Bowdoin College
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The Nation’s Oldest Continuously Published College Weekly
Bowdoin senior challenges Georgia election
by Nell Fitzgerald
Orient Staff
The day after the midterm
elections, Arah Kang ’19 re-
ceived a call from the director
of Asian Americans Advanc-
ing Justice (AAAJ), a national
organization that advocates
for civil and human rights
for Asian Americans. Three
hours later, Kang found her-
‘Dawnland’
confronts brutality
toward Wabanaki
by Alyce McFadden
Orient Staff
Bowdoin College sits on sto-
len land. The area campus occu-
pies today was once part of the
Wabanaki Confederacy and was
integral to the cultural identity
and survival of a network of
indigenous tribes. When Eu-
ropeans colonists arrived, they
embarked on a program of era-
sure and cultural genocide that
continues today.
Adam Mazo, the co-director
and producer of the documen-
tary film “Dawnland,” explained
this history to a room of students
and community members in a
discussion on Thursday after-
noon.
“It’s especially important for
people in Wabanaki territory
to witness the testimony,” said
Mazo. “To witness the pain and
the perseverance and the resil-
ience of Wabanaki people and
to understand their own role
in ongoing colonialism and the
process of decolonization and to
understand that Wabanaki peo-
ple are still here.”
Mazo was joined by Pent-
hea Burns, co-director of the
Maine-Wabanaki REACH pro-
gram, an organization dedicated
Eureka! Just off the
shore of Bowdoin-
owned Merritt Island,
one Mainer has found
a perfect habitat for
oyster farming.
SEE PAGE 8.
N CHANGES TO TITLE IX
The College reviews sexual assault policies
after new guidelines. Page 3.
self boarding a flight to Atlan-
ta, emailing professors to let
them know that she would
not be able to make class. The
next day she would present
evidence of voter fraud in
three Georgia counties.
Kang’s journey to that
flight began in October, when
she requested an absentee
ballot. After weeks of waiting
and numerous unanswered
to advancing the cultural and
social well-being of indigenous
people in Maine.
Following the afternoon dis-
cussion, Mazo and Burns an-
swered questions from students
and community members in
Kresge Auditorium at an evening
screening of “Dawnland,” which
was released earlier this year. The
documentary details the work of
the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission (TRC), a board of
five commissioners established
by the Maine State government
in 2012 to gather information
about the separation of Wabana-
ki children from their families
and tribal heritage.
Records from the TRC are
housed at Bowdoin in Haw-
thorne Longfellow Library in
the George J. Mitchell Special
Collections. Some items from
the archive were on display in
the Nixon Lounge on Thursday
afternoon.
Mazo hopes that “Dawn-
land,” which was released this
March, will help educate viewers
about the history of the state’s
indigenous population and the
truth-finding mission of the
TRC, which was the first com-
Please see DAWNLAND, page 4 bond required to help reunite
A LAUGHING OUT LOUD
Alums’ documetary spotlights vernacular
comedy in South Africa. Page 7.
Friday, November 30, 2018
inquiries to her town clerk’s
office, Kang finally received
her absentee ballot. The cave-
at? It came the day before the
election. Although Kang ex-
press mailed her ballot, it did
not arrive to her town clerk’s
office in time to be counted.
This tardy reception was
especially frustrating for
Kang, as she had worked on
gubernatorial candidate Stacy
Western African Music Ensemble performs in Kanbar Auditorium. SEE PAGE 7.
Willner ’06 discusses $20 million
fundraiser for separated families
by Emma Sorkin
Orient Staff
$1,500 is the minimum
one family separated at the
U.S.-Mexico border and was
the original goal of Dave and
Charlotte Willner’s ’06 Face-
book fundraiser. It’s also the
amount they received within
22 minutes after starting the
fundraiser in June.
Within 90 days, the pair
raised over $20 million for
RAICES, a nonprofit agency
that provides free legal aid to
immigrant and refugee fami-
lies in Texas.
Dave and Charlotte start-
ed the fundraiser after seeing
photos of young, distressed
children who had been sep-
arated from their parents at
the border. This reminded the
couple of their own daughter,
and they hoped it would res-
onate with others in the same
F STORIES IN STOWE
A historic residence is fostering new and
collaborative student writing. Page 9.
Volume 148, Number 11
Abrams’ campaign. Kang first
met Abrams in 2017 and was
immediately impressed.
“Once you meet Stacy, you
realize how warm she is, what
an amazing person she is,”
said Kang. “She has an amaz-
ing background, an amazing
story, and her work ethic is
unreal. She really works on a
holistic level—she’s not exclu-
sive.”
way.
“You can reach people—
there is that common human-
ity. Every single one of us is
somebody’s child,” Dave said.
Dave, now the Director of
Community Policy at Airbnb,
returned to Bowdoin on Mon-
day for a discussion sponsored
by the McKeen Center and the
Latin American Studies De-
partment, where he addressed
how and why the fundraiser
was so successful.
While many organizations
work to solve issues arising
from the immigration cri-
sis, he noted that RAICES is
unique in that it functions as
a pro bono law firm, providing
direct legal aid to undocu-
mented minors and families.
As part of the Trump ad-
ministration’s “zero-tolerance”
policy enacted in April, adults
who were detained at the
U.S.-Mexico border were of-
ten sent to prison, while their
S FOOTBALL COACH FIRED
J.B. Wells will not return for the 2019 season.
He leaves with a 3-31 record. Page 12.
bowdoinorient.com
Over the summer, Kang
worked for Asians for Abrams
and continued to work until
the midterm, translating ads
and phone bank scripts into
Korean. After months of work
on the campaign, Kang want-
ed her vote to count.
“When [my ballot] was
rejected, it was super frus-
trating. Imagine working so
hard for a cause and then your
children were put under the
supervision of the Department
of Health and Human Ser-
vices, resulting in family sepa-
ration. Part of RAICES’s work
involves collecting money to
pay bonds to release adults
from detention facilities. The
organization also helps track
down individuals to make the
process of reuniting families
easier.
Dave recently visited Texas
to see the impact of the money
donated from the fundraiser
firsthand. In addition to legal
aid, RAICES provides support
to those recently released from
prison.
“When [the Department of
Homeland Security] releases
people from the detention fa-
cilities, they drop them off at
the bus station in San Antonio
with a ticket to their eventual
destination and nothing else.
No food, no directions, no
translation services,” Dave said.
O SLIPPERY SLOPES
Lowell Ruck ’21 explains how climate
change affects Maine’s skiing. Page 15.
1st CLASS
U.S. MAIL
individual vote not contribut-
ing to make a difference,” said
Kang.
Kang reached out to friends
from Georgia, finding that
many of them had experi-
enced similar difficulties. She
began working with her friend
Peggy Xu, a graduate of the
University of Chicago, to keep
Please see BALLOTS, page 4
MINDY LEDER, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
Dave and Charlotte’s fund-
raiser for RAICES was possi-
ble in part because of the cou-
ple’s vast network of Facebook
friends—both literally and
figuratively. The pair had jobs
at the social network in 2007,
so they were able to utilize
contacts within the compa-
ny to work with engineers to
adjust Facebook’s fundraiser
software itself. Facebook’s
previously largest fundraiser
brought in $2 million, so the
software was not capable of
supporting a fundraiser as
large as the Willners’.
“We ended up on a chat
thread with the actual engi-
neers of the project, and they
were helping us make sure that
everything kept moving in real
time,” Dave said.
In addition to familiarity
with the site and the software,
the couple also has a vast net-
Please see RAICES, page 3
2 Friday, November 30, 2018

2 PAGE TWO
SECURITY REPORT
11/16 to 11/29 STUDENT SPEAK:
Have you ever had an imaginary friend?
Friday, November 16 Saturday, November 24
• An intoxicated minor was transported to Mid Coast • A fire alarm at Stowe Inn was triggered by carbon
Hospital.
• The dean’s office requested a wellness checks for
monoxide detection.
• An officer recovered a bike that a student had re-
Elise Morano ’20
two students. Both were fine.
• A student reported the theft of a black Genesis
ported stolen.
“Sometimes I read books or papers in
mountain bike, Bowdoin reg: 04901. The bike had
been left unlocked near Chamberlain Hall.
Monday, November 26
• Loud music at Stowe Inn generated a late-night com- my professors’ voices. Does that count?
• Two local residents were asked to leave campus
after they appeared at a
plaint of noise.
• A student with flu-like Or are they just haunting me?”
registered event at Mac- symptoms was transported to
Millan House. Mid Coast Hospital.

Saturday, November 17 Tuesday, November 27 Hyungyu Lee ’19

• A group of unauthorized • A water leak caused wall
visitors was directed to damage in the first floor hall- “I have a lot of friends, so I don’t need
leave campus after they way at Maine Hall.
attempted to enter a regis- • Howell House lost power an imaginary friend.”
tered event at Ladd House. from 6-9 a.m., as did other
homes on Potter Street.
Sunday, November 18 • Facilities Management staff
• Brunswick police reported detecting an am-
warned three students for monia leak at Watson Arena.
disorderly conduct fol- The area was evacuated until Emily Ruby ’19
lowing a noise complaint Brunswick Fire Department
at an off-campus student
residence on Cleaveland
SYDNEY REAPER
determined that there was an
ammonia release from a pres-
“My identical twin sister—is she actually
Street.
• Officers aided a student who was upset about a
sure relief valve. People were allowed to reenter the
building after 30 minutes. As a precaution, the campus
real? Or just in my mind? Idk.”
family crisis. community was informed via Blackboard Connect.

Monday, November 19 Wednesday, November 28

• A man found sleeping in a car behind 85 Federal
Street was directed to leave campus property.
Wednesday, November 21
• A brief power disruption activated a fire alarm at
the Burton Little Admissions building.
Friday, November 23
• Barking led to the discovery of a student dog-sit-
ting inside MacMillan House.
• An Osher Hall resident reported hearing scream-
ing in the vicinity of South Campus Drive at 12:30
a.m. Officers checked the area and found nothing
David Leen ’20
unusual.
“The devil.”
Thursday, November 29
• A preschooler with a tour group at Hubbard Hall
pulled a fire alarm.
• A smoke alarm at the Schwartz Outdoor Leader-
ship Center kitchen was caused by overcooked food.
COMPILED BY HAVANA CASO-DOSEMBET
COMPILED BY THE OFFICE OF SAFETY AND SECURITY

Word-Up!
CREATED BY AUGUST RICE

Across eral hint to the other starred

clues
1. Cleanse
55. Terrorist bin Laden
6. Limitation
56. Liquid cooler
14. Earhart’s art
57. New York
16. Golf goof
59. Actress Michelle from
*17. Whisper an answer
Glee
19. Country bordering the
60. ___ the season
Caspian Sea
61. Requires
20. Where the heart is?
21. Famous Jane
22. Shopper’s motivator Down
23. Actor Sharif of “Doctor 1. Foundation
Zhivago” (1965) 2. Like C grades
*26. What a moat is, in a 3. Obsolete coin also found
sense in a phonetic alphabet?
30. Light focuser 4. Control and make use of
32. “this is so sad _____ play 5. Summer, to Pierre
despacito” 6. Game for equestrians
33. Ruthenium (Chem. 7. “We’re not in Kansas 18. Audio makeover 35. Over the line (Abbr.) 48. Popular upholstery
symbol) __________.” 24. “One step ___ time” 36. Raised in quality fabric
35. Seep in slow motion 8. Soul, to Simone 25. Subtract’s counterpart 38. Self-obsession 49. Thoughts
*37. A famous James, for 9. Despair 27. Forearm bones 39. Journey 51. California valley
Britain 10. Grammy of sports 28. One is currently being 40. Halliwell once known as 52. Wrap along the Ganges
42. Get older 11. Marvel hero led by the FBI regarding Ginger Spice 53. Shopping need
43. British bum 12. One, in München Russia 41. Rests 54. Fair
44. A of IPA 13. Research and Tech. De- 29. Greece’s national drink 45. Malek, star of Bohemian 55. “___ the ramparts we
46. Music genre velopment (Abbr.) 30. Homer’s daughter Rhapsody (2018) watched…”
48. Mai ___ 15. Greek island, or Cornell’s 31. Sweet 47. Useful thing for an ex- 58. A drink with jam and
*50. Really quickly, or a lit- city 34. British brew plorer bread
Friday, November 30, 2018 NEWS 3

