletes that
we are taking to regionals has
never ski raced before. It will
be interesting to see [what
happens] as the team is ex-
panding, but at this moment
we are accepting memberships
from anyone [who wants] to
try out the sport.”
Like Polson, Mallett is cu-
rious to see how the team fur-
ther evolves as it continues to
grow.
“In the past it has been if
COURTESY OF ALDEN GRIMES
you can ski, sign up,” Mallett
said. “I think we still want to
maintain that culture and that
inclusivity. I think the beau-
ty of alpine ski team is that
it’s a place where everyone is
welcome and an open space,
where a lot of different people
can come together and get to
know people. But with the new
influx of experienced skiers it
is starting to seem like it’s go-
ing to start to become more of
a heavily racing team.”
Polson said that the re-
gional championships this
weekend will be different than
previous races.
“I have gone the last two
years as an individual,” Polson
said. “There is definitely some
stiff competition [to place]
in the top four teams, which
are the number of teams
[that advance to] nationals.
The winning team from our
division placed fifth at these
championships last year, so
they [did] not qualify for na-
tionals. [But] I think we have
a stronger team than they did
so ... we will at least be in the
running.”
This will be the first time
that the club sends a team
to the championships rather
than individual racers.
“It’s hard to tell because we
have had individuals go but
we have never had a full team
go and score as a team,” Mal-
lett said. “So I think we are all
wondering. I know it will be a
lot more competitive than we
are used to but I am hopeful
that we will do well.”
According to Landes, re-
gional championships are
a good opportunity to race
against new people outside
the Reynolds Division.
“No one really knows what
to expect. We are just really
excited to be there,” Landes
said. “We love our division,
but we are excited to see some
new faces.”
The team will compete at
the Eastern Regional Champi-
onships this weekend. The top
four teams will qualify for the
national competition at Lake
Placid, N.Y., which begins on
March 4.

Men’s hockey misses out on NESCAC YOUR AD HERE

Tournament for first time in history
by Kathryn McGinnis
Orient Staff
For the first time in league
history, the men’s hockey team
has not made it to the first round
of the NESCAC tournament. In
a final grab for ranking points
last weekend, the men’s hockey
team was defeated by Tufts and
Connecticut College, dropping
the team to ninth in the NESCAC
and effectively eliminating the
Polar Bears from the tournament.
Due to the extreme parity of
the NESCAC league, only one
win separated the league’s sec-
ond and seventh-place teams,
while a one-point difference
prevented the Polar Bears from
qualifying for the tournament.
“The league has to be re-
spected every weekend,” said
Head Coach Jamie Dumont.
“If you don’t get points [in the
beginning], it’s very difficult to
get points at the end of the year
because everyone is vying for
playoffs. With 18 league games,
points in November are just as
important as points from [the
last weekend].”
Since the beginning of the
season, the Polar Bears were
committed to being the most
physically fit team in the league.
In the preseason, the team’s
seniors redesigned former cap-
tains’ practices to emphasize
conditioning and add structure
to drill work and scrimmages.
“It gave us the chance to do
some more constructive ac-
tivities when we’re on the ice
and not just goof around,” said
Spencer Antunez ’18. “[It] was a
huge improvement over the four
years that I’ve been here.”
“This team, without question,
was the hardest working team
I’ve ever been associated with
[at] Bowdoin,” Dumont said.
“Their commitment, their char-
acter, [it’s] all outstanding.”
Despite the team’s empha-
sis on conditioning and the
technical aspects of the game,
sometimes games were swayed
by chance.
“Sometimes it’s high scoring,
sometimes it’s not. It’s just the
nature of the game,” said An-
tunez. “It’s the way the puck’s
rolling that day or the way the
ice is tilted.”
Still, Antunez said the team al-
lowed chances to slip away from it.
“Sometimes we’d come out
slow and the other team would
smell blood and jump right on
that,” he said. “Then there were
a couple times where we start-
ed off and played this team we
knew we could play and we
could get a little complacent.”
Dumont agreed with An-
tunez and believes that the
team’s consistency on offense
Want to advertise your event, service or local business to
may have played a factor in its thousands of Bowdoin students and community members?
failure to make postseason play.
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by a one-goal margin.
“I think the big thing is we
just struggled to convert of-
fensively, hence scoring goals.
We just didn’t have enough
nights where we had consistent
production,” he said. “When
we needed to get goals, we just
couldn’t find a way to execute.”
Even though he ends his
second year as head coach on
a disappointing note, Dumont
looks forward to the talent in
the incoming first-year class.
“My biggest thing is anytime
a team comes into our building,
we want to [be] really difficult
to play against,” said Dumont.
“We’ll be young again next year.
We have a good rising senior
class, [and] we have a really
good [first-year] class coming
in. It’ll be a little learning on the
go, but we [will have] to make
sure we bear down offensively
when we get the chance.”
Antunez, too, has hope for
the future of the program.
“[The seniors] know what it’s
like to be a winning team,” said
Antunez. “We [saw] glimpses
of it this year. We just hope we
left [some] tips that every class
picked up on, so they know it’s
in that room. It’s just a matter of
finding it within all those guys.”
 O OPINION
13 Friday, February 23, 2018

