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Bowdoin College

Bowdoin Orient
The

FEBRUARY 12, 2016

BOC budget
shortage
could reduce
programming
BY MEG ROBBINS
ORIENT STAFF

CALL AND RESPONSE

After the Meeting in the Union one year ago (above), students issued an open letter to the community that contained 18 calls to action.
MATTHEW GUTSCHENRITTER THE BOWDOIN ORIENT
Below are four of the calls to action and the Colleges response. See page 5 for a complete list.
THE COLLEGE ANSWERED WITH...

THEY CALLED FOR...

We call on the College to institute a section of first-year orientation that

deals explicitly with race.

Leana Amaez, Benjamin Harris, Janet Lohmann, Koa Khoung and

a group of students are working to develop a new program for
first-year orientation for the class of 2020 that will address issues
of race and bias.

We call on the College and Residential Life staff to provide its College
House members with race training in addition to working to create a
more inclusive space within the College House System for all students.

ResLife added a question to the College House application that specifically address diversity, and officers had additional training on facilitating inclusivity in houses.

We call on the College to address the existence of [the current racial

climate on campus], and declare an intent at further action.

Student Affairs has outlined several programs to educate students on

race and create inclusive spaces. Many departments have worked with
dialogue facilitators and Sarah Washington 17 has been elected to the
newly created position of BSG Multicultural Representative.

1. We call on the College to provide an option for anonymity when

reporting the occurrence of a bias incident in order to encourage those
students who might want to report a bias incident but who do not feel
safe in doing so.

The College is working to create a system for anonymous reporting

of bias incidents to be implemented within the semester, as well as a
new landing page for diversity and inclusion resources on the Bowdoin
website.

Please see BOC, page 6

New IT tool
to safeguard
Bowdoins
network

15
18

BY LUCY RYAN

ORIENT STAFF

BY JULIAN ANDREWS AND STEFF CHAVEZ

ORIENT STAFF

One year since the Meeting in the Union, the

College has adopted and addressed many policies and practices in response to student concerns. However, an overarching sentiment exists
among administrators and students that while
progress is being made, it will be made slowly
and there is still work to be done.
The meeting was a student-organized demonstration that took place February 13, 2015. It
brought to the forefront several social justice issues that impact members of the Bowdoin community, as well as the intersectionality between
those issues. After the meeting, an Open Letter to the Community was delivered to former
president Barry Mills, outlining 19 calls to action
regarding race and diversity on campus.
Race and diversity issues continue to permeate the lives of Bowdoin community members.
Race is a dividing line in our society, on campuses across our country, and at Bowdoin. Those
of color in our community experience Bowdoin
differently than those who are white; the difference can be profound and occurs in every aspect
of our lives here, wrote President Clayton Rose
in a December 3, 2015 campus-wide email.
It can be dauntingits a lot to take on, said
Associate Dean of Students for Diversity and In-

TALK OF THE QUAD

HOW TO WIN THE ROSE

Jenny Ibsen 18 and Katie Miklus 16 defend Moulton in the

dining hall debate.
Page 11.

Learn how to win the bachelors

affections from Columnist Reality Ally.
Page 7.

A&E

FEATURES

Please see NETWORK, page 6

2. We call on the College to promote the option of reporting a bias incident by educating the student body about the process at the beginning
of each academic year.
clusion Leana Amaez. Were asking institutions
that were built 200 years ago for a very different
population to reimagine themselves, and that
takes a lot of intentionality and examination of
where are our traditions, where are our policies,
where are our practices not meeting the needs of
students today, where are they not reflecting the
diversity of our world, where are they creating
barriers to inclusion and equity.
Amaez and the rest of the office of student affairs have been heavily involved in several efforts
that directly address concerns raised in the open
letter. Notably, additional programming during
first-year orientation will specifically address
race and bias; Bowdoins intergroup dialogue
programming is expanding; and divisions of the
College are adopting hiring and retention best
practices in order to increase diversity among
faculty and staff.
Residential Life (ResLife) has also taken steps
towards educating their staff on how to facilitate
conversations on difficult subjects by doubling
the amount of training on race, gender and sexuality, as well as working with College House officers to improve the inclusivity and accessibility
of College House programming. Additionally,
ResLife has added a question specific to diversity
to the College House application.
A year after the Meeting in the Union, the
event continues to have a profound impact at the

College, both on an institutional level and for

many people individually.
I think that was the first time Ive really seen
the activist boundaries being crossed in everyone working towards general betterment and
getting many pieces together at once which I
thought was really, really, cool, said Maddie Lemal-Brown 18. I really liked the Meeting in the
Union part; [it was] electrifying.
One of the meeting organizers, Claudia VillarLeeman 15, had several negative racial experiences during her time at Bowdoin.
For pretty much my entire Bowdoin career,
said Villar-Leeman, it felt [like the majority of
campus] was either ignoring or kind of willfully
oblivious to a lot of these issues because a lot of
these issues are painful to talk about or uncomfortable to talk about.
Participating in the event has allowed VillarLeeman to now look back at her time at Bowdoin
with positivity.
I was very encouraged that students were giving voice to their concerns in a really clear and
powerful way, and that the message for me is that
our students were really hurting as a result of the
institution and its failures in certain places to
live up to the Offer of the College, said Amaez.
Thats an important message, and an important

Please see UNION, page 5

FROM MAINE TO SPAIN

SPORTS

The Information Technology (IT) department will install a new security tool,
an Internet Protection Service (IPS), that
will further protect the campus network
from malware, viruses and cyber attacks,
according to an email sent to the campus
community on Monday morning by Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of IT Mitch Davis.
While the main goal of an IPS would
be to keep the system as clean as possible, the new software will also allow
IT to see if illegal sites are being used on
Bowdoins network.
The IPS will scan all internet usage on
the Bowdoin Network. It will not block
any website unless that site has previously
been reported to spread viruses to the network, nor will it initially detect potentially
high-risk sites, or sites known to attack
networks. Davis labels pornography and
gambling websites as high-risk for their
reputation for malware distribution.
While students were worried about
perceived infringement on their privacy,
the IPS will rather act as a recording device, the data of which IT will examine in
the event of an incident, such as a malware
or illegal activity report. Depending on
the specific IPS system, it may then notify
users when they have gone to a potentially
dangerous site.

Catch up with John Swords

15, who signed with a Spanish basketball team in January.
Page 12.

BLACK SUPERMAN
OPINION

The Bowdoin Outing Club (BOC)

reported a budget shortage of $18,000
to the Student Activities Funding
Committee (SAFC) last Friday. This
unexpected reduction in the operating budget could result in reduced
programming this spring for the
clubthe Colleges largest student
organization with over 300 members
and one of its major selling points.
The SAFC is currently reviewing a
budget proposal to allocate $5,810 to
BOC for the remainder of the school
year and will likely make a decision
about whether to grant these funds at
their next meeting on Monday. Even
if the request is approved, it will still
leave BOC nearly $12,000 short of
what they expected to have this year.
If SAFC grants the BOC the full
$5,810, it would reduce the amount
of available funds for other clubs and
activities this springtraditionally
the busiest (and most expensive) se-

Chaz Phillips 18 on the power

of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
Page 14.

news

the bowdoin orient

friday, february 12, 2016

PORNGATE 2016

Yik Yakers are in distress over ITs new security system.

On Monday, February 8, students received an email from IT regarding a new network security tool that
will, among other things, flag high-risk websites, such as pornography or gambling sites. While these
measures intend to protect the student body against cyber attacks, phishing schemes or other electronic
dangers, the student body did not react with gratitude. Instead, students responded in a hysteric uproar
over the threat to their ability to watch porn. Yik Yak exploded with distress calls of individuals barred
from getting their sensual fix. A selection of Yaks from the day of the announcment are pictured below.

SOPHIE WASHINGTON

SECURITY REPORT: 2/5 to 2/10

Friday, February 5
An officer assisted a student with a
nose bleed at Super Snack.
A loader that was removing snow
struck and damaged a door on the east
side of Morrell Gymnasium.
Saturday, February 6
A student who was smoking
with a vaporizer (in violation of the
smoking policy) accidentally activated the fire alarm at Quinby. The
building was evacuated and the fire
department responded.
A smoke alarm at 52 Harpswell was
activated by burnt microwave popcorn.
Sunday, February 7
Three students were briefly trapped
inside a malfunctioning elevator in Coles
Tower; they were released unharmed.
An officer checked on the wellbeing of an intoxicated student at

Moore Hall.
An officer assisted an intoxicated
student in the womens rest room at
Thorne Hall, and then escorted the
student to her residence.
A female student alleged being
subjected to sexist language from a
male student.
Burnt microwave popcorn activated a smoke alarm at Hyde Hall.
Tuesday, February 9
Burnt microwave popcorn set off
the building fire alarm at Moore Hall.
A suet bird feeder, which a student
had installed on Helmreich House, was
removed as it was likely contributing to
a squirrel problem in the building.
Thursday, February 10
A person reported receiving a bogus
email from a businessman purporting
to be a representative of the College.

STUDENT SPEAK

For more on ITs new security system, see page one.

Whats something people wouldnt expect to learn about you?

Anna Reyes 15

Julian Tamayo 16

Kristina Karlson 17

I try to get off campus as

much as possible, so Im taking
two classes in Portland at the
Maine College of Art.

From the third grade

until twelfth grade, I not
only learned but I taught
ballroom dancing and
etiquette.

My favorite thing to do
is teach figure skating to
small children.

Maddie Daily 16

Jude Marx 18

Im actually a cat.

I did kung fu for six years.

COMPILED BY OLIVIA ATWOOD, HY KHONG AND JENNY IBSEN

friday, february 12, 2016

the bowdoin orient

NEWS IN BRIEF

news

COMPILED BY RACHAEL ALLEN, JAMES CALLAHAN, JAMES LITTLE AND GIDEON MOORE

WAKA FLOCKA FOR IVIES

NEW TRUSTEE CHAIR

In a mock spoiler email to the community, the Entertainment Board

(eBoard) announced yesterday that the rapper Waka Flocka Flame, also
known as Waka Flocka, will be the Thursday Ivies act. Waka Flocka is best
known for his 2010 album Flockaveli. On January 28, Waka Flocka posted
#FuckPaulLepage on his Twitter page. It is unclear if this tweet was in
reference to Maine governor Paul Lepages slew of comments in early January on out-of-state drug dealers coming to Maine and impregnating young
white girls or Lepages support of reviving the guillotine to publically execute drug traffickers. Danish singer-songwriter M will headline Ivies on
Saturday afternoon.

During last weekends triannual retreat at Babson College in Wellesley, MA, Bowdoins
Board of Trustees elected Michele Cyr 76, P 12 to serve as the Boards new chair for the next
three years. Cyr, who serves as associate dean for academic affairs for the division of biology
and medicine at Brown Universitys Warren Alpert Medical School, will begin her position
on July 1, when current chair Deborah Jensen Barker 80, P 16 will step down. Elected to
the Board of Trustees in 2000, Cyr has served on multiple Board committees, including the
Academic Affairs Committee and Presidential Search Committee. Graduating magna cum
laude with an art and biochemistry double major, Cyr was part of Bowdoins second class of
women. She went on to graduate from Dartmouth Medical School and completed her residency at Maine Medical Center. During the retreat, the Board also elected John J. Studzinski
78 to Trustee Emeritus and granted a number of faculty members tenure.

REACCREDITATION
Last week, Bowdoin held its preliminary meeting for its upcoming reaccreditation process. Every 10 years, Bowdoin undergoes this process, where
an outside accrediting agency, the New England Association of Schools and
Colleges (NEASC), recertifies the College as an educational institution after
reviewing the Colleges self-study and inspecting the College. The committee
conducting the self-study within Bowdoin will be co-chaired by Vice President for Institutional Research, Analytics and Consulting Tina Finneran and
Dean for Academic Affairs Jen Scanlon. According to Scanlon, the committee will be consulting not only with faculty but also staff and students in
order to address their concerns about the future of the College. Bowdoin will
be inspected by the NEASC committee from November 5 to 8 in 2017. Previous reaccreditations have led to the adoption of the College House system in
conjunction with the abolition of fraternities as well as the implementation
of distribution requirements within the Colleges curriculum.

INTERIM HEALTH DIRECTOR

COURTESY OF BOWDOIN COMMUNICATIONS

Former Director of Health Services

Sandra Hayes will return to Bowdoin to
serve as interim director of Health Services for the remainder of the semester,
announced Dean of Student Affairs Tim
Foster in an email to the community
on Wednesday. This change in leadership follows Director of Health Services
Birgit Pols announcement last week that
she will step down from her position
on March 11 to focus on family matters. Hayes served as Director of Health
Services from 2007 through 2014, after joining the Health Center staff as a
nurse practitioner in 2000. Foster also
announced on Wednesday that Wendy
Sansone will be promoted to associate director/clinical care coordinator. Sansone
has worked in Health Services for 15
years. Bowdoin will continue its national
search for a new permanent director.

CAMPUS PLANNING
Representatives from planning and design firm Skidmore, Owings and
Merrill (SOM) hosted a workshop Thursday night to discuss a long-term
facilities plan for the college, kicking off the Colleges first master planning
project in over a decade.
At a place like Bowdoin, history and legacy and vision are very important, said architect and urban designer Doug Voigt, who was involved in the
Colleges last master planning project.
Around 40 students and administrators gathered to discuss likes and dislikes of the College in the Cram Alumni House. They touched on things like
favorite buildings, best study spots, good and bad classrooms and a whole
host of other issues.
Arranged by Bowdoin Student Government Vice President for Facilities
and Sustainability Kevin Hernandez 18, the meeting was primarily discussion-based, with students posting suggestions via text message to a computer screen.
Much of the talk revolved around the use of classroom spacethe dungeon-like classrooms in Searles, the underutilization of Hubbard Hall and a
general preference for tables over tiny desks.
First year Danny Miro pointed out that, given the recent popularity of
standing while studying on the first floor of Hawthorne-Longfellow Library,
planners should considering standing classroom space.
Additionally, several concerns were raised about the field and court space
available in Farley Field House as well as the problem of common spaces in
dorms throughout campus.
In an interview with the Orient, President Clayton Rose expressed optimism for the project.
Its not about putting up a building. Its about what we want to do, what
we want to be and then what kind of physical facilities we need to help us
accomplish that, said Rose. Were going to be bold and ambitious about
taking Bowdoin to even greater heights intellectually and in terms of the
experiences folks have on campus.
Seeing this as merely a preliminary meeting, representatives from SOM
said they would be back in a few months to continue the dialogue as they
prepare their plan. In the interim, however, they encouraged students to
submit suggestions to campusplanning@bowdoin.edu.