NEWS IN BRIEF New Title IX regulations may affect

COMPILED BY AURA CARLSON

BSG TO ADOPT RANKED-CHOICE

VOTING FOR FUTURE ELECTIONS sexual assault procedures
the proposed changes. the complaint. It’s not a way to ber of the Judicial Board, a
On Wednesday at Bowdoin Student Government’s (BSG) by Lauren Katz Although Douglas is hes- have a person removed from faculty member and either the
Orient Staff
weekly meeting, the majority of students voted to adopt itant to comment on how campus, but rather to create Dean of Students or a mem-
ranked choice voting in future elections. The proposal was On November 16, United the Education Department’s some space between an indi- ber the Dean designates, who
brought forward by Vice President of Student Government States Secretary of Education proposed rules will impact vidual and another person.” acts as the chair. Together,
Affairs Amber Rock ’19. Betsy DeVos proposed regu- Bowdoin’s current policies When an individual sub- they decide whether a person
Maine uses ranked choice voting for primary and federal lations to Title IX to provide and procedures, he is partic- mits a complaint, the Office should be found responsible
elections. BSG’s proposal describes ranked choice voting as a new framework for inter- ularly wary of the proposed of Gender Violence Preven- and, if applicable, what an ap-
a system “where voters can rank their preferred candidates preting the federal civil rights requirement of cross-exam- tion creates a list of protective propriate sanction would be.
and, if a majority is not reached, the candidate with the lowest law that prohibits gender inations during hearings, measures that are meant to According to Douglas,
number of first choice votes is removed from the ballot, and discrimination in all schools saying this requirement could keep both parties away from both parties have the right
their votes are allocated to their second choice, if applicable, receiving federal funding. “fundamentally change the each other, some of which to an advisor, which could
until a majority, rather than a plurality is reached.” Changes to this law, which way institutions deal with include “no contact orders” take the form of an attorney
Representatives had to decide whether students should be guides the College’s handling sexual assault.” This change or changes to class schedules, who helps walk the individ-
permitted to rank all candidates or only three of them. Some of sexual assault cases, could would allow complainants work schedules and living ar- ual through the process and
argued that one problem with ranking all candidates is that prompt Bowdoin to reshape and respondents in Title IX rangements. answers questions they may
it would lead students who are unfamiliar with all the can- its policies concerning sexual proceedings to be questioned “The respondent can ap- have. Additionally, both sides
didates to rank the candidates they don’t know in the order misconduct. by the other side in a live peal if they believe their pro- have the right to review what
they are listed, which would unfairly skew the results. Others Under the new regulations, hearing—something that has tective measure is not some- they’ve said to the investiga-
argued that limiting the ranking to three wouldn’t be fair to students accused of sexual raised concerns about the thing they personally want to tor and any notes the inves-
the students who are well-acquainted with all the candidates misconduct would receive potential to retraumatize the deal with,” Douglas said. “But tigator made, as well as the
and would want to rank all of them. greater protection and col- complainant. if they agree to the alternative right to view the preliminary
Rock pointed out that, under the option of ranking all the leges investigating complaints Until a finalized version of Ti- resolution, they will be able to report and appeal the results.
candidates on the ballot, the less-informed students would have may face reduced liability. tle IX is implemented, Bowdoin remain a student at Bowdoin Although the College will
the option of selecting just one candidate. Students would not The Obama Administration will continue to operate under while managing through all likely retain many of its current
be forced to rank all the candidates. The majority then voted in defined harassment as “un- its current policies for handling the protective measures.” procedures, it remains to be
favor of giving students the option to rank all candidates. welcome conduct of a sexu- sexual misconduct cases while In the event of a formal in- seen which provisions of DeVos’
Potential softwares for implementing ranked choice vot- al nature,” but according to reviewing how the proposed Ti- vestigation, the outcome is not proposed guidelines will be im-
ing were briefly discussed, with the options being Blink, a the draft, the changes would tle IX regulations from the U.S. predetermined and the process plemented at Bowdoin and how
student-created software or a third-party software that BSG narrow the definition to in- Department of Education could ensures the elimination of bias they will affect the community.
would need to fund. Although Blink was used for this year’s cidents “so severe, pervasive, affect the College. toward or against a student, Despite this uncertainty,
elections, officers suggested that future use with ranked choice and objectively offensive” that Currently, Bowdoin’s pol- according to Douglas. In a Rose said in an email that
voting could be problematic, since Blink doesn’t randomize they deny access to education. icies for addressing reports formal investigation, Bowdoin “whatever changes may oc-
the order of candidates listed, which could lead less informed Additionally, the changes and accusations of sexual hires external investigators to cur, they will not alter our
students to rank the candidates as they appear, unintentionally would exclude incidents oc- assault have the goals of en- conduct fact-finding. fundamental principle that
favoring candidates higher in the alphabet. curring outside a school “pro- suring due process and of be- “These investigators decide sexual and gender-based vi-
In future meetings, BSG plans to further discuss the logis- gram or activity” from be- ing fundamentally fair for all whether our policies have olence, sexual misconduct,
tics of the new system. havior prohibited under Title parties. There are two routes been violated,” Douglas said. and sexual harassment will
IX, which some experts warn for a student to file a Title IX “They will interview the com- not be tolerated at Bowdoin
could prevent off-campus be- complaint at Bowdoin: an al- plainant, the respondent and … We remain committed to
RAICES connections and social media:
it appealed to a general desire
havior from being considered
in investigations.
ternative resolution or a for-
mal investigation.
witnesses.”
Afterwards, the case is sent
an adjudication process that
is transparent, rigorous, and
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
for the common good, a theme The draft would also al- According to Douglas, an to the sexual misconduct pan- fair for all parties, and one
work of friends due to their with which Bowdoin students low a “clear and convincing” alternative resolution is a “dif- el, which is composed of three that reflects our values as a
professional careers and time are familiar. standard of proof to make ferent way [of] dealing with individuals: a student mem- learning community.”
at Bowdoin. Their connec- “This resonated with peo- determinations in investiga-
tions helped spread awareness ple morally in a way that went tions, which is higher than
about the fundraiser and pro- beyond partisan politics,” he the Obama administration’s
vide support in various fields, said. “It spread in a way that Title IX guidance mandating PROPOSED TITLE IX REGULATIONS—
a point that resonated with penetrated more deeply than a that colleges use the “prepon- KEY CHANGES
students. partisan divide, which I think derance of evidence” standard
“I had a kind of negative really speaks to that notion of proof, though still lower
impression of Silicon Valley, that there is some fundamen- than the criminal standard of • Sexual harassment under Title IX would be defined as quid pro
but after listening to his talk, I tal decency.” “beyond a reasonable doubt.” quo harassment or “unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that
was definitely more interested Dave added that he felt Bowdoin currently uses the
in thinking about jobs there lucky to find such an impact- preponderance of evidence is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively
because it seems like they’re ful organization and become standard, which requires denies a person equal access to the school’s education program or
doing a lot of good,” Emilia involved at an opportune time. enough evidence that it is activity.” Obama-era guidelines defined it as “unwelcome conduct
Majersik ’22 said. “You hear The pair is still involved with more likely than not that sex-
about all the ‘evil stuff ’ that RAICES and acknowledges ual misconduct occurred. of a sexual nature.”
happened at Facebook, but it that the success of the fund- Benje Douglas, the director • Colleges and universities would have greater discretion to
seems like they’re doing more raiser is the result of the com- of gender violence preven- use alternative mediation and resolution techniques. They will not
good than bad. You just don’t pany’s work. tion and education, noted
hear about it as much.” “We were the lightning that the draft released earlier be punished for providing “supportive measures” to victims who
For Dave, the success of the rod,” he said. “Not the thun- this month is not yet binding. choose not to file a formal complaint.
fundraiser goes beyond work derstorm.” Before federal regulations are • A representative for the accused would be a given the
officially finalized, the De-
partment of Education will opportunity to cross-examine the accuser in formal hearings.
field public comments for 60 • Colleges and universities have the option of using either the
days. “preponderance of evidence” standard, interpreted as 51 percent,
Done reading? In an email to the Bowdoin
community, President Clayton or the “clear and convincing evidence,” standard, often interpreted
as 75 percent. Previous guidelines had advised the “preponderance
Frame the Orient. Rose said that Douglas will
host an open session on Tues-
day to allow students and fac-
of evidence” standard.
• Colleges and universities’ jurisdiction in Title IX cases would
Or recycle it. ulty members to “discuss our
current Title IX policy” and only cover incidents that happened on campus or during a
raise concerns and questions school-sponsored program in the United States.
over the unclear implications
for many of the provisions in