After Parkland
As this week’s Orient story on political activity and activism at Bowdoin makes clear,
much of our campus is slow to take to the streets regarding just about anything. This
week has been no exception. As students around the nation mobilize in response to the
February 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland,
Florida, our sleepy Brunswick campus has remained sleepy.
Having come of age in the mass-shooting era—an era that has seen barely any
gun-control legislation in response to persistently horrific gun violence—college- and
high-school-age students are understandably jaded about the prospects of reform. Yet
there are reasons to be cautiously optimistic that this event is different. As high school
students around the country have rallied in support of more rigorous gun legislation,
the nation is paying attention for longer than usual. Unlike after other mass shootings
in the United States, web traffic about gun control has not dropped off after a week’s
worth of news cycles. Even CNN’s Town Hall on February 21 struck an unusually res-
onant chord.
Bowdoin students should not let this moment pass us by, and we should take this
opportunity to shake off the inertia and passive fatalism that characterizes our campus’
political conscience. Like our high school peers who have begun to overcome our na-
tion’s unconscionable inaction on gun violence, we should—we must—recognize that
the status quo is lethal.
There are several easy actions that everyone can take. First, call your representatives
and demand action on gun legislation. Maine has some of the weakest gun laws in the
nation, with the result that a disproportionate number of guns bought in Maine are
used to commit crimes in states with harsher regulations. Next, several protests are slat-
ed to take place over the next couple of months. Find one and participate. On March 14,
at 10 a.m., there will be a national school walkout for 17 minutes, representing the 17
lives lost at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The March for Our Lives, a series of interna- LS
ICHO
EBE N
tional marches calling for gun control and school safety in America, will take place on PHO
March 24, a few days before the end of Spring Break. On April 20, the 19th anniversary
of the Columbine massacre, there will be another national school walkout. Participate
yourself and offer support to local high schoolers taking part. We grew up hiding under
desks and pressing ourselves into corners during active shooter drills, too. These high

Senior disunity and

schoolers are doing what we failed to do. As the adults closest to their experience, it’s
our duty to take some of the weight.
The College can also play an important role in combating this inertia. Since he has
taken office, President Clayton Rose has repeatedly sent out campus-wide emails af-