COURTESY OF BOWDOIN COMMUNICATIONS

news

the bowdoin orient

friday, february 12, 2016

Ladd hosts discussion on race in the College House System

BY CALDER MCHUGH
ORIENT STAFF

Last night Ladd House hosted a

panel and small-group discussion
entitled, Why do the College Houses Feel so White? Topics of discussion ranged from how music and
dancing at College House parties
affect the whiteness of the spaces to
what it feels like as a student of color
applying to a house.
Organized by President of Reed
House Diana Furukawa 18 and Programming Director of Reed House
Victoria Lowrie 18, the panel was
moderated by Assistant Director
of Residential Life Mariana Centeno and featured Hayley Nicholas
17, Sarah Lim 18, Hannah Cooke
18, Justin Weathers 18, Osakhare
Omoregie 18, Maya Reyes 16 and
Paola Maymi 18. The event was attended by about 40 students.
While each panelist had different experiences and understandings
of why and how College Houses are
predominantly white spaces, the
majority of the panel agreed the
music and dancing culture at College Houses reinforce the feeling of
whiteness that pervades the houses.
Reyes suggested songs that are the
main culprits for her, particularly
Mr. Brightside and Stacys Mom.
Theres no denying Stacys Mom
is a white, suburban song, she said.
Its a fun song, but now as a senior
every time I hear that song I think
that wasnt my life experience. So
just knowing now that every time it
plays in a College House its just a

reminder that this is the culture Im

in, and I cant forget that.
Centeno noted that statistically,
the racial composition of College
Houses is about the same as the rest
of the college. Maymi spoke to this
point.
For me the College House system
hasnt felt that white because I went
to middle school and high school in
Tampa, Florida at a school that was
95 percent white, which felt much
whiter than Bowdoin, she said.
Maymi added that she felt the
most uncomfortable with her race
when applying to a College House as
part of a block.
Maybe this wasnt my friends
intention[s], but I felt like I was always being singled out as someone
who would make the block better because Im Puerto Rican, she
said. And that felt uncomfortable to
me because I didnt want to be living with people who saw me as just
someone that would help them get
in [to a house].
However, in light of increased attention being paid to diversity on
campus, the application process
seems to be changing. Centeno has
seen a shift in the focus of programming suggestions for College Houses.
A lot of the programs [first
years are] bringing up are programs
speaking about diversity, she said.
Thats a trend that I havent seen
before in reading applications.
These programsalong with
events like last nights panelcould
help usher in a shift in the role College Houses serve on campus.

JENNY IBSEN, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

FULL HOUSE: Panelist Osakhare Omoregie 18 and Jonah Watt 18 talk after the panel Why Do The College Houses Feel So White?

For video interviews with the panelists,

please see bowdoinorient.com.

BSG welcomes Washington 17 to new

role as multiculural representative
BY HARRY RUBE
ORIENT STAFF

COURTESY OF THE BOWDOIN BUGLE

OLD BEAR: Mayor of San Francisco Ed Lee 74 during his senior year at Bowdoin.

BOWDOIN IN THE NEWS

Earlier this week, the San Francisco Chronicle told the story of Jim
Harding 74, who lives in a homeless shelter. Harding was a good
friend of Ed Lee 74, who is the current mayor of San Francisco.
See the full story at sfchronicle.com.

Bowdoin Student Government

(BSG) welcomed Sarah Washington
17 as its newest member at its meeting on Wednesday, filling the newly
created chair of the representative of
the Multicultural Coalition.
As a representative, Washington
hopes to utilize BSGs school-wide
email capability and institutional
support to better promote multicultural events on campus, saying, Often, unless youre a Facebook friend
with someone, youre not really going to get invited to an event, but if
youre getting an email from BSG
thats different, its something thats
simple that can have an immediate
impact.
Before her introduction, Danny
Mejia-Cruz 16 acknowledged some
of the events leading up to the creation of the chair.
It was a crazy last semester, but
Im very happy, and I know that this
assembly is very happy to welcome
you.
Last semesters calls for broader
dialogue about the issues that students of color face on campus culminated in a proposal by the BSGs
executive team, led by Mejia-Cruz
and Vice President for Student Government Affairs Michelle Kruk 16,
to propose adding a new interestgroup representative for the Multicultural Coalition, similar to the
ones already on BSG representing
the Inter-House Council, the Athletics Council, the McKeen Center and
the Entertainment Board.
The student body overwhelmingly

Often, unless youre a Facebook friend with someone, youre

not really going to get invited to an event, but if youre getting
an email from BSGthats different, its something thats
simple that can have an immediate impact.
SARAH WASHINGTON
approved a referendum on the new
position before Winter Break by a
1,155 to 100 vote. Last Friday, representatives of the 22 groups that
make up the Multicultural Coalition
met to elect their new BSG delegate.
Three students ran for the position,
the other two being Hugh Mo 17 of
the Asian Students Association, and
Victoria Pitaktong 17 of Students
for a Free Tibet.
Washington, who lives at the John
Brown Russwurm African American
Center and primarily considers herself a member of the African-American Society (Af-Am), believes that
one of her roles is to maximize the
role of all the multicultural groups
on campus, a challenge given the
breadth of Bowdoins multicultural
community.
She noted that Bowdoins multicultural groups run the gamut from
largesuch as Af-Am or Asian Students Associationto smallsuch
as Muslim Students Association or
Korean Students Association. According to Washington, picking a
representative was uncharted territory for the Multicultural Coalition,
it brought up questions of whether
bigger groups should have more of a
say than others.

One of the people in charge of

resolving those kinds of questions
was Kiki Nakamura-Koyama 17,
currently the student intern in the
Student Center for Multicultural
Life, which oversees the Multicultural Coalition. She oversaw this
election and, along with former BSG
Vice President for Student Government Affairs Charlotte McLaughry
15, originally proposed the multicultural representative position to
BSG last April. However, it lost traction due to being proposed at the
last meeting of the year. NakamuraKoyama had been abroad for the fall
semester, and upon her return was
excited to see that BSG had reintroduced the proposal.
Nakamura-Koyama had initially
proposed the representative after
perceiving that events beyond the
collegesuch as the deaths of Eric
Garner and of Michael Brown and
the Ferguson protestswere inspiring little action or conversation on
the part of BSG. She, like Washington, sees the position not only as
reactive to recent events at Bowdoin
and in the wider world but also serving to address a longer-term deficit
in dialogue about race and multicultural issues on campus.

friday, february 12, 2016

the bowdoin orient

CALL
AND
RESPONSE
CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE
The following is a summary of the ways the College has responded to the calls outlined in last years Open Letter to the Community. This list is not exhaustive, as there are a multitude of programs under discussion and implementation at all levels of
the Colleges operations. However, this list should provide insight into the ways in which the College has reacted to student
activism.

THEY CALLED FOR...

THE COLLEGE ANSWERED WITH...

We call on the College to institutionalize a race discussion for incoming

international students.

International students will be a part of the same orientation as firstyear students. Dean Amaez does not agree with the view that international students require additional training to that offered to all incoming first-years.

We call on the College and the Residential Life department to further

train its staff members on race and how to facilitate race discussions.

ResLife staff, Peer Health, College House officers and IHC officers received increased training on race, gender and sexuality. Several student
affairs staff are now trained to facilitate intergroup dialogue. More sessions are planned.

We call on the College and the Bowdoin Outing Club to work with students to make the BOC a more inclusive space and to modify the OZ
program so it is more satisfactory to students of color.

According to Outing Club Director Mike Woodruff, OZ training continues to grow and adapt in response to student feedback with the goal of
making the BOC a place that all students feel they can take advantage
of. The BOC has also implemented intergroup dialogue into some of
its programs.

We call on the College to support the Womens Resource Center in

designing new programs and support systems for women of color at
Bowdoin.

The Womens Resource Center holds an annual retreat for women of

color and will continue this program into the future along with other
programs and trips geared towards building community amongst
women of color at Bowdoin.

We call on the College to consider a students racial and socioeconomic

background when making decisions about disciplinary action. We further ask that the College uphold consistent disciplinary policy for all
students, regardless of parental interaction with the institution.

According to Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster, the College tries to

consistently and thoughtfully uphold community standards in all
cases. Foster says he stands behind the good work of the Judicial Board.

We call on the College to more actively recruit student athletes and

coaches of color, and ensure that they are well supported once they are
part of the Bowdoin athletic community.

According to Ashmead White Director of Athletics Tim Ryan, the college is adopting hiring practices to diversify their coaching staff. The
Athletics Department has been working with admissions and coaches
to place emphasis on diversity when recruiting. Athletics will begin
incorporating intergroup dialogue into their programs.

We call on the College to set a precedent of actively addressing and

adequately reprimanding students and teams involved in these offensive acts. Athletes should not be above or exempt from standard
college social policy.

According to Ryan, the College looks at each situation individually and

in context, and tries to impose consequences that will serve as learning
experiences and positively impact the community.

We call on the College to further its recruitment of faculty of color,

particularly in tenure-track positions, and increase the diversity of faculty in a way that addresses the diversity in race, ethnicity and class
backgrounds that are represented by the student body.

The College has brought in Romney Associates, a consulting group that

specializes in hiring and retaining a diverse staff, to conduct workshops
with faculty undergoing searches in their departments. The newest
group of tenure track faculty (Margaret Boyle, Judith Casselberry, David
Hecht, Abigail Kaline, Jeffrey Selinger and Yao Tang) includes several
faculty of color.

We call on the College to work with current faculty of color to establish or strengthen a support system that would aid in the retention of
faculty of color.

According to Professor Brian Purnell, the College has the obligation to

create a healthy and respectful work environment, but this is something the community must help them figure out. Romney Associates
also works with retention and support of a diverse staff.

We call on the College to establish and require a training for all faculty
on race, and how it relates to Bowdoin students, particularly students
of color. Training must include all new, tenured and visiting faculty.

There is no mandatory yearly training for all faculty on discussing with

issues of race with students. Some students have stated that they do
not feel there is adequate discussion of race issues in their classes.

We call on the College to encourage a more integrated curriculum

where topics of race are woven in outside of departments like Sociology, Anthropology and Africana Studies, where discussing race is
unavoidable. Furthermore, professors should be encouraged to discuss
racial events that affect our national climate (for example: a Chemistry
professor ought to have been able and willing to set aside ten minutes of class to acknowledge the significance of the non-indictment
of Darren Wilson, or at the least echo empathy for affected members
of the class). Professors will succeed in communicating the value of
supplementing intellect with compassion when empathizing with the
felt struggles of living in a world in flux.

Although multiple administrators and staff think that there has been
more conversation about racial issues this year, the College has not
dramatically changed its curriculum, and some students still wish that
these issues were given more airtime.

We call on the College to release a public statement addressing this

support.

President Rose acknowledged issues of race on campus and outlined

the steps that the College plans to take in a December 3, 2015 email
to campus.

We call on the College to expand the staff and programming available to

aid students of color who are adjusting both academically and socially to
Bowdoin. This task could potentially be the responsibility of the Director
of the new Student Center for Multicultural Life. We further call on the
College to be more explicit in the mission of programs such as Bowdoin Explore and Bowdoin Experience so that prospective students have
more realistic expectations for the program and for Bowdoin as a whole.

Director Benjamin Harris continues to work to develop the Student Center for Multicultural Life through increased programming and funding
as well as publishing a newsletter to update the campus community.

We call on the College to declare Martin Luther King, Jr. Day an official
College holiday, to explicitly state the closure of all offices and classes
on this day, and to provide a comprehensive schedule of events honoring civil rights and African American history on this day.

MLK Day will fall during winter break until 2020, after which Bowdoin
will adjust its calendar to close the College on that day.

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news

UNION
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
check that can be hard to hear and
sometimes painful, because I think
my colleagues across the board are
well-intentioned, they really care,
so to hear that they might be might
be missing the mark and that people
might be in pain as a result is really
hard, but really important for us as a
community.
Director of Residential Life Meadow
Davis said that she has seen a shift in
campus conversations towards topics
of diversity.
A couple years ago it was all about
alcohol, it was all
about the hookup
scene, she said.
Now Id say three
quarters, a huge
percentage,
of
people who are applying to ResLife
are saying, We
need more conversations about diversity. Weve had
great conversations and we appreciate
itheres how we want to do more.
Emily Jacques 17, one of the organizers of the meeting, agreed, saying
that she has seen a substantive change
in campus discussions on race in the
time since the meeting, both as a result
of the meeting and other incidents.
My first year you could avoid these
sorts of conversations if you wanted
to, but now its more present, she said.
The stuff thats been happening with
locals in cars or the stuff on Yik YakI
feel like the campus community is definitely more aware of various issues of
injustice.
Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster
echoed Davis and Jacques sentiments.
[The meeting] was really about
the notion of inclusion and what that
means, he said. Do all members of
our community feel that this place is
theirs? And the answer to me was no,
they dont. Thats what we should aspire
for. That means a ton of work, not work
that we can do in a day or a week or a
month, or a year, but over many years.
But for students who only spend
four years of their life at Bowdoin, this
long-term institutional approach can
be frustrating. Michelle Kruk 16, one
of the organizers of the meeting and
an author of the letter spoke to these
concerns.
I know that the College wants to be
very thoughtful about the way that its
handling certain issues, especially with
race, she said. But I think that were

rooms by separate groups, LemalBrown said.

Ashmead White Director of Athletics Tim Ryan acknowledged the
role athletics play in the racial climate
on campus, both in its hiring and recruitment, and how the department
addresses incidents such as the recent
bias incidents involving the sailing and
lacrosse teams.
We certainly look at the events that
have taken place and try to balance the
learning opportunity, he said. Thinking about it along the lines of apologizing, educating and trying to leverage the
learning opportunities associated with
people making mistakes, then thinking about the ways in which we are able

I know that the College wants to be very thoughtful about the way that its handling certain issues,
especially with race. But I think that were capable
of working on both a short-term solution and a
long-term solution at the same time. I think that
we have enough energy.
MICHELLE KRUK

to positively impact the community. I

think that approach was consistent in
both the lacrosse and sailing incidents.
Ryan also said that athletics is placing an increased emphasis on diversity
in recruiting both students and coaching staff.
While the majority of the calls to action in the letter were accepted and acknowledged by College officials, some
feel that there are certain demands that
have not or should not be met.
For instance, following the meeting,
members of Bowdoin Climate Action
(BCA)who played a large role in organizing the meetingmade a demand
to former President Barry Mills to appoint a liaison to the Board of Trustees
to communicate about the potential for
divestment from fossil fuels. BCA does
not feel their demand was adequately
met, as Mills appointed himself the liaison, knowing he would be stepping
down at the end of the year.
When we asked [the trustees] who
to follow up with, as one does in official
meetings, they shut us down and didnt
respond. Attempts after that to figure
out how to move forward were similarly not moved forward, said BCA
member Allyson Gross 16.
From an administrative standpoint,
Foster disagreed with the necessity of a
call to action that asked the college to
consider a students racial and socioeconomic background when making
decisions about disciplinary action,
and uphold consistent disciplinary
policy for all
students, reWere asking institutions that were built 200 years ago gardless of pafor a very different population to reimagine themselves, rental interacwith the
and that takes a lot of intentionality and examination of tion
institution.
where are our traditions, where are our policies, where are
We try to
our practices not meeting the needs of students today. c o n s i s t e n t l y
and thoughtLEANA AMAEZ fully uphold
[community
s t a n d a r d s ] ,
capable of working on both a short- he said. I think we do that, whether
term solution and a long-term solution were dealing with the son or daughter
at the same time. I think that we have of a trustee or whether were dealing
enough energy.
with a first generation college student.
Another organizer, Lemal-Brown, I would say [we do] a very good job
still believes that many discussions fail of being clear about our community
to reach the larger community in both standards and expectations and being
academic and social settings.
thoughtful. Ill stand behind the good
Last semester I know I was a little work of the Judicial Board.
disappointed that my professors were
The work of campus activists has not
not talking about race, she said. My gone unnoticed by the administration,
[sociology and philosophy] classes and the calls to action presented in the
were places where it should have been open letter have led to a real effort to
brought up.
shape the College into a place that is
I know that I was very frustrated both diverse and inclusive. A year after
with the aftermath of the sailing par- the meeting, its message has not been
tymeaning that Bowdoin still [falls forgotten.
back on] discussing things which tend
Powerful, said Davis. Thats how I
to become conversations in closed would sum it up.

news

the bowdoin orient

friday, february 12, 2016

Speaker survey results in programming series around free speech

BY DAKOTA GRIFFIN
ORIENT STAFF

The results are in: the findings of the

campuswide survey sent out last semester by Dean of Student Affairs Tim Foster
about campus speakers have been tabulated, and a group is working on creating
a programming series for this semester or
Fall 2016 around free speech, one of the
most popular responses.
Regarding the format of the discussions, President Clayton Rose said,
Rather than have one person, were going to have two people who represent
different [perspectives on] an important
issue of the day, probably moderated by
someone on campus who can be a provocateur, who can push and challenge and
get them to engage with each other.
In order to make this speaker series
more interactive, the group plans to follow each talk with a dinner where students would discuss the issues, practicing
the open, respectful conversation Rose
seeks to promote.