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4 NEWS
BALLOTS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
track of these incidents. Kang
reached out to her contacts
on the Abrams campaign, and
they charged her with doc-
umenting college students’
difficulties submitting their
ballots. Kang and Xu took to
Facebook, posting the follow-
ing status:
“If you were one of the GA
voters who had issues with
your absentee ballots, SEND
ME THE RECEIPTS ASAP.
Send me screenshots of call-
ing the registrar or board
of elections. Or your emails
showing that you contacted
them. Or any proof of submis-
sion or contact after!”
The pair’s online action re-
ceived over 80 shares, and they
collected over 40 cases involv-
ing students who had received
absentee ballots too close to
their voting deadline. Some
students had requested their
absentee ballot as early as July,
and others had requested their
ballot multiple times.
“It was even more infuri-
ating to find out that my sit-
uation was not an individual
mistake but happened over 40
times,” said Kang. “And that’s
not a coincidence. If your vote
doesn’t matter, why would
they try to suppress it?”
Because Kang gathered
such a large pool of evidence,
the AAAJ decided to fly her
down to Atlanta to present her
findings in court. Working in
tandem with the Democratic
DAWNLAND
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
mission of its kind to receive
governmental support.
According to Burns, this ed-
ucational goal has the potential
to change American society on a
fundamental level.
“Until we reckon with what
happened, with who we are as
a people that benefit from this
genocide, how even slavery was
facilitated by the process of col-
onization, we don’t know how
to repair, how to coexist,” Burns
said. “The degree of polarization
that we have in the country to-
day is directly related to that. The
way we are hurting the earth is
directly related to that … Those
things hurt people, and we don’t
have to live that way.”
Within Wabanaki commu-
nities, reception to the film
has been warm. Mazo believes
“Dawnland” will help validate
the experiences of individuals
who have suffered as a result
of family separation policies in
indigenous communities across
the country.
“We’ve gone around the coun-
try showing the film and hearing
from native people all over the
place: ‘this is our story too. This
is our community,’” he said.
“We’re emphasizing that this sto-
ry of indigenous child separation
is unfortunately universal.”
In addition to the afternoon
discussion and evening screen-
ing, Mazo and Burns spoke to
Contemporary Issues of Native
North America, an Anthropolo-
gy class. Burns praised the class’s
curiosity in the history of the
TRC and the “informed” ques-
tions posed by students.
“The more that [Wabanaki
history] is made visible, the more
that people are going to want to
Friday, November 30, 2018
Party and the Abrams Cam-
paign, the AAAJ drove Kang
to the three counties where
she had found the most evi-
dence of fraud. Kang testified
in front of politicians, report-
ers and protestors from the
Tea Party.
“They all had their own
posters, pieces of paper and
stuff,” said Kang. “Their signs
said ‘Socialists are trying to
steal your vote.’ Clearly, they
hadn’t done their research.”
Over the course of the day,
Kang travelled to Fulton,
DeKalb and Gwinnett Coun-
ties. Gwinnett County had
the highest rate of rejected
absentee ballots and was also
where Kang had the most ev-
idence.
“There were definitely el-
derly white men who were
very dismissive,” Kang said.
“There was one man who
called the whole absentee bal-
lot thing a hiccup. I was like,
‘No, it’s a wakeup call.’”
At one point, Kang received
a text from a Democratic Par-
ty staffer, telling her that a
Republican operative was try-
ing to upend their case. Kang
noticed a young man that fit
RICKY TSANG, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
the text’s description.
“He was this tall, young JUSTICE IN GEORGIA: After collecting evidence of voter suppression, Arah Kang ’19 flew to Georgia to testify about rejected absentee ballots.
dude. He looked like a surf-
er. He honestly looked nice,” ticed that their car was being had to book it. It was crazy. Judge Steve Jones ruled that “[The experience] just
said Kang. “But then I no- followed. Kang glanced back You know when someone’s all Georgia counties had to blew me away,” said Kang.
ticed that he was talking to and saw the operative from following you.” count any absentee ballots “At this point I shouldn’t be
all of the liberal people at the the courthouse behind them. Eventually, they lost him. that had been rejected on the surprised, with the politi-
courthouse.” “He was keeping an arm’s As a result of Kang’s efforts grounds of missing or incon- cal climate. But it’s like, the
Forty-five minutes later, length away,” Kang said. “He and those of others who tes- sistent birth date—one consis- moment you think things
while Kang was leaving the pulled out when we pulled out. tified with similar evidence tent disqualifying factor that couldn’t possibly get worse,
courthouse, her driver no- We were swerving around; we around the state, U.S. District Kang’s evidence showed. here’s another surprise.”
MINDY LEDER, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
FACING HISTORY: Penthea Burns, co-director of the Maine-Wabanaki
REACH Program, talks with students and community members on Thursday.
learn more, ask more questions. in their state to advocate for the
The visibility is the first thing rights of indigenous people.
that we can do,” Burns said. “If you like the film, if you’re
Bridget Hoke ’20 attended the moved by the film, call up you
“Dawnland” screening and was high school social studies teach-
struck by the juxtaposition of er and tell them to check out the
footage of the Maine landscape film and share it with their stu-
and the stories of oppression and dents to make sure that everyone
abuse that film chronicled. in Maine and across the country
“It really recontextualized the knows about this historical pro-
landscape,” Hoke said. “I have a cess that happened,” Burns said.
colonizer mindset about Maine Wabanaki translates roughly
land as someone who moved to “people of the dawn,” refer-
here.” ring to the fact that Maine, as the
Though “Dawnland” is emo- easternmost land in the United
tional and at times heavy, Burns States, is the first place the sun
and Mazo make a case for hope touches at daybreak. It is there-
for the future of indigenous fore only natural that movement
rights. They encouraged students for indigenous truth and resolu-
to get involved by educating tion, like the breaking of the day,
themselves and calling politicians will begin in Maine.
Friday, November 30, 2018 5
6 Friday, November 30, 2018
A ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
December Dance Concert
to showcase department’s
successful semester
by Brianna Cunliffe
Orient Staff
A semester’s worth of work by
Bowdoin dancers will come to
life in Pickard Theater tonight.
Six unique pieces will represent
nearly every dance class from
the department, as over 60 stu-
dents grace the stage at the De-
cember Dance Concert.
Produced by Senior Lectur-
er in Dance and Performance
Gwyneth Jones and featuring
choreography by her, Assistant
Professor of Dance Adanna
Jones and Assistant Professor of
Dance Aretha Aoki, the annual
concert is the product of a dy-
namic, growing department.
Courses like Adanna Jones’
“Cultural Choreographies” bring
together cultural histories and
movements, which will be show-
cased at the concert. At the same
time, repertoire focused courses,
such as “Advanced Repertory and
Performance” taught by Gwyneth
Jones, have performance at their
epicenter.
Between four weekly hours of
class and lengthy tech rehearsals,
Gwyneth Jones says it’s always
a privilege to watch the dances
take shape. She says the dances
are formed around the dancers
themselves—their identity, per-
sonality, quantity and capacity.
Jones designs around music, and
students play an active role in
choreography, especially in the
duets that form the center of one
of the pieces.
“Some of the movement be-
longs to them, and we work with
it, and they teach each other,”
said Gwyneth Jones. “And then
some of the movement I’ve
made. But the dance would be
different if there was another
person instead of the dancer
there originally.”
Dancers come to the stage
with vastly different back-
grounds, from first-time per-
formers in Gwyneth Jones’ In-
troduction to Modern Dance to
Bowdoin’s first and thus far only
dance major, Lucia Gagliardone
’20. But for students like Brooke
Wrubel ’21, the most remarkable
end product is the community
that has formed.
“It truly does not matter how
much dance experience some-
one has or hasn’t had—we are
all sharing the stage and dancing
together,” she said.
As part of the “Modern II:
Repertory and Performance”
class, Wrubel has experienced
firsthand the collaborative,
hands-on nature of the creation
of these dances.
“Gwyneth Jones blended our
phrases while also infusing her
own choreography,” said Wrubel.
“There’s something really power-
ful about performing a piece that
is reflective of the five of us as
DYNAMIC DECEMBER: Over 60 students will REUBEN SCHAFIR, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
perform a large variety of compositions, from modern
dance to cultural choreography, dancing to iconic
tunes such as “Can You Feel It” by The Jacksons.
individual voices.”
Gwyneth Jones enjoys watch-
ing the students grow into
performance and leadership
roles. Not just dancers, but also
the people behind the curtain.
Lights and staging have been
an integral part of bringing this
performance to life, and staff
and student techs have been
working hard since well before
Thanksgiving.
“It’s terrific to see what
people thought they couldn’t
do and then realize that they
can, that they are doing it, you
know—and that takes a while
to see that in yourself. It’s eas-
ier to see it when you’re on the
outside,” Gwyneth Jones said.
“We think we don’t change, but
we do.”
Dance concerts always draw
out the community, she added.
“People bring their kids!”
Gwyneth Jones said. “And I
think, partially, it’s because the
work is strong. But also because
it’s free!”
“I think any time that you’re
exposed to any type of art, it
changes the way you look at
things and provokes conversa-
tion,” she added. “I think that’s
just a win all the way around.”
The December Dance Con-
cert will be in Pickard Theater
at 7:30 p.m. tonight and Satur-
day night and at 2:00 p.m. on
Sunday.
Friday, November 30, 2018 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 7

‘In Stitches’ highlights rise of vernac comedy in South Africa

by Penelope Mack
Orient Staff
On Wednesday night, two
Bowdoin alumni returned to
campus with a unique story
rooted in the language of hu-
mor as a tool for decoloniza-
tion and rewriting histories.
Hannah Rafkin ’17 and Meg
Robbins ’17 screened their
documentary “In Stitches” and
answered questions from stu-
dents, faculty and community
members.
“In Stitches” is the pair’s first
film. Both English majors at
Bowdoin, Rafkin and Robbins
directed and produced the doc-
umentary that centers on three
South African comics, whose
use of native South African lan-
guages has set them apart from
the country’s more commercial-
ly successful comedians who
perform exclusively in English.
South Africa has eleven offi-
cial languages, and 60 percent
of its citizens do not under-
stand English. From this need
arose the genre of vernacular
comedy, which encompasses all
comedy performed in a South
African language other than
English.
Rafkin and Robbins became
particularly interested in com-
edy while studying abroad in
Cape Town together. During
their time abroad, protests
over university fees and elitism
erupted around them. The use
of comedy to cope with tragedy
and heal pain was particularly
fascinating to the pair.
“When we were there, we
saw a lot of stand-up comedy,”
said Rafkin. “We were really in-
terested in how the comedy and
protests were interlinked.”
A number of the comedians
in the film noted that, for both
themselves and their audiences,
comedy was an outlet for the
difficult emotions that accom-
panied years of oppression and
political turmoil.
After returning from their
semester abroad, Rafkin and
Robbins ached to go back to
South Africa. “We had been
talking about how [we could]
get back to South Africa. We
want[ed] to do something
meaningful,” said Rafkin.
As they began to formulate
a project that would take them
back, the pair enrolled in an
independent study on comedy
with Visiting Assistant Pro-
fessor of Anthropology April
Strickland and began conduct-
ing research that would lead to
“In Stitches.”
“We knew we were interest-
ed in comedy in South Africa,
[but] we didn’t have any spe-
cific ideas,” said Robbins. “We
talked to a bunch of comics ...
We asked them what the most
exciting thing was in the [com-
edy] scene, and they were all
like, ‘Vernac is up and coming
and really something to watch
out for.’ We couldn’t find any-
thing about it online.”
After a process of
crowd-funding, grant applica-
tions and networking, Rafkin
and Robbins eventually spent
10 months in South Africa
attending comedy shows, in-
terviewing comedians and
learning about the social and
political climate from which
vernac comedy emerged.
Many South Africans
doubted the success of vernac,
considering its viewership is
limited by language. Yet for
many comedians, vernac is not
an attempt to gain fame but
a chance to give back to their
communities and participate in
decolonization efforts.
Apartheid schools taught
black South Africans in their
native languages and denied
them access to English, a key
tool in politics, business and
other professional careers.
“There’s a history of moth-
er-tongues being this contra-
dictory thing of pride and cul-
ture, but also something that
has been used to keep [black
South Africans] down and
from achieving success,” said
Robbins.
Vernac reclaims the pride of
these mother-tongues through
stories and jokes that audiences
find relatable.
“That was one of the best
parts, watching it with South
African audiences and comics
and seeing them be like, ‘Yeah,
that’s how I feel, that’s my story,
I relate to that,’” said Rafkin.
For American audiences,
some jokes may not make sense
due to cultural and linguistic
differences, but the filmmakers
want viewers to embrace that
discomfort.
“We want you to understand
what it feels like to be totally in
the dark and see how you can
still look for value in something
you’re not being hand-held
through,” Robbins said.
EZRA SUNSHINE, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
Meg Robbins and Hannah
Rafkin are former members of SPECTACULAR VERNACULAR: In their new film, Hannah Rafkin ’17 and Meg Robbins ’17 shine light on how South
the Bowdoin Orient. African comedians use native languages to challenge the legacy of Aparthied and claim agency.

West African Ensemble electrifies with eclectic beats

by Esther Wang
Orient Staff
Hip-Hop, rhythm and
blues, jazz, reggae—many
kinds of popular music have
roots in Africa. Last night, the
West African Music Ensemble
brought to life the connection
between drumming, dancing
and singing during their per-
formance “The Path and the
River.”
Distinct at Bowdoin in its
non-Western approach to mu-
sic, the ensemble is directed
by Adjunct Lecturer in Music
Jordan Benissan—a master
drummer of Ewe people of
West Africa, esteemed for
complex cross-rhythms. The
unique aspect of this ensemble
lies in the method of learning
music via the truthful method
of West African musicians.
“Inherently, West African
music is the experience and
not necessarily the sound,” says
Nick Cattaneo ’21, a drummer
in the class this semester.
Although some students
have previous experiences
with drumming, most students
come into the class as novices.
This may seem intimidating
at first, but Benissan’s method
of teaching allows students to
form deeper connections with
their instruments.
“If you want to learn to
understand and play, it’s like
[trying] to find your way into a
relationship with somebody. It
is hard to find your way at first,
but after you find your way in,
you still have to work hard or it
will fail,” Benissan said.
Instead of the traditional
Western methods of reading
notes on a page or learning
to count the rhythm, students
in the class first learn the
spoken version—singing and
talking—of what they will be
playing. Compared to Euro-
centric academic traditions,
this approach challenges stu-
dents to push their boundaries.
“The connection between
hearing a part in my head and
hearing it actually played on
the instrument isn’t so strong.
Learning how to sing every-
thing that I play makes that
connection much faster,” said
Cattaneo.
Instead of having one
drummer play a complex
rhythm, each of the 10 drum-
mers learns to play an indi-
vidual part that is relatively
simple. However, once all the
singular parts come together,
it creates something harmonic
and beautiful.
This process plays into oth-
er music fields.
“The lessons you learn can
be applied to a drummer in a
band’s mentality. As a drum-
mer, your job is to keep the
time and to make the music
feel good and danceable. Your
job isn’t to play all of this crazy
stuff,” Cattaneo said.
In addition to the uncon-
ventional method of learning
music, the ensemble also expos-
es musicians to the important
underlying cultural tradition.
As an academic discipline, tra-
ditional West African music is
often pushed aside as colleges
focus on genres such as classical
music developed by European
musicians.
“[In many colleges,] you
don’t really see much of other
complex musics that are bal-
anced in other cultures, for
example in Africa, India or the
Middle East,” said Benissan.
More broadly, Benissan
wishes to give his students
the creative tools to preserve
the legacy of traditional Afri-
can music while also creating
more modern and trans-
formed pieces.
“Music was developed out
of the concept of breaking
down a single perspective. In-
stead of playing music in one
time or one meter, [musicians]
came up with a mathematical
equation to redevelop music
to be played in multiple time
and several meters,” he said.