disengagement at Bowdoin
firming the College’s moral opposition to violence and hatred in all its form. Yet since
the Parkland incident, we have heard nothing from our administration. The College
should not be a mouthpiece for partisan political causes, but publicly recognizing a par-
ticularly poignant moment in the nation’s unfolding political drama and reiterating the
College’s condemnation of violence is not a partisan political move. Moreover, Rose’s
commentary does help to set the tenor of campus political engagement, and his silence and barely increased afterward. So a senior’s lack of motivation and
in the aftermath of Parkland only enforces our campus’ inertia. More concretely, the Polar Views I continued making friends across overall comfort with letting his or
College should follow MIT’s lead in declining to consider protest-related disciplinary class years to fill a void caused by her grades drop. On this campus,
action in its admissions process. The simple truth is that current high school students by Osa Fasehun the social disconnect in the Class of though, I never hear “senior nos-
are risking their academic futures to stand up for what they believe is right. It should be 2018. talgia,” a term I often used in high
easy for us to follow their lead. One of my mentors told me that From my vantage point, the wan- school as a reminder to experience
Bowdoin’s student climate tends ing of the senior class’s enthusiasm everything on my bucket list before
This editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orient’s editorial board, to change every four years, either is visible, but it is worth contem- I graduate.
which is comprised of Harry DiPrinzio, Dakota Griffin, Calder McHugh and Ian Ward. in a positive or negative way. This plating why. Our time at Bowdoin Based on what I’ve seen from
academic year, I feel like the party was riddled with controversial party Bowdoin alumni, there are some
scene at Bowdoin became weak and incidents and nasty debates on so- natural responses to the nostalgia
uninspired. When I think of the cial media. There was “Cracksgiv- felt during senior year. We can em-
partiers of Bowdoin, the Classes ing” in our freshman year when bellish our narratives about college
of 2016 and 2017 come to mind, members of the team notoriously because we long for exciting mem-
ESTABLISHED 1871 given the momentous parties they dressed as Native Americans, the ories to reminisce about or fabri-
often threw in Coles Tower. “We de- “gangster” party that involved ste- cate entirely new elements to our
bowdoinorient.com orient@bowdoin.edu 6200 College Station Brunswick, ME 04011 pended so much on upperclassmen reotypical Black American attire experience as a coping mechanism
to host good parties that now we and the tongue-and-cheek hosting if college was underwhelming or
The Bowdoin Orient is a student-run weekly publication dedicated to providing news and information
don’t know how to do it ourselves,” of the “tequila” party where at- even traumatic. These strategies
relevant to the Bowdoin community. Editorially independent of the College and its administrators,
the Orient pursues such content freely and thoroughly, following professional journalistic standards in a friend and fellow senior once said. tendees wore mini sombreros. The signify “hiareth,” a Welsh word that
writing and reporting. The Orient is committed to serving as an open forum for thoughtful and diverse College House parties have lost provocative comments on the anon- roughly translates to a nostalgia for
discussion and debate on issues of interest to the College community. significant upperclassman turn- ymous app “Yik Yak” only created a a home or past to which one cannot
out this year, likely because there “cesspool of distrust,” as President return—a home that maybe never
Sarah Drumm Harry DiPrinzio weren’t enough seniors in the crowd Rose put it. In total, the senior class existed.