NETWORK
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Davis drew an analogy between the purpose of the IPS and that of a security camera.
We have two hundred and something
security cameras and theyre constantly
recording everything, but nobody can
look at all of it, he said. If theres a problem they can go back and look through
the video. Thats what [this device] does.
Davis hopes that announcing the IPS
will raise awareness about privacy on the
internet beyond just the Bowdoin network. He said it had been recommended
by several large consulting firms and the
Colleges audit committee.
People think there are privacy concerns and I agree with them. There are privacy concerns around this. But if you have
Gmail, all of your emails are scanned, said
Davis. Googles reading my stuff, Facebooks reading my stuffhow much privacy do I really have? People know where
youre going, where youre shopping, the
minute you get on your phone and do web
browser they know location.
In the past, the most common form of
illegal activity on the network has been
the illegal downloading of music and
movies. When this happens, the original
content provider (such as SONY) notifies
IT, and the report is passed off to the Dean
of Student Affairs. They would then notify
the student that their illegal internet activity has been detected.
According to Davis, there have been two
students in the past ten years to be called
into the Deans Office to address internet
activity. They had repeatedly used illegal
downloading sites after being notified.
This procedure will remain the same

The committee is a recognition that

something is missing at Bowdoin. And
the conversation is really about how to
address what is missing at Bowdoin and
why it is missing at Bowdoin, Associate
Professor of Africana Studies and English
Tess Chakkalakal explained.
I think that Bowdoin is often criticized for just having one sort of opinion
or voice thats often heard, Tesfamariam
said. I think [the speaker series] will allow students to feel more comfortable
voicing their personal opinions if they
go against what is perceived as the main
Bowdoin opinion.
Six hundred seventy-five students responded to the survey, which presented
participants with a list of possible topics
students would like incoming speakers to
debate and asked them to rank them in
order of preference. The topics included
abortion, Americas role in the world, free
speech on campuses and more broadly,
gun violence and control, immigration
and refugee policy, money in politics, privacy versus security, the role and limita-

tion of government and what to do about

ISIS. Free speech was highly demanded,
along with gun control and immigration
and refugee policy.
There was also an opportunity to write
in topics, comments and suggestions for
speakers. Climate change was a popular
write-in topic, and many students requested Bernie Sanders as a speaker.
The focus on campus speakers is part
of Roses effort to cultivate diverse, intellectual conversations on campus. A group
of faculty, staff and students that was
formed last semester will use the survey
results to ensure that its efforts focus on
topics of student interest.
Professor of Sociology and Anthropology Scott MacEachern also hopes that the
speaker series will help create an environment where students who feel their opinions are in the minority will be comfortable speaking up.
This is a residential campus. We
all realize that these kinds of questions
come up for students. Modeling ways for
students to talk about issues where they

may not agree is important, MacEachern said.

However, the ability to discuss contentious issues in a thoughtful and respectful manner is useful far beyond the
reaches of campus.
We are dealing with important issues, MacEachern said. We are dealing
with issues thatare going to need to be
discussed by people all over the country.
The group is dedicated to changing
the campus atmosphere regarding unpopular or uncommon ideas, but intends
to do it carefully and correctly.
Its going to be slow, because, if it
moves too fast, I think a lot of people will
get upset. I think that theres a real awareness by the administration, particularly
President Rose, of the complexity and
sensitivity of bringing new ideas, different ideas, to Bowdoin, Chakkalakal said.
Both Chakkalakal and MacEachern
described the speaker series as a first
step in a long project. MacEachern expects the College will take what seems
to work from the speaker series and ex-

pand on it.
I think changing the composition of
the faculty, bringing in different kinds
of faculty members who teach different
subjects perhaps, would be another way
of changing or broadening the conversation at Bowdoin, Chakkalakal said.
I think that if we were able to allow
for opposing opinions when there is less
tension on campus, we might be able
to allow for more room for or just have
more experience dealing with opposing
opinions when something big happens
in our world, our country or our campus, said Rebkah Tesfamariam 18..
The group consists of Rose, Foster,
Chakkalakal, MacEachern, Thomas
Brackett Reed Professor of Government
Andrew Rudalevige, Head Coach of
Mens and Womens Cross Country and
Track Peter Slovenski, Secretary of the
College Eli Orlic, John Lucy 17 and Tesfamariam. Director of Events and Summer Programs Tony Sprague and Director of Digital and Social Media Holly
Sherburne are advisors to the group.

with the IPS installed.

In managing malware distribution on
students personal computers, there is no
disciplinary procedure when the original
website is not illegal. IT will rather clean
the infected machine and record the site
that spread the virus. In order for this to
happen, the student must report it to IT
and the address will be flagged within the
IPS system.
The way in which the IPS then protects
people from using that site varies among
different versions of IPS products. The
site may only offer a warning for potential
malware distribution as well as the option
to click through and continue to the site.
However in the case that the site is known
for more severe attacks, the IPS can block
the address completely.
IT has been requesting funding for an
IPS for the past six years, then last year, the
College purchased cyber insurance.
Were paying this money for cyber insurance but in reality if we were to have a problem, which could be millions of dollars, they
would not cover it because we didnt put in
an IPS. So it got funded, said Davis.
The College approved funding for the
IPS on Saturday.
The current security system for the
College includes a Barracuda Firewall,
which scans every email in Bowdoin webmail for sensitive information and strips
it out in the event the network is hacked.
The system also uses Symantec Protection, an antivirus software.
IT has not yet decided on which IPS
they will purchase. When they do, they
will notify the campus community.
Campus will also be notified when
they begin installation. Davis predicts
it will be implemented this summer, if
not sooner.

ON THE OUTS: The Bowdoin Outing Club (BOC)s recently discovered budget shortage of $18,000 could potentially reduce programming for
the club. Even if the SAFC allocates the BOC more money, the BOC will still be $12,000 short of their expected budget.

HY KHONG, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

BOC
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
mester for student programming.
Student leaders of the BOC declined to elaborate on the situations
implications until hearing back from
SAFC next week.
Assistant Director Adam Berliner
13 said the reduced funds will not
put an end to BOC programming entirely, however.
We are not closing our doors or
shutting down our operations, he
wrote. The amount of money the
SAFC chooses to allocate to us will
in part determine the extent of our
spring programming, but regardless
of what they are able to allocate us,
we will continue running trips and
programs this spring, wrote Berliner
in an email to the Orient.
The BOCs previous request of
$19,500 was rejected at the SAFC
meeting on February 8.
The shortage of finances went unnoticed by student leadership until
now because of events that took place
over the summer. Last spring, the
BOC received an operating budget
of $63,737 for the 2015-2016 school
year. In the summer, as the previous
years expenditures were being calculated, Student Activities found that
the BOC had exceeded their 2014-15
budget by $18,000. This money had
gone toward equipment purchases,
trips, vehicles and a record-high
amount of financial aid for students
who would otherwise be unable to
attend outings, according to Berliner.
The only money available to cover

the debt last summer was from the

SAFC budget for the 2015-16 year.
Since the students were gone, Student Activities most likely worked
with the staff of the Outing Club
to pull from this years SAFC budget and basically loan it to them
with the expectation being that they
would have less money for this year,
said Vice President for the Treasury
David Levine 16.
With students off campus during
the summer when these issues were
being dealt with, communication between Student Activities, SAFC, the
BOC staff and the BOC student leaders was limited.
I wasnt really notified that there
was a change [to the budget], said
Levine.
It is unclear what communication
went on between staff and student
leaders of the BOC in the summer
following the discovery of their overspending.
The SAFC budgetwhile it does
provide the majority of the BOCs
fundsis not the clubs only source
of financing. It also received money
through member dues, which fund
food expenses, an endowed fund,
which finances the Out of the Zone
(OZ) Leadership Training program
and a separate budget that goes toward staff salaries, student employment and facility maintenance.
The $5,810 that the BOC has
requested would come out of the
SAFCs remaining budget for the
year, which funds all student programming and clubsexcept the
approximately 18 clubs that have an
operating annual budget established

each springon a rolling basis.

At the start of this semester, SAFC
had roughly $81,875. Although last
spring the SAFC began the semester
with $71,327, Levine said this years
current funds are well within the
normal amounts of SAFC and still
enough that wed have to do some
thinking and make some important
choices based off of what we do.
The timing of the BOCs funding request is especially difficult,
as SAFC wants to ensure that their
money can last through the end of
the year. The spring semester is the
busiest in terms of student programmingand the most expensive to
fund. In April alone, SAFC helps finance events ranging from Consent
is Sexy Week and Asian Week to Ivies
and sending club sports teams to national tournaments.
If we are to allocate funds, that
means that this will be taking away
from the other hundred or so organizations who come in for funding for
the rest of the year and thats just very
tricky to navigate, said BSG President Danny Mejia-Cruz 16 at their
meeting on Wednesday.
The BOC is one of the crowning
joys and major selling points of the
College and we dont want them to
go stagnant, he added. At the same
time, we want to maintain the level
of programming that we have had in
the past during the spring term, so
its very difficult.
Levine said that predicting how
much the BOCs $5,810 proposal, if
approved, will impact the rest of the
semesters programming is hard to
say at this time.

friday, february 12, 2016

the bowdoin orient

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The Vagina Monologues imperfect but empowering

BY SURYA MILNER
ORIENT STAFF

In a series of disjointed narratives

concerning the female experience,
The Vagina Monologues is set to
spark the dialogue at Bowdoin about
what it means to be a woman, how to
deconstruct the stigma around the
word vagina and, ultimately, empower women through diversity of
experience.
Written by feminist Eve Ensler in
1996, The Vagina Monologues is
a play that, through the exploration
of a variety of female experiences
from the often undiscussed topic of
pubic hair to the very real phenomenon of sexual assaultaims to provide a venue for honest discourse.
At Bowdoin, this years annual
performance of the play is sponsored
by the Colleges chapter of V-Day,
a global organization dedicated to
combating violence against women
and girls worldwide.
The Vagina Monologues has not
been met without criticism, however,
its performance having been discontinued at liberal arts institutions
Mount Holyoke College and Wellesley College for being exclusive in its
representations of womanhood.
I think thats a very real critique,
co-director of the show Erin McKissick 16 said. Im very comfortable
directing this play and having issues
with it. If youre going to direct a
show and think its perfect and be totally immune to criticism, thats not
a very thoughtful way to go about it.
Although the play has evolved in
recent years to include the experiences of transgender women and women
of color, its still regarded by some as
a vestige of second-wave, upper-middle-class white feminisma breed of
feminism that, by glossing over intersectional identities of race, ethnicity,
race and class, also assumes the idea
of womanhood as one intrinsically
linked to the biological marker of
having a vagina.
Weve focused a lot on getting
people to think critically about the
show and whose stories are being
told and whose stories are being left
out, McKissick said. If you want to
read the monologues as all being told
from the perspective of a white woman, that wouldnt be that hard, but
at the same time there are plenty of
monologues that could also be read
from someone elses perspective

GIRL TALK: Julianna Burke 18 and Sophie de Brujin 18 rehearse their monologue for The Vagina Monologues, a show that explores the
female experience and has sparked a dialogue on campus about political feminist action and intersectional feminism.
most of these are fairly race and class
neutral. I dont think its a perfect
script, but I dont agree with the idea
that it only represents one way of being a woman. It shows a pretty wide
range of sexual experiences.
In addition to receiving criticism
for equating femininity with having
a vagina, The Vagina Monologues
has also been critiqued by Bowdoin
students in recent years for acting
as a replacement for feminist political action. Although the play does
open up a certain dialogue about
womens rights, critics argue that it
has not incited much more than that
at Bowdoin.
I think theres an acknowledgement that its pretty outdated and
has elements of exclusivity, said
Uma Blanchard 17, who co-wrote
an op-ed on the show last year for
the Orient. While I do think its an
empowering thing to participate in,

I wouldnt call it political action. We

cant substitute it for a whole other
aspect of political work that we arent
doing. It just needs to be acknowledged that its not enough.
I think its definitely just one
small part of all the work thats happening on campus, Associate Director of Gender Violence Prevention
and Education Lisa Peterson said.
Theres always room for more work.
In an effort to cultivate a more
inclusive voice, colleges such as
Wellesley and Mount Holyoke have
replaced the traditional performance
of The Vagina Monologues with
their own spin-offs, collecting and
displaying the stories of students and
community members instead. While
this weekends performance has been
adapted to include an introduction
that draws upon stories from the
Bowdoin community, there remains
controversy over whether the play

should be traditionally performed or

revised to more strongly feature the
voices of the student body.
Youre still going to be missing a
lot of stories, associate director of
the play Leah Alper 17 said. There
isnt an easy solution to this. Its important to perform [The Vagina
Monologues] because they connect
people all around the world. That
connection is important for us to
keep and to realize that this is a fight
that goes well beyond Bowdoin.
I hope that people walk away
from it feeling like if they have a story about their sexuality or their life
as a woman or their vagina that they
thought was weird or unusual or not
OK, that they would feel like their
story has a placethat it can be told
and its OK, McKissick said. Whatever their experience was, theyre
not abnormal for having it and they
shouldnt be ashamed of it.

TESSA EPSTEIN, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

FRIDAY &
SATURDAY
@ 7:30 P.M.
TICKETS AT THE

SMITH UNION INFO DESK

$5 IN ADVANCE
$10 AT THE DOOR

ALL PROCEEDS DONATED TO

SEXUAL ASSAULT
SUPPORT SERVICES
OF MIDCOAST MAINE
SASSMM.