MINDY LEDER, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

MAKING NOISE: Led by Adjunct Lecturer in Music Jordan Benissan, the West African Music Ensemble champions a non-Western perspective.
8 Friday, November 30, 2018
F FEATURES
OCEANS OF OYSTERS: Since the land was generously gifted to the College by Richard Sanborn ’40, Merritt Island has been a destination for many stu-
dents, most often as a result of Bowdoin Outing Club trips. However, Jordi St. John (right) saw potential beyond just visiting, he wanted to start an Oyster farm.
The future of food in Bowdoin’s backyard
by Surya Milner
Orient Staff
Oysters need time, move-
ment and a little TLC, says
Jordi St. John. Otherwise, their
speckled shells clench up, con-
geal, lose the space they need
to make a home. Carrying a
brush and a sure grin, he runs
fine bristles along the plastic
bags where shellfish grow,
brushing specks of algae that
fall into the waves surrounding
Merritt Island.
St. John is an oyster farmer
on the New Meadows River,
a 12-mile long tidal stretch at
the northern end of Casco Bay.
Though his farm is buoyant,
existing only within a floating
five-foot radius of the rocky
tree-lined shores, he consid-
ers Merritt Island—a 28-acre
enclave owned by Bowdoin—
home base.
“There are really two main
oyster meccas, if you will,” St.
John said. Number one: the
Damariscotta River, a thirty
minute drive north, where the
water boasts a perfect combi-
nation of salinity, temperature
and movement. “They’re pretty
well known as the oyster hub,”
said St. John. But the tides are
turning in the New Meadows
River, where the number of
oyster growers has more than
doubled in the past three years.
“My thought is, it’s not
crazy expensive to get into,
the overhead is not too bad,”
he said. “And the payback is
pretty good—you can sell a
full grown oyster for anywhere
from 70 cents to a dollar.” As
baby seeds—St. John refers to
them as spat—the oysters go
to growers for about five cents.
He notes that raw oysters have
garnered an appeal in recent
years.
“There’s a large demand
for the Maine oyster, mostly
because there hasn’t been that
much production of them.
And I think people realize that
Maine has pretty good clean
water,” said St. John.
Because the small bivalves
can filter up to 50 gallons of
water per day—as a natural
byproduct of their feeding on
various phytoplankton—oys-
ter farming is lauded as envi-
ronmentally friendly, too.
Aquaculture farming is a
practice that’s taken off in
recent years, according to Di-
rector of the Schiller Coastal
Studies Center David Carlon.
“The future of the ocean is
that all the fisheries are going
extinct—it’s not that the spe-
cies are going instinct—it’s
the fisheries,” Carlon said.
“So people need to get used
to it now, because that is the
future.”
Though oysters are not na-
tive to the state—waters are
much too frigid—they do well
here because of Maine’s miles
of uninterrupted and pristine
seaway. And as climate change
quickens its pace, said Carlon,
warmer waters ensure an in-
COURTESY OF DAVID GRAY
creasingly habitable climate
for the shellfish.
Afloat in the early morning
waves, St. John lifts a couple
large bags into the boat, shakes
them around and scrubs the
algae growth and oyster waste
out of the plastic holes. If he
doesn’t perform this simple
step—which he aims to do
once a week—the oysters are
likely to grow together, some-
thing their species is wont to
do.
These he will lug to Port-
land the next day for consump-
tion at the Maine Oyster Com-
pany. Then, in about a week’s
time, he will motor back to the
island, flip over the remaining
cages bobbing along the shore
and wait until they sink to the
ocean floor.
These oysters, a sort of
transplant species called Cras-
sostrea virginica, clam up
when the water dips below
ten degrees celsius, making it
virtually impossible for them
to do anything other than em-
brace their vegetative state be-
low the ice and bide their time
until summer shows its face.
When they do see the light
of day, they will be scrubbed,
culled and sent off to a raw
“You can sell a full grown oyster
for anywhere from 70 cents to a
dollar.”
– Jordi St. John
oyster bar for consumption by
those who appreciate the salty,
sweet finish of a Maine-grown
oyster. St. John will purchase
more seeds from the hatch-
ery and continue his ritual of
growing oysters, day by day.
Bowdoin has owned Mer-
ritt Island since the late 1990s,
when Richard Sanborn ’40
gifted the 28-acre retreat to
the College for the use of the
Outing Club (BOC). These
days, Merritt Island is the
site of orientation trips, BOC
overnights, affinity group
adventures and many stu-
dents’ first introduction to the
Maine coast.
In order to jumpstart his
operation, St. John had to no-
tify the landowner—riparian
land owner, in official jar-
gon—closest to his set-up. Just
off the shores of Merritt Island,
he contacted Bowdoin in order
to obtain a Limited Purpose
Aquaculture License.
According to Director of
the Outing Club Mike Wood-
ruff, oyster farming around
Merritt Island is a low-impact,
efficient way to utilize the re-
source as the island becomes
more of a student destination.
“I think we’re in fact going
to see more and more use of
Merritt Island because of its
proximity to campus and be-
cause students are seemingly
excited to do local outing
trips,” he said. “They’re very
low-barrier to entry trips.”
But Bowdoin students visit-
ing the island will have to wait
until spring to get a glimpse
of the floating farm. The
week before Thanksgiving, St.
John put his farm to bed for
the winter unscrewing each
pontoon, flipping it and then
observing the slow drift to the
ocean floor.
“And then they’ll sit on the
bottom all winter and I won’t
touch them. Because there’s
not much that they can do
right now,” he said. “They’re
not growing.”
Friday, November 30, 2018
Historic house
fosters new writing
by Lucas Weitzenberg
Orient Staff
There is no single leader of
the Stowe Writers House, a new
writing collective on Bowdoin’s
campus. It is a purely collabora-
tive space, devoid of hierarchy,
deadlines and judgement.
Loosely modelled off of
the Kelly Writers House at
the University of Pennsylva-
nia, the Stowe Writers House
group was conceived last year
through a collaboration be-
tween students and Professor
of Africana Studies and En-
glish Tess Chakkalakal. The
choice of this space is import-
ant to both Chakkalakal and
the students involved, as it is
the same residence in which it’s
namesake, the famous aboli-
tionist, Harriet Beecher Stowe,
is said to have composed parts
of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
Aida Muratoglu ’21, Franny
Weed ’21, Aisha Rickford ’20
and Bridget Hoke ’20 took over
the project this fall.
“All of us found ourselves
frustrated that there isn’t a
space for students to come to-
gether and be writers on cam-
pus,” said Muratoglu.
But, the four clarified, they
don’t want to be thought of as
the leaders of the group. The
house is a safe space where
those interested in creative
writing can go to write and col-
laborate. They are simply initi-
ating the house’s writing-based
programming this year with the
Shivering through all the Northern Lights we did not see
Postcards
by Sasa
Jovanovic
The passengers who undertake
the 15-hour train ride from Stock-
holm to Kiruna are of a particular
breed—what could possibly fuel
a desire to reach the northern
Swedish frontiers? This endless
expanse of wintry emptiness, save
for the sparse scatter of birch trees
that dot the flat horizon every now
and then? A land in which the sun,
an orange halo, just peeks above
the iron-ore mine that powers the
town, teasing the people below
with six feeble hours of light per
day?
For the journey itself lacks any
romanticism. An overnight train,
whose fluorescent cabin lights fail
to dim at any point during the
voyage, cannot possibly provide
shelter to a wandering mind. Lest
you hope to exchange the soli-
tary promise of a dream-induced
escape for, perhaps, comradery
amongst your fellow travelers,
“vandrare” as the Swedes would
say, you would be mistaken. Your
cabin is a hodgepodge of charac-
ters—a horde of middle-school
girls sprawled across the aisles,
buzzing with the pings, rings and
dings of their iPhones, while a
German shepherd and a Rottwei-
ler grumble at each other from
their respective cages. You settle
to pass the time with a collection
of modern, cinematic classics:
“Brother Bear,” “The Polar Ex-
press” and “Home Alone.” But
hopes that in future years other
students and writing groups
will begin to utilize the space
for their own programs and
projects.
The Stowe Writer’s House
Instagram account describes
the group as non-academic and
non-judgmental.
“I think that it’s hard to
do creative writing on this
campus in a place that isn’t
where you’re also doing work
or learning in some way or in
the library or in Smith [Union]
or in your dorm,” said Weed.
“This is a problem for a lot
of the people that we’ve been
working with, who say they
can’t write creatively in these
places.”
She went on to describe how
writing can be a fantastic way to
destress from academic and ex-
tracurricular experiences and
how the nonjudgmental aspect
of the group makes the Stowe
Writer’s House a place where
students can come to get shelter
from the stresses of academic
judgment.
“It can be really positive to
create something that isn’t be-
ing criticized by other people,”
Weed said.
The group currently hosts
open writing hours on Wednes-
days from 7 to 8 p.m .and Fri-
days from 5 to 6 p.m. Wednes-
days are a free writing period,
while on Fridays writers are
given a prompt. The group then
workshops these pieces togeth-
er, though the degree to which
the question remains: why spend
the dwindling hours of your time
abroad like this?
“The lights sing, and the colors
dance.”
The wind delivers Cecilia’s
whisper with a chill to our ears.
Tyrah, Sofie and I found ourselves
in front of a food truck, parked
outside of a gas station and quick-
ie market in Kiruna. Next to the
food truck sat a teepee (frightful-
ly out of place amongst the gas
pumps and slushee ads) in which
customers could enjoy their rein-
deer subs in the culturally appro-
priated comfort of an open flame.
Stejk Street Food has consistently
been ranked first in Kiruna for
their reindeer subs, according to
TripAdvisor. Tyrah noted that she
felt like a warrior after eating the
meat, suggesting the establish-
ment is deserving of this number
one ranking.
“The Northern Lights. Grow-
ing up in Kiruna, I’ve seen them
countless times, and they never
fail to take my breath away. There
was this one time … I was a teen-
ager, ice-fishing with my dad.
We had found an isolated
spot at a nearby lake
with a big opening
to the sky … Green
and blue lit up
the darkness for
hours and hours
that night. But
even more than
that—the light
sang. Later, I’ll
find out that it
FEATURES
CREATIVE COLLECTIVE: Students, like Aida Muratoglu ’21 (above), work in the
same space where Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote parts of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”
students share is entirely up to
them. The goal of these hours,
explained Weed, is to block out
a chunk of time from students’
busy schedules to come, write
and collaborate with fellow
writers. Additionally, the group
has hosted a day-long retreat
and is holding a storytelling
hour this Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
“We hope that the house be-
comes a home for other writers’
groups on campus, such as the
Poetry Society or the Quill,”
said Muratoglu.
Muratoglu added that she
hopes that having this collabo-
rative writing space on campus
will encourage more writing
groups to form. Weed, too,
emphasized how vital it is that
the collective remains connect-
ed to many writing groups, so
that the nonjudgmental group
mentality of the Stowe Writers
House remains intact.
has something to do with electri-
cal currents, but the ringing in the
air—it was like a thousand bells or
a choir of children.”
Cecilia is the founder and own-
er of Stejk, along with her husband
Sebastian. She is a child of the
North, having lived in Kiruna for
most of her life. A descendent of
Russians, Norwegians and Swedes,
she finds comfort in the cold. Her
speech was animated like a child’s
or perhaps imbued with the lively
desperation of someone who was
unsure of their next source of con-
versation. Her features lacked sub-
tlety: translucent skin contrasted
dramatically with her red hair, and
sapphire eyes shone like jewels.
Her expression crinkled like paper
with every slight gesticulation,
betraying her illusion of youth,
revealing her middle age.
Unlike Cecilia, we were shiv-
ering in front of the truck as she
spoke, despite wearing two
REUBEN SCHAFIR, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
To ensure the collective’s
longevity, these students are
currently drafting a sustainable
leadership model that will es-
tablish quotas for members of
each grade to fill positions that
will later become necessary. On
top of this, the group will con-
tinue to work with faculty ad-
visors who oversee larger-scale
programming. They currently
meet informally with Chakka-
lakal and Director of Writing
and Rhetoric Meredith McCar-
roll for these larger scale proj-
ects. They are also sponsored
by the Writing and Rhetoric
Program.
“Everyone is a writer, and
writing should never be a sol-
itary activity,” said Muratoglu.
“Regardless of writing ability
or level of interest in creative
writing, the Stowe Writers
House will welcome everyone,
free of judgment.”
layers of pants, shirts and socks.
But I was attracted to the prospect
of getting to know a true Lap-
plander.
“Is this weather normal for this
time of the year in Kiruna?”
“Not at all.” Cecilia glanced at
Sebastian, who was shaking his
head while preparing meat on the
stove in the food truck. “We hav-
en’t had a heavy snowfall yet this
year, and we’re in the Arctic Cir-
cle. This,” she waved at the frozen
but deadened ground, “is insane.
This past summer was one of the
warmest on record.”
Just that morning, in the lobby
of our hostel, an American father
was reading the 2018 climate
change report to his son, a toddler.
The boy exhibited as much interest
as expected for someone his age,
instead entertaining himself with
his father’s beard. I asked the father
if it was depressing to read the re-
port to someone who
will live with the disastrous conse-
quences of another generation’s ac-
tions. He responded by mirroring
my question back to me.
Cecilia continued. “But it
makes the moving process easier,
so there is a positive associated
with the delayed snow, I suppose.”
“You’re moving?”
“Not me! Or at least, not yet.
The town! Haven’t you heard?
The whole town is moving six
kilometers to the east. Uprooting
and moving! Yes, because of the
mine. Most of the people in Kiru-
na are employed by the mine, but
it is growing past its size. It has
started digging underneath the
town—underneath us right now,
in fact, thousands of feet below.
All of these buildings over here are
going to be moved, and there is a
new stadshuset—city hall—being
built.”
Later I would find out that the
Kiruna mine is Europe’s largest
underground iron-ore mine.
“Isn’t that sad? Aren’t people
sad to be leaving their homes?”
“It’s mixed. Some people are
sad, and others see it as the
price you pay for having
a job at the mine. Just
the other day, they
moved the home
of the founder of
Kiruna—tore it
out of its foun-
dation and put
it on a truck!
Paraded it
around the
PHOEBE NICHOLS streets before
9
setting it down in its new location.
It was quite crazy and kind of fun-
ny to see.”
Sebastian, at this point, had
finished cooking and joined the
conversation.
“And where are you three
from?” he asked.
“Boston, Massachusetts.”
“Little Canada, Minnesota.”
“New York City.”
“Oh! My sister visited New
York City once. I remember her
calling me, ‘Cecilia! I bought so
much makeup! It is so cheap here!’
But she was counting in Swedish
krona, instead of dollars! She had
bought $7,000 worth of makeup!”
“Is it true that they walk like
this,” Sebastian put his head down,
brought his shoulders to his ears
and hands in his pockets, “in New
York City?” He meant to ask if it
was unsafe.
Tyrah laughed. “In some parts
of the city, yes, but if you’re smart
and pay attention you’ll be fine.”
At this point, we had been
standing idle outside for 20 min-
utes, and the feeling in our toes
was beginning to go. We thanked
our new friends for the conversa-
tion and left.
That night we found ourselves
searching the sky for the aurora
borealis to disrupt the blackness.
It escaped us that night, but we
plan to try again. We agreed to re-
convene in five years in a different
arctic location and look to the sky.
We also floated the idea of naming
one of our children Kiruna—this
is still up for debate.
10
HAVE YOU NOTICED IT
RAINING ON TUESDAYS?
Oftentimes, I forget things.
I forget my OneCard, my lab
notebook or I forget about the
banana that I put in my back-
pack a week ago. But I never
forget to put on my raincoat
on Tuesdays.
It’s an instinct, a Pavlovian
response to slipping my envi-
ronmental studies notebook
into my backpack on Tuesday
mornings. Because for the
past two months, without fail,
I affirm that it has precipitat-