Editor in Chief Editor in Chief to encourage turnout. Most seniors witnessed three race-based parties. The third option is to make mem-
opt to socialize off-campus, which These events created a schism be- ories with the time that is left. Let’s
makes Bowdoin’s campus feel like a tween students who felt betrayed meet new people and explore dif-
Creative Director Managing Editor News Editor ghost town on the weekends. and humiliated and other students ferent places. I understand that this
Jenny Ibsen Rachael Allen Emily Cohen As a government major who of- who felt that the other side—and is hard to do. No one is expected to
Ellice Lueders ten reads about civic society and ac- Bowdoin’s administration—was po- like everyone in the senior class, but
Photo Editor Calder McHugh Sports Editor tive participation, I noticed signs at licing student behavior. Addition- we should at least feel comfortable
Ann Basu Surya Milner Anna Fauver the beginning of the academic year ally, many of us went abroad as ju- inhabiting the same space. I ask for
Ezra Sunshine Jessica Piper that the senior class would be less niors, leaving little time to address both sides of this class-wide pain
Layout Editor Features Editor engaged than previous class years. our grievances as a class before to break away from your intimacy
Associate Editor
Emma Bezilla Alyce McFadden The members of the 2018 class senior year. with grief and begin a love affair
Sarah Bonanno
Ian Stewart Roither Gonzales council ran uncontested. By Janu- Some may say that the Class of with kindness—to yourself and to
Dakota Griffin ary of this year, senior attendance 2018’s divide is prefaced on our ten- others. We grieve first so that we’re
A&E Editor
Copy Editor Nicholas Mitch at the traditional senior nights had dency to break into social cliques able to feel other emotions later.
Isabelle Hallé
Nell Fitzgerald Louisa Moore gotten so low that the class council that rarely overlap. If we were a Don’t be ashamed of living through
Shinhee Kang Allison Wei announced that the weekly event socially incongruous class from crisis. Don’t let the past keep you
Opinion Editor would become biweekly. In my ju- the start, the race-themed parties from living your best life. Be willing
Digital Strategist Business Manager Rohini Kurup nior year, I had concerns that senior only divided us further. Others to smile like the cheerful first-year
Sophie Washington Edward Korando year wouldn’t be as eventful as I’d may think that the current state of students who have made my time as
Ned Wang Calendar Editor hoped it would be. American politics and the economy a proctor worthwhile.
Social Media Editor Avery Wolfe Kate Lusignan Throughout my Bowdoin career, gives upperclassmen more anxiety Senior year should be a last hurrah
Gwen Davidson I was often mistaken for a senior about their futures post-grad and before we start missing the ease of
Uriel Lopez-Serrano Data Desk Page Two Editor from the Class of 2016 or 2017 be- less interest in socializing. getting lunch with people everyday.
Faria Nasruddin Hannah Donovan Samuel Rosario cause my social circles encompassed I don’t enjoy presenting prob- If we alone can’t revive the Bowdoin
mostly upperclassmen who were lems without offering solutions, so I social scene, let’s at least attend ev-
The material contained herein is the property of The Bowdoin Orient and appears at the sole discretion of the engaged in various parts of campus would suggest playing into what we ery senior event that remains. In the
editors. The editors reserve the right to edit all material. Other than in regard to the above editorial, the opinions culture. My network of friends in naturally feel as millennials: nostal- words of the softer, un-buff Drake,
expressed in the Orient do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors. my year peaked in sophomore year gia. We all know about senioritis, “show me a good time.”
14 OPINION Friday, February 23, 2018