How to win The Bachelor rose Revamped Craft Center

fosters creative campus
ALLY GLASSKATZ

REALITY ALLY

Welcome to the mansion! Like the

roses? Me too. Watch your step on
the cobblestones; last summer Chris
Bukowski almost fell face first into
a bonfire. But dont worry. He was
drunker than you. See those candles?
Romantic, huh? Dont brush your
dress against them. ABC will cut a
girl for less.
First night jitters? I understand
but dont worry too much. Just be
yourself ! Skip the unicorn mask, the

mini horse and the limo exit with

your identical twin. Going on national television with her will lead to
family therapy for the next 15 years.
Also, poor Ben wont be able to tell
you apart.
Made it through the first night?
Congratulations! Try to blend in
now. Smile often. Clap for the girls
who get date cards. Say one or two
snide things about the mean girls or
others. Wear a sports bra every time
Ben comes into the house. Make sure
you give the producers a reason to
keep you on television.
Do you have any trauma? Did

Please see BACHELOR, page 8

BY SARAH BONANNO
ORIENT STAFF

MIRANDA HALL

After its open house earlier this

week, the Craft Center met its goal
of having over 100 student members. Under the new leadership of
Assistant Director of Student Activities Laurel Varnell 14, the Craft
Center has been transformed from a
resource primarily used by community members, faculty and staff to a
student-centric space and creative
outlet with student managers and

instructors.
For Varnell, part of making the
Craft Center more accessible and inclusive to students was reducing the
dues from $25 a semester to $10 a
semester, which gives students use
of all materials, 24/7 OneCard access to the building and a reduced
class fee.
According to student manager
Sofi Lopez 18, the increase in membership has not only created an in-

Please see CRAFTS, page 8

a&e

friday, february 12, 2016

the bowdoin orient

CRAFTS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
come for the Craft Center but has
also helped to build a community
Its just about being a really inclusive space for people to have fun and
have an outlet from this often times
stressful environment that were all
in here at school, Lopez said. And
just to be able to connect with that
part of us that has been there since
childhood that just likes to do things
and create things and just have fun.
Varnell believes that the studentled classes act as opportunities for
students to relieve stress and learn
or perfect crafting skills.
I think a big reason why people
who would be members but arent
is because a lot of people are scared
that if they dont think of themselves
as a creative person or if they dont
have a million ideas at all times for
crafts that they wont find a use in
the Craft Center, Lopez said. We
really want to help people understand that thats not the case. I led
a finger painting night last semester.
You dont need any skills for that.
The Craft Center is also the only
space on campus that has pottery
wheels, which members can be
trained to use during open pottery
hours on Sundays.
For students that have done potterythrowing on a wheelin high
school, this is their only option in
college to do that. So thats something that I didnt realize coming
into it, and I have tried to expand
the pottery studio, Varnell said.
The Craft Center has also begun to partner with other student

organizations, such as the College

Houses and the Womens Resource
Center, on campus-wide crafting
events to attract more members.
One of Varnells future goals for the
Craft Center is to partner with a
sports team.
Not only can you have experiences with the Craft Center by going
and taking classes and being a member but by also having art and creativeness everywhere, Varnell said.
Varnells long term goal for the
Craft Center is to continue to hire
more student managers and instructors as more students get involved as members.
I think that the Craft Center has
always been a space for students to
just express themselves creatively,
Varnell said. I think trying to create different ways that students
can express themselves [gets] them
away from their academics but is
still stimulating in millions of other
ways, like doing any sort of craft
can be.

Register for Craft

Center classes at the
Smith Union Info Desk.
Membership is
$10/semester and
includes one free course.
VALERIE CHANG, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

THE ART OF LOVE: Craft Center Manager Sofi Lopez 18 leads a Valentines Day craft workshop at the Centers open house earlier this week.

Examining True Detective as an anthology series

TREVOR MURRAY

NETFLIX AND STRESS

Im tired of making excuses for

my True Detective poster. You
wont find the nihilistic Rust Cohle
or the womanizing Marty Hart on
the wall of my common room, but
rather Antigone Ani Bezzerides,
Rachel McAdams season two detective. The comment I always receive
is I love True Detective! Why season two? First, it was a gift from a
friend who worked at HBO (which
is dope). Second, while definitely
not superior to its predecessor, I like
the second season of True Detective a lot.
But I always feel like I have to excuse the fact that its from season
two, even though all things considered its a good season of television.
Sure, it has a trio of complexly intertwining narratives, and the intensity sometimes seemed forced upon
the show rather than inherently part
of its writing, but it was good. The
writing was tight, the characters
were well-acted and the dramatic
twists kept my jaw dropping. Really,
its biggest flaw is that it just isnt

BACHELOR
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
someone you know die? Get sick?
Lose a foot? Are you a widowed
mother? Divorced? Did you leave
your boyfriend to be on national
television?
This is your story. Stick with it. If
he tries to cut you, ask to talk to him
alone. Look up at him from under
your fake lashes. Tell him your pain;

season one.
True Detective is an
anthology show, meaning
that every season is a different mini-series connected
by themes and sometimes
even characters.
Mini-series are a short
and exciting way to exhibit a screened narrative, as they have a
predetermined number
of episodes. The story
starts and ends in the
same season. By giving
the story a set expiration
date (as opposed to the
Frankenstein tactic of
syndicating series long
past their peak), each episode can work towards
one spectacular finale.
This lends them a filmic
quality that allows dramas to empty their fuel
tanks in one season.
When True Detective premiered in 2014,
it rocked the television scene. It was a
dark, unabashed look at human monstrosity and the darkness that lurks
within us, as well as a wildly compelling story. You cant tell from his Linpull at Americas heart strings. Hell
have to keep you for another week,
then. I promise.
Did you get a one-on-one date? I
knew you would. Quick, hurry! Shave
your legs. Pull on those spanking
white sneakers. Straighten your hair
until its so dry it looks like tumbleweeds beside the mansions driveway.
Make sure to pack your bikini. And a
ball gown. High heels are a must. You
could be going anywhere!
Its safe to say youll be flying,

coln ads, but Matthew McConaughey

monologuing in a steadily paced car is
nothing short of gripping. The sheer
quality the show possessed rocketed
it to the height of popularity. Unfor-

tunately for season two

of True Detective, the
explosive first season
set monumentally high
expectations.
In a seeming effort
of distinguishing the
two, the second season
is nothing like its first.
Barren backwoods Louisiana landscapes are
replaced with the dark
and winding maze of
Los Angeles. Cults and
churches are traded for
sex and politics. Instead
of a flashback, the season doubles the number
of protagonists for more
threads.
Rehashing is not
something that season
two can be accused of,
yet that is where most
of the fan base becomes
alienated. Concurrent
themes of human darkMIRANDA HALL
ness were not enough
for the second True Detective to
surmount the expectations set by
the premiere. The anthology format
tarnishes the reputation of an otherwise powerful story.

This doesnt mean that anthologies always end up as a mix-match

of miniseries. FXs Fargo just
premiered with a second season
that blows the expectations set by
the first out of the water. The first
season follows a series of crimes in
modern day Minnesota and North
Dakota, and it balances on the tightrope of black comedy with a deftness
familiar to the Coen Brothers.
The second season is just nothing short of spectacular. The action
is insane, and every single character
is unique and hilarious (Nick Offerman especially makes for a stellar
alcoholic lawyer). But the star of the
season is the setting: 1979 gangland
North Dakota. Vietnam lingers like
a specter over the shoulder of half
the shows roster, and much of the
chaos is just fallout from the war.
Basically, Fargo used a familiar
setting and a prequel to expand on
its first season and create even more
compelling television.
Which is to say, maybe being too
different in hopes of distinction is
a bad thing, and if True Detective
season two had been more connected to its parentage, it might not
have been criticized for being an
unfit sequel.

either in a plane, a helicopter or a

hot air balloon. I hear the cameras
installed in the basket with you and
can swing around and smack you in
the face.
Time for the dinner date! Enjoy,
just dont touch your food. While
youre sitting there, tell him something secret. If you dont, youre not
ready for this. He wont give you the
rose. Youll go home.
If youre lucky and pretty, maybe
Chris Harrison will pity bang you as

youre on the way out. Still, its over.

Made it to the final four? Amazing!
Youre as close as youll ever be to being the Bachelorette. Angle for that.
If you get it, youll post hundreds of
Instas of yourself in bikinis and make
a living that way for the rest of your
life. I hear theres a whole Bachelor
community in Chicago. Youll have
family now, too!
Final two? This is the homestretch.
If you lose now, its over. Youll be
humiliated. Youve filmed too long to

have a chance at being the Bachelorette. Youre alone now. Its done.
Last one standing? Congratulations! Look at that ring! Hug Ben.
Kiss Ben. This is your moment. In
a month or two, hell leave you. But
that will be OK. Try for Dancing
with the Stars. Come back next season. Open a themed bar. Go for more
camera time on Bachelor in Paradise. I think youd like it there. I love
Mexico. Im already looking forward
to seeing you there.

friday, february 12, 2016

FEATURES

the bowdoin orient

Students set their own courses by self-designing majors

BY NICOLE VON WILCZUR
ORIENT STAFF

Searching through Bowdoins course

catalog, you might have trouble finding classes in Socialization and Human Development, Bioethics or Native American Studies. However, in
the past 30 years, students wishing to
pursue a program that did not fit the
pattern of an existing departmental
major have proposed and completed
courses of study like these. Since 1979,
the College has authorized a studentdesigned major process in which a
student can collaborate with two faculty members to develop a major program that draws on the offerings of at
least two different departments.
In the past 15 years, more student-designed majors have come
from humanities departments. But
according to Associate Dean of Academic Affairs James Higginbotham,
there are plenty of opportunities
from other departments.
Theyre really all over the map
It bridges disciplines between the social sciences, the humanities, and the
sciences, said Higginbotham, who is
also an associate professor in the classics department.
Laura Griffee 17 is one of only three
student-designed majors on campus.
Her major, Computing and Media
Arts, combines the computer science
and visual arts departments. Fellow
junior Catherine Cyr has also declared
a student-designed major combining
history, art history, English and government into an overarching American
Studies major. Sophomore Jenny Ibsen
recently declared a self-designed major
in Urban Studies.
The student-designed major is not
a process for the faint of heart. The
student-design process begins at the
end of sophomore fall, while most students are in the midst of exams, declar-

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LAURA GRIFFEE AND JACKIE BROWN

LIFE IN 3D: (left):This semester, Griffee is studying abroad at the Glasgow School of Art in
Scotland where she where she recently built Living Walls, a site-specific projection map project
with audio and video triggers. (right): Last summer under a Gibbons fellowship, Griffee worked
with Assistant Professor of Art Jackie Brown to build interactive models of her sculptures.

ing majors and narrowing down study

abroad options.
Griffee said that designing her own
major was an intense process.
I think that Bowdoin makes it
a challenging thing to do because
they want to make sure you put the
thought and effort into it. Youre basically getting a degree out of it, and
they want to make sure that what
you set out for yourself is something
thats really going to contribute to
your education, she said.
The first step in the studentdesigned major process involves
putting together a proposal that resembles, in general, the structure of
any other majors available at Bowdoin. The proposal includes dictating exactly what one is planning to
do with his or her student-designed
major and how Bowdoins curriculum might be too limiting without it.

For Cyr, her post-Bowdoin goals

were what ultimately led her to design her own major.
Im looking to go into the museum career field. I really want to be a
curator, and I really like the idea of
taking an object, whether it be art or
material culture, learning the history
about it and creating a story for other
people to fall in love with, she said.
While initially considering an art
history and history double major, Cyr
eventually realized that this would
restrict what she wanted to get out of
Bowdoins liberal arts education.
I didnt want to limit myself by
saying for the rest of my time here after coming back from abroad, I could
take four non-historic, non-art classesso I decided with my advisors to
try it out, Cyr said.
The next step of the student-design
process involves indicating every class

that is intended to become a part of the

major and explaining why each class is
going to be beneficial.
Higginbotham emphasized that
this step is crucial to the development of the major.
There is a danger when you create the
student-designed major that if a course is
not offered or a faculty member is not
here when you need it, then you put
yourself in a bind, he said.
[This step] is great in a way because
it helps you get a sense of what you want
to do and what you see yourself doing
your next few years at Bowdoin, Griffee
said. You basically design a curriculum,
which is kind of crazy.
After the proposal is complete, it is
submitted to the Curriculum Implementation Committee, which then decides
either to reject the proposal altogether
or to offer suggestions on what to change
before accepting it.
Its stressful especially in the begin-

ning because you dont know after doing

all this work if youre even going to get
it, said Griffee. I think were the first
students in 10 years to have a student-designed major passed, and its been three
since someone submitted a proposal.
Higginbotham believes that despite
these low numbers, the student-design
program is not meant to be discouraging.
Instead, he sees the lack of applicants as
evidence that students arent finding the
curriculum limiting.
According to Higginbotham, as Bowdoin continues to periodically expand its
departments, the student-designed majors decrease in popularity can be attributed to students finding ways within the
majors and minors that are offered by the
College to accomplish their goals.
Although the student-designed major process can be arduous, the students
who take part believe it pays off.
I would say if youre passionate about
it, its definitely worth it, said Griffee.