ed every Tuesday.
I noticed the peculiar
phenomenon six weeks into
the semester. Gazing out the
window of my Tuesday after-
LILY ANNA FULLAM
DOWN UNDER: A HOME
AWAY FROM HOME
I’ve always been a home-
body. I grew up in Falmouth,
Maine and coincidentally
decided to go to school just
thirty minutes up the road in
Brunswick. To some folks, my
college decision seemed crazy.
Why go to school so close?
Don’t you want to get out of
there? To answer these ques-
tions, I’ve always ended up
giving some long-winded ex-
planation about how I’ve man-
aged to make Bowdoin feel as
far away or close to home as
I’ve wanted. But in reality, I
just love Maine, my town and
my family—it wasn’t a place I
wanted to leave just yet.
With the whirlwind of
schoolwork, club activities
and social events at Bowdoin,
I hardly ever take the 30-min-
ute drive to Falmouth. But the
ability to go home, or have my
parents and sister come up has
always been readily accessible.
Unlike most college students,
I have had the privilege of
rarely feeling homesick—and
until I travelled abroad I
didn’t understand how fortu-
nate I am.
This past July, the security
and comfort I had consistent-
ly felt at Bowdoin and in Fal-
mouth were taken from me.
I embarked on a five month
journey to the South Island of
New Zealand for a semester
abroad. On June 28, I checked
my bags at Boston Logan
noon seminar at the diagonal
downpour, I realized that my
view from that window had
never been unobstructed by
precipitation. Now, the asso-
ciation between Tuesdays and
rain is further cemented into
my memory by the emotional
strain of the decision that I
must make every Tuesday at
8:27 a.m.: is being on time to
my 8:30 a.m. lecture worth
Airport and left on my 48-
hour voyage to New Zealand
with tears in my eyes as I said
goodbye to my family.
It felt weird. Unpacking,
that is. I lugged my suitcases
down the stairs of my new
home in Dunedin and ripped
open my bags that were burst-
ing at the seams. Something
about taking my belongings
out of my suitcase and putting
them in these new spaces felt
wrong. When I moved into
Bowdoin the process was a
celebration. Bowdoin wel-
comes all its first years with
open arms and excitement.
That was the only move-in
I knew. For the first time, I
found myself entirely on my
own—there was no “meet the
parents” or orientation trip to
look forward to.
I lived in an apartment,
which natives to the island
(known as kiwis) call a flat,
where I had my own room
with a full-sized bed. I shared
the flat with three other stu-
dents, one of whom was a kiwi
in graduate school. My bed
sheets were brown and my car-
pet was a burnt, unsettling red,
much like the couches first
years at Bowdoin have in their
dorms. Not only was the decor
cold and uninviting, but I also
hadn’t brought anything to put
on my walls—my suitcases
were filled to the brim and the
astronomical fees associated
with travelling abroad made
space and weight precious. I
felt uneasy. In that moment, all
FEATURES
Talk of the Quad
the lingering dampness that
my soaked bike seat will in-
evitably transfer to my pants?
If it is a morning when my
environmental studies note-
book is going to get soiled by
that banana in my backpack,
it is, because the least I could
do for my dignity is be on
time.
Regardless, most Tuesday
mornings, I mount my bike.
I wanted was to call my mom
and ask her to come up for
dinner. Instead, I slumped into
my brown sheets and for the
first time in my college career,
I was truly homesick.
My feelings started to
change when three other
friends and I purchased a
1998 Toyota Caldina. This
car allowed us freedom to
explore. No longer were we
stuck in the boundaries of
Dunedin. We went from the
East Coast to the West Coast,
studying the differing, yet
magnificent landscapes. We
camped in caves where little
blue penguins lived, on the
shores of glacial lakes and
in huts overlooking the
Southern Alps. Along
these many adventures
we met a host of new
people—fire spinners,
retired grandparents
who enjoy hiking and
silly ski patrol staff
members.
With each excursion
we set out on, I began
laying my roots in these
unique places and ex-
periences. Home was no
longer defined by a familiar
and comfortable living space,
but instead by the people with
whom I was sharing these new
and exciting trips. The dis-
comfort of my flat faded into
the background as it became
a place I used for sleeping and
storing my belongings—noth-
ing more.
Having arrived back in
Skidding along at 15 miles
per hour, I crane my head
against the waterproof hood
that eliminates my peripheral
vision before crossing Maine
Street. I must brake well in
advance, because the Tuesday
rains have altered the physiol-
ogy of my bike; its parts have
rusted from routine exposure
to the elements.
Eventually, a sympathetic
driver hydroplanes to a stop
so I can continue my jour-
ney. I make a slight left
turn to veer onto Long-
fellow Avenue. Hood
blown back by the
wind, I give up on
Maine, my true home by
definition, five months later,
I now understand home is a
lot of things. Home isn’t just a
physical place where my fam-
ily and I reside. Home isn’t
just the ability for family to
come up to school on the
weekends. Home is
so much more
than that.
keeping my hair dry. A rush of
adrenaline bursts through my
veins as the clock strikes 8:29
a.m. Despite the intensity of
the situation, the hilarity that
my bike ride is punctuated
by the same Tuesday puddles
that collect in the outer banks
of the street typically keeps
me from cursing the rain for
impeding my efforts to make
it to class.
I swerve between cars and
pedestrians, then through
the mass of students in rain-
coats that rival the hues of
the fall foliage as I near the
Roux Center. The marching
students uniformly bow their
heads against the rain, arms
squeezed against their bodies
and hands hidden in their
pockets. I conclude that they
must not realize that it al-
ways rains on Tuesdays,
because if they did, the
sidewalks of Long-
fellow Avenue would
surely be teeming
with chatter and cel-
ebration at the pecu-
liarity of the pattern
rather than with so-
lemnity and the anx-
iety that accompanies
the 8:30 a.m. rush.
Preemptively
squeezing the brakes
and dismounting
simultaneously, I seasons are changing, the pre-
scramble the com-
bination on my bike
lock and bound up
two stairs at a time
to the second floor.
I step through the
classroom door and
Home is my happy place. It
is the things, the places and
the people that have brought
me true elation. Home keeps
me grounded and sane. Home
makes me feel safe and com-
SYDNEY REAPER
Friday, November 30, 2018
am greeted by the reverberat-
ing chatter of 89 other people
finding their seats, their neon
raincoats sprawled in exhaus-
tion over the backs of their
chairs. The professor’s voice
thunders over the sea of stu-
dents to call the class to order
as my backpack thuds to the
floor, and I breathe a sigh of
relief.
I sink into my seat, pants
saturated with rain, and I scan
the heads in front of me, spot-
ting the students whose hair
drips like mine. I can usually
tell that these students, the
ones who bear the most strik-
ing resemblance to wet dogs,
must have biked to class as
well.
Except for the Tuesday that
my morning rush caused me
to mistakenly believe that I
had hard boiled the egg that
I attempted to eat in class (it
exploded on me), I perceive
the rains as a unique blessing
and good omen. I see them
as a wink from the Universe,
encouraging me to hunker
down indoors and appreci-
ate the shelter, community,
sustenance and opportunities
to which I have access here at
Bowdoin.
Last week, the Tuesday
rain was a Tuesday snow. This
week was icy rain. Though the
cipitation pattern persists. I
throw a wink back to the Uni-
verse for gifting Brunswick
with this funky meteorologi-
cal treat.
Dalia Tabachnik is a mem-
ber of the Class of 2021.
fortable. Whether it be the
Southern Alps of New Zea-
land or our little cottage in
Falmouth, home to me now
extends its boundaries to
many different places and
people throughout the world.
Hannah Donovan is
a member of the
Class of 2020.
Friday, November 30, 2018 11
12
S SPORTS
HIGHLIGHT
REEL
CREAM OF THE CROP:
Moctar Niang ’19 was
named an All-American by
the United Soccer Coaches
this week. He ends his
college career with a First
Team All-New England
selection and his third
First Team All-NESCAC
selection. In addition, Julia
Patterson ’19, Morgen
Gallagher ’20, Drake Byrd
’21 and Matty McColl ’19
also earned All-Region
awards. Patterson has been
named to the First-Team
All-NESCAC three
times, while Gallagher was
Rookie of the Year in 2016.
Byrd and McColl both
left their mark by scoring
game-winning goals in key
matches.
TOP OF THE CLASS:
This week, 82 Bowdoin
student-athletes were
recognized with NESCAC
All-Academic and All-
Sportsmanship honors.
All-Academic honorees
must have reached
sophomore standing and
maintained a GPA of at
least 3.5. All-Sportsmanship
recipients are commended
for the respect they
show their team, coaches
and opponents. Three
students, Connor Rockett
’19, Anna Barnes ’20 and
Johna Cook ’19 received
both All-Academic and
All-Sportsmanship awards.
Rockett and Barnes run
cross country, and Cook is
on the field hockey team.
NO.1 ON THE COURT: Two
NCAA DIII polls ranked
women’s basketball (4-0,
0-0 NESCAC) first in
the nation. After losing to
Amherst in the NCAA DIII
championship last winter,
the Polar Bears started
their 2018-19 season ranked
second. Undefeated thus
far, the team rose to the top
spot after Amherst (3-1, 0-0
NESCAC) lost to Eastern
Connecticut.
HATS OFF TO YOU: Albert
Washco ’22 led the men’s
hockey team (2-3) last
Sunday in a game against
SUNY Potsdam (5-4).
Although the Polar Bears
lost 6-4, Washco scored the
first hat trick of his college
career. The team heads
to Colby tomorrow for its
first confrontation with its
long-time rival. Colby will
then travel to Brunswick to
face the Polar Bears once
again in Watson Arena on
January 26.
COMPILED BY KATHRYN MCGINNIS
Men’s basketball looks to improve defensive strategy
by Benjamin Mason
Orient Staff
With five games under its belt
(2-3), the men’s basketball team
is in full swing with high expec-
tations for the season. Coming
off a 83-70 loss against Colby (5-
1) yesterday, the team will face
Pine Manor (1-6) on Saturday in
Morell Gym at 1 p.m.
“We are guardedly optimis-
tic about this season,” said Head
Coach Tim Gilbride.
Gilbride acknowledged that
the NESCAC is a competitive
conference, but he has faith in
his team.
“We’re just going to take
things one game at a time, but
I think we are capable of com-
peting with the top teams in our
conference,” said Gilbride. “So
that’s certainly going to be our
goal—to try to win it.”
The team’s dynamic is a key
component to meeting these
high expectations.
“We have a nice balance
of guys that are coming back
that are experienced and some
newcomer players that we
think can contribute as well,”
Gilbride said.
He also noted particularly
strong play by Zavier Rucker
’21, the starting point guard,
and Sam Grad ’21, one of the
team’s forwards.
After a 2-2 start to the sea-
son, including wins against
Worcester State (3-4) and the
University of New England (1-
5) and losses to Albertus Mag-
nus (5-2) and Babson (4-2), the
team has learned its strengths
and the aspects of the game that
it needs to address.
Head football coach leaves College with 3-31 record
by Ian Ward
Orient Staff
J.B. Wells will not return
as head coach of the football
team, the College announced
in a November 15 press release.
Wells, who led the Polar Bears
to a 1-8 record in his fourth
season as head coach, will fin-
ish his career with an overall
record of 3-31, having led the
team through the longest losing
streak in program history of 24
games between November of
2015 and November of 2018.
Wells’ four years with the
team will mark the shortest
tenure of any head football
coach since Peter Kostaco-
poulos’ three-year run be-
tween 1965 and 1967. Bow-
doin’s last three head coaches
served respectively 15, 16 and
16 seasons.
According to the Ashmead
White Director of Athletics
Tim Ryan, the team’s poor re-
cord under Wells’ leadership
necessitated a change.
“We made some progress
with J.B. as our head coach,
but we just haven’t seen quite
as much progress as we would
have liked to have seen after
four years,” said Ryan. “Un-
fortunately, we just hadn’t had
the success that we aspire to
H-O-R-S-E: Zavier Rucker ’21 leaps over a Colby opponent in the team’s home opener on Thursday. The Polar Bears lost 83-70, bringing their record to 2-5.
In their wins, the Polar Bears
have averaged a stellar 102
points per game.
“We’re a good offensive
team, and shoot the ball well
when we’re executing,” said
Gilbride. “We’re very unselfish;
it’s always a team effort and
guys move the ball to find bet-
ter shooters, to get them a lot of
shots when they can. So that’s
when we are at our best—on
the offensive end.”
At the same time, Bowdoin
has run into some difficulties.
“Defense is the biggest chal-
lenge for us. Whether we can
consistently make it difficult
have in the program.”
Wells was midway through
the fourth year of his five-
year contract, which extends
through the end of the 2020
academic year. Although his
oversight of football opera-
tions has ceased, he will be
compensated for the remain-
der of his contract period.
Of the team’s seven assis-
tant coaches, five will remain
on staff, while two may be re-
placed at the new head coach’s
discretion. Ryan declined to
specify further which coaches
this arrangement affects.
Despite the team’s poor
performance during Wells’
tenure, his dismissal caught
players off guard.
“Everyone was a little
surprised,” said Captain Joe
Gowetski ’20. “I was definitely
expecting one more year, just
the way I was talking with the
coaches after the season. No
one really seemed like they
were on their way out, least of
all Wells.”
Moreover, after a rocky
transition following Coach
Dave Caputi’s departure in
2014, Wells had come to earn
the respect and admiration of
much of the team, especially
its younger players.
“All the guys on the team
Friday, November 30, 2018
EZRA SUNSHINE, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
for other teams to score and conference games in the second petitive, it usually sends mul-
whether we can take away what semester. While these games are tiple teams to the NCAA tour-
they like to do best [dictates non-conference, they are still nament.
our success].” important to the team’s success. “There is an automatic bid
However, the team has Even if Bowdoin does not for the conference winner for
showed promise due to a new finish the season as the Men’s the NCAA tournament, and
defensive strategy. The team Basketball NESCAC cham- usually our conference gets
plans to mix up its defensive pions, there is still a hope for three or four and, sometimes,
schemes, switching between them to get the prized bid to the even five [bids],” said Gilbride.
man-to-man coverage and zone NCAA DIII tournament. But it The NESCAC league consists
coverage in hopes of keeping all comes down to non-confer- of 11 teams, and the top eight
opponents off balance. ence games. teams proceed to playoffs at the
The team is currently in the “You want to have a good year’s end. So, as long as Bow-
middle of its non-conference overall record, strength of doin is able to maintain a spot
schedule, which consists a to- schedule and all that kind of in the first eight spots in the
tal of 14 games that take place stuff to help you get a bid,” said conference, it will have a chance
throughout the first semester, Gilbride. at achieving its goal of finishing
and will be mixed in with the 10 Since the NESCAC is com- at the top.
love Coach Wells for every-
thing he’s done for us,” said
Roshaun Christopher ’22.
“Even though the wins may
not be there, who he is as a
person—we’ll never forget
that.”
However, players under-
stand that, at the end of the
day, business is business, and
the program is looking for
wins.
“You look back at the re-
cord, and it’s 3-31 over four
years. That speaks for itself,”
said Gowetski. “Wells took all
the right steps except for get-
ting wins in the wins column.”
Wells’ dismissal leaves the
team in a temporary period of
limbo until the College names
a replacement, which it aims
to do by mid-January, barring
logistical setbacks. The Col-
lege has retained the services
of the Atlanta-based Parker
Executive Search to oversee
the search process.
Regardless of personnel COURTESY OF BRIAN BEARD
changes, the new head coach PASSING ON THE PLAYBOOK: Head Football Coach J.B. Wells on the side-
will have to surmount many lines. Last week, the College announced Wells will not be returning for next season.
of the same barriers that
stood between Wells’ staff and face the additional challenge is going about business as
success, including an unfa- of ingratiating themself with usual, having begun its typ-
vorable recruiting landscape, four recruiting-classes’ worth ical off-season strength and
a lengthy history of gridiron of players who they did not conditioning program. As
struggles and an alumni base recruit. Gowetski concluded, “Same
itching for success. They will In the meantime, the team game, new coach.”
Friday, November 30, 2018 SPORTS 13