A desire for reconciliation

with minimal reciprocity:
revisiting the
‘tequila’ party PHOEBE ZIPPER

by Kevin Hernandez
Op-Ed Contributor
Author’s note: this is a per-
sonal account and not represen-
tative of the voices of the beau-
tiful, strong and resilient Latinx
students on this campus.
“Why do we have to make
everything about race? It was
just a party.” Okay. The “tequi-
la” party was only one of sever-
al events that have invalidated
my Mexican identity through-
out my life. I wish I could have
worn my cowboy boots and hat
(not the fake party store kind)
as a little kid without someone
yelling out, “Go back to your
country.” I wish white students
at Bowdoin could see my Mex-
ican identity as legitimate, not
just an opportunity to practice
their cringey Spanish. So, yes,
the “tequila” party was person-
al and represented more than
just a party. Sadly, white bodies
will continue to reduce the ex-
periences of my
people for their
amusement. I love my brown
skin and want to see others
love and accept brownness.
As a vice president on Bow-
doin Student Government
(BSG) my sophomore year, I
listened to students of color
across campus repeatedly ex-
press feeling uncomfortable
and excluded at Bowdoin. A
year of our student govern-
ment defining cultural ap-
propriation and writing state-
ments of solidarity in support
of students affected by differ-
ent acts of cultural appropri-
ation was not enough to pro-
mote a campus-wide change.
So, I decided to go through
the process to impeach two
BSG members that attend-
ed the event. As one of the
co-authors and introducers of
the articles of impeachment,
I was in the middle of every-
thing: long conversations,
tears, arguments and tensions
so evident across campus, you
couldn’t ignore them—unless
you had the privilege to.
Much of the campus con-
strued the impeachment as
an effort to scapegoat two
students and ruin their pub-
lic image. But, that’s not what
it was. My intention was to
keep our student government
members accountable for
committing the very acts they
voted to condemn. Across
campus, however, by many
white students, I was seen as a
mad Latino rather than a BSG
leader trying to uphold our
community standards.
At the end of the day, I
don’t regret introducing the
impeachment. Although it
might have been a radical
alternative, it had an interest-
ing unintended consequence:
people actually talked. It was
not the first time students of
color came to our BSG gen-
eral assembly meeting, but it
was the first time white stu-
dents showed up and voiced
their concerns. People wanted
to have the opportunity to
have conversations where “all
sides” were heard, and that’s
exactly what they got: a plat-
form. However, I do recognize
that the passion and personal
entanglement made it chal-
lenging to have productive
conversations.
In an effort to finally have a
conversation about the “gang-
ster” and “tequila” parties this
semester, a group of seniors
thought it would be produc-
tive for eight seniors affiliat-
ed with both parties to come
together before we graduate
and strive for reconciliation
through a campus-wide event.
We wanted a genuine con-
versation and mutual under-
standing. In no way would this
process be simple or erase the
hurt any of us experienced. It
would be an opportunity to
have the dialogue our campus
has always wanted and des-
perately needs.
Many participants of the
“tequila” party refused to
take part. They didn’t want to
“open up that can of worms.”
“Tequila” party attendees,
you have the luxury to be
able to ride out the semester
and avoid discourse. If only
avoiding marginalization as
a person of color was that
easy. If only racism and dis-
crimination, for students of
color, ended on May 26, 2018.
Wouldn’t that be nice.
I consistently put my heart
into calling people into chal-
lenging conversations. But,
this time I was shut down.
Again. This is not the first
time I’ve felt silenced, my
voice invalidated. But I will
not let white students and
white money intimidate me
anymore. Students have con-
sistently asked for the op-
portunity to share “the other
side,” but when the platform is
available, they don’t show up.
“Tequila” party participants,
many of you were invited to
speak on the panel to bring
productive conversation.
Show up. Speak up. You can’t
ignore a public call out, and
this is exactly what that is.
This call out comes at the
expense of this brown man’s
vulnerability, and I hope you
take this invitation to have a
productive conversation.
Catch me at Moulton for
brunch this Sunday.
Kevin Hernandez is a mem-
ber of the Class of 2018.