A word on hovering: we have a role in shaping our Bowdoin experience

DOUBLETHINK
CARLY BERLIN AND TESSA WESTFALL
We learn campus culture quickly at
Bowdoin. In our initial weeks as first
years, we learn to go trayless in the dining halls; that the sporty folks go to Baxter and the crunchy folks to Reed; that its
socially acceptable to cry at an a cappella
concert. In the intimate community of
the College, we are given a lot of agency
in shaping what life feels like here. This
doesnt always seem like the case, though.
There are times when the power of the
administration explicitly manifests itself.
Sometimes, we agree with the steps taken. We think its good that ResLife knows
when and where parties are happening
because it keeps us safe. Were glad that
the College provides spaces that allow us
to come together and explore identity,
like the Womens Resource Center and
Russwurm House and 30 College. And
yet there are times when it feels like the
administration gets it wrongwhen it
hovers too close. These are opportunities
for us, as students, to play a part in dictating our campus dynamics.
Two Sundays ago, all sophomores were
expected to attend a one-hour meeting
intended to help [us] make the most
of [our] experience[s] at Bowdoin, and

beyond. Gathered in Pickard, administrators talked at us from the stage about

the invisible internship network and
keys to success and how to best use
extra time. Amidst calls to stand up if
your parent is a doctor or a lawyer and
raise your hand if you play a sport, we
found ourselves most frustrated with the
sense that each decision we make now
ought to lead to some nebulous, lucrative future. We are already inundated
with emails about major declaration
and study abroad deadlines. This meeting rested on the assumption that we are
oblivious to these once looming, now
pressing decisions before us. The reality
is, we have five semesters left at Bowdoin.
We wanted to hear: enjoy this time; be
present; foster meaningful relationships; pursue what youre passionate
about. Instead we heard: networking is
not a dirty word; make connections for
the future; win the opportunity. The
take away is that our time here is simply a
stepping stone for achieving a high powered career with high donating potential.
Not that our time here is valuable in and
of itself, or that we should do what we
love and lead fulfilling lives. We want to
acknowledge that this meeting very well
couldve been helpful for some members
of our class, but we have yet to talk to
someone that feels this way.
The All Sophomore Meeting was indicative of the type of person that Bowdoin

at least a part of itaims to produce. To

us, this felt like undue pressure from the
College, and attitude management. It depends on a conventional notion of what
it means to do well, to be successful. And
were seeing that these notions dont just
stop at the institutional level. They also
bleed into the deeply personal.
This week, weve witnessed an uproar
from students surrounding Bowdoins
policy on pornography. Yik Yak was
flooded with lamentations of the death of
porn at Bowdoin. In an email to the campus community about a new network security system, we were told that Websites
known to be infected or distributing malware and those categorized as high-risk
including pornography and gambling
sitesare flagged and that IT security officers will review our web activity (i.e. our
use of these flagged sites) to secure the
campus network and technology. OK,
fine. We all want a secure network. Tessa
is frankly still hurting from last years
phishing fiasco. We dug deeper, though,
and discovered that Bowdoin does in
fact prohibit the use of pornography on
grounds divorced from campus safety.
The IT website states: Use of the Colleges
computers, network or electronic communication facilities [...] to send, view or
download fraudulent, harassing, obscene
(i.e. pornographic), threatening, or other
messages or material that are a violation of
applicable law or College policy, such as

under circumstances that

might contribute to the
creation of a hostile academic or work environment, is prohibited.
Sandwiching pornographic between harassing and threatening is
loaded. Bowdoins wording isnt really clear here
maybe they just dont want
us watching porn on the
first floor of H-L. Watching porn is legal. Were
all over 18. We should be
able to watch it in the privacy of the Stacks (...or our
homes). Its valid to have
complicated feeling about
pornwe both have our
qualms with it. But its not
Bowdoins job to regulate
those feelings under the
guise of protecting against
a hostile academic or work
environment or network
security. The ambiguity here leaves room
for Bowdoin to take a moralized stance on
our sexualities.
Bowdoin is going to shape us no matter what. Its a residential college: we spend
four super-intense growing years of our
lives here. We have a right to make Bowdoin the place we want it to be. We have
an obligation to be critical of this place,

DIANA FURUKAWA
and to speak our minds about what we
want to see change. The All Sophomore
Meeting and Bowdoins policy on porn are
not necessarily representative of Bowdoin
at large, but they highlight these moments
when Bowdoin tiptoes into the territory
of a helicopter parent. Bowdoin is not Big
Brother, because we wont allow it to be.
Power runs in all directions.

10

features

the bowdoin orient

friday, february 12, 2016

The challenges of autistic dining Zinfandel Red Fire dispels

Valentines Day darkness

BEN YORK
AN AUTISTICS GUIDE TO AUTISM

Food is important. It sustains us,

nourishes us and provides us an opportunity to bond with our fellows during its consumption. Eating is used as a
pleasure activity, a social activity or just
something to pass the time. Everyone
does it. But for the autistic, eating can
be a challenge.
Many autistic people I knowmyself
includedhave very particular palettes,
which are irregular in their patterns and
nonsensical in their choices. Many a
friend has been confused by the variety
of foods that I can and cannot eat and
almost incensed by the seemingly random nature of those foods. Why can I
eat pizza but not cheeseburgers? Why
can I eat pears but not lettuce? Why is
it that I can eat plain pasta, but as soon
as a sauce enters the mix, Im out? And
why, why for the love of God, do I not
like chocolate? While there is a method
to the madness, some explanation is required to get us there.
The fundamental difference between
an autistic brain and a neurotypical brain
is that some autistic brains experience
more of the world than a neurotypical
brain would. Sensory experiences are
more intense, with more information
being processed and every bit of that information carrying more weight. Taste is
a sense, comprising not only the physical components of texture and aspects of
taste but also the olfactory component
that translates smells into parts of taste as
well. It is in these combinations of smell,
taste and texture that many derive enjoyment. Chefs are praised on their ability
to mix textures, add subtle hints of flavor
to a dish or meld seamlessly many ingredients into a cohesive whole. While this
may seem enjoyable to many, to me, all
of that just seems like too much.
When your sensory experience of the
world is intense, complexity is not your
friend. For me, when a food is too complex or too intensewhen, for instance,

BOTTOM OF
THE BARREL
WILL DANFORTH AND MARTIN KRZYWY

MIRANDA HALL

spices are used in the dish or many ingredients are mixed togetherI cannot
eat it. Now, this should not be confused
with disliking a food. There are many
foods that I do not eat, simply because I
do not like them. Lobster is one of them.
If pressed, I could consume a lobster
to survive, with only a mild amount of
griping. With other foodslike salads
or sandwiches or the more complicated
dishes that are served during special
eventsthe sensory experience is far
too intense, and I cannot eat them. To attempt to do so would be physically painful to me. To illustrate what I mean, take
an example from my childhood.
When I was eight, my mother and I
went to an old restaurant/shopping center called Grand City (whose structural
carcass is now occupied by Cool As A
Moose). When we ordered our lunch, I
ordered chicken fingers and fries, and
she a sandwich and salad. Her salad
came first, and while we waited for the
rest of our food, she tried to get me to try
some of her salad. Back then, I did not
like vegetables, which hasnt changed.
For me, they are either too textured or
too strong-tasting, but she assured me
that by putting dressing on one of the
cucumbers, I would like it. I did not. As
soon as that dressing-soaked cucumber
entered my mouth, it came right back
out again and into my mothers water
glass. She was not pleased.

Now, did I want to spit the dressing-laden contents of my mouth into

my mothers water glass? No. But the
pungent odor of the dressing, the
crunch of the cucumbers flesh and
the slimy texture of the seeds were all
together so intense that I felt I was going to throw up. (Even now, 10 years
later, I cannot think of that story without feeling a little queasy.) Such is
my experience with many foods. Any
food with an intense taste, multiple
textures or a combination of the two
is going nowhere near my mouth.
At times, this makes my life a bit
difficult. During my pre-orientation
trip, I had to survive mainly on apples and tortilla shells, and during
Orientation, when fine dining was
the name of the game and everyone
around me was expounding the quality of the food, I had to subsist on
rolls and pears. After applying for accommodations, my food situation has
much improved, as the dining staff
now knows that for me bland is better, but eating can still be a challenge
sometimes. That is OK though. I do
not mind bland foods because, to me,
they are just intense enough, so my
dietary needs are often less expensive
(both in terms of calories and dollars)
than for most. As one of my autistic friends likes to say, He is richest
whose pleasures are cheapest.

Valentines Day is here once more

to remind us that Christian martyrdom is almost always rewarded with
a great commercialized holiday. If
the onslaught of winter assignments
has left you scrambling for V-Day
plans, never fearyour esteemed
wine critics have you covered. Together, Martin and Will have distilled
their respective romantic histories
and added a dash of their trademark
wine-based wit in order to bring you,
our beloved readers, a fool-proof
guide to a satisfying Valentines Day,
with or without a significant other.
While the amorous advice of two
single senior men who spend more
time on LinkedIn than on Tinder
may seem suspect, our step-by-step
plan is guaranteed to work. However, if our plans do
fail to spark the
flame this weekend, please direct
all queries or complaints to orientopinion@bowdoin.
edu.
Step 1: Purchase
one bottle of Red
Fire Old Vine
Zinfandel ($8.99)
from Hannaford.
Billed as the essential BBQ wine,
this Italian red is
sure to ignite the
passion of young
collegiate hearts
in this winter of
our
discontent.
Though this pugliese
Zinfandel
suggests pairing
with the bold
flavors and spice
combos of barbecue (note the
change in orthography), we suspect
the true intent of the original Italian
tasting notes may not have survived
the translation into English. Instead,
we invite you to couple the wine with
the second-tier chocolate of a Russell
Stover assortment ($4.99, also from
Hannaford). While the chocolate may
lack the signature umami of grilled
meats, it is hard to ignore the widelyacknowledged aphrodisiacal power of
cacao products in mid-February.
Step 2: Attempt to open your Zinfandel with a Cork Pops Auto-Corker

before discovering that your compressed air canisteran essential element of the deviceis mysteriously
empty after only two uses. Lament the
all-too-human limitations of the Silicon Valley culinary technocracy before
resorting to traditional Luddite methods. In wine-tasting, as in romance, the
simplest way is often the best way.
Step 3: Exalt at the continued successful performance of the VinOAir
vacuum aerator and pour the appropriate (and responsible!) number of glasses for the evening ahead. Marvel at the
subtle jammy, sweetbut not unbecomingmedley of flavors presented
by Red Fuego Fire. Exclaim how lucky
you are to have found such a fantastic
bargain wine at a time when the other
sweaty-palmed would-be-romantics
at Hannaford are nervously reaching
for whatever slight innuendo-labeled
wine they can find (your esteemed
critics had the class and conviction to
ignore the Menage Trois and Spin
the Bottle wines prominently featured in the aisle).
Then, as you plop
one of the Stovers
confections into
your mouth, argue
about the proper
pronunciation of
caramel
(while
Merriam-Webster
accepts both variants, we all know
which is correct)
in your first real
lovers quarrel.
Step 4: Congratulate yourself
on executing a
perfect
Valentines Day evening, all for less
than $15. Who
says that romance
requires
overly
priced cards or
a dinner out to
a restaurant like
Trattoria Athena,
DIANA FURUKAWA
where you may
have
happened
to go for the past
three years with someone else in tow
before you had your heart cruelly
torn out of your chest and stomped
on in front of you? If, like Jason Derulo, you find yourself ridin solo
this Valentines Day, take pride in
your newly heightened degree of fiscal autonomy and treat yourself to
another bottle of Red Fire Old Vine
Zinfandel with all the money youve
saved by being single. Rest assured
that your esteemed critics will be doing the same in short order.

ADDITIONAL NOTES
TONIGHTS SOUNDTRACK
WILL
MARTIN

Love Stinks by The J. Geils Band

Martin, why do you have six
hours and 57 minutes of bossa
nova music on your iTunes?
This wine is going to be the
hottest mixtape of 2016.

NOSE

4/5

BODY

3.75/5

MOUTHFEEL

4/5

LEGS

4/5

TASTE

4/5

friday, february 12, 2016

the bowdoin orient

features

11

TALK OF THE QUAD

give Irene your OneCard and opt to

stay for lunch.
One of Katies favorite #JustMLRThings is that the very friendly
man who works in the dishroom somehow got the idea that her name is Emily
and cheerfully calls her that every time
he sees her. Its been three years now,
and the period in which it would have
been acceptable to correct him is long
over. She appreciates all the effort hes
gone to to remember her name, even if
it doesnt happen to be correct per se.

So what does all this add up to?

What makes this humble space so
important to us? There are a lot of
surface-level reasons, obviously, like
the MLRs clear superiority to both
Thorne and the Dark Room. Thorne,
in the words of Martin Krzywy
16, is simultaneously overwhelming and isolatingtoo large, too
many people and lacking the space
to make meaningful connections.
(Plus, the salad bar never has feta.)
And the Dark Room is even worse

dimly lit, cold and closed off from the

rest of the dining halls ambience.
The Light Room, on the other hand,
is bright and airy. Its the best place on
campus to linger over your breakfast,
feel the suns rays graze your face and restock from the seemingly endless supply
of Nicaraguan Fair Trade organic coffee. Its the perfect place to do the New
York Times crossword, watch crowds of
friends come and go and generally hide
from responsibility.
The Light Room is somewhat of

an oxymoron because it is a subterraneous room, dug into the ground, but

many people characterize the room
with light atmospherea light room in
an underground space, mused Henry
Austin 16.
But in the end, of course, its not just
the space itself that matters to us but
the significance we attach to it. The
Light Room is more than a place to eat
three meals every dayits a safe, comforting space that weve been able to
personalize and make our own. Jenny
loves feeling comfortable enough to
walk in the Light Room alone for a
meal, only to be greeted by a reliable
group of her friends. When Katie was
abroad last year, this sense of reliability was just what she missed the most
in a foreign city. She found herself
frequenting a coffee shop called Black
Medicine, where she and her friends
would meet up to order espresso-based
beverages and squat all day, hoping to
fill the MLR void in her heart.
The Moulton Light Room is one of
our favorite things about Bowdoin, but
its comforting to think that this feeling
of an individualized, reliable space is
something we can continue to create
even when were no longer here. As
Jenny makes abroad plans and Katie
prepares for graduation, well try to
remember the importance of creating
these spaces for ourselves wherever we
end up. Though MLR might just be a
room, the quirks that make it so pleasant will always be a constant.
Jenny Ibsen is a member of the class
of 2018 and Katie Miklus is a member
of the class of 2016.

part obviously applies more to

nuptial gifts than valentines,
but I dont think its outrageous
to say that a stereotype of human valentines is similar.
Nuptial gifts are fun to talk
about because they can be
cute, they can be unexpected
or they can be weird. For a cute
example, consider the Northern Cardinal. (Theyre bright
red songbirds with a jaunty
crest and black masks and are
common near Bowdoin.) A
male cardinal will bring a seed
to his mate and delicately feed it to her.
Adorable, and much more socially acceptable between songbirds than high
schoolers. If the pair stays together, the
male will continue this behavior, which
is probably beneficial for both of them
because laying and taking care of eggs
is hard work and the female needs her
strength. Courtship feeding looks very
tender to humans, especially if you take
into account that fact that male cardinals
attack hubcaps when they can see their
reflections. I have a soft spot for brash
heroes with a heart of gold.
Spiders provide an example of unexpected nuptial gifts. Most people dont
think of spiders as having much social
behavior, yet its common for male spiders to present potential mates with a
carefully wrapped gift. Whereas a human
might present a prospective mate with a
box of chocolates, the male spider presents the female with her favorite dish: a
dead insect! Of course, there are classy
dates and those that are much
less so. In the spider world,

by eating the rest. Its a weird

and unromantic present
by human standards, but
it means a lot to the female
katydid. Reproduction is
hard work, and the direct
cost of reproduction almost
always falls more heavily
on the female. The males
contribution to the females
wellbeing can make a big
difference.
I might not be a romanSOPHIE WASHINGTON
tic person, but even I can
see that nuptial gifts are
less-than-classy males wrap useless, distinctly practical. The human stereoempty insect husks and present them type is that practical gifts are unromanto females. (Dear male spiders: regifting tic, but one persons perfect, romantic
food is tacky, doubly so when you eat it present is anothers useless gesture. For
first.) On the other hand, female spiders our anniversary, my boyfriend took me
seem to place more value on a nice body birdwatching, which I considered to be
than a generous spirit. A spider who eats the height of romance. Notably, his gift
his own present before wrapping it up meant that I woke up at 5 a.m., woke him
might be making a smart choice. (Dear and ran around getting our birding stuff
humans: this behavior is only advisable if together while his brain slowly booted
youre trying to date a spider.)
up. His real contribution was driving us
Finally we come to a nuptial gift we to the park (which I cannot do) and his
humans would find weird: an edible company (which is always welcome). If
spermatophore. Katydids (pronuncia- I were less of a morning person, I probtion help: who did? Katie did!) are a ably would have hated it. If hed gone a
kind of insect related to crickets and more traditional route and opted for
grasshoppers, and they usually look like jewelry, Id have thanked him and quietly
leaves. The male katydid produces an fretted over the pricewhich he knows,
object called a spermatophore for the and its probably why I got to go birding
female. As the name implies, the sper- in the wee hours. The human concept of
matophore contains his sperm in a pack- romance is a moving target. Maybe the
et, and the rest of the spermatophore is nonhuman animal metric of usefulness
an edible substance the male produces. is saner. Its certainly easier to underIf the female accepts the spermatophore, stand than romantic versus unromantic.
she will fertilize her eggs with the males For humans, a practical gift like a set of
sperm and gain energy

kitchen knives is unromantic. I imagine most people would consider nuptial gifts to be unromantic, too. But its
possible that a person who considered
nuptial gifts in terms of self-sacrifice
might squeeze a little romantic sentiment from the behavior. A gift of food
is significant to these animals, and
nuptial gifts can mean the difference
between a successful reproductive season or death. The male katydid gives of
himself to feed his mate.
Frankly, whether the katydids gift
is unromantic is not important to me.
What matters is that nuptial gifts are
very cool. This behavior is found in
many kinds of animals, meaning it
evolved independently many times.
The basic idea seems straightforward, but there are a lot of variations.
Some nuptial gifts are in the context of an existing pair, and others
are given between relative strangers.
Some animals give non-food gifts.
As in human gift-giving, theres a lot
of strategy involved. Is it better for a
katydid to produce a few large spermatophores or a bunch of little ones?
Should a female spider choose a mate
who gives her a (possibly empty) gift
or a stud with no gift at all? A lot
of research has been done studying
nuptial gifts, but theres a lot we still
dont know. Thats what I love about
biology and life in general: theres
always more to discover.
Thats beautiful. Its even
a bit romantic.
Jenna Watling is a
member of the class of
2016.