COURTESY OF BRIAN BEARD

ICE, ICE, BABY: (LEFT): Katie Leininger ’20 skates past Colby opponents.
(RIGHT): Marissa O’Neil talks strategy with the team during a timeout.

Women’s hockey hopes to end losing streak after consecutive shut-outs

by Ayub Tahlil
Orient Staff
After ending the last two
seasons with losses to Mid-
dlebury in the semifinals of
the NESCAC tournament last
year, the women’s ice hockey
team (0-4, 0-2 NESCAC) is
set its sights on the NESCAC
championship this season. The
team has had a disappointing
start, suffering two back-to-
back losses to Colby (2-0, 2-0
NESCAC) and another two
at the Codfish Bowl against
Manhattanville and UMass
Boston. But the Polar Bears are
known as “grinders,” according
to senior Maegan Sheehan, so
a tough start to the season will
not change their goals.
“It has been a bit of a chal-
lenge and struggle early on
in the season,” said Sheehan.
“[But] we are playing pretty
well and building off of each
game, so we’ve been making
progress. That’s always a good
sign. [We’re] just trying to put
the puck in the net.”
Tonight, the Polar Bears
hope to break their four-game
losing streak in a matchup
against Endicott College (3-2-
2). According to captain Ma-
rissa Fichter ’19, the team faced
similar obstacles last season,
but was able to “open the flood-
gates” with just one win. “It’s a
wave to [the] championships,”
said Fichter.
The team has tried to main-
tain a positive mentality, to
look at the benefits of each
game. With a heavy base of
first-year players—25 per-
cent of the team is playing in
their first collegiate games—
there is a predictable learning
curve. Fichter said that as a
“freshman, you’re a bundle of
nerves,” and the players need
to gain confidence in them-
selves and their team.
It is often a hard transition
for first years to come from
being the best players on their
high school teams to being a
role-player at Bowdoin. This
can make new players doubt
themselves and their abilities,
according to Sheehan and
Fichter. With the help of the
upperclassmen to guide them,
though, they can fulfill the po-
tential that the scouts saw in
their high school games.
The seniors have an unspo-
ken role, but one that is taken
seriously. While ensuring ev-
eryone does what they are sup-
posed to do is the captains’ job,
making sure everyone is ma-
turing falls to the seniors who
must set a precedent of strong
work ethics and discipline.
“Hard work and heart are
two things we really care
about,” said Sheehan.
With regular practices and
team bonding, the Polar Bears’
immediate goal is to improve
from the 2-0 loss against
UMass Boston (4-5-1). Three
disallowed goals (instances
in which the referee did not
see the puck cross the line)
kept the team from victory. In
professional hockey, there are
cameras which allow the ref-
erees to rewatch the potential
goal, but collegiate hockey is
not yet that tech-savvy.
What the team learned from
that game was to be clear and
clean while playing, leaving
little room for referees to ques-
tion future goals. The Polar
Bears will hit the ice against
Endicott tonight at 7 p.m. in
Watson Arena.