White supremacy fuels American gun violence

Relevant Politics
by Brendan Murtha
I’ve already written an ar-
ticle about gun violence this
year, yet I honestly don’t re-
member which mass shooting
it was in response to. If my
column is true to its name,
the politics of mass shootings
should pop up with saddening
frequency, for every week it
seems the topic is relevant.
Accounts and images of last
week’s tragedy in Florida burn
fresh enough in my mind that
it would be disingenuous to
write about anything else, but
the politics of mass shootings
are dynamic enough that I
can still write without fear of
sounding redundant. Based
off reactions to the Parkland
shooting, it seems as if the
gun control movement has
now gained traction and is un-
likely to falter with the typical
haste. This is unequivocally a
step in the right direction and
I lend the push my full sup-
port. However, truly curbing
American violence will re-
quire more than just adapting
gun laws—it will require some
serious self-reflection on this
country and our place in it.
Much of the media is quick
to diagnose mental illness
as an explanation for indis-
criminate violence, especially
when the perpetrator is white.
Although this is undoubted-
ly a factor in many of these
shootings, we cannot treat it
as a motive. Mental illness is
not a reasoning for violence,
even if it may be a catalyst.
When a shooter is a person of
color, of course, “motives” are
quick to be identified and pre-
tenses of insanity abandoned.
In a country where non-white
culture is scrutinized and de-
monized, any violence that
emerges from such culture is
immediately turned around to
justify pre-existing bigotry. A
Muslim shooter is not men-
tally ill; they are a terrorist
operating under the banner
of Islam. A black shooter is
not a disturbed child; they
are a savage thug radicalized
in a culture that glorifies vi-
olence. A Latinx shooter is
not an enigma; after all, we
have been taught to fear such
dangerous immigrants. This is
what we are told.
If those crimes are so eas-
ily simplified, why do we
then find it so hard to explain
white violence? Why is the
justification of mental illness
reserved to the parameters of
white skin?
We know there’s more to
the equation, but our coun-
try has never been keen on
the self-reflection needed to
answer these questions. Rec-
ognizing the deep flaws in
America is an unspoken taboo
across many communities,
just as it is in Washington. The
incessant whine for reaffirma-
tion of American excellence
not only drowns out dissent,
but actively works to silence
it. Because of this pressure,
we’ve been told to end every
criticism of American culture
with a “but.” “But America is comprehensible—
still the greatest country in justifications for
the world!” the politicians say, institutionalized
worried they’ve gone too far in racism and house-
a critique. This restraint is not hold bigotry alike
shown in critiques of minority often stem from
cultures, of course, they’re fair this sense of white
game for unbridled hostility. American cultural
Why the disparity? superiority and are
Perhaps it’s because “Amer- deeply ingrained in
ican Culture” is still synony- the threadwork of
mous with “white American American life.
culture.” We know whiteness So, even if access to
to be an insulator against crit- guns becomes severely
icism and scrutiny. Nikolas restricted, the un-
Cruz embodies this privilege. derlying violence
As Shaun King writes in The that our country
Intercept, “An apparent white is built on will
supremacist can go through persist—vio-
life making threats, talking lence that has
about weapons, harassing nothing to do
people, warning that he would with mental
be a school shooter, have peo- illness. White
ple call the FBI on him and supremacy will
yet never get serious scrutiny still pose a physical
from just about anyone. There threat to the safety
were just no consequences.” of Americans and
Violence affiliated with misplaced asser-
white-supremacist and tions of American
white-nationalist groups has excellence will
skyrocketed over the past few still pose a threat
years, yet a large contingent of to people across
the American political land- the world. Gun
scape remains locked in a des- control is just
perate attempt to funnel the the first step in
anger and hysteria towards a peacemaking
immigrant populations and process that
Muslims. If we admit that “pa- will require
triotic” white Americans can uncomfortable
be a threat to national securi- conversations,
ty, we smash through both the confrontations
facade of American excellence and personal re-
and the underlying belief that flection. We have KAYLA SNYDER
White American culture is the the courage to take
most proper, most wholesome on the NRA—but do we
culture around. To many, such have the courage to take on
an admission might seem in- ourselves?
Friday, February 23, 2018
BPD-Bowdoin relations hurt College House experience
by Riley O’Connell
Op-Ed Contributor
As a senior, I went to last
weekend’s Cold War party
knowing full well that my
friends and I would likely be
the only members of our class
in attendance. We did not care;
we were just looking to enjoy
ourselves, cheer on our friends’
band and reminisce about our
own College House days.
The taboo against upper-
classmen using the College
Houses did not always exist.
As recently as my first year,
and to a lesser extent my
sophomore year, it was not un-
common for upperclassmen to
attend College House parties. I
remember seeing upperclass-
men friends at most of them,
not even just the big ones like
Cold War.
As we anticipated, this week-
end’s Cold War party had the
lowest attendance in my time
at Bowdoin. After stopping
by Mac briefly, we made our
way towards Quinby to cheer
on our friends’ band, only to
be surprised by four Bruns-
1 SUBMIT AN OP-ED
2
SUBMIT A LETTER
TO THE EDITOR
200 words or fewer
wick police officers standing
outside. They were checking
students’ IDs and threatening
to issue court summonses for
underage drinking.
Up until now, my only real
experience with the Brunswick
Police Department (BPD) had
been watching officers drive
through campus and pull over
reckless drivers on Maine
Street. I have always appre-
ciated their presence on and
around campus. As I under-
stood it, there was an unwritten