THE LIGHT ROOM IS LIT

At Bowdoin, we tend to sort ourselves into camps, groups we identify
with or activities we feel passionately
about. Were an athlete or a NARP, a
humanities or a STEM major andperhaps most significantlya Thorne person or a Moulton person. As two diehard fans of the Moulton Light Room
(MLR), were of the belief that this last,
seemingly simple preference is nothing
if not deeply meaningful.
One of the most distinct and beloved qualities of the light room is the
peoplethe regulars, the staff and even
those who only rarely step out of the
Tower. Its hard to put why we love the
Moulton Light Room into words, so as
we began brainstorming this article (in
the MLR, obviously), we asked some of
the other Light Room regulars for their
one-sentence takes.
When asked, Allyson Gross 16
couldnt limit herself to one sentence. If
I have a brand, the Moulton Light Room
is part of it, she professed. The rooms
comforting familiarity enables her to
remain a creature of habit, right down
to the tables she chooses to sit ather
personal favorite is along the window
wall near the outlet (obviously the best).
A second devotee, Julia Mead 16,
resorted to simile: The Moulton light
room reminds me of a womb, and every time I leave it, I feel like Im a baby
being born prematurely. The outside
world is harsh. The stark contrast between Moulton and the cold, snowy
Quad only serves as encouragement to

ROMANCING A BIOLOGIST
Im largely indifferent to Valentines
Day. A little of my indifference is because
Im in a long-distance relationship and
our do something special together options are constrained, but most of it is
just my personality. I may be sentimental, but Im not romantic. So when Valentines Day rolls around, Im most excited
by the prospect of candy thats cheap in
every sense of the word.
Another thing that excites me about
Valentines Day is that its a great opportunity to tell my friends about the other
great love of my life: biology. Valentines
Day is nominally about romantic love,
which frequently goes hand-in-hand
with sexual activity. Large portions of
biology are about sexual reproduction
and its consequences. The approach of
Valentines Day is a fun occasion to babble about bower bird nests, spider mating dances and the way flowerssuch a
prominent symbol of romanceattract
pollinators like bees. Its sexy stuff.
This year Ive been thinking a lot about
nuptial gifts. Nuptial gifts are sort of like
valentines. Theyre objects presented to a
mate or potential mate as part of courtship. They are given at a specific time of
year, i.e., breeding season. They fall into a
narrow range of objects, frequently food.
They alsoforgive me for saying soare
almost always presented to females by
males seeking sexual contact. This last

MIRANDA HALL

12

the bowdoin orient

SPORTS

friday, february 12, 2016

Swords 15 adapts to Spanish

style of basketball, way of life
BY SAM CHASE

ORIENT STAFF

While John Swords 15 and his sevenfoot frame have been conspicuously absent from campus since his graduation
last spring, his formidable presence has
surely raised an eyebrow or two in his new
home of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Swords moved to Spain in January to sign
with CI Rosalia de Castro, a basketball
team in the countrys fourth division. Two
games into his international career, hes averaging seven and a half points and seven
rebounds per game. The Orient caught up
with Swords over Skype to hear about his
adventures in playing Spanish-style basketball, exploring the local environment
and trying to become a published writer.
The Bowdoin Orient: Whats it like playing on a team where youre the only American?
John Swords: Its really fun, and it has
a lot to do with not taking anything too
seriously. I mean, Im working hard. But
on a day-to-day basis Im asked to play a
sport and have people yell around me in
a different language. Its pretty ridiculous.
I took Spanish 101 and 102 at Bowdoin.
Theyve served me well, but not as well as
if Id taken more classesI spent all of
high school studying French, which, in
retrospect, is not that helpful.
To have an abroad experience where I
have teammates is great. Its why Ive been
playing sports my whole life, because being on a team is great. To be out here in
what the Romans considered literally the
end of the worldNorthwest Spainbut
to not feel like Im totally alone because
everyday I get to go hang out with other
guys. While Im the only American, thats
probably for the better. I like that I have to
scramble to figure out whats going on.
BO: Whats the style of basketball like,
and how does your play fit in?

JS: The basketball here is so unbelievably scrambled and hectic and run-andgun compared to what Im used to. Ive got
a bit of a skewed perspective: Because Im
such a big big man, any team Ive been on
has been all about slowing down and playing settled team offense. But everything
here is just run-and-gun. You just bury
your head and sprint and hope that youll
wind up at the basket. People take a lot of
what I think are bad shots or make some
screwy passes that look like theyd look
good on an NBA highlight tape, except
they go 15 feet away from the guy theyre
supposed to go to.
In a lot of ways it reminds me of NESCAC play when it gets scrambled. But
these guys definitely know what theyre
doing, so even if it feels more scrambled,
its just a faster game. Its a 24-second shot
clock. You have to move faster and guys
take a lot of shots. Theres not the same
appreciation for help defense hereor at
least I havent found it yet. And the biggest adjustment for me is Im not a footand-a-half taller than everyone Im playing against now. Im not used to getting
pushed off the block but I am here sometimes, so thats an interesting thing to try
to adjust to.
BO: Are there any skills youre looking to
add to your game?
JS: Yeah, they want me to shoot more.
Ive never had a coach that said Hey, you
got the ball? Shoot it! My whole career,
especially at Bowdoin, we had guys who
would shoot for me. So my job was to lock
down low, wrestle the other guy and work
in the paint. Im still supposed to do that
here, but I need to have that plus an ability to shoot from mid-range because some
of these guys put up a lot more of a fight
inside.
BO: Do you have a lot of free time? If so,
how do you spend it?
JS: I have a lot free time, which was

COURTESY OF JOHN SWORDS

LEARNING ON THE FLY: John Swords 15 (right) bodies a defender during one of his first games for CI Rosalia de Castro, a Spanish basketball team in the fourth
division of Spanish basketball. The seven-footer signed with the team in January and has since played in two games, averaging seven and a half points and seven
rebounds per game. Swords has been struck by the different style of play in Spain, as well as the different lifestyle. He is also working to become a published writer.
kind of the plan when I came over here.
I decided at the end of last year that I had
such a good time playing at Bowdoin that
it would be really fun to see if I could do
it again over here, but that was only one
of several reasons for wanting to come.
Probably the strongest one is just wanting
to be abroad because I didnt go abroad
when I was at Bowdoin. Another reason
is I wanted to try my luck at being a writer
before I try my hand at whatever comes
next. I have the time, I have an interesting
setting and I have a few stories. They eat
a lot of octopus here, and Im going to go
and try to find the guys who hunt it. Apparently they put on snorkel gear, go into

underwater caves and hunt octopuses

with long poles. I feel like that would be a
good story to write about.
On top of that, I spent a lot of time at
Bowdoin with the Outing Club, so I just
try to get on top of things around here. I
go out into the city and look for a peak off
in the distance and start walking to it until
I get on top.
BO: Are there any standout anecdotes
from your time in Spain?
JS: I cannot express enough how confused I am about how late the Spanish
stay up. They dont really start their day

until 11:00 and they definitely dont stop

their day until at least 11:30. When its a
night to go out on the town, these university kids party until 8:00 in the morning.
I tagged along with my teammates once
and I looked at my watch like What are
we doing, guys? Its 5:30 a.m. I stayed up
late while I was in college doing work or
socializing, but never that late. I think 1:00
is a very respectable hour to call it quits on
the weekend. Here, theyre like Youre going to bed at 5:00? Why are you being a
spoilsport?
This interview
for brevity.

has

been

edited

Mens track claims Maine State Meet

BY JONO GRUBER
ORIENT STAFF

MICKEY CURTIS/ WESTFIELD STATE

HOROWITZ 14 BREAKS 4:00 MILE

BY SAM CHASE

ORIENT STAFF

In his senior year at Bowdoin, Coby

Horowitz 14 broke a 17-year-old national
D-III record with an indoor mile time of
4:00.41. Weeks later, Horowitz won the
national title in the mile with a 4:08.40,
finishing on one of the most impressive individual seasons in the history of Bowdoin
Athletics.
At Bowdoin, he was a real rare athlete
who inspired a lot of his teammates to be
better athletes and to train harder, Head
Coach Peter Slovensky said.
On Saturday, January 30, Horowitz broke
the four-minute milestone, posting a time

of 3:59.55 to bring the crowd to its feet at

Boston Universitys Thomas Terrier Classic.
Video of the meet shows an exciting race in
which Horowitz went from fifth place after
1000 meters before taking and holding the
lead for the final lap.
When I was a sophomore in high
school and still an 800-meter runner,
the mother of one of my friends said she
thought I could run a sub-4:00 one day,
Horowitz told Runners World in 2014.
To run a sub four minute mile you have
to bring together such high levels of talent,
training, courage and desire that its one of
the best accomplishments in all of sports,
Slovensky said.

This past Saturday, the Bowdoin

mens track and field team won the
Indoor Maine State Meet for the first
time since 2012. The Polar Bears tallied 175 points to top University of
Southern Maine (USM) (148), Bates
(147), Colby (81) and St. Josephs
(1). The week before, the team rolled
over Colby and New England College (NEC) in their final indoor invitational of the season.
The teams success has been largely the result of smart training techniques and strong leadership.
This is the time of year when we
put a high premium on simulating
competition in our training, Head
Coach Peter Slovensky said.
The emphasis on simulating competition is in stark contrast to the
teams training regimen earlier in
the season.
According to Slovensky, crosstraining, slower training with greater
volume, and other activities such
as swimming dominate the earlyseason training. This not only builds
endurance, but also helps the athletes stay healthy. Staying healthy is

often a real challenge for distance

runners, many of whom are in season year-round.
We emphasize cross-training a
lot to keep the three season runners mentally and physically fresh,
Slovensky said.
The pre-season extended workouts have so far payed extreme dividends for the team. The Polar Bears
have won three of the four meets they
have competed in this winter season.
The one week it did not come out
on top, the team finished second in
a field of eight to powerhouse Massachussettes Institute of Technology.
Last year, the Polar Bears did not win
a second meet until the second week
of April.
Among the individual standouts
for Bowdoin were Matt Jacobson
17 and Brian Greenberg 18. Jacobson, who won the 3000m run by
more than two seconds, was named
the Track Performer of the Meet,
and Greenberg, who won the Long
Jump and the Triple Jump, was honored with the Field Performer of the
Meet award.
Although most of the events are
competed in individually, the camaraderie and depth of this years team

helped it defeat three-time defending champions of the Maine State

Meet, Bates.
When everyone is getting excited
and pumping me up and cheering
me on and I feel like the whole team
is coming together and supporting
each other and its been really exciting, said Jacobson.
The state meet rewards teams
that have a lot of depth. We have a
lot of depth and maybe as many as 30
athletes will score in the state meet,
said Slovenski.
The Polar Bears will compete in
the Dave Hemery Invitational tomorrow before starting their postseason
play the following weekend at the
New England Division IIIs. While
a great team performance catipulted
the team last weekend, it will have to
rely more on its individual talent if it
hopes to continue its recent winning
tradition in the weeks to come.
The New Englands rewards
teams that have more of the all-star
caliber athletes so the people that
are getting first or second in the
state meet, they have to step up and
be ready to place at the New England Division III meet. Thats what
it takes, said Slovenski.

friday, february 12, 2016

the bowdoin orient

COURTESY OF BRIAN BEARD

FLYING HIGH: Katie Krupp 16 takes to the air during the Maine State Meet last Friday night. Krupp won
the long jump and the triple jump,. The team finished with seven first-place finishes, the highetst of any
team, though placed third overall at the Meet.

Womens track team wins seven

events at Maine State Meet
BY MADDIE JODKA
ORIENT STAFF

The Bowdoin womens track and field

team has achieved a large amount of success over the past two weekends. The Polar
Bears swept their final home invitational
on January 30 and then finished third at
the Maine State Meet on February 5.
Its been hard work by the runners
mixed with the plans we have for training, said Head Coach Peter Slovenski.
This is the time of year we want people
to be having their best performances,
and they are.
Katie Krupp 16 believes that the level
of training during the offseason this year
set up the team for success. The team held
training in the fall and a two-week preseason at the end of Winter Break.
We came into this season in better
shape and also better prepared than we
have in other years, Krupp said.
On January 30, the Bowdoin Invitational III was held at Farley Field House,
where the Polar Bears totaled 193 points
to defeat Husson (144), Colby (65) and
New England College (36). First year Samantha Schaefer won both the 60 meter
dash (8.25) and the 200 meters (27.28).
Carolyn Brady 19 won the triple jump
(10.32 meters), setting a personal best.
A definite strength this year is that the
freshmen class is really strong, said Sarah
Kelley 18. A lot of girls have come in that
have been really contributing.
There are 13 first years in total this
year, and Krupp agrees that this has been
a huge development, helping the Polar
Bears become a strong and well-rounded
team with talent across many different
events in both track and field.
Bowdoin won numerous first places on
behalf of Allyson Fulton 16 in the 400 meters, Meghan Bellerose 17 in the 1000 meters, Kelley in the mile and Sarah Kinney
19 in the 3000 meters. Bowdoin won the
4x200 meter relay, Sara Ory 19, Shekinah
Pettway 18, Schaefer and Naomi Jabouin
18 finishing in 1:52.17. The Polar Bears
also received first-place finishes in the
high jump on behalf of Addison Carvajal
16, pole vault from Madeline Schuldt 18
and long jump from Heather Chan 17.
[The success of that meet] gave people
a lot of confidence going into the State
Meet, where a lot of people rose to the
challenge, said Krupp. A lot of people
improved upon their seeds.