Men’s and women’s squash teams kick off the season together
by Sophie Friedman
Orient Staff
Sitting in the Lubin Family
Squash Center, you can hear the
pop of a squash ball hitting the
wall and the sharp turn of sneak-
er on wood. The glass spans the
room, encasing the seven squash
courts on which the Bowdoin
men’s and women’s teams both
practice.
While Head Coach Tomas
Fortson has been coaching at
Bowdoin for 18 years, the wom-
en’s tennis coach Paul Holbach,
known as Hobie to his players,
joined the squash team as an as-
sistant coach only two years ago.
Although he maintains that his
tennis skills don’t transfer per-
fectly, he’s still able to assist with
strategy and mental game.
The men’s and women’s teams
practice separately, but travel to
matches together, developing a
sense of camaraderie. Both teams
have approached their pre-sea-
son training with a strong work
ethic and motivation, occasion-
ally shedding their characteristic
seriousness for goofy costumes
when they come together for joint
“High Tin” practices. On these
special occasions, players attempt
to compete dressed as bananas,
Christmas trees or whatever else
they wish. However, as the sea-
son began for both teams with a
loss against Bates on Wednesday,
they opted for their traditional
uniforms.
Both teams have different
approaches and goals for this
upcoming season. The women,
led by Natasha Belsky ’19, has a
notably young roster with only six
upperclassmen out of 13 players.
Having lost five players from last
year, this year’s main focus is de-
veloping the skills of newcomers.
“We are lucky to have a lot of
freshmen and a lot of freshman
beginners,” Fortson said. “With
the women’s team traditionally,
we’ve invited athletes who’ve nev-
er played before. And within a
year or so they can become good
enough to compete.”
Unlike many varsity sports,
both the men’s and women’s
squash teams not only welcome
but depend on walk-on players.
Players possess a range of skills
and experience: a handful are
recruited, some played in high
school and a few had never played
squash before arriving at Bowdo-
in. Both the coaches and experi-
enced players support newcom-
ers, bringing them up to speed.
Fortson believes in “apply- MINDY LEDER, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
ing the same standards” to all RICOCHET: Lex Horwitz ’19 rallies on the squash court. Both the men’s and women’s team began their seasons on Wednesday, falling to Bates 8-1 and 9-0 respectively.
players, offering lots of technical
skill support at the beginning ter and working on the things has four experienced freshman Tomorrow, the team will take And that was because they sat
of the season. Jeannie Davis ’20 I needed to improve on,” she who Captain Satya Butler ’19 on Trinity, renowned not only some people,” said Fortson.
said that the more experienced said. “And I think this year that’s thinks will “make an immediate within the squash world, but Fortson, who began playing
players tend to teach their new going to be a really important impact.” in the world of College sports in Mexico, says there are excel-
teammates about the “etiquette mentality for all of us.” Going into this season, Butler at large. The Bantam’s boast the lent squash players in England,
of squash—the sportsmanship Last year, the women’s team is hopeful about the team’s sched- longest consecutive winning Egypt, Australia, Pakistan, In-
and the attitude.” made the finals in the Epps ule and is itching to beat Colby. streak in all college sports. dia, and other parts of Europe
Davis, who began playing division. With some of that “We are certainly looking for- About half of Trinity’s players and South America. Many of
squash as a first year, believes momentum and with the support ward to playing Colby because are international, while Bowdo- these players hope to play in
this supportive aspect is import- of veteran players, they hope to that’s always a good match,” in focuses its recruiting resourc- the States and get an American
ant. She strives to focus on small present a united, cohesive front Butler said. “Especially this year, es nationally. education.
goals. “Like when I play tough this season. because it seems like they’re go- “If we ever win a match, or The Polar Bears will be playing
teams, not necessarily focusing The men’s team, however, ing to be a weaker team, so we lose 8-1, which I think has hap- Trinity at the Lubin Family Squash
on winning, but on getting bet- only graduated one senior and could [beat them].” pened twice, that’s a big party. Center on Saturday at 3 p.m.
14 Friday, November 30, 2018

O OPINION
Local alliance
Before email existed, on Thursday nights the Orient staff would create pages
by pasting words and images onto boards and hand delivering them to the
press room of Alliance Press in Brunswick, our printer of more than thirty
years. Soon, however, we will be extremely grateful that we now submit pages
as emailed PDFs, because Alliance Press is moving to South Portland.
The Orient isn’t the only small-town newspaper that’s been published in
Brunswick over the last few years. The Brunswick Times Record prints there,
along with other local and college papers, and this move will likely require
changes for each of these papers’ production processes.
Alliance Press is doing all that they can to make sure that the Orient can still
be published in a timely fashion every Friday without significant cost increas-
es, and we’re still figuring out exactly how the move will affect us. Whatever
happens, we want to acknowledge that this is not Alliance Press’s fault—they’re
making the best of this situation, and we are grateful for that. However, for
another college or local paper, a move like this could be the final straw that
forces them to significantly alter their publication process or prevents them
from publishing altogether.
This is but one small stab in a larger attack on local journalism. The number
of daily newspapers in the United States has dropped 26 percent since 1970.
According to the Columbia Journalism Review, local newspaper circulation
numbers have dropped by roughly 30 percent over the past 15 years. In the past
decade, overall newspaper newsroom employment has dropped by 45 percent.
What happens when newsrooms shrink? It becomes harder for reporters
to meaningfully cover their communities on a daily basis. A study out of the
University of Illinois earlier this year found that local governments become
less fiscally responsible. A 2015 study from researchers at American University
and George Washington University found that a diminished news environment

DY
decreases political engagement, too.

NNE
As journalists, we’re particularly interested in this aspect of the issue, but

LY KE
similar phenomena are occurring in many other industries as well. Local busi-

MOL
nesses are forced to move out or shut down when their rents go up. Jobs are
becoming increasingly concentrated in major cities, and rural and suburban
communities are left behind.

Material messianism: ‘Waiting

The good news is that change can happen on a local level. Subscribe to your
local newspaper and engage with it—send in story tips and write letters to the
editor. If you live in a town without a local paper, stay informed by attending
town council meetings and contacting your local government officials. Support

for John’ and the ‘cargo cult’

other small businesses in your communities. And be grateful for the people
who wake up at 5 a.m. or earlier to make sure your newspaper is on your door-
step every day.

This editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orient’s editorial board, secret. The white people are doing this as lives. Other articles have taken this tack to
which is composed of Nell Fitzgerald, Dakota Griffin, George Grimbilas, Calder a sort of ritual designed to make the gods contextualize “cargo cults” within modern
Beyond Belief
McHugh, Devin McKinney and Jessica Piper. send the goods to them, the cargo.” American materialism.
by Emma Newbery
In this 1960 documentary, the island- A second angle, however, perhaps pres-
ers are limited to a ritual lens through ents a more nuanced conclusion than direct
As a documentary and irony enthusi- which to see the world. The implication is, comparison. For as Melton also acknowl-
ast, I spent Black Friday watching “Waiting moreover, that this is a less sophisticated edges in his 1985 article, messianic proph-
for John: An Island Cult Worships Amer- worldview. As Attenborough suggests, ecy is not the sole tenet of any one religion.
ican Materialism.” The 2015 documentary the only way the islanders can conceive Though it is certainly a facet of worship,
ESTABLISHED 1871 centers on the John Frum movement on of American military practice is through a given movement “must also develop a
Tanna, an island in the archipelago of a potential communication with the gods. group life within which ritual can be per-
bowdoinorient.com orient@bowdoin.edu 6200 College Station Brunswick, ME 04011 Vanuatu. More commonly known as a And while this certainly was one facet of formed and individual interaction occur.”
“cargo cult,” this minority religion revolves their initial belief, the reality of American The John Frum Movement must be taken
The Bowdoin Orient is a student-run weekly publication dedicated to providing news and information around the figure John Frum, said to be a presence in 1942—following the first John for more than its prophetic component.
relevant to the Bowdoin community. Editorially independent of the College and its administrators, soldier who visited Tanna during World Frum prediction in 1940—lends this belief As one village member, August, explains,
the Orient pursues such content freely and thoroughly, following professional journalistic standards in War II bringing promises of American to historical and colonial legitimacy. For “We live here in Lamakara a very peaceful
writing and reporting. The Orient is committed to serving as an open forum for thoughtful and diverse materials, or “cargo.” Belief in his immi- John Frum believers, their belief is based life. Chief Isak leads us all. He has rules
discussion and debate on issues of interest to the College community. nent return sparked the performance of in fact—to some extent, they are correct. for many things so that we live according
U.S. military rituals, including drills and What’s more, with the arrival of coloniz- to our traditions.” Brothers Naunoun and
flag raising ceremonies to maintain belief ers in 1774, Western influence has been Joseph cite similar traditions and the im-
Calder McHugh Jessica Piper in John’s return. The connection between present on the island for a very long time. portance of living “as our ancestors lived.”
Editor in Chief Editor in Chief this near-extinct religious practice and While it is important to assess these be- The weekly worship, daily flag-raising and
“Black Friday” is obvious. In this article, liefs as primarily spiritual and religious, as orderly marching lend structure and coher-
I am more interested in teasing out the practitioners themselves view the move- ence to village life in their present iterations,
Digital Director Managing Editor News Editor latent stereotypes about religion and ritual ment, it is also important to note that the even as they are oriented towards a future
James Little Anjulee Bhalla Nina McKay that come to the fore in depictions of these “spirit of John Frum” is closely intertwined of prosperity that may never come. “John
Nell Fitzgerald “cargo cults.” with the specter of colonialism that, while told us: ‘OK. One day something will come
Photo Editor Dakota Griffin The John Frum movement has its no longer physically occupying the island, to our people,’” says Chief Isak Wan. This
Ezra Sunshine Alyce McFadden Features Editor
greatest stronghold in the village of La- certainly maintains a firm grip even from promise, left vague and entirely without
Mindy Leder (asst.) Mitchel Jurasek
Associate Editor makara, in southern Tanna. Though oceans away. temporal or material specification, works to
Chief Isak Wan maintains a firm belief in There are two angles of analysis for sustain the present as much as it does belief
Layout Editor Maia Coleman Sports Editor John’s return, many villagers have left the the material presented above. The first, in the future.
Emma Bezilla Amanda Newman
Lucia Ryan Kathryn McGinnis movement for Christian alternatives on perhaps more intuitively, is comparative. Internal fissures and external pres-
Ian Stewart
the southeast coast. “Waiting for John” This line of analysis links the belief in Je- sures from Christian movements in Port
Jaret Skonieczny (asst.) Copy Editor highlights a hierarchy of legitimacy for sus Christ the messiah and the belief in Resolution and Sulphur Bay threaten to
Sam Adler A&E Editor
religious groups that extends far beyond the return of John Frum. Theorist John extinguish the John Frum Movement.
Data Desk Editor Sydney Benjamin Sabrina Lin
Tanna to our own Western conceptions of G. Melton has identified the processes of Moreover, the emphasis on “tradition” and
Drew Macdonald Conrad Li religious practice. “spiritualization” as a crucial mediating “custom,” reveal not only the belief in John
Gideon Moore Devin McKinney
George Grimbilas (asst.) Opinion Editor The John Frum movement entails a cu- factor for religious movements whose Frum’s return, but also attests to the consti-
Nimra Siddiqui (asst.) Multimedia Editor Kate Lusignan rious appropriation of Western practices. prophecies are subject to doubt. Recon- tutive nature of religion and its undeniable
Surya Milner From footage of a 1960 docuseries, “The ceptualizing an anticipated physical or social function. As Sherry’s film suggests,
People of Paradise,” voice-over favorite material act as a spiritual occurrence can the John Frum movement can tell us a
Business Manager Calendar Editor
Avery Wolfe Coordinating Editor David Attenborough explains early Amer- work to reaffirm the belief in the prophecy lot about the way we construct legitimacy,
Cole van Miltenburg
Molly Kennedy Gwen Davidson ican rationale for these cults. With Amer- and its fulfillment. As filmmaker Jessica history and most importantly religion and
ica using the island as a military base in Sherry notes, all believers of the John ritual. Rather than tied to a fictional realm
Digital Strategist Head Illustrator Page 2 Editor battles against the Japanese, Attenborough Frum movement maintain that “John is or spiritual realm, it is clearly the product
Sophie Washington Phoebe Zipper Diego Lasarte points out that islanders could not help but a spirit.” This rationale holds true for the and process of real, historical encounters.
marvel at the very “cargo” that has come to messianic elements in Christianity as well. As Melton puts it: religion and ritual
form the basis of their religion. Imploring In a more secular sense, the movement’s operate “within a complex set of beliefs
The material contained herein is the property of The Bowdoin Orient and appears at the sole discretion of the his Western audience to place themselves replication of American national rituals and interpersonal relationships.” I would
editors. The editors reserve the right to edit all material. Other than in regard to the above editorial, the opinions in the islanders’ shoes, he argues that, highlights the overwhelming, almost “re- strongly recommend “Waiting for John”
expressed in the Orient do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors. eventually, “it dawns on you: this is the ligious” hold material culture has on our as a thought-provoking watch.
Friday, November 30, 2018 OPINION 15