agreement between Bowdoin
and the Town of Brunswick
that BPD would let us keep to
ourselves so long as we con-
fined our mischief to campus.
My friends and I continued
past the police, thinking little
of it, and made our way into
Quinby just as our friends’
band began playing. After only
a few songs though, Bowdo-
in Security came in to close
the party down. To Security’s
credit, they were sympathet-
ic and respectful, announc-
ing that the closure was due
to noise complaints. When I
HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY?
500-700 words
OPINION
asked a Security officer why the
tamest Cold War party in years
was being shut down by police
for a simple noise complaint,
he attributed it to increasing
tensions between the town of
Brunswick and Bowdoin due
to the increase in off-campus
parties.
There were now at least five
BPD officers outside of Quin-
by (others claimed to see as
many as eight), certainly an
excessive number for a mere
noise complaint. Unlike Bow-
doin Security, the police offi-
cers appeared visibly frustrat-
ed. They began interrogating
the outpouring students. Some
students were scolded justifi-
ably, for drunkenly running
down the middle of the street
for instance. Other students
were harassed unreasonably,
having their names and IDs
taken down for simply leaving
the College Houses.
At the Bowdoin Student
Government (BSG) meeting
this week, Randy Nichols, di-
rector of Safety and Security,
reaffirmed that Bowdoin-BPD
Send all submissions to
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Include your full name and phone
number.
relations are great. I would ar-
gue that this incident, as well
as several other police-student
interactions earlier this year,
suggests otherwise. I agree that
Bowdoin may have a better
relationship with local law en-
forcement than most schools
in the country, but that rela-
tionship certainly appears to be
worsening. Brunswick police
walked onto school grounds
to investigate students simply
because they heard music com-
ing from the house; that sets a
dangerous precedent.
Only one official citation
was reported that night, but we
cannot ignore what this event
means for the future of Bowdo-
in students. A simple citation
for one Bowdoin student could
mean deportation for another
Bowdoin student. Bowdoin
Security has successfully es-
tablished its role as safekeepers
rather than enforcers, and that
is remarkable. I believe they are
the most underrated depart-
ment on campus.
The problem only arises
in that Bowdoin students are
SARA CAPLAN
conditioned to be upfront and
honest with Security officers at
all times, but being honest to
a police officer when he or she
asks you if you’ve had anything
to drink can have serious re-
percussions. I, like many other
Bowdoin students, came into
college having never drank
before. One of the great assets
of the College Houses is that
they create a safe environment
for students to experiment with
alcohol in a safe manner and in
the presence of House mem-
bers who have been trained to
facilitate that experience. The
presence of BPD, counterintu-
itively, makes these spaces no
longer safe.
College Houses have already
become increasingly exclu-
sive spaces for first years and
sophomores, but the emerg-
ing threat of police investiga-
tion make these spaces even
less welcoming. Even in their
prime, the College Houses
have always struggled to make
their membership as diverse as
the greater student body. With
applications for next year’s
Houses already down by 17
percent, this incident is going
to make it even harder to cre-
ate diverse and thereby inclu-
sive Houses. Meadow Davis,
director of Residential Life,
said in the same BSG meeting
that students are taking a cal-
culated risk by choosing to live
in a College House. As I have
already pointed out, these risks
have varying severity for each
Bowdoin student, and consid-
ering the College House sys-
tem is supposed to epitomize
inclusivity, I believe that laying
this risk onto the students is
unacceptable. Not to mention
the even greater potential for
A-hosts to be arrested for fur-
nishing alcohol to minors if
these trends continue.
The College House system
is dying, but who is to blame
for this cultural shift? If the in-
creased BPD activity can truly
be attributed to an increase in
off-campus socializing, then
perhaps BSG and the senior
class have been somewhat
15
complicit. I would argue, how-
ever, that those bodies turn-
over almost entirely each year,
so their capacity and respon-
sibility to deal with a problem
that has been growing for
many years is limited. In the
revolving door that is the Bow-
doin student body, only one
relevant entity has a consistent
presence and should therefore
be held responsible for legacy
problems: the administration.
They have seen this problem
developing for years and have
for the most part ignored it.
I realize that campus so-
cial life is complicated and
abstract—we barely even un-
derstand what led to this shift
towards off-campus housing in
the first place. So I am by no
means implying that finding
and implementing a solution
will be easy. Allowing the sit-
uation to escalate virtually un-
abated and allowing Bowdo-
in-BPD relations to deteriorate
into such volatility, however, is
absolutely unacceptable.
Perhaps I’m wrong. Perhaps
I am simply misinterpreting
this incident as a trend when
it really stands alone. I hope I
am wrong. As critical as I have
been, I love the College House
system, and I truly believe
that it is one of the best things
about Bowdoin and that it sets
us apart from our peer insti-
tutions. The College Houses
are meant to create a uniquely
inclusive space for all Bowdoin
students to socialize and have
fun, while off-campus parties
are inherently exclusive, even if
that is not their intention.
As I near graduation and
begin reflecting on my Bowdo-
in experience, I have realized
these past four years have easily
been the best of my life, but I
am ready to leave this place and
embark on a new adventure. I
just hope, more than anything,
that when I return to campus as
an alum in the not-so-distant
future, I find the inclusive so-
cial environment that I remem-
ber so fondly.
Riley O’Connell is a member
of the Class of 2018.
 FEBRUARY/MARCH
16 Friday, February 23, 2018