At the Maine State Championship

last Friday, Bowdoin finished third out
of six team competing. Despite a lack of
numbers, which is a potential disadvantage at a state meet where larger teams
can enter more competitors, the Polar
Bears earned seven first-places finishes
out of 19 events, the highest number of
first places of any team.
Krupp and Kelley were both double
winners at the meet. Krupp claimed the
state title in the long jump (5.36 meters)
and the triple jump (11.55 meters), where
she also set a new state meet record. Kelley
set state meet records in the mile (4:59.96)
and in the 1000 meters (2:55.29). Kelley
is the third Bowdoin woman to cross the
5:00 barrier, falling six seconds short of
breaking the record time set by Joan Benoit Samuelson 79 in 1979. She also broke
the Bowdoin record for the 1000 meters,
last set in 2011 by Chantal Croteau 12.
Another impressive event was the
4x400 meter relay race that Jabouin, Eleanor Brakewood 19, Ory and Carvajal
completed in 4:12.13, beating Bates by just
over a second. In addition, senior Meredith Ott earned a personal best, placing
sixth in the 5k and Bellerose won the 600
meter run (1:38.90).
The captains this year have been great
doing a lot more team bonding, which I
think adds to cheering at meets and people performing their best, said Kelley.
I was impressed at the number of personal bests we had in the state meet across
the events, said Slovenski. We like to be a
well-balanced team, and I think weve had
success in having improvement in all the
event areas.
Looking forward, the team will compete in the Dave Hemery Invitational at
Boston University this weekend. The rest
of the teams meets will be away. According to Krupp, the team is excited to get
on the road and compete against bigger
schools outside of Maine.
As a team, were hoping to perform
well and place well at the New England
Division III meet at Middlebury, said
Krupp. That is a meet where having
people who can perform at a high level in
their events will really help us out.
In addition, Slovenski said the team
hopes to ultimately be in the top five
out of the 25 teams in the region. Looking forward, he believes the team is
rested and in a very good rhythm for
championship races.

sports

13

WINNER, WINNER:
Daniel McMullan 18
(top) battles through
three defenders during
Bowdoins 4-1 victory over
University of Southern
Maine (USM) on January
26. Camil Blanchet 18
(bottom) works around
a USM defender to gain
possession. The win was
Bowdoins fourth straight,
and the team has currently
won six in a row. The streak
began when Head Coach
Terry Meagher made a
strategic shift from a twoto a three-defenseman
back formation.
JENNY IBSEN, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

Mens hockey rallies for sixth straight win

BY COOPER HEMPHILL
ORIENT STAFF

The mens ice hockey team (10-73 overall, 6-5-3 NESCAC) has been
on a roll lately with six straight wins
since the teams last loss on January
16. This streak has been spurred on
by a new three-back formation that
the Polar Bears have implemented this
season. Instead of playing the typical
2-3 formation Bowdoin has opted to
exchange a forward for a defenseman,
playing a more strategic, defensive
style of hockey. This system is rarely
used nowadays, but has shown up in
the hockey world now and again over
the years. Although rare, it has been
working for the team this season. Seeing as this is Head Coach Terry Meaghers final season after coaching for
33 years, the Bears have additional
incentive to perform well.
When you start playing threeback it feels like a whole new style of
play, said defenseman Camil Blanchet 18. You have to get out of the
classical hockey mentality, get out of
what youve been taught, but once
you learn to think about the way the
system works, the gameplay becomes
more fluid and it really confuses the
other team.
Bowdoin began the season slow,
coming out of the first stint with a tie
and three losses. Now that the players
have adjusted to the system however,
the Polar Bears are putting up strong
defensive performances, only allowing eight goals in the last six games,
while putting up strong scoring performances. This success has also
been due to the outstanding play of

goaltender Peter Cronin 18. He has

played phenomenally this season, tallying a .945 save percentage on the
year. Cronins efforts in net, along with
a successful new system, has propelled
Bowdoin up the ladder in the NESCAC. The team currently sits at fourth
place in the NESCAC, only trailing
the third place team by a point.
Last weekend the team continued
their strong play by defeating two
NESCAC opponents on the road. On
Friday the team traveled down to Amherst to face off against the Purple and
White, who were thrown off by the
three-back system.
It has really simplified the way
we can see the game and at the same
time expanded the way we play it,
said Captain Matt Rubinoff 16. For
other teams it feels as though its
complicating their structure. When
were getting other teams in the first
10 or 15 minutes to have to change
and adapt to what were doing, we are
dictating the pace and dictating our
type of game.
After seeing the Bowdoin defense
control the first stretch of the game,
Amherst attempted to adjust their
game plan in order to deal with the
extra defenseman. The Polar Bears
were able to capitalize on the confusion, winning the game 3-1.
Austin Ricci 19 knocked in the first
goal of the game with 5:46 left on the
clock in the first period. After a tying
goal by Amherst, Spencer Antunez 18
and Matt Lison 18 each put one past
the Amherst goalie to ensure the win.
Cronin stopped 36 of 37 shots in the
victory.
Next the team traveled to Hamil-

ton to take on the third place Continentals. Led by the stick of Rubinoff,
the Polar Bears cruised to a 6-2 victory, bringing them within arms
reach of a fourth place seed and a
home playoff game.
The team started out strong by scoring three goals in two minutes halfway
through the first period off the sticks
of Rubinoff, Jay Kourkoulis 17 and
Jason Nawrocki 18. The Polar Bears
never looked back as they carried the
lead through the game led yet again by
the great play in net from Cronin.
The Bears will now focus on the final
four games of the season, all against
NESCAC opponents. This weekend
will see their final home games of the
season and the final regular season
home game for Meagher, who is excited for another opportunity to perform
in the NESCAC playoffs.
The most exciting thing for me,
coaching for so many years, is that
you want your team to be competitive
at the end of the year, said Meagher.
Its playing your best, playing up to
your potential and then you can lay it
on the line and leave it all on the ice.
Once the final games of the season
come around the playoff mentality
switches on and every game becomes
more important.
I think the mentality does change,
said Meagher. Margin of error becomes very tight. We are in a one and
out system in the NESCAC. You have
to do everything you can do to be prepared for that one and out.
The team will have quite a challenge
ahead of them facing Wesleyan (2-5-7
NESCAC) tomorrow and Trinity (113-0 NESCAC) on Sunday.

14

the bowdoin orient

OPINION

Progress and persistence

ne year ago, student activists held a demonstration in Smith Union.

At its conclusion, they presented an open letter to the Bowdoin
community containing a series of 19 calls to action for the Colleges administration that took a stand on the intersecting issues of climate,
sexuality, class, gender and race. This week in the Orient, we took stock of
what progress has been made on each of the appeals.
The administration has been taking concrete actions in response to the
issues brought up at last years meeting. Thanks to campus activists, Bowdoin has made significant strides in grappling with the implications of its
historical whiteness, and has started conversations that have led to actual
institutional changes. Each move forward is a success when looking at the
history of Bowdoin and examining whom the College was originally created to serve. This week, for example, the newly-created BSG position of
multicultural representative went into effect. This is a lasting, important action, pursued by student activists, that is a small but significant shift towards
making Bowdoin a more inclusive environment moving forward. President
Roses acknowledgement of racial inequalities on campus was important as
wella naming of a problem that some Bowdoin students have been struggling with, unheard, for years.
But advocacy informed by a desire to make Bowdoin a safe space conscious of the injustices around us needs to continue. Progress made by administrators is not inevitable; it is tied directly to the pressure students are
able to exert for change, and their continued and sustained efforts in doing
so. Class issues were one of the meetings focal points, but were left out of the
calls to action, thus taking a backseat in the administrations agenda.
Each step has been the result of a push from students who want to make
Bowdoin a more accessible place for them. Bowdoin cannot rely on the momentum of last semester to keep students working for social justice on this
campus. The very structure of a four-year college means that with new students matriculating and young adults graduating annually, we cannot rely on
the same faces to be leading the fight each year.
The administrators of Bowdoin have good intentions, but they have certain responsibilities that students do not. Often, their jobs involve upholding
the image and reputation of an institution that is most comfortable when
progress happens at a slow, gradual pace. Students should not expect administrators alone to lead the charge for institutional advances in regards to race
and intersecting issues of identity, especially when many students feel that
a movement like this is urgent. Invested underclass studentsthose directly
affected by injustices and their allieshave the responsibility to keep tabs on
what has been accomplished and to keep pushing as they progress through
their time at Bowdoin.

This editorial represents the majority view of the Bowdoin Orients editorial
board, which is comprised of Julian Andrews, John Branch, Jono Gruber, Matthew
Gutschenritter, Emma Peters, Meg Robbins, Nicole Wetsman, and Emily Weyrauch.

friday, february 12, 2016

Black Superman: Cam Newton is

more than a quarterback to me
BY CHAZ PHILLIPS
OPED CONTRIBUTOR

Its no secret that Cam Newton of the

Carolina Panthers has had a phenomenal season this year. Winning the Most
Valuable Player Award, throwing 35
touchdown passes, losing only one game
throughout the regular season and leading his team to the Super Bowl are just
a few of the accolades. Im not an ESPN
analyst nor do I love football, but Newton has proven himself to be an extraordinary athlete.
At 65, Cam could be considered
imposing purely due to his height, but
what some people are really intimidated
by is his personality and his mindset
of being unapologetically black and
skilled. Being young, black, talented and
proud of what you have accomplished is
a dangerous thing in this world. Not everyone can appreciate or understand it.
The media, along with others who criticize Newton, cant seem to comprehend
that there is simply nothing wrong with
what he is doing.
So why is he important? There are
many great black athletes in the NFL and
in the world, but none are in the position of Newton. Cam Newton is one of
few black starting quarterbacks in the
NFL and, in addition, is playing at a high
caliber. Even with his stellar play, the media hasnt focused on his achievements.
Rather, it has focused on everything else
about him. From dabbing in the endzone to his sometimes-lavish wardrobe,
the media has been creating this image of
a controversial figure. In short, they dont
like him because hes a quarterback who

is black, talented and dances.

Of course, not all people criticize him
for his dancing or his personality, nor do
they care that he is black. But for those
who do, there is one thing that they need
to understand: he is more than just a
black quarterback who dances. He is a
symbol for a black people. I cannot speak
for all black people but for many us, to
see a black man perform at such a high
level in a position of leadership that is
predominantly filled by white men is
nothing short of inspirational. Newton
is in a position where he not only has to
carry his teamand, like most quarterbacks, has a responsibility to his fans
but most likely feels the weight of his
people in addition to everything else.
When my friends and I discuss football and Cam Newton comes up in the
conversation, there is no doubt that he
is more than just an incredible quarterback. He symbolizes that there is nothing
wrong with being black and successful
and showing it. When someone works
hard for their success, gives back to their
community as he does with the Cam
Newton Foundation, and inspires others, there shouldnt be any issue. Yet even
with all of this effort on his part, some fail
to see the positivity behind the image he
is putting forth.
More importantly, those who try to
paint an image of Newton as being a
vulgar or an inappropriate figure need
to understand that they are not just criticizing him. They are sending a message
to young black kids everywhere that you
cant be black and proud. I could understand if Newton was infamous for social
fiascos off the field and was constantly in

SOPHIE WASHINGTON

trouble with the law, like Johnny Manziel, but thats not the case. Newtons biggest critics will tell you that he is being
cocky for dancing after a touchdown.
On the contrary, nothing was said when
Aaron Rodgers did his signature celebration or when Tim Tebow took his
signature knee. By trying to tarnish Cam
Newtons reputation, people are reinforcing the mindset in society that being
black, proud and successful is not acceptable. However, the reality of the situation is that Newton continues to inspire
black youth in a positive way. Although
he is young and still has much to learn
about the game, he is letting kids know
that being yourself in the face of adversity is just fine.
Im not 65, I cant throw a football 100
yards and my dab looks a little funny, but
when I see Cam Newton doing what he
does, Im even more proud of being black
and striving for success. And if what he
is doing still makes people mad, too bad.
They dont make band-aids for feelings.

The dangerous miseducation of Americans through Eurocentric curricula

ADIRA POLITE
ON THE EDGE
If your secondary school curriculum resembled mine, then you
might have learned to equate success
with whiteness. Its likely that this
thought never consciously crossed
your mindbut it was there. I prefer to think that school boards do
not purposefully instill this notion in
their students. However, by solely focusing on the accomplishments and
contributions of Europeans and their
descendants, teachers perpetuate the
notion that members of the white race
are the greatest contributors and thus,
more naturally inclined to succeed.
In light of recent racially charged
tragedies, an attack on the education
system might seem petty. It is not.
See, the aforementioned subconscious
thought that Eurocentric curricula
fosters can lead individuals to later
harbor views that are much more sinister. When these resulting ideas are
voiced, the speaker is quickly labeled
racist, ignorant or bigoted. Many will
assume the individual is uneducated.
In many cases, uneducated is a mislabel. I would argue that a lack of education is not the reason behind your
Uncle Joes racist rants. On the contrary, the education that he did receive
might be the true catalyst.
The inflammatory statements made
by people like Uncle Joe prompt those
around them to respond by attacking

DIANA FURUKAWA

only their words. This knee-jerk reaction is dangerous. By reacting this

way, one fails to detect and destroy the
flawed foundation upon which Uncle
Joe bases his ideas. The root cause of
his prejudice should be the prime target of those hoping to change him. If
we continue to chop away only at the
ideas that stem from the root, genuine
change will remain a fantasy.
This idea directly applies to modern racial discourse. Consider those
who attempt to justify the shooting
of unarmed black Americans. Some
members of the Black Lives Matter
movement are perplexed by those
defending the police; I am not. As
a woman of African descent, these
views certainly haunt me, but I am
not even slightly confused by their
mindset. Why? Because there is a
pattern. Though the explanations always vary, the underlying sentiment

remains the same.