Climate change and the future of skiing in Maine

Pine Tree
Perspective
by Lowell Ruck
Winter is officially here in
Maine. As I’m writing this,
campus and much of the rest
of the state are covered with
snow, and some places in the
north and west have been
buried in over a foot. As an
avid Nordic skier, I couldn’t
be more excited. This Thanks-
giving was the first in recent
memory where I’ve been able
to go skiing on anything more
than a manmade loop. I’m
sure Alpine skiers are equally
thrilled—Sugarloaf and Sun-
day River, Maine’s largest ski
resorts, are calling this whole
climatic anomaly “Snowvem-
ber” and have most certainly
capitalized on the early start
to the season.
Yet even as I welcome
winter’s arrival, I can’t help
but wonder how much lon-
ger Maine will see conditions
like these. As recent climate
reports have indicated, we
are dangerously close to pro-
voking catastrophic climate
change, and if we fail to re-
duce our emissions soon, the
consequences will be severe.
Our state alone could warm as
much as five degrees Fahren-
heit in the next 50 to 60 years
and, according to extreme
estimates, could be as hot as
Virginia is today. What will
this drastic increase in tem-
perature mean for Maine?
More specifically, how will
it affect our ski industry and
culture, which rely on cold,
snowy winters?
One of the first conse-
quences of warming will be the
loss of small Alpine ski areas.
There are dozens of these in
Maine, most of which offer a
few trails served by a rope tow,
T-bar or rusty double chair.
Despite their smaller size and
lower budget, these ski moun-
tains are fairly popular, as
they often charge lower prices
for tickets and are usually not
very far from towns or cities.
However, most are at lower
elevations than their larger
counterparts, making them
more susceptible to change
caused by warmer tempera-
tures. In addition, their small-
er business models generally
rely less on snowmaking and
other expensive measures for
preserving trails, which will
be increasingly necessary in a
changing climate. As a result,
institutions such as Shawnee
Peak, Camden Snow Bowl,
Lost Valley and Black Moun-
tain could soon struggle to
turn a profit. In turn, as these
areas close, Alpine skiing will
likely become less accessible
to most people, who may
not be able to afford the
travel and high ticket
prices required to
ski at resorts
like Sugarloaf
or Sunday Riv-
er.
We can also
expect that
Nordic ski
trail networks
in Maine will
be increasing-
ly inviable in
the future. Most
of these are also
located at lower
elevations. Howev-
er, unlike Alpine areas,
many Nordic centers are
maintained by municipalities
and land trusts and can’t usu-
ally support snowmaking over
multiple kilometers of trails.
In the absence of increased
investment, it seems that Nor-
dic skiing in Maine may soon
be restricted to only the most
developed, high-elevation
touring centers and smaller
networks may suffer the same
fate as smaller Alpine areas.
On top of all this, the
environmental impact of
skiing will become much
greater than it has been in the
past. Because of the loss of
smaller-scale ski mountains
and trail networks throughout
the Northeast, many people
will elect to drive greater
distances to larger resorts
such as Sugarloaf with more
secure snowpacks. When
they arrive, skiers will find
mountains and trail systems
which will increasingly
rely on
snowmaking, a process that
requires large amounts of
water and electricity. In
addition, larger crowds may
drive these same areas to build
new lifts and lodging and to
develop new terrain, which
will ultimately consume
even more resources. This
increase in travel and resource
consumption will release
more greenhouse gases into
the atmosphere, worsening
the climate upon which
these ski areas depend
and compounding the
problems described
above.
The sum
of these changes will be a
drastic diminishment of ski-
ing culture. Generations of
Mainers, inspired by early
immigrants from Scandinavia
and the Alps, have historically
turned to skiing as a way to
pass time during our state’s
notoriously long and severe
winters. Now, it looks like
both Alpine and Nordic ski-
ing may be accessible to only
the wealthiest among us. And
while larger ski resorts and
touring centers may see in-
creased traffic, the slow death
of local mountains and trail
systems may harm our econ-
omy as ticket revenue shifts to
ski areas run by corporations
rather than local businesses.
Maine will be affected in
many ways by climate change,
from the probable collapse
of the lobster industry due to
warming oceans, to the ag-
ricultural failures caused by
droughts, to the loss or severe
endangerment of many of our
most iconic natural treasures.
Skiing is only one part of the
picture. Nonetheless, it’s some-
thing worth considering the
next time you find yourself out
enjoying the snow. Our actions
have consequences for the fu-
ture, and all of us—citizens,
governments and ski resorts big
and small—have the respon-
sibility to act as we are able to
stave off climate change’s worst
effects. Otherwise, we may irre-
versibly alter the planet, and
in doing so, lose one of
Maine’s most endur-
ing activities.
SHONA ORTIZ

LETTER TO THE EDITOR QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Orient’s use of ‘non-traditional’ ARE YOU OUT OF POLAR POINTS?

student disgraceful
To whom it may concern:
As a military Veteran, I find it very dis-
graceful that you would refer to people in the
military as “non-traditional” students!
As a former military person and someone
that has gone back to school within the past
six years, it was very hard for me to go back
to school and deal with generational differ-
ence. We are taught to be respectful. We may
do things differently than the general public,
but we have been taught some very good life
lessons. What makes someone a “traditional”
student? How will there be “social, econom-
ic and personal challenges” to becoming a
student? I’m sure that you are aware of the
Answer at bowdoinorient.com/poll.
course that we “non-traditional” students
have to take before leaving the military. It’s
called the Transition Assistance Program,
which helps assist in the transition from mil-
itary to civilian life. It does take some time to
adjust, and for the most part we do just fine.
Last week’s response:
Everyone has personal issues and challenges.
We are not different people when it comes Q: DO YOU LIKE THE NEW COURSE SCHEDULE?
to military and/or civilians. We have lived
totally different lives but are still people and
still students.
62% YES
Very respectfully, 38% NO
Christopher Munt
Bowdoin College Based on answers from 32 voters
Mechanical Services

Submit an Op-Ed or a Letter to the Editor to

GOT orientopinion@bowdoin.edu by 7 p.m. on the
THOUGHTS? Tuesday of the week of publication. Include
your full name and phone number.
 16 Friday, November 30, 2018

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
FRIDAY 30
PERFORMANCE
December Dance Concert
Students will perform choreography by Dance Faculty Aretha
Aoki, Adanna Jones and Gwyneth Jones. The
Association of Bowdoin Friends will sponsor a reception
following the performance.
Pickard Theater, Memorial Hall. 7:30 p.m.

PERFORMANCE
Dear Nora
WBOR, Bowdoin Queer-Straight Alliance and MacMillan
House will host Dear Nora, an indie pop band revitalized in
2017 by guitarist Katy Davidson. The group is known for its
experimental and far-reaching contributions to rock music,
covering topics including nature, technology and politics.
MacMillan House. 8 p.m.
MINDY LEDER, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
PERFORMANCE TEARING UP THE ICE: On November 16, Bowdoin men’s ice hockey (2-3) suffered a 4-1 loss against Williams (3-1) in its first game of the season.
Racer X The team will face Colby (1-2-1) at the Alfond Arena in Waterville on December 1st.
The cover band, including Assistant Professor of English
Aaron Kitch on the keyboard and Assistant Professor of
Music Vineet Shende on vocals and guitar, will perform 80s hits.
Ladd House. 10 p.m.
MONDAY 3 WEDNESDAY 5
EVENT PERFORMANCE
L.L. Bean Northern Lights Celebration End of Semester Dance Show
L.L. Bean will host various themed events and festivities All of Bowdoin’s student dance groups will have an end-of-

SATURDAY 1 throughout the month of December, including a Discovery

Forest and Warming Hut. Monday’s activity is a Snowflake
Shoot at the Archery Range and the Hunting and
semester performance at Pickard Theater.
Pickard Theater. 8:00 p.m.
EVENT Fishing Store.
Brunch with Paul Adelstein Freeport. 6 p.m.
Actor Paul Adelstein ’91, who has starred in “Scandal,”
“Private Practice” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” will visit campus to
discuss his career and his time at Bowdoin. Students will have
the chance to eat brunch and ask questions.
Helmreich House. 11:30 a.m. THURSDAY 6
PERFORMANCE
Chamber Choir
TUESDAY 4 DISCUSSION
Book Launch and Discussion: Connie
Chiang
The Chamber Choir, under the direction of Robert K. EVENT In the library’s final book launch of the semester, Professor of
Greenlee, will perform a program of “Sky Music,” which Curator’s Tour of “1968—Spring of History and Environmental Studies Connie Chiang will present
includes songs pertaining to weather, flight and the planets. Discontent” her book “Nature Behind Barbed Wire: An Environmental
Chapel. 3 p.m. Assistant Professor of German Jens Klenner and students History of the Japanese American Incarceration.”
from his course “German Literature and Culture since 1945” Nixon Lounge, Hawthorne-Longfellow Library. 4:30 p.m.
will discuss the photography of Michael Ruetz, which
showcased political turbulence in Germany beginning PERFORMANCE
in 1968. End of Semester A Capella Show
SUNDAY 2 Museum of Art. 4 p.m.

EVENT
Write Now, Write-Here, Write-In!
Writing assistants and research librarians will be present at
the Center for Learning and Teaching to assist students with
final essays and assignments. Space is limited and sign-ups
are available on the CLT website.
The Center for Learning and Teaching. 3 p.m.
DISCUSSION
A Community Title IX Discussion
Benje Douglas, director of gender violence prevention and
education and Title IX coordinator, will host an open forum
for students to ask questions and share concerns about
Bowdoin’s Title IX policy. This follows U.S. Secretary of
Education Betsy DeVos’ proposed changes on November 16.
The Pickering Room, Hubbard Hall. 8 p.m.
All of Bowdoin’s a capella groups will have an end-of-
semester performance at Pickard Theater.
Pickard Theater. 7:30 p.m.
PERFORMANCE
Bowdoin Orchestra
The Bowdoin Orchestra will perform works including the
tone poem Scheherazade by Nikolai Rimsky-Korskakov at its
annual concert.
Kanbar Auditorium, Studzinski Recital Hall. 7:30 p.m.

7 CONCERT 8 CONCERT 9 10 11 CONCERT 12 PERFORMANCE 13 LECTURE

St. Petersburg Dr. Richmond

Jazz Night I Jazz Night II Music Finale Men’s Ensemble Thompson
Lecture