FRIDAY 23
LECTURE
“The Art of Color”
Maine painter and printmaker Mary Hart will discuss her
artistic practice and teaching as part of the lecture series for the
exhibition “On Different Wavelength: A Celebration of Color in
Books.”
Hawthorne-Longfellow Library. 12 p.m.

LECTURE
“Pay for Success: Building Uncommon
Partnerships to Take on Society’s
Toughest Challenges”
Brace Young ’77, P’21 and Leah Greenberg ’13 will discuss how
Social Finance, Inc., a Boston-based nonprofit organization, is
building a new model for change in investment capital to drive
social change. The discussion will focus on how uncommon
partnerships occur across public, private and social sectors
ANN BASU, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
and how they improve the lives of different demographics. IN THE ZONE: Sam Roy ’20 dribbles past an opponent in the NESCAC Quarterfinals at Morrell Gymnasium on Saturday. Bowdoin (24-1, NESCAC
Main Lounge, Moulton Union. 12:30 p.m. 9-1 ) advanced past Williams (12-13, NESCAC 4-6) and will play Tufts in the NESCAC semifinal game at Amherst on Saturday afternoon. The
winners of the two semifinal games will face off in the championship game on Sunday at noon.
EVENT

Dance Marathon
The dance marathon is a six-hour dance party that will include
performances from a capella groups and bands on campus.
Proceeds benefit the Barbara Bush Memorial Hospital.
Morrell Lounge, David Saul Smith Union. 5 p.m.
PERFORMANCE
RISE: Untold Stories of Bowdoin Women
The student group fEMPOWER will tell the stories of Bowdoin
women and their diverse experiences with body image, sexuality
and gender-based violence, among others. Tickets are $5 and
MONDAY 26 WEDNESDAY 28
EVENT EVENT
Buti Yoga What Makes Bowdoin Special
Buti Yoga led by Tanya Grigsby combines power yoga with Janie Porche, creative director of White Whale Web
cardio-intensive dances, plyometrics and strength conditioning. Services, will share what students, faculty, staff and alumni
Room 213, Peter Buck Center. 6:30 p.m. believe makes Bowdoin special. Porche will discuss how these
elements will be integrated in Bowdoin’s redesigned website.
Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center. 2 p.m.

TUESDAY 27
can be purchased at the Smith Union info desk. Sales benefit
Sexual Assault Support Services of Midcoast Maine and Family

Crisis Services. There will be another performance on Saturday.
Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center. 7 p.m.
SATURDAY 24
PERFORMANCE
Learn to Curl
Bowdoin Curling will host an introductory curling lesson from
12:30-5 p.m. Email tezquerr@bowdoin.edu to sign up.
Sidney J. Watson Arena. 12:30 p.m.
LECTURE
“Drawing In Dialogue with Politics
and Literature”
Meryem Belkaid, assistant professor of romance languages
and literatures, and student curator Daniel Rechtschaffen ’18
will discuss French caricatures, illustrations and drawings by
writers in the Artine Artinian collections. The program is part
of the lecture series on the exhibition, “Where the Artist’s
Hand Meets the Author’s Pen: Drawings from the Artine
Artinian Collection.”
Bowdoin College Museum of Art. 4:15 p.m.
PERFORMANCE
An Evening with Poet Elizabeth Acevedo
THURSDAY 1
EVENT
Searching for Boko Haram: A History of
Violence in Central Africa
Professor of Anthropology Scott MacEachern will discuss his
new book which considers the cultural context and violence of
Boko Haram.
Nixon Lounge, Hawthorne-Longfellow Library. 4:30 p.m.
LECTURE
“Olympics and the Korean Peninsula”
Bradley O. Babson, distinguished lecturer in government, will
discuss the politics surrounding the Korean Peninsula and the role

SUNDAY 25
Elizabeth Acevedo, a National Slam Champion and the of the Olympics in international relations over dinner.
2016 World Poetry Slam representative for Washington, Thorne Hall. 5 p.m.
D.C. will perform.
Jack Magee’s Pub, David Saul Smith Union. 7 p.m. LECTURE
FILM “Define American: My Life as an
2018 Oscar-Nominated EVENT Undocumented Immigrant”
Shorts-Documentary Arctic Scavenger Hunt Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
Frontier will screen Oscar-nominated short films. The and filmmaker, will deliver the Kenneth V. Santagata
The Arctic Museum and Sustainable Bowdoin will host a
selected shorts come from the categories of animated, live Memorial Lecture. Vargas will discuss his experience as an
scavenger hunt for students. Students will explore arctic
action and documentary film. Shorts that will be screened undocumented immigrant.
creatures, places and explorers.
include “Heroin(e), ” “Knife Skills” and “Traffic Jam.” Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center. 7:30 p.m.
Hubbard Hall. 7 p.m.
Frontier. 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.

2 PERFORMANCE 3 CONCERT 4 5 6 7 8 PERFORMANCE

Miscellania and Music at the

Love and BOKA Concert Museum with
Information with Amherst George Lopez
Zumbyes