Regardless of whether the black
victim was involved in criminal activity, thug is a justifiers most beloved
noun choice. Evidence of drug use becomes reason to denounce the victims
entire character. To them, resistance,
running or cursing suddenly become
crimes that are punishable by death.
These are the arguments used by
those who attempt to rationalize these
tragedies. This mindset is not simply the result of a lack of education.
These warped justifications expose
the potentialor lack thereofthat
the speaker feels the victim possessed.
To these people, the dead black man is
guilty because he must be guilty. For
many of these defenders, these deaths
are not that tragic because these black
people were not really going to contribute much, anyway. The media is
quick to post an incriminating or un-

attractive photographs of the victim

alongside a smiling, clean-cut photo
of the officer. As stated, there is a pattern. The sentiment remains the same.
Again, this sentiment does not result from a lack of education. Prejudiced views are not inborn. They are
taught. Thus, racism is not the mantra
of the uneducated, but of the mis-educated. Though many Americans are
aware that this mindset has led to the
devaluation of the black life, many fail
to recognize the connection between
this devaluation and the Eurocentric
nature of our nations classrooms.
By ignoring this connection, we are
continuing to plant ideas about racial
categoriesand the inherent value of
eachin the minds of our youth.
This failure can affect how children
of all backgrounds view race, but can
be especially detrimental to the way
in which students of color view themselves. Though many minority parents
take extra steps to supplement their
childs knowledge of their culture and
history, some parents do not have the
time, will or awareness to do so. While
some of these children are not affected
by this lapse in education many, sadly,
are. These are the students who move
into adulthood consciously or subconsciously believing that their potential is naturally lower than that of
their white peers.
If unfamiliar with these ideas, one
might swiftly cry race bait and denounce the entire concept. Luckily, a
multitude of social and psychologi-

cal studies have focused on the effects

of internalized racism. Most of these
studies have specifically focused on
the black community. Though some
have used these studies to spark discussion on internalized racism, the
root of this issue is rarely questioned.
Though many experiences result in the
devaluation of the self, it is especially
horrifying that this poison might first
be prescribed in the classroom.
The change Im calling for is quite
small. If teachers can spend time
discussing Alexander Graham Bells
telephone, then they can also mention that Americas first clock was created by Benjamin Bannekera black
man. If we can take the time to study
Ancient Greece and Rome, why cant
we also study Ancient African and
Asian communities? Civilization first
arose in the Eastern hemisphereour
textbooks do not reflect that. There is
more to non-white countries than European colonialismthe curricula of
many schools suggest otherwise. The
histories and contributions of people of color belong in the classroom
alongside those of their white counterparts.
We cannot simultaneously support
a classroom narrative that quietly
upholds racial inequality and expect
to somehow evolve into a magical
post-racial society. If we wish to dismantle racist ideology from its core,
we must first understand where that
core lies. Simply studying the surface
accomplishes nothing.

friday, february 12, 2016

the bowdoin orient

opinion

15

We must hold all leaders accountable, even those on our side

JULIA BERKMANHILL
OPED CONTRIBUTOR

It was surreal standing at the rope line of

a Hillary Clinton event in Portsmouth, NH
last Saturday evening, knowing that in a few
moments I would be pressing her on a question she has evaded for months. What I had
to do was so simple, but my heart pounded
nonetheless. I took a deep breath, reached
for her hand, and asked, Secretary Clinton,
will you pledge to stop taking money from
fossil fuel lobbyists? Immediately, her face
hardened and she forcefully retracted her
hand without a word.
Debriefing the event later that evening,
another activist mentioned that she always
felt nervous putting pressure on Clinton
since she felt accountable to her in a way she
didnt feel accountable to the Republicans
we were also pushing on climate issues.
I found that feeling in myself, too. Clinton does share a lot of my values, and she
is an amazingly effective politician. She believes in climate change, renewable energy,
a womans right to choose, as well as lots of
other liberal things. In some ways, its easy
to feel that she is good enough. Its easy to
feel that I should be fighting for her instead
of fighting for better policies from her.
At the same time, I see the effect that
activism has had on her, pushing her on issues such as oil extraction on public lands.
All summer, protesters publicly disrupted
her town halls and rallies chanting Act on
climate! and holding banners and signs.
Shortly after Clinton came out against Arctic, Allyson Gross 16 interrupted Clinton

at a rally in Portland, asking her about her

position on the Keystone Pipeline. Five days
after that action, Clinton came out against
the Keystone pipeline as well. The first time
she was pressed on each of those issues, and
the fifth time or even the fiftieth, she refused to take a stand. It is the persistence of
activists across the country that has led her
to move steadily to the left.
Still, Hillary continues to take money
from the fossil fuel industry, and she is not
the only one. When I came to Bowdoin, I
felt that it, like Clinton, was good enough.
However, not only is Bowdoins endowment
invested in oil and gas, but plenty of the Colleges trustees are heavily invested personally in these industries, too.
When I learned that Sheldon Stone, a
Trustee who sits on the Investment Committee, runs a hedge fund with $2 billion
in energy investments, largely oil and gas,
it put Bowdoins silence on divestment into
perspective. If he and other trustees are
profiting from the companies that are polluting our communities, he would have no
incentive to engage productively on divestment from those companies. When I further
heard that Greenpeace referred to Stone as
the kingpin of carbon in 2014 and that
Stone and his wife have donated generously
to Carly Fiorina and Marco Rubio, I understood why he and other trustees are not seriously addressing Bowdoins complicity in
the climate crisis. Even if a concern for personal profits doesnt directly affect his vision
of Bowdoins future, Stones investments in
oil and gas send a clear message that he
stands on the side of fossil fuels.

A good number of first years Ive talked to have

asked me why I think Bowdoin has yet to divest.
After all, barrels that transport oil are currently
worth more than the oil inside of them. We have
more evidence than ever that climate change is
happening now and that its being caused by the
fossil fuel industry. We know that oil refineries
and coal plants are hurting our citizens health
and threatening the existence of communities
around the world who are vulnerable to rising
seas and extreme weather.
And still, Bowdoin stays silent on divestment
and silent on its connections to the fossil fuel industry. I havent known how to respond to those
first years, because to me, and to them, divestment seems like common sense, and the inaccessibility of the Board has been incredibly frustrating and without easy explanation.
I think the answer is pretty clear to me
now. Through their personal investments,
many Bowdoin trustees have shown they
have a stake in the continuing success of oil
and gas companies. They have yet to show,
however, their stake in mitigating the effects of climate change or transitioning to
a new and sustainable economy.
As students at this institution we have a
right to know how and why key decisions
are made at Bowdoin, and understanding
our trustees backgrounds is a big part of
that. Just like Hillary, Bowdoin is not perfect. Bowdoin knew about these ties to the
fossil fuel industry. Lets keep asking questions. Lets keep working to make Bowdoin
reflect our values.
Julia Berkman-Hill is a member of the class
of 2017.

DIANA FURUKAWA

More than goods: on the importance of economic wealth

JESSE ORTIZ

SIGNIFYING NOTHING
In the United States, scarcity often
manifests itself as excess. For example, Mississippi has both the highest
rate of food insecurity and the third
highest rate of obesity nationwide.
In a food system that privileges
products that are convenient, marketable and, ultimately, cheap, many
can only afford to eat against their
physical needs. When a burger costs
one dollar but a salad costs seven
dollars, calories are cheap, but nutrition is expensive.
We can apply the logic of the
American obesity epidemic to wealth
disparities in modern society. You
may be familiar with the TV show
Hoarders. According to the shows
description on Google, each episode
profiles two people on the verge of a
personal crisis, all caused by the fact
that they are unable to part with even
the tiniest possessions. The show
tends to feature average-looking

Americans and claims that these

people are afflicted by psychological
conditions that constitute hoarding, the accumulation of excess stuff.
Bill Gates and Donald Trump have
never been featured on Hoarders.
The billions of dollars that these
men possess are different from the
old books, food or animals that the
people on Hoarders cling to. Like
junk food, the stuff we consider
trash is readily available in America.
People can accumulate piles of useless goods because its relatively easy
to buy things. Hoarding, like obesity,
demonstrates the extreme of a logic
of consumption based on accessibility over quality, on what you can get
over whats good for you.
When I was in elementary school,
my mother bought me a new backpack each fall. And with all the other
expenses relating to a new school
year, the end of August and beginning of September can be a tough
time financially. Because of this, my
mom never wanted to spend more
than $20 on a backpack. Inevitably, these inexpensive bags would

fail before the end of the year, with

broken straps or gaping holes making these bags a hassle during spring
rain. By fifth grade, I envied those
kids whod had their significantlymore-than-$20 monogrammed L.L.
Bean backpacks since kindergarten.
Those bags were sturdy, practical
and (most importantly) signified
the longevity of an early investment.
The monogrammed initials were icing on the cakethe symbol of ownership and permanence on a quality
consumer good.
If youve read many of my columns, you know that I like to use
anecdotes from elementary school.
Often, childhood memories contain
our most distilledand often unarticulatedfeelings of shame and exclusion. I was recently talking to my
friend Julia, who mentioned having
a similar experience with L.L. Bean
bags, until she, like me, invested in
a quality backpack that she carries to
this day. Another friend, Will, mentioned his frustration with having
the same sturdy but unhip bag for 15
years of his childhood. Even small

Bowdoin Orient

indicators of social position can have

effects far into the future.
We see the paradox of consumerism far beyond elementary schools.
Many low-income people in America have smartphones, expensive
sneakers and other products that
symbolize modern comfort or excess but are fairly easy to attain. If
we expand the backpack analogy, all
consumer goods are cheap throwaways compared with long-term
wealth as found in mutual funds or
property ownership.
Towards the end of last summer,
I helped a family friend move some
books out of her home. She, her partner and her daughter were moving
out of the apartment they had rented
for years into a co-op that they would
own. This friend shared that she was
trying to make her teenage daughter
understand why they were moving,
why it mattered to build equity.
This is what it all comes down
to, you know? she said while driving to the thrift store. Economic inequality. When your parents are aging, will you inherit money or have

to pay to care for them? Two weeks

ago, I remembered this stark summary of systemic inequality when
reading Josh Kims insightful analysis of intersectional discrimination.
Kim pointed out that discrimination
manifests itself in ways beyond race,
such as where I live, what my parents do, what school I attend, what I
study and what kind of cars my parents drive. Though the cultural significance of these factors can vary,
home location, education and car
ownership are directly tied to someones wealth.
It can be impossible to determine
a persons wealth by how they look.
Like food insecurity, there is no one
way that economic disempowerment
appears. Hoarding, like obesity, represents an unjust system rebelling
against itself. If consumer goods
are empty calories, health is wealth.
However, wealth is never individualized, but constituted within a social
order. And when a few people reserve
economic power for themselves, the
rest of us inevitably suffer. So, to
quote a phrase, property is theft.

The

ESTABLISHED 1871

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

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

bowdoinorient.com

orient@bowdoin.edu

Matthew Gutschenritter
Editor in Chief

6200 College Station

Brunswick, ME 04011

Nicole Wetsman
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Managing Editor Julian Andrews

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

16

the bowdoin orient

friday, february 12, 2016

FEBRUARY

WEDNESDAY 17
LECTURE

Discussion: African Art and the Exhibition

'Earth Matters'

HY KHONG, THE BOWDOIN ORIENT

BUT FIRST: President Clayton Rose takes a selfie after speaking at the Launch Event for the Senior Class Gift Campaign at the
Druckenmiller Atrium on Thursday night.

MONDAY 15

FRIDAY 12
EVENT

PERFORMANCE

Activism and Social Justice Art Show

Vagina Monologues

Student-submitted artwork will be showcased as part of

Black History Month. Additionally, there will be
poetry and spoken word based on themes of activism and
social justice.
Lamarche Gallery, David Saul Smith Union. 7 p.m.

The Vagina Monologues is an annual performance that

celebrates a variety of female perspectives on their bodies
and womanhood. Tickets are $5 and are available at the
Smith Union Information Desk for the Saturday show. Sales
will benefit the Sexual Assault Services of Midcoast Maine.
Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center. 7:30 p.m.

LECTURE

Big Data Insights for Political Campaigns and Elections

PERFORMANCE

Office Hours Improv Presents: Love Hurts

James G. Gimpel, Professor of Government at the

University of Maryland in College Park, will talk about his
research regarding voters and donors using big data in
politics to understand voters attitudes and behaviors. Gimpel will discuss the problems associated with these tactics.
Beam Classroom, Visual Arts Center. 7 p.m.

Office Hours will present a Valentines Day show

improvised from audience stories of bad relationships and
lost love.
ORIENT
PICK OF THE WEEK
Chase Barn. 9:30 p.m.

There will be a discussion of the impact of African art in the

United States in regards to the exhibition Earth Matters:
Land as Material and Metaphor in the Arts of Africa. Director
of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African
Art Johnnetta Cole will present with artist and educator
David Driskell and Curator of the Smithsonian Institution's
National Museum of African Art Karen Milbourne.
Kresge Auditorium, Visual Arts Center. 4:30 p.m.
EVENT

Soul Food Dinner

Bowdoin Dining Service presents the annual Soul Food

Dinner as part of Black History Month
Thorne Hall. 5 p.m.
EVENT

"It's Time to Face Human

Trafficking in Maine"

There will be a panel discussion regarding human

trafficking in an effort to raise awareness about its
prevalence. The panel will consist of survivors of human
trafficking as well as legal and
healthcare professionals.
ORIENT
Room 315, Searles Science Building.
PICK OF THE WEEK
7 p.m.

THURSDAY 18

SATURDAY 13

TUESDAY 16

EVENT

Catch Me If You Can Fun Run

LECTURE

Angela Merkel, the Construction of

Collective Memory and Germanys
Response to the Refugee Crisis

During this fun run in town, men will begin after women,
who will start with a 10-minute lead. The run will be on
the Brunswick Bike Path. Hot chocolate and marshmallows
will be at Fleet Feet Running Maine, where runners can
make valentines.
Fleet Feet Maine Running, Brunswick. 7:30 a.m.

LECTURE

David Gordon, Bowdoin College professor of history, will

discuss the cultural and religious significance of objects
from central Africa at the exhibition Earth Matters: Land
as Material and Metaphor in the Arts of Africa.
Museum of Art. Noon.

Robert E. Diamond Professor of Government and Global

Studies at Colby College Jennifer Yoder will talk about German Chancellor Angela Merkels role in shaping discourses
for German values and policy. Yoder will analyze 43 of her
speeches over the past 10 years. This lecture is part of the
German Voices in Europe series.
Main Lounge, Moulton Union. 4:15 p.m.

SUNDAY 14

LECTURE

LECTURE

As part of the lecture series Why African-American_____ Matters in America," Assistant Professor of
Africana Studies Judith Casselberry will be giving the
final lecture.
Ladd House. 8 p.m.

Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale University

Linn Marie Tonstad will be giving this lecture. She is the
author of God and Difference: The Trinity, Sexuality, and the
Transformation of Finitude.
Beam Classroom, Visual Arts Center. 4:30 p.m.

Gallery Conversation with Historian

David Gordon

Why do African-American Women Matter in America?

PERFORMANCE

ValJam 2016

The Longfellows and Miscellania will perform a cappella for

the
ORIENT
PICK OF THE WEEK
Bowdoin community.

19

20

PERFORMANCE

Masque and
Gown Presents:
Leading Ladies

21

22

23 EVENT
A Reading by
Poet and
Novelist Paul
Beatty

Queer Prophecy: Religion, Performance,

and Social Change

24

LECTURE

"Wonder"
Author RJ
Palacio